Preparing for Alaska… And So It Begins

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Photo credit: Xplorer Maps

We’ve been super busy around the house lately. We converted our infrequently used guest bedroom into an office which involved selling the bedroom furniture on Craigslist, cleaning, painting, having the carpet cleaned, and moving the office furniture in. While the carpet cleaner guy was here, we had him give the living room carpet a clean, too, which involved, of course, moving all the furniture out and then back again. Exhausting!

I was so impressed with my office conversion project, I decided to paint our bedroom too. Moving all the furniture to one side of the room to paint and clean and then to the other side for round 2 was a challenge, but we managed. I cleaned that carpet myself… half at a time. There are still chores to do, but the carrot at the end of the stick for completing the bedroom redo was starting the preparation for our upcoming Alaska trip and I’m on it like a bear on honey. Wahoo!

We’ve been to Alaska several times in the past… maybe a half dozen times or so, but mostly for business. In fact, David was stationed at Adak in the Aleutians for nearly a year back in 1971. We spent a week once back in the early 1990s with David’s parents and though we enjoyed ourselves, it was a hectic week of trying to cram everything possible into one week. Alaska is a big, big place, and try as we might to see it all, we missed quite a bit and what we did see was more of a cursory glance. This time we have months and we intend to meander and explore rather than rush.

So, while David is concentrating on ordering parts and getting planned upgrades completed on Blanche, I’m concentrating on preparation. We unpacked and stowed everything from Blanche when we returned last autumn, so everything needs to go back into Blanche once David’s upgrades are complete.

I have lists upon lists upon lists of things to do and stuff to bring. There’s a food bin that needs replenishing with at least the basics (oil, vinegar, spices, condiments) plus our initial dry food stores and fridge stuff. Linens (towels, extra set of bedsheets, blankets, pillows) and the rug were all washed and put away. I need to dig them out of the closet again and get them back into Blanche… after giving Blanche a good cleaning post-upgrades. We have bikes and bike gear, tools, toiletries, personal stuff, general cleaning items, and one biggie to consider… clothing.

It may be cold; it rains a lot; sometimes it’s hot. A wide range of clothing will be required… rain gear, waterproof shoes/boots, sandals maybe, parkas, hats, gloves, t-shirts, thermals, long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, long heavy pants, lightweight pants and don’t forget the underwear… and maybe a nice shirt for David and a skirt for me… just in case! Every bin needs to be checked out so we know what we have and what needs to be added. Quite honestly, it’s not much different than preparing to leave on an ocean passage, except we get to stop at Walmart along the way if we forget or run out of something

I’ve been doing lots of reading about road trips to and within Alaska. We haven’t finalized our route yet, but we’re working on it and have keyed in on places we definitely want to visit. I’ve ordered and received an Alaska Gazetteer, a good Western Canada road map, a wildflower book (older and used, but wildflowers don’t change much) and the Alaska travel planning bible… The Milepost (2023).

There are also some themes that prevail in everything I’ve read. Flying insects are brutal… heck, Alaskans joke that the mosquito is their state bird. We’ve had run-ins with Alaskan mosquitoes before… it ain’t pretty. We’ll be prepared. (mosquito composite)

I’ve just ordered mosquito head nets for our hats from REI along with two bottles of Sawyer’s insect repellent specifically made for spraying clothing and gear and purportedly effective for up to 6 weeks. Reviews on it are good. David plans to reinforce the insect screens we put up last season and we’ll spray those as well. I’ve already stockpiled Ben’s insect repellent and Deep Woods Off to ward off the beasties.

Roads are rough… expect delays, flat tires and dings in your windshield. There are sometimes long distances between towns, so come prepared to be independent. There’s probably not much we can do about windshield dings other than not tailgating the car in front of us. Flat tires, however, are another concern. We have a good spare. Additionally, David recently purchased a high-pressure tire inflator and we ordered a heavy-duty tire repair kit just in case.

Bears are very common, as are moose, and an encounter with either or both during our trip is quite likely especially if we plan to hike, so being ‘bear/moose smart’ is kind of important to survival. We’re keen on making it back alive, so I’m paying attention.

Bears and moose? Bear bells on packs are suggested as are carrying whistles to make sure you don’t sneak up on critters and surprise them. They hate surprises! If no bells or whistles, singing is suggested (that’ll keep them away for sure!). Bear spray is highly recommended and it’s quite expensive, but we decided it was a reasonable precaution. Our local REI carries it and we just picked up a couple of cans. We’re really hoping they won’t be used. It’s a pepper spray and though it causes temporary ‘discomfort’ to the bear, it has no lasting or harmful effects to the bear other than saving our butts and denying him an easy dinner.

My next few blogs will start outlining our trip planning, packing, route and highlights of what we plan to see along with some Alaska factoids. So pack your mukluks, we’re in countdown mode!