Local man engineers the good life on the road

When Jason Webb decided to go into the engineering business, he didn't think it would also allow him the opportunity to play golf at some of the top courses in America, but it turned out that way.

For the last four years, Webb has traveled around the country working for an Anchorage-based company. For months at a time, he would take up residence in his travel trailer at locations in many Southern states, locations where winter isn't an option. Life on the road has its drawbacks, but Webb took advantage of his travels by hitting the links -- playing courses you see on television but rarely get the opportunity to play.

"I've played three courses in Myrtle Beach, a couple of cool courses in the Outer Banks in North Carolina, all over Florida, New Mexico and Arizona," Webb said. "It was definitely one of the perks."

Other perks of always being on the road mean being able to catch several NHL games, including playoff games in Phoenix a few years ago, as well as seeing "more than 100 bands live in concert," Webb said.

As much as his time spent on the course required close attention, so did his job. Webb is an engineer, and at the stops on the road, he and his crew worked on military bases' bombing ranges, destroying and salvaging old bombs and scrap metal.

"We recycled more than 18 tons of steel during the last three and a half years," Webb said.

The job allowed him to see almost the entire southern portion of the country. There were stops in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Idaho, making every day a new challenge. Webb drove to and from each stop, so he got to see all points in between.

Becoming an engineer took some serious dedication, Webb said. He graduated from Wasilla High School and spent his first couple years of college at Central Washington University. He then transferred to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he got his civil engineering degree in 1998.

After getting married to Ellen, a Service High School graduate, in 2000, the road started to wear on Webb and his wife. While he was single, Webb stayed in motel rooms during his stops at the various bases. After getting married, however, the couple bought a trailer to have a home base of sorts. Earlier this year, they found out they will be first-time parents, so they decided to hang up the life on the road for some stability.

They returned home two months ago, and Webb began looking for work. After interviewing for positions in the Valley, Anchorage, Fairbanks and the Kenai Peninsula, Webb was offered a job in Fairbanks, which he accepted Tuesday.

"I want to go back and get my master's degree at UAF some day, so everything worked out," Webb said.

In the more immediate future, however, is preparing to become a daddy. Ellen Webb is due Sept. 8, and the couple recently found out the baby is a boy, and they have decided to name him Jaxon.

"But we're still really wavering on the middle name," Webb admitted.