Still Going South on Highway 2...

Did you see the new music slideshow I posted yesterday? This one features some pictures from May 5 through May 9. Click to view the latest music slideshow! Remember, it is in Windows Media format (a .wmv file), so be sure that your video software is set to play that format.

Before getting the details of this day written into this journal, I want to wish my mother a happy Mother's Day. She and my father have been all over the state of Alaska with me for the past 3 weeks... providing my nightly lodging with the RV. I also want to wish my wife, Vicki, a wonderful Mother's Day. She is a great mom to our four children. Did you wish your mom a happy Mother's Day today?

Paul And "Bob" Finally Get Wet!

This was a 31-mile day on the Richardson Highway. The first mile was dry, and then it started to sleet... and that turned to rain until around mile 20. Then, the rain stopped but the wind started. It didn't get very warm today and I could see my breath most of the time. The shoulder of the road was very bad in some places. Lots of gravel, broken pavement, and some very narrow places here and there. Overall, it was a challenging day and I was glad to get off the road. As I wrote about yesterday, without being able to do my necessary icing routine (ice baths 2 to 3 times per week), my body is starting to pay the price - especially my hips at this point. However, without a tub available in the RV, and without snow banks around since Alaska warmed up so quickly this spring and melted all of the snow, I don't have any options for putting my body into a very cold condition from the waist down. This may sound strange to those unfamiliar with how these ultra-journeys are done, but trust me... it's important.

I saw a few moose today along the edge of the road, but aside from that there wasn't very much to take pictures of. Just a lot of trees... and more trees... and did I mention the trees?! The next couple of days will be the same. After finishing the day we did make one final change to the schedule. Instead of starting tomorrow's run at Dot Lake further south on Highway 2, we decided to use a RV park in Delta Junction as our base for the next couple of days. Tomorrow I'll go 31 miles south from Delta Junction and then on Tuesday (the last day) I'll do 30 miles north on Highway 2 back to Delta Junction - finishing the trek at Milepost Zero of the Alaska Highway. That way we'll have a decent place to park the RV (instead of along the road in the middle of nowhere) and I'll also have an Internet connection - like I have this evening. So, teachers may want to make note of that final change.

Things That I See All The Time...

I'm often asked what are familiar sights that I see regardless of where I'm doing a P.A.C.E. Trek. Here's a short list:

Roadside crosses of people who have died in auto accidents;

Litter (way too much garbage in such beautiful areas);

Old tires... usually rubber that has blown off a car's wheel;

Beautiful flowers amongst weeds (not normally seen in a car);

Dead animals of all kinds and at all different stages of decay;

Rumble strips (which keep drivers alert, but are tough for Bob);

Unexpected things (false teeth; foreign money; cell phones...).

Those are just a few things that I see all the time along the road.

A Word About Garbage...

I'm a firm believer in the "Pack it in... pack it out" philosophy. Essentially, if you go hiking or are out in nature somewhere and you bring wrapped food with you or some other item that can be disposed of, DON'T just toss it into the forest or along the road. It's absolutely shocking how littered the United States is. Most of the garbage along the road cannot be seen as you're zipping along at 65 miles per hour or more in a vehicle. But trust me, it's there. Every day I trek through places of beauty, only to have that beautiful place tarnished by garbage tossed onto the ground by someone. We need to take care of our planet and all of us can do his or her part in many ways... but one easy way is simply to not litter. I have never littered while doing a P.A.C.E. Trek. "Bob" carries any garbage that I may make during the day (food wrappers, tissues, etc.) and I properly throw those things away when I get off the road. Please, think twice before you simply throw that wrapper, container, can, or whatever onto the ground. Let's keep our planet clean!

Tomorrow's Forecast...

The clouds and rain are supposed to hang around, based on the conditions I just looked at online. In fact, I'm writing this at 9:30 p.m. Alaska time and it is currently raining here. I think Bob and I will be getting wet again tomorrow. All is well and there are only 61 miles and 2 days to go. I would encourage any team leaders who want to send me team pictures to do so. I like to have those to select some for my end-of-trek music slideshow that I make each year. However, I need those sent to me by this Thursday! Also, if you're a team leader who hasn't updated your team's mileage at this web site, please do so. I'm so pleased with how all of the teams are doing. Keep it up! Only a couple of days to go before it's all over. I would post some pictures tonight, but am simply too tired and need to get to bed.

That's all from this Alaska milepost! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to run back here tomorrow.