Fixed Missing Images in Older Posts

Hey there followers, some of the photos on a few posts were not showing up for whatever reason. I've updated those posts and you can now view those images. Here are links to those specific posts, enjoy:

Grand Teton and Yellowstone

Colorado (sigh...)

Iowa

The Windy City

"Detroit Way!"


I've been asked a lot about what happened after Alaska. I created this blog to cover my trip from CT to AK only, because as you know I had uncertain plans as to what to do after I got to Alaska. But just to let you all know, I drove down to California and put my traveling on hold. Yes, the trip down the coast of Washington and Oregon was yet another incredible adventure worth blogging about, but like I said, it was not intended to be covered here. If you'd like to see pictures of that part of the trip follow me on Facebook.

Also, I do have some plans in the making for a one-month California-to-Connecticut road trip around June 2013....soooo.....definitely stay tuned! This will be a different adventure in that I plan to bring along three other voyagers or so in my Explorer! If you want to somehow join us during all or part of this trip contact me with any ideas.

So long!

The Lost Tapes - Short Film (Clean Edit)

Recently released footage of my CT2AK Road Trip. A few laughs.

Clips in order of appearance:

00:01 - Seward Highway, Alaska
01:00 - Arctic Circle chipmunk
01:30 - "What are you doing in Colorado?"
02:06 - Fog on the Alaska Highway
02:39 - MillerCoors Brewery, Golden CO
02:45 - Downtown Calgary, Alberta
03:10 - July 4th, Seattle WA
03:30 - Canada Day Fireworks, Whistler BC
04:26 - Nightclub, Whistler BC
04:35 - Oregon Coastline
05:00 - Chandelier Drive Thru Tree, Mendocino CA
05:12 - Sea Lion Caves, Oregon
06:16 - High tide, Newport OR
07:25 - Multnomah Falls, Oregon
08:35 - Mount Rainier, Washington
09:18 - Liard River overflow and whirlpool
09:40 - Exit Glacier, Alaska
11:11 - Yukon River Ferry, Dawson City, Yukon
11:25 - Yellowstone geysers, volcanoes, thermal pools
12:59 - Waterfall, Glacier National Park, Montana
13:18 - Kincaid Mudflats, Alaska
13:55 - Off-roadin', Idaho Springs CO
14:36 - Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
15:19 - Muncho Lake, Northern Rockies BC
15:35 - Rock slide, Dempster Highway
15:53 - Camping alone, Wyoming
16:32 - LMAO
16:47 - Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon

Closing Statement + All Pictures!

I want to say thanks again to all the people that were somehow involved in this amazing adventure. Thanks to all of those who helped me along the way. I'm grateful for all the new friends I made on the road and wish safe travels to all.

This is just the beginning of my quest to deliberately walk this Earth.

God bless!

- Javier.

And now I present you all of the pictures from my road trip to Alaska. I've divided them into three galleries:

Part 1: PA, OH, MI, IN, IL, IA, NE, CO, WY, MT

Part 2: Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon

Part 3: ALASKA

Trip Stats

Figures:

* Distance driven: 8,290 miles or 13,341 km

* Number of days: 56

* Number of Time Zones traveled: 5

* Accidents: 1 - Accidentally sprayed myself with bear spray. It stung.
* Close calls: 1 - Almost hit a running Elk on the highway in Colorado.
* Flat tires: 0
* Oil changes: 2

Animals:

* Confirmed wild animal sightings:

• Coyote
• Black bear
• Brown bear
• Black bear cubs
• Grizzly bear
• Grizzly bear cubs
• Cougar
• Lynx
• Dall sheep
• Big horn sheep
• Arctic caribou
• Moose
• Bull moose
• Bison
• Elk
• Gray wolf

* Unconfirmed:

• Bald eagle
• Golden eagle
• Mountain lion

Food:

* Best paid breakfasts:

1. Mullets, Des Moines, IA:

Everybody in town seems to come here, with good reason. We went on a Sunday and waited 5 minutes for a table. I had the Breakfast Burrito, Ezequiel’s famous farmer’s market burrito with chorizo, bacon, egg, potato and cheese for only $4.95. It was so good I ate half of it and saved the other half for breakfast the morning after! Yumm.

2. Yolk, Chicago, IL:

Eggs Benedict - voted best in town! Two poached eggs and Canadian bacon atop English muffin halves. Topped with their homemade hollandaise sauce. Delicious! They also give you fresh fruit along with it, making it a super deal at $9.99

3. The Cookie Jar, Fairbanks, AK:

Oh my god, I ordered the Breakfast Bagel, a fat toasted bagel with a layer of scrambled eggs, sliced ham and cheddar cheese for only $5.95, I asked for turkey instead of ham and it was delish! Service is also excellent.


* Best Pizza:

Beau Jo's, Idaho Springs, CO:

Beau Jo's pizza is legendary among Colorado outdoor enthusiasts. First off you order your pie by the pound. Then you get your beer (from neighboring Tommy Knocker Brewery) in mason jars. They also have a famous "14 Pound Pizza Challenge" in which you get your pizza for free, if you eat 14 pounds of it. Gross lol.

* Best Burger:

Not in Nebraska, not in Montana, the best burger I had, in my opinion, was near the Arctic Circle in Livengood, Alaska. The place is called Yukon River Camp, it is on Mile 56 of the Dalton Highway and I savored every delicious bite of their bacon burger with homemade fries. Perfect after a long trip like this.

* Best Beer:

This one is hard to say, I tasted so many good beers along the way I can't really pinpoint the best one. But, some of the best selections were at bars in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa and Colorado.

* Best Coffee:

By far, Einstein Brother's all over Colorado. They have the best bagels and the best coffee, with consistent great service and good prices. Their White Chocolate Mocha is ten times better then Starbucks' and a few dollars cheaper. Unlike Starbucks, Einstein Bros serves delicious fresh toasted bagels with double whipped FLAVORED cream cheese shmear. Ahhhhh!! This place was so good that at one time I drove 6 miles off course just to stop at an Einstein Bros Bagel shop.

"The Great One"

The top of the continent, the highest peak in all of North America, Mt McKinley, located in Denali National Park in Alaska, rising 20,320 feet above sea level, was one of my most anticipated visits. It was not an easy endeavor. To get a closer view of the mountain, closer meaning about 70 miles still away from it, you have to take a 5 hour bus ride into the park, to a lake called Wonder Lake. Since it is such a long trip, people usually have to camp the night of their arrival and catch the bus the day after or whenever they choose to go back. This means you must bring all of your supplies, shelter, water, food and fuel with you, because you'll be going "Into the Wild."

My plan was to camp 2 to 3 nights in the wilderness around the mountain base -- Oh, did I mention you are required to watch an hour-long video on wild life safety, sit through another safety talk and obtain a backcountry permit, to then be able to board the bus?

I get to Wonder Lake and immediately notice everyone at the camp wearing their insect net over their heads. Lucky for me, I was prepared and had gotten a mosquito shield jacket that covered me waist up. These mosquitoes were no joke. To put it in simple terms, if you come to Denali during the summer, without a mosquito net, you will die. These blood-sucking creatures were so vicious they swarmed all around me and buzzed incessantly as I tried to cook and set up my tent. They follow you everywhere. Good luck going to the bathroom. Needless to say, I got the eff outta there early the morning after, and as I walked the road to try to catch the bus, I shot this video:

Was it worth it? Clouds and wicked storms that form up in the mountain make it difficult to see the peak most of the year. I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this magnificent mountain and its summits at intermittent times; so yes, it was very worth it. Of course, I was prepared for the mosquito infestation, otherwise it would've been the worst freaking nightmare out there.

Fairbanks and Anchorage

In Fairbanks I went to the Aurora Ice Museum at Chena Hot Springs. The place is really cool...get it? Lame joke.Yeah, anyway, it is cold but the ice sculptures are phenomenal. These artists are very talented and devoted to this museum. There are bed rooms, towers, a martini bar, a bathroom and even a fireplace made of ice. Totally worth the  hour-and-a-half drive from Fairbanks and $15 admission.

Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska, surrounded by lots of mountains, there is no shortage of fun things to do here. I had fun on a mud beach by one of the shores, can't remember the name of the park:

Arctic Circle or Bust

Since driving on the Dempster Highway in Canada, I've been eager to reach the Arctic Circle here in Alaska. So I did. But let me tell you, the road that goes to the Circle north of Fairbanks, the Dalton Highway, is much rougher and nastier than its Canadian counterpart; not to mention me and my buddy Roger almost ran out of gas. Just driving on this road is quite an undertaking. Lesson learned, fill up that empty emergency gas tank sitting on the backseat.

The Dalton Highway also parallels the famous Trans-Alaska pipeline, which pumps up to 60,000 gallons of oil per minute on its way to Valdez.

Anyways, the weather was absolutely incredible the day we headed up there, mostly sunny with a nice cool breeze, and no mosquitoes. At this latitude the sun never drops below the horizon in summer days. In winter however, temperatures can drop to minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit at night.

The Last Frontier

Woke up in Tombstone and immediately headed south back to Dawson City to fuel up and clean up. Klondike Highway ends and you need to get on the ferry to the other side of the Yukon River, where Top of the Word Highway begins. The Top of the World Highway is a very scenic winding road, which turns very rough at times, especially once you cross the border into the United States. All the way from Poker Creek (the most northerly land border in the US) until Chicken, Alaska, the road is unpaved, dirt and rough.

At last, after 56 days and 8,290 miles (13,341 km) of driving since my departure in Stamford, CT, I have arrived at my destination, The Last Frontier, the biggest state in the US (twice the size of Texas), the land of the midnight sun, glaciers and northern lights, Alaska.

Thank you to all those that supported me and helped me along the way. To all of those whom I've met on the road, I wish you safe travels. To all of those who have not yet begun the remarkable journey, I hope this blog gives you the inspiration and courage to begin your life-changing adventure.

Yukon, Larger than Life

Yukon is yet another stunning environment. I know I might be saying stunning, beautiful and gorgeous too many times, but these are the only words to describe how incredible Yukon is. I took a detour off the Alaska Highway onto the Klondike Highway up to Dawson City. On the drive there I saw grizzly bears with cubs, about ten black bears, multiple rainbows and the first sight of arctic caribou. I stayed in Dawson City for the night and the next day headed to the famous Dempster Highway, a 457 mile (736 km), gravel-surfaced all weather highway that crosses the Arctic Circle and ends in the Arctic Ocean.

Driving the whole stretch was not included in my itinerary, so I only drove up the Dempster to Tombstone Territorial Park, hiked one of the many beautiful mountain ranges along the pristine tundra and camped for the night.

Northern Rockies

My next stops after Dawson Creek were Fort Saint John and Fort Nelson in British Columbia. After that is a 13 hour stretch to the next big town, Whitehorse. That stretch was one of the most memorable experiences though. The drive is gorgeous and scenic of course, but there are plenty of beautiful mountains, lakes and rivers to explore. I hiked at Stone Mountain Provincial Park during the first day and then camped on the shores of Muncho Lake. Muncho Lake is just as beautiful as Lake Louise back in Banff, with the same incredible aquamarine color, just ten times bigger.... this is a place of endless beauty. The next day I hiked through the canyon and up the mountain right across from the campground, which provided excellent views of the lake below. For the grand finale I ended the day soaking and relaxing at Liard Natural Hot Springs.

 

During these days, part of the Alaska Highway had literally been washed away by flooding in the area. Many people were stranded for days. Lucky for me, when I was done camping and ready to move on, the road re-opened and I was able to drive the last stretch of wilderness to Whitehorse , Yukon Territories.

Dawson Creek, Mile "0"

Milestone worth mentioning:

Bear Sprayed!

I bear sprayed myself by accident. Hahaha. I was hiking the  trail to the tea house at Lake Louise with my newly purchased Bear Spray strapped to by belt. As I was climbing a rock I pressed the canister with my knee, spraying pepper fumes all over. The canister comes with a safety plastic that was not on at the time. All I heard was a whooossshh and next thing I know, this orange substance had been tainted all on my clothing. I had to finish the hike all the way to the Lower Beehive point, which by the way has an excellent view of the lake below.

Afterwards I had to throw away my cargo pants, hoodie, camera case, and even my backpack, because they were all contaminated with the spray and that stuff is really tough to wash off. It got in contact with my knee and it made my skin red with a burning sensation.

On to Canada!

I drove over to Calgary and spent a few days in Banff and Jasper National Parks. The drive from Lake Louise to Jasper is jaw-dropping gorgeous. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that for hours you will be enjoying the most incredible landscapes on earth all around you. The scenic drives in Colorado where beautiful, but this drive is so breathtaking it can bring tears to your eyes. Aptly dubbed "the most scenic drive in the world," the mountains, lakes and forests in Banff and Jasper offer amazing views that change from beautiful to amazing every time the road turns. This is the closest I've been to heaven, on earth.

Obviously I have tons of pictures, but I'm trying to figure out a good way to share them all online. I've tried Picasa and I went over the storage limit, and facebook is not ideal. If anyone has any recommendations for this task please let me know.

Glacier National Park, Montana

I've never seen water as clear as the water flowing down Avalanche creek at Glacier National Park. The water there and at Avalanche lake has this incredible blue color caused by glacial silt. Walking through the Cedar trail was truly amazing.



Grand Teton & Yellowstone

On my way to Yellowstone National Park I visited Jackson, WY, a neat little town south of the Teton mountain range. They have excellent bar restaurants. I highly recommend the Cowboy Bar and the Silver Dollar Bar. I then hiked around Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park. I was lucky the weather was sunny and warm enough for a hike in the mountains, opposite of what it was like when I got to Yellowstone. Nevertheless, I camped three nights in Yellowstone and enjoyed every minute of it. I would've stayed longer but like I said, the weather forecast was not favorable. The weather was so unpredictable it snowed and cleared up about three times in a given day.

Wolves are very hard to spot here, you either have to be really lucky or very persistent. The best time to spot them this time of the year is early morning or evenings. I woke up very early two mornings and went over to Lamar Valley, where I scouted for them for hours, along with other eager enthusiasts equipped with scopes and tracking devices (not legal in the park). The only glimpse I got was of a black wolf for about 4 seconds before he went over the hill.

Yellowstone is an enormous park, impossible to grasp in just one visit. There are hundreds of geysers and springs scattered all around the park. I was lucky enough to see most of the ones located in the Old Faithful area. I hiked the south and north rims of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, including the lower and upper falls. Mammoth Hot Springs have dried up tremendously through the years. The Lake Village offers the best views of Yellowstone Lake and the surrounding areas are great for spotting grizzly and black bears.

Yellowstone is absolutely incredible. This is one park you most definitely need to visit. And when you do, allow yourself plenty of time to explore. And even then, you will have only scratched the surface of what this amazing park has to offer.