After our first work stay experience I don't think either one of us were very excited to try again. Mostly I think Scot agreed for me so I really hoped it wasn't as big of a flop. This time we headed to Kenai. The contacted the greenhouse host but this time the host contacted me. It seemed much more chill. The couple was working on building their own home and needed some extra hands. When we were still on the fence they bribed us with a steak and shrimp dinner. Sold. In case you were wondering- it was the biggest shrimp I have ever seen. They were beyond delicious. Initially I was supposed to work weeding the garden while Scot helped install a tongue and groove ceiling. But I was bored. And lonely. And really didn't need to do any more weeding.

So I got promoted to the board cutter. So I feel like I need to tell you. That I was made for this job. The ceiling that was put in was huge. It was the entire inside of this garage/shop... I feel like it was the size of a barn. They would yell out numbers I'd chop those board, to perfection, and hand them on up. We were a well oiled machine. It took us a few solid days to get the whole thing done. We had to rent a lift and maneuver it on boards over a gravel floor. Well, I didn't do those things. But they were done. The experience of building stuff together with our own two hands really felt empowering. It led to tons of conversations about what we might be able to do together in the future. I can't image how much pride a person would have building a house.

So our downtime here was also huge improvement. We had nightly barbeques, drinks around the firepit. Did I mention the hot tub. That's right. Not only did we actually get showers here, there was a hot tub. I even got to practice my trailer driving skills. They are pretty darn poor... But I try. We took his raft out to a lake and brought the hound. The goal was to practice on the lake and then head out to the Kenai River. But we were really bad at it. It was nothing like rafts we have been on before and the oars were so super heavy that trying to row both hands in unison was pretty impossible. (Apparently there were weights that were forgot about that make it a lot easier.) So we basically just looked really silly and floated around cracking up at ourselves and let the dog have fun.

This really was a great way for us to break up some of our summer. We got to help the host with a project he's been working on for a long time and we got to learn some pretty cool new skills. I would feel really comfortable and confident doing some of these things on my own in the future too. Which is pretty darn cool.

I know. You've heard me preach about making due with what you have. Well there were plenty of things we did still need that we didn't already have. The point is that you don't need to buy out REI or Bass Pro Shops to have a good time. But there were definitely some things that were well worth the investment.

1. Mr. Heater- Little Buddy

The beginning of this summer was COLD! We hit a chunk of cloudy, rainy, windy days and without this little gem Scot would have had a very unhappy Brooke on his hands. Our nightly routine would include opening up our rooftop tent and me climbing in with this guy (I called him the heater buddy) and letting his sweet sweet heat fill the tent until I was nice and toasty warm. The heater attaches to a little propane bottle and is safe for indoor use. We used the same $6 bottle of propane all summer. I will keep this little guy close to my heart always!

2. Old School Hot Water Bottle

Are you sensing a theme here? Sometimes I ask myself "Why did you move to Alaska?". Being warm enough is a real issue for me. If you get cold- it takes me a really long time to warm up. In my normal not traveling life I take a hot shower right before bed EVERY sing night. Not having that was a big adjustment for me. I would get initially warm with the Mr. Heater Little Buddy but while the rooftop tent was really comfortable- it was still a tent so wouldn't retain the heat all night long. With one of these hot water bottles we'd heat some water on our little Coleman stove, put it under the covers and it would stay warm all night long. I first used one during one of my trips to Africa. The camp ladies would heat water over the fire and deliver them to our rooms. I thought I had just discovered the newest best thing. And then came home and learned they have been around forever. I would totally recommend one of the covers because against my skin it would get too hot but the cover let me snuggle up right next to it all night long.

3. ExOfficio Travel Underwear

I first bought a pair of these for my first trip to Africa. I knew I wasn't going to have the same modern conveniences like washing machines as I do at home. I read great reviews and gave them a try and loved them. They advertise as quick drying, breathable comfort, odor preventing, and fit for adventure. I'd say all of that was pretty accurate. I didn't have to invest in these for this trip because their quality was great! I own two pair and had a few pairs of my normal every day underwear. But these were definitely much lower maintenance when I was washing them in a river and drying them in bushes. They were the easiest to clean and the first to dry. By a lot. See- I do like other things besides heat sources...

4. MPOWERD Luci Inflatable Solar Lantern

We didn't use this as much as we would have had we not been summer in the "land of the midnight sun". We really didn't live by any schedule at all though and headed to bed in the middle of the night. And inside the rooftop tent it still did get dark enough to need light. We also had a couple of "inside" days where it was rainy and gross outside and we just hibernated. This little guy was really cool because we just had to deflate it and it could stay right inside the tent when we folded it up. And solar charge? Perfect. Plenty of sun in Alaska in the summer.

5. Rumple Puffy Throw

This was probably my only impulse buy of the summer. We were in Fairbanks and I was having some sort of strange achy, hurt to walk foot issue. I was probably the most pathetic version of myself and I decided this is what was going to make me feel better. I was almost sure I was going to think it was a stupid idea by the morning. But I was grumpy and current Brooke didn't care about what future Brooke though. Turns out future Brooke loved it. It was an extra layer in the tent each night, I cuddled with it by the campfire, and nestled it in the hammock. Thank you past Brooke.

1. GSI Outdoors Collapsible Java Drip

Coffee. I'm pretty sure if I had to describe Scot in 10 words something about coffee would be mentioned. In our just over 2 years together I don't think I have ever seen him miss a day without coffee. If it was the best an most efficient then we probably had it this summer. I will say this little pour over was really hand to.... watch. It literally does everything a real drip coffee maker does right over top of the mug you are using. It folds up in it's tiny case and is really convenient.

2. MSR PocketRocket 2

This little guy was probably used to boil water for Scot's coffee  about 90% of the time and then a handful of times to boil water for my hot water bottle. For our big cooking purposes we used a Coleman stove. A super old school made in the 60's and still works perfectly stove. While it was old reliable it did take a while to get it up and running and then however long it takes water to bowl. This MSR PocketRocket 2 was perfect for a quick cup of coffee and boiled water in minutes. We use this little guy when we are backpacking and making Mountain House meals. It's small and really easy to use. The image of Scot getting up and pumping the Coleman stove and waiting for his water to boil over it is kind of amusing however. I think our mornings would have been much more colorful...

3. Fire Starter

So this was equally on both of our lists. I added it to Scot's so everyone didn't think I was a cold freak who obsessed over warmth and fire... Before we left for the summer Scot had a bag of tricks up his sleeve for starting fires. We'd camp for a couple of days on ideal weather conditions and make a few fires and life was good. I can't think of a camping day this summer we didn't have a fire. In fact we should have had a campfire count... Our firewood wasn't that cute little bundle that you purchase at the entrance to the state park or campground. We scavenged our wood from fallen branches and driftwood. Every single fire. We had fire in the wind, we had fire in the rain... We first bought it as a "just in case" and then decided they were magic and made our lives so much easier.

So here is the deal. We traveled all over the state this past summer. When we put our car away for the summer the odometer said we put on about 7,000 miles. Holy burning rubber. A ton of this was way out where most people don't go. And therefore- completely out of wifi-data-even cell phone range. So much happened in such a small period of time it was hard to keep track of. I'm going to do my best to recapture all the magic.

First- here are some of our over all "take aways" from this summer.

1. Take what people write on the internet with a grain of salt as far as recommendations. We took several way out of the way dirt- no maintenance roads for 100's of miles this summer. Some of the things other people posted were kind of scary. It definitely limited some of the things we did because we were more cautious. I remember reading posts about how people were blowing tires from pot holes, breaking windshields from trucks throwing rocks on their window as they passed. Use your common sense people. Slow down if there are a million pot holes your car is probably not superman. Pull over if you're on a utility road with working trucks trying to gain momentum to get up the next hill. We had born in Alaska people tell us that we saw more than they have, or more than most at least in a single summer and are completely fine. Just go. Be smart. But go.

2. Follow the weather! Oh my goodness. We got off the island and and were like kids in a candy store but instead cooped up adults with an open road. We bounced around here and there and nothing had rhyme or reason (I wouldn't really change the all over randomness really). However, we are in Alaska. Even in June it can be pretty chilly- especially as we traveled north. And that's where we headed first. Check and chase the good weather. A few weeks in we figured out life (even though it seems pretty obvious) and my quality of life greatly increased. We had entire days devoted to laying in hammocks and basking in the sun. I even got the best Chaco tan of my life and I'm from Colorado.

3. Take pictures. But let some moments just be "good for the soul". We live in an age where we want to document everything. We need to get it on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, printed in a memory book, on our blogs even. We need evidence we were there and what we did. It can be a hard habit to break. But as soon as you have that camera or phone in front of you, you are more an observer than a participant. You miss things. Get your classic shots and wow moments in. But save some of it just for you. Take it in. Let it surround out. The experience will be ten fold.

4. Use what you have. You do not need the best of the best. Make a few investments here and there that will really add to the quality of your life but then just make do. Sometimes having to get creative is some of the best memories. We passed so many huge RV's or trucks with huge slide-in campers with all their toys strapped on to the side. It all seemed exhausting. I'm in the world's biggest backyard. Why do I need to be able to watch tv? And then lets talk about price. How much did all those rigs cost? We really were traveling on the bare minimum but I guarantee that we saw more and did more than any of those fancy rigs. 

5. Be prepared. I honestly have no big story to tell here. Because we were always prepared. We took extra gas, had plenty of extra water, always had enough food, and we made sure the car was up on its maintenance. In fact the brakes started to give the classic warning sound that they needed to be changed and we stopped for a few hours in Fairbanks and changed them in a Walmart parking lot. I use the word "we" loosely. I shopped for lunch and wandered the isles of Fred Meyer.

Work stay, work exchange, Wwoof. Use what ever term you like. It's basically volunteering in exchange for room and board rather than compensation.  So this isn't something that I have found to be super popular with Americans- at least doing them here in the States. Maybe it's just the people I know? And the reactions when I tell people I know that is something we are going to do is pretty varied. Kind of like the reactions when we told the we were spending the summer traveling Alaska staying in a roof top tent. You get the "Good for you"'s, "I'm so jealous", "Interesting..." "You're braver than I am" and some of those turn into "So I kind of wondered how that was going to go- how is it really?" as the summer rolls on. And all I have to say is to each their own. Some people are completely happy with 9-5 everyday, an hour in traffic, rinse and repeat. So what we are doing probably seems completely mad.

Traveling is expensive. Even if you are sleeping on top of your car most nights and taking nightly accommodations out of the equation. We had a lot more little expenses that added up at the very beginning that we didn't think of. Water jugs, gas cans, straps, my favorite item: the heater buddy. Every time we walked out of a store it felt like a few hundred dollars disappeared. And there was a lot of things we decided to make due with what we had over upgrading to what we knew would actually work better. But you start somewhere. And GAS. I'm not sure if you have heard. But Alaska is a pretty big sized state. We've been as far as you can drive in the south, nearing up close to north, and east and west. It all adds up when you are doing it day after day. Plus, honestly- you start seeing amazing things every single day you can start to forget how truly incredible it is. So you want to get to know an area a little bit better, meet some interesting people, learn how to do something new, eat, shower, have a real bed. It's a pretty interesting concept. The hosts I have talked to in Alaska said they don't get a lot of Americans, or Alaskans for that matter. Well I am here to break the norm. But what is it really like?

I am a silver lining kind of girl. I really try my hardest to not harp on the negative and find something positive to take away from every situation. Some times it is hard. Our first Work Stay- I will be honest, I was pretty darn disappointed. I don't know how people write bad reviews, while it's needed sometimes- it makes me feel really guilty. I've delayed this post and felt like I needed to do some soul searching to decide what I actually wanted to say about it.
So most of the postings I have read seem to ask volunteers to work anywhere from 3-5 hours a day, and not everyday. There are usually promises of taking them around to do fun things in the area. Everything seems to vary a bit. I had this vision of planting seeds in a greenhouse and chatting with the host about what to grow in what season, and how long it takes, and what goes into starting a greenhouse. What do I need to know about solar panels? And showers. I pictured showers.
So I picked our first Work Stay based on the location. It was a recommendation from a friend who thought we would really like the area and we wanted to check it out. Besides that- I really didn't read the reviews or spend a lot of time looking into other ones. Live and learn. I feel like I can't just not talk about the negatives- so here we go. 

Within our first 24 hours we heard this massive plan to start a community in the ocean on plastic and to get eager, idealistic people who will just volunteer their time because they don't have anything better to do- to come out and get it started. And then since it was in the middle of the ocean, once they go there, they were just stuck and couldn't leave. He also made several Hotel California references during our stay- and we all laughed along. I also didn't visit the root cellar where apparently the "good volunteers" are kept. I know he was joking- I wasn't actually scared but I kind of feel like it's something you don't really joke about. Lets just keep kidnapping off the table in any form. I mean the plan was so massive it probably took 10 minutes to explain and was clearly really well thought out. And also kind of left me with the impression that there was a general lack of respect for the people who come stay at his greenhouse. It made it seem like he thought they were all spoiled, didn't need to have real jobs, hippy dippy going out into the world to find themselves. He made several comments about how nice it would be to be a teacher and have time off to go and travel. That might be my biggest pet peeve in life. Like I just woke up one day and found a teaching degree and didn't go to college. And somehow in their tone they seem to think I make a fortune. Those were the life choices I made. I don't tell a doctor "Oh it must be nice to make a fortune." Discounting the years and effort it took to get there. We stayed in a dry cabin. We were the first of the season so it was pretty dirty just due to existing. We didn't really have anything to clean it with. I think Scot used some car cleaning wipes to at least defunkify the counters. And the mosquitoes. We were told there was one of those electric bug rackets in there. There was not. And no one really seemed to care. I probably asked 5 times as I started accumulating about 20 bites per limb. I'm not exaggerating. I was absolutely miserable. The mattress was like sleeping on the ground. We pulled the mattress pad out of our tent which made it bearable- not comfortable, if we didn't want to walk all the way to the main house, we used an outhouse. There was supposed to be showers available at the main house- there wasn't. We have 5 days of working in the fields from 9am to 6pm with no showers. We all ate together. And generally me and a young girl from Europe cooked. Because were told to. And we never really knew how he wanted things done and usually found out after we did it wrong and felt like we were scolded. And I'm not going into the dirtiness of the kitchen. Lets just say I am forever scared. I felt my work ethic go "blah" and I just did not enjoy spending that many hours weeding a field. We were under the impression that the property was inherited and everything seemed very haphazzard, unorganized, and inefficient. The opportunities to really learn anything- just were few and far between. See- I feel terrible for saying that. Like it's okay for it to live deep inside me- but to actually articulate my thoughts....
So after plenty of time to really think about it I decided that there was no intention for it to be a bad experience. We just had different expectations. 50% of the time I had no idea what he was talking about- but he tried to be nice? Maybe just kind of socially unaware? He took us out to a live band and pizza our first night. We drove into town to a community thing another night- so there was some effort there. And then our life styles of how we live were just so far off. Like. I enjoy soap. It seemed like there was too much reliance on volunteer workers and he just needed some more actual employees. Scot and I agreed that what it boiled down to in the end was that the amount of work expected, for the accommodations we got- just didn't match. And also I felt uncomfortable a lot. We left early and I felt really guilty about it. We did leave him a nice Sarah Palin pocket knife though. Three for $10 at a gift shop. We still have 2 if anyone is interested.

You have to hang on to the good things or negativity can take over your life. I learned there there are a ton more varieties of vegetables than I ever knew there were. We planted like 6 different kind of cauliflower. I thought cauliflower was cauliflower. False. The growing season in Alaska is pretty wonky. It is short but the days are really long. There are some plants where only certain varieties grow. I saw a glimse of how amazing cooking with our own food can be. I'm trying to mentally block out the vision of the dirty kitchen right now and just think about grabbing the fresh  baby cabbage and herbs and loading them into a pasta dish. Or did you know there is a dark dark purple potato?? And I was reminded about how fun it can be making connections with people you wouldn't normally. Like the young girl from Europe. We have been in the car zipping around just the two of us. You can find things in common with just about everyone when you just stop and and talk. And especially when you are having some sort of shared experience.

We are trying another one in just a few days. It seems a little more our speed. I'm not letting one disappointment jade me. Plus our last text asked if we like steak and seafood- something about 2-3 hour work days and shuttling us around for kayaking. Perfect. 

Baloo is 13 years old. He is an old man dog. We have to help him up into the car EVERY single time. He can hike around with us for about a mile these days and he's about done. He loves the water, mud, puddles, and rolling around in sand, dirt, or old fire pits after he's wet. He has made an art out of being exactly where you need to be all of the time. Doorways and the bottom of stairs are some of his specialties. But if you are a pet owner you know you take all these special quirks with all of the great things too.  But here is what we have learned about traveling by vehicle with our dog. 

I'm a lover of big dogs. The bigger the better. Life would certainly be easier with smaller pets that is for sure. In the car Baloo takes up a pretty large amount of space. I sat back there with him yesterday. We drove to Valdez to both explore and bring a friend back to Anchorage. Our car is packed to the max so we had to ditch a few things to make room for a person in the back. That's when I realized he takes up at least 1/3 of the space back there. We put a basket on the hitch to put a few tubs on of stuff like extra gas, water, shovel- all kinds of things really. This could all be in the car however if Baloo wasn't so gigantic. 

If we did this a year ago our trip would be completely different.  Baloo was hiking 8 miles up a mountain, camping, and 8 miles back down. But that isn't life anymore. We are limited to either really short strolls with the dog or leaving him in the car to go just a tad farther. That felt really weird at first. But as time has gone on, Baloo has realized the car and his bed is his home he wants to be in there almost all of the time. He sits whining at the car door and following us around until we let him in when we find a camp spot. It's also not hot- like at all. I'm wearing layers and a coat most days. We haven't ever left him longer than a few hours and when we come back he's as chill as can be and got some uninterrupted beauty sleep. And he's not a leash dog. He's absolutely nuts and we all love each other a lot more when leashes aren't apart of our experiences. 

I'm fairly certain he was bred from a line of super shedders. Since he was a puppy I have been unsure how he is not bald. It doesn't matter the season- a-shedding he a-goes. The floors, the seats, my clothes, my pillow, Scot's beard. Basically if hair can stick to it. It's there. At home we toss it into the washer. Here. Hair is just life. 

I don't know how many times I have heard Scot say to Baloo "No one likes a wet dog." Except the dog that is. He LIVES for swimming and mud and puddles. His doggy dream. He sleeps in the car because getting a 90 pound 13 year old lab up a ladder onto the top of your car, just isn't a thing. We crack a window throw a towel over it so bugs don't get in and he's just fine. But you CANNOT just throw a wet and muddy dog back into your car with everything you are traveling with. The first night we were right on a river. I've never seen him so sandy in my life. We threw a stick into the water to wash off the yuck and dried him off with a beach sized towel and loaded him up before he had time to get all funky again. But then we were left with a soggy towel for two days. One night it was just too late by the time we made camp we made him stay on a leash the whole time. So far I think my favorite has been letting him play, getting him rinsed off about an hour before he needed to be in the car to drip dry for a while, tying him up so he doesn't get all gross, and then a final towel dry off. Whew. Are we the only ones plagued with this problem? What do you do with your wet furry friends?

Okay- so the idea for us, is to not need to stay in a hotel. But things come up, or weather is yucky, you need a shower, or just the idea of having a night off of setting everything just sounds amazing. We got a hotel right before we got the tent- one in Fairbanks when my foot was acting up, and one last night. You are HUGELY limited to hotels that will allow pets. And then the ones that do usually have extra fees, were already expensive to start with, or have restrictions like 35 pounds and under. I don't think "He's just bloated today..." will pass. We found one hotel that had no fees at all- any pets welcome. That was the first night in Soldatna. It was amazing. In Fairbanks we were finding $100 fee plus $150 deposit to $15 fee but again, 35 pounds and under. We finally found a room that was $160 a night with a pet fee of $75. Holy expensive. So last night (we are in Anchorage) we were out of options. Things were booked up and we desperately wanted a shower (I did my hair outside in the rain that morning. I'm starting to get used to this new look I call "You mostly look like you gave up".) Finally we just decided to head to one of the places where there was a weight restriction and just hoped to sneak him in the back. Scot did his talking thing and eventually just told the lady he was over the weight limit and she didn't really care at all. My advice if you are in a pinch, just ask for a room close to the door. They seem to put pets near the exit that is not visible from the desk. All he does is sleep in the middle of the floor so I don't really feel bad about it. Big dogs need hotel rooms too! 

So- there are obviously some extra things to think about or problem solve. But at the end of the day- I think we have one happy hound. When we let him, he's swimming in lakes and rivers, trying to catch mosquitoes, eating our leftovers, and being with his people. He's 13 and we are probably looking at one of his last big adventures. So watching that happy face hanging out the window as we travel over mountain passes is pretty worth the dog hair and extra hotel fees. 

I've traveled a lot of different ways. My first big trip was a European coach tour where we did 11 countries in 14 days or something. It was a lot. Completely intense. Everything was planned for us and we were just along for the ride. Which also meant watching the clock ALL of the the time but we got to see all the big highlights. I went to Vietnam a few summers later with no plan. We planned about a day in advance and did everything with trip adviser recommendations. Except for the motorcycle down the Ho Chi Mihn Trail from random dudes with motorcycle. That wasn't on trip adviser.  I did a relaxing African safari booked through a travel agent that cost as much as a nice used sedan.... Amazing- but not long term realistic and probably shouldn't have been realistic at the time. And then a trip to New Zealand that I got a travel teaching scholarship. That had to be planned to the T to get approved of funding. This Alaskan summer is kind of a little bit of a hodgepodge of those trips. The first week we had a few destinations we wanted to hit- but really no plan at all. We were like kids in a candy store who just got more than 30 miles of road to explore. All the things! Which honestly- I kind of love. But- we have missed out on a few things when we got there with no plan. Now for us this summer- it's not really a big deal we are already planning on heading back to a few places now that we know what is going on. But if  we had only a limited amount of time- it could have been a pretty big bummer.  No matter how you like to travel I think the biggest advice I have is just to be flexible. Go with the flow and don't harp on the little things that don't always work out but instead count your succesess. 

Schedules stress me out. Even the fun things. I feel like I am constantly over aware of how much time it is taking me to do something. Too little time you are rushed. Then if you get somewhere too early you are just stuck waiting. I feel like it is the most unnatural thing in the world. As Scot says "Time is just something that has been created by man." And it's true. When I can just do what I want when I want life is a whole lot better. 

Have you ever noticed how the media or even advertising always makes everything absolutely perfect? It's there business- of course it seems perfect. But then we are left with experiences that sometimes don't match what we thought they were going to be.  When you are just going where the adventure and road takes you, and you find gems that are completely unexpected- they are that much more exciting. If you have a big master plan and something goes wrong and you miss out on something, it isn't as good as you intended, or it rained that way and it wasn't in the plan- you are left with feeling let down. Everyday can't be perfect whether you plan it all out or not. So just go with the flow and see where everything takes you. 

I've done the trips where I had to get up at 5 am to make sure I had enough to time to do ALL THE THINGS. You are go go going all day long. I've actually made myself feel sick by the end of a trip because of it. What is the purpose of taking a vacation and then needing a vacation from it? Sleep till 9? 10? It's raining and cold out so maybe 11? Okay. Great weather and birds chirping and waking you up at 7? Alright! Take care of yourself. 

A few of our favorite trips so far this summer have been ones that were recommended to us by people who have seen the state several times over. We passed through Fairbanks to resupply and refuel and traveled 80 miles down a dirt road to get to a funky little hot springs bathhouse (Manley Hot Springs) that was filled with tropical flowers taller than I was and looked like something out of a very mythical land. Totally unexpected. And way more fun than yet another group tour. (Which we haven't been on a single one- but they are everywhere.) I've had dreams of taking a trip and only relying on other people for what I should do. Land in a far away city, pop into a local coffee shop and ask where I should go- what I should do. And then go. And when I get there, ask someone else the exact same thing. I'll do it someday. 

One of the biggest things on Scot's list was going to Denali. Denali works in a super cool way- but I didn't know anything about anything and just rolled in as if I was were going to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was kind of frusterating at the time- but I think it is pretty cool now. You can't drive very far into the park. And where you can- there is nothing to do except be on the road and enjoy the scenery. Which is beautiful. But you drive that 15 or so miles in and you have to take buses into the park. You can stop absolutely anywhere and they will let you off and just find the road later and flag down a bus and you can continue on your way. I think about the lines of cars trying to get through Rocky Mountain National Park last year and how terrible that was. This idea is amazing to me. Downfalls? No dogs on buses. So then we learned there were some campsites inside the park that if you book for 3 or more days you get to get like 30 more miles into the park. Perfect. We don't usually do the campground thing- but for something like this it would be totally fine. But... You guessed it. Booked for the next week. So... we just had to turn around and continue on our merry way. Because we have the whole summer we can just go back with the information we now have but that would have been a huge bummer had that been the only time we could go. 

A few days ago we went to MaCarthy- another recommended place. 60 mile or something down a dirt road. It's been newly revived and not that well known. They are really hesitant about tourism and you can't drive in. There is a footbridge and a 1/2 mile walk in or you can pay to take a shuttle. We knew there was this town and that we had to walk in. Then there are old mines another 5 miles up. The pictures are super cool. We were going to take the shuttle to the mines. I guess there is a whole other town there too and you can spend the whole day looking around. But it was 5pm already. And the snow hadn't melted enough yet to actually get to the mines. Just too early in the season. We could go see the town and shops but we went for the mines so again- just decided to go back later in the season. The drive there was beautiful and that in itself was enough to make the trip worth it. 

Whether you plan everything out or you just go- you are going to find bumps in the road. Especially the dirt ones. You're adventure is going to be what you make of it. If you have a good attitude and enjoy the simple things you are set. Chill out. Enjoy it all. 

I currently have a love hate relationship with our tent. The things that are awesome- are freaking amazing. But it has also been a bit frustrating too. After waiting months on back order I got an email from REI saying the order was canceled. Brooke was not a happy camper because even in bigger towns like Anchorage and Fairbanks- there are a lot of limitations to what you can get. I called them just to ask why since it gave no explanation and they happily ordered me a new one that was delivered to the Anchorage store two weeks later. I chose to not ask questions and just be happy with the fact that we got the tent.

And the last bump in the road.... I want to stress this happened before we added the extra 2" of memory foam. The zipper that zips the cover onto the tent got caught in the tent fabric and broke in half. We took it to a tent repair shop and they said the zipper just had a weak point and was basically a lemon. They didn't have a zipper the right size so we contacted Tepui. They are sending a replacement zipper. They even said if we took it to a shop to get repaired they would reimburse us for the repairs. But again- we have been unable to find a place because- we're in Alaska. They said it was easy to replace and I could do it myself. So once it gets here- we shall see. Until then we have been adding ratchet straps to keep it down. It adds one extra step that is kind of annoying- especially when we think about how much the set up cost. But we've had good attitudes about it. Scot calls it "bootleged" and I use the term "hoopty". So I guess that is who we are now. We've been out with it for about a week now and are loving the freedom we have to just stop anywhere. We aren't pulling behind a trailer- we have 4 wheel drive. A few stream crossings here and there and open her up and we have home for the night. It's a beautiful thing. ​

It took just over a week but Tepui sent us our new zipper system at no charge. And they were right- it was really easy. It's in place with a special tubing you just feed through the metal frame. I think it took us less than 5 minutes to replace it. We were in Valdez yesterday and saw another Tupui tent that wasn't zipped up- I'm assuming it was the exact same problem. So I guess be a little ginger with the zipper on the cover- and if it breaks, know it's easy peasy to fix and the company was great to work with. 

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As I  sit in this comfy "mine for the night" bed (yep- I said bed...)  in Fairbanks I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that we have only been off Kodiak island for 9 days. A week and some change. It dawned on my yesterday that I actually currently do not have a home.  It's a really odd feeling actually- to know everything you need is in your vehicle and you won't see anything else you own for months.   But that is also the charm of  it- right?

Bed. This comfy fluffy fresh bed. At $169 plus $75 for the dog room feels like both a blessing and a curse. For the past 2 weeks I've been plagued with some sort of mystery aliment after another that is really driving me mad! Last week a had a pulled stomach muscle, I recently had some stomach muscle repair done and I guess I'm still in that be cautious recovery zone. I suppose moving and lifting boxes and such wasn't the best for that. And apparently now I have planters fasciitis in my left foot?  It came out of nowhere while we were moving and then disappeared for  few days then I woke up this morning feeling like I really couldn't walk. An evening call to nurse Lynda (aka mom) and I think we got to the bottom of it and can now move on. But in the meantime I guess an evening of  hot baths and internet to decide what is next isn't the worst thing in the world. 

And backtracking.  

I'm finally feeling a little more interesting again. I'm kidding. But we've been at this waiting point for a while now without anything really new going on and when you add that to weeks of rain it's kind of like.... Blah.

We've been filling our time watching Alaska shows like Building Alaska, and Life Below Zero. While we would rather go out and live life- we're just waiting to get our car on the Ferry. Come on June 1st! But it has kind of had us wondering what kind of lifestyle we could see ourselves living in the future. We are so anti the rat race- 9 to 5 lifestyle of working to live in a house that you are never home for to just pay the mortgage. We've talked about buying property, building, possibly something along the lines of homesteading. Would we/could we do off the grid living? I've gone as far to ask myself "could you live without plumbing?" We are still undecided. And I think we'll know a few more of those answers after a summer of camping on the roof of the car- because there is no plumbing in that situation!

But past the idea of would we want to- if we did, how would we learn how to do it all? Research. Trial and error. Ask around. Yes- of course, all of the above. But we've also come up with a more off the beaten path plan as well. I started looking into some workstays over the past few days. What is a workstay? You basically volunteer your time to helping out any way the host seems fit in exchange for room and board. Generally for at least a few weeks at a time. Every situation is a bit difference of course. There are a few areas that we kind of have our radar on right now. I think I found one that sounds perfect that is off-grid that we can get some gardening and greenhouse experience. I absolutely love this idea. There are a ton of things that I have no idea how to do. Volunteer a few weeks of my time and learn some valuable skills. We get to see what it really takes to get where we are thinking we want to be. Let an expert tell us exactly what to do- while we help them out. I feel like there isn't enough of this in the world today. We have turned into an every man for himself kind of society. And it doesn't have to be like that. You just have to be able to be a little creative and chase your dreams. I can't wait to share how the experience goes!

We have something like 6 weeks left on this island. Which is completely crazy. I'm not sure how it is going equally fast, as it is slow. Parts of me are so ready for the summer adventure but it will be bittersweet because there is a lot I will miss. 

We've started the preparation! We bought the rooftop tent! I'm so excited. Planning things like this is a little harder in Alaska. There aren't nearly as many stores. It's pretty much what is available in Anchorage or Fairbanks or relying on what will ship here. The tent we wanted wouldn't ship to us. But it will ship to the REI store in Anchorage. AND my member coupon of 20% off of one item worked on it! I was sure with a big ticket item like this I was going to put my coupon code in and get the "We're sorry. This item is exempt." 20% off of an $1,800 tent that never goes on sale is pretty much the best deal ever. It's currently on back-order though but we still have 6 weeks. So I'm mostly just crossing my fingers that it all works out. Because with this one, here in Alaska- I don't really have a plan B. 

We ended up splurging and getting the Tepui Tents Autana Sky 3 Tent with the removable annex room. We went back and forth on it. It was an extra $300ish  for the removable room. We couldn't decide if we were being extravagant or just planning really well. In the end we decided that if we were spending the entire summer here, it might be a nice reprieve from any weather or bugs and not be stuck just in the tent or sitting in the car. I'll keep you updated if it was worth it!