The long road has almost come to an end. We’re sitting here, at Steve mom’s place in Dillon, Sunday afternoon, with only an hour and forty-five minutes from home and the completion of the on the road portion of The World By Road Expedition. We’ll be making our way to Denver mid-day, Monday. Just the thought of the end of the road is a beyond eerie feeling, so I haven’t a clue what’s going on in Shoppman’s mind, for this has been his life for the last 29 months. It’s been an incredible ride, and has been an amazing experience. Blogs on the finale will be up soon, put first on to the week in review.
Category Archives: camping
New Photos – Hyder, AK
July 4, 2009 – 10:29 am
At the very bottom of Alaska lies the town of Hyder. With only 100 citizens in the summer and as little as 40 in the winter, this little town is like no other. They have a total of 8 students in the school, no police force and the only way in and out in winter is via floatplane. It is full of bears.
Nels’ Notes: Nomadic Wandering Shenanigans June 26-July 3, 2009
July 3, 2009 – 1:40 am
Miles, upon miles, upon miles. Miles in the rearview mirror. That, for sure, was the theme of this week, as we traveled from Valdez, Alaska to Edmonton, Alberta. That is a haul, spanning close to 2,000 miles.
We spent the weekend at the wonderful Brookside Inn Bed and Breakfast, and were graciously accommodated by hosts Jerry and Susie. We had some great meals and conversations with them, and were beyond lucky that they had an abundance of halibut. Home cooked meals are never taken for granted by anyone on the crew.
Nels’ Notes: Nomadic Wandering Shenanigans June 5-12, 2009
June 13, 2009 – 6:30 am
Perseverance is defined as a steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement, and that is exactly what we had to do to make the voyage on the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. To reach the farthest north point on the Pan-American highway we had to take the 1,000 mile roundtrip, mostly gravel road, that really put our driving skills and minds to the test. It is a desolate highway that doesn’t see many tourists, usually just semi-trucks making their trek north. We endured and made it to Dead Horse, and to tell the truth, it felt beyond bizarre and kind of empty. We had driven for the better part of a day, on a terrible road, coupled with the never-setting sun, and in the cold and came to an oil field in the middle of the tundra.
Nels’ Notes: Nomadic Wandering Shenanigans May 21-29, 2009
May 29, 2009 – 8:41 pm
We ride again. After over a month hiatus off the road we returned to the highway for our voyage north to Alaska. We’d, again, like to thank all of those that supported us in our fundraising efforts that enabled us to finish the expedition. It means a lot to us, and is greatly appreciated.
From Denver, Steve, Celeste and Craig ventured north to Loveland to stay at Steve’s Mom, Judy’s, place, while I headed to Rocky Mountain National Park with an amazing female for one last adventure in Colorado. We met up the following morning for a delicious breakfast prepared by Judy and her husband, Tom, said our goodbyes, and got on I-25 North headed to Bozeman, Montana.
The Great Wide Open
May 27, 2009 – 3:22 pm
Today officially marks the farthest north in North America for the expedition, but more importantly it also marks the farthest north for any of the crew. Right now we are in Jasper National Park in the town of Jasper. At 52 degrees, 53 minutes, -1 seconds North, this is the most North any of us have ever been in Canada. Here the days are long and the wildlife is plentiful. The mountains are grand and the lakes are numerous. It all really hit home for us when we had our first day camping and the sun did not fully set until 11pm.
Rocky Mountain Adventure
April 29, 2009 – 12:38 am
Nature’s beauty gets me every time. Standing on a peak and looking over the land gives you an unreal feeling, one that flows throughout your entire being. This expedition has found adventure after adventure, and it has not stopped since we’ve got back to Denver, for Colorado could be called the “adventure state.â€
