After 6 long days on the road we arrived in Delta Junction—our first resting point on the journey. 

“I’m so happy to have just covered the first 160 kms of the journey,” I said to the camera while the horses rolled behind me. 

Luckily we found a great place for the horses to rest in the town’s rodeo grounds, and Brittany, the young lady who ran the grounds, waived the fee for the horses’ stay. 

“You don’t have to pay us anything Filipe, we love what you are doing… we will also bring your boys a bale of hay in the afternoon,” she said after I introduced her kids to Mac and Smokey.

I couldn’t believe our luck! To top if off, my friends Arnon Melo, Peter Hawkins, and Naira Schiavon, who have been instrumental to my journeys, flew to Alaska to see us.

“We are so excited to spend a few days with you guys,” said Peter Hawkins after we hugged. 

Peter and Arnon were my first sponsors ever! When I was looking for support for Journey America Part I, their logistics company, Mellohawk, jumped on board before I had the saddles, cameras, or the horses. They truly BELIEVED in my dream. And throughout my ride through the Americas, they continued to support me and the project, even flying to Barretos, Brazil for the grand finale of the first long ride. Naira, a long-time friend of Peter and Arnon, had become a new friend of mine. The Air Canada employee helped Clara and I fly from Sao Paulo to Toronto for a lot less than we would have paid for the ticket. To top it off, she moved us up to first class as well. 

We spent an amazing 2 days in Delta Junction drinking, eating, and laughing with these amazing friends. It was so nice having so many familiar faces around me… so much love. 

This was such a contrast to my other journeys where I was usually alone in the middle of strangers and thousands of kilometers away from those I love. 

When you have good friends around you, you have everything! I felt ready to tackle the next portion of the journey—173 kms from Delta Junction to Tok.