Wheels, Whiskey, and Wilderness

Longing to be back...

2010-07-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since last summer. We found our dream home when we returned from our trip and after a long battle on the short sale, we finally bought it in November. Then we spent many days planning our Waupaca wedding and got married in May. We have been so busy this year that Mike has not even had a chance to look twice at Amber. She has now become a winter project and we plan on finishing our trip along the Pacific coast next summer. Even though we have been so busy this summer, there is not a day that we do not sit back, reflect on last years adventure, and wish we were there. Mike always said "This is going to be the trip of a lifetime" and he was right. All to often we zip through life and forget to seize the moment. It is adventures like this that remind us how precious every experience truly is!

P.S. We are planning on spending our honeymoon in August up in Boundary Waters. We will post our experiences and pictures of this when we return!

Conclusion

2009-08-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

So this is it. We are now home. Back to the craziness of everyday life. Although it is always nice to be home after any trip, I find myself several times throughout a day longing to be back there. I can only speak for myself, but this trip has changed both of us for the better. What have we learned?

1. Enjoy the simple things in life. The smell of a campfire, the silence of the outdoors, the appreciation of a good shower-these are just a few of my favorite things!

2. We will be Westy owners for life! No explanation is necessary.

3. Never count on everything working out as planned. Instead, embrace the unexpected.

4. We can get through anything when we are together. No matter what it is, together as a team we succeed.

5. Give back to others whenever you can. Whatever you give comes back to you ten fold. Thank you to all those who helped us and made us feel welcome along the way. We will never forget you all!!!

Our trip was magnificent! So many adventures and encounters that cannot even come close to being explained in words. Therefore, we are not discouraged. We will go on. This is not an end to our blog by any means. It is a continuation-til next summer. To be continued on our honeymoon; when we conquer the rest of the Pacific Coast that we left off on!!!

Game Over

2009-08-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

So what have we been doing all this time? Basically looking into different options and deciding which one would be best for us. We love being a Westy owner. Our heart lies with Amber. What other vehicle can be your daily driver and also a home for a month, a summer, or even a year? None in which you have a bed, a stove, a fridge, a sink AND still get 30 miles per gallon if conditions are right. So our decision is to rent a U-haul truck with a car caddy and take her back to Shorewood, WI. Our route will be Oregon to Wyoming to Idaho to Montana to North Dakota to Minnesota to Wisconsin. It has been a good ride. Stay tuned for our final entry...

Engine Catastrophe

2009-08-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

All of Mike's hard work has ended in game over! A small part of the pre-combustion chamber broke loose and ruined a valve and a piston. Basically a small explosion occurred in the engine and now the whole engine is seized up and of no use anymore. Mike will have to start all over when we return in fall. The mechanics who looked it over determined that the head was a bad part. Mike did everything right when putting the engine in to begin with, there was nothing he could do to prevent it. So now we are off to renting a u-haul and returning home. It will be a while (a couple weeks until we return) and another adventure in itself. We will continue to keep you posted.

Thanks Everyone

2009-08-13T17:06:00.001-07:00

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and help. We are figuring out our situation and options and will be letting everyone know what is going on ASAP. All of you have been so helpful and kind I know it sounds king of corny but I must say this: I now have a more positive outlook on humanity.

Oh crap!

2009-08-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

Today is a somber day. Amber pooped out on us. She was idling violently, puffing out white smoke, and then nothing. She just quit. Mike had to bike to where we could get cell phone reception and then call AAA. They towed us to Florence where a place called ACR Automotive will look at her tomorrow. We checked into a motel across from there called Silver Sand's Motel. They had the best shag carpet ever!!! Keith (the nice man from yesterday) called us to check out how we were doing. He also recommended places we should check out here while we wait. Another awesome person that has crossed our paths throughout this trip. I do beleive (more than ever before) that there are way more good people in this world than bad. We have experienced this first hand throughout our whole adventure. I am optimistic about our situation. Just a minor set back on our trip. We have money and time still so we will hope for the best. The verdict will be in tomorrow.

August 3, 2009

2009-08-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today we continued on through Oregon. We stopped at Devil's punchbowl to view the scenery and pay a visit to the Winery. We walked along the shoreline and enjoyed the gentle breeze. Life is good. Next we continued on and stopped at a seafood market in Waldport. We bought fresh local crab-live. I would have been cool with the ones already cooked, but Mike wanted the freshest ones possible. As we drove further, Amber's engine began idoling funny. We pulled over to check it out, and an extremely nice man named Keith stopped to help. He was driving a Westaflia Syncro. There is some kind of special bond with all these Westfalia owners that I am still trying to figure out. It is actually very cool and I am proud to now be part of this. Keith and Mike checked out the engine a bit, but they were unable to pinpoint what it could be. We chose to drive back three miles to Tahkenitch Forest Park and find a spot so Mike could continue with his diagnosis. No luck. We decided to call it a night by feasting on our crabs and Devil's Punchbowl Pinot Blanc.

August 2, 2009

2009-08-04T18:44:00.000-07:00

Onto Oregon we go! It is a beautiful state. There are many hills, cliffs, rock outcroppings, and sand dunes along Hwy 101. We traveled for a bit and then stopped at Tillamook Cheese Factory. Everyone knows how I love cheese and this is truly what I would view heaven as. It is the largest cheese place I have ever seen. After I bought five chunks of various cheeses and two bags of curds we were on our way again. This should last me a few days or so. Then we stopped at Rocky Bend Forestry Service Campground. It lies along the Nestucca River. It was a nice place to spend the night, and best of all it was FREE! We made Scooby sandwiches with corn on the cob and had a campfire. This is the life.

August 1, 2009

2009-08-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

Since county parks seem to be the way to go, we decided to stay one more day in this beautiful spot along the ocean shoreline. I read, while Mike worked on Amber. He changed her oil, fixed her brake light, changed her air filter, and fixed the bubble in the injection pump. During the afternoon, we rode our bikes for a while, and Mike misunderstood the RV dump station sign (see picture above). That is totally his sense of humor! Then we went clamming on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. After catching 23 clams, we headed back. Mike and I feasted on salmon and clam alfredo accompanied by white wine tonight. Our night ended with Mike going to do his business in the porta potty, but instead Mike deposited his new book on accident. He was very sad to say goodbye to "One Man's Wilderness" as it went down, down, down.

July 30, 2009

2009-08-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

Woke up today and I took an ICE cold shower. I guess a cold one is better than none. Mike was not as brave. He decided to stay smelly for a while longer. We spent a great deal of time blogging to catch up and then headed on our way. We got an excellent spot just outside of South Bend, Washington at Bruce Port County Campground. We also met another friend today. His name was Roman and he spent the winter biking through Russia. Now he is on his way from Canada to Ecuador for a year. Another hard core traveler. We chatted with him and shared a little bit of Wisconsin-Johnsonville brats and beer.

July 29, 2009

2009-07-31T15:44:00.000-07:00

Today was seafood fishing day. Mike and I walked down to the coast and tried our best to fish the Washington shores (with no gear of course). As we got to the pier, we saw a beautiful jellyfish swimming in the water. Then we went fishing with our hands. Mike and I caught lots of mini crabs, 2 clams, and 2 oysters. Only one of the oysters were big enough to keep. We shucked it and took it back to the van. Since neither of us are fond of raw oysters, we sauteed it with butter and seasoning salt. It was delicious! Next we loaded Amber and headed out onto 101 again. On our way we stopped at a winery. As Mike said, "I want to keep my Kelly happy". Wine does make me happy-hee, hee. Then we did a nice sized grocery shopping at Walmart and finally found a site at Bogachiel State Park. To end our night we had cheese and crackers, steaks, corn, potatoes and red wine :-)

July 28, 2008

2009-07-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

Washington is having record high temperatures right now. It is 100 degrees today. Mike and I drove to Seattle so he could pick up his new check card and credit cards. We now know what it is to experience culture shock. Although we live in a big city, we have not been around it for six weeks now. Traffic, impatient drivers, hurried people, parking regulations, etc. seem like a distant past to us. As we were sweating our butts off in the sweltering heat trying to figure out the new parking meters, frustration brewed to a boiling point for both of us. Just as I was praying for God to please take me back to Alaska, Saint Blair came to our rescue. Blair was a true angel. He offered us quarters for the meters, walked us to a pub and grill, and spent two hours with us showing us the route we needed to take to get to the Pacific Coast Highway 101. Blair also guided us to the expressway so we could get out of the hustle and bustle of city life. Just when we thought the people we met couldn't get any nicer we met Blair. Thank you Blair, you are a true Good Samaritan. We proceeded to take the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry and then we stayed at Sequim State Park for the night. As soon as we got closer to the coast, it cooled down and watched another amazing sunset. Then we did our usual routine: Stop, Pop, Shuffle, and Drop (stop at a site, pop the top, shuffle our things, and drop the bed). We were exhausted!

July 27, 2009

2009-07-31T14:57:00.000-07:00

Wo woke up this morning and were visited by a very nice couple from Oregon. They were traveling in a cream colored Westy and returning from Alaska too. We shared stories before they headed out for the day. Again it is a scorching afternoon. We traveled for about 250 miles and then needed to stop again to take a swim. Mike and I chose Kelly Lake for our dip. It was a beautiful torquiose blue and very refreshing. After a nice lunch we continued on. We drove through Cache Creek which is known as Canada's Arizona. It was blazing hot. Mike and I got blizzards from Dairy Queen and continued on. We watched a beautiful sunset as we kept on truckin'. Finally we got to US customs. We passed through with no problems again. Right after the border we stayed at a very run-down RV campground, but we did not care. It was 10:00 pm and we toasted a beer thankful to be back in America again.

July 26, 2009

2009-07-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

What is this? Two days in a row with showers? Mike and I are going to become high maintenance. Our new motto is "shower when you got them". We truly appreciate the simple things in life now. One of our luxuries this afternoon was buying fresh tomatoes for our sandwiches. It was an extremely hot day today. As we started our first few miles on our way, an identical Amber passed us on the highway-it was even diesel! The one difference was that it was very stinky and passing puffs of smoke onto us. It reminded me of when Mike first got our Westy. Now with the new engine, she hums along. We only made it 250 miles today. We could not go any further due to the weather. We stopped to camp at 10 mile lake. We immediately biked to the beach and took an excellent swim. We then retired after eating BBQ chicken and rice. Just before bed Mike asked me, "Are you getting sick of living like this?" My response was, "No way, I could go on forever!" Each day is truly a new adventure.

July 25, 2009

2009-07-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

Woke up today and had a fabulous shower! We said our goodbyes to Alex and Ryan and wished them well. Then we packed up with a hoard of 500 biting flies, and back on the road again. As we drove on, we passed our friends on the bikes and took a great action shot of them. Just a ways further we watched a black bear scurry across the road and disappear into the brush. A great way to start the day. Also, I don't think I mentioned this before, but the ravens out here in Canada and Alaska are the size of chickens. Check out the picture-remember to click on it to get full size. A little further on our way, we pulled up to a scene that looked like it could be an accident. Instead, it was a checkpoint. We were stopped by the fish and wildlife police. They were checking vehicles to see if any fish or game were being transported. Crazy! Since we are not, they flagged us through, and we carried on. Mike and I have stopped listing the Westy's that we pass now, they are plentiful in this area. It is great to watch Mike get so excited and lean his hand way out of the window to wave at our fellow Vanagon owners. We decided to stop early today at Shady Rest RV park just outside of Houston, BC. I had to blog and Mike had to tend to Amber. Only 750 more miles to Seattle!

July 24, 2009

2009-07-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

We started our day off seeing two huge moose as roadkill-not a great site. We were grateful that we stopped driving last night when we did because that could have been us hitting those magnificent creatures. Counting our blessings, we continued driving on to the Cassier Highway in British Columbia. As we were driving through the gravel sections of road under construction, we heard a horrifying noise. It sounded like a large clunking and scraping sound. It was so loud that the car behind us stopped to see if we needed help. Thankfully, we realized that Amber's spare tire had just fallen off underneath the van. Mike quickly fixed the situation and we rolled on. We stopped at the Dease River to have lunch. We met a nice couple traveling the same route as us but starting off in New York (and we thought we had quite a drive). As we continued on our journey, a bee smacked Mike in the neck and then proceeded to go down his shirt and sting him two or three times while he was driving. Being the amazing person he is, he said "I would much rather it be me than you Kelly. I took one for the team." If anyone knows me, I am allergic to bee stings! In our last stretch before stopping we saw a calf moose and a black bear. Finally we stopped at Bell 2 Lodge in the Skeeny Mountains. We got a tent site and then soaked our smelly bodies in the hot tub. It was fantastic! To end the night we had a couple beers with the guys (Alex and Ryan) next to us. They were traveling by bicycle from Anchorage to Panama City all by themselves. That is hard core! Wow, is all we can say. Their blog site is http://www.pedalingforpeople.org/

July 23, 2009

2009-07-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

We woke up early today in order to prepare for customs. We listed everything we needed to claim on a piece of paper, I made breakfast and sandwiches for the trip, and Mike "Canadianized" the van again. We had absolutely no problems this time. It was a good feeling because we just want to make mileage today. We had to retrace our beginning steps which meant 300 miles of pot holes and frost heaves again. Mike drove for 12 hours and accomplished 500 miles. He sure is a trooper! After it got pretty dark (which is 2:00 am) we decided to pull over to a rest area and sleep a bit. We definitely did not need Amber hitting a bear or moose, especially since we have half a trip more to go!

July 22, 2009

2009-07-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

To Anchorage we go! Amber had an appointment at 9:00 am at Estey's Auto to get her valves checked. We arrived there on time and Bob (owner of Estey's) was an excellent man. He advised us that it did not have to be done until we reach California. He was an honest mechanic, which is hard to find nowadays. We then headed to Walmart and REI for the essentials. Then we kept on truckin'. Amber was doing awesome-she reached 74 mph today! We ate at Freeze in Glen Allen and kept on going. A cow moose crossed the road right in front of us as we completed this last stretch. We retired at Deadman's Lake about an hour away from the border. This was the very first spot we stopped at on our way into Alaska (and it is free). We watched an awesome pink sunset and enjoyed our last Alaskan beer. (This picture is for you Josh Kieck!) It was a somber night because we did not want to leave Alaska, even though we know we will be back to our new favorite state again. However, we are only half way done with our trip-onward West Coast!

July 21, 2009

2009-07-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

Mike and I said goodbye to Steve and his family today and headed to a campsite closer to Anchorage. Amber has an appointment at 9:00 am tomorrow so we decided to spend the night at Bird Creek State Park (30 minutes from the city). It was a quaint site with lots of mushrooms that Mike quoted, "Wow, a smurf could live under there!". Wood was hard to find so Mike climbed a tree and cut off some dead limbs. Yes, sometimes my fiance thinks he is Bear Grylls. It was a rainy day so we had a fire most of the day, set up a tarp to dry our laundry, and grilled pork chops and corn on the cob. It was a pleasant evening, Alaska has done us well.

July 20, 2009

2009-07-21T23:54:00.000-07:00

Today is wallet day. We head back to Cooper's Landing in search of Mike's wallet. Gas station-no, Chugach state forest-no, Visitor Center-no. Instead we decide to bike up the trail 5 miles to check the places we stopped at along the way before Mike realized it was gone. I said that we had done true mountain biking before. I was wrong. We Alpine biked for 5 miles, the way back was a breeze-5 miles downhill. When we returned, Mike canceled all his cards. We did laundry and then met up with Steve. We stopped at the bar with Steve. Then he introduced us to Alaskan fishing. I caught my first pink salmon and it was exhilarating. Thank you Steve for being such a great friend to us. We will miss you!

July 19, 2009

2009-07-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

Only 7 miles to our van in Hope today! We are exhausted, smelly, and hungry. We have done 39 miles in 3 1/2 days in the mountains. We hike on, and on, and on. All we want to see is Palmer creek because that means only two more miles. And on and on we go! Still no creek. But what is that around the corner? Amber? Yes it is!!! We hiked all the way to the van who was waiting for us with a cold beer. What a wonderful welcome! We drove to town, checked into a motel, and then went for pizza. The most amazing "Freak" pizza ever. As we retire to bed, we are literally old man and old woman walking. Ouch! Our calves are killing us.

July 18, 2009

2009-07-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

As Mike and I were packing up to continue on our adventure, Garrett and I were looking up at the hills trying to find a waterfall that was on his map. As I peered up I saw a HUGE black bear grazing in the hills. We all sat down and enjoyed our breakfast of oatmeal while looking through Garrett's binoculars watching this amazing beast enjoy his feast of berries, rest, and continue up higher and higher into the mountains. (Hint-if you click on the pictures of our blog they will appear full sized.) We finished up and said our goodbyes. I think the bear heard us because he darted away full speed into the fores t. We continued on our hike. Mileage was our goal today, and we did accomplish it. We hiked 14.5 miles from mountains to valleys. We did reach the highest point to Resurrection Pass at 2600 feet. We were spent. This is a new record for our backpacking days!

July 17, 2009

2009-07-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

"Kelly, Kelly wake up. Something big went by and now there's something huge in the water!" That was my wake up call today. Mike slowly grabbed his bear spray and went out of the tent. 15 yards outside our tent in Trout Lake was a beautiful cow moose munching grass and drinking water. If the picture seems fuzzy, it is because we were quite startled not knowing what could be out there at first. What a great way to start the day. However, things took a turn for the worst. After we hiked almost 2 miles from our campsite and loaded up on bug juice, Mike realized his wallet was missing. We searched our packs from top to bottom. No wallet. He left me alone in bear country and ran back to our site to search with absolutely no luck. We continued on for 9.5 miles. It was a strenuous uphill alpine hike. Wow, we were exhausted. After we set up, we were joined by a great guy named Garrett. He was a seismologist and visiting his girlfriend who was working in Alaska for the summer. We hung out together, sipped cider, had a campfire, and read ghost stories. An excellent end to a stressful day.

July 16, 2009

2009-07-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Steve and his uncle George drove us to Cooper's Landing today so we could start our trek on the Resurrection Pass Trail. It is a 39 mile path that travels through the mountains up to 2600 elevation and then descends downward to Hope where Amber is parked. We hiked 4 miles in and saw Juneau Falls. Then we hiked another 3 miles to Trout Lake. We found a great campsite and set up. After that, we got ready for dinner and some drinks. That is when Mike realized our water filter was not working. From now on Mike and I had to boil all water and then put our bottles in the lake to cool down. Minor set back, we know how to overcome obstacles out here. We ended our night by sipping whiskey by the fire and reading Alaskan ghost stories. (Lindsay-you will like this book when we are done!)

July 15, 2009

2009-07-21T02:39:00.000-07:00

Sea Kayaking here we come! To get to Whittier we had to drive through a long tunnel that has been blasted through the bottom of a mountain. It was quite a site! We headed here to go sea kayaking in Prince William Sound. Our guide was a wonderful man named Drew. He helped us suit up, gave us a few sea kayaking tips, and away we went. The weather was cool with a light mist, but at least the water was still. We kayaked for six hours around the sound. We saw waterfalls, a glacier in the distance, and numerous eagles. We ate a lunch of salmon and pasta along the beach and then hiked up to waterfall accessible by foot. Afterwards, we headed back to the harbor and joined our kayak buddies Kim and Ryan for dinner. It was an experience that could not be missed in Alaska!

July 14, 2009

2009-07-21T02:09:00.000-07:00

Today we headed to Whittier to go sea kayaking in Prince William Sound. We got about half way there and finally got cell phone reception. There was a message from the Alaskan Sea Kayaking manager Pete that it was way to windy to go out to sea. We will try again tomorrow. Mike and I decided to spend the day packing for our backpacking trip instead. After that it was picture time. Jason (owner of Amber's prettier twin) who is a professional photographer (http://www.jasonsheaphotography.com/) suggested that we take pictures of all of our vans lined up next to each other, great idea! After a picture shoot with the Westy's, Adam had to leave to go home and tackle a nasty case of carpenter ants. Jason stayed and his wife Liz and their beautiful baby girl joined him for the night. We all got together and had a little barbeque. Mike grilled steaks on the fire, wood grilled steaks are the best. As we were eating our feast we found out Michael Jackson died! I honestly think we were the last in the country to find out. I know he got a little wierd in the end but for us Gen Xers he was like our Elvis, kinda sad. After dinner we hung out around the campfire and Jason brought out his guitar and played some songs (we really liked the love song he wrote for his wife). Later on Steve joined us and played some songs as well. It was another great night. We retired early this night, around 2am.

July 13, 2009

2009-07-21T01:32:00.000-07:00

We woke up today feeling much better. Mike and I reorganized the Vanagon so we no longer had to do the "Westy shuffle" so often. Then we went for a 10 mile bike ride. This was true mountain biking. Every way you turned was like a postcard. When we returned, Mike set up 5 star accommodations so we could could take a solar shower. It was spectacular! Then we set up the dutch oven and made chicken wings. As we were eating dinner, we saw 2 vehicles driving up the gravel road that had a very familiar profile: 2 Westy's!!! We couldn't believe our eyes! And to make it even cooler one was the same exact color Amber was (Assuran Brown). Mike was so excited that he couldn't finish his dinner and ran to their campsite and chatted Vanagon for an hour then invited them over to our site for more VW talk. Their names were Adam and Jason and they were from Anchorage and were going camping for a couple days. We were out of beer from our binge the previous night so they brought their cooler and supplied the beer and we supplied the campfire and whiskey, what great people we are meeting on this trip. We didn't get to bed until 3 am...again.

July 12, 2009

2009-07-21T00:38:00.000-07:00

Today we got horrible news from my mom. Elvis, our beloved cat of almost 15 years had to be put to sleep. Diabetes, keytosis, and old age finally got the better of him. We shared many highs and lows of our lives with him. He was a great companion to both of us and we will miss him forever. The worst part of it all was that we were not able to be with him at the end. Thank you Mom Koeferl for holding his paw for us through the last minutes of his life. Rest in peace our "Little Buddy". After shedding many tears, we headed south of Whittier to Granite Creek Campground. We got a beautiful site surrounded with mountain views. After we set up, Mike crossed the creek and explored. Then we set up a campfire on the rocky shore of the creek. We made good friends with Steve the campground host. He came over and we drank a few beers, roasted hotdogs, and chatted until 3:00 in the morning. This was the first time we had seen the moon and a few stars in Alaska! We have never been awake long enough for darkness to fall on this equisite northern wilderness.

July 10 and 11, 2009

2009-07-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

Mike and I decided to expand our stay at the hotel for a couple nights. We did laundry, shopping, and explored the city of Anchorage. We rode our bikes, visited the information center, and planned our upcoming days. Afterwards, we got fancied up and went to dinner. We had a glorious feast of salmon, crab, and halibut. The seafood is so amazing here. It is so fresh it will pinch you in the but when you walk in! We also visited the local pubs and indulged in the local beers. It was well deserved after our long trek.

July 9, 2009

2009-07-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

Today we headed to Anchorage. Mike drove 400 miles and I navigated. We passed a blue and green Westy on our way. Amber just hummed smoothly along. She took quite a beating on those last miles into Alaska, yet she gracefully continued on through mountains and valleys as if she couldn't wait to be home (the previous owner had her registered in Alaska). We checked into a hotel, took a much need bath, visited with the locals, ate dinner, and went to bed. Tomorrow we are staying one more night so we can do laundry and go to the visitor center to find information on camping, biking, hiking, and kayaking in Anchorage and the surrounding communities. Then we are headed into the Alaskan wilderness for a while!

July 8, 2009

2009-07-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

Mike and I liked our spot so much we decided to stay one more night at Deadman's Lake. We woke up, had pancakes and coffee, and relaxed. Mike worked on Amber and I read my book. Then it started to rain so we finished up our beers and played cards in the van. Later we hiked to explore the area and went to an informational discussion on Carribou. Then we headed back to our site, toasted a bottle of champagne (Thank You Mom Koeferl), had cheese and sausage, and cooked up some Dutch oven loven (Thank You Mom and Dad Hamberger). It was a much needed day of play and relaxation. Tomorrow we head to Anchorage!

July 7, 2009

2009-07-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

Today was another beautiful day. We started our day off by viewing a gorgeous sow moose and her calf grazing in the field. The last 300 miles of Canada were brutal roadwise. It was mostly gravel and the few paved spots were a nightmare of potholes and frost heaves. Amber is now a beautiful shade of gravel brown. Border crossing into the US was a breeze. We were very prepared this time and Mike claimed everything down to our last two slices of turkey. The customs guy laughed, congratulated us on our engagement, and waved us on our way. After crossing back into our wonderful country (I really mean this, I am truly proud to be an American!!!), we bought Alaskan Amber (which our Westy is named after) and Alaskan summer beer. Ice was thirty miles away so we said forget it and decided that we would just drink warm beer to celebrate finally arriving in Alaska. Mike and I then found a FREE campsite at Deadman's Lake that was absolutely breathtaking. In all of Canada we spent well over $200 on campsites that had more to be desired. This one was located in a forest of tall spruce trees, private, lakeside, and all you heard was silence. It even had a spring pond which we used as our cooler. We took a swim, a bike ride, and had a fire. This is what our trip is all about. The best things in life really are free!

July 6, 2009

2009-07-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

Woke up nice and early today. Usually it rains in the early morning and is cloudy. Then it clears up and is beautiful. Today was another one of those great days. We had a much needed shower and some cinnamon buns from the center of the galactic cluster (whatever that means). Then we were off. We entered Yukon Territory today. This day could also be called wildlife day. We saw lots of mountain goats and stone sheep, wild mustangs, 2 black bear cubs, 3 mother black bears, buffalo, and another magnificent moose! We also stopped at Liard Hotsprings for a swim. It was amazing! We got some beer ($50 for an 18 pack) and got a site in Watson Lake. We also stopped at the signpost. It is a collection of signs from people all over the world who have traveled the Alaska Highway. An airforce officer from WWII started this trend. We did find several signs from Wisconsin there! We ended our day by riding our bikes to the only pub in town. Canadians don't drink like us Wisconsinites. The bar closed at 11:00. We did not even need to use our headlamps. We are well on our way now-only 1000 miles to go until we hit Anchorage!

July 5, 2009

2009-07-06T21:12:00.001-07:00

Today we passed through Dawson Creek. It is the 0 mile mark on the Alaska Highway. We also entered the Milepost book and map today. We passed some more Westy's as well, maroon and silver. Amber slowly drove us up into the Canadian Rockies. We stopped at the Sasquatch Crossing Lodge and ate Alaska Highway Sasquatch burgers. Mike bet me that if I could eat the whole thing he would buy. Needless to say, I have earned my right to be part of the Hamberger family! We saw our first black bear today. We had a quarter of a tank left and decided to fuel up at the next station. Unfortunely this gas station was closed on Sunday! We were just coasting down the hills trying to save as much diesel as we could to make it to the next station (100 Kilometers away). There is absoulutely nothing but trees in between and Mike was figuring out how he would strap his gas tank to his bike and make a run for fuel when we ran out. We were about 15 miles from the next station when a huge black bear decided to cross the road in front of us. Mike slowed down and the bear turned toward us and decided to charge Amber. OK, as I said the bear was big, but Amber weighing in at over 4000 lbs is much bigger. The bear realized this when he/she got closer and decided to dart away into the woods, so much precious diesel was wasted during this wierd game of chicken! The fuel gauge was hanging below E when we coasted to the next station on fumes. What a miracle! 1200 miles to go.

July 4, 2009

2009-07-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

Oh, the scenery is so much better today. We saw two coyotes trotting along on the side of the road, two baby fawns grazing, and a very proud mother doe. We also saw many buffalo. Finally we stopped at Swan Lake Campground just after the border of British Columbia. Happy 4th of July from Canada. We are celebrating with Canadian beer, ribs on the fire (Kevin a nice canadian gave us wood), corn on the cob, and potatoes. Every step of the way, there is more day light. It stays light out until 1:00 in the morning. Even the children are still riding their bikes at this time. No one is ever up at 8:00 am when we wake up. There seriously is only about 5 hours of night time. It has been a grueling drive. It is really tiring, especially for Mike. He is the driver and I am the map watcher and campground guide. We are averaging about a providence a day. 1600 more miles to go!

July 3, 2009

2009-07-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

We crossed into Alberta today and traveled partially through. We hit the under 2000 mile mark! Yeah! Our first milestone. It was a long drive and finally we settled on a campground. Can you say ghetto? A woman with summer teeth told us just to pick a site on the lawn behind her store, they only had outhouses (not so bad), the water was undrinkable, and she tried to rip us off $9. Okay, anyone who knows me would understand that it is not the money in this situation. They tried to take advantage of us because we were unsure of Canadian money at first. However, after reading up on it in the travel book we received, Kelly grew some balls and got it back! We spent the rest of the night next to some very friendly, yet very young Canadians who like techno music too much. Needless to say, we packed up and got out the next morning in 10 minutes.

July 2, 2009

2009-07-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

Started off early again today. Mike drove for 8 hours. If only he would let me drive precious Amber (hee, hee). Passed the providence line into Saskatchewan. Saw many birds, cows, horses, prairie dogs, and buffalo. Coyote and deer are regular road kill as well. Nothing much else but the road. Man, Canada is long!!! Staying at West 16 RV Campground tonight in Saskatoon. Having chili dogs and then calling it a night. We still have so much more road to go-2300 miles to Anchorage!

July 1, 2009

2009-07-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

It is officially Canada Day. For real!!! We crossed the providence line today going into Manitoba. We stopped at the Manitoba Visitor Information Center. That is when we found out today is special. We even got two Canadian pins to add to Amber's travel collection. Canada is beautiful. Ontario and part of Manitoba have rolling hills, rock cliffs, tons of lakes, moose, dear, and bears. We actually passed a sign that said "Be bear safe". We also passed a sign that said we had met the half way point of Canada! Again, we passed another Westy. They are getting more plentiful as we venture on. Only one obstacle today. FYI tell your bank you are going on vacation or they freeze your accounts! Also, they have different currency, degrees in Celsius, Kilometers/hour-not miles, and only beer vendors can sell alcohol. We finally arrived at Meadowlake Campground in Brandon, Manitoba. Staying here tonight, consuming delicious Kokanee beer, and watching Canadian fireworks. Tomorrow off to Saskatchewan. 600 miles down, 2700 to go til Alaska!

June 30, 2009

2009-06-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Canada Day! We went through customs today. We were asked a bunch of questions and then told to pull under the canopy for inspection. They did a thorough search of our vehicle and all bags. I think we were searched because of Amber, not because of our answers to their questions . Oh yeah, and Bear Mace is considered a weapon. Thankfully there were no body cavity searches. Whatever, we have nothing to hide, but we did lose a good hour or so. We drove most of our way through Ontario this afternoon. One of the first signs we saw was "All rivers from this point flow north to the Artic". Then we saw a lot of signs with moose on them saying "Night Danger!" and "Moose on the Loose." Shortly after, we saw the biggest bull we have ever seen just grazing on the side of the road. He was magnificent. We also saw a yellow and burgendy Westy passing us the other way. Speaking of Westy, Amber is running beautifully (knock on wood). Apparently US Cellular and Sprint do not work in Canada. Wifi-Yes. For all our friends and family out there, this will be our means of communication for the next week or so.

Love you all!!!

June 29, 2009

2009-06-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

Rain, rain go away! We woke up and today was work day. Mike worked on "Canadianizing" the van and I did laundry. We drank Lynchburg lemonades while doing our chores. I met my first rubber tramp today. She was traveling alone to escape the city. Kind of like us, but weirder (if that is possible). Had a fire and pudgie pies-too wet and cold. Tomorrow-Canada!

June 28, 2009

2009-06-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

We drove to Grand Portage today. Mike and I visited Grand Portage National Monument. It is a reconstruction of an 18th Century North West Company Fur Trade Post on the shore of Lake Superior complete with people in period clothing. It had a beautiful log great hall, kitchen, and canoe warehouse. It also had an Indian village that overlooks Isle Royale. In the parking lot we saw a Eurovan Westy parked right next to us. We reserved an RV spot at the marina lodge and casino. Then we drove to the state park and hiked 3.5 miles to High Falls (largest waterfall in MN) and Medium Falls. Both of these falls are located on the Pigeon river along the US/Canadian border. To end our afternoon we saw an awesome "Viva Alaska" rainbow. Then Mike and I headed back to our campsite and went to eat dinner at the casino. We got into an exclusive 50's and 60's sock-hop tent. We were the youngest people there by at least 30 years, but we drank free beer and listened to some great music (security did not notice our lack of a yellow wristband). We gambled $20 on slots and lost it in 5 minutes. Then we called it a night!

June 27, 2009

2009-06-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

It has been cold and rainy all day. We packed up and said goodbye to our outfitters Mike and Lynn. They congratulated us happily. We are camping in Grand Marais tonight and then setting off towards the Canadian Border tomorrow. We will try to update our blog once a week, but please keep in mind we are traveling large distances without internet access. We miss you all and we hope you have enjoyed Wheels, Whiskey, and Wilderness so far. Now we are off to check out the local watering holes-so long!!!

June 26, 2009

2009-06-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

The Perfect Day... We wake up in BWCA and it is gorgeous outside. It is sunny, warm and not a cloud in the sky. We have breakfast, coffee, and a morning dip. Mike and I pack up the canoe with a cooler and fishing rod. I fish with a trolling motor that operates on alternative fuels-Mike runs on Leinenkugels Original. It is very eco-friendly; thats how we roll in the wilderness. I caught two small mouth bass. We take a break and swim to the middle of the lake. It was so refreshing. Then Mike fishes while I act as the trolling motor. He, of course, catches the biggest fish. We also catch an awesome sun burn. Mike and I head back to our site and make dinner. Then we take a nap. After our rest Mike asks me to come out of the tent. In the middle of our beautiful spot, he asks me to take a deep breath. As he gets a box out of his backpack, he kneels on one knee, and asks me to marry him! I said...YES of course!!! What a perfect ending to our perfect day.

June 25, 2009

2009-06-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

We got up and packed for Boundary Waters. We toasted a beer at 10:00 am to our trip. Amber drove us to Rockwood Outfitters to get our canoe. This was our 4th year coming here and Mike and Lynn were wonderful as usual. Amber looked at home with our canoe on top of her. We set off at Bearskin Lake and portaged 60 rods to Daniels Lake. I carried the cooler with 42 beers :) We got the best spot on Daniels Lake. No one else was around. Mike skinny dipped after we arrived. While he was swimming the largest beaver I have ever seen popped out of the water 6 feet in front of him-no kidding! At the same time I hear something big rustling around up at camp. Mike runs out of the water yelling, "Oh great, just my luck I have to chase a bear while I am bare assed!" As he runs up there, we discover it was just a red squirrel running off with one of our empty miller lite cans. What could he possibly want with that? We end our day with a campfire and the most beautiful big dipper I have ever seen.

June 24, 2009

2009-06-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

Wake up and leave Crapface's place at 9:30. Go get car alarm for Mike's van (early birthday present). While they were installing it, we head to a Wifi hotel and start our blog. Mike gets a Juicy Lucy and I have two bloody marys. We book our campground and set up our BWCA trip. When we are finished, we pick up the van. Mike and I are once again excited to be back on the road again. We go two blocks and realize the headlights are not working. We take the van back and wait another 2 hours-total 4 1/2 hours! Mike looks at me and says "Maybe we should not go on our trip. Maybe I should just sell her." I told him that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. We are not throwing the towel in yet. In the end, the alarm is installed, the headlights work again, and they even fixed Amber's sassy turn signal. We set off again. Mike gets flipped off and an old bitter lady waves her cell phone at him for going too slow...seriously! We arrive at Grand Marais at 9:30. We set up in five minutes, change into our PJ's, and sip wine down by the shoreline of Lake Superior. As we listen to the waves roll in on the rocky shoreline we realize that we are finally in our element!

June 23, 2009

2009-06-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

We wake up in Marshfield and enjoy fresh brewed coffee with Bailey's. I text Brenda and wish her a good day at school-Hee, Hee. It is hot, humid and 95 degrees!!! A beautiful crane cheers us "happy trails" as we head back onto the road. We drive several miles. Amber passes an Amish carriage (only vehicle she can pass). Mike fixes muffler in parking lot while I drink a summer shandy in the back. It is so stinking hot!!! We enjoy a great barbeque at Brian and Dawn's house in St. Paul. We meet their new baby girl Audrey. She is a beautiful angel!!!

June 22, 2009

2009-06-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

After spending a few days with Linz and Josh (creating Mike's song "He's a vanagon man") at the cabin in Waupaca we are still waiting for UPS. We stay the weekend and have a wonderful time celebrating father's day with the Hambergers. Monday morning we woke up, showered, pack up the van, and wait. A magical butterfly was helping us pack; good omen we decide. Finally at 3:30 the UPS man arrives. We are pumped. Take a few pictures, say goodbyes, and then we are off. I look at Mike, he smiles, and begins Amber's song "Jessica" as we head towards the road. Oh shXX! We almost get hit by a car going way too fast as we pull out of the driveway. Bad omen? No-I said almost! We proceed to North Woods County Park just outside of Marshfiled. Al advises we take site 91 and helps us with wood. It is 88 degrees, hot, and humid. It has been a frustrating and stressful day. As we unpack we realize that our magical butterfly has hitched a ride for 100 miles with us. We send her off into new territory and decide it is a good omen again. We bike to the swim area-just a crappy marsh hole. We decide to bike around the campground, shower, and have a campfire. Mike and I pour some cabernet from a box into our plastic wine glasses and enjoy the fire. As we sip Jack Daniels we come up with the name for our blog: Wheels, Whiskey, and Wilderness. The three things we will enjoy throughout our trip!!!

Starting Out...

2009-06-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

How do you begin a blog for a trip that you have been planning for all year? Amber will be taking us on this journey. She is our 1982 Diesel Vanagon Westfalia. She has a new engine, new brakes, new fuel lines, new tires, new bra, bike rack, and car alarm (for the bears, not people). Everything was going smoothly until the last week before we left. Problems with UPS, addresses, and wrong parts set us back four days. Our plan was to go from Milwaukee to Alaska and then down the Pacific Coast Hwy to Los Angeles and then back home for ten weeks. Will we make it? Will we have enough time? Will we kill each other? Follow us on this blog and together will see where these next weeks take us!!!