Cabin Fever Strikes!

Or … Alternative caption: “Dream RV Adventure or Short RV Trips?”

There is, sadly, often a big difference between the RV trip we WANT to take and the RV trip we know is within our capabilities, physically, financially and time-wise. But one has to dream big, right? It may not happen, but if we don’t even consider it, it DEFINITELY won’t happen.

Do you remember this joke? (I’m probably mangling it, but it’s as close as I remember it.)

Leo says, “God, I need money. Help me win the Lotto.” He waits a week. Nothing. He calls out again, “God, I need money! Please help me win the lotto!” Again, he waits. Week after week, he waits. Still nothing. Finally, he says, “God, I don’t understand! I keep telling you I need help and yet you do nothing!”

God’s voice booms down from above … “Leo! Could you at least BUY A TICKET?!”

Basically, you can wish and hope, but in the end it’s still up to you to do something to make things happen. Take an active role in trying to achieve your goals. You may not succeed, but you will at least be able to say you tried. One of my favorite song lyrics says it this way:

“We have two lives, one we’re given and the other one we make.”

– Mary Chapin Carpenter

Today; it’s mid-February, snowing again, and windy on top of it, and I have “cabin-fever”. So, I’m spending a few hours day-dreaming and looking forward to warmer, sunnier weather and going camping – this is my way to combat cabin fever. Come dream with me …

First, I should say that I have plenty of alternative options if my big dream is thwarted. The alternatives to my “dream adventure” are very much doable. I can re-visiting Valdez (it’s one of my favorite drives here in Alaska) and maybe take the commuter ferry from Valdez to Whittier. I’m already planning to head down to the Kenai Peninsula this coming summer for K9 Nose Work, AKC Scent Work and Barn Hunt trials with Baxter and Ronni. Another trip to Seward, just for the fun of it, is high on my list too. I’d also like to make it back to Fairbanks eventually, since my trip up there was cut so short last time. I think I’ve adequately proven you can’t see Fairbanks in three hours. Seriously. 😉 So, as you can see, it’s not as though I don’t have options.

But there are options and there are choices. If given my choice, I want to pack my RV and head south. South as in Canada and the lower 48.

So … here goes initial planning for the “RV adventure of a lifetime” that I WANT to indulge in even though I figure it’s probably well out of reach. Wanting something is the first step. I want – thus, I will plan. If I have to settle for something less, or put it off another year, so be it. Even if it never gets past the planning stage, that planning and dreaming should keep me occupied for the rest of the winter. 🙂

Proposed trip itinerary; Alaska to Oregon (where son number one lives). Best-case scenario would also include Wisconsin (son number two) and a Fall-Color tour. Then down to Ohio for a Sheep & Fiber Festival – have spinning wheel/will travel! The end goal would be to return to Oregon, leave the RV there in the care of number one son, and fly back to Alaska for the remainder of the winter. Or maybe until Christmas.

In my day-dreams; my ideal time-frame for departing from Wasilla would be mid-August 2020 (this is very much just throwing a date out there at this point, due to too many things to count – it could end up being 2021, or never, but … I’m not getting any younger). The idea is to take my time traveling through Canada, stopping wherever I feel like it (there is SO much to see!), or whenever Baxter needs to potty (always an important consideration) for two to three weeks, crossing the border back into the USA in Washington State.

I’ve driven through Canada 4-5 times to date, but all of those trips were destination-driven. We were driving from point A to point B and did not take ANY time to sight-see except for the beauty viewed along the roadside as we zoomed by – and there was a LOT of beauty! I’d like to slow down and smell the roses (or fireweed … whatever). Traveling by RV is definitely the way to do this.

I’ve been perusing my Milepost and day-dreaming. I want to start putting this down on paper (so to speak) and see where it takes me. It’ll be a fun project and I’ll probably wander all over the map before ever settling on an actual route – real or make-believe. I’ll have to remember to thank Sandy for showing me how to read the Milepost … well, sort of. 😉

So, do you want to come along? If you are not already following my blog, now’s the time to sign up. If nothing else, we’ll learn a lot more about Canada!

My most recent trip through Canada is still fresh in my memory. I drove down the Cassiar Hwy with my friend, Sandy, last October and loved every mile of it – even the snowy ones. I marked my Milepost with dozens of sights I’d like to re-visit or places I’d like to stop overnight (or longer) in the RV. Sandy and I were traveling by car and had time constraints, so although it was a lovely drive, we pushed through pretty quickly.

I might want to repeat that route (slower, and preferably with less snow), but then diverge west towards the bottom of British Colombia; heading to Vancouver Island and then down the west coast to Portland (and then inland to my son’s house) this trip.

Or I might aim for the ALCAN instead, starting way up in the Yukon and skipping the Cassiar entirely.  Laird Hot Springs, Jasper, Banff … and whatever else is off that direction. By the first of September, I’m hoping campgrounds and scenic vistas throughout Canada will be less crowded – a big consideration since I don’t plan on making reservations.

Well? What do you think? Shall I let my fingers do the walkin’ for now?