joshkate2020

Love in the Time of Corona: A Christmas Update

We included a link to our travel blog on our Christmas card because Josh and I had intended to take a road trip across the US (again) to see my folks for Christmas. We planned to get tested beforehand, camp in National Parks along the way and eat vacuum-sealed pre-cooked meals we would bring inContinue reading “Love in the Time of Corona: A Christmas Update”

Arctic Award

We stopped in Talkeetna, AK to grab a bite at the Denali Brewing Company’s restaurant. Most of our fellow Alcaners headed straight into Anchorage, but Josh, Trevor, Matt and I were not eager to end our trip quite yet. Plus, Trevor makes his own beer and sampling the local faire is a necessity for hisContinue reading “Arctic Award”

Ice Ice Baby

I apologize for the title. I couldn’t help it… Day 10, 10:08AM Alaska Time (1 hour later than PST) – We completed our last TSD this morning in Fairfax, Alaska. The last two nights were absolute luxury for this trip. We stayed two nights at the Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, a resort with a massive lobbyContinue reading “Ice Ice Baby”

Journey of the Forlorn Hope

Josh titled this entry, though he hasn’t read it yet. It’s a Donner Party reference. 12:39PM local Mountain time Day #7 – We made it to Tuktoyaktuk, the farthest road we are to travel this trip. The dirt road from Inuvik to Tuk was built in 2018 and takes you through land conserved for InuitContinue reading “Journey of the Forlorn Hope”

Beyond Winterfell

5:29PM PST on Day 5. We are at Rally mile 2519. In 60 miles, we switch to Mountain time again and the clock goes forward. We entered the Arctic Circle 150 miles ago. I would like to tell you I felt like Sansa, a princess traveling in her homeland of the North, but we areContinue reading “Beyond Winterfell”

Jack London’s Christmas Village

Dawson City was the wild west of the Yukon back in the days of the gold rush that started in 1868. They used to operate by “minor’s law,” which meant you watch out for your fellow man. If someone needed supplies and another had them to lend, they would be provided. Survival is so toughContinue reading “Jack London’s Christmas Village”

Into the Yukon

It’s Day 4 at 1:08PM PST in the Yukon. This morning while I was lugging bags to the truck, one of the locals held the door open and said, “Welcome to the cold!” We completed a TSD this morning that I’m not feeling super confident about—I think the course was actually about half a mileContinue reading “Into the Yukon”

Notes in the Dark

I can’t write at night because the light from the screen, evening dimmed, distracts Josh as he drives and driving in these conditions are still a new thing to him. It gets dark around 5 and we still have hours to go each evening, so I started making notes in the rally book, roughly aroundContinue reading “Notes in the Dark”

Running TSDs

It’s 11:38AM Day #2 and we completed our third TSD an hour ago. We have 5 hours to get close to 300 miles to the next TSD and that is not enough time. Over the radio right now, we are listening to the organizers discuss how they planned the event in much better conditions. WeContinue reading “Running TSDs”

Seattle

We arrived 50 minutes early for our Day #1 second TSD (Time-Speed-Distance) section on Day 1 of our rally, so I have some time to write about Seattle. (I finished this entry the next day, as there is really little time to write.) Josh and his dad drove 2600+ miles from Cobb County, Georgia toContinue reading “Seattle”