Caitlin Has Moved...

Travelsick

2009-06-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

I'm travelsick (think homesick, but travel instead). It's frustrating being home and knowing my next adventure won't be for months and months.

Don't get me wrong. I do not regret my decision to come home (except when the temp reaches 98 with a heat index of 112). It was the right decision to make. I know that. But coming home didn't lessen my need to travel, or even temporarily sate it. If anything, it made it much, much worse.

See, now that I have actually, officially Gone Somewhere Else (meaning not the Deep South) my thirst for 'other' has deepened. I like the idea of staying in some place where nobody speaks English. Or speak it only contemptuously, gesticulating with disdain at the nearest pub/restaurant/loo (ha, see Amy, I speak British!) before walking away, muttering in their own language about the rudeness of stoopid Americans.

Basically what it boils down to, if I may be introspective for a moment, is that I like the idea of not being surrounded by surburbia. This is a frequent lament from me. I despise suburbia, yet I can't seem to escape it. Even in Alaska, the area I stayed in is basically the suburb of Anchorage. (And if you really want to be picky, given its size, pretty much all of Anchorage could be classified as a suburb, attached to nothing.) I want different. I do not want white washed walls, cookie cutter houses, perfectly straight streets laid out in a grid. I want painted walls, thatched roofs, streets that curl into themselves and go nowhere, streets that are little more than ox-cart paths worn down over centuries. I could even take a big city, as long as my accent was the foreign one (and no, that doesn't mean Chicago).

Which means I need to plan my next adventure. Even if it doesn't come to fruition (listen to my vocab in this blog; you'd think I read or somethin) for many, long, frustrating months, the planning really does make the time go by just a little bit faster. Bearing that in mind, I've been looking at the possibility of going to India next fall.

Why India, you ask?

Well, dear one, I'll tell you.

I have always been in love with India, ever since I was a little girl. It's the color usage, you see. Indians are not afraid of color. No white washed walls for them, thank you! I was recently flipping through a book on architecture in Islamic countries (my, doesn't that make me sound pretentious) and stumbled across a picture of a shrine to one of the Hindu gods or goddesses (which is fascinating in and of itself, coming out a book on Islamic architecture).

Go here

Do you see? I dare you to find a color that ISN'T in there! Can't do it, can you?

Anyway, I have always loved color and therefore I have always loved any culture that uses it to its fullest, glorious potential. And Indians use color the most. They even have a festival just for color! I mean, seriously, how cool is that?

So I've been thinking, and plotting, and recently mentioned/invited a good friend (the only one that reads this anymore) who enthusiastically said, "OF COURSE I'LL COME!" before going on to expressly forbid me to attempt to book any of our destinations or details (she came with me to Alaska, and if you read this blog, you know how well that turned out).
But it's impossible to look into a trip to India without viewing a few details, and one of those has been transportation. I don't want to just visit one city in India and come home, though that would be better than nothing. I love road trips in any form, almost as much as color, and I have always wanted to take a train, so, I thought to myself, why not combine the two? Why not take a train journey through India? Like The Darjeeling Limited, only pleasant.
Which is when I found this website. It is ever so helpful!

And, upon looking into the site, I found my dream trip:
London to India, Overland
Oh, the bliss! Because, really, who doesn't want to travel by train through the Middle East? They only occasionally have blips in their train schedules now because of bombings. Of course, I wouldn't go within the next couple weeks. Best to wait and see who officially won the Iranian 'election' (really, why even have an election if you're just going to claim victory anyway?) before boarding a train ultimately destined to be bombed in Pakistan anyway. Of course, this trip would take almost a month to complete, one way. Not exactly time effective. But it is now definitely in my RTW fantasy trip that I'm planning in my head should I ever win the lottery or marry extremely, extremely rich (though really, if I marry rich, I'm going on this tour for my honeymoon).

But I also found a far more reasonable, if much, much shorter, journey that I would also like to do.
London to Istanbul, Overland
Have you read The Historian? Yes? Then you know why I would love to go through all that beautiful eastern European countryside. It's only three days if you just go straight there. But if you added a day or so along a few of the stops, you have a very nice little trip, none of which need take place 30000 feet in the air! Which of course, in my book is one whopping bonus. And if you did it offseason, in the early spring or fall, I bet it would be even cheaper, far less crowded, and even more beautiful! And less hot, of course, though I think only Turkey could compete with the Texas heat (or is it the other way around?).

This is as far as my stumblings have taken me. I need to still look at a lot of things, not the least of which is how much it would cost to do a trip of that magnitude. I still hafta get back and forth across the Atlantic, something I sincerely do not look forward to, but will undertake with all the Valium-inspired confidence I can muster.

I guess what this really means is that I've made up my mind to go somewhere, anywhere, next year, and have decided that starting to plan it now will make all the heat of Texas, trying on of bridesmaid dresses (did I tell you I'm a bridesmaid?), and Christmas season go that much faster.

Well, no, it won't be any faster, I'm not THAT much of an optimist.

But, hey, at least I'll be going somewhere. Right?

I can't be that girl.

2009-05-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

How did I get here?

End of a Journey

2009-01-24T13:44:00.000-08:00

I've reached the end of my pictures. I have nothing left to tell.

For now...

Evolution

2009-01-24T13:37:00.000-08:00

Of all the incredibly beautiful pictures that I captured on the trip down, the moon shots were my absolutely favorites.

Here is my trip in phases of the moon.

January 1, 2009.
January 6, 2009.

January 7, 2009.

January 8, 2009.

January 10, 2009.

The full moon was the night after we got home.

It was glorious.

The McDonald Observatory

2009-01-24T13:06:00.001-08:00

One of the coolest days of the entire trip.
The Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The dome is covered in strips of aluminum tape.

The surface of the HET is curved, making it about $100 million cheaper than most of the telescopes in the world, and still just as effective.

View from the top.

Koji and Sarah goofin around.

HET and the moon.

The sundial, the HET, and the moon.

First Sunset in Texas

2009-01-24T12:48:00.001-08:00

Oregon sunsets are purple, California's are red, and New Mexico's are pink.

But Texas sunsets, my home's sunsets, are by far the best and most colourful.

Carlsbad Caverns

2009-01-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite parts to the drive down.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the bats. They fly south for winter...

Some of my favorite formations.

Sarah and Koji in the caves.

Where we ate lunch.

Oh, Galaga...

Galaga; my childhood in an arcade game.

CRUISIN USA!!!

The coolest saloon ever. (we ate lunch at Jack's, to the right of this picture; this place was closed)

The coolest chandelier ever.

The coolest door ever.

Ruins on the hills above where we ate lunch.

The adorable historic strip where we bought fudge and mailed postcards.

Sunest on the Road to Socorro and Roswell

2009-01-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

The road to Socorro, and the start of one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. I saw a lot of orange sunsets on this trip, and one very red one...

...but this was my first perfectly pink sunset.

Beautiful.

My car in the sunset.

The smiley face in the sunset.

Cloud arch over the mountain.

The Walmart in Roswell is decorated with aliens and spaceships.

Koji is being abducted by aliens.

The streetlights in downtown Roswell are aliens.

The Very Large Array (VLA)

2009-01-15T13:36:00.001-08:00

Ever seen Contact? Know the Array she works at?

We got to go there =)
The VLA is on rails, so they can be moved when necessary.

A new Array, to be completed in 2012 in South America.

The Very Large Base Array (VLBA)

The bathroom of the VLA was tiled in...

...telescope tiles!

Weathervane.

A jackrabbit. They were all over this place.

Guess what that is? =)

Bunny!

It stretches for miles.

One of the arms of the VLA.

The sign and the telescope.

The Grand Canyon

2009-01-15T13:05:00.001-08:00

I loved this sign =)

This piece of driftwood was wired to the guardrail. Not really sure why.

Sarah pointing out the Colorado River to Koji.

The Colorado River.

The moon over the Grand Canyon.

The road from the Grand Canyon.

Snowy Arizona

2009-01-15T12:34:00.001-08:00

Snow in Arizona is a beautiful site, just not something you wanna drive through at midnight on a foggy night.
The rim of Meteor Crater.

The Belt of Venus.

In case you haven't noticed by now, I REALLY like the moon.

The other side of the mountain in the first picture.

I love this sign =)

There were lots of planes in this sunset.

The moon and a plane.

Blair Witch Sunset.

Las Vegas, Brightest City in the West

2009-01-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

My room at the Luxor.

My bathroom.
Yes, that would be a phone next to the toilet.

I have a shower...

...AND a bathtub!

The entryway.

My view.

The apex.

The atrium.

The casino floor...

...where I won $30 off $2! (this is just the first part)

Las Vegas Blvd, better known as The Strip.

California (minus Sacramento)

2009-01-15T11:05:00.000-08:00

California really is pretty.

At least, northern California is pretty.

Mt. Shasta from far away.

Mt. Shasta from very close up.

Goodbye, snowy peaks (so I thought to myself).

Sunset on the road to Sacramento.

Oregon Smells Like Broccoli

2009-01-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

The traffic I hit the second I crossed into Oregon.

I passed 5 accidents and saw 7 near misses by the time I left Portland. They really don't know how to drive in Portland.

That's for y'all Alaskans.

Washington and the Docking of the Boat

2009-01-15T10:33:00.001-08:00

Dawn, as we dock in Bellingham, Washington.

I love the subtle ripples of pink in the clouds. It was a very interesting dawn.

The Washington sky on a rare sunny, albeit cloudy, day.

Downtown Seattle is behind that street sign.

The infamous Seattle Space Needle.

Sunset, New Year's Day 2009

2009-01-15T09:55:00.001-08:00

I was very lucky with sunsets on this trip. They were each and every one of them glorious.

The moon.

The M.V. Malaspina - January 1st, 2009

2009-01-15T09:28:00.001-08:00

Ketchikan

2009-01-15T08:48:00.001-08:00

Ketchikan, New Year's Eve. My only venture off the boat.

God bless Alaskans =)

Ketchikan at sunset.

Ketchikan at night.

This is how mountains look at night.

The M.V. Malaspina - December 31st, 2008, New Year's Eve

2009-01-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

Sailing to Ketchikan.

The M.V. Malaspina - December 30th, 2008

2009-01-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

Who's up for a cruise?

Sitka, AK.

I have absolutely NO idea what this green thing is.

Sunset at Sitka.

The Sitka Ferry Terminal.

The mountains surrounding Sitka.

The dock at Sitka.

Pictures

2009-01-15T07:10:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'll be going through and adding pictures now. Enjoy!

New Mexico is...

2009-01-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

We get up the next morning, get ready, and go to the Grand Canyon. It is everything everyone claims it is. A gorgeous, giant hole in the ground, it stretches 10 miles across in front of us. We take pictures, footage, and souvenirs, and then head out. Koji requests that we stop at the Planes of Fame Air Museum on the way back to I-40. It is a VERY cool place for anyone interested in planes. We stop, take some pictures, buy some souvenirs, and get back on the road. Next stop, Meteor Crater just outside of Flagstaff, about 2 hours away. The drive back to I-40, which took us 2 hours the night before, takes us half the time this afternoon.

We mosey on down the road, find the road for Meteor Crater, and head on up. Six miles up the road, we come to a partially closed gate with a security guard sitting in a parked truck. Meteor Crater is closed. It closed at 5pm. It’s 5:10 now.

How exactly do you close a mile-wide hole in the ground? Sarah’s mother wants to know if they pull a tarp across it.

Thwarted, we return to Meteor Crater Road (Arizona is not very creative with their road names) and pull over on a “Primitive Road” (I got pictures) and catch a glorious sunset over the mountains. It almost makes up for being 10 min too late to see the crater.

Almost.

Back on the road again, we continue towards Albuqueque, our final destination for the night. It’s now full dark, but at least the road is pretty much straight. For awhile.

About 2 hours from Flagstaff, with about 3 more hours to go, Sarah takes over driving.

Then the fog returns.

Pea soup, can’t see the 18-wheeler 100 yards ahead of us, fog.

Of all the ridiculous nonsense. Where does fog in New Mexico even come from?

We were making really good time, but now we’re back to 50 mph on the freeway. The fog is patchy for the next hour. We don’t get in to Albuqueque until 10pm. Wonderful. We’re going along the freeway towards the hotel, when about 5 or 6 miles from the exit we need to take, the road construction begins. Our exit is closed. We go to the next exit, helped along by Koji and Maxx (Koji’s GPS Navigator) and start down the road for the hotel. We get to where it should be, and it’s not there. What do I mean, it’s not there? Well, we were looking for the Best Western on Central Ave. There is no Best Western on Central Ave. We loop around and call the number from the website. Nobody answers. We loop around again and call information. Information gives us the number to Barcelona Suites on Louisiana. We drive to it and the sign is Best Western, only the Best Western part is covered (you can still tell it used to be a Best Western; their signs are very distinctive). Barcelona Suites bought the Best Western about a month ago. Information didn’t even know about it. So the guy at the desk at the Barcelona Suites (which, by the way, looked fabulous, in case anyone is unfortunate enough to have to go through Albuqueque) was extremely helpful and actually looked up the Best Westerns website for us. No Best Western on Central Ave. We call the closest one to our location. They don’t have our reservation. We call Central Reservations for Best Western. They don’t have a reservation for us either. We call the number for the hotel one more time, and they finally answer.

It’s a Best Choice Inn, not a Best Western, but the man that answers the phone mumbles, has an accent, and talks really fast. He directs us back to where we started and, sure enough, there’s the Best Choice Inn. We get our key and immediately go in search of food (because we’re all very cranky at this point) and then go upstairs and eat and go to bed. We’re not too worried about time because we don’t have to get up too early as we’re just driving from Albuqueque to Carlsbad, a 3 hour drive. (yeah, right!)

After we get up the next morning, I notice that we only have three bath towels. As two of us have hair, we need at least one more bath towel. So I go downstairs and ask for another towel. He asks when we're checking out. Today, as our reservation states. He says that there are 8 towels in the room. *insert crazy look here* No, there are three towels, I explain. He says no, all rooms get 8 towels. Again, no, there are only THREE bath towels in the room. He begins to list them, three bath towels, three washcloths, bathmat...

Seriously? Am I supposed to dry my hair with the bathmat then? Give me my damn towel! He finally gives in. Towel in hand, I go back to the room, and 20 minutes later we're back on the road.

We’re heading south out of Albuqueque, and we are in serious need of some coffee. We end up in the barrio, get lunch at Subway, and then my Dad comes through (once again!) and finds us a Starbucks in Los Lunas, a sprouting of a city that looks like its sole purpose is to support the huge mall they have there. We get coffee and head south to Socorro, our first pit stop.

What’s in Socorro, you ask?

The Very Large Array (VLA).

What’s the VLA?

Ever seen Contact?

That’s the VLA. It is awesome.

We get to Socorro, find the sign that points us in this direction, take that road. Only that road dead ends at the desert. We turn around, and take a different road, and that road has no signs and we’re about to head right out of town. We decide to stop and ask directions at the last building, a vet’s office. We’re going the right way, they tell us, and they are confirmed when a quarter mile down the road we see a sign that tells us the mileage to the VLA. Of course.

This road, by the way, is a two-lane back road in the middle of the New Mexico hills (I think they call them mountains, but really they’re just cute baby mountains). It’s very scenic, and we’re enjoying the drive. 50 miles later, we actually see the first array. I’m sure most of you don’t want to hear about our visit at the VLA, as the vast majority of the three people who will read this are not the science nerds that we are.

Back to the travel.

After we get back to Socorro (after having caught yet another glorious sunset off that New Mexico back road) we head to our next stop which is Roswell via the other tiny back road cross White Sands Missile Range. At this point in our journey we are second guessing the wisdom of driving across the northern end of a missile range. With the luck we’ve been having, they’ll miss the safe zone.

But we were not hit by rogue missiles. We made it through just fine (after I pass a stupid UHaul truck doing 40 in the 65 on a completely unlit blind curve at night).

Finally at Roswell, we stop for dinner at a Sonic. Lo and behold, our carhop is half Inupiat. Grew up in Anchorage and Palmer, and moved to Texas and then New Mexico several years ago. Of course. He was very nice though, and gave us directions to the road to Carlsbad and directions to the Walmart where we could get alien postcards. How can you stop in Roswell, NM, and not get alien postcards? We get to the Walmart, but they don’t have any alien postcards. What they do have is an entire room of souvenirs. Not as many as the Anchorage Walmarts, but still more than I’ve seen in any other Walmart outside of Alaska. Ever. Only no postcards.

Back on the road, we head towards a gas station, ANY gas station, that might have alien postcards. None. We finally stop at a Walgreens (Walgreens! How I miss drugstores!) and they have a couple. Postcards in hand, we get back on the road and drive back through town. By the way, if you’ve never been to Roswell, their downtown streetlights are actually green alien heads. Fantastic.

It’s only 75 miles from Roswell to Carlsbad, but there’s construction on the road, so the speed limit was 55. Lucky us. We finally get into Carlsbad at midnight, get to our hotel room, relax for a few minutes, and then Sarah’s phone tries to tell us that we’re in Central Time and it’s now2:45am.

Excuse me? We just lost an hour??

No, no, we’re still in Mountain Time. Panic averted.

See, we were planning on going to Carlsbad Caverns the next morning and then going to the McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis (our next stop) that afternoon. It was only about a 4 hour drive from Carlsbad to Fort Davis. So we get up super early after a super late night, get to Carlsbad, do a whirlwind tour through the Big Room, and then decide that we’re going to stay an extra night in Fort Davis and go to the Observatory tomorrow, so as not to kill ourselves on the drive down. We have a leisurely lunch at Jack’s, which is the Family Dining half of the Velvet Garter Saloon & Restaurant. Jack’s, just so ya know, is an awesome place. They have Galaga, in the original arcade =) As well as Cruisin USA, Ms. Pac-Man, and Area 51. We bought fudge across the street, and then head south towards Texas.

Ah, Texas. Home.

We went through the Guadalupe Mtns National Park, and actually had a good drive down through back road Texas to get to Fort Davis. Catch another glorious sunset by the Observatory, and then head into Fort Davis. It takes us 30 minutes to wind 15 miles through the Davis Mountains. We finally come to the town of Fort Davis (quaint little thing) and we can’t find the place we’re staying, the Butterfield Inn. Mapquest is telling us one thing, but the actual address is telling us a different story. We choose the address, and head that way. Ta-da! There it is! And they are adorable! They’re little one room cottages. If you should ever find yourself in Fort Davis, TX, stay at the Butterfield Inn.

That brings us up to date. Of course, there’s no wifi or even wired internet here, so I can’t upload any of the blogs I just wrote. But I will upload them soon, and then this paragraph will be defunct.

And now, to bed. Tomorrow, we will sleep in and then go to the Observatory. Yay!

The Saga Begins

2009-01-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

Vegas.

What a gloriously well-lit city. It’s a nine hour drive from Sacramento to Vegas, and I didn’t get in til well after dark. And, as it’s famous for, I could see the bright lights of Vegas shining behind the mountain from about 40 miles away. Awesome.

I get into Vegas, and I’m staying at the Luxor which is on the Strip. The center of Vegas, the one place you go when you go to Vegas.

Yes, of course I got lost.

I knew it was across from the airport (thanks to Google Maps; I LOVE Google Maps) and so I took the exit for the airport thinking it would be right around the corner. Well, it was, but I didn’t go far enough. So I call my Dad (really, what would I do without him?) and he directs me down this other road. I get on the right road and I get to the Strip and take a right. Yes! I’m on my way, it’s just up here.

Twenty minutes later, I’m still on the strip heading straight for darkness. I call my Dad back and I tell him I don’t think I’m going the right direction because the bright lights of Vegas are now behind me. He checks the map, and sure enough, I’m heading the wrong direction. Remember back when I turned right?

Left. I should have gone left.

So I hook a Uie (how does one spell that?) and go towards the light.

Thirty minutes later, I finally find the Luxor. Perfect!

Only now I can’t figure out where to park. I circle, loop back around, circle on the wrong road, loop around again, and finally figure out where to park. Yes, there are signs, but they’re very tiny and they’re RIGHT WHERE YOU TURN. How bout some advance warning?

Park in the garage, get all my crap out, and hike the half mile into the building, then the other half of the mile to the registration desk, check in, get to my room, and order room service. I’m texting Sarah, as she’s supposedly getting on a plane in a couple hours to get to Vegas tomorrow morning, when she tells me her flight out of Anchorage has been delayed, 2 hours. This is not a disaster, as they have a 3 hour layover in Seattle before flying on to Las Vegas, NV. So it’s 2am AKST before they finally lift off, 7am before they finally get to Seattle with 30 minutes to spare to make their connecting flight. I get much needed rest in a glorious hotel room, and I pick them up at the airport. We go back to the Luxor, rearrange luggage so I can actually fit the extra two people in my car, and play a few slots, take a few pictures, buy a few souvenirs, and eat lunch in the Atrium.

The plan after lunch is to drive from there to the Grand Canyon, where we will go on the Skywalk the following day. We have a room reserved 1 mile from the entrance, and we’re super excited. Of course we get a late start out of Vegas, so we don’t get to the Hoover Dam until just after dark. Still cool, just not conducive to taking pictures or stopping at the visitor’s center for postcards. So we continue on down the road towards Kingman, AZ, where we will hit the road we need to take to get to the other road we need to take to get to the Grand Canyon hotel.

About an hour out from the Hoover Dam, it begins to snow.

Yep, ya read that right.

It is snowing on us in Arizona.

Fantastic.

So it’s full dark, windy mountain roads, snowing, and getting later by the minute. It took us four hours to get from the Hoover Dam to Kingman, AZ. For those of you who have never driven that road, it’s about 70 miles.

Four hours to go 70 miles.

Once in Kingman, we stop for gas and pull out the map. How much further do we have to go? As we’re perusing the page, we notice the sign for the Grand Canyon Skywalk.

We passed the road to get to it 65 miles back.

We will not be doing the Skywalk.

We’re very bummed about this, as the Skywalk looks so cool, but there is no way we’re turning around now. Onwards and upwards.

So we take the road further, find our turn for the next road, and it begins to snow even harder. I’m talking blinding, driving, Alaska snow. In freakin Arizona. We finally get to Williams, AZ, where the next (and last, thank God) turn is and pull into a gas station to ask directions to the Denny’s so we can have dinner. It is 10:30 at this point, and we’re exhausted, frustrated, and disappointed. And now, there’s a foot of snow on the ground. At least we all have experience driving in the snow. Poor Sarah and Koji though, they take a vacation to the desert and get snowed on.

We get back on the road after dinner, find the turn off, and we’re very excited because it’s only 50 miles down this road to the hotel. Whoo hoo!

Only the road is icy, so we can’t go faster than 50. Ok, so it’s gonna be a little while longer til we get there. We’re on the right road, and we’re going forward. That’s what matters.

Then the fog settles.

I’m talking pea soup fog, I can’t see 10 feet in front of the car. So we are crawling down this two lane highway that is iced over through pea soup fog at 30 mph, laughing hysterically because it is now midnight and we left Las Vegas EIGHT HOURS AGO to go to the Grand Canyon. The fog lifts slightly and I pick up the pace just a little.

And almost run over a heard of elk.

Oh, come on!!!

We need a breather, so we pull over a little ways up the road, get out and look at the stars (the fog was only car level; I believe it was planned that way by the Right-Wing Conspiracy). They are beautiful. The moon is too bright to see more than a few, but still beautiful.

We keep going, and the fog alternates between patchy and pea soup. We roll into town doing 35, check in at the hotel, and fall into exhausted sleep at 1:30am.

Our journey from Las Vegas, NV, to the South Rim Entrance of the Grand Canyon took us 9 hours to complete.

Awesome.

The Best Hostel Ever

2009-01-09T11:51:00.000-08:00

The HI-Sacramento is amazing.

After the debacle with the last one, I was slightly worried about this one. But WOW.

That’s really all I have to say about it.

WOW.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

If you’re ever in Sacramento, HERE’S where you need to stay!

Enjoy.

The Internet Lies - The Sequel

2009-01-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

Eugene is shady.

That’s #1.

Yes, the entire town. Let me explain.

As I was attempting to plan my odyssey to the South, I looked at staying at a couple hostels along the way as they are much cheaper than hotels. The first one was in Eugene, Oregon. The website makes it look kind of like a small bed and breakfast. Just in someone’s house, but light and cheery.

What a crock.

I drove from Bellingham, Washington, to Eugene, Oregon after getting off a 3 day ferry in Alaska. I was tired, alone, and still had another 2 days of driving alone, and another 6 days of driving after that. I just wanted a bed and peace.

I head straight down I-5 until Eugene, then I take the 105 exit to get to the hostel. First of all, the freeway ends at a one way street downtown. So I (obviously) take the one way street the opposite direction I need to go. I loop several times (all of the streets are one way, and they all loop) before I find the road I need and take the turn. I start to check off the street signs, 1st, 2nd, 4th.

Wait.

What happened to 3rd?

Well, obviously it must be the street before 4th. So I loop. Again. As I come back to the street, I realize why I missed it.

Someone has stolen the street signs on the completely unlit post. Well, no wonder I missed it. I take the turn down the road, and notice how incredibly dark and car-lined it is. I’m wondering where the actual street number is when I pass an abandoned house covered in graffiti. And I’m thinking to myself, “Um, no.” As I pass what I believe is the actual hostel (again, no streetlights, and no street numbers) I call for help. Daddy! Bless my Father, he spends the next hour trying to get me out of downtown Eugene via cell phone and Google Maps. Finally, we find a way out of downtown and back onto the freeway, where he directs me to a Motel 6 back on I-5. Thank God for internet and reception. So he reserves the room on his credit card, and I’m going to pay cash for it when I get there.

So I get there, only they need the cash up front, so I need an ATM. Right next to the hotel is Denny’s, and right next to that is a Shell station with an ATM. So I go over there, and their ATM is busted. It processes, but never actually goes through. So the sympathetic attendant behind the counter says that he can do cash back up to $10 per transaction. So I bought a bag of popcorn, a candy bar, a bag of Reeses, windshield washer fluid, and a water. Money in hand, I go back to the hotel, get the room, go to Denny’s, get to go dinner, and go back to my room for a much needed rest.

Now I’m slightly worried about the next hostel. The website makes it seem like such a beautiful, enchanting place, but, as we all know now, the internet lies.

It turned out fine in the end, but boy was I worried the whole drive down to Sacramento.

Prime Rib and the Moon

2009-01-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

Written Jan 1st, 2009.

It’s 8:15pm on my last night on the ferry. I will miss the water. I won’t miss the recycled air. Or the food, even if they did serve prime rib for dinner in honor of it being New Year’s Day.

Tonight (or really I should say this afternoon, as it was 3:30pm) we had the most dramatic sunset. It was incredible. And the moon came out. I actually got pictures of the moon! I love my camera =)

I’m not sure how I feel about this being my last night. After this, I’ll be in the Lower 48. I won’t be in Alaska anymore. I will be excited to be home with my family, but right now all I feel is a sense of loss. I truly loved Alaska. I loved the winter, the slush (though the slush in Anchorage is not nearly as bad as the slush in Ketchikan; talk about gross), the clouds, the briefest glimpses of sunlight, the mountains.

Oh, my mountains. How I loved my mountains. I have more pictures of mountains than of people (really, people are secondary; mountains are tops) or of animals (mostly because the animals were hiding the entire time I was in Alaska; but whatever, I’m not bitter).

I will miss the people, too. Everyone was fabulous, which is really hard to attain.

In honor of this being my last night in Alaska (though, technically, I think we’re actually in Canadian waters by now, but the boat’s from Alaska, so it’s like a tiny moving Alaskan island, really) I’m going to make a list of my favorites from the past six months.

Restaurants
The Glacier Brewhouse
Gwennie’s
Leroy’s (top favorite dive)
Moose’s Tooth
Bear’s Tooth
Taco King (a genuine taqueria in Alaska, oh so important for a Texas native)

Places
Anchorage
Palmer
Whittier
BN (of course)

People (in no particular order)
The entire staff of BN 2784 (amazing people, one and all)
Koji
(a special shout out to my girl, Reggi, I will definitely miss those cashwrap convos between customers)

Memories
Powerline Pass at twilight
Snow-covered mountains at night (they glow)
Leroy’s at 2am after Brisingr party
Driving through falling snow at midnight
Breakfast at my kitchen table with a view of My Mountain
Journey to the Edge of the Universe
Black Books
Taking pictures while driving Seward Highway
Moose
Cache
Scrabble/Trivial Pursuit
Skypin with my Sistagirl
Any one of a hundred laughs at work
Alaska Zoo
Futon moving
The road to Flat Top
Anchorage at night
Snow

Oh, how I will miss the snow. Walking in it, driving in it, sliding on it, falling on it. I never got to build a snowman. Guess that means I’ll have to come back =)

Well, that’s all for now. This blog and all my pictures will be uploaded sometime in the coming week. Next time I get internet, whenever that might be. Probably Vegas. I’m staying in the Luxor Pyramid! Whoo hoo! I will definitely be posting pictures of that. Miss y’all. See some of y’all soon!

Tired.

2009-01-04T23:18:00.000-08:00

I'm at the Luxor.

I'm Tired.

Yes, with a capital T.

I should be asleep.

Why am I not asleep?

I have a feeling that this blog is going to suffer until I'm well rested. I will attempt to post pictures at a later date.

(Maybe somewhere I DON'T have to pay $14 for WiFi)

But tomorrow I pick up Sarah and Koji from the airport. Yay!

Now I just have to make room for them and all their stuff...

Juneau, Land of Giant Christmas Trees

2009-01-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

And I do mean giant. I'm talkin 60 - 70 ft Christmas trees. Flocked.

Amazing. I don't really have pictures of those, cuz it was too dark when I was passing them to take pictures, but here are the pictures I do have. There aren't very many. I didn't do much in Juneau except sleep and go to Fred Meyer to print pictures. And get a gingerbread latte. Oh so important.

Hotel = amazing. If you have to stay in Juneau, stay there - Frontier Suites Aiport Hotel.

That's a quilting store across the street from my window. Great views of the parking lot.

This will forever be my overwhelming memory of Juneau. Giant Christmas trees lining the road, obscuring everything, and covered in snow.

View from the parking lot of the post office.

Blog From a Boat

2008-12-30T20:06:00.000-08:00

Yep, I'm on the boat. Apparently there is a satellite internet connection for this one, the M.V. Malaspina. The Malaspina is bigger than the Kennicott, but not quite as nice. I think this one is a lot older. But a boat's a boat, and it's still fun =)

Earlier I took pictures as we were sailing into Sitka. That was our last port. And we were there for 4 hours, so I got to take a couple pictures of the sunset too.

Unfortunately for you, dear Reader, you can't see those pictures because Blogger refuses to let me upoad them with this connection. Unless you're on Myspace. Myspace, ironically enough, is the only one that will let me (sorry Facebookers). So the rest of you will just have to wait until I get to Eugene, Oregon, to see my pictures of the beautifulness.

I don't really have anything important to say. I'm mostly blogging because I can say I'm doing it at sea (well, technically, an inlet, but whatever) and that's just cool. Though I will tell you that there are some GIANT trees in Juneau. If you've never had the opportunity to visit, it is incredibly beautiful, but my overwhelming memory of Juneau will not be the beauty, it will be the 75 foot Christmas trees that line the highway from the ferry into town. They're almost ridiculously large. That 75 foot thing is NOT an exaggeration. They're freakin huge! It's pretty fabulous. I got a couple pictures, not of the giant ones, it was too dark to take pictures when I drove past those, but of some of the moderately smaller ones closer into town. Of course, you won't be able to see those pictures, etc. etc. etc.

Anyway, I think I'm done talking about nothing simply to be talking about nothing from a boat so I'm going to go now. I will be in Bellingham on Friday at 8am. From there it's just another week til I get home =)

Also, for those of you who wish to leave comments (and how else will I know anyone reads this other than me?) you may do so as 'anonymous' if you do not have a blogger account. You just hafta check the little anonymous box and do one of those stupid word thingies and it'll post. Just don't forget to leave your name =)

M.V. Kennicott

2008-12-27T19:44:00.000-08:00

Day 2 aboard the ferry was much calmer. Not quite as fun, but beautiful, in a non-thrilling way.

Be forewarned, I love sky pictures.

The boat's wake.

Dawn, 9am.

The windows were a bit dirty and streaked with ice.

I do so love this sign. I even got film of it =)

I love this cloud. It's a dot =)

Again, love this sign.

I also love this boat. It's a box. A floating box!

The sun was very dramatic when it finally emerged.

The snow on the deck. Hence the closed sign.

This is my favorite mini island chain. I'm going to live here when I grow up (no, no word yet on when that might be).

Ah, home.

The Sea.

2008-12-27T18:11:00.000-08:00

I love the sea. Have I told you that? I do. The ocean is one of my most favoritest things. I will always be alright as long as I live semi near a sea coast.

This was my first time on a ship this size. And my first time sailing the open waters. Thank God I do not get seasick. I learned this as I was trying to sleep last night while the boat was cresting 14ft waves. It’s an odd thing, to be lying flat, sometimes with your head above your feet and sometimes with your feet above your head. Gets everything good and discombobulated. I have some video that I got with my camera just so you can see how hard that boat was a’rockin.

And just for comparison, here's one where the sea is calm.

It was so much fun =)

The sun came out briefly as well, but I didn’t risk life and limb to get a picture out on the deck. Some things just aren’t worth dying for. But no seasickness. Whoo hoo! I even had a cheeseburger for lunch during the worst of it. It is no easy feat walking down a hallway when the hallway moves in the opposite direction you’re trying to go. And showering? Forget it! You try lathering your hair with one hand while your other hand hangs on to the rail so you don’t pitch out the curtain into the public space. You actually have to brace yourself in a corner to rinse it out. At least next time we’ll be on the Inside Passage and I’ll have my very own bathroom. No sharing for me! And next time I won’t forget my toiletries bag and have to get the Purser to walk me down to the Car Deck (where passengers are STRICTLY forbidden to go while the vessel is underway, according to Coast Guard law). No, no, I’ll remember it all, and be comfortable to boot!

We’re just about to leave Yakutat. I took a couple pictures. No more than a couple, though, because a couple encompasses all there is to see in Yakutat. Also, the snow is blowing sideways. Always a fun situation to take pictures in. So, here I sit, in the Forward Lounge, drinking an ice cold can of Dr. Pepper (just for you Amandita! And also because the Coke was sold out), waiting for the ship to begin to pull away. I’m told after we leave Yakutat and go around something, we’ll then be in the good part of the voyage, one that doesn’t force you to walk like a drunken two-year-old up a flight of stairs. I’m looking forward to that. Though I will miss the swells. They were pretty spectacular. I asked the Purser if this was bad, and he said yes, this was pretty bad, but he’s been in 30 footers before, and at that point, all you can do is strap yourself into your bunk and pray for a dock. Ah, the good ole days.

Still no cell reception. Apparently they only use land lines in Yakutat. Probably because everyone worth talking to is within shouting distance. I’m told that Yakutat is beautiful during the day, as it is entirely encircled by giant mountain peaks. Won’t be seein that though, as it’s 9pm and the sun set six hours ago.

Well, that’s all I really have to say about the ride so far. I’ll leave you with this quote:

“Hi! That’s my cousin; he always farts in my face.”

The Beginning of The End.

2008-12-21T20:51:00.001-08:00

Unexpectedly

2008-12-11T03:29:00.000-08:00

It's snowing in Houston.

Did you read that right?

Let me repeat it for you.

It's snowing in Houston.

Catch it that time?

Oh, good. Have you heard I'm in Alaska? There's 24 inches of snow on the ground, the pile in the BN parking lot was at least 20 ft high last week, and Monday night I went ice skating, uphill, sideways.
In my truck.

Why then, my dears, do I feel almost cheated? Left out?

Is it because I'm not there? Because I'm almost there, but not quite yet? Have I, after only three months of snow (yep, three), begun to take it for granted?

No. I still love the snow. I love the cold (28F tonight!), I love the view, I love falling snow. Especially falling snow. Falling snow is pure beauty. It's silent. Unless you were outside or standing in front of a window, you'd never know it was snowing. It sneaks up on you. One minute you look outside, and it looks cold, and when you look out the window again an hour later everything's white. And it is truly amazing.

But, living in Alaska, you expect snow. It is beautiful when it arrives, but you know it's coming. You just don't know when.

In Houston, Texas, however, snow is a rarity. I can count maybe five times in my memory that it's snowed any significant amount. And significant = enough that it didn't melt as soon as it touched the ground. We're not even talking inches. Maybe, possibly, centimeters. But like two.

Alaska is beautiful. You expect Alaska to be beautiful. Just saying the word 'Alaska' conjures up all kinds of beautiful pictures (as soon as you get past Sarah Palin). The pictures don't do it justice. It is beauty of a kind that has to be seen for one's self in order to be fully appreciated. I recommend everyone visit at some point (probably before Palin decides to run for office again).

But.

There is a joy in unexpected beauty that is absent when merely looking at something that is beautiful. I guess that's what I miss. I envy my fellow Houstonians their joy.

Sounds ludicrous, no?

Well, I never claimed to make sense.

Death-defying Beauty

2008-11-05T15:28:00.000-08:00

We drove up to Flat Top parking lot to get these pictures. It was slightly icy on the incredibly steep and switchbacky road up that mountain. I was fairly certain we wouldn't make it back down.

But we did =)

Sheryl, me, and Kristen.

That's where the moose rut in the "fall."

Sheryl going towards the light.

Snow glitters like... glitter...

Ssshhhh...

I am a snow ninja.

Kristen and Sheryl playing in the snow.

Flat Top covered in snow at sunrise (10:30am).

The next pictures were taken in Whittier.

We went to find Whittier Creek which Kristen insisted was awesome, but the park where it is was completely iced over so we just stopped and took some pictures.

It was incredibly windy that day, which of course makes for even more stunning pictures.

This one is my favorite.

The Whittier Tunnel. Again, best tunnel ever in the world.

Beautiful

2008-11-05T15:19:00.000-08:00

Falling snow is really pretty. Except when it turns to ice.

The First Snow

2008-11-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

It didn't last very long, but these are from the first snow of the year. It's snowed again now, and all the roads are icy.

I do not like icy roads. I wish I were coming home now so I wouldn't have to drive on the ice for 2 more months. Oh well. I'll be home soon.

Pictures while Driving

2008-10-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

I took these on the drive back from Whittier, AK.

By the way, the Whittier Tunnel is the coolest tunnel ever. More of a cave than a tunnel. One lane, fabulously dark. No concrete on the walls, just the blast marks from the dynamite. Seriously cool. I look forward to going through it when there's 5 million tons of snow heaped on top of that mountain.

There were bunnies outside the WeeBee Burgers.
Terrible burgers. Great strawberry Italian soda.
Right outside Portage Valley park, just after getting out of the tunnel. I will miss this view.

Some little boat across the water.

The road back to Anchorage.
It was a stunningly beautiful day.
There sure aren't many of them, but the ones they do have, are glorious.

Fall colors. They didn't come out too well through the dirt on my windshield.
There's a real pretty marsh on the other side of the blur.

'The sunlight flashes off your windshield,

and when I look up into the small, posted mirror,

I watch you diminish - my echo, my twin -

and vanish around a curve

in this whip of a road we can't help traveling together.

~William Collins

I particularly liked this tree.

Bane #6. Again.
My mountains.

This is my favorite picture. Looks like wavelines in the sand. And underwater. Just my favorite.

Fall colors!
I was fond of this grouping.
Mostly because I was stuck in front of it for 10 minutes.
See? They were painting.
I hate pilot cars...

But I will miss that view.

Sunset in Chugach Mountains

2008-10-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

If you're still reading this blog, then you've read the previous post where I discuss coming home. Since I've moved that up slightly from my earlier assumption of three years, I've decided to see as much as possible.

Which means pictures =)

Anchorage at night. My camera needs a tripod to take pictures at night. Might try that next time.
Turnagain Arm.
The view from the Flat Top parking lot.

Anchorage and the castle house that probably costs at least $3 mil.
Downtown Anchorage. Yep, that would be those 5 buildings over there. See the tallest one? That's the Hilton.
And the tall one to the right of the Hilton? That's the BP building.
Sleeping Lady Mountain.

She watches over Anchorage.
Beautiful sunset.
Mt. McKinley. Yes, it is that close.

Rich people's houses muckin up my view.

The peaks are so close here.
I can't know for sure the altitude, but I'd guess at least a couple thousand feet.
Flat Top seen from the parking lot. It's still a GOOD ways up there.
The valley. I belive this is Powerline Pass.

Mooses!
There were about 12 of them in this valley.

But by the time we found them, it was almost too dark to take pictures.
Mountains across the Arm.

I don't know the name of the left one, but the right one is Mt. McKinley. It's REALLY big.

Essay #1

2008-09-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

I don't know if anyone still reads this (I kinda doubt it since I haven't posted in 2 months) but recent events pushed me to write about them for my very first assignment in my English composition class. I felt I should post it, as it explains my decision to move back to the South.

Home is a Hurricane

I sit alone in my apartment in this city surrounded by mountains and watch the Weather Channel. As Hurricane Ike slams into the Texas Gulf Coast, I turn the volume up louder. The black, foaming waves off Galveston Island break over the Seawall with enough force to tear football-sized chunks out of the concrete. Ike ravages the greater Houston area for 18 hours. I watch, breaking only for work and sleep, as the storm fells trees, destroys homes, and pushes the Gulf of Mexico well beyond its shores. I sit alone in my apartment 5,000 miles away from the devastation, yet every downed tree, every home lost hurts as if Ike were inside my living room. Houston is home. It is flat, hot, and ugly, but it is mine.

Growing up on the Gulf Coast, hurricanes are a part of life. Some places have earthquakes, tornadoes, or blizzards. Children in Houston don’t make snow angels, or learn to run for inner walls when the earth begins to move. They learn to track the direction and precise location of every circular cloud, to watch its evolution from tropical depression, to tropical storm, to hurricane. They watch, growing excitedly anxious, as each storm draws closer; relieved, and a little disappointed, as each one veers away at the last moment. As they grow older, become homeowners, it is already instilled in them to have a hurricane plan. Most will have boards cut for their windows years before they will actually need them.

Houston has not had a major hurricane in 25 years, since Alicia made landfall in August of 1983. I don’t remember Alicia, was only three months old. I can’t relate to the destruction it wrought. I do, however, remember Katrina. I remember the panic when the levees broke, the water level rising, the people fleeing to the Superdome, the one place they thought was safe. I remember the buses full of people arriving at Reliant Park in downtown Houston for a week straight. The sight of 4,000 people sleeping in one cavernous room is not something you take lightly. I also remember Rita. I, along with two million other Houstonians, fled Rita as if that storm were the Devil himself. We all remembered Katrina. No one wanted a repeat. I remember the 22 people that died on the road, baking in 100+ temperatures, unable to get any relief from the heat as cars stalled, shutting off the only air conditioning for miles. I remember when the storm turned, sparing the city, but scarring those of us who fled.

Helpless frustration overwhelms me. I constantly text message friends back home for updates. I despise newsprint, yet have bought three papers in two days for want of information. I feel utterly cut off, unable to do anything for those in need.

I was not helpless during Katrina. I volunteered 46 hours over 5 days during the two weeks that 15,000 people sought shelter at the Astrodome and Reliant Park. I helped them, and in return, I felt useful, powerful, as if I personally had the ability to change the world, to relieve some of their burden. One woman called me an angel, after I helped her find the daughter who had been separated in New Orleans, a week past. Another man stated that this situation was worse than the Superdome, after watching the officials in charge of their care engage in a screaming argument over the new curfew. I assured him, while unpleasant and slightly uninspiring, having a bed, three meals a day, and not being entirely surrounded by alligator-infested water couldn’t possibly be worse than the Superdome.

One week later, as Rita loomed on the horizon, I became an evacuee myself. I packed what I could, and fled to Killeen, to Fort Hood, where my best friend was stationed. She had only moved there a week prior. I remember the two of us sitting in the base Visitor Center, watching CNN for hours. I remember hearing of friends and family trapped in 100 mile-long traffic, taking 18 hours to go 45 miles. My family was lucky. It only took them nine and a half hours to reach Dallas, a trip which normally takes a leisurely four. I remember the feeling of relief when Rita veered north, the sorrow when New Orleans fell victim once again, and the vow to ride out the next one, because evacuating was far worse.

It is devastating to watch, from so far away, as your friends and your family go through hell, unable even to offer them a shoulder to lean on. It is gut-wrenching to watch the places you’ve grown up going to blown down in a matter of seconds. There is nothing I can do.

I moved here, to Alaska, for a change of pace, for something different, for a little cold weather and beautiful scenery. But as I watch the destruction of my hometown unfold on CNN, I question my choice. Why did I have to go so far? If I were closer, I could go home, on weekends if necessary, to help with rebuilding. It will take at least a year, possibly more, to fully recover from Ike. New Orleans still has not fully recovered.

It drives home just how isolated I really am, this far north in the Last Frontier. I am not Sarah Palin. I do not have a private jet to take me home when I choose to go. I, like most of my fellow Americans, must rely on commercial airliners for my immediate travel needs, which is both costly and inefficient. I will not be home for Thanksgiving or Christmas for the first time. I won’t see my Mother on her birthday; I have already missed my brother’s and my father’s. It is a new sense of loss, of growing up, when you move somewhere unknown.

Call it weakness, call it childish, call it what you will. I belong in the South, in the heat and humidity, with my family. I belong in Texas, helping restore Houston to its flat, ugly grandeur. I have learned my lesson. I’m going home.

The Reason I Moved

2008-07-02T00:10:00.000-07:00

Today after I got off work at 8pm, the air was so clear and beautiful that I had to go take pictures. Here is the outcome of that excursion. The first six pictures are taken from the parking lot directly across the street from my apartmen complex.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is my everyday view.

This is my favorite mountain. Do you see that peak? It is a PEAK. I'm very excited about it.
It comes to a freakin point!

The rest of these were taken at various spots along the Seward Highway heading south out of Anchorage. It really is stunning.

It was finally setting at 10:15pm when I turned around and headed back.

And this, my friends, is a waterfall seen through a hole in the ground.

Right next to a giant patch of snow, still on the ground. Lord knows how long that's been there.

And that, folks, is the reason I moved from flat, stinkin hot Houston.

Short Drive Down Seward Highway

2008-07-01T14:40:00.001-07:00

I don't think I could have picked a more beautiful place to live.

If you like mountains.

We'll see how I still like it in January.

Check back regularly for new pictures as I slowly start to wander around this place.

Alaska Zoo Day

2008-07-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

These pictures are for those of you who (for whatever insane reason) do not have a Facebook or a MySpace.

Kay and I went to the zoo, where I preceded to take pictures as if I had never seen an animal before.

And if you've read any of the previous posts on this blog, that's pretty close to the truth...

*Disclaimer: I love polar bears, so there are approximately 3,000 polar bear pictures at the end of this series. Deal with it.

Red fox. He moved just as we walked up, but other than that, he went right back to sleep.

Turkey. In Alaska. Who knew? The Raven. They really are everywhere here.
Owls. What beautiful creatures.

I had to take a picture of this. Why on earth is a raccoon worthy of a zoo exhibit?

Musk ox roar like lions. I swear, it's true. I have it on video. I'll try to post those later.

This was the male musk ox.

And this was the female musk ox.

And her baby.

They were shedding their winter coat.

It wasn't pretty.

Bald eagle.
Spectacular.
They had fake Christmas trees in their cage. Don't ask me why. If you've never looked a bald eagle in the eye before, let me tell you they have very intelligent eyes.

Siberian tigers. They all but disappeared in the brush.

Except, of course, when they look right at you... He can smell me...
Somewhere in this picture is a wolf. Can you see him?

Neither can I.

Wolves are fairly elusive creatures. But that black smudge in the middle there is a wolf lying down.
They were playing.
See, in Alaska, it's not so hot that from February to October the animals seek refuge from the heat. They actually play. Where you can see them. It's quite entertaining.
My favorite bear picture, despite the fact that they're out of focus.

This one was about the size of the ones we saw by the side of the road.
They were both pacing back and forth, but always ended up by this gate. The little (comparatively) one would do a pirouette whenever he got there. I have it on film.
This guy was huge. Probably 6 feet in length when he was walking, I can only imagine how long he was when standing.

Caribou!

Caribou baby.
Did you know tame caribou are called reindeer?

Reminds me of the Grinch's dog.

This one's antlers were so wide that when he went to feed, he would shove everyone else out of the way.

See?
Can you imagine carrying that around on your head?

Bactrian camel.
Emo llama!
This one reminds me of Cusco.
Lol they were alpaca.

This one looked like a girl with pigtails.
She ate out of the keeper's hand.

Feeding time for the animals.
Silver backed porcupine.

Water bufflo are a lot longer than I expected them to be.
Our buffalo are cuter. Much cuter.
This one got run off by the little one above. Here he's leaving in dejecton.
I guess she wanted to have a private lunch with the big guy.

Moose.
He didn't do anything.
Except pick his head up.
Boring moose.
Magpies.

Coyote.
He didn't stay still long enough for a good picture.
Owls.
See that white thing in his talons, right under his head?
That's lunch.

Ah, polar bears.

They're really, really big. This one was the male.
This one was the girl. (She's on the pill. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to live together.)

He paced back and forth.
She would tease him. He didn't like it much.

Until finally, he just jumped in himself.

And then they played.

For the next 10 minutes.

So beautiful.

Sea otters look at me!
Sea otters look away =( Sea otters lie down.
Sea otters go to sleep. Fur seals.

They really were swimming too fast for me to get a good picture.
There were two of them.

Bubbles!

Flashbacks

2008-06-24T01:25:00.000-07:00

I went back and added the missing pictures to some of the previous posts, plus all the new pictures. So go flip through the old posts, view pictures, make comments, and enjoy the journey.

Did I mention you should make comments? (Once again, you can make comments without having a blogger. Just do it as "anonymous." Come on people, it's not rocket science.)

Silver Linings

2008-06-24T00:30:00.000-07:00

The Watson Lake Sign Forest was the only cool thing in Watson Lake.

For my father.

I love you, Daddy.

Alaska

2008-06-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

When we left Whitehorse Thursday morning, the intention was to drive to Tok (pronounced Toke), AK, which the wonderful Jeannie had said would take us about 9 hours. She was right. It was right at 9 hours when we finally pulled into the Tok Visitors Center. The lady there was equally as helpful. Even as she told us that Tok was full. The entire town of Tok. Yes. Full. Was she sure? Yes. Wonderful. Apparently this was unusal for Tok. She hands us several pamphlets and says there might be something further on. We look at each other and say, well if we're gonna keep going, we might as well just drive on to Anchorage and just get a place nearby, or stay up til dawn and see if the office manager can't meet us before her jury duty (did I mention the office manager had jury duty last week?). The woman looks at her watch and say you just might make it. Might make it before what, we ask. Oh before they close the freeway.

Excuse me. Close the freeway?

Oh, yes. They're blasting, she tells us.

Blasting. What does that mean?

They're widening the freeway at Hicks Creek, just north of Sutton. As the freeway hangs off the side of the mountain, that means they have to blast. As in TNT blast. We ask if there's anywhere we can get some quick food to eat on the road. We have 6 hours to get to Hicks Creek before they shut down the freeway at midnight and turn us around. We intend to be past that before midnight. She tells us it takes about 6 1/2 hours to get to Anchorage from Tok. It took us 4 1/2. Amanda was driving. And driving well, I assure you. As we neared the blasting area, the sun began to set. Mind you, it was 11:15pm at this point. But still, it was beautiful. When the mountains go pink, they call it alpenglow. I had expected to see it, but not my very first night in Alaska. It was, as you can see for yourself, the most beautiful thing ever. The snow there is the glacier. I don't remember what it was called. But it was miles of snow. Beautiful.

Welcome to Alaska.

I'll start a sign-up sheet for visitors. Don't worry, guys. I'll be here for at least 3 years. You've got time.