Sunday, March 29, 2020

Postponing Alaska

One of my most popular and most-read posts on this blog refers to a bucket list trip that I've wanted to take since I was a teenager:  a trip to Alaska!  And not just a trip to Alaska.... We're talking a trip on the Alaska Highway, through most of Northwestern Canada, into the Klondike in the Yukon, thru Whitehorse, Dawson City, and all the way to Fairbanks, then down to Anchorage, Seward, the Kenai Peninsula, and to Haines, Juneau, and Skagway.  It is an epic adventure that I have been planning for several years now.  This Summer was going to be, finally, a four week adventure of a lifetime.

Then... Coronavirus.

We're still hopeful.  There may be a miracle where the virus disappears or is deemed under control, and life will return to some semblance of normal.  Maybe the kids will still be able to finish the school year before losing their whole summer, and having to start the next school year with nary a break.  Maybe families will still get a chance to take a vacation.  (What's happening now is NOT a vacation... Yes, the kids are out of school, and yes, many adults are home, but this is not a vacation.)

What the whole planet is dealing with is hardly just an inconvenience.  People are dying, families are suffering, our economy is a disaster, people are out of work, some with no income, and so many of the modern conveniences that we count on are no longer available to us.  We are denied physical contact with one another while we wait out the pandemic that has taken the normal out of our lives.

This certainly doesn't change the fact that we desire, and maybe continue to plan, the things that we want to do... the things we love doing.  Like travel.

My daughter and I are road trip enthusiasts.  We have had a lot of practice over the past decade traveling throughout America, and last summer we made a significant achievement:  we went to our 48th state in the USA.  Only Hawaii and Alaska are still to come for us.  Our excitement grew as we began preparations for the longest road trip of our lives.  But we just don't know now if this trip will be possible this year.  And we're disappointed.

Life appears to be on pause.  We can't do anything except stay secluded.  We can get out, of course, and we do that.  This is a great time for my daughter to put in lots of time behind the wheel of our car as she prepares to get her driver's license, with most roads devoid of traffic.  Last weekend, we even went into DC to do some city driving.  I think she'll have her full amount of hours completed by the time she takes a driver's education class.  Getting her license before our trip to Alaska was one of our goals for this spring.

We continue to pray for everyone that is impacted by COVID-19.  We pray for the health and safety of our first responders and for hospital workers.  We pray that our family and friends are able to avoid it, and that we are able to get it eradicated from our lives.

Take care.  Stay safe.  Keep away from everyone.  Let's beat it.

Best wishes.

1 comment:

  1. May you and your daughter have a blessed Easter. It's wonderful but sad to remember what our Savior went through for us. Blessed day to you both.

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