Getting my mojo back

Two days ago we embarked on our trip along the Dempster Highway (nothing put gravel, really) to the Arctic Circle. I have to admit that I wasn't really looking forward to this "adventure" as I had had more than enough of the bumpy, bone rattling ride from Chicken, Alaska to Dawson City, Yukon. Well little did I know that the mishaps which were to occur would provide me with enough material for a book. After getting a flat tire and sliding off the road requiring a tow (long story) we ended up in Eagle Plains which is at the midway point of the Dempster. The cast of characters there were straight out of a sitcom. As I entered the bar to reserve an RV spot I ran into the owner. We had actually met him on the road and he had taken our damaged tire to the garage at Eagle Plains. However, that had happened hours earlier and he was now firmly into his Happy Hour. He asked how I was and I said I just needed a break and to calm down. Well this caused him to say at least a million times "What, why, you're not dead! It's all good". Then, after getting parked and settled, we went back into the bar. My "friend" was now even further along in his good time. Out of nowhere he asked if I like Fox News. I said that I would watch anything. So then he became agitated and accused me of being a Fox News Republican. I'm not but wouldn't have admitted it if I was - I didn't need Raymond Burr trying me for my alleged crime as I was really exhausted. Them out of the blue he starts praising the Canadian Prime Minister and President Obama. I couldn't keep mental track of this guy.

My favorite character, however, was the barmaid. Oh boy, where to start. Like myself she was in her early 50's. She spoke with an accent I really couldn't place so I asked where she was from. Answer: Bavaria! What?! I have lived in Switzerland long enough to recognize a German accent but she didn't have one. At any rate she said she'd been driving her pick-up through Canada about 4 years ago and broke down in front of the Eagle Plains complex. One thing led to another and she decided to stay - now working her way toward permanent residency and lovin' it. I told Joe it was like the German movie "Out of Rosenheim" come to life. For those of you unfamiliar with the film, it is a story about a German married couple driving through the US on vacation. After an argument the husband leaves the wife on the side of the road in a small desert town. The wife ends up staying and opens up a restaurant. So here on the Dempster we have life imitating art.

Never in the right place at the right time

During all my years of living in Switzerland, I was constantly missing out on special occasions and events in the lives of my friends and family. I thought that things would be different now that we had purchased an apartment in Chicago. This was to be my base here in the States. I thought it be great to have a place of my own and not have to feel like a tourist every time I was visiting. We arrived in early May to begin our RV trip and I saw how weak my father had become. He had been very ill for a very long time but still it was a shock. At the beginning of July I had a very strong feeling that I should go and visit him. I flew to Chicago from Anchorage on July 9th and visited him every day for the next five days. After returning to Alaska, I received an email from my older sister Judi on July 18th saying that I should call my parents home ASAP. I did this immediately and was told my father didn't have much longer to live. He in fact passed away on the 19th, shortly after 6:30 in the morning. As, per my mother's wishes, there was to be no funeral or mass, I did not return to Chicago. As hard as this has been to deal with, I do truly appreciate that I had an opportunity to see my father one last time and say goodbye. It is a daily struggle to accept that he is gone but he is truly now in a better place. I think he would be happy to know that his passing has brought me back in touch with family members I had lost track of. I now know that I should always trust my intuition and make the most of the time I have with family and friends as you never know if it is the last time.

Sammelsurium or simply "Stuff" volume 8

We continue to be an attraction everywhere we go in the Earth Roamer. The other day we were parked in the Safeway grocery store parking lot in Homer, Alaska when a woman came over to comment on our RV. She then asked if we were traveling in the Earth Roamer because we are famous & if we could tell her what we are famous for. I told her we aren't famous & this just happens to be the RV we purchased - she was disappointed with this response. Later it struck me that I should have said we are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - it's amazing what they can do with make-up and lighting.

At our Homer RV park some fellow guests were telling us about a great local winery in the town where they had gone to taste wine. They were really raving about the place so Joe suggested we try it out yesterday. Big mistake. Every wine was blended with natural fruit juice so it was all super sweet, really undrinkable - and this for $25 - $28 per bottle. The other tasters were just raving about the stuff but to me it made Boone's Farm seem like Dom Perignon. We made a hasty exit which didn't please the owners. Later that night at dinner we were laughing about this but then we were stopped cold. Here at the bar at our resort they proudly serve these wines in addition to smoked salmon flavored vodka. I don't even want to know what that tastes like.

The Ratings Game

There are all types of websites and RV directories that you can use to determine where you would like to stay during your trip. Some even use a system similar to the star ratings which are used for hotels. Well after my two plus months on the road, I can say that these ratings are far from an exact science. At times it is hard to reconcile the review with the actual facilty (rarely better than anticipated, believe me). I guess the people producing these ratings realize this too as they publish a disclaimer which states they are not responsible for the "quality" of the amenities.Hmmmmhhh, interesting. So, as an example,if a park has showers - even if they aren't too clean or maintained or you have to pay for them - this earns them a star. The same star earned by an RV park where the showers are very clean and free. Does this make sense or seem logical? This is like saying the Days Inn and the Ritz Carlton should both get a star for having bathrooms in every room. One is left with the feeling that the people volunteering to check out the RV parks during their own travels either don't want to cheese anyone off or are practicing for their next career as a fiction writer. Also as their actual name is listed with the area / region their reviewing, human nature makes them want to be kind. Time for a look at the hotel industry best practice.

My Life as a Museum Exhibit

I am a person that likes everything & I do mean everything ironed. I am in fact the über ironer - if that is in fact a word. This has been one of my major challenges on this trip. One comes across RV parks with an ironing board and iron, some with just an ironing board, some with zero ironing utensils. During one of our many visits to Wal-Mart (this can become an addiction, believe me), I bought my own iron. So during our recent stay at an RV park in Whitehorse, Yukon, I saw that they had an ironing board in the laundry room. As we were under no time pressure, I decided to iron a few items of clothing to increase my comfort level on the road. Well, once I started, I became attraction number one. Women were coming in and saying "What, you iron? I haven't ironed in 20 years!" or "Oh my God, you actually use spray starch!" or "Spray starch? What is the reason for using spray starch?" I felt that for these women someone had opened up a time capsule and I had stepped out. A number of women came in to watch me and I have to admit I found it irritating. Was I running around saying "Oh my God, you're wearing pants that are entirely wrinkled!" I guess my efforts to look "put together" as my mother would say put them on the defensive. Still being a bug under the microscope was no picnic.