Alaska Wouldn't Let Go...

This past month has brought new adventures....and a lot of extra stress!

And the stress boiled down to one simple thing: getting Dakota out of Alaska.

Some would argue that job searching would be more stressful, and I would agree. However, the hiring season hadn't started yet (it just did) so I couldn't be stressed about that yet. 

Now, I've flown Dakota to California before. How hard can it be to do it again? Yeah, Dakota was only five months old when I did that. (Yes, friends & family who met him, he was only five months old and that big!) He fit a large crate then, he's in a GIANT crate now.

So, when I decided to move back to California, I figured I would just buy a used vehicle and drive it down for the adventure. And I do love adventure. But, I wasn't seeing any cars, trucks, or SUVs I was really into. And I began to doubt the taking 7 days to drive. I was anxious to get to California sooner rather than later. So, Plan A was scratched.

Alaska Airlines is great with pets. They give you this note when you are on the plane that your pet is on there with you (they pull it from the intake sheet as they load your animal) so you KNOW where your pet is. I haven't had any problems with them. However, their cargo doors are 34 inches high, and a giant crate is 35 inches high. So, Alaska Airlines doesn't fly giant dog crates.

But United Airlines does and they have a pet program as well. Great! Plan B! Except they can only fly giant crates on certain sized planes and whoops! None of those planes are flying in or out of Anchorage. Scratch that plan.

Delta also says it can fly crates that size. But their phone lines were acting up and I couldn't get a straight flight to any of my destination choices....it was weird on their website. Delta wasn't ever a plan...

Plan C: maybe I can rent a car, drive it and return it in California. After contacting every car rental place in Anchorage, scratch Plan C.

Plan D: Rent cargo space from Alaskan Airlines on a cargo flight! It can only get me to Seattle, but from there I can rent a car and return it to California easily. They just have to return my phone call.

Two Weeks Later: Still waiting for my phone calls and e-mail to be returned for Plan D.

While I'm waiting for Plan D, maybe Plan E will work better: a private flight from Anchorage to Seattle, rent a car.....$18,000? Ummmm, thanks but no thanks. Scratch Plan E.

Plan F: perhaps a charter plane from a smaller freight company in Alaska? Oh, they don't fly to Seattle, nevermind. Scratch Plan F.

Started contacting other people listed for Plan D. Maybe someone else can help me. Oh, they all seem to be out of the office for the rest of the week.

Plan G: Rent an RV and drive it down to Seattle, then rent a car. I found all sorts of RV rentals, but the ones where you can rent it to drive down (most of them were for driving up to Alaska) had a no pet policy. And with 2 cats and a giant dog by myself, I figured that wouldn't be fair to omit that information. Scratch Plan G.

Plan H: Take a ferry! Animals have to stay in the vehicle (which I don't have) and can only be walked for 15 minutes when the ferry is at a port. Ummmmm......no, scratch Plan H.

Still waiting for Plan D, Plan D will work.....????

Plan I: Trains? No trains to Alaska....plus, Amtrak only allows service dogs....

I could just take him on the plane!

note: getting Dakota labeled a service dog would solve ALL my problems!!!

Plan J: Bus? Service dogs only!

At this point, Plan D has finally gotten back to me, only to tell me that I would really only be able to fly out of Anchorage May 18th, if they can fit me in at all. Fishing season will have started by then and the fish take priority. My contract ends May 16th and even though I have serious doubts about being able to get from Akiak to Anchorage before leaving May 18th, I agree to it. They told me they would get back to me. (Again.)

Plan K: contacting several pet mover companies to just deal with Dakota for me. Most of my queries go unanswered, if not some crazy total. Scratched!

Plan L: have my Uncle Val come and get me. He can drive up with his truck and then drive us all down. But, my uncle is moving that same weekend. He's willing to come get me or even just have me fly down and he can get Dakota, but I can't leave my baby boy. So Plan L is scratched.

It was back to Plan A. Except I didn't want to get stuck with a car that I didn't really want, or was overpriced because it was in Alaska. I really wanted a Honda CRV.

Me Likey

No wonder every article I read about traveling with giant dogs in Alaska involved the owners driving to and from Alaska. This was insane trying to get Dakota out. It felt like Alaska just wouldn't let me go.

I had done an internet search of Honda Dealerships in Anchorage. And at the time, I couldn't find one. However, while I was waiting for Plan D to get back to me a second time, my mother called me and told me she found a Honda Dealership in Anchorage. I contacted them and they had the exact model & color I wanted. 

It was more expensive than it would have been if I bought it in California. But the real question was: would the expenses balance out? I would be buying the car anyways, and if Plan D works....I just might be paying the same amount no matter what.

After hearing back from the dealership, I heard back from Plan D: $3,500 to reserve cargo space for Dakota. Plus, I'd need his health certificate sooner, which meant a Bethel trip to the vet instead of going to Anchorage while we were already there....so that's an extra $500. Plus a rental car fee for once we got to Seattle....not to mention MY ticket and my 2 cats....

So buying a car in Anchorage and driving it down is probably the best way.

After many, many phone calls, e-mails, internet searches and Facebook posts, I have landed on a plan that is in motion, far from perfect, but solid. Whatever else comes up, I will deal with it then. I call this plan: Plan Z.

At Dawson Creek, veer off & hug the coast

Plan Z: I buy a SUV in Anchorage. I fly my critters out of Akiak and Bethel May 18th. (And notice that flight wasn't mentioned, cause that was the easy part!!!) My mother is going to fly up to Anchorage and meet me there. We are going to spend two days getting our supplies ready, and then May 20th, we will be driving the Alaskan Highway out of Alaska and through the Yukon, then taking the Western Access Route  (off the Alaskan Highway) through British Colombia to Seattle. From Seattle, it's I5 to California.

My Honda CRV is already bought. It's waiting for me to pick it up when I get to Anchorage.

So, in 20 days, I will have a new adventure to post about. The thing is, it's not a vacation. My trip to Iceland is my vacation. My driving the ALCAN is just to get me to California. It would be great if I could enjoy myself and take my time, but right now, I need a job. And I feel like I need to be available for interviews. I want to push the drive so I can get to where I need to be. Iceland is going to be my real treat. 

I feel very practical about my road trip. I do plan on enjoying the view, and stopping regularly to stretch my legs (and Dakota's). I'm not going to spend the whole time driving. My mindset is really focused on getting home though. Focused, determined, hell bent....you know, whatever.

                                       

Road tripping for 7 days with a giant dog, 2 cats, and my feline allergy sensitive mother doesn't really sound all that relaxing to me. If it were just me in the car, I bet I could do Anchorage to Seattle in 3 days. And as for my mother, she's going to talk to her doctor and get her own hotel room, so the cats shouldn't be a problem. Ah well, maybe another flaw to the plan. 

At this point, it's whatever works. Plan Z will have it's bumps, but it's the best I got. That stress of trying to figure out what to do is gone. Once I get to California, I'll be staying with my brother, sister-in-law, and my 5 year old niece. I'm excited about that.

And if you have a giant dog and are wondering how to get it in and out of Alaska....drive it.

Okay, so now onto the job search stress. Fantastic!!!