How many have driven to Alaska, solo?
50,000?, 1,000,000?
I venture to say, more than you may have dreamed. I have read many history books of trail blazers and missionaries who traveled the lonely path called life, it IS the adventure of a lifetime.
When you travel, but travel alone, you find yourself. Your courage, your awareness of life around you, or just how to problem solve with what you have.
My adventures have not been as far and wide as I would like, but I have traveled alone to:
Mexico
Fiji
England
Canada
Many US states
and driven to Alaska, which is much farther.
Was I scared? Not in the least.
Was I foolish? I didn’t think so at the time, but as I reflect on some of my travels, I can see how God alone protected me.
For instance: When I was in Fiji I wanted to tour the whole island and I called a taxi service. When I got there I was met by a young man who ‘got the job.’ I do not know what happened to cause it, but after we were driving around he told me this story.
“You wanted a driver and some of the older men wanted to drive you. I have not had sleep in 24 hours, but I knew those men wanted to do you harm. They were intending on taking you to the other side of the island and ‘hurt you.’ I was able to get this job, God willed it, I wanted to look out for you.”
On the drive, which was about 8 hours, we went about 300 miles. After a number of hours, he became so very tired and said, “I need to stop at a friends home to sleep for a while.” I didn’t know if I was safe there, but what could I do? It definitely wasn’t safe for him to drive with no sleep.
In Fiji, at that time 2003, you drove a taxi for 24 hours on and 24 hours off. He was on his last legs and I could tell he was exhausted. So we stopped.
I am so amazed at God’s provision. The home where we stopped had an ‘Indian gentleman’ who invited this friend and myself into his home. My driver went into the bedroom to sleep for a couple hours and the gentleman invited me to share tea with him.
As we talked and had tea, he shared he was a Christian and so we shared our faith and the providence of God.
I will always remember he heated up milk and then added tea to the milk. No water was used in this cup of tea, then he strained the tea leaves.
We left after a while and drove on. It was such a nice adventure that he invited me to his family home for a wedding party. I needed to wear a dress/ skirt and he came and picked me up for that too. I had such a good time, enjoyed the pure culture of this Hindi family and had my hands tattooed with henna. I returned from Fiji with such great memories and a wonder for love that is God's and it's all around the world.
(I have photos of the trip to Fiji, but they are packed. I will try to take a photo of a photo. This trip was before digital cameras, or phones with good cameras, I brought a 35mm camera to Fiji and took real film photos.)
Back to my trip in Alaska...
Here in the lower 48, I believe 'caution', 'cautious', and 'be safe' are words you hear almost daily. I do not think you live a ‘free life’ with those words swimming in your mind.
When in Alaska, the feeling is much more of a 'have a great day, watch yourself' or 'here in Alaska, only hearty people stay’, ‘we like it here, it’s less inhibited.’
I can say, after driving around and seeing the 'wide open spaces' in Alaska, it's a wonder to behold. Really Behold!
Denali, Alaska from the Air.
The mountains and glaciers are really awe inspiring. It’s just hard to believe how HUGE Alaska is.
Close your eyes.
Think of mountains that go on for hundreds of miles, with no perception of a town, or any civilization to be seen.
That is just one part of Alaska.
As I drove through Alaska, I would stop the car, get out and just look. Mountains, trees, rivers, clear landscape for miles and miles all around me.
No homes, businesses, freeways, roads, cabins, NO civilization to be seen. You really have to see it to believe how OPEN it is.
I have driven through Wyoming, and Idaho and although they are very open and have miles of ‘nothing’, you still see the highway running through the state.
Even the road would be ‘swallowed up by the forest’ and you couldn’t see it weaving through the land.
I am so glad the US bought the land that we can claim as 'ours.' Freedom does reign in Alaska.
Freedom to Jet Ski, freely at 2 am in the summer on a lake that is free to access.
Freedom to fly, even if you are 16 years old. 16 times the amount of people in Alaska are pilots, you will find young and old willing to help you get from place to place.
Freedom to build a mansion, underground house, or Straw bale home. I have not been to every state, but in the half I have been too, none of them I can say that 'Freedom' is 'freer' than in Alaska.
I happened to travel late summer and almost fall. I felt the air cooling and saw the leaves changing almost daily. The sun went from setting at 10:30 pm to setting at 8 pm in four weeks.
The nice weather went from beautiful and cool to cold and freezing.
When I left Fairbanks, AK it was 33 * in the morning as I awoke. I was very warm in my car though, I didn’t feel that cold even after I got out of my ‘cocoon.’
I met many travelers as I drove, and one couple had traveled from Argentina to Alaska in a bus. Another couple I met in BC near the Liard River Hot Springs, they were traveling from Alaska to Argentina. I still follow them on their adventures, even though the world changed in 2020.
Liard River, BC
What can you find out about people, faith, cultures, lifestyles or crafts while traveling? Oh… the world.
I am so pleased and happy I did this trip in 2019, I have so much to be thankful for.
Just being able to travel after years of ill health and needing more rest than anyone thought possible. Being financially free to travel and explore. I was never afraid to travel, I had prayer as my leading focus. God is with me, He is Inside of me and He will always protect me in ways I can not imagine. I trust God and my own abilities to navigate.
Mostly I trust God.
This was the photo that caught my heart. I felt as though it was a dream. I took this as I was leaving British Columbia headed for Alberta. I saw the fog and sunlight on the mountain and tried to capture it before the lighting changed.
This is my capture. This is God's creation.
Hope Hollinger
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