Now that we know my entire project is all make believe, there was some purpose to this plan. Thomas and I are going to Alaska and Hawaii (tomorrow). We will stay approximately a week in each state. As the 2 states that the Grahams had not traveled, this is the piece de resistance. Having already spoken with the Grahams on several occasions about traveling to Alaska and Hawaii, I know that the Grahams (Benjamin) intended to drive the Alaska Highway. That decision was made because while serving in the U.S. Army at the end of World War II, Benjamin’s friends, fellow African American soldiers eventually became apart of the effort to build the Alaska Highway.
I have mentioned often that time is money. You have to understand my planning and logistics dilemma. The Alaska Highway officially starts in British Columbia, Canada and ends a few hundred miles from Fairbanks, Alaska, for a total length of 1,390 miles. The first trip served a lesson; spending a lot of time driving does not allow for a lot of filming or breathing time. If given 5-6 days in Alaska to cover the entire highway, that would mean approximately 300 miles per day to get from point A to point B. 300 miles is a trip to NYC, which isn’t the longest drive, but it adds us when you are constantly on the move. Being stationed in one place for more than 1 day adds ease to filming.
Also, trying to perfect the best made-up plans leaves a lot to consider. Driving the entire highway will not happen, but some of it must. Everything else has been a very difficult fill in the blanks but I will try to remember to travel in the spirit of the Grahams and trash the overthinking of plans. In this same spirit, I have decided to rent an RV for our mode of transportation and accommodations in Alaska. The state parks cabins in Alaska look fantastic for true outdoor enthusiasts that have the time and the lack the need of integrated electricity. Unfortunately, with the filming gear, we will have to be powered up. Hotels could work, but let’s do this the way it should be done if I am doing this for the Grahams!
Hawaii is a different animal. Since I admit that I threw the Hawaii in the mix of what I assumed the Grahams would have done after traveling to Alaska, it was a bit of a freebie. There isn’t any particular place they would have gone if they hadn’t necessarily considered it. How could they not have wanted to travel to Hawaii to complete traveling all 50 states? Ok, you can’t drive an RV to Hawaii. I get it. But it only makes sense. The decision of picking Maui was based on the state parks system primarily. Yes, Hawaii does have state parks with cabins too and Maui has 2 parks with cabins. Maui has a major airport and that was enough to make a decision for made up stuff. Honestly, this has all been a lot to think about and I am going to do my best to not worry. I can only make sound decisions based on what I have and now it is up to us to make the most of it. It is time to settle in and get ready for our trip tomorrow.
Soon I imagine the stress will turn into excitement and I will be blown away by the entire experience. I hope that I will have the opportunity to keep everyone posted on our travels. If not, I will as soon as we return. There are a lot of surprises I will tell you about during our travels and I know there are some to come I wouldn’t be able to imagine. My coffee even smiled at me tonight while I was writing this. I don’t know if I am superstitious, but I will definitely take that as a good sign. Here’s to the dreamers and make believers!
For more information about the Alaska Highway: Building the Alaska Highway