Post 10: Will’s 40th Birthday: An Alaskan Adventure to Remember
- DCW
- May 2
- 8 min read
Turning 40 is a big deal, and Will was the first one to reach the 4.0 Club out of the three of us. When we asked him what he wanted, his answer was simple: Hawaii. So how did we end up in Alaska? After our first trip there in October 2021, Will caught the Alaska bug, and when we compared what we could do together in 11 days, Alaska won hands down. It promised an epic road trip and memories to last a lifetime—and it absolutely delivered.
The Journey
Packing for this trip wasn’t bad thanks to our first Alaska adventure, but packing enough gear to survive 11 days off the grid definitely added up fast. Flights were brutal—shoutout to the nightmare layover in Seattle—but we were excited knowing we had a fully-loaded camper truck waiting for us. Plus, for Will’s birthday flair, we booked a first-class flight to Utqiagvik (FKA Barrow) so he could celebrate touching the Arctic Ocean at 40... even though he absolutely hates the cold. 😂
We landed in Anchorage at the end of May 2022 and crashed overnight at our throuple friends’ house in Palmer. The next morning, we picked up our camper truck—which was fully loaded—full kitchen setup, cooktop, fridge, two rooftop tents, a giant water tank, propane, cooler, and every camping supply you could think of. That’s when it hit: this wasn’t just a trip. It was survival.
After one last four-wheeler rip through Palmer (because when in Alaska…), we hit the road at 9 PM for the six-hour drive to Fairbanks. The sun barely dipped below the horizon around midnight, and it completely messed with our sense of time. Along the way, we saw a black bear just chilling by the freeway, countless moose, and even caught a rare, clear view of Denali at sunset. (Pro tip: don't hang out too long—mosquitoes in Alaska are like flying piranhas.)
We got to Fairbanks around 4 AM, grabbed a quick hotel crash, and got ready for our morning flight to Barrow. Except... our flight got delayed just enough that we’d miss the connection. After some epically terrible “first-class service,” we said screw it, refunded the tickets, and came up with a crazier idea—let’s just drive north!
Fully caffeinated and stocked with gas and groceries, we hit the Haul Road (yup, the same one from Ice Road Truckers). The first major stop: is the Yukon River Bridge. A massive, ancient-looking wooden bridge over a river so wide it looked fake. Gas was $7 a gallon there—but if you didn’t pay it, you didn’t make it much further. The truck stop was nothing more than a place to shower, eat, sleep, and fill up.
Next up was one of the big bucket list stops: the Arctic Circle. Pulling up to that famous sign felt surreal. We blasted music, took every touristy selfie possible, and just stood there like kids grinning at the edge of the world. Will officially turned 40 standing just north of it—pretty damn epic.
We kept pushing north to Coldfoot, a tiny outpost that’s part gas station, part diner, part bar, and part trucker motel. We grabbed food, filled up on gas, and found a campsite just outside town. Alone on the tundra, we hiked around in the midnight sun with Truly's in hand, celebrated life, and climbed around the pipeline taking dumb selfies.
The next morning, we made the push-up through Atigun Pass. Twisting, steep, and icy even in summer, Atigun was one of the most intense drives any of us have ever done. Standing at the top at the Continental Divide—where every river now flows north toward the Bering Sea—was unreal. We made it about 90 miles shy of Prudhoe Bay before gas worries made us turn around.
On the drive back, luck struck again—we spotted two of the rare musk oxs. It felt like National Geographic was just putting on a show for us. We rolled back into Fairbanks exhausted but absolutely wired from adrenaline.
Our friends met us and dragged us to Chena Hot Springs for a soak. (There’s nothing better than floating in steaming water after 48 hours of dirt roads.) After crashing for a night plus a morning soak, we explored North Pole, AK (yes, where Santa "lives"), grabbed a few last souvenirs, and then made our way to another epic campsite along the pipeline.
That night, Caleb wandered off to pee... and our friend Dave decided it was the perfect time to prank him. He hid a Bluetooth speaker in the woods, blasted a bear growl when Caleb got back, and he basically turned into a cartoon blur sprinting 200 feet away while the rest of us died laughing around the campfire.
The next morning, Will made a new best friend—a little bluebird who started eating trail mix straight out of his hand. Honestly, it was one of the cutest moments of the trip.
From there, we made a quick stop to take photos at Matanuska Glacier before heading back to Palmer. That night, we camped along the Knik River, off-roading three miles downriver (sometimes literally driving through two feet of water) to find the perfect camp spot.
The next day's mission: four-wheeling up the Knik River to the glacier itself. Dave absolutely floored it through flooded trails at one point. When we reached the glacier, it felt like stepping onto another planet. We walked across parts of it, licked the 10,000-year-old ice, and just soaked it all in.
Next up, we road-tripped south to Homer, camping on the windy Homer Spit. Chilly but beautiful, we hit up fresh seafood shacks, explored the town, and even left a “3dudes1life” dollar on the ceiling of a local dive bar. Homer was a vibe.
Instead of heading straight home, we spent the final weekend camping at Clam Gulch along the Kasilof River, fed by the glacier-filled Tustumena Lake. The water was a crazy shade of blue that looked completely fake. We spent the weekend fishing, panning for gold, exploring the riverbanks—and yes, dodging massive bear tracks everywhere.
On the last morning, we woke up to the unmistakable stench of rotting fish and death. Turns out a bear had wandered through camp while we were passed out. (Good morning, Alaska! 🐻) Might have not helped that we burned all our bacon fat in the fight that night. 😂
After a quick breakfast—and a lot of nervous side-eyeing into the woods—we packed up camp, drove back to Palmer, cleaned out the truck, and got ready for the flight home. 11 days had flown by way too fast, but the memories? Unforgettable.
The Highlights of the Trip
There were so many unreal moments it's hard to pick, but a few stood out. Exploring the Knik Glacier was mind-blowing — not just seeing it from afar but walking on it, touching it, feeling how alive it is. Coldfoot, AK, ended up being one of our favorite stops: tiny, remote, gritty, but somehow perfect.
That random sunset over Denali? Yeah, that was pure magic. And we seriously couldn’t believe how much wildlife we saw — bears, moose, musk ox, foxes, eagles — it was like living inside a National Geographic documentary for a week straight.
The Most Unforgettable Moments
Let’s just say, Alaska doesn’t let you forget you’re in the wild. Like having to “use the bathroom” Alaska-style—shoutout to the honey bucket setup. Which is a 5-gallon bucket, a trash bag, and try to find a tree cause it makes it easier to lean on. (RIP Daniel’s shirt, which had to be sacrificed due to a forgotten roll of toilet paper. 💀)
The time we celebrated Will’s birthday literally standing next to the pipeline with Truly's at midnight. Or Caleb getting pranked with a Bluetooth bear growl and sprinting like he was in the Olympics.
Honestly, just the quiet moments too—like hiking the tundra in the midnight sun, hearing nothing but our own footsteps and the wind. We don't get that in SoCal there is always someone screaming or a siren.
What We Learned From This Trip
This trip proved we can really do anything together. Camping off-grid for 11 days, driving the wildest roads, dealing with bears wandering into camp—it wasn’t always glamorous, but it was us the whole way through.
We learned that adventure trips are the best way to celebrate big milestones. Push yourself, get uncomfortable, and do things you wouldn’t normally do. The memories will be the ones you talk about for the rest of your life.
Alaska also taught us a lot about extremes—one minute it’s 40 degrees and raining, and the next it’s 80 and sunny. Always pack layers. 😂 If you're planning your own Alaska adventure? Rent a truck with a full camp setup, don’t get locked into hotels, and go as remote as you can. Trust us.
Conclusion
Will’s 40th wasn’t just a trip — it was an experience. And compared to Costa Rica, it was surprisingly affordable: no hotels, no car rentals, just one rolling house on wheels, and endless wilderness.
Would we do it again? In a heartbeat.
( McCarthy, Valdez, and Barrow are officially on our future list.)
If you could celebrate your birthday anywhere in the world, where would you go? Tell us in the comments — we need ideas for our next big adventure. 🌎🎉
Life Lately
Happy early Cinco de Mayo — hello margs! 🍹 And shoutout to our friend Joey — happy birthday! 🎉
Okay, real talk—life has been a whirlwind. We're back in full SoCal chaos mode with work, planning OATF's summer madness, and juggling the usual daily grind. Daniel and Caleb are doing their thing at work, and Will? Let’s just say his calendar looks like a rainbow threw up on it.
We’re officially in “go mode” with our first-ever May fairs coming up, which means every spare moment is booked solid. And yes, we still have to sneak in a birthday celebration this month. No pressure. Last weekend's rain turned out to be a blessing in disguise—it gave us the excuse to buckle down on the book. We're now on version 5, and a few friends are giving us early feedback. If we stay on track, the eBook, paperback, and hardcover should all be ready by the end of May. Fingers crossed and iced coffee on deck.
Since it’s spring, it also means garden time! Welcome to the first garden update of the season. Our little urban farm is officially in motion. The weather’s been cool, so germination’s been slow, but we’re finally seeing progress. In the front yard, we’ve got our pollinator garden buzzing with action and a giant pumpkin bed with four types: Cinderella, white, regular, and these wild yellow-orange striped ones. We added two rows of radishes as pest control (allegedly), and our pepper section includes jalapeños, red and green bell peppers, and onions. Also hanging out in that mix: onions, fennel, potatoes, and a few rogue herbs doing their thing.
Our long in-ground bed is filled with dill, bush beans, corn, watermelon, more onions, and one lone tomato plant doing its best. Around the side, we’ve got a round bed bursting with strawberries and another with blackberries and a load of flowers. We’re a little behind our usual planting timeline, but last year we pulled 54 pumpkins out of this setup, so we’re optimistic. Ignore the weeds in the pics—we’re getting to them. Probably. 😂
More garden updates to come, and if May could just chill for a second, that’d be great. 🌱🌻🍅
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