In case you missed it, click here for part 1.
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Arriving at the family farm in Missouri was exciting for me–reconnecting with people as well as the farm animals. We had a busy schedule which included much visiting, eating meals with various family members, and a wedding shower. The church I had attended as a child gave us the wedding shower with the entire church body present. My new husband managed to grab onto the whiplash of each event and enjoy himself. People of the area, including my family, developed a great respect for him.

We made a side trip to Kentucky where my husband’s sister lived with her husband. She was 8 ½ months pregnant with their first child and was very glad to see her older brother. After lots of visiting and a little sightseeing, we headed back to Missouri.

It was time to pack everything and load the car for the return trip to Alaska. There was a dramatic increase in items to go into the car from the wedding shower. Plus I was hoping to take my cedar chest that I had gotten from my 16th birthday. Everything was laid out and my mother said to my husband, “You will never get all that stuff into that little car.” The challenge was issued and accepted. With several trial, error, and regroupings, everything was in or on the car, including the cedar chest!

Saying good-bye to family, friends, and animals, we traveled to Pontiac, Michigan, where we picked up two trucks for my husband’s workplace in Fairbanks, Alaska. The second truck was mounted piggyback onto the first truck. The Corvette was then mounted onto the second truck. By default this made truck number one our new mode of transportation.

North into Canada was our short-term destination. At the border, we discovered the trucks needed to be bonded since they did not belong to us. Fortunately, that could be accomplished on site. However, it took several hours to complete.

Once we were underway again, we enjoyed seeing the countryside and the beautiful Canadian scenery form the height of a semi-truck. The trip was uneventful until we reached Steamboat Mountain on the Alcan. The steep grade of the mountain combined with the gravel road and sharp corners made travel difficult. To make matters worse, my husband noticed that the brakes were beginning to fade. Using the engine as a makeshift brake, we slowed to a crawl. He figured out that the compressor could not keep up with the amount of braking required to get through the region.

At about the same time we began to notice dust seeping into the cab of the truck (water trucks were a rare commodity). Eventually, it became hard to breathe and we welcomed the winding road. Slowing down to a crawl meant a decrease of dust inside the cab. We would also stop periodically, get out, and breathe less dusty air. A shower was needed each night just to get the dust off our bodies and out of our hair. Dust in our nose and mouth was the most uncomfortable and hardest to remove–even though we blew our noses and drank lots of water.

It was a relief to get into Alaska! Despite the fact that the paved road was full of potholes and frost heaves, it felt so-o smooth! Normal breathing without dust was a commodity that we did not take for granted–pure luxury!

As we arrived in Fairbanks, it began to snow. However, a little snow did not keep interested Alaskans from checking out the truck set-up. The following day the trucks were separated and the Corvette was unloaded using a forklift. We drove the Corvette to our place of abode where it was unpacked, and we were ready to embark upon a new married life!