Archive
Little respite
Location: Raleigh, NC
As much as I would like to keep the blog updated each day with some exciting and scenic pictures, I’ve taken the past few days here in Raleigh to relax and unwind for a bit. Hanging with Sam, Mrs. T, Jen, Saba, and Aaron, watching movies, prepping for future trips, and napping is how I’ve spent the majority of my time here. And I’ve been quite content in that routine.
But soon the trip will continue, as I’ll slowly make my way into Virginia and Maryland. The plan is to visit some of the same people I got to see earlier in the summer (some in different areas), and hopefully some new landmarks as I’ll try to take some new routes into these areas. That will begin Saturday, and I’ll be sure to get a new post up before then as I wrap up my time in North Carolina.
Until then, thanks to everyone for the nice comments as the roadtrip winds down. It’s kind of sad, after spending over 100 incredible days seeing some of the sights and the people that make this country (and our neighbor to the north) beautiful. But it couldn’t last forever…especially given my unemployed status. How lucky I am, though, to have seen all I’ve seen.
Keep on truckin’
joe
The journey so far…
Black line = trip starting in GA to Alaska. Red line = return trip
I decided it was a good time to update the map showing where I’ve traveled. Although I’ve driven close to 23k miles, it doesn’t feel like it’s been that much until I start drawing squiggly lines throughout the entire country. Phase Four of the trip kicked off when I left Palmer, Alaska, and began the long, indirect journey home to NY. Thanks to Travis in Vancouver for the suggestion to color the lines red going home (“red for return”), otherwise some lines would’ve started intersecting and may have been confusing to read.
The Mazda is holding up remarkably well, and I’ve had zero mechanical problems (knock on wood). Unfortunately, there is a slight crack in my windshield on the passenger side. I will take this over a mechanical problem anytime, and I suppose I am lucky to escape with just a crack after some of the tough roads I’ve encountered on this trip. Assuming the crack doesn’t get any bigger, I’ll look to get that fixed/replaced while I am back in Georgia.
Looking at the map, you’d think it won’t be long before I arrive back home, but I am going to take my time in stops along the east coast (as long as the budget is still on track). My rough plan is to arrive back in NY sometime around Sept. 18, which would bring this trip to a total of approximately 110 days. Outstanding!
20,000 miles and still going strong
I thought hitting 20,000 miles on this trip was a fairly significant milestone that earned its own post. And now that I sit here writing this, I have little to say.
I did initially expect to drive in the neighborhood of 20,000 miles by the time this trip was over, but to actually sit behind the odometer and see the distance I’ve gone is pretty cool. A bit tiring to think about, but very rewarding at the same time. That being said, there’s still a lot of driving yet to do, but I haven’t gotten sick of it.
So I figured this was a good opportunity to posit a question to the readers of joesroadtrip.com. See, I’ve been asked many times the past few months, “Joe, what’s been the highlight of your roadtrip?” I can never name one thing. I usually end up rattling off about 10 things or so, and that’s before I even start really thinking about it.
So, dear readers – What has been your favorite part of the trip?
I’m actually very curious what others might see as the highlights, and I wonder if responses will jive with mine or be totally different. There’s now about 80 or so posts on this website, so feel free to review the archives (on the right hand side) if you need a refresher. If you have time, leave your response in the comment section and let me know.
Thanks,
joe
Day 78: Departing the last frontier in style
Location: 30 miles west of the Alaska/Canada border
Miles Driven: 346
Total Miles: 18,311
Around 2PM or so I was packed, the car was tidied up, and I was stocked up on some pb&js. Definitely was tough to say goodbye to Vegas, as we had become pretty good friends in just a short period. We got one last walk in around the neighborhood, and I got to tussle his furry head a bit before heading out the door.
The going was a bit slow getting out of the Palmer city limits, as there were some pull-offs to take in some of the nice views, and there was a Musk Ox farm on the way. Unfortunately, the cost to see the musk oxen up close was $8, and the animals didn’t appeal enough to me to pay $8. Also, I had felt some nausea and ready to puke (I suspect something was up with the grapes I had purchased the previous day). But an hour napping off by a river helped alleviate that a bit.
I had mentioned the views, and you didn’t have to drive far out of Palmer to be astounded.
Spotted an eagle
The goal was to make it to the Canada/Alaska border (or close to it) before I was done driving for the day. Eventually the route would take me to the Alaskan city of Tok, a place I passed through on the drive to Fairbanks. From there, I’d take the Alaska Highway, just going the opposite way I originally came.
I passed the famous Matanuska Glacier on the way towards Tok.
More mountainous scenery
After a few hours driving, I came to the city of Glenallen. From there, I could head north to Tok, or a bit south and explore Wrangell-St. Elias National Park – the largest National Park in the U.S. But given that it was later in the day, and I wasn’t feeling all that great, I passed. But I still was able to enjoy some of the park’s mountains from a distance.
I could be wrong, but I think that's a lenticular cloud on the right. Never saw one in person before
The Alaskan sky...around 10PM
A bit after 11PM I was ready to call it a day, and it worked out – I was just 30 miles west of the Canadian border. Definitely was a bit sad to be leaving this gorgeous state, but what an amazing drive on the way out.
joe
Trip route – Summer 2010
Joe's Roadtrip 
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