The story today starts where many good stories begin, at my mom's house, back in Montana. Here I am, sipping coffee, reflecting on the past several weeks. After driving over 9,000 miles and putting, probably several years of travel in about a month and a half under our belts, it is time to rest and ponder our future. Where will we land after our brief flight from our home state? Which town will we call home? How much time can we spend submerged in the river as we search for a respite from the summer heat? I may be a bit dramatic on that last one as this is the first real heat we've encountered since last summer. I probably shouldn't complain as it is now the end of July.
Our time on the road has provided a lot of time to gain a little perspective. I think we have all learned a lot about each other and ourselves, if only due to our close proximity to each other.
Silas assisting with directions, although I don't think Brooks really needed his intense criticism.
Above, Fenris sitting on Logan's shoulder like a giant parrot. Pictured below we have two back seat drivers chiming in.
I think we have mostly learned a lot about what is important to us. We originally made the decision as a family to make a big change. It required a lot of work and sacrifice, especially from our kids who were leaving the only hometown they have ever known, their house, most of our possessions, and especially friends and family. Things come and go, family, friends and the experiences we have together are the most precious of all.
Even though our original plan didn't quite work out the way we were hoping and we are back in Montana living in a camper with our teenage kids and our two dogs without a solid plan here either; I have to say that if I could go back knowing what I know now I would do it all again. I would do a few things a bit differently though. For instance, I would way beef up our axles and all components before setting out. On the way home we had a little trouble again. Even though we upgraded the springs on both axles, they didn't quite match up. When we originally had trouble and needed a new axle and springs, we were in a very small town with very little access to parts. Only one set of springs were changed out at that time so we fixed the other set when we rolled into Anchorage shortly after. The first set of springs had been improvised a bit which led to an imbalance that wore out some important axle parts. So, working our way back we had some trouble again. We were able to make it as far as McBride, BC
If you are going to be "stuck" in a little town waiting for repairs, McBride is a nice little town, nestled in a beautiful valley. Just remember pretty much all businesses close by 6 PM. A special thanks is in order to JNR Auto Services for being AWESOME, and for getting us up and running properly.
From McBride, we drove and drove and drove for what felt like forever. Finally just south of Calgary we had to pull over. Also, it should be noted that we hadn't experienced dark, especially driving a giant camper in the dark, for well over a month. When we finally found what appeared to be an abandoned auto shop, which we found out a couple of hours later, was not. I believe the farmer was a bit vexed to find us out in his yard...oops. Then on to the border.
Look out Montana the Jessens are Back!!
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