As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Road was really bad after we left Tok and the closer we got to Canada the worse it was; very hot but with a breeze and mostly blue skies. Stopped to let DD gather Alaskan dirt.
In the middle of nowhere we had to stop at a red light and wait for a pilot car.
While we were waiting, a nice lady came up from the car behind us and introduced herself. She was heading to Oregon and we chatted about the dark clouds? smoke? off to our right, she had heard there was a forest fire.
DD, while waiting for the pilot car.
The pilot car finally arrived to take us over the gravel road that had Pot holes (ones big enough to sink an entire tire into) dips, humps, and holes, it was very slow going so difficult to enjoy the scenery.
Finally made it to Customs, DD snapped a pic
And I thought we were going to have our phone conficated! The official asked if we took his picture, he was very serious. I looked at DD and she said no, just the building and couldn't see him. He was young and nice looking (DD thought so) but extremely serious.
We arrived at 3:29PM. He asked a bunch of questions and some 2 or 3 times and of course all of our identification. Finally waved us through, much tougher than the last time I went though in 1977.
Sorry customs was less than pleasant.... We had a similar question seriously asked of us last year- my son was taking a picture of the welcome sign and we were firmly asked if we were videoing him.... I quickly answered no, and to avoid any possible conflict, I whispered for my son to put the phone away... lol.
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Sorry customs was less than pleasant.... We had a similar question seriously asked of us last year- my son was taking a picture of the welcome sign and we were firmly asked if we were videoing him.... I quickly answered no, and to avoid any possible conflict, I whispered for my son to put the phone away... lol.
I expected it to be more vigorous but not the big deal about the photo, I told DD to put the phone down too, just to avoid any more unpleasantness. I had visions of the official asking us to unload the truck.
Love the moose picture!!
DD did pretty well catching her on film.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pris
Great moose shots from a moving truck. Too bad you couldn't catch the bear, on film that is. Alaska and Canada are beautiful.
We do manage a bear shot later in the trip so that will be coming up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
The moose photos are really cool! I'm not surprised about customs, as they are so strict on photos these days.
Thanks, wasn't aware of photo issues at customs, live and learn.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coop
What great scenery! Such a trip! You are a very brave woman! Sorry about the loss of your Grandma.
Thanks Coop.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great pictures from your drive!
Thanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Cool photos of the moose! My DH loves moose.
My DG loved moose too and would go out of her way to get photos.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
Enjoying the photos of your journey. So sorry about your Grandma.
After about two and a half hours we reached Kluane Lake (coo-lawn-nee). Got gas, drove up to the lodge and used their restroom. It was very cloudy and windy here. On calm days the sky and mountains can be reflected in the lake but not this time it was cold because of the wind.
After leaving the lodge, I pulled into the next pull out and got out our propane campstove, fired it up and heated dinner which were already prepped and in foil packets so I could place the foil packet right in the pan and warm up dinner. While I did that DD got each cat on a leash and brought them back to offer food, water, and a cat box but the cats did not like being outside by the road with the wind blowing. It didn't take long and we were back in the truck to eat dinner out of the wind and on our way at 7:15PM.
I've said my goal was Whitehorse which would have been another 4.5-5 hour drive and I knew after only getting 11 hours sleep in the last 3 nights my brain was too foggy to drive that long safely. The road was so bad between the Canadian border and Kluane lake that I was lucky to make 30 mph which really slowed my time schedule. It wasn't the frost heaves (think natural speed bumps) but the one foot deep craters that I really had to watch out for. I had DD look up campgrounds in the Milepost for Hanes Junction which is still another 3 hour drive to Whitehorse. We arrived and found the office about 15 minutes before they closed for the night. $18.90 for a tent site. After the paperwork we went and found an open campsite which was a tight fit with the U-Haul but I managed.
Out of the truck and to the trailer to dig out the tent. I had not set this one up before and DD had never set one up. I couldn't find my hammer for the tent stakes so grabbed my stainless steel fry pan I had used to warm dinner. It started to rain, just a steady sprinkle that stirred up the mosquitos . We managed to get the tent set up about 2 feet from the truck but the space was so small I didn't have any other options. I started to hammer the tent stakes in with the fry pan which made a loud clang, clang, clang, while doing the mosquito dance. ( This dance you continually wiggle, or jiggle, or wave body parts to discourage the mosquitos from landing on you) Anyone watching probably would have been laughing. I was on my second tent stake when the man in the next site came over and offered my his axe (hammer on one side) the clanging was probably driving the poor guy crazy. I finished with that and returned the axe thanking him before I tossed bedding, pillows, cat goods into the tent. Got everything arranged and brought in the cats. It was about 9:30PM. The cats weren't too sure about what this new abode was but were very happy to have the catbox and water.
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Pixie Dust
Alaskan Mom aka Bonnie
PassPorter Guide Author
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. We managed to get the tent set up about 2 feet from the truck but the space was so small I didn't have any other options. I started to hammer the tent stakes in with the fry pan which made a loud clang, clang, clang, while doing the mosquito dance. ( This dance you continually wiggle, or jiggle, or wave body parts to discourage the mosquitos from landing on you) 
Anyone watching probably would have been laughing. I was on my second tent stake when the man in the next site came over and offered my his axe (hammer on one side) the clanging was probably driving the poor guy crazy.
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