Palmer Arrival---Home!
Where did the time go? Wow....an incredible adventure has ended and with winter getting closer each day, I will have time to start planning the next one! Winter.....where did that word come from? Well....going from 95F to 45F in five days equals a ten degree drop per day as we made our way north. The fireweed is blooming and that means winter is not far!
We saw fourteen black bears, and dozens of bison, the last couple days of the drive. I went to church in Fort Nelson and as I was walking along the sidewalk, a beautiful adult black bear popped out not far in front of me and luckily, he was going the same direction as me. The cool, cloudy, rainy, Alaska summer is what we found on Tuesday when we crawled into our driveway after the grueling 13 hour rollercoaster drive from Whitehorse. The last day of driving was the worst with around 300 miles of broken highway that takes it's toll on man and machine. We saw a beautiful travel trailer sitting on it's nose with the tongue sheered off, right after a two foot frost heave. We managed to get a few small rock chips in the truck and a fair amount of dings in the boat. We did manage to keep our windshield intact and no flat tires or mechanical problems. As we got into the mountains the mosquitoes made themselves known and drove us crazy after about 50 raced through the cabin door as we rushed to get in ourselves. It is good to be home but I miss the scenery, cute towns, and great people we met along the way. I am getting back into my Alaskan routine but reminiscing of our grand adventure, and thinking how fun the next one will be! Thanks to everyone that supported us while we were away, and for our friends that gave us confidence and inspiration to be successful in this endeavor. A special thanks to my nephew Bret, for keeping our yard looking great, to Grandma for watering our flowers and gathering our mail, to Pat for offering mechanical advice and coordinating with Hewescraft when I needed parts, and to my buddy Allan, for enroute weather briefings, and navigational assistance to restaurants, bakeries, and most importantly....ice cream stores! Most of all, thanks to God for allowing this adventure to happen, for keeping us safe and healthy, and for touching our hearts with the beauty of the land and people we encountered along the way!
Stats:
May 12 to July 17.
66 consecutive nights onboard.
Alaska to New York: 3953 miles, 456 gallons fuel, 8.66 mpg, $1363. 5 days, 5 hours, 5 minutes.
New York driving: 279 miles, 22 gallons fuel, 12.68 mpg, $60.
New York to Alaska: 4259 miles, 450 gallons fuel, 9.46 mpg, $1309. 5 days, 8 hours, 45 minutes.
Boat travel: 1414nm or 1626 statute miles. Approximately 180 hours under way. Approximately 800 gallons of fuel.
May 20 to July 12
I did not keep a log on marine fuel purchased but estimate $2500-$3000 total.
Other expenses were marina fees, meals, toll roads, boat and truck oil changes, Canadian park fees, airline tickets for Carrie, Frazier, and Allison, and ICE CREAM!
We saw fourteen black bears, and dozens of bison, the last couple days of the drive. I went to church in Fort Nelson and as I was walking along the sidewalk, a beautiful adult black bear popped out not far in front of me and luckily, he was going the same direction as me. The cool, cloudy, rainy, Alaska summer is what we found on Tuesday when we crawled into our driveway after the grueling 13 hour rollercoaster drive from Whitehorse. The last day of driving was the worst with around 300 miles of broken highway that takes it's toll on man and machine. We saw a beautiful travel trailer sitting on it's nose with the tongue sheered off, right after a two foot frost heave. We managed to get a few small rock chips in the truck and a fair amount of dings in the boat. We did manage to keep our windshield intact and no flat tires or mechanical problems. As we got into the mountains the mosquitoes made themselves known and drove us crazy after about 50 raced through the cabin door as we rushed to get in ourselves. It is good to be home but I miss the scenery, cute towns, and great people we met along the way. I am getting back into my Alaskan routine but reminiscing of our grand adventure, and thinking how fun the next one will be! Thanks to everyone that supported us while we were away, and for our friends that gave us confidence and inspiration to be successful in this endeavor. A special thanks to my nephew Bret, for keeping our yard looking great, to Grandma for watering our flowers and gathering our mail, to Pat for offering mechanical advice and coordinating with Hewescraft when I needed parts, and to my buddy Allan, for enroute weather briefings, and navigational assistance to restaurants, bakeries, and most importantly....ice cream stores! Most of all, thanks to God for allowing this adventure to happen, for keeping us safe and healthy, and for touching our hearts with the beauty of the land and people we encountered along the way!
Stats:
May 12 to July 17.
66 consecutive nights onboard.
Alaska to New York: 3953 miles, 456 gallons fuel, 8.66 mpg, $1363. 5 days, 5 hours, 5 minutes.
New York driving: 279 miles, 22 gallons fuel, 12.68 mpg, $60.
New York to Alaska: 4259 miles, 450 gallons fuel, 9.46 mpg, $1309. 5 days, 8 hours, 45 minutes.
Boat travel: 1414nm or 1626 statute miles. Approximately 180 hours under way. Approximately 800 gallons of fuel.
May 20 to July 12
I did not keep a log on marine fuel purchased but estimate $2500-$3000 total.
Other expenses were marina fees, meals, toll roads, boat and truck oil changes, Canadian park fees, airline tickets for Carrie, Frazier, and Allison, and ICE CREAM!
Comments
Post a Comment