Day 115-118 – Anchorage, AK– June 16th-19th, 2011

Theresa and I arrived back in Anchorage and headed for our couch surfing hostess’s place.  Gabrielle is a very cool lady into sustainability and living off the land.  She has extensive gardens in her back ground and plans to join a permaculture group in Hawaii next year.  For more on permaculture check this out:  Permaculture.   Theresa and I made dinner for her and her roommates and then she took us out to taproot for some live music and dancing.  At the taproot I met the opening singer, Paul Caltado from Asheville, NC.  I spoke with him and his girlfriend for a while very cool people.  The next day Theresa and I visited the Midnight Sun Crewing company in Anchorage then we headed to Hood Lake for a picnic and watched the float planes take off.  Sarah joined us there.  We met Sarah through Lisa, and she had just quit her job and wants to do some float trips and backpacking with me now that she has free time.  Sarah is an Anchorage resident, and very much into the outdoors, fishing, climbing, and backpacking.  She took us on a short hike off the Seward highway, and we had great views of the inlet. 

The next day Theresa drove me to the start line for the marathon.  I met with James there as planned.  Soon afterwards we were off in the race.  Our goal was to run a 3:30 finish time.  The weather was perfect, mid 50s and sunny.  About 2 miles into the race, James could not hold back any longer and wanted to go, I let him run at his paced and continued on shooting for a 3:25-3:30 finish time.  The race was a bit hilly and about 50% was on pavement the rest was on gravel roads, and single track packed mud trails.  This was the first time I ran a marathon on trails, and it was great fun.  There were times when I was completely alone running through the woods.  Most of the time though there were people around.  The marathon had nearly 1000 participants so it was a nice size race that you are not always alone, but not too crowded either.  The race went really well and I was on track for a 3:25 finish, but the last 6 miles came up on me with a vengeance, I slowed my pace significantly (despite my best efforts) and ended up with a 3:32:14 finish time, not bad but not great.  I was happy though. I found James at the finish line and another Couch surfer that I had been in contact with but not actually met, Thomas, another resident of Anchorage.  James ended up really going for it and finished in 3:05, and placed 12^th overall.

After meeting with my old Tegron manager Brad Rogers and his wife Barbra for lunch in Anchorage, I relaxed most of the afternoon.  Saturday night Theresa and I went downtown to see our hostess Gabi play in the Solstice festival with her band.  I met James for dinner, and we bumped into Rose downtown too.  We celebrated well into the night. 

The next day James and I climbed to the top of flattop, as a way to loosen up our legs.  It was cloudy but we still had some decent views of the city when the clouds parted briefly.  The next day James left for Colorado for his next race.  I promised to visit him in Sidney when I get there later this year.

FTF Day 115-118

Day 111-114 – Seward, AK and Kenai Fjords National Park– June 12th-15th, 2011

After arriving in Anchorage, Theresa and I spent 1 night at the 26^th street hostel, a very random but well priced hostel.  My friend Mike, a couch surfer I met at Orange Acres in Montana had just arrived in Anchorage with his friend Chris and was staying here too.  We managed to meetup with Rose and her CS host Kirby.  It was cool to see so many familiar faces in such a far away place.  After a pretty wild evening with at the famous Chilakoot Charlie’s we met up with my good friend Lisa.  Lisa had been on a cruise to Alaska with her Mom who was visiting from Australia.  After Lisa’s Mom left for home, Lisa stayed for a couple more weeks to explore Alaska.  We made plans to head to Seward for some Kayaking, she had received info from a friend that completed an amazing trip the previous year and we wanted to do the same.  I picked her up in Anchorage.  She had just completed a backpacking trip and was eager to start our next adventure.  

Theresa, Lisa and I drove the 3 ½ hours down to Seward, a small port town where the cruise ships dock.  We headed to Miller’s Landing and a inquired about making arrangements to rent the gear we needed, and get a water taxi to and from our destination.  We were informed that we would have to complete a quick splash course for them to rent us our gear.  The splash course involved paddling out in resurrection bay and then flipping our own kayak into the 45F water.  Once in the water we had to crawl back inside the kayak and pump it out.  We were only given a wetsuit to wear so it was still very, very cold!  We were all successful though and were then set to head out on our trip.

The water taxi was not going until Sunday morning, so we had an extra day to check out Seward and do some hiking at Lowell Point State Park.  We camped at Miller’s Landing for a couple nights.

Sunday morning we were on board our water Taxi by 6AM.  The 2 hour ride out to our drop off point, Tooth Cove was fun, we saw humpback whales, sea otters, puffins and seals on the way.  When we arrived, we were unloaded on the beach and then left, on our own for 4 days and 3 nights.  After loading up our kayaks with all our gear we setoff first landing near the ranger station for lunch and then headed off for Abra Cove our first camp site.  That night while sitting on the beach and enjoying the views across the bay of Aialik Glacier, we heard what we initially thought was thunder.  We quickly realized that it was not thunder but sections of the glacier breaking off and crashing into the ocean.  It was very cool and continued throughout the night.  The next day we paddled through basketball sized ice bergs floating in the water, pushing them out of our way with our kayaks across the bay to the beach adjacent Aialik glacier.  We saw several seals en route and the would generally pop there heads out of the water watch us for a bit then duck back below the surface.  We even saw one just casually lying on an iceberg as we paddled by.  When we arrived we stayed on the beach for several hours, eating lunch, watching the glacier hiking right up to the glacier, and just enjoying one of the most awe inspiring sites ever.  Later that afternoon we paddled to Pederson point to make camp.  Along the way we saw an Orca way jump completely out of the water and then dive back in.  Of course none of us had our cameras ready.  Then before we could recover from the shock of what we just saw it happened again!  This is a relatively rare site even in Alaska, it was truly amazing.   Each day we paddled an average of 4 hrs, and visited 2 more tidal glaciers, Pederson and Holgate, each was unique it’s own way.  We filtered water from waterfalls coming down the side of the mountains, since bay water was ocean water.  We camped at Pederson Point and Holgate beach the next two nights.  Holgate beach was also our pickup point.  

We were picked up by our water taxi as planned without incident at 4:30PM on our 4^th day and returned to miller’s landing to a well deserved shower, and meal.  We spent the night at the Moby Dick Hostel in Seward as we had been camping for 5 nights in a row and it was going to rain again.  A warm dry bed was much appreciated, 

While at the hostel that evening I met James.  James is about my age and a fellow runner, we found our we were both running the marathon in Anchorage on Saturday June 18^th, and we made plans to go for a run the next morning.  Like me, James has taken a yearlong sabbatical from his Environmental Attorney’s job in Sidney to travel a bit, and do some volunteer work too.  He spent the winter as a snow board instructor on Lake Tahoe, and then came to Alaska for a month or so to train for the Leadville Marathon in Colorado in July.  He’s also has a background in science (PhD) and was planning to do some volunteer scuba dive work in the Caribbean over the summer after his race.  He’s a very disciplined runner, and has cut out most carbs and alcohol from his diet.  We made plans to meetup in Anchorage at the starting line and run together, because his plan was to run a 3:30 and so was mine.  Theresa, Lisa and I left later that morning to head back to Anchorage.  Lisa was flying back to Vancouver the next day and Theresa and I were going to couchsurf in Anchorage for the weekend, so I could run the marathon Saturday and we could enjoy the solstice festivities Saturday night.

Complete Album Here:  FTF Day 111-114

Day 104-110 - – The Alaska Highway, Jasper, AB to Anchorage, AK – June 5th-11th, 2011

I started the long drive to Alaska in Jasper, AB.  I had made a posting on the couchsurfing ride share group some weeks ago and Theresa and responded, saying she would love to join me on my trip to Alaska.  She informed me that she would arrive in Jasper, AB June 5^th.  After a quick check of my calendar, I realized that is was only 100km out of my way and it was well worth the extra driving to have someone to share the expense of fuel and break up the monotony of the journey.  From Jasper to Anchorage the drive is 1904 miles (3064 km).  We were planning to do the drive in about 7 days or less.  The plan is to drive 6-8 hrs a day, and camp and couch surf along the way.

Theresa, is visiting Canada from Germany.  She recently finished university where she studied to become a teacher.  She arrived about 2 ½ weeks earlier and visited Toronto and Montreal, before deciding on whim to take the train across Canada to Jasper and meet me.  We chatted on skype and decided it would be good fun.  She was prepared to camp with me, and share some of the driving duties.  Once we arrive in Alaska depending on how we get along she may join me for parts of my trip there.  She is planning to travel North America for 6 months or more and then head to New Zealand and Australia.

After picking her up in Jasper we drove 6 hrs to Dawson Creek, BC, the official start of the Alaska (sometimes called Alcan) highway.  I had made arrangements for us to couchsurf with Dan and Jen.  The were great hosts, when we arrived we chatted for a bit and they made us dinner, then took us for a wlk into town to get our required photos at the Mile 0 sign post.  While there we met another couple that were starting the same drive, but they had started in Mendoza Argentina!  Jen a 4^th generation Dawson Creekian and Dan both knew a wealth of information about the town.  They even gave us a tourist guide to the highway and recommendations for places to stay our first couple of nights.  They had been hosting for 3 years and had met people cycling and hitch hiking up the highway.  Some had started from much further away than us.  So I know many of you think my adventure is a bit crazy, but then I always manage to find others that make mine seem meek in comparison. 

Our first day was relatively uneventful, we had planned to stop at the Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park for the night, a 760 km (472 mi) drive.  Other than some rain and a giant lumberjack (statue not real) the drive was pretty uneventful.  We talked a lot, and it made the drive a lot easier.  We ended up at the Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park, where after dinner we spent a few hours enjoying the midnight sun and the springs.

The next couple of days we continued to drive along averaging 130 km/h, Theresa even relieved me several times to give me a chance to sleep or just take a break.  It seemed like everytime she did it would start raining , or we would get stuck in a construction spot waiting, sometimes up to 30 minutes to pass.  The Alaskan Highway requires constant maintenance as it the poor soil, and freeze and thaws cause the road to heave.  There were several sections, the worst being the last 2 hrs in the Yukon before crossing into Alaska. 

Gasoline was never really a problem, but you did have to try and fill up in the bigger towns, sometimes I would get stuck and have to buy overpriced gasoline from a small shop in the middle of nowhere and pay nearly $6/gallon.

One of the most memorable sites were the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, a collection of over 60,000 signs from all over the world.  My favourite lunch spot was on the banks of Kluane Lake, just outside Haines Junction, YT.  We camped in Whitehorse, YT a surprisingly cool little town, but there is not really much going on there.  We stayed in Tok, AK and then finally arrived in Anchorage after only 5 days after leaving Jasper, we had covered 1905 miles (3067km).

We saw a Bull Moose from a distance, plenty of Bison, mountain goats, and some smaller animals including my first Bald Eagle, Theresa even saw a bear but I missed it.  The mountain scenery at times was just amazing, especially near Kluan National Park, looking towards Canada's tallest mountain, Mount Logan.  It was a great drive, and everyone should do it at least once in their life.  Lucky for me I’ll get to do it a second time on my way home.  I’m hoping to take more time on the way back and see a few things along the way.

Full album:  FTF Day 104-110

Day 102-103 – Kelowna, BC and Jasper, AB – June 3rd-4th, 2011

I arrived in Kelowna in the mid afternoon and instead of couchsurfing I decided to stay in a hostel for a change.  I stayed at the SameSun Backpacker’s hostel in the center of town.  I could have easily couchsurfed, there are plenty of hosts in Kelowna, but I was looking for something different.  I quickly met a number of people working or staying at the hostel.  Many of them were Australian, mostly twenty somethings that spent the past winter at a ski resort working and were now travelling around and working shorter stints at the hostel in exchange for a room and a bit of pay.  There were also a number of Canadians travelling, mostly students who just finished university or were on summer break. 

Kelowna, is one of Canada’s most beautiful cities.  It sits on the 120km (75 miles) long Okanagan Lake, and I surrounded by greenhills, and snow capped mountains in the distance.  The population is about 140,000 people, so the cities has most of the amenities you would need.  It’s also the center of BC’s winecountry with over 20-30 wineries in built up on the surrounding hills.  It has a couple ski hills nearby and even a couple local breweries.  The climate is also much drier that other parts of BC, like western Washigton and Oregon it’s shielded from much of the rain that comes off the pacific by the Cascade mountains.

I stayed 2 nights and both of them I ended up with a group from our hostel at the local dance clubs, Level and Saphirre.  During the day I visited the waterfront, beaches, 2 wineries, a goat’s milk farm, and a the Tree Brewing Co.  At the summer hill winery, I arrived just in time for the 12:00 tour.  I was informed that since I was the only one there I would have a personal tour with Colette.  She was very interested in my story and since the weather was perfect 22C (72F) and sunny, she took extra time outside with me.  She was even kind enough to answer my barrage of questions about Kelowna, and the surrounding areas, weather etc.  All factors I am considering in my decision making process to find my next home.  The most interesting part of the tour was the pyramid.  Apparently the owner of the Summerhill winery has a bit of an obsession with pyramids.  It’s 1/8 exact replica of the pyramids at Giza, Egypt.  It is used hold weddings, and other special events, and each barrel of wine spends at least some of it’s aging time in the pyramid.  Apparently the pyramid wine always tastes better for some reason.  The pyramid even has 12” wide copper strip that run the length of each of the pyramid corners and a large crystal hanging just below the summit of the pyramid.

Later that day I ran to the top of Knox Mountain with Prit.  Prit was in Kelowna on business and saw that I was in town too so she contacted me so we could go for a run together. 

The next day I headed for Jasper, and luckily I had a passenger, Felix.  Felix was staying in the same hostel and needed a ride to Jasper, about 7 hrs by car away.  He was off school from the summer and lives near Montreal.  He decided to fly out west for the summer and hitch hike his way around.  His plan was to get a 1-2 month job in Jasper for the summer.  He shared fuel expenses and even some of the driving duties with me.  The hostel in Jasper was full so we shared a campsite near town.  That evening we headed into Jasper for Game 2 of the NHL playoffs.  Since the Vancouver Canucks are in the running everyone was out watching the game.  We spent the rest of the night enjoying a wild Saturday night in Jasper.  The next morning I dropped Felix off at the hostel, and headed to town to pick up Theresa, for the next leg of my Journey.

FTF Day 102-103

Day 100-101 – Spokane, WA – June 1st-2nd, 2011

I spent 2 nights in Spokane.  I did a couple runs along the centennial trail, visited the Steam Plant Grill which is built in the old Steam Plant and has a lot of the old pipes, and equipment still present.  I did a nice long walk downtown and took a lot of photos and enjoyed the massive waterfalls, amplified by the fact that the water levels are very high.  I also visited the Northern Lights Brewery, and Sandra’s local (not gay) bar.  I really liked Spokane and definitely could live there in the future.  I headed out Thursday morning and drove to Kelowna, BC, finally Canada!

web Album:FTF Day 100-101

Day 96-99 – Couer D’Alene, ID – May 28th-31st, 2011

I arrived late in the afternoon, and after picking up my race registration packet.  I headed to my friends, Dave and Amy’s place where I would be staying for a few days.  Dave and Amy lived in Spartanburg until about 3 years ago, I used to Kayak with Dave, and he and Amy would often come over for house parties.  I met up with Amy at their place, since Dave was at work.  She took me on a bike tour of the town.  Couer D’Alene is a beautiful town, sitting right on a large lake and surrounded by pine covered mountains and further in the distance snow capped mountains.  It reminded me of Switzerland in many ways.  The town is relatively small, but is a popular tourist destination.  It also features the largest floating dock in the world.  That evening after Dave returned home from work we all rode bikes down Moon time their favourite pub and restaurant.  I really love being in a town where everything is bikeable or walkable.  It’s definitely one of the criteria I am using to evaluate my future home.  That night I went to bed early as the marathon was at 7AM the next morning.

The marathon was going to be my 20^th total, and 17^th state.  Since I have been travelling full time for the past 3 months I was not expecting a PR (which is currently 3:17:45).  My goal was relatively conservative at 3:30, or an 8:01 / mile pace.  The race was small, 498 participants in the full, and the weather was perfect 55F at the start and maybe topping out at 60F by the finish.  The course was an out and back along the lake and only had one small hill, but otherwise was flat.  Everything went as planned and I finished in 3:27:22.  I was very happy with this result.  Amy was there cheering me on during the course, and Dave timed his lunch break so he was at the finish line.  By far one of the prettiest races I have ever run.  I had lunch and then returned to Dave and Amy’s for a nap.  Afterwards Dave took me paddle boarding for the first time.  It was very tough, but I managed to stay dry.  That evening we went out for dinner and drinks to celebrate my success. 

The next day we ran in the park and then headed to a Memorial Day cookout.  The cookout was at some friends farm some distance out of town.  There were 3 couples and me, food was good and we took a walk around the property, a beautiful location perched on a cliff overlooking a lake below.  It was actually the site of Joe and Eilee’s (the owners) wedding.   Later in the evening Joe was demonstrating how to remove a stump with the backhoe he rented for the weekend, when it became stuck in the mud.  Eventually it took the efforts of all 7 of us and Joe’s tractor to pull it out of the bog, a lot more work than I bargained for at a cook out, but good times none the less.

The next day I headed to Spokane, WA, only 32 miles from Couer D’Alene to my CS hostess’s place.  I took my hostess, Sandra, to the Bright Eyes concert where we met Dave and Amy.  The concert was good fun, and the opening act Jenny and Johnny was really good too.   After saying good bye to Dave and Amy and thanking them for everything I headed back to Sandra’s with her.

Web Album:  Day 96-99 Album