Olaf and an incidental fieldtrip

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We knew that getting Olaf to join us in Italy was going to be a challenge. Like the type A people we are, we started researching our options early in this 7 month saga. They were limited.

Helping Brian make sure his toy got packed

  • "Sorry, your bulldog can't fly on a commercial flight due to his short nose breed."
  • "Sorry, there are no military flights for dogs out of Eielson."
  • "Sorry, the pet cruise doesn't leave at that time of year."
  • "Sorry, our company doesn't have drivers in Alaska."
Last vet visit...little did he know
how much car time was coming!

Turns out that Olaf dogs, and other brachycephalic breeds, can't fly commercial but they can fly on military flights. Commercial airlines are worried about the bad PR if a dog dies in flight but turns out the military is far less concerned with PR, and while I say that with a tone of sarcasm, we are grateful that is the case. So after deciphering yet more military jargon we learned that Olaf can fly on the "AMC" or "rotator" which is just a commercial flight charted by the military - the catch being that flight would be out of Norfolk Virginia. Our options to get Olaf to Virginia were limited to us driving him or a pet shipping company driving him.
Brian @ his parents' house just before leaving
 
We decided to have someone else drive him. The Alaska Highway can be dicey in the midst of winter and if we missed the Rotator flight to Italy we would be looking at delays possibly into March, while stuck in Virginia, on our dime. Finding a pet shipper was an ordeal. Only two are certified for Alaska and one of them didn't pick up the phone, answer emails, or respond to social media. The company from Florida gave us a quote and a four day time period - I actually laughed, out loud, at the guy and sincerely asked him if he knew were Alaska was on the map. He assured us that with what he planned it would be possible. Ok, we thought, we will just pack extra kibble for the inevitable extra days. 
Sold his favourite car that he's ever owned

With many nauseating minutia in between it turns out the Florida pet shipper, sub contracted to the pet shipper in Anchorage that wouldn't answer our calls, who subcontracted with a company out of Georgia, who then subcontracted with an individual driver who then flies to the pet, rents a car, and drives. None of that was upfront. Those are the details we unearthed after the nightmare of communication and whirlwind decisions that were our last 72hrs in Alaska. 
Stopped by the Curling Club for hugs on our way out of town.

Long story short, the subcontracted driver - William - never showed in Alaska. In the aftermath of the SouthWest meltdown his call about flight delays seemed reasonable. There was a little room in the tight schedule to make the rotator on time. Then more delays. Then 24hrs where he dropped off the planet. No calls. No texts. Even his boss couldn't find him or contact him. Brian and I even called the closest hospitals to Sea-Tac which is where he last said he was. I concocted theories about medical emergencies, kidnappings, and death because the idea that someone would just scam us is so far out of the realm of possibility for someone who has worked her whole life to be an optimist and humanist. Once his boss connected with him, she gave him an hour to get connected to Life360 and prove his location and reconfirm his plan to drive Olaf, which he didn't do. He had a story about losing his phone but details quickly unraveled. Even his boss told us to dispute the charge with Bank of America. Getting our money back was awesome but it still didn't solve our Olaf dilemma. 

So, about ten days before departure from Virginia we were left with a choice:
  1. Leave Olaf with a friend forever (due to his age this is likely a one way trip for him)
  2. Drive him to Virginia ourselves
Olaf's first night in a hotel room!

The next day was a whirlwind of updating the Hylander's registration and tags, getting new blizzak tires, getting them on, selling the Audi, health certificates for Olaf, and about a dozen other errands (sorry Jackie we didn't get the sheets washed and the room vacuumed like we intended before the expedited schedule!) Less than 24hrs after choosing the only viable option, we were on the road with an Olaf, four suitcases, two carryons, a backpack, a computer bag, and last minute "oh shit I hope we don't need this" Alaska Highway gear like extra gas, a shovel, winter boots, and blankets. 
.                                       


Drive Stats:
  • 4552.4 miles in 6 days of driving
  • That's equivalent to 14 trips from Fairbanks to Anchorage or a suicide trip everyday for a week
  • Slight scare of running out of gas in almost the same spot we ran out of gas driving to Alaska in 1993... tiny Watson Lake 2 pumper for the win on New Years Day!
  • 0 need for any emergency gear
  • 18 stops for gas
  • 2 countries: 4 provinces & 10 states
    • Canada: Yukon, BC, Alberta, & Saskatchewan
    • USA: Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, & Virginia.
  • 4 state capitol photo stops
  • Only 1 2a Olaf pee demand
  • Lots of questions about why people live in Saskatchewan, Iowa, or any Dakota. THAT WIND!
All packed up!
     
Unimpressed with how much there is to go!


Highlights:
  • Making this decision together with well thought out reasoning
  • Sunrising at Chacho's and "Half my Hometown" playing when the ignition started
  • Tim Horton breakfast
  • Mr. Manook raven visiting in Watson Lake
  • "My Wish" playing, which Jackie and Brian danced to at our wedding, and felt so wholly appropriate at the start of this journey
  • Sasquatches playing the drums on the yellow brick road
  • DINNER WITH DAD, LANIE AND BROFINN IN EDMONTON and a much needed confirming popazoid talk
  • LUNCH WITH WANDA, JOE, EMERSON, AND THAYLS IN SASKATOON
  • The formality of a garbage picker at the border
  • Kelly driving on the highway and being comfortable...until she very much wasn't
  • Siri scaring us and then laughing until I cried
  • State capitol photo stops
  • Lil' Beaver Brewing (in the top 3 we've ever been to!)
  • Smooth Ambler distillery (we had a little extra time on the East end of the trip!)
  • Pulling into the Norfolk hotel and having a day to do all the other errands like sell the car, mail stuff to Italy, mail winter gear back to Alaska, paperwork for the Rotator, repack, and focus on the goal of 🇮🇹

                         
The best brewery! Check it out in Bloomington Illinois.
CLICK ME. I'm a brewery link if you're in the area
 


A welcomed sight after nearly 4500 miles
Cheers to what would be another adventure
in the morning trying to get the Rotator

Olaf the morning we left Norfolk for Naples, another approx. 4500 mile journey!





   





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