Lately, regardless of who we're talking to or what we start talking about it seems talk usually comes around to something related to our planned Alaskan trip. And we've been finding no shortage of folks offering their advice regarding where to go, what to see, how to fish, needed equipment, how to handle mosquitoes, and on and on. Everyone has advice about mosquitoes. The best we've gotten so far is that AVOIDANCE is the only really effective way to deal with the little buggers... and that the best months for avoiding them are months that end with -ary.
With signs of Spring popping all around it's almost time to start our reverse migration northward and back to our base in Sutherlin Oregon. It's been an enjoyable Winter what with all the family doings, our sporadic excursions with the truck camper, and our successful escape from most of the snow, ice, and cold. But we're also ready to get back to our home community, reconnect with family, and get started on preparations for summer travels.
On the subject of coffee: Almost half of the coffee section of our local grocery store is now taken up by K-cups. The Keurig/Green Mountain system of cup-at-time machines will certainly go down in history as a monument to the effectiveness of advertising and hucksterism... not to mention the desire for some people to demonstrate how cool and hip they are by having the latest new thing. Anyone who can convince so many people to pay 50 cents or more for a cup of coffee that they had been making with their old drip machine for only a nickle... well, I'm just stunned. Sure, there is a measure of convenience in the system, but com'on... 10x the price? I don't have one so I may not be giving this topic a fair shake... but is there enough value in the convenience and the variety of flavors and things you can make worth all the extra money? I just don't get it.
Future plans: As things stand as of this writing, we're heading back to our homebase in Sutherlin in a week or so. Both truck/camper and bushouse are going... we'll be driving separately. Once back, preparations begin for putting the bushouse in mothballs for a few months, as well as a number of expensive deferred maintenance items that really should be done. We'll also use that time to get the truck camper ready for Alaska. Also on the agenda is spending some meaningful time with family and grand-kids. Then, early May we're heading for Alaska by way of Wisconsin. (What?) Makes sense to us as we've got family and friends to see, and a few annual medical/dental appointments to keep. About the 10th of June we'd like to be heading northwest-ward, into Canada, through the Canadian Rockies, then to Dawson Creek and beyond to the land of the midnight sun.
Dawson Creek is the beginning of the Alaskan Highway (originally known as the Alcan). Our intention is to drive every mile of it on our way up.. all the way to Fairbanks. Then we'll explore as much of Alaska as we can fit in before having to begin the return trip... probably sometime mid to late August. On the return we'll take alternate highways and routes to experience as much of the north country as we can. There are a few things that could get in the way of our plans, but for now, it's full speed ahead.
