This is getting real.

After 10+ years on the road, and nearly as long talking about heading north to Alaska, were are now finally on our way. No, we don’t have any detailed travel itinerary. The navigator has done her research, and we have determined a few simple goals. We will drive to Alaska. We will most likely come back south before the weather gets wicked. We are going to take our time, and enjoy the ride. The journey has officially begun. And we are in no hurry.

Let the games begin!

To commemorate this adventure, and document the route, we’ve created a new map on the Live Work Dream Maps gallery page. I say adventure because after talking about it for so long, this whole live and work wherever we want thing is starting to feel exciting again.

Not that the nomadic lifestyle was getting boring, not by any means. The road definitely keeps us on our toes. Over the past few years, we have just enjoyed staying to the same regions and travel routine – head south for the winter, and back north when summer rolled round. South basically meant hanging out in the southwest. North was mainly Colorado. Now the North is calling us. Way North.

We are officially launching this next episode of our life from the origin of Highway 97 in Weed, California. Many often debate: Where does the Alaska Highway start? Apparently you don’t call it the Alcan anymore. Whatever. There is a totem pole in Weed, marking the start of US Route 97, and BC Highway 97 continues all the way to Alaska, so this is where we will begin.

We hope you will join us and follow along with future Alaska tagged posts as we document this exciting expedition. And oh how exciting it has already been…

Into the Wild

To mark the start of our Alaskan adventure, we had an uninvited guest pay us a visit in the middle of the night. Rene woke up in a panic to a rustling noise outside. Something was in the truck. “It’s no bear.” I attempted to calm her down. “Go back to bed.” It sounded pretty small to me. Then I felt the rig rock. I got up to get a flashlight.

“It’s a bear!”

I returned just in time to see little Boo Boo hop off the truck and walk under our window. “Awww…he’s just a baby.” She was still a bit panicked, and started screaming out the window. “Whatchya gonna do? We’re on his turf.” The shouting continued, so I joined in, then Wyatt went off. The Bear got bored and wandered away.

The next morning we found the calling card he left us. At least we have a good story behind the latest big scratch on the truck, and it wasn’t self-inflicted. The very next day, shortly after Noon, I was sitting on the couch uploading that very photo when I heard a thump and felt the rig shake again. I looked out the window, just in time to see that little bear’s butt climb up onto the truck bed again.

Loud screaming, shouting, and barking quickly ensued. Once Boo Boo had wandered off far enough, I went out to ensure it ran away, and didn’t come back. Rene and Wyatt kept the ruckus up from an open window.

I’m a good scout and consider myself pretty Bear Aware. From a safe distance I wailed, flailed and waved the cub off. He started to scamper up a tree, so I stopped.

I would rather he left, so I remained quiet and waited for him to come back down. That’s when I started throwing rocks. I didn’t want to hurt him, but came pretty damn close to hitting him in the head. He didn’t seem to care.

You see, we weren’t so much afraid for our own safety, as we cared about this little guy’s future. He’s no Grizzly after all, probably more like a yearling kicked out by a mama bear with new cubs. Out on his own and hungry in early spring, we may have been the first humans he ever encountered. Shouting and barking continued. Rocks kept flying, until he finally fled. Then we left. Once a bear makes contact like this, he will return, until he gets what he wants. And we did not want this little guy associating campers with anything good.

Our Bear Aware Reminder

I see our little visit from Boo Boo as a reality check, and reminder of the wilderness we will encounter over the next few months. Since we plan to enjoy boondocking much more than staying in RV parks throughout the Canadian and Alaskan territories, this will surely not be our last bear encounter – considering we encountered the first, on our very first day.

Bear Encounter Tips for RVers:

• Please, do NOT feed the bears!
• Don’t cook or eat outside.
• Don’t store food outside, or in your vehicle.
• Don’t leave trash in your truck.
• Don’t toss dishwater out the door.
• Don’t leave the door open when leaving your RV.
• Lock your vehicle doors.
• Keep your dog on a leash.
• Have high quality bear spray on hand.
• Know when, and how to use it.
• Make plenty of noise when walking in the woods.
• Remember, you are the uninvited guest.

By following a few common sense practices whenever we are in bear country, we will keep future encounters to a minimum, and make sure everyone remains safe. Including the bears.