Driving with My Dog from New York to Alaska
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By Donald F. Smith, Cornell UniversityPosted August 11, 2012.
Five years ago tomorrow, Beau and I departed on a 35-day cross country jeep adventure to Alaska and back. We traveled through ten states, four Canadian provinces, and the Yukon. We crossed the international border eight times. We slept under the Northern lights and in a five-star hotel. We saw caribou, mountain sheep, brown and black bears. We traded the interstate for state roads, and large bridges for ferries. We drove the Alaska Highway. We met rich people who acted poor, and impoverished people filled with the wealth of human kindness. We met people with ugly attitudes who had nothing good to say, and radiant people with no limit to their kindness. Though some friends and colleagues said it couldn’t done--just a man and a dog driving over 10,000 miles--we did it with only two bad days (stay tuned).
Beau at the Welcome Sign to Alaska, Day 10.
By Donald F. Smith, Cornell UniversityPosted August 11, 2012.
Five years ago tomorrow, Beau and I departed on a 35-day cross country jeep adventure to Alaska and back. We traveled through ten states, four Canadian provinces, and the Yukon. We crossed the international border eight times. We slept under the Northern lights and in a five-star hotel. We saw caribou, mountain sheep, brown and black bears. We traded the interstate for state roads, and large bridges for ferries. We drove the Alaska Highway. We met rich people who acted poor, and impoverished people filled with the wealth of human kindness. We met people with ugly attitudes who had nothing good to say, and radiant people with no limit to their kindness. Though some friends and colleagues said it couldn’t done--just a man and a dog driving over 10,000 miles--we did it with only two bad days (stay tuned).
Beau at the Welcome Sign to Alaska, Day 10.
After five years to reflect and, with my 16-year-old graying English Cocker Spaniel by my side, I shall share a brief recap of our story in the hope that it will inspire others to do something as wonderful.
The Setting: On a warm May evening in 2007, I turned to my wife, Doris, “What do you think if I drive to Anchorage with Beau and we meet you there?” “Sure”, she said, “sounds like a plan”. I would be soon be completing my ten-year term as dean of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and needed some down time and a time to reflect. This adventure would be good therapy.
Rules of the Road:
- Except for the time we were with Doris in Alaska, I had made only one reservation for the entire trip, and that was at the Hilton Anchorage the night before my wife flew in to meet us. Other nights, Beau and I slept in inexpensive hotels or under a small tent. Occasionally we slept in the jeep, and on three occasions, under the stars.
- Driving from Ithaca to the Canadian border in Saskatchewan, we traveled state and secondary roads--our tires never touched the Interstate. In Canada, we often drove provincial roads until we reached the Alaska Highway in northern British Columbia.
- We stopped every 40 miles or every hour, whichever came first. I never peed before Beau. We always ate together, never in a restaurant. He sat up front with me in the passenger seat, and almost always wore his seat belt.
Regina, Saskatchewan, Day 5.Was I apprehensive? A few times, but not as much as I thought. There were some vicious-acting dogs in northern Alberta that really scared me, and some vast stretches of highway in the Yukon that were desolate at night, especially while Beau was sleeping. But mostly, it was a comfortable and enjoyable trip and I highly recommend it, or something like it !
The route north and west, from New Work to AlaskaJoin me on Tuesday for the first installment (days one and two).
Dr. Smith invites comments at dfs6@cornell.edu
View original article: http://veterinarylegacy.blogspot.com/2012/08/driving-with-my-dog-from-new-york-to.html
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