Yukon or Bust

This morning Pat and I woke early, filled up our coffee cups, said goodbye to my amazing parents, and set out on our first and longest day of our road trip. As we drove through Eagle River, it finally hit me that I was leaving the place that I have and always will call home. There were definitely some “big feelings” today, but as we drove the sadness started to fade and I became more excited about our road trip and the new adventures to come.

We made a pit stop in Palmer to fill up our gas tank and to meet up with Kristin for one last hug (and more coffee), before hitting the open road.

The view leaving Palmer to start off our long day of driving

We completed the longest driving day on our itinerary, covering about 700 miles in roughly 13 hours to get to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory of Canada. The weather was great and the views were stunning.

Crossing the border into Canada

We crossed the longest undefended international border, consumed many snacks (mainly me), sang along to bluegrass covers of 80’s rock ballads, and even listened to a podcast on competitive chili pepper eating. We saw two live moose, two less alive moose being field dressed on the side of the road, a multitude of swans, and a few eagles. While driving we killed no less than 10 thousand mosquitoes with Pat’s truck and had a few close calls with some gutsy swallows.

We rolled into Whitehorse just as most restaurants were closing, but treated ourselves to a truly multi-cultural meal of authentic shawarma and poutine. Overall, it was a perfect start to our exciting adventure.