Gunalcheesh ax xooni (Thank You, My Friends)

Days 49 to 51 – July 14 - 16, 2015

North from the 38^th to the 64^th  parallel latitude … 51 days on the road, 6,400 miles … driving, hiking, sightseeing, sailing the inside passage ... learning about native Alaskan Tribes ... and experiencing life … and each other.     

     Wildlife is always miraculous. It’s not like you can call “here bear” or “here elk” and expect them to come on command. Each visit is a blessing.

 It’s said that expectation is just a set-up for disappointment. Did we find what we were looking for or did what we found surprise and amaze us? In any case, this trip was remarkable in that our experiences were unexpected and unusual … new and startling … and in some cases unbelievable. 

Did we see it all? … no! Alaska and northern Canada take years to experience. We did not go to the Arctic Circle or sail Glacier Bay. This is our 21^st blog for this trip and we shared only a portion of what we experienced. Some of it has no words except “I didn’t know that” and “Wow”. 

Did things go awry? … of course. A tire went bad and had to be replaced; the alignment is not good … but can’t find a place that can lift our Coyote; the ferry lost 4 ½ hours turning back to Juneau for a medical emergency (which made it a 30 hour trip ... glad we got a cabin); smoke from wildfires; rain (but mostly only when driving) ... and we missed connecting with people we would have liked to meet up with.

We’ve been focusing on small churches when we photograph them … this Usk Chapel is tiny … seats only 12 people. Found in British Columbia between Terrace and Jasper on Hwy 16.

 
This is our last blog for this trip … but we’re still on the road. We sailed from Juneau to Prince Rupert … arriving in Canada once again. 

Our plans are to drive east for about 2,000 miles to visit with our grandchildren in Minnesota. We are traveling on Highway 16 across the middle of Canada. After that we are going to Dan’s side of the family reunion in Kentucky. After that we might even go home to Colorado. Although we’ve found that home is wherever we are … with each other.

We’ve found phenomena tiny and big and alive and new in the northern county … and spectacular! AND ... All of you are a blessing for enjoying our blog. Thank you for allowing us to share our trip!

So as the Tlingit say, Gunalcheesh ax xooni!

Dan and Vicki Rector
Colorado
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