Michelle's Excellent Alaskan Vacation Day 2

The Alaskan RR pulled out of Fairbanks at 8:15 AM. I was impressed with how clean & orderly the depot was, and how friendly was the staff. Pulling out of the depot, the platform was lined with rail personnel all smiling and waving – and looking as sincere as could be. The first hour or so was somewhat monotonous – one passenger called it “just a tunnel of trees”. Beautiful, none-the-less, for its emerald vastness.I met a charming woman named Evelyn. She is 69 yrs old, and lives in North Pole, AK. She was quite talkative, but not in an over-bearing or obnoxious sense. She was traveling to Anchorage to get her pension straightened out. She was mixing the business of her pension with the pleasure of her granddaughter’s special occasion – I think a wedding…? She was raised in MT, & came with her husband to work on the RR & stayed – that was 25 years ago. Her husband passed away a year ago at the age of 70. She rides the rail free. She was extremely well versed on AK history – she told me all about the coal mining, oil pipeline, lack of roads, severity of weather, how the lower 48 provides all of their consumer goods


We traveled through the town of Nenana, birthplace of the Ice Classics. Townsfolk gamble on the date that the ice will break up on the river. We passed by Moody Bridge – Evelyn told me there’s a wind sock on the bridge so motorists know what direction the wind is traveling so as not to get broadsided – or at least to slow down when crossing.
Arriving at Denali train depot was quite an experience. Obviously a major tourist intersection … throngs of tourists with guides and motorcoaches for all sorts of cruise lines & accommodations. I felt alone as everyone else had a bus or van or guide to take them on to their next destination. Finally, the bus from the backcountry lodge pulled up. It had been at the Denali Cabins and already had 15 or so passengers.

Dana was our driver and guide – a robust woman I’d place in her mid 40’s, and a wonderful guide! It was a very, very long (7+ hours!) ride. And my backside is stiff from the hard school bus seat. I had the good fortune of the very front seat, so had benefit of great views as well as the guide’s narration. I was glad to have good binoculars: I saw a small group of Dall sheep that wouldn’t have been visible w/ the naked eye. We saw caribou; first one & two – then 4 & 5, and at one point a herd. We saw grizzly bears – one loner, & later a sow and cub. We saw ptarmigan, blue billed magpies, many, many snowshoe hare, arctic ground squirrel, a rodent-type creature called a pica (can’t live warmer than 70º - ) and a nest with golden eagles. We saw various ducks & beaver.

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Polychrome Pass




July 29, 2009


The mountain was “out” and was it ever impressive!!

There were several good photo opportunities & we took advantage of each one! As we were nearing the end of the road, Susan & Eric from Jackson Hole, WY spotted a moose. This was exciting – I’d never seen a moose before!! Turns out she had a calf trailing in the brush. Amazing animal.

We finally arrived at the lodge – nearly an hour after expected. We were quickly assigned cabins & then sat down for a family style dinner of fresh spinach salad, eggplant or pork loin with sides of peas & mushrooms & roasted potatoes. Coffee or tea & German chocolate cake.
I am struggling to finish this: It’s just past midnight & my body aches all over. But this is magnificent. A tidy, cedar cabin with clean, crisp bedding, the pure sound of tundra silence, the faint aroma of wood burning fireplace, and gentle, cool, pure air.
I shall sleep fast and furious.

Michelle's Excellent Alaskan Vacation

Day 1


July 28,2009

I am in the Alpine Lodge, Fairbanks. A long day of airplanes. It’s 11:15 pm Alaska time – which is 4 hours behind FMB time. I’m nearly on 24 hours now. It is light out – the type of light we see at 8:15-8:30-ish.
With the exception of the Ft. Myers-Miami flight, all my seats were window – “F” – and on the right side of the plane. This was fortuitous as it was the better side for best viewing. The Miami to Seattle leg was long. At one point the pilot pointed out Yellowstone National Park. That was a highlight. That leg of flight had the most turbulence and the most cloud coverage. The Seattle to Anchorage flight was awesome views, until the approach to Anchorage when it clouded over – it was raining in Anchorage. As we flew closer to Anchorage the mountains grew larger. They looked like dessert dusted with confectioners’ sugar. I am sure I saw glaciers. I dug my camera out of my bag to take a shot from the airplane. As luck would have it, it clouded over almost instantaneously.
I had never seen such mountains – such rugged terrain.
Anchorage was gray & wet. We had about an hour lay over, so I sat at the gate looking out over the tarmac. I noticed it appeared that many folks – mostly men – use the airlines to commute – not like the NYC, DC kind of commute, but “boots on the ground” workers, who carried folders of what looked like active construction projects. One man held a cell phone conversation as he sat down next to me in the airport. It had been warm – or so Alaskans thought. “60’s” was getting warm! Most folks didn’t have A/C – he mentioned attending a “moose roast”!
My Anchorage to Fairbanks leg found me sitting next to a very chatty man who has lived in Fairbanks for 25 years. He gave me quite a history of Alaska – explaining the flora & fauna, the population and industry, the slough & mud flats, the winters & fuel charges, even the dish on Sarah Palin.
All in all a most full day!

Catch Up

I find myself having to think hard to recall what today's date is, what time of year it is - spring, summer, fall - time is like a flash. I returned home from vacation nearly 2 weeks ago, and it seems like only yesterday. So much to catch up upon. I only just now went through my aol inbox and cleared out 150 e-mails. It's Sunday afternoon and I haven't been out of the house, yet. Gracie is napping out of boredom, I'm sure. Lauren returned to Tampa Friday nite, for classes to start tomorrow. I still haven't completely unpacked. What to do first.

I kept a journal on vacation, all hand-written. I'm entertaining the idea of transcribing some of it to this blog, along with some of the GREAT photos I took. That's added to the list of "what to do first". Hopefully soon I can record some of my observations, etc. For kicks and grins, though, and until I do, here's one of my favorite photos, taken in Denali National Park along Moose Creek:

Greetings from Glacier Bay National Park

Hi
I thought I'd pay the .75 cents / minute for internet to drop a note - little did I know it'd take fifteen minutes to log in..
We're cruising Glacier Bay National Park. It's very foggy right now, but we'll be crusing all day, so there's hope that visibilty will improve as the day progresses.
So far the trip's been pretty good. Denali Backcountry Lodge was awesome! It was all I hoped it would be. We saw "The Mountain" "The High One" "Denali" - Had spectacular views and I got some good shots. They say only 30% of the visitors see the mountain - and then theres statistics about late July - early August that are even slimmer - like 3%.
College Fijord was fantastic. Thanks to brother Ken for the advice on being sure to get up early to see it. I went to bed about 2:00 AM Sunday nite (Monday AM) so getitng up at 5:30 to catch the view at 6:00 AM took incentive and determination. It was more than well worth it.
I'm not convinced that cruising is all others say it is. Today's only Tuesday, so maybe HAL can/will redeem themselves. I went to the dining room for dinner last night at 6:00 PM. It was nearly 8:30 when I was seated - well after every single other guest came in - reservations or not. I sent a very direct note to the Guest Relations Manager. How difficult is it to find a seat for a solo traveler? I'd've sat with the help, at that point. Consequently, I missed the meet and greet with the captain , the 8:00 Broadway show, and the start of the movie. I ended up listening to some very bad karaoke.
My blackberry's not working - no Verizon on the horizon.
Alaska is absolutely fabulous. I'm surprised at the similarities between the Hawaiian people and the Tlingit/ Chilkat/ Aleutians. I'm learning a lot about culture, natural resources, environment etc. Wonderful, Wonderful trip.
Love to You!
Michelle

T minus one

i just returned from getting my manicure and pedicure - only the second time in my life i've had a professional pedicure - and the first time for a professional manicure. i asked the nail technician if she liked her work. In very broken english she indicated that she did: nine years she's been a nail tech. But then she went on to tell me how she works two jobs, always has - not wanting all the eggs in one basket - but that her husband and her son who is 24 worked for the same company and lost their jobs a few months ago. I already had the ten dollar bill out on the table (can't reach into the pocket w/ a fresh manicure) which was a little more than 20% tip, but I was feeling as if I should give her more.
My bags are packed, with the exception of the items that will go in my carry-on: my binoculars, my camera, my cell phone, a clean shirt and change of underwear, toothbrush and paste, soap and moisturizer. It has been years since I've checked baggage: in my air travels over the past 4 years I've always managed and prefered to carry on. This trip, however, is for 14 days, and includes backcountry hiking as well as formal night on a luxury cruiseline. I'm checking two bags. I could fit it all in one, however when I get to the Denali Park entrance, and board the bus to the backcountry lodge, i'm limited to 35 lbs. of luggage. So I will leave my "cruise bags" at the park entrance and take the second bag with me into Kantishna. I have to pay for my checked baggage, but because this trip is such a big deal to me, the trip of a lifetime - I'm not going to quibble over a few dollars for bags. I want to do what I want, have what I want, wear what I want, etc.
It is...all about me, right now!
Sarah came by earlier and took Gracie's crate, her treats and toys and an 18lb bag of kibble. She'll be by after work to take Gracie and her dog dish to her house, where she can hang with Ruka and Lola - two one-year-old labs. I gave Sarah some $$ - told her if she needs anything for Gracie to buy it - and before I could finish, Sarah asked Gracie: "you want to go shopping?!" .. then I explained that should she need anything for Gracie to buy it, and let me know and I'd pay her back - that I was paying her for caring for Gracie. That changed her complexion right quick! Heck - it's better'n a kennel and a heap cheaper.
i am not taking a computer, so probably will not be posting to this blog until I return. I may try a post from my Blackberry, but then again may not.

Tee minus three

It's been quite a week. Events at Town Hall went national - I heard it even went international. CBS morning show, Inside Edition - even Conan O'Brien mentioned it. Quite exhausting. Politics and Porn. When I left work on Tuesday afternoon, I was riding high in pre-vacation mode. That all changed within the course of a few hours. Smacked in the middle of a media blitz. I spent three full work days fulfilling public records requests, redacting, fielding and deflecting. Reporters are quick to site "Freedom of information", but have no clue to what the law provides. One of the requests I received was for a copy of Janke's personnel file. He is in a protected class, so information such as his home address, phone number, his children's names and addresses, drivers license number, photographs.... all this information is exempt form disclosure. Then there's the matter of e-mails. I had to review hundreds of e-mails, to be sure that personal information was not being delivered to the media.
Instead of taking the day off or leaving early on Friday, I ended up working until 7:00 PM.
I am officially on vacation.
Today was spent being sure all the laundry was done. Tomorrow I pack. Monday I plan to get a manicure and pedicure, hopefully spend some time on the beach (relaxing and getitng rays!) and getting to bed early.
Tuesday I fly out at 7:40 AM. I land in Fairbanks at 8:00 Fairbanks time - midnite my time. Sixteen hours. Yikes.

Savoring Saturday

In my childhood days, we did chores every saturday morning - often well into the afternoon, sometimes, too. At breakfast, which was an assembly-line chore in itself, Dad would hand out his single sheet pieces of paper for each of us with our list of chores. Saturday morning chores was a way of life for me well into adulthood. When I married and had babies, my husband couldn't understand why I was housecleaning etc. on my day off! Why not go boating/fishing/to the beach? That was a battle I ultimately lost...
So yesterday was a Saturday cleaning day. I woke with no set plan for the day, but knew I had a hand-full of odds n ends to accomplish. One thing led to another and I was in full-blown cleaning mode: washing floors, shampooing carpets, cleaning out cupboards - everything but the windows! Although I have 8 days before vacation, I'm already in pre-vacation mode: I want everything in order before I leave, so there's a chance it will be in reasonable order when I return. It felt really good to have a clean home, but it was alot of work. I sat down on the sofa and exhaled a long deep sigh. It was nearly 5:30 in the evening. I was sweaty and dirty, and hungry. I decided to treat myself to a very nice dinner - out, off the island, hopefully somewhere that I wouldn't run in to anyone I know.
I took a nice hot shower in my squeaky-clean bathroom, wrapped myself in a freshly laundered Turkish cotton robe, moisturized my skin with Black Currant Vanilla aromatherapy massage oil.
I dried my hair, slipped into a white cotton skirt, black halter top, and my great liz claiborne black sandals. Some mascara and lip gloss, a straw handbag and sunglasses, and I was out the door into my nifty CR-V.
I thought I would try the Sandy Butler, a relatively new restaurant - they've been opened a little over a year. It's just off the island up on San Carlos Boulevard. I hear it's quite nice, large, unique and pricy. I pulled into the parking lot and it looked like there weren't many patrons. The very large parking lots had cars scattered about - a look of employees' cars more than patrons. For a woman to dine alone on a Saturday night, it's usually best if the restaurant has ample clientele: dining alone is amplified in a large, empty restaurant. I pulled out of the parking lot and headed up the boulevard.
At the light at Summerlin, I decided to turn left and head toward Sanibel Island. I ran over in my mind restaurants that I might try: It was about 8:00 and the sun would be setting soon - a restaurant on the water with a sunset view would be awesome. Just passed the Tanger Outlet Mall, and on the approach to the Sanibel Causeway, I spotted Port Sanibel Marinahttp://www.portsanibelmarina.com/ on my right. The Lighthouse Restauranthttp://www.lighthousewaterfrontrestaurant.com/ was at the front of the Marina. I had lunch there a few years ago and it was quite lovely, so I pulled into the parking lot. The cars in the lot indicated the restaurant was enjoying a good business.
I was offered a choice of dining inside or out: "It's not buggy, is it?" I asked the maitre d'. "It's screened in.." he replied, and so I took a seat on the large, white wrap-around porch overlooking the marina. The sun was dropping to the horizon as I took my seat. Paddle fans circulated the balmy air. A waiter in crisp cotton uniform wished me good evening. I had a beefeater martini that was perfectly chilled that went perfectly with a half dozen oysters on the half shell served in an equally perfect dish over crushed ice, with lemon wedges, horse radish, cocktail sauce and saltines. Divine. After a salad of fresh greens and a house dressing, my entree arrived: Ahi tuna with wasabi and ginger and soy. Perfectly rare and delicately sliced. A glass of cabernet was a fine accent. I picked up the chopsticks and chuckled to myself as I looked at them trying to determine whether they were chinese or japanese. I was pleased with my abilty to use them without much ado. The sun set flooding the sky with deep pink colors that faded to darkness. Gradually the marina lights came on bouncing off the yachts along the docks. "I deserve it" I found myself saying to myself. A wonderful dinner and a wonderful evening.
"Would you care for desert?" he asked. "No..." I said hesitantly. Hesitating not because I wanted desert, but that I was savoring the rich glass of wine, thinking that I already had desert...
I paid my bill, tipping the waiter 25% - not that his service was so spectacular, or for any reason other than I thought he just might need a few extra bucks. I was just in the mood.
I returned home to my ultra-clean digs. Gracie had been sleeping, but the minute I came in, she grabbed her toy wanting to play. I took her outside and we teased the very large moth that darted around the front porch light. She barked at the newt that seemed to fancy the moth, although the moth was twice its size. Eventually, I crawled into the crisp cotton blush pink colored sheets - read a short story about the Athabascan Indians in my "Denali - a literary anthology" book before turning out the lights and drifty sweetly to sleep.