3,000 miles or just under. That’s the distance my husband and I, along with one of my best friends, traveled in about one week on our way from Seattle, Wash., to Alaska—the state we now proudly call home. Upon returning to Seattle from our month-long ‘Europe Tour,’ Ken and I rented a U-Haul moving truck, loaded up all of our belongings from the past three years of marriage, and hit the road.
My friend Jenn joined us for this epic adventure. She took
the train to Seattle from Portland, Oregon (near her hometown), and met us at
our U-Haul location with a military issue duffle bag, camping supplies, and an
incredible sense of adventure. We were ready for the long trek ahead and set
out early Friday morning, the last week in July.
Looking back, I’m still blown by the natural beauty of
Glacier National Park in Canada. The windswept mountain peaks and jagged cliff
faces were breathtaking. Likewise, the contrast between roaring glacier-fed
rivers and placid, emerald streams provided an awe-inspiring backdrop for our strenuous
drive. Our musical selection, provided mainly by Jenn’s iPod, included, “The
Lord of the Rings” soundtrack and “Enya.” Like the perfect pairing of food and
wine, we took in majestic slopes set to beautiful melody.
During our journey, we made a slight detour and visited one
of my other best friends in Alberta, Canada. Sheri. Sheri lives in a rural
farming town a few hours outside of any major city. This was my first time
visiting her and I felt so blessed by the warm welcome from her and her family
and friends. Sheri’s boyfriend treated us to warm crepes hot off the griddle
that first morning we were in town. Later in the day, we visited Sheri’s family
and barbequed in the backyard. Sheri then surprised us with free horseback
riding lessons that afternoon! I’d like to pause here and mention how much I
love horses! It’s been a dream of mine to ride horses out in the country and
after this experience, I’m hooked. I’d like to take lessons in the near future.
(Thank you, Sheri.) It was bittersweet saying goodbye to my Canadian friend;
thankfully, I knew that just a few weeks later we’d meet up in San Diego.
Many surprises were in store for us on this trip. Each day,
we saw wild animals—animals I had only ever seen in magazines or on TV.
Mountain sheep, mountain goats, buffalo, deer, caribou and moose all ventured
out on or near the highway. I was so impressed by the rugged terrain and the
creatures that call it home.
During our trip, there was one experience that stands out in
my mind as having been miraculous. Upon leaving Alberta, we drove 11 hours to
our next campsite, a near-empty state park with no towns or neighborhoods or
gas stations within 100 miles or more. Darkness encroached as we pulled up to
our muddy campsite at the end of a narrow dirt drive. Jenn and I gathered our
food out of the U-Haul first, as we were anxious to start cooking a warm meal.
Meanwhile, Ken jumped in the back of the truck to change from his shorts into
pants, with mosquitos swarming all around us. While Jenn headed to the
restroom, I went to the back of the truck to grab supplies. At that moment, I
heard Ken yell, just seconds after closing the sliding metal door to the back
of U-Haul and latching the hardened steel alloy padlock in place.
“Oh no!” he agonized. “I just locked our keys into the back
of the U-Haul.”
His face burning with remorse, I asked him, “What are we
going to do?”
All of our camping supplies, our belongings, and now our car
keys and padlock keys were trapped behind the shiny metal door in front of us.
“I need to find bolt cutters or a way into the truck,” he
continued. “I’ll start walking.”
Jenn returned in time to hear what had happened. Feelings of
fear, confusion, regret, and anxiety hovered like a thick cloud. As Ken headed
out, Jenn asked, “Can we all pray together? Let’s pray.” Our situation
warranted it. The three of us held hands and asked God to please intervene in
our situation and send help. We felt completely helpless.
After praying, Ken headed off in the direction of the main
road. A few minutes after he was out of sight, a truck filled with male workers
from an oil refinery or farm drove up next to our U-Haul. Uncomfortable by
their loud music and conversation, I told Jenn that I didn’t understand why
they parked by us. We were located at the end of a muddy road, with nothing to
see nearby. Also, I had no idea where they had come from, really. It seemed
like the making of a bad situation. Jenn tried to assure me that we’d be fine,
but I felt a growing discomfort settling deep in my stomach as the minutes
passed. “God, please help Ken to come back soon,” I whispered. Right then, I
noticed the figure of a man in the distance walking toward us, as the fog
rolled in.
It was Ken. He was back. He had found bolt cutters.
Our hearts quickly lifted as Ken told us the story of how
the first person he found directed him to another guy, a man nearby who had
bolt cutters just lying on the tire of his truck. Ken thanked that man and then
asked the other guy if he could borrow the bolt cutters. Then, he walked back
to our campsite. At that point, the truckload of slaphappy guys left. In
summary, Ken located bolt cutters within about 10 minutes from the point that
he left us and was able to easily snap our thick padlock in about two clamps.
And that is how God totally blew our minds with His ability
to provide for us in the most desolate of circumstances.
We were out in the middle of nowhere. There were only a
handful of campers in or around our area; most likely just ‘passing through’
like us. But God was there. Right there--in our midst. He answered our prayer.
Praise Jesus.
From then on, the three of us felt so encouraged as we
continued our drive along the Alcan. We even got to Ken’s parents’ home near
Anchorage sooner than expected, and were welcomed with an amazing seafood
dinner and the love of family and friends excited to have us in town. What an
incredible adventure and testimony of God’s provision! It feels great to start
this new season in Alaska knowing that God is the One who provides for us.
Here are some photos from our travels throughout Canada and
the first couple days in Alaska. You can click on each photo to enlarge. Enjoy!
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