WE MADE IT!! Day 12- September 14th, 2010: Tok, AK - Anchorage, AK

Mt. Sanford (16,237 ft) in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

I think the cats know their traveling days are almost at an end. Usually they walk around the truck for about an hour or so in the mornings before settling down and going to sleep in their kennels or underneath the seat. This morning it took them closer to two hours before they finally settled down. Maybe it was the rough road we encountered as soon as we left our hotel in Tok, or maybe it was because they had heard we were supposed to be in our new home on the 13th and it has taken us a day longer. Whatever the cause, it's an interesting morning, trying to keep the cats from walking on the dashboard or going underneath Sean's feet as he's driving. Finally, they settle down and we're able to enjoy the scenery - more gorgeous fall colors and snow-capped mountains!

Our road takes us past Wrangell- St Elias National Park and the 12,000-16,000 peaks gracing the park, as well as the Matanuska glacier, melting on this sunny mid-60 degree day.

Matanuska Glacier

I'm at the edge of my seat as we enter the Anchorage area - my first view of our new home! As we pass into the city boundary and come up to a highway intersection, I see a sign that reads: Caution, high moose traffic area (I'm not joking).

Anchorage welcomes us!

We pull up to our new apartment - which was in pretty bad shape when Sean first looked at it -to see what the landlord had gotten done as far as improvements during the past 2 weeks. We now have all new appliances in the kitchen... and a pile of old appliances sitting on the lawn outside the door. The landlord had said he was going to replace some of the old, smoky-smelling carpeting, and thankfully he decided to replace all of it. However, with his full-time job, he didn't have quite enough time to finish everything - the 2nd bedroom, dining room, entry ways and the master bedroom closet are still floor-less. Sean and I aren't able to completely get settled in our new place until the floors are done, but the cats settle in immediately! Orzo figures out how to open the cabinet below the bathroom sink, just enough so he can slink into his new favorite hiding spot. We move the cat tower in, so Gnocchi immediately climbs to the top (even as we're still maneuvering it into position) and sits surveying her new domain.

The apartment needs some painting and a little TLC, but I think we'll all be able to settle in quite nicely.

Here is a re-cap of our journey:

States and provinces traveled - 15

Miles traveled - 4725

Gallons of fuel used - 590.63

Highest price paid for gas - $6.42/gal (Muncho Lake, Yukon)

Lowest price paid for gas - $2.36/gal (somewhere, TN)

Cups of coffee consumed - 44

Bugs killed - 6,127,428

Pictures taken - 2,400

Meows heard - 532

"Eh"s heard - 97

Pothole avoidance percentage - 43%

Flat tires - 1

Dropped cell phone calls - 11

Credit cards put on hold due to suspicious activity - 6

Thanks for following along on the blog!

I think I will enjoy living here; I already have a list of about 15 things I want to do this weekend (Sean said I had to narrow it down a bit). I'm looking forward to exploring our new home, and we're looking forward to having visitors to show around!

With love,

Heather, Sean, Gnocchi and Orzo

Mount Susitna or "The Sleeping Lady" across the Knik Arm from Anchorage.

Look closely and you can see the city lights of Anchorage.