#moving3kmiles

The saying, of course, is “the calm before the storm”. But it was pretty stormy this week, so I’m going with “the calm and the storm”. Ha!

We have been doing better these days about buying in bulk at Costco and stocking the pantry & fridge/freezer. We can always throw together some kind of meal (whether or not that’s the meal we want is the question ha!). So Saturday, we opted to not do any grocery shopping, and instead just do some fun errands. First up, the used bookstore! We got a pretty good haul! And all for $14! One of those was free, thanks to the punch card!

It was snowing pretty much all Saturday, and we were getting a decent accumulation. But it wasn’t till we woke up Sunday and saw how much new snow there was that we were really surprised! I measured 17″ outside our front door, on a surface that had been cleared prior to the snow.

Our snowpack reached 40″, which is almost a record (top 3 April snow pack depths). We did break some weather records though. For snowfall amount both on Saturday and Sunday. And for consecutive days without breaking +40F (about +4C). We are up to 178 days now! And we’re in a cold snap (got down to -18F/-28C last night), so we won’t really stand a chance to break the record until at least early next week. So Sunday was a lazy day! We took the dogs outside, and just walked them through the fresh snow to tire them out. We didn’t even attempt to drive anywhere. Some roads are still not plowed as of this morning, the road crews are really struggling to keep up with the massive dump of snow we got! We read, played with dogs, I baked some muffins with last year’s frozen blueberries. We made a pasta dish as meal prep for the week. We cleared a good amount of snow. And we just relaxed. Sunday was a lovely, relaxing day, overall!

This pic is me sitting on the bedroom floor, looking out our sliding glass door. It really shows how deep the snow is from ground level:

And standing up taking the pic for a different perspective:

Muffins turned out really good! It was my first time making muffins from scratch!

I suppose this brings us to the calm before the storm part. The literal storm happened this weekend. But our life is about to get pretty crazy I suppose. I still don’t really believe it, and I don’t think I’m really excited about it yet. We’ve had such bad luck with building contractors that I still wonder if it’ll happen.

With that said, we’ve been in communication with the new builders we hired, and they plan to start framing Friday!! Like, as in, a few days from now! I really have no reason to doubt them. They’ve responded to all our inquiries, asked us questions in return. We’ve met them in person. Someone answers the phone every time we call. It’s a very different scenario than the last set that we had to chase down for answers. So I really have no doubt they’ll be there Friday to start framing. But I just... I can’t get excited until I actually see them there. Or maybe until I know we’re ready for them.

“Ready” means snow is cleared. It means we have a cleared driveway (which we did before this latest 20″+ in the hills). And a cleared turnaround area for them to back up to the pad. And the concrete is cleared. We started on the turnaround area, but didn’t finish before the snow. The pad we haven’t started yet, and want to wait until the last minute, since the snow is insulating, and it’s still pretty cold out.

That brings us to this:

That’s the turn off to the road before our road. So this road & our road do have road service. But they obviously have not been plowed yet! Holden had a snow day yesterday (adult snow day! whaaaat! lucky!), so he drove up to check the state of things. Not super great, ha! We obviously can’t get in there, not even with the truck, until it’s plowed. Look how high that is! I contacted our subdivision chairperson, and the plow contractor apparently tried to come out Sunday, and got stuck. He said he’d be there asap as of Monday morning. We’re hoping he plowed it last night. We’ll take a ride to check this evening.

Once it’s plowed, we are going to hire someone to clear the snow for us. We just cannot move that much snow in such a short amount of time with the equipment we have. Luckily, we have a friend with a loader who lives not too far away!! We’re hoping he can come clear us tomorrow (Wednesday). Then we can snowblow the pad off Wed/Thurs, and we’ll be ready for the start Friday.

We did it! Oh man, all our planning and we are actually starting to see results! When the for sale sign went up, I was so excited. This is actually happening! I can’t believe. Then our agent came to install the lockboxes. Oh my gosh, this is for reals! Filled with excitement and tons of overlapping emotions. I do like our house, it’s got this big open floor plan for the kitchen and living room. Seeing the pictures the professional photographer took remind me why we fell in love and bought this house in the first place. It was our first time owning a home. And now full circle, we are selling it to move on to the next step.

All the cleaning is getting to be a bit much. The dogs stood up today and shook, and we just saw hair flying through the air. It’s a non-stop uphill battle. But people are coming to look. We are scheduling viewings nonstop. We had one Wednesday, Thursday, and today (Friday). Our agent just texted us about one Saturday. Holy cow, it’s non-stop! But also amazing. The same things that drew us to the house are drawing others as well. It’s a good house and people love the pictures and love the layout.

The hard part is taking the dogs out every. single. time. They’re getting tired of it too, honestly. It is exhausting. Today, Holden’s first weekened day, we had to wake up with an alarm. In fact, I don’t get a single day this week to sleep in. I’ve had to be up and out of the house for showings so many days. And then I’ve got to be up early for work the next few days.

There’s a lot happening. I’m starting to realize this is happening. Since I’ve been taking point on the planning, it’s amazing to see it all come together. Holden still has a bit of trepidation, as he has been the bread winner and focused more on that. But we’re both getting there. My trepidation is starting to give way to excitement. With Dakota being reactive, and Pluto being loud and barking at everything, there’s always that underlying worry and fear when I have to find something to do out of the house for them, to keep them entertained and also away from other dogs and people. And the exhaustion is real. We don’t even want to cook at home, cause we can’t leave dirty dishes for a second. So we’ve been eating out a lot, or just plain skipping meals to avoid the clean up afterwards. 

I’ve been posting progress pics here and there. (And don’t worry, I will in this post too!) But I haven’t really taken the time to sit and write in a while. So I wanted to change that. :) Scroll for pics if you aren’t interested in reading my ramblings.

I suppose the million dollar question: “Is your house everything you wanted?” Emphatically, YES! It’s not just the house, it’s the land, the neighborhood, the area, the drive home.

Our dogs are our kids, and we always strive for them to have their best life possible. It definitely was not their best life in our old apartment. Constant noise, distractions, not a very nice dog next door (who barked CONSTANTLY at us, and even lunged to attack Simon once :/ while he was minding his own business). Lunch “walks” were running outside to pee and hoping we wouldn’t have to deal with the neighbor dog yelling at us, or heavy equipment, or people, or.... Evening and morning walks were much the same. They couldn’t be off leash, too many distractions. Our only real respite was our weekend hikes. We couldn’t even open the windows for a breeze with all the outside noise, so on top of all that, it was hot and stuffy inside. The concrete was almost impossible to clean and keep clean, and Simon had a lot more bad days coughing there.

So all that led to a lot of stress and worry, and that nagging feeling that we’re not doing right by our pups. Let’s fast forward to today.

We have just shy of 4 acres. The two lots behind us are state land, another unoccupied 8 acres. We don’t have neighbors that are next to us, though the lots on either side are owned (one abandoned, the other.. who knows). But either way, there’s LOTS of woods between us and people in any direction you go. We check outside for wildlife, and then... we swing the door wide open! The pups all run in different directions to use the bathroom, they can chase the squirrels (and often do!), they can romp in the woods, they can play in the tall grass. Whatever it is that makes each of them happy. We do that for most outings, and they love it! And for lunch time walks? I break out the long leashes, and they all get so excited! We walk down the street (in the non-maintained, no neighbors direction). We’re walking just a bit over 1/2 mile every day for lunch now. I try to keep it a little shorter, so they all keep the same pace on the return trip. Simon is getting older, after all. There are so many smells along the road, and sometimes squirrels, or voles, or birds nearby to entertain them. They come back tired and with giant smiles, and sleep away the afternoon. We have the house (mostly) floored by now, and it’s much easier to clean. Simon still coughs, but so much less. I think we’ve shut the windows maybe once or twice since we’ve moved? For the most part, it’s quiet around here. They bark at the occasional car or ATV (which is uncommon in summer, even more rare in winter). Sometimes the squirrels chitter at them, and they get excited and bark. But they’re happy, and always just a little tired. It’s a good life, and they can all kinda do their own thing. Happy dogs make happy owners. :)

Besides that, we’re happy to be here. It’s an absolutely lovely drive home (on the rare occasions that I can be convinced to leave, ha!). It’s so quiet. We have the GOOD internet, so I can work without issues, and even turn my video on for calls! We also started playing coop video games again! It’s something that we’ve both really missed, and it sure beats watching Netflix endlessly to relax. It’s OURS, so everything we do is exactly how we want it. We are so close to so much wilderness, or state land, and trails abound! Along with tons of wild things to forage and harvest. We get the best views out our windows, and the sounds of the forest. It’s cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter. Oh, man, am I excited for winter!! The lights up here, and the stars! Holy cow they’re going to be amazzzzing!!!!! I’ll stargaze for hours I’m sure. Anywayyyyy. We love it, we really do. And now that we’re here, we’re slowing down a bit. Still working, there’s LOTS to do! But we’re taking time to play games, hike, walk, relax, etc. And it’s really just lovely.

Okay, so pics as promised. :)

This weekend’s project, some drywall where the sinks will go. And finished the flooring in the kitchen area. Which means, kitchen cabinet!! I emptied 4 boxes with this finally being set up! :)

Our weekend hike, love, LOVE the tundra. One of my favorite biomes.

Lunchtime walks!

And those views!

Holden here, and boy lemme tell you what, quite the adventure of a day. We woke up from the RV park feeling pretty refreshed as it was a calm and quiet night for everyone. Calm and quiet for dogs means calm and quiet for humans. We unhooked and rolled in down the road a ways. We found another meadery which is cool, I guess there's a line of them. Had I been aware of it there was another one on the road, but hey, 2/3 ain't bad. Rain started up this morning which Dakota did not care for one bit

As we made our way further into Canada we stopped to grab some poutine and milk shakes

About this point in time I checked a voicemail I had pending, hoping it was a request for an interview. It wasn't. It was my bank. My card had been stolen. I was bummed. I guess my card was skimmed somewhere along in Montana or Idaho and was being used. Since I'm in the middle of Canada and need to access something we have to put a hold on it. That's a new wrinkle in the whole mess. But we didn't let that get us down at all. It's just another hurdle to overcome and I think we got it. We moved further down the road and found a park to take the dogs out for a walk on since they didn't get much activity yesterday and that was cool frozen lake

We crossed the border today! The border agent asked a lot more questions this time, than when I crossed myself. But I guess I'm not that surprised, since we are driving an almost-40-year-old RV with 3 dogs. :P

We made a small detour for a meadery today!

For those of you who don't know, we home brew our own mead. We wanted to home-brew and decided on mead instead of beer. Then we just fell in love with making mead. (Fun fact: we wrote our own vows, and they had reference to our home brewing.) We have a love for bees and the honey they make. We used to get raw honey from a farm in Yuciapa. All that to say, we have a special place in our hearts for mead.

This place was awesome! We really enjoyed the tasting and got to talk to the brew master. He showed us around too! :)

I've been taking care of so much while I've been here this week! I got everything done that we needed, and then some. I'm proud of myself for everything I've accomplished this week.

It's been almost 2 solid weeks since I left, and I do really miss Holden, and the dogs. We've stayed in touch regularly, but it's not the same.

I was worried about what would happen if I got really depressed, or anxious. Could I get myself back up and moving? I will admit to struggling a bit in getting out of bed this morning. I'm tired, I've been doing things every single day. I miss Holden. I miss our dogs. But I did get up. I took care of one more piece of business this morning, then planned on going to Creamer's Field.

I learned something today. Or, rather, maybe I re-learned it. Fairbanks is a city that recharges me.

I've been drawn to this place for a long time now, and we've worked really hard, and are still working really hard, towards this dream. It's like I was always meant to be here, or somewhere like it. California, even in the mountains, drained me. There was no real refuge, no completely safe and comfortable place. I mean, off our balcony, we could see 3 of our neighbors. Another out our kitchen window. Several more out of our side windows. The mountains were more tolerable but still too crowded.

But Fairbanks is truly an amazing place. Creamer's Field is absolutely beautiful, and the trumpeters are there this time of year. It's a migratory bird and wildlife refuge. It's right in town. I walked the trails there, through the wetlands (wish I had rain boots!!), And through the boreal forest. It's so beautiful and there's so much to see. Tons of others were out enjoying nature too.

I went to Walmart after to pick up a couple of things. And had a conversation with the cashier (about drunk moose passing out in Walmarts HA!). People are all so nice and friendly here. And nature and wildlife are never far away. Often, they walk right up into your yards!

After my hike today, and my random conversations, I was recharged. This place may not be for everyone, but it's perfect for some. Not to say I won't ever have bad days, or I won't ever struggle. I will. But it's so easy to recharge here, and that is something truly special.

Trumpeters in the distance. I didn't bring my actual camera, so clearly I'll be going back.

Trail through the wetlands

And the boreal forest

I made it!!!! I’m here!!!! Feels so amazing to be home.

I realize that the last few days I left a bit of details out and the posts got a little sparse. Gotta tell you, I was honestly starting to get over the driving towards the end! I looked at Google Maps, and traced my route as closely as I could. 3,597 miles. 62 hours. Not counting gas breaks, food breaks, bathroom breaks. A LOT of driving.

I did stop at Liard Hot Springs while in the Rockies (day 6). It’s the largest all natural hot spring in Canada (and I believe 2nd largest in the country altogether). I stayed for an hour or so and soaked tired muscles. It was amazing and I’m glad I stopped there.

I saw lots of wildlife, stone sheep were by far my favorite sighting. Also, lots of bison and some foxes. The roads were not busy. And even though lots of things were not open, I am so glad I went in the off season. 

All in all, my favorite part of the drive was through the Rockies. Fort Nelson to Watson Lake was the section over the Rockies. And man, what beauty. You lose cell service right outside of Fort Nelson, and don’t get it back until Watson Lake on the other side. That’s a solid 7 hours of driving through beautiful and remote landscapes. I honestly loved being disconnected for a little while. It was nice to get to town and be able to let everyone know I was alright. But it was also nice to just be out there in the middle of nowhere having to rely on myself to get through it.

Fort Nelson to Destruction Bay was also beautiful. I got to drive by lots of lakes and rivers, most notably Teslin and Kluane lakes. Kluane Lake was huge and gorgeous (and mostly frozen too). Teslin lake winds around next to the highway and provides some gorgeous views.

In terms of how I feel, and how I felt... What an accomplishment. I have this new confidence. I did it. I really did it. I got a new crack in my windshield (one high and one low now haha). I’m told this is just an “Alaskan windshield” so apparently I fit right in haha. But that’s really it. Of all the things that could have happened, that is no big deal at all. I had my gas can with me, but never had to use it. 

I drove a loooooong day yesterday. But I’m glad I only had to drive a few hours today. It helped. I already started working on my to-do list. I’m just so stoked to be here, to be home. To be around people that I know and my new community. I’m happy, I’m proud that I did that drive. I know so many useful things for our RV trip up! We haven’t driven the RV on any long trips yet, but if something does happen, I believe in our abilities to problem solve. In my abilities too. :)

I was lonely at times, but never, ever alone. I had support and I’m so thankful for that. I had people that requested I check in with them daily and it was awesome to call and text them to let them know I was okay and to recap the day’s events. The support really was amazing.

I did it you guys, I really did it!!!!

Today has been a fantastic day!

Crossing the Canadian border was very quick and easy. There were only a few cars in line in front of me, and we moved pretty quickly. It does get backed up, but apparently I chose a great time to go through. Maybe took me 10-15 minutes total.

Canada is so pretty!!! And it’s really true, everyone is incredibly friendly here. :) It’s amazing. I read about the city of Vulcan (yes, named after Spock!), and decided I HAD to stop. So, that was my first adventure today. I geeked out at the Star Trek museum. And learned about the yearly “Volcon”, which I clearly need to attend one of these years! The lady there was incredibly nice, and I enjoyed looking around and chatting with her. I even bought myself a t-shirt as a souvenir, because, well, why not! :)

Then I went to Calgary, and tried a Canadian dish I’d been dying to try.. poutine! Basically, fries with gravy and cheese curds. Of course, you can dress it up too. I had a Carolina bbq and bacon version. And yes, you could actually taste the vinegar in the pork! Carolina bbq actually done right, with a wonderful Canadian twist. Loved it.

Tonight I’m staying in Banff. It’s absolutely gorgeous here and I love it.