Easy Street

For the first time on our hitchhiking adventure a car was offered to us for the weekend. Of course we both had some reservations because we love getting out there on the open road, simply relying on each other, the forces of nature and the goodwill of strangers. However, having a car at our disposal would give us a chance to see more of Alaska in the limited time we have here.We accepted the car and made a pact that we would pick up every hitchhiker going our way. And we did. We ended up picking up 7 people in all and once again each individual was unique and had a very interesting story. One guy who wasn’t even hitching but walking. A very long way. I’m glad we had the foresight to pull over and ask him if he needed a ride since he was going approx. 250 miles down the road to Homer, our eventual destination. Amos had just returned from Peru where he had been visiting a girl he had met earlier this year at the cannery they were both employed at. He was on his way back to Kodiak to spend the next 3 months working so he can get back to Peru. His was a love story.

Paying it forward is always a good thing to do. It was enlightening to realize that it doesn’t matter which side you’re on, the experience of meeting people up close and personal is the same either way. Trust being in the forefront always. And perhaps we racked up some karma points to help us on our way back.

We spent a night in Seward on a friends front lawn. We got free passes to the Marine Center and hiked up to a Glacier. Amazing!

The following day we went further South to Homer. Alaska is beautiful in the Summer time. The roads are laced with Fireweed and the clear skies open up to show off the snow fringe on every mountain top. We can only imagine how spectacular it is in the Winter.

Homer was clear and warm and photo opportunities abound. We made our way out onto the spit to spend some time with the local Fisherman at the world-renowned Salty Dawg Pub. An experience in itself.  Alive with quintessential  quirkiness. We spent the night up on the hill in a campsite with magnificent views. The next morning it was our mission to find Findlay Abbott. A friend of a friend. Through a series of inquiries we were able to phone him. Findlay was quick to invite us over to his eccentric little sea shanty on the bluffs. A life long resident of the area with time spent between Homer and Yukon Island, where his family were homesteaders, he worked as a Draftsman and an Architectural Model builder for 30 years. An intensely creative Man with a sweet spirit. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him and hope to see him again.

New friends and old friends you’re always in our thoughts as we continue to manifest our own story.

Star~Fin

Pave your path with trust

Here in Anchorage we are lucky enough to be in Vanessa and Cody’s cozy home and have had the time to reflect on our journey thus far. All those hours we spent standing on the side of the road we would always wonder who the next person would be to come along to give us a ride, and every time the one who stopped was a wonderful human being. It seems to be that the type of people picking up hitchhikers are people who are spreading love and happiness in this world that is often consumed by fear and evil. They’re not afraid of strangers. After all, strangers are only people we haven’t met yet. The most obvious commonality among the drivers who have given us rides is there trust that we are simply traveling the same direction and don’t expect anything more than a ride.

After hearing people’s stories it became clear that almost everyone who picked us up had done their fair share of hitchhiking. I guess a little bit if empathy and the unspoken kinship among Hitchers helped us a long the way. It took us 24 rides to reach Anchorage. All of which were unique and interesting. All of which were trusting, like us.

So why has hitchhiking become a lost art? There is a dominant belief that hitchhiking is dangerous, though every effort made to find actual evidence of this danger objectively, has been unable to do so. Also, America has become generally more prosperous since the 1970′s, more people own cars and rural areas now have more extensive bus systems.

We think that now is as good a time as any to revive this lost art. A time when trust and meaningful human connection are at an all time low. A time when green house gases and over crowded freeways should inspire us to share the road, share our cars and share our stories with strangers who will become our friends.

Your friends,

Star Fin

“The best way to know if you can trust somebody is to trust them”

~ Ernest Hemingway

We have arrived…

 

Three days ago we put our thumbs out in Whitehorse to once again meet a new day with new possibilities, unknown motorists and new sights. Our first that day was Beat. He was a soft-spoken man who immigrated from Zürich Switzerland 17 years ago after his truck broke down in Haines Junction while he was on holiday. This was a common theme among residents we have met, but I don’t think it will happen to us. Beat was a hospitable man who was eager to show us the sights and share the history of the area. He took us the long way through Champagne (above photo) on the original Alaska Highway completed in 1942 by the U.S. Army for the purpose of connecting the contiguous U.S. through Canada to Alaska. We were dropped off in his home of Haines Junction where traffic was at an all time low. All we could do was keep smiling and hope for the best.

Adam came to our aid with his rusty, trusty pick-up truck on his way to see his girlfriend in Bur wash Landing. We shared an apple and some cheese and enjoyed a quiet ride of beautiful scenery for 170 km.

We slept in an abandoned campground where we were greeted by two huge black labs who befriended us, slept right outside our tent and guarded us all night. Good dogs!

The next morning, much to our surprise, our ride was a family in an RV. Our first ride in one. The Murakami family immediately made us feel like part of the family. They were kind and generous and so much fun to travel with. We sang camp songs, played cards with the kids and stopped at all the tourist sites. It was very much like being in National Lampoons Family Vacation.

When we crossed the border in to Alaska the border patrol officer took one look at us, turned to Mr. Murakami and said “picked up a couple hitchhikers?” then proceeded to lecture him on the possible dangers of bringing hitchhikers across the border who could be carrying illegal drugs! Though we may have felt like part of the family, I guess we didn’t look it.

So after 24 amazing, interesting and unique rides, we have arrived. The home of awe-inspiring vistas, vast wilderness, Glacier carved valleys, King Salmon and today, rain. We are road weary but happy to be here safe and sound. Happy to have a home base for a few weeks before the other half of our journey begins.

With gratitude & Love,

Star~Fin

 

Highs and lows…

Fin “Good morning”

Star “Good morning”

Fin “we need to do a blog”

Star “yeah we do”

Fin “how are you feeling?”

Star “good”

Fin “its been 24 days on the road”

Fin “how does your body feel?”

Star “sore, my neck hurts from being in the car for three days but I also feel good about being free and being able to go and do whatever we want”

Fin “like go to the hotsprings?”

Star “yeah, Liard hotsprings was like heaven after being on the road for so many days. After making the ground our bed for so long”

Fin “my aches are gone.

So, usually when we’re on the side of the road we ‘re talking and keeping each other entertained to keep our spirits up, but when you have endless hours in the back seat of a car, to do nothing but think, did you think about anything that you want to share?”

Star “yeah I had time to think but I’ve been so tired the last few days I haven’t been thinking a lot. Seeing soo much beautifully vast wilderness and wildlife has brought up dreams of being a wild human animal back in the woods living off the land.

The last few days have been nothing but driving with Simon, our French Canadian friend who gave us our longest ride yet of 1700 Km (1000 miles)! It’s been wonderful and exhausting at the same time.”

Fin “It’s been easy to be distracted by the beauty of it all, right…

It truly is as pristine and amazing as I expected, if not more so. The Lakes, the Rivers, the Aspen Forests, the mountains. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

“Highs and lows so far?”

Star “you mean of the whole trip?”

Fin “yeah”

Star “um, lets see, I think the high point for me is the time we get to spend on the side of the road just the two of us, that’s usually when I have the time to clear my head. At the same time it can also be a low point waiting hours for a ride and wondering if anyone will stop, but sure enough the right person always comes along.”

“You?”

Fin “I guess my low point was when I left my camera on the bus in Birch bay. Lol. I was really frantic”

Star “yeah, you were crying”

Fin “I know. Now though I feel like I may have reached a new low the other day when I was really homesick.”

Star “were you thinking about Frida?”

Fin “yeah, and our family and friends and Santa Barbara.

My high point? Wow, that’s a hard one because there are so many. I think maybe all of the wildlife we’ve seen. I really liked seeing the momma Moose and her baby crossing the road.”

Star “when the calf was teetering on the road side barrier with it’s legs kicking in the air just enough to make it over.”

Fin “so cute. Lol.”

“every day is a new high.”

Star “I love you”

Fin “I love you”

As the Crow Flies…

Every hour seems like a day, every day like a week. Our days are filled with meeting so many wonderful people and seeing so many new places that it’s hard to fully comprehend what we fit in to each 24 hour period. Our time in Vancouver was spent mostly with the gracious ladies who hosted us for the weekend. We found them through couchsurfers.org, our first CS experience. Hali and Ashley and another couchsurfer visiting from Israel, Yair, took us to some beautiful places in the Vancouver area. We went for a hike and saw the magnificent water falls of Lynn Canyon and went to a beautiful beach near Horseshoe Bay. We topped the day with a stop at a local East Van eatery and we had our first experience eating Poutine! Evidently this is a favorite in Eastern Canada but it has found its way West and we were lucky enough to indulge our appetites in this most amazing of heart stopping (literally) delicacies, French fries and cheese curds smothered in gravy. I’m sure you can imagine….

We lengthened our stay in Vancouver by a day to hopefully escape the rainy weather. We left early this morning, which seems like yesterday, and spent most of the day watching the grass grow. We had high hopes when we left that we would easily make it to Kamloops, a mere 311 Km. Those hopes were quickly doused by the rain and no one wanting to stop in it. Finally at around 4:00pm, Jan, an extraordinarily kind Woman and her Dog, George, who were from Abbotsford stopped and, not only gave us a ride, but opened up her home to us for the night. We are exceedingly grateful to be out of the rain and cozy for the night. Every day a new day filled with surprises and it never ceases to amaze us how generous people can be.

Monday

Jan & George decided to give us a ride all the way to Kamloops this morning. We had a great little road-trip with them sharing intimate stories, comedies and tragedies. A strong and wonderful Woman whom we will never forget. You too, Georgie!

We are now near the 97, the road which will take us most of the way to our destination. It’s going to be long. We will find the internet when we can and keep you posted.

By the way, I know we promised a guest blogger, Apologies. We never received his post.

From Canada with Love, eh’

Star~Fin