Kreider Khronicles

I apologize for not getting this out yesterday. We have been up to our eyeballs unpacking and making our home ours. With not wanting to make you wait any longer our travels for Thursday March 31st.

We started our last day of travel bright at early. Before the sun was up we were on the road. The darkness is different than back in PA. There is no light from towns or street lights. A serene kind of dark.

As we continued to drive, you could see different road signs. There was one that said, Caution Snow Plow Turn Around. The snow started to come down more steadily and it felt like we were in star wars traveling at light speed. The people who drive in the snow regularly, drive like it is no problem at all. Passing us no problem, if they only knew what type of weather we drive in they would be impressed we could drive well.

With mountains on either side of us as we drive it makes you realize how small you are in the world. Really helps to put everything into perspective. The mountains continue to climb up next to us. Peaks barely visible in the distance. With a view of them that keeps getting more spectacular as we drive.

The weather continues to get warmer and warmer as the day continues. Almost no clouds in the sky. The sky is a beautiful blue like nothing I have seen before. Seeing God’s creation is breath taking. So glad we got to see so much of it in a short amount of time. Had a quick pit stop in Haines Junction. Once past Haines Junction we saw two red foxes and one gray one. Pretty much the only wild life we saw.

For a period of time there was nobody on the road. It was just us and the road. But then there were gravel spots and paved spots. Every time we reached gravel we prayed that we didn’t get another flat tire. We made it through without any other tire casualties. Especially as we got closer to the border the road got worse.

12:30 we stopped in the last town, Beaver Creek, in Canada before the border. Only 19 miles till we reach Alaska! Once we reached the Canadian Border we were worried that the process would be long. But it was the opposite. We walked in to the office to return our paperwork. The officer asked us “Checking out?” Felt like we were in a hotel. Handed over our paperwork, let the officer know our birthdays and were on our way. Super easy. Unlike getting into Canada.

By one o’clock we hit the Alaska Time Zone. Which meant it is now 12 o’clock. Four hours behind the East Coast. We were finally out of Canada and at the border. It took us 5 minutes to get through the border. Handed the officer our passports and he said all good to go. A lot less anxiety this time. Funny thing was that the covid tests required by Canada, we never got those results back before we left. Now we are in Alaska. One final stop North Pole!!

Had our first lunch in Alaska shortly after crossing the border. First pit stop was in Tok Alaska, the price of gas was $4.70 a gallon. Ouch! By 3:30 we hit under 100 miles. Yay! We continued on to Delta Junction. This is where the Alaskan highway ends and we jump on the Richardson Highway for almost the rest of the trip. At this stop gas was $4.98 per gallon. That one hurt a lot.

By 4pm we crossed into Fairbanks Borough. The last stretch of the trip. Passed by the Eielson Air Force Base. Where we live is between the Air Force Base and the Army Base. 5:10pm – We made it! We reached our new home. It was so nice to get out of the truck. Our awesome new friends, Cade and Nicole Kelley stopped by and helped us unload some of the trailer that night. Super thankful for them and their help. Now comes the creative part of getting everything to fit in our new home. 500 square feet isn’t a lot but we will get creative. First we got our room organized so we could sleep on our bed. Which was so nice. We finished the night by eating Cup of Noodles in bed. Crazy to think we were here almost a year ago on vacation and now we live her. God works in miraculous ways.

In total for the trip we drive 4,139 miles. That is a long time to be in a vehicle. We are excited to be in Alaska and to see what God has in store for us. For the blog my goal is to post weekly Sunday updates on life from the North Pole. See you on Sunday to hear about our unpacking chaos.