how to puke, slide, crawl and meow for 3000 miles aka: The Moncurs move to Alaska

First installment: December 13, 2008

Do you all remember we had to take our van to Seattle? Yeah, turns out Uncle Sam doesn't ship its employee's cars from places close to home. You have to make an adventure out of it. And adventure we did. After learning that we were not receiving any early installments of our stuff the movers took. We had sent a selection of 700 lbs of clothes, boots, work stuff, tools etc that we wanted first and were told it would arrive Dec. 30. Not so. It was on the truck with our main stuff due to arrive Jan. 7.

Yes, that's right. January 7!!!

Luckily I always over pack and had 10 suit cases and 6 backpacks to go on the plane. Oh and 3 kids, 2 cats and a dog (and a partridge in a pear tree).

We said tearful good byes to family the night before. The worst was my sister Courtney, who was due December 17. (And we got word that today was in fact the day; December 17 baby Brooke was born with a full head of blond hair!).

So we woke up the morning of the 13th and had a couple of last minute things to take care of at the empty house. Holy cry fest. We were all a blubbering mess. We cried and prayed and cried some more. I can’t tell you how wonderful how life was there in our cramped little starter home. And after my first day of house hunting in the Anchorage area I may not get much bigger! (but I have high hopes for tomorrow's search).

We started off to Kennewick WA with runny noses and stuffy heads in a blizzard that lasted all the way to Snowville. Olivia refused to go potty in her pull-up and we turned her little bare bottom to the elements as she excitedly melted the snow along I-84. Twice.

Idaho was surprisingly clear. Great roads. Even needed sunglasses. If it wasn't for all those pesky Idaho drivers we would have had a great time.

Then we hit Oregon. Oregon is already annoying because they lower the speed limit and don't let you pump your own gas. They are even more annoying when it snows. We crawled our way behind paranoid Oregonians and got to Le Grande and found the interstate to be closed. Really. Are you serious?

Hundreds and I kid you not hundreds of truckers were pulled over for the night up and down the exit. All snug in there cabs with a DVD playing and bellies full of trucker food. We were looking for a hotel with room for our travelling menagerie. And the search was almost decided on when all of the sudden the main road through Le Grande turned all by itself and we ended up back on the interstate. The very one that was supposed to be closed. What the heck? Did they forget about this mysterious on ramp? With nowhere to turn around and only 2 inches of snow pack and a 3000 foot summit we figured the closed roads were for the faint of heart. Not seasoned south pass, WY travelers. Seriously, we have been stuck in Nebraska with 2 feet of snow and a raging blizzard. We know snow and this was fluff.

Until we were almost to the top and got behind the Fed ex truck waiting for his tow up and over. We stopped and had no momentum to keep moving. Alas we were in my sensible Toyota minivan (with 23 cup holders just so you know) and not the trusty beast the Tahoe. We got stuck. Yeah.

My ever resourceful husband tried in vain to reverse and start over and over again. He even scraped the pavement to bare asphalt with our ice scraper- wait. I want you to think about the significance of that last statement: "scraped the pavement to bare asphalt with our ice scraper."

What does that imply? Feet of snow and ice piling up? A sheet of ice so thick like the Hockey pond at the farm has never seen? No, it would indeed imply the fluff I was talking about earlier. And if Oregon was smart they would drop a blade on that crap and all would be well. No, instead after 40 minutes of trying to get up the last 300 feet not one but two plows drive by.

BUT THE BLADES WERE UP!!!!! ARE YOU SERIOUS!!

BEHOLD THEY WERE ONLY DUMPING GRAVEL.

A novel idea given that gravel doesn't melt snow!!!

Anyway after not too much cursing in their stupidity.... and a call to my cousin in Kennewick who likewise confirmed Oregon and later Washington's stupidity in snow... we made it. 40 miles in 2 hours. Onward to Kennewick. Which we made after 13 hours. Holy hell.

But the kids were phenomenal. I am not one to promote vehicle DVD players. We only recently got one after a 3 year sabbatical from a small VHS playing TV. We have done 3 of our 6 trips to Arkansas without in-house entertainment. But this time I will shout HURRAY from the rooftops. Not only did they blissfully watch WALL-E in the back they were completely unaware of the stress JaDee and I were under. And they didn't hear me swear...this time.

to be continued...

oh yeah, our first day in Alaska we saw 2 moose. That is two more than we saw this summer!