I can either live the adventure or spend all my time blogging, so for those of you who have been waiting for an update, all I can say is that I've been out enjoying Alaska and forming memories to blog.
We left Taipei on the Barfbag Express last Sunday and arrived 7 hours before we left, due to the time difference and the International Date Line (which Ben crossed in order to get international dates). Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Ben, and we have a poignant picture of him seeing us off. The turbulence and the fatty BBQ pork tenderloins served on-board were indicative of our feelings about leaving him so far away. It was raining and a comfy 50 degrees when we arrived in Alaska.
Ron, our son-in-law, and his brother Jacob were in Fairbanks and we had a hasty cookout and a lawn mow when we got home. It's a good thing since its been raining pretty much ever since with the exception of one day. R and J went hiking and exploring pretty much all week and we did a successful car share. It was a good visit, with some laughs, tasty food and some story-telling.
I worked on Family Reunion business, took care of household and social chores and yes, cooked meals. Not much fun, but I spent one whole day in bed with a very severe cold. Oh, and did I mention that the eye doctor prescribed bifocals- a double whammy since they also cost $500 more than insurance coverage.
On Friday, Ron, Jacob and I went to Denali. It was an interesting trip- our reservation for Riley Creek Campground got lost in cyberspace and we ended up carrying our stuff into the walk-in sites. We found a great campsite overlooking the rushing Riley Creek and it lulled us to sleep. But before bedtime, we cooked shish kebobs over our portable grill and took a 30 mile wildlife free drive down the Park road. We had a campfire and cooked marshmallows and it was successful as no one got sick or got any stuck in their hair.
When we awoke, it was raining again, so after a yummy camp meal of one-eyed sandwiches, we pushed on to Anchor-town. We ditched the hike up Mt. Riley and probably even the moose hated the wet grass. We ate at 5th Ave Mall, then watched Jacob ice skate, then went to Title Wave Books before I dropped the guys off at the airport and went to Dawn's house.
On Sunday, Dawn and I went out to breakfast then for a walk along the Tony Knowles trail from the park along the ocean. Lots of people were out, mostly kamikaze bicyclists. I found out later that earlier that night, a 14 year old girl was attacked by a bear on a nearby trail (check out the Anchorage Daily News). She is struggling to stay alive....I think I would just have a heart attack and die on the spot. Later in the day we spotted a moose in Dawn's suburban neighborhood. Go figure- no animals spotted in Denali- they were all in Anchorage. I guess you just can't let Nature run wild, like Wally Hickel says.
We saw Get Smart at the movies, laughed and talked and made plans to do a lit search towards Dawn's Master's thesis. I left early for the 6 hour drive with an audio cassette by Rex Stout in the tape player. The scenery was gorgeous and the only adrenaline was while passing massive, slow-moving RVs driven by aging, non-responsive tourists towing economy cars to save on gas.
At the Subway in Glitter Gulch (the strip of consumerism hugging the edge of the road just outside of Denali), a plastic part of the drink machine fell off and hit me in the arm while I was filling up with carbonated energy. I stood there and announced, "It just hit me", hoping that someone would come over and offer first aid or at least sympathy. Apparently the 15 witnesses didn't want to get involved or out of line. I could almost read their thought bubbles, "glad it didn't happen to me" or "stupid chick shouldda gotten out of the way" or "I wonder if this will make the service even slower" or, from the lawyer, "I wonder if she'll sue for damages?" Instead, I just picked up the large piece of heavy plastic and handed it to the clerk who said thanks, looking stunned and confused. I filled up my cup and moved on to tackle the last 2 hours of beautiful winding roads- the best part of the trip.
I've been home for a day and a half. I've gone out for cinnamon rolls and enchiladas, finished the t-shirt logo designs for our reunion shirts, paid the mortgage, took a friend out for her birthday, washed clothes, unpacked the car, walked home from work with my husband, purchased a fishing license, talked and laughed on the phone, sent gobs of emails and now I've blogged. No rest for the wicked.
1 comment:
Alaska is glad to have you back. Since you've been gone I've moved twice (which means I've moved every box at least 12 times), and experienced a 20% increase in the size of my family. Thanks, neighbor, for the flowers, and i'll be calling Paul for woodworking advice.
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