Saturday, October 3, 2009

The End of the Road

October 2

A lot more driving, a stop at Miette Hotsprings IN THE SNOW with the Harrisons, and WE ARE HOME! It's the end of the road; the end of our adventure, and other than adding some more pictures, the end of my blog. And as I've heard about blogging- "Never have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few." Thanks for reading.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Home Stretch

September 30- October 1

We woke up at our 'campsite,' the parking lot of Fireweed RV Repair. Our trailer brakes were kaput, thanks to the Dempster. They were fixed in short order but we had a later start than we planned.

We took a different route home this time down the Cassiar Highway. It's like a civilized version of the Dempster. It's about the same distance, it's remote in it's own way and it also has beautiful scenery. However, it has more services and it's ALL PAVED! The road was like a dream by comparison. We saw three black bears within an hour and two moose ran along side of us. And to see the fall colours against the backdrop of the snow-capped mountains was breath-taking.

But the drive was not without it's own surprises. On the Cassiar Highway, the van got tempermental. The engine cut out once, then twice, and it continued in frequency until the van quit altogether. It was at this point the Cassiar seemed a little too remote for my liking. Kurt popped the hood, and the distinct smell of burnt plastic filled our noses. Kurt discovered a shorted power cable from the alternator. He tied it together to keep it running to Kinaskan Lake, our stay for the night.

Kurt woke up early and jerry-rigged the alternator with a spare power lead from an inverter in his toolbox and some Tuck Tape. He charged the battery with the generator and then flagged a construction vehicle down on the highway to give us a boost. The whole experience was a faith-builder for all of us. And it has been encouraging to hear the kids, Mackenzie and Josiah in particular, whispering to me, "Mom, God answered my prayer," several times on our homeward trip.

We've been listening to a Christian radio series for kids called 'Jungle Jam,' on CD for 3 days-all the way down the Dempster, all the way down the Cassiar Highway, and everywhere in between. The kids are enjoying the unexpected care package immensely. (Thanks, Auntie Erin!) Even Kurt has been laughing and the stories have made the long hours of road travel much shorter. Naomi and Diana love the theme song. They have it memorized and sing it out with enthusiasm every time.

I marvel at how well the kids are traveling. Ezra and Evageline, who often behave like Mexican jumping beans, sit for hours entertaining themselves without much complaint. Estelle is the one who needs constant attention. She's a lot different than on the way up. Six-month olds sleep a lot, nine-month olds....not so much.

We camped outside Prince George, and we can see home at the end of the tunnel. I can't wait to walk into our empty house and watch the kids soak it all in.