Welcome back friends (and family), we are excited you decided to follow along as we travel to Alaska through a pretty exciting loop through the Pacific Northwest and Canada. Let’s preface this adventure with a few things that will be a bit different on this trip, compared to previous trips you may have followed along. This trip has been in the works for several months (more about that in a bit), but in true Matt and Misty form, the whole trip shouldn’t be planned because then there would be no true adventurous spirit left for us to live a little on the edge, as we have grown to love doing. 1. We aren’t doing this trip by small car (Matt sold the Miata just days before we left-only in hopes of purchasing another small, fast, unnecessary sports car upon our return) or motorcycle (don’t fret though, we still own that thing), but rather by traditional means of travel modalities, such as commercial airliners, a cruise ship, several rental cars and possibly a train at some point along the way. 2. We are going to be gone a total of 22 days, which is about average for our trips, but this one is broken down by 4 different parts, Seattle (pre-cruise), cruise to the inside passage of Alaska (Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and Vancouver), a return trip by air to Anchorage/Denali to meet up with Matt’s parents, and then a return trip somewhere in the Pacific Northwest (we are thinking more of Washington and Oregon), but that is still yet to be determined. 3. This is probably the most low-key trip we have taken in almost a decade, which is really a foreign thing to us now. Who needs to relax on vacation anyway, right? Preparation for this trip took much more time and actually involved having to buy new luggage, as I couldn’t get by with just a small carry on bag or vacuum-sealed plastic bags like we previously used when taking the motorcycle. As we began packing, I quickly remembered why we don’t travel like this anymore….decisions, that’s why. I had to make hundreds of decisions on what to pack (bathing suits to full winter coats, rain boots to sandals, and EVERYTHING in between). Before I’d just throw a weeks worth of clothes in a bag, minimal makeup and hair products and we were out the door. By the time we left, we looked like crazies at the airport- 2 massive bags, 1 large camera case, my purse and of course a drone all for just two people, but don’t mind us, we’re just checking our whole house for this trip. As we left on Saturday evening, we arrived just a few hours later in Seattle to begin exploring the city for a few days. Our first stop, meeting up with my dear friend Julie, who lives in San Francisco, but was traveling in Seattle at the same time. After several beers and some tasty food from a local Irish pub, Matt and I wrapped up day one at none other than a Holiday Inn hotel. Next up, the Seattle city tour.
Cars & Culture · September 8, 2016
