Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Oh, Canada!

Greetings from Dawson Creek, British Columbia!
Mike and I crossed the Canadian border on Tuesday, April 28th. We stayed in Williams Lake last evening. The roads are in great condition and the weather has been spectacular. Most of our drive has been through mountainous areas or farm land. The population between towns is non-existent. We have driven miles and miles without seeing anyone. The pictures below do not do the landscapes justice.


"Okay. Just answer the border agent's questions and don't look suspicous!"


Welcome to British Columbia!


Beautiful mountains on the drive to Dawson Creek.



Kristie shivers in the snow.



Mike enjoys the scenes!



Mike feeling a little "tuckered out" after enjoying the sights.


British Columbia mountains



Many of the lakes and rivers are still frozen in Central British Columbia.


Watch out for moose!


Mike says, "I can drive how fast????"


Mike says, "Gas costs how much???"

A.C., Abigail, and Francie Update

A.C., Abigail, and Francie have been doing great on the trip, especially with a little Xanax. We caught them having some great moments.


Abigail says, "Hey! Stay in your own lane, crazy driver!"


Francie says, "Xanax? I want some!"


Abigail says, "Yeah, Xanax, isn't it great?"


A.C. says, "Can someone say, too much Xanax?"

Washington, in a Nutshell

On Monday, April 27th, we pulled across the Washington state line. We got there just in time to sleep.


Welcome to Washington!



Washington farm land near the Canadian border.

People are....interesting

People are interesting. This week we have met some interesting people. As you can probably tell, not much has happened since our flat tire. So, I am resorting to spend some time writing about people we have encountered on this trip. Praise the Lord, I don’t have any pictures to share with you, but here are three different encounters in three different places.

Let’s start with Albuquerque, New Mexico. We arrived at our hotel around 7:00 in the evening. Mike went to check into our room. As I was waiting in the car, a man walked up to my window, which was rolled down. He came up and whispered, “We’ve got to stop meeting like this. People are talking.” I smiled and said hello. His face frowned and he replied, “Shhhh! Don’t you hear them? People are talking about us. We’ve got to stop seeing each other.” At this point, I am thinking to myself, “Okay. This man is not playing with a full deck of cards. He’s definitely one fry short of a happy meal. He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer nor is he the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.” I was planning my next move, which was to choose from the following: (A) scream for help; (B) set off the panic button on the car alarm or (C) get out the car and take the man down, which I was fully capable of doing since he was probably 75 or 80 years old and weighed less than me. Before I could do anything, Mike walked out of the hotel and the man wandered off.

Let’s move on to San Jose, California. Mike and I are leaving San Jose for our drive to Medford, Oregon. We stopped at a McDonald’s to grab a bite of lunch before getting on the road. We were sitting in the parking lot and a gentleman walked up to Mike’s window. He said, “Sir, would you be willing to give a homeless man 50 cents to buy a cigarette?” Mike said, “No, however, if you are hungry I would be happy to buy you a meal.” He declined and said that he was off to go prentend to be Mike Tyson (you know, the boxer). He walked off and quickly returned. “Sir, I have to be honest with you. It’s really hard to pretend to be Mike Tyson, especially when you’re white.” Mike looked at him, trying to control his laughter and said, “Yes, I’m sure it is.” He then looked at us and said, “Agent Moulder and Agent Scully, are you okay?” I said, “We are doing great. God bless, Mr. Tyson.” And he was off to find 50 cents.

Finally, let’s finish with Prince George, British Columbia. I am in an A&W restaurant and Mike was in the car entertaining the kitties. While waiting for my order to be completed, which by the way, seemed painfully slow, a man kept staring at me. I smiled and then turned my back to him. After a few minutes, he said, “Excuse me. Are you for real?” I said, “Excuse me???” He said, “Are you for real?” Now in my mind I am thinking, “No. Actually I’m not. I am quite fake. In fact, I am not even standing here having this conversation with you.” Instead of the sarcasm, I replied, “Why, yes, I am for real. Thank you for asking.” He said, “You drove here from Alabama?” Obviously, he had seen our license plate on the car. I said, “Yes, we drove all the way from Alabama.” He said, “Thanks. Have a great day.”

So, you see, the point of this post is pointless. With that said, I will end with this thought, “People are strange and yet, they are interesting.”

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Hello Oregon!

Mike and I left San Jose, CA today. We said goodbye to his parents and started our seven hour drive to Medford, Oregon. We passed some beautiful landscapes. In Northern California, we passed Mt. Shasta. It was incredibly breath-taking! We pulled off at a Vista Point and took a few pictures. After getting back onto the road, we crossed the Oregon state line and pulled into our hotel 30 minutes later. Mike and I unloaded the cats and got them settled into our room. Okay, as settled as cats can be in a hotel room.

Mike and I decided to head off to grab a quick bite to eat. We were very indecisive as to what to eat. So, we decided to drive around until we found something that looked appetizing. (A side note: as you may remember from my last post, we had new tires put on the car for the drive to Alaska. Okay, file that away and hold on tight.) Well, apparently, we did not find something appetizing soon enough.

I was just about to tell Mike to watch the curb on the right side of the street, when all of a sudden, Mike turned right at a green light and violently hurled the car up on to a curb. My head jerked forward and then backwards. I felt pain shoot through my neck and head. Then the U-Haul trailer went up and over the curb. He jerked the car back onto the street and he quietly and calmly said, “What was that?” In horrific dismay, I replied, “Nothing major, just the curb and the sidewalk.”

As we slowly trudged forward, we felt a ka-bump, ka-bump, ka-bump. We pulled off the road and into a parking lot to see what was damaged. I got out of the passengers side and looked at the back right tire. It was completely blown out. It was as flat as a pancake with a nice size hole in the side. The trailer was fine with no visible damage.

Feeling somewhat responsible, Mike sprung into action. He quickly found the jack, pulled out the spare and went to work. He moved with grace and precision. I have never seen a man change a tire like my husband did. It was a sight to see! I looked at him as he was loosening those lug-nuts and thought to myself, “Yeah. That’s my He-man tire changer!” I smiled to myself and a warm feeling came over me. I no longer felt the pain in my neck, just a sweet love for my accident-prone husband.

In all, I would say that we are blessed beyond measure. No one was hurt. The car was not damaged other than the tire. The U-Haul was not damaged. And, Mike changed that tire in under 15 minutes!



Done in under 15 minutes!

My He-Man Tire Changer!

Hole in the tire


That's one flat tire!

Hills in Southern Oregon

Mt. Shasta

Mike and Mt. Shasta

Kristie and Mt. Shasta

Mt. Shasta

Watch out for bears!

Goodbye Mom and Dad!


A.C., Abigail and Francie waiting to be loaded into the car

Saturday, April 25, 2009

California Here We Come...And Go.

California here we come! California here we go!
Mike and I have spent the last three days in San Jose, CA with his family. We had a wonderful time visiting with his parents, Grandma and Nana.
Our three beautiful kitties have had the privilege of staying at Mike's parents. AC had been so good. He has not cried more than four or five hours.
On Friday, Mike and I spent the day preparing the car for the last half of our trip. We had the oil changed, new tires put on and the car washed. We should be in good shape for the drive through Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Yukon Territory and into Alaska.
We hope to be in Fairbanks by Monday, May 4th. We have had a major snag in the purchase of our home. The inspection report came back with some massive issues. In a nutshell, it needs a new roof, new windows and a new boiler. So, we are most likely going to pull out of the deal.
Today, we found a short-term (month to month) rental. We will stay there until we can find another house. I hope it is before I start my new job on June 15th.
I will keep you posted on our travels. I pray that everything is well with you. I look forward to talking to you very soon!
God bless!!!
Mike and Kristie


Nana and Mike giving hugs


Nana and the giraffes at the Elephant Bar


Grandma Calvin and Mike looking good!

Linda, Grandma Calvin and Bob

Mike, Grandma Calvin, and Kristie

Rolling hills of Central California

Mohave Desert in Southern California

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Fun in Arizona!

These pictures were taken in Arizona.
The colors and rock formations were absolutely beautiful!



Kitties Go for a Walk

During the trip, we have made several stops so that the kitties can get out and stretch their legs. At one stop, AC decided that he was tired of walking. So, Mike had to carry him.
Abigail goes for a walk.



Mike walks AC.

AC gets to ride in the front.




Abigail peeks through her carrier.


Francie is looking cute in her carrier.


The Calvin's on the Road

Hello family and friends! Mike and I started our journey to Alaska on Monday, April 20th. We left Alabama and traveled through Mississippi, Arkansas, and stopped in Oklahoma City for the night. It took us 13 hours to get to our first overnight stop. The main reason for this was our cat, A.C. If you have never traveled with cats, I would highly suggest that you either NEVER do it or you invest in some cat Xanax. We chose the latter.
About 7 hours into our trip and A.C.'s constant wailing, Mike and I decided it was high time to give him a little relaxer. Personally, I have never dealt with Xanax. However, I thought it would work immediately. WRONG! It took over three hours for the medicine to work.
And then, it only reduced his wailing by about 2 decibels.
After a good night's sleep in Oklahoma City, Mike and I headed for our next stop in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We drove several hours through Oklahoma and Texas. Oklahoma and Texas do not have much to brag about. I have never seen so much flat land with a bunch of cows in my entire life! The most exciting thing we saw were a few windmills in Texas.
Thank, God, Mike and I had each other to talk to.
This morning (Wednesday, April 22nd), we awoke in Albuquerque and started our drive to Barstow, California. New Mexico, Airzona and California were absolutely beautiful! The different colors and landscapes have been breath-taking. When we crossed into California, the temperature was 102 degrees. Soon after we crossed through the Mohave Desert, we encountered a dust storm. The wind was blowing very hard and dust was blowing everywhere.
Tomorrow, we will drive to see Mike's parents in San Jose. We will be there for a few days and then head north towards Alaska. Thank you for your prayers!
Mike and Kristie
Mike prepares to drive across the United States.



Welcome to Mississippi!




Welcome to Tennessee!


Welcome to Arkansas!



Welcome to Oklahoma!



Welcome to Texas!



Texas Windmills



Welcome to New Mexico!



Rock formations in New Mexico



Welcome to Arizona!



Arizona rock formations




Welcome to California!
When we entered into California from Arizona, the temperature was 102 degrees.




California Dust Storm




Clouds over the Mohave Desert