In Loving Memory Of Hula Betty

First lets thank our sponsors and all the folks who made this adventure possible:

• Toyota Open Road Blog for their video of us and tracking our adventure on their blog.
• Working Web Solutions: Portland Web Design and SEO for setting up the blog as well as all the cool features.
• Metal Tech 4×4. who helped out with a custom fab for the larger tires and installed the bull bar, winch and Sway-A-Way suspension.
• Taylor Made T-Shirts provided help with the Last Great Road Trip t-shirts
• Heartland Toyota of Bremerton ensured the FJ was lubed, aligned and ready to go

The trip odometer reads 5,816 miles. Take into account the larger tire diameter and correct the calculation you find we traveled 6,105 miles. Add to that the 468 miles traveled on the ferry and we have a total road trip adventure of 6,573.

Common wisdom says when you’re picking out a room mate don’t choose someone you know and like. You’re going to spend a lot of time with this person and eventually little personality flaws will start to cause you to grind your teeth. The same can be said for an extended expedition.

Dad and I were on this adventure morning noon and night, 24×7 for 19 days. And although I’m positive my character flaws stood out like a teenage pimple on prom night, Dad seemed to look the other way and didn’t let anything come between us. Knowing that you are loved and accepted no matter what, is a great feeling and one I grew up with. This unconditional acceptance has allowed me to take risks that would have been too scary without such a safety net.

We saw a lot of grizzlies and musk oxen and caribou and moose and sheep (daul & stone) and ground squirrels and ptarmigans and fish and… We saw magnificent landscapes… We met new friends… and found out a little about ourselves and each other.

Toyota Open Blog & Trama: The Drama told all their friends about us. Our friends told their friends and soon folks from all over the world tuned into our adventure. Many left comments, some sent private messages, but all supported the adventure and thanked us for sharing our thoughts. We appreciate everyone’s comments and knowing that we were connected to a larger community all sharing a love of the road and an understanding of diversity.

For those of you who want more watch for “4WD Toyota Owner” to run a story on our adventure in an upcoming issue.

The “Last” in last great road trip does not mean there wont be another. Last refers to the few exciting adventures left out there in the world’s “roads.” There are still a few left they are just much harder to find. The Arctic Circle qualifies! We’re looking for the next last great one and want to hear your thoughts: Baja, Zihuatanejo, or even Tierra del Fuego! With any luck the next off road adventure will include a diverse group of family and friends, a veritable cadre of diversification celebration.

Start: Williams Lake, BC
Finish: Poulsbo, WA. USA

We spent the night in Williams Lake where they hold the annual stampede. This looks like a very cool rodeo and maybe we’ll be able to go back for the stampede some day.

The last day of our adventure and we’re riding an emotional roller coaster. We’re ready to see our family and friends again but we have been looking East to Edmonton, Alberta… Maybe next time… with the sun shining, the sky is a beautiful blue, the thermometer reads a perfect temperature of 72 and the wind is at our back it looks like even mother nature wants us to end this adventure on a great note.

Turns out we own a River, an RV Park, and a Provincial Rest Stop. We drove down from Williams lake following the Thompson river to where it meets up with the Fraser river.

And while at our rest stop we thought we would take care of a little work. Before we left the asphalt in Fairbanks, AK. we gassed up with the four Jerry Cans with premium. The cans were just in case one the stations on the map was closed along the way or we were off on a trail longer than expected… Surprisingly many gas stations and hotels were closed for the season, but with a little fuel management we never had to dig into the reserves.

That was the good news… The bad news is that we had 20 gallons of fuel on the roof and the Washington State Ferry system has a maximum of 12 gallons of extra fuel allowed. This is why we decided to pull into our rest stop and put the gas into the rig. A gallon of gas weighs 6.152 lbs. and each of the four Jerry Cans holds five gallons. That’s 123.04 lbs. on the roof that needed to be put into the rig. But with Dad’s help manning the camera I was able to wrangle down the cans and empty them into the rig… I only smelled like gas for a few miles… we drove with the windows down.

The day was beautiful until we approached Hells Gate. This is where the the temperature started rising from 72 to 87. The sun that was shining is now glaring in our eyes and the straight road has turned into a snake winding back on itself filled with trucks and campers. Thanks to Dad’s clean living, we managed to escape Satan’s grip.

After Hells Gate we were making good time… that is until we hit the US Boarder. Remember Dad’s little problem with Homeland Security? Well it caught up with him again at the US Boarder in Sumas WA. We spent another fun filled hour at a boarder crossing while Dad and the Boarder patrol played 20 questions. Dad was allowed back into the country and we were able to avoid a full search of the rig.

The last ferry on our adventure is to bring us across the sound from Edmonds to Kingston. When we rolled up to the house there was Mom waiting… and wanting to make sure the I gave Dad back in tact… I made her sign off that she received him back in good shape.

After 5816 miles, 8 ferry rides, 19 days and countless gallons of gas we completed our adventure. The next post will be a look back over the trip and pull it all together… or maybe we should create a second website and call it the director’s cut addition… we can repackage this blog and sell it a dozen times over… It has worked for Disney… or we can start work on the squeal. Baja, Rubicon, Utah backcountry discovery route…

Joyce: I wanted to stretch out the adventure… Soon there will be an epilogue with a special bonus video. That way you don’t have to go cold turkey. And how could you think this is not all for you. The whole blog is just for you and all the Joyce in each of us.

Mary: Yes the Dad loved the A&W and they are all over the place.

Barbie: Thanks for the note and the nice words. Although I’m not sure about that advice on Maura’s retail therapy… I’ll look into a second opinion.

John: After 46 years you earn a little more slack than after only 10.

Start: Dawson Creek, BC
Finish: Williams Lake, BC
Mileage today:380
Mileage total: 5423

Moose: 1
Mule Deer: 2

Yesterday was my Mom’s birthday. Today is Mom and Dad’s Anniversary. As the story goes… Mom did not want to be a teenage bride so she celebrated her 20th birthday and the next day they were married . That was 46 years ago. Although I did drag Dad north on Mom’s birthday and their anniversary… He called… They talked… All is well… I guess after 46 years you have these things worked out.

Ok we might not have the most healthy diet… Started with donuts and than stopped in at A&W for a big frosty one. Dad really likes A&W root beer and there are drive-ins all over Canada. They still serve their root beer in a big old frosty glass mug. The A&W we stopped at was in Chetwynd, BC. and it turns out Chetwynd is the chainsaw carving capital of the world… The carvings are everywhere throughout the town. Dad and I strolled around looking at all of them and comparing them to the carvings in Ocean Shores. We saw one on display that had won first prize and the artist was from Washington state.

You know the leashes they have for little kids so they won’t wonder off from their parent while shopping or walking in the park. I’m going to market one for adults. We have seen some pretty large, aggressive, and potentially dangerous animals including Grizzly Bear, Bison and Moose. Each time we see them I turn for the camera and than have to turn back for Dad. The other day with the bison, Dad had jumped out and was walking back to the rear of the rig for a better view while the bison were all around us only 20 feet away. I was in the driver’s seat staring down a big bison cow who was grunting and kicking the ground at me while snot was flying from her nose because Dad and the Rig were between her and her calf… During this I’m trying to calmly ask Dad to climb back in the rig and snap off an award winning photo.

Today I spotted a moose walking across the highway several hundred yards ahead of us. I pulled the rig off to the side where I thought I had seen it cross. As I am trying to maneuver off the highway so as not to be hit by the 18 wheeler bearing down on us and avoid the four foot drop-off on the side of the road’s shoulder. While I’m balancing the rig between this rock and hard place knowing there is a full grown moose within yards of were we are that could charge the rig… Dad starts opening the door to jump out…

Dad is an adult so why worry? You’ve seen the pictures… Dad’s mobility from zero to any speed is not what it once was and Mom made it pretty clear that she would hold me personally responsible for returning Dad to her in the same condition I found him in. That condition did not include any antler goring or claw marks. And since I did not opt for the extra damage insurance, I have to be careful with him.

Turns out we did get off to the side of the road. Dad looked out the window and spotted the moose stepping into the lake just below where we were. We did step out onto the highway’s shoulder and watched the moose cross the shallow lake and disappear into bush. Dad and I spent five minutes together watching the moose as she took a step looked back at us… took a step… looked back… We did not even get a picture since we were having such a good time watching the moose move so easily through the lake.

With the ALCAN ending in Dawson Creek we switched over to highway 97 today. 97 is the highway we came up on to reach Prince Rupert. We went through some of these cities only two weeks ago and we could hardly remember them. I guess the good part about getting old… is that you can hide your own Easter Eggs.

Mary: We have all the amateur naturalists and tourists pamphlets. Dad reads them and than gives me the highlights. We also have the Milepost, a big, thick travel guide full of all kinds of key information.

John: Go Big Red. Glad you like the pictures. Yes 5K so today we had to get an oil change… The oil was only three weeks old but looking a little tired… The guys at the oil change shop thought the rig was cool. They were slow, so all of them were hovering, poking around underneath and asking about how we liked our FJ. These guys even pointed out some trails for us to go play on if we had some time.

Joyce: Now you can see the price I’m having to pay for all those close-ups that keep you coming back. I’m glad I could risk my Mom’s wrath and Dad’s life for your entertainment.

Start: Muncho Lake, BC
Finish: Dawson Creek, BC
Miles today: 411
Miles total: 5038

Caribou: 22
Stone Sheep: 1

Today is the birthday of my children’s grandmother. For the genealogically challenged, that is my Mom and my Dad’s spouse. Mom, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

And in celebration of my Mom’s birthday and her diversity, I spent some time on the Genographic project. This is The National Geographic and IBM’s project to trace lines of man’s Y chromosomes back to their origins. One of the cool things the Y chromosome test is showing is that the further back we look to our past the more we are all related. Celebrating our differences really becomes an acceptance of the commonality in our past.

Today’s music choice also celebrated Mom’s birthday. We set aside Jimmy and plugged in the music of my people… Los Lobos!

Last night put us in the Rockies… And as you would expect wild life and water abounds. On this adventure we drove to the ancient grounds of the caribou herds (Deadhorse and Inuvik) where tens of thousands of animals come together on their annual migration. Our time in the tundra did yield caribou spottings; One here two there but we saw many more hunters than caribou while in the Arctic Circle. 1,500 miles south in the northern Rocky Mountains we found our caribou herd, remember seven makes a herd, there were 14 and they acted as one, moving in unison.

On the big game count front, we saw a rare stone sheep. It was very cool. Seems like the caribou and stone sheep were grazing along the road edge for salts.

Did you see the Oklahoma score? Oklahoma 51, Miami 13. Although Dad and I are not big Duck fans, a number of the folks following our adventure are huge Duck fanatics and we were very excited to hear that Oregon bashed Michigan: Ducks 39, Wolverines 7. Go Ducks. That should make the trip to Michigan worth it for Carla, Ray, Pat, Brad, Chris and Joey! Have a safe trip home.

Day 16’s post went up this morning from a cafe in Toad while Dad and I had breakfast. The reason we were there is Dad read about their hat collection. The Toad River Restaurant, Gas and Hotel has 7,325 hats on display. If you figure $5 a hat, that means there is $36,625 worth of hats tacked up to the ceiling.

Mention the Alaskan Canadian Highway (ALCAN) and most people think frontier, gold rush, rouged landscapes and dangerous wild life. Most of the our time on this adventure we have lived and experienced some of Jack London’s northern adventures. Today we reached the end of the ALCAN. The ALCAN ends (or begins depending on your viewpoint) at Dawson Creek, British Columbia. We entered the city limits of Dawson Creek and the first thing we saw was a Walmart! We have eased back into civilization. We still have close to 1,000 miles remaining and will continue to find new chapters for our adventure in the remaining concrete jungles between here and Poulsbo, WA.

Joyce: I liked “Where is Joe Merchant?” and “Tales From Margarita Ville”. If you or anyone else wants to drop Diane a post card just send it to: Diane Jimmy, P.O. Box 134, Watson Lake, YT. Y0A 1C0. And who know the housing market was sluggish…

John: Thanks for the scores, you’re my life line. You’ll have to take up the laundry question with Dad… But I would be careful… He may write down the instructions, show you how it is done and than you’re on the hook for doing laundry from now on. Teach a man to fish.

Loretta: I see that you are taking the X chromosomes side here… We’ll see about the slide show… Get an adventure slide show with every t-shirt sale.

Maura: World meet Maura. Maura is the most beautiful, loving woman in the world who let me go off with my Dad on this adventure while she held the home front together. I could not have done this without you… and NO we are not getting more furniture… unless you want to discuss Antigua 2008.

Mary: what will you do with the new information in the chart?

Shelia: Do you think we should do posts on tape for Jim? maybe podcast them… or even set up a phone in hot line. We may need to put Jim on a twelve step program if he is needing a Last Great Road Trip fix while driving. Antigua 2008 or bust.

Start: Whitehorse, YT
Finish: Muncho Lake, BC
Miles today: 413
Miles total: 4626

Buffalo: herd.

The day started out overcast but quickly burned off. Planning a long day we left early and quickly out ran the fog. We left the Family restaurant, barber shop, laundry and hotel behind us in Dawson City, YT.

The scenery is changing with each mile we drive south. The pallet used to paint our views today has many more greens and blues with an occasional stroke of gold. The features are changing as well with the trees and bridges becoming bigger; no more 50 year old five-foot spruce trees or one lane wooden bridges.

Old men make noises that can only be heard by everyone around them. The noises are creaks, groans, sighs, and heavy breathing. The problem is I’m the one making the noises. For the duration of this adventure I’ve been fighting a sore back while Dad has been toughing out a sore shoulder. Getting out of the bed each morning… I groan… I grab my back like the crooked old man in the crooked old house… hobble over to the bathroom… and through down a handful of aspirin. By the time I get an hour under my feet and the aspirin kick in my back starts to loosen up and I’m good to go.

Doctor… Doctor… It hurts when I do this… Than don’t do that. Dad’s shoulder only hurts when he moves it. So we have a system that keeps his shoulder still and seems to work most of the time. When Dad is in the rig he gets everything situated so he is not reaching all over the rig. Dad keeps his water and maps close in front of him easily within reach. Anything Dad needs in the back I reach over and grab it for him. Of course were doing 100 km/hr when I reach into the back seat but all adventures have some risk. This system is letting us put on the mileage and is not a big deal… We’re just watching each other’s back.

When recalling road trips from my youth one thing about those trips comes to mind. We did not stop until we needed gas. When Mom or any of us asked to stop at the next rest area we heard… We don’t need gas yet… As the driver on this adventure I control when and where we stop. We stop at every rest area and view point… Not because we have too… but because we can. I also get to stretch my back a little and Dad can make sure his shoulder is good.

Throughout the world there are a number of forests. I have seen the northwest rain forests, and the petrified forests of the southwest. I have even seen the Tiger Forests of India. Today we went through the Sign Forest of the Yukon. Signs, Signs, Everywhere signs, Do this, Don’t do that… Can’t you read the signs.

After seeing all the signs, we looked at the rig and decided it was time to clean up its sign. The dust and clay from the Dempster is not corrosive like Haul Road, so this was a quick wash to knock off the muck and show off our colors.

Over lunch we had the good fortune to meet Diane Jimmy. Diane is a member of the Kaska Dena Nation. We ran into Diane over lunch when she saw our rig, noticed it was from Washington and asked if we would send her a postcard when we get back. Turns out Diane collects postcards sent to her from around the world. Diane was telling us how she has post cards from Singapore, Australia, and all over the world. We hope to add to her collection soon with a postcard from Poulsbo, Washington. We all travel the world in our own ways. Diane has seen most of the world through three by five cards, each one of them has a friend attached on the other end.

I did a lot of research prior to starting the adventure and don’t recall that we would be driving along the Continental Divide. We’ve been driving east for quit a ways and rolled onto the northern Rocky Mountains Range. As we headed south and climbed the mountains we started to see a little snow on the peaks. More change in the views which reminds us that each diverse landscape has its own beauty and value.

2,000 pound American Bison are surprisingly easy to see. For one thing they are huge. Pretty much all head and shoulders. Well there are those horns. We saw these as they browsed the grass on the road side. They may not have come down out of the hills to check out the rig… but they did not seem to mind us right in the middle of them either. We say 60+ since the bison refused to stop milling about making the count difficult. Besides, what is important is that we can say… we saw a herd. For a long time before we spotted this group, Dad and I debated the number of animals it takes to be called a herd. Two is a pair or couple… three or four are a few… five, six a bunch… we decided a group of seven animals become a herd… and 60ish that is a big herd.

Animal lovers everywhere unite.

This post is being put up over breakfast… We are in Toad population; 4. Even Toad has an Internet cafe… More later… truckers are hovering for the table now that we are done with our eggs.