Monterrey was a great way to spend our last days in Mexico. Between the Chipinque Hotel looking over the city and my friend Chuy’s hospitality at his adventure center, IBO, we could not have had a better time. The Monterroco Hostel was also a splendid place to stay for a few days. Overall, things really went right while we spent out last days in Mexico before returning to the USA. Craig and I were lucky enough to get some hammocks custom made for us by a young man outside of town, and the nightlife here is something that can keep anyone who likes rock and roll entertained for weeks on end.
Monterrey is a true Mexican city that allows you to get immersed in the local culture and not be constantly surrounded by tourists and tequila shots. It makes for an excellent place for a trip because you can be completely immersed in amazing natural beauty and then make it into the city for some culture by night fall. The best part is that the city sits just a few hours south of the USA border, so go have a visit to our friendly neighbors down south.
Or just click on the images below to see pop-ups.
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. Usually such a voyage ends up somewhere beautiful or breathtaking, and this was neither, but as we’ve all learned from this expedition, one has to take the good with the bad, and that its all apart of the adventure. We made it, however, and that is what makes all the difference. This feat gave us the distinction as the the first overland expedition to reach the farthest north and south points you can drive on the continents the expedition has been on, and will aide us in our attempts to reach our long-term goals.
We made it to the Arctic Ocean, took some video and some photographs, and even watched crazy Craig walk into the calf-high water that was on top of the ice.   We finished the tour, took our trucks to the very last inch of public road to hear on our CB a guard in the Security Gate yell , “Security Gate 1, Security Gate 1.†That was the last straw, we’d accomplished our goal, had enough, turned around and put Dead Horse in our rearview mirror.
From there we headed south from Fairbanks to the historic community/Athabascan Native village of Nenana, where we set up camp on the Nenana River. We then were able to go to the Old Minto village located in Interior Alaska, on the banks of the Tanana River, a tributary of the Yukon River, about 50 miles south of Fairbanks for a potlatch. The village has no road access, so we took a 30 mile boat trip down to their camp. The Athabascan camp was filled with great energy, sense of community and hospitality. Food preparation of moose and fish were happening in various areas, and the joy, showcased by wide smiles,of the children playing together was amazing. We were very lucky to have had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people there, and look forward to visiting them again.
Being on the road isn’t exactly becoming for a girl… or a guy, for that matter. One loses sight of their appearance, not necessarily by choice, but by diversion. We have Nels with a mop on his head resembling that of a bum, a whole crew full of split ends, and a lack of style that would make any hairdresser scoff. Luckily for the crew, two wonderful ladies, Laura and Lolly at 
The final push to Prudhoe Bay will present us nearly 1000 miles of off road, temperatures peaking at 32 degrees, and 5 solid days of camping. Our last 3 days have been just what we needed to prepare for the final leg. At 
Our constant rollercoaster of star ratings ranging from sleeping with the bears in the woods to luxurious B&Bs keeps perspective for us on how nice it is to have a daily shower. The whole crew cleans up very nicely when we have a chance and once clean we cannot thank our hosts enough for inviting us to the delicious breakfasts they cook for us each morning. Beyond the chance to have a real breakfast sitting at a real dining room table, the more awesome thing about our latest visits to B&Bs allows us to learn more about the locals by chatting over breakfast. Since we are away from our families and homes, it is nice to be taken care of by some families along the way. The personal touch that they have makes a simple place to sleep into an experience, and our spirits have been recharged for the long journey north.
We put some miles behind us this week, that is for sure. We took off from the wonderful home of Rosel and Wilf at their bed and breakfast in Prince George and headed north. Again, their hospitality was incredible, and it was a pleasure for all of us to sit at their table to have breakfast with them.
From Hyder we headed north to do battle with the vastness of the Yukon. It is so sparsely populated and desolate that it was really interesting, yet eerie to drive through. That, combined with the fact that the sun never really goes down, really played a trick on our minds. It hit midnight, was light as day, and we couldn’t find anywhere to stay, so we pulled off a side road to camp along a little body of water. The mosquitoes were out in full force, but that wasn’t half as bad as the number of bear paw prints covering the area. There was no other choice, and we had a long day, so we pitched our tents and fell asleep.
Today, we’re heading to the dining room to have some breakfast, and then we’re heading north to Prudhoe Bay. We’ve been battling BP to get access to the very end of the road, without much luck, but we’ll see what happens. It’ll be great for all of us to finally make our way up there and complete the final part of the journey, reaching the most northern part of North America. We’re ready.
the river had in store.
We made it back to the bus, and took off our glacier wet clothes. We had a amazing time on the Fraser River with Maligne Rafting Adventures, and highly recommend it to people old and young, and for all rafting abilities. One can never go wrong with the combination of scenic beauty and a little adventure.
