Today marks 100 days we’ve been on the road. We drove away from our home in West Olive, Michigan, excited for what was ahead, nervous about how it would go, and ready to change-up a perfectly great life we had in search of adventure and simplicity.
Living on the road has been wonderful. Our wonderful might be a little different from anyone else’s wonderful. Baby wipe baths, dirt…just everywhere, smelly dog, no cell service, cold nights and mornings, lots of rain, vehicle & tire issues, and long drives aren’t for everyone. But the scenery, the wildlife and enjoying our days together is better than we ever imagined.
The first few weeks felt like we were on vacation. Driving to cool places and setting up camp, sitting by the campfire, and reading was a wonderful change to our busy and stressful days we had before. We’d sleep in until Gus made us get up. We went to breweries and ate out. It was great until we realized we couldn’t sustain that unless we wanted to go home sooner than later.
Now we try to get up before Gus (who is doing much better at sleeping in these days), take him for a nice long walk, snack through lunch and make dinner at camp. We still enjoy stopping in at the local brewery or pub to chat with the locals and learn about things to do. We just try to keep the bill a little smaller.
We have settled into a routine as far as setting up and breaking down camp. We make plans knowing they can change depending on the day.
We’ve learned that we don’t like to pay for camping. We found a few free ones here and there when we started out, but paid for more than we would’ve liked in the first month. We then discovered the iOverlander app (thank you Sporadic Sojourners) and now make it a goal to find places to boondock instead of paying at a campground for amenities we don’t need.
We’ve dealt with vehicle and tire issues that have been frustrating but minor. The weather hasn’t always cooperated with what we had planned, but that’s all part of the adventure. Even when we had a few issues to deal with at home early in the trip, we never once thought about packing it up and going home.
We knew we would meet people on this journey. What we didn’t expect was to connect with some of them so quickly. Bicyclists, motorcyclists, car campers, roof top tenters, other truck campers, RVer’s, gold miners, bartenders, and locals…we met all kinds of people from all over and enjoyed each of their stories. We felt comfortable with them because we were all seeking adventure, living on the road and actually out here doing it. We definitely have some new life long friends.
We continue to talk about the future. We aren’t even halfway into this adventure, but we are so excited about what’s next. Going to the places we’ve been, seeing the sights we’ve seen, and meeting the people we’ve met, just makes us want to keep going.
We’ll keep learning things as we go and adapt and change to suit our needs. Here’s a few things we’ve experienced and learned so far 100 days in:
⦁We’ve traveled 11,215 miles in the 2002 Ford F250 Super Duty which now has 303,182 miles on it
⦁ We’ve traveled approx 4,500 miles in the 2006 Jeep Wrangler
⦁ We found 64 free nights of camping
⦁ We paid for 35 nights of camping ($36 most expensive, $5 least expensive)
⦁ We drove to the Northernmost point you can drive to
⦁ We drove to the Westernmost point you can drive to
⦁ We camped next the Arctic Ocean on Summer Solstice
⦁ We crossed the Arctic Circle multiple times
⦁ Tundra landscape is awesome and everyone should get to see it
⦁ Alaska kicks Montana’s butt for glacier experiences
⦁ We saw the Yukon River many times and it is huge
⦁ Arctic mosquitoes are big and annoying although slow
⦁ We woke up to snow in June in Alberta
⦁ Driving 8 hours is easy now, feels like a short day
⦁ We don’t hesitate to drive 450 miles on a gravel road one way
⦁ Carrying multiple spare tires was not overkill
⦁ A 15% grade is a serious descent with 10,000lbs pushing you
⦁ Overnighting in parking lots and rest areas isn’t as bad as it sounds
⦁ Fuel in Canada is ridiculously expensive…so is the beer
⦁ The camper step can handle a tumble down the Dalton Highway-that’s on the checklist now too
⦁ Keys always seem to go missing
⦁ We’ve never had to pick up so much dog poop in our lives-who owns who?
⦁ It’s easy to finish a book in a day when you don’t have to punch a time clock
⦁ Laundromats are expensive & annoying-I do miss my washer & dryer
⦁ We didn’t need near as many clothes as we brought
⦁ Percolator coffee is growing on us
⦁ You don’t need a shower everyday-baby wipes aren’t just for babies anymore
⦁ Hats are a staple in our wardrobe
⦁ There is more road construction in Alaska than in Michigan
⦁ Potholes and frost heaves are no joke
⦁ Alaska August feels like Michigan October but with more rain
⦁ Our 15-year-old dog is a great hiker
⦁ We are still in awe of mountains & want spend more time exploring them
⦁ Caribou are hard to find
⦁ We aren’t the only crazy couple out here that quit jobs to pursue our dream of traveling
There are many more experiences and things we have learned but you get the picture. We are definitely still having fun and are finally getting used to the fact that this is really our lives and we get to do this every day for a while. We spent 60 days in Alaska and didn’t see enough of Canada. We do know, only 100 days in, that we have just scratched the surface of what this continent has to offer and we want to see more.
We left Alaska on Saturday and traveled on the Alaska Highway to the Cassiar Highway. We had been watching the fires and mud slides and were hoping not to get detoured. We did see and smell the smoke, but it did not cause any travel problems. We took a side trip to Stewart, BC and Hyder, Alaska and drove up to Salmon Glacier and past the summit. We checked out some cool trails that got us better views of the glacier. We really enjoyed this area and were glad we took the time to go.
Salmon Glacier
We made our way through British Columbia heading south. We had to deal with a U-joint issue and more trailer tire issues and finally made it to the Sea to Sky Highway Thursday morning. We had to wait a few minutes as they were just opening the road after a mud slide.
The Sea to Sky Highway was gorgeous!! It was very curvy and mountainous and had some serious climbs and descents but the views were well worth it.
We stayed just outside of Whistler and enjoyed a day to just relax. We had put in a few long days of driving and needed to just sit.We will cross the border back to the U.S tomorrow and head to Birch Bay, WA to visit a friend I haven’t seen in a very long time.
We’ll definitely keep up with our stories as we head to the Pacific Northwest. We’re excited for friends and family to visit us within the next few weeks and months.
Off to the lower 48…