“We can leave Dixie [the dog] in the truck overnight.” I said. “She’ll be fine!” I said.
Then I looked up the temperature.
We cannot leave her in the truck. Because she will most certainly be a Dixiecicle come dawn.
Planning a winter move in Alaska is no simple task. We are arranging for movers to take most of our belongings to Juneau via barge (or however they do it) but it will not arrive at our house in Juneau for about 4 – 5 weeks. But in order to get our truck to Juneau, we are going to have to drive it to Haines, which is 750 miles away and goes through Canada, where we will hop on the ferry there to Juneau. We also will be pulling a small trailer with enough belongings to last us for a month.
Which brings me back to the above picture. These temperatures…… they are about as funny as the name of this town we will likely stop in!
Have you ever been out in weather like that? I have not. Am I brave enough for this task? I’m not sure I am. But question here really is….. if not me, then who? (Don’t answer that.)
This was just a few miles north of Palmer Alaska on the Glenn Highway. Look at those slick roads!
This is the same area, only facing the other direction. I am mesmerized by the stark beauty and simultaneous mortal danger of the winter up here. My head is racing with crazy thoughts right now as I try to wrap it around temperatures of this type of insanity.
Will we have to start the truck every couple of hours at our nightly stopping point so that it will start in the morning? Shoot, will we have to do that even to sit down somewhere to eat some lunch? Should we have gotten a block heater installed on it our Toyota Tundra before we left? Is there some sort of outside heater we can buy for the truck to where we don’t have to install a block heater? Wouldn’t a block heater be a waste of money in Juneau since the weather there is fairly mild? How long does it take a truck battery to drain in that sort of weather? With a truck name like “Toyota Tundra”, shouldn’t the darn thing be brave enough to weather this crazy weather in the tundra?! (As an aside, I know that Alaska is not actually “in the Tundra”…. although I like to pretend it is. So pretend with me. Please?)
When we get out to use a bathroom, stretch our legs, or fill up our tank with gasoline, is any exposed skin going to freeze? And how do you get a dog out to pee in weather like that? Will there even be any bathrooms available?! (For us…not the dog.)
If we run off the side of the road, will someone come along who can get us help? Will we freeze to death before that happens? Could we light a tire on fire and keep warm long enough for help to arrive before it killed us from the fumes? (I have this crazy thing with fearing I’m going to die of carbon monoxide poisoning….don’t ask.)
How do I pack enough food for a trip like this, knowing we’ll need extras if we get stranded somewhere? How do I pack enough supplies? Can I pack enough snacks and distractions to keep from losing my mind with 3 small children in tow? Can I pack enough snacks and distractions to keep from losing my mind with the husband in tow? (Just kidding…. sort of.)
What if a bear comes out of hibernation and wants to eat us?
These are the questions that keep me up at night. Any questions, comments, brilliant statements? Am I over-thinking this? Now is the time to speak up or forever hold your peace.