Road Trip Rough Draft

Ahhh - school's out & that means we took our annual trip to Moose Pass over Memorial Day weekend. This trip was even more significant as it provided my family an opportunity to test out our 2003 Eurovan. The plan is for the Roach family to drive from Anchorage, AK to San Diego, CA this summer. Departure date: June 15th. The Moose Pass trip allowed us to fine tune packing all of our stuff & figure out what works best.
Yeah - the van holds plenty of stuff. Survey says - get rid of the extra seat, it just got in the way... In order to personalize the Igloo, we purchased a set of prayer flags from the "Coffee Church" (aka - The Ressurection Art Gallery) in Seward, AK.
The kids loved sleeping in the pop top. The space provides them a little space of their own. The lower level requires a little different configuration for our 6 week trek. Wade & I ended up putting the kids' Rubbermaid totes outside of the van at night - thank you to Mr. Rubbermaid - totes are the best thing since sliced bread. In fact, I think I'll go and buy a couple of more prior to hitting the road on June 15th.

Our trip this past week took us to Moose Pass, AK with a short visit to Seward, AK (named for William Seward - the man responsible for procuring Alaska's purchase from the Russians - "Seward's Folly). On Memorial Day we left w/family friends the Snyerlands (Snyder + Ireland) to head west toward Homer, AK. Our first night we camped at the Wardwell's cabin in Anchor Point. Gary & Wade pitched in to help dig a hole & build an outhouse. The Wardwells lived in the cabin almost 10 years without an official outhouse!! They were true Alaskans. Unfortnately, a reckless driver took their lives a year and a half ago along the Seward highway. Their children (long time friends of Gary's family) are carrying on their memories by completeing the cabin extension their parents had begun prior to their death.

While in Anchor Point, I finished Iain's birthday socks (oops - a few days late). They are for the Sock of the Month KAL3, and the Sensational Knitted Socks KAL. (See earlier post). After Anchor Point, we continued West to Homer, AK - famous for Halibut fishing and at the end of the Sterling highway. Wade and I reflected on how often can you exhaust two highways in one trip (Seward Highway: Anchorage to Seward; Sterling Highway: Cutoff to Homer, AK). After a cold, windy day & night in Homer, we left to head home w/a overnight at the Russian River. The Russian River is world famous for sport fishing of Sockeye Salmon ("Red" Salmon). Fishermen literally stand shoulder to shoulder thigh-deep in water to fish the wily sockeye. This is also the place where I caught my first salmon - on my first cast!! Ha!! I loved coming down here in the 80's - the area is much more congested now, and I haven't been fishing there in quite a while. The official season doesn't begin until June 11th - I anticipate the first run of reds will arrive in the river sometime around mid-June. We didn't see any fish on this trip - only my 5 year old who took a brief and impromptu dip in the river (those rocks can be slippery). The cold water certainly got his attention.


Overall - prognosis is looking good for the extended trip.