http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Aurclyels Planning for the next adventure while my basketball team continues losing all of our games. Sun, 27 Jan 2008 01:07:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Okay, some of you requested that I post my Christmas letter on this web site since I was too cheap to direct mail it to you, but you found out somehow anyways.  Enjoy. Holiday Winter Season December 2007   Dear _________________   Well hello!  It’s been a long time (possibly) since we last kept in ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Aurclyels/my-christmas-letter.html I'm back with the school district, now on my 2-week winter break, contemplating my travel adventure plans for 2008.  Suggestions?.... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Aurclyels/december-2007-update.html I'm currently in New York for a family reunion--dad's side, over 50 relatives I either do not know at all or have had very little contact with...we're all here learning about the history of our clan and trying to forge those connections to develop relationships with the younger generation and ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Aurclyels/finally-and-update-albiet-very-very-short.html So here's your quick history lesson/introduction for the Alaska Highway. Pearl Harbor, December 1941. The threat of the Japanese. Suddenly, the 49th state of the union was a major concern of national security. Japan sits only 600 miles from Alaska's Aleutian Islands. As a matter of fact, Japan attacked and actually ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Aurclyels/trip-report-alaska-highway.html Things to remember when traveling in Canada. - When turning at an intersection and you have a turn signal, the flashing arrow indicates it is your turn to turn!  A solid arrow means you must wait and yield to oncoming traffic.  This was pretty hard to get used to. - It's kilometers, not ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Aurclyels/more-things-canadian-latest-stats-and-where-to-from-here.html Time for your daily math lesson. Here we go. 1 liter of gas in Canada averages about $1.13 (Update 07/19/07: The gas up here in Dawson City is $1.39 per litre!) 1 liter = .26 gallons 1 gallon = 3.79 liters You with me so far? Okay, now for some money conversions. I ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Aurclyels/oh-canada-part-2.html Calgary, Alberta thoughts: Man, it sure is flat up here!  The roads are all very very straight, and it is just flat as a pancake.  I could see for miles upon miles far and away as we drove up from the Canadian border.  Which, incidentally, we didn't pass inspection so easily.  ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Aurclyels/oh-canada.html Montana thoughts Often, when driving around Portland, I'll see license plates from Montana that say "Big Sky Country."  Well, no foolin'.  This place definitely IS Big Sky Country, where the posted Interstate speed limit is 75 and the sky draws the eyes because, well, it's so dang big.  Traffic in Montana?  Yep, at ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Aurclyels/waterton-glacier-international-peace-park.html Internet time is at a premium, so I apologize in advance for typos and run on words and sentences that don't make much sense.  Lisa and I are now one week into our road trip up to Alaska, and this blog will serve more as a forum as a photo ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Aurclyels/roadtrippin-north-days-1-3.html June 15th, 2007. My last day of work. Because I am a teacher's assistant, I have summer vacation, just like the kids. No work until September. That's almost 2 1/2 months off for play time! But I had a quandary: because my position was a ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Aurclyels/summer-kick-off.html