Spooky Spiders

We made our way back from the wilds of the The Last Best Place after taking off last weekend to visit family, share stories and gifts and of course reclain Bob the cat from his three-week sabbatical at my parents' house. This weekend begins the fall hiking season, which will only get better and better as we progress into early November. We headed back into Harriman S. P. and parked at the Sebago boat launch, same as we did back on July 4. Instead of heading to Pine Meadow Lake, today we chose to head to Breakneck Pond on a series of trails we had not yet traversed. Took the Seven Hills trail to the yellow-blazed Buck trail with a jigger on a ski road and a moment on the Tuxedo-Mt. Ivy trail, and then finally the Breakneck Mountain trail, where we took an unmarked trail down to the abandoned (at least for the season) Camp Lanova. The first leg out was the hike of the spiders. On a dozen occasions we had go around, duck under, or step over intricate "Halloween" style cobwebs made by garden spiders. Unfortunately where the sun gave us no warning of the shiny presence of webs, I caught a few in the face. No wonder H let me lead the way! Also along the way we came across a few glacial erratics, including one that was huge--about two stories tall. Since it was after Labor Day, the camp was empty and we had the lake and picnic area to ourselves. We ate at a picnic tables and spread out our blanket on the beach in the shade to read and then nap for a couple of hours. Out on the lake there was a dock with a couple of shallow swimming pools that were being occupied by some curious and hungry blue-gilled perch. The woods behind us and the beach was occupied by some very busy squirrels and noisy birds but once some other people were heard and seen on the distant and adjacent shore, we packed up and headed back following the Pine Meadow and Cranberry Mountain ski roads.

Leaving Anchorage

Anchorage

Kenai Fjords

Steller Sea Lions on Chiswell Islands in Kenai Fjords National Park.

Port of Valdez

Port of Valdez at dawn today looked promising but soon enough the rain would return and pour down relentlessly throughout the day. Should have know today would be a challenge after we had to pay $10 with a coupon for our "it's a $20 Value" breakfast at the Best Western which was less of a spread any Hampton inn includes for free. From here we checked in at the Ferry dock to get our tickets for our Alaskan Marine Highway trek across Prince William Sound to the town of Whittier. we had a couple hours to kill and 25% of that was taken up by the lady at the coffee house who simply would not stop talking. We finally made our exit with a useful dinner recommendation to seek out the "Double Musky" restaurant. We drove over to the ferry dock and waited and waited in the rain for our chance to board. Once we were finally on the ship all of the window seats in the bow were taken up by the people who walked on without cars. In spite of the warm comfortable interior I chose to spend a couple of hours on deck in full rain gear in order to take in whatever dimished views were available in the sound. Not too far off of the ship we could see small groups of Orca whales breaching the surface. The rain and cold got the better of us so we settled into the rear deck lounge and curled up for a nap. Suddnely we were startled awake by a loud noise that turned out to be the crew starting a movie - "Sahara" and the TV was at full volume when the power turned on and everyone in the lounge jumped from our seats. What I don't understand is why were they starting this film for our so called enjoyment with only 45 minutes left on the 5 hour trip? Certainly before the fim was finished we would be on our way out of Whittier through the tunnel. This notion proved to be true and since some sleep was abruptly interrupted - H was not happy. WE finally got off the boat and headed for the restaurant reccomended by the chatty lady at Latte D'ah- the Cajun cuisine at the Double Musky Inn. Really expensive frontier food but it was excellent. I had a NY strip prepared Au Poivre with Cabernet sauce that had to exceed two pounds. Of course we indulged in the usual sides of Gumbo and Crab Cakes all very good and H had ordered Jambalaya that could feed us for two days ( and the doggie bag did! ) and A picked up the special of the night a delicious rack of Reindeer Chops that was out of this world. Full bellies and empty pockets we headed south again through the rain past Turnagain Arm and onto the Kenai Penninsula for our return to Seward. Depending on the weather we were going to either going dog sledding or make a second attempt at a boat tour through Kenai Fjords. The rain was falling hard and I fell asleep quickly on my only shift spent in the rear seat. It rained all the way to the hotel - Hard.

Three Ranges

Three Ranges - Alaskan, Chugach and the Wrangells surround this area on Alaska Rt 4. Opened up this morning at the espresso shack and rolled down the road heading for Valdez. Along the way we stopped by the North pole and later on Ritas Roadhouse for soup and sandwiches. It wasn't long before we found ourselves again in the wilderness when I nearly ran down a mother moose and her calf just north of the Army base that posted its keep out signs in Russian! Duh yeah do we really want the russians trespassing on army bases? As we drove along finally the weather improves drastically and we were rewarded with some great views of Mt. Sanford at 16000 feet in Wrangell-St Elias National Park. We stopped at Worthington glacier to snap a picture and it was brutally cold the nearer we got to the ice feild and had to retreat back to the car with numb fingers. I was feeling content upon reaching the port of Valdez with the mountains towering 4000 feet into the blue skies and the absence of rain for once was refreshing. Valdez is a really small town that boms in the summer but at this late date it seemed we had it all to ourselves. We went to dinner over at the Totem Inn where once again I was blessed with a delicious meal called the Totem Seafood Platter which was King Crab, Scallops, Halibut, and Shrimp each prepared different respectively Steamed, Fried, Grilled, and Sauteed. My companions who avoid fruits of the sea had not been so pleased with their meals. We walked along the small boat harbor and could hear the Orca's breaching and breathing in the distance while we watched a sea otter cracking shellfish on its belly right in front of the dock. Hoping to catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis I stepped out again late in the evening and walked along the harbor shore and was startled by a loud screech like I never heard before. Looking up into the trees were a pair of Owls that had just landed in the tree and were making a great deal of noise which I felt was directed toward my trespasses since there gaze was fixed on me under their perch.

Dalton Highway to Arctic Circle

The "Haul" Road was our mission for today. First item was to secure an off-road vehicle, after we decided last night to rent an alternate vehicle since we were forbidden by Hertz to take the minivan on a number of rough roughs, including the Dalton. We headed over to Alamo to get a Jeep but all they had were Ford Escapes. The one we got was full of dings, scratches, and chips. Obviously this vehicle had survived the trip to the circle a few times in its 23,000 miles. After we were on our way I noticed the tires looked a bit worn and knowing I had to take a dirt road in the rain was cause for concern. Regardless, we trudged onward, covering the 63 or so miles out of Fairbanks along the paved Elliott Highway. We passed a moose snacking by a pond and arrived at a trading post. H and A used the fancy outdoor facilities while I hid in the car before we all went inside to hear a customer tell the proprietor his strategy on how to prepare for fast-approaching winter. "I got to start thinking about snow!" he repeated to them over and over. In fact as you read this I'm sure they're already buried under 20 feet of it. This place was one of the last vestiges of humanity in the area, besides the road itself and the hide-and-seek pipeline, of course. By around noon we reached the start of the Haul Road and we carried onward, with around 100 miles head of us to reaching our goal: The Arctic Circle. Unfortunately we saw someone fixing a flat tire bringing us the true realization that this was no place for a flat. Another 8 miles down the road and we pulled over to inspect our hardware only to find that our tires and spare were looking too rough to attempt to complete the ride so we reluctantly turned around. After our hasty and early return to civilization we had explored the bookstore and the University of Alaska Fairbanks and headed into town for an ealy dinner at Soapy Smiths. This was the same placed we bailed out of last night but figured we'd give it a second chance. The service was the charm here as "Bill" our very eccentric and politically charged left-O-meter entertained us with great conversation. He scolded me for complaining of all the rain and I think he had a crush on A. We seemed to fool Bill into assuming we lived in AK as he claimed to spot a tourist a mile away. Our relaxed attire and lack of a new parka and Holland American Tote bag is what kept our cover down. The food came straight from the grocers freezer and wasn't worth the $83 it cost but I would come here again and again to talk the state of the universe over Alaskan Ambers with our new freind Bill the eccentric Alaskan! Farmer! Patriot!

Tundra Wilderness

Yes! we really came this close to the Griz!

At 1:00 a.m. I was awakened by the sound of heavy rain on the roof of our little cabin. I could hardly believe it! After three days of rain it had only cleared up late yesterday and now it was pouring again. Fortunately by the time we awoke the sky was only overcast and outside of a rare sprinkle the entire day would be mostly dry. I had a crazy, crazy dream that A and I were watching an eagle swoop down and attack a bear chasing caribou. Weird. Have I been in AK too long? Nevertheless we were woken very early by an alarm going off, which we think had something to do with the septic system at the campground. I don't know what that was all about. We had to get out really early to make the 6:50 a.m. bus loading, so without breakast we readied ourselves and headed to the W.A.C. Grabbed the required cup of coffee and waited in line outside to board the bus. There was mass confusion and dozens of people didn't know where to go and no one seemed to be in charge to direct the people traffic. Finally a ranger came out to straighten the lines up and pointed out that anyone on the Wonder Lake tour should line up to the left of the waiting area, which was currently free of people. Some choker all decked out in striped gym pants and white sneakers hears this and leaps over a rope and almost tackles a couple of blue-haired old ladies while bolting to the front so he can pick out the best spot on the bus. Truly ridiculous. By 7:10 a.m. we were on our bus and where our tour guide, "Tom Turk," introduced himself to us and us to what he called "the Wilderness." Tom had his very own style in presenting his interpretation of the park and its history. Our trip brought us deep into the park and its wilderness as we traveled 62 miles beyond the Visitor Center. The entire forest and tundra here was in full blown autumn colors, with gold and red everywhere. Even with the clouds it was bright and beautiful. Tom trudged along and got us a load of wildlife sightings that included distant mountain dwelling Dall Sheep and a bear that we could have run over with the bus! Also got a glimpse of golden eagles, three passing caribou, snowshoe hares, and a marmot. Well, I didn't really see the marmot (and neither did anyone else on the bus except the lady who mumbled/yelped "MARMOT" so that Tom would stop the bus to make sure we didn't miss it). Along the way we snacked on the contents of our park-prepared box lunches, which included a tasty little pack of reindeer sausage! Yes, tasty reindeer. I always liked Blitzen, or was it Prancer? As we rolled along the road we crossed a few braided rivers. Tom cleared some things up for me about how rivers run in Alaska. Since the ground is mostly permafrost, the river water doesn't cut down into the ground surface as does a river such as the Colorado; instead, the water can flow only at the surface and instead ends up cutting a very wide path from side to side as it separates into new streams (braids) each season as the water flows along the path of least resistance. The river beds look like they're dried up, or that the water levels of the river are low, but what's actually happening is that the rivers constantly change their paths. The highlight of the tour of course was getting the opportunity to view Mt. McKinley (Denali) 20,230 feet above sea level and the highest elevation point in North America. The view was awesome and the only thing that took away from it was THE GUY WHO TOOK A CRAP RIGHT OVER A HILL where the tour busses parked. Yes, we had a Denali Dooker! So much for keeping wilderness wild and leaving no trace. We all got back onto the bus and prepeared for the repeater 62-mile ride back, looking out onto the other side of the road. I kept scanning for critters in spite of the urge to sleep and most of the people on the bus were already out cold. After leaving the park we headed further north to Fairbanks some 200 miles away. Hit some road construction on the way up and since we were in AK, there were no roads other than the highway we were on so it couldn't be avoided. When we finally got into town it was a real chore to find the hotel, which was on a street that wasn't labeled on any of our maps. Nice. Eventually we settled in and decided to eat at Soapy Smith's, one of the only three restaurants listed in the hotel's dining guide. Drove up to the place, stepped inside, noticed only two people dining and did an immediate about face walk-away. We next headed over to choice number 2, called the The Castle. There were cars in the parking lot, so that was a good sign--we thought. I should have known what I was walking into here when H and A smartly ordered simple $12 meals (caesar salad; chicken nuggets), but nooooo. Even though the main entrees were all over $30, I went for the special: crab-stuffed fillet with Bernaise sauce and garlic mashed potatoes with fresh steamed vegetables. Within a few minutes the saddest salad I have ever seen arrived, consisting of a single cherry tomato and the very dark green outer leaf of a Romaine head. The writing was on the wall for my main course. Then, 50 minutes later, our meals arrived. The medium fillet was better than well done, grey all the way through. Either the crab or the Bernaise tasted like moldy cheese, the fresh veggies were obviously of the frozen-bag type, and my garlic mashed miraculously turned themselves into the best thing on the plate--french fries. Oh, and our first round of drinks consisted of three beers, all flat. How do you serve flat bottled beer?? Back to the hotel after another trip to the grocery store, I grabbed a little bottle of Knob Creek and we shared a six pack of Alaskan Ambers in the room, thereby washing away the saddest dinner ever.

Alaska State Fair

Today was going to be an easy day of transition, no need to wake early since all we had to do was get to Denali National Park's Creekside Cabins, 230 miles to the north. Having all day to do that, we planned to visit the Alaska State Fair in Palmer along the way. Once we were getting ready to leave the hotel, H & I were having a little chat and we had to stop to laugh hysterically because each time she spoke the boat horn outside drowned her out--at least five times straight. It was as if she was that Aflack duck! We wasted some time heading over to Carr's grocery store for food, Home Depot for an ice chest, and Burger King for A. (I am forbidden to eat BK for reasons most people should adhere to.) It was still raining off and on and the sky was the same gloomy overcast way as we finally drove to the fair around noon. It is 4,365 miles from Palmer to Sussex County, NJ, and short of a few signs and of course the mountains you could barely tell the fairs apart. The AK State Fair has the usual monster veggie display and livestock show, so what set it apart was the food and some aspects of Native Alaskan culture and icons of the Iditarod and dog sledding. I stopped by one of the food shacks for some fantastic fish and chips, which were made from big, fresh chunks of moist delicate Alaskan halibut. That pretty much wrapped up walking the aisles of the fair, so at 2:30 we split. It stopped raining but remained overcast. We had 200 miles to go to reach the Wilderness Access Center by 7 p.m. to pick up our tour tickets for the next day. Within an hour or so we reached a viewpoint that was within site of "The Mountain." We could pick out just the bottom of it before it disappeared into the clouds. As we drove further on however the clouds slowly disappeared and we spotted a rainbow. We were on a high plain of the tundra with mountains all around us and it was one of the most beutiful places I've ever seen. The ground everywhere was bright red and yellow as the small bushes and shrubs shone in full autumn glory. By the time we reached the Wilderness Access Center at the park HQ, the clouds were on their way out and we were fixing for some great weather. We passed our lodging on the way to the WAC and had to backtrack to the cabin; right along the Parks Highway we spotted a lynx lurking in the shadows of the roadside trees and bushes. We didn't know what it was at first and thought it was perhaps a bobcat, a grey fox, or a big housecat. But after seeing a display on the park animals the park's wilderness learning buliding, we realized it was unmistakenly the elusive, rare and endagered lynx. Way out here there is nothing around and our choices for dinner were very limited. Fortunately, located at the Creekside Cabins was the Creekside Cafe. The menu had a lot of fancy dishes on it but I opted to keep it simple and ordered what turned out to be an excellent and scrumptious French dip sandwhich au jus with good French fries. Washed that down with a few Alaskan Ambers. I sat way back in the corner of the restaurant and felt like I was going to boil out of my skin, it was so hot inside. We all got a little tipsy after the day's long drive and perhaps caused a bit of a raucous with our loudness. Eventually we paid up and headed out into the cool night air and got a clear glimpse of the starts for the first time of the trip. Tomorrow was going to be a great day if it remained clear; we were going on the tundra wilderness tour in Denali National Park.

Destination Hope

Pictured above is the main street of Hope, Alaska--actually, that's the whole town. A historic, still existing gold-rush town.

Woke to the steady, light dripping of the rain against the wet street outside. It wasn't very heavy but the overcast sky and the clouds had the nearby mountains obscured. We hurried through breakfast consisting of fruit and cereal in the hotel room and scurried outside already donning our rain pants and jackets. By the time we got into the car and took the short ride over to the small boat harbor I noticed the rain stopped and I had some optimism for the hours ahead. Today's adventure was a guided boat tour through Kenai Fjords National Park with the promise of spectacular views and ocean wildlife sightings. We arrived a little early and grabbed our boarding passes and after a short wait went down the gangplank to find our boat had been cancelled. Turns out our 10 o'clock trip was scrubbed because the the 9 o'clock nearly capsized in rough sees and more than half of the riders were tossing their cookies into the sea. So the tour company thought it would be good to warn everyone that the sea was rough and that they would only run one noon tour for the day and everyone from the 10, 10:30, 11, & 12 o'clock boats would all ride togetether (oh, wet and overcrowded sounds great!). After careful consideration I decided not to stay tough and go out on 20 foot seas with my fellow travelers to be rained upon with all of the good scenery in a haze of grey. Wonder how close you need to get to a sea lion to see it in the fog. We had been looking forward to this tour for weeks and the level of disappointment was high. I turned in my tickets for a full refund. Nevertheless we were in a beautiful place and the rain and clouds have their own ambiance and we would find something good to do. We walked around and did some downtown Seward gift shopping and enjoyed sugar-free vanilla espresso (Alaskans love espresso; there are espresso shacks in parking lots all over the state.) before heading north back out of town. Within a mile or two we turned left onto Glacier Road and went through Chugach State Park back into Kenai Fjords National Park to visit Exit Glacier. This one you could also drive very near and we took an easy trail toward it for about a half mile. As we were driving into the park and walking closer and closer to the glacier area, there were signs stating the year that the edge of the ice had reached that particular spot. It's amazing how far this glacier had receeded in the last 50 years in particular. There was a trail (7 miles, 3000 foot climb) that ran up the side of it but we couldn't top the experience of yesterday's ice trek at Matanuska. We stripped off the rain gear and headed north out of the park being careful not to speed through the sinkhole craters in the road that nearly flipped us over on the way in. Just before we reached Seward Highway I spotted another bald eagle perched in a tree. What a wonderful sight to see this bird so close. Our next destination was something we planned to do next week--visit Hope, Alaska. Why? Well for its namesake of course and it is nearly 100 uninhabited miles from anything or anywhere. It has a couple of great little cafes and it sits on the southern bank of Turnagain Arm. We stopped into the Discovery Cafe for lunch. H and I indulged in a really hearty homemade lentil soup along with a homestyle grilled cheese and ham sandwich. Followed that up with some awesome banana pecan pie. Whew, six meals in Alaska and I need to loosen my belt already--the fat feeling is back. After leaving the cafe we took a walk near the Arm and drove to the end of the road, literally. Hope Highway ends soon after the cafe. We soon hightailed it out of Hope to try to reach Bird Point to catch the Bore Tide. At the BP rest stop, we walked up the stairs as some people came down, saying If you came to see the tide you just missed it." And that we did, by about two minutes!! Looking east, we could see it flowing away in the distance. Since it only moves about 15 mph we could have backtracked ahead of it, but we were too tired and had another 100 miles to go in the rain to reach the Anchorage Ramada. Once we got there we ordered some Papa John's pizza, delivered directly to the room and quickly passed out. It was still raining and probably would still be raining tomorrow, Labor Day, but our plans would be less detered by the rain.

Matanuska Glacier

Today we had to get an early start and make sure we were on the road by 7 a.m. in order to make our 9:50 a.m. appointment with our MICA Guide, whom we dubbed"Ice Hike Mike." Waking up was no problem when the Saturday-morning dumpster emptying truck came at 6 , right outside our fabulous suite upgrade! After driving around to find snacks for the car, we enjoyed our first glimpses of Alaska's beautiful scenery which was only slightly spoiled by the high overcast ceiling. We drove up the Glenn Highway by King Mountain and Moose Creek, which was running fast with clean blue-gray glacially silted water. I had initially thought the tide had some effect on the riverbed, but I discovered later the truth is in the permafrost. The water doesn't carve deep canyons here like in the dserts of Utah or Arizona because it can't seep into the frozen ground. Instead, it will take a different path each season and even divide into many strands, and is thus called a braided stream. We stopped often on the roadside to take it all in and just made the guide's hut in time. MICA Guides is located on a private property park, so we first had to enter the park and met some locals, including a lady with a bird on her shoulder, at the park "office"/snackbar/gift shop. We drove over a deathfully bumpy road and finally got to the guide hut, where we put on our cold-weather gear. For the next three hours we walked in and around Matanuska Glacier. Our guide was awesome and we all quickly hit it off and were eager to listen and learn. Some notable portions of the trip included the "glacial fat," which is a weird elasticy mud substance that we bounced on as if it were a trampolene. Rather hard to describe--it was like walking on mud that does not give and the top layer is like plastic and you're walking on the surface of a water balloon! We saw many glacial structures like moulins, crevasses, vents, and waterfalls. The waterfall provided the best-tasting natural source water (okay to drink because animals don't walk on the glacier) and H. was quick to fill a Nalgene bottle full of it for the road. We must have shown our guide that we were well equipped and sure footed enough when he said late in the trip, "Now, I don't show this spot to just anyone" and we crunched up over a ledge to overlook a deadly crevasse. It was like standing on the ledge of a building and looking down. He said "If you slip here it is over. You'll get sucked underneath this whole thing and drown in the melt flowing 300 feet below and get washed out the vents a mile away . . . if you fit." Yeah, we'll step back now nice and easy! This was an awesome experience. Seeing a glacier from the road or boat is one thing but strapping on the crampons and trekking across one is a different story. Learning to walk in the spikes took some getting used to, but by the time we had to take them off, we forgot we'd had them on. They make slick surfaces so much easier to walk on. When you don't have to second guess every foot placement, it makes for much easier traveling.

After we wrapped up there we headed back out of the park and had a picnic lunch at the park entrance gate. Ahead of us now was a scenery-packed 220-mile ride to Seward for Day #2. By the time we reached the northern outskirts of Anchorage the world must have ended behind us because at least thirty emergency vehicles went racing up the highway in the opposite direction, back toward the fairground, perhaps. (We never did see or hear what happened). It is at this moment that sadly the rain began and didn't stop for the next sixty hours; nevertheless, we were in Alaska and a little rain was expected and we were prepared for it. As we headed down the highway wipers-a-flappin', you could not help but notice that all the road signs--and I mean every single one--was shot up with bullet holes of various calibers. EVERY SINGLE SIGN. As for the signs you could actually read due to lesser holes, we learned that fireworks are very illegal and prohibited and that it is equally illegal to have a line of five cars trailing your slow ass on the Seward Highway. This was the mantra of the log-totin' mo-fo in his little Kia Sefia overflowing with split logs who ate our ass down the wet and rainy highway. We rolled into the Seward area around 7 p.m. and as I glanced up a huge bald eagle hopped from its perch, spreading its wings, and flew right over us-- gorgeous!! Settled into the Harboview Inn which likewise had no fan or air conditioning but with the rain and being so close to the bay, the air was slightly cooler, although heavy and humid. It was a big, big day and we were all still pretty beat and we opted to head over to the grocery store to fend for our dinner but after a lap around the Safeway's perimeter we opted to actually sit for a meal instead. We went down the road to eat at Ray's Waterfront about ten minutes before their kitchen closed. There are mixed reviews of this place but what I ordered was fantastic! I got a basket of little neck steamers drowned in a broth of garlic, white wine, butter, and herbs and a succulent pound of "local" king crab legs. I say "local" because as big as Alaska is from the table I sat in, had I been in New York City the crab may as well have been caught in Lake Michigan. A & H enjoyed steak and scallops, respectively. With full bellies and heavy eyes, we headed for sleep, hoping the rain would let up some since we had a full day of further adventures planned for the next day.

Arrival

Our arrival and first sight of land. Is that DENALI on the Horizon?

Newark, NJ: Once we checked our baggage and headed for the terminal I looked over to H. and she was teared up, anxious and excited with anticipation of what we were about to discover together. This trip to Alaska is hers and she has waited for and dreamed of it since elementary school. One glance at her and I almost lost my own composure as I'm so happy that this day has come for her. However, I hate to fly and I can't think of a more tedious trip than flying from New York to Anchorage in coach class. Twelve hours in that little seat with all your neighbors with their own little bothersome habits while they too pass the time and suffer. There were the little girls behind us kicking the seats and having temper tantrums, yelling "MOMMY, THE BUNNIES!! THE BUNNIES!!!" and all the blue hairs on this Airbus were hacking and wheezing and making so much noise. The trip out was two legs: first to Seattle and then on to Anchorage. We left the house 5:30 a.m. EST and landed in the Last Frontier at 3:07 p.m. AST, four hours behind our body clocks. Helping us out along the way were the iPods, plenty of Alaska-based reading that we brought along, and of course the nice stewardess who gave me a bottle of J.D. for free! I was the only one who dared eat the airline food, which featured a pork and cheez melt -OOOF. Fortunately no mishaps or delays in the airline experience but soon enough the inevitable traveling hassles reared their ugly head. First at the car rental counter the girl (wearing a "Trainee" tag) took thirty minutes to complete the transaction and make two phone calls to her supervisor to reload the contract paper. I remained calm even though twelve hours of flight will try your patience. We hopped in the car and after a few circles, wrong turns and stranger-in-this-land mistakes we finally arrived at the hotel. There were three of us on the trip and the hotel folks told us they upgraded us (oh, joy) to a suite! With a jacuzzi-jet tub!! And one bed. So where is my brother supposed to sleep? H asked not quite buying into the "upgrade." (This happened as up pulled a tour bus full of the people who obvioulsy bumped us from the standard non-smoking double queen room H. booked months ago.) "Oh, it has a pull-out couch!" "And would you like another cot?" "Did I mention it has a Jacuzzi tub?" We grabbed the keys and settled in as best we could in the west-facing HOT AS DEATH room. We then find out the hard way that there is something about how the earth spins that far north that the toilets flush with less vigor and we break it on its initial use. And again, although granted it is Alaska, it was still hot in the building. No A/C or even a fan! It was 60 outside and 80 inside, so we opened the windows to let some cool air in. Time to EAT of course and get our fill of the Anchorage nightlife so we take a quick walk downtown and find ourselves at the Snow Goose & Sleeping Lady Brewery. I'd rate this place a 6.5 They didn't do anything wrong but it wasn't quite right. The food was excellent except it was put together a little weird. It tried to hard to be unique and fusionesque and instead put flavors and textures together that shouln't be best friends. Example: Bruschetta that featured black olives rather than tomatoes, and jalapeno poppers in marinara sauce stuffed with crab meat. Mighty tasty but not what you ordered or expected. A. had a fancy pizza that was covered in . . . bacon? Don't know what that was about! H had the blackened halibut tacos--so good! Me, I dove into the bourbon-grilled salmon, which was good but the Willie Nelson sauce smothering it was neither grilled or contained any hint of the Old Whiskey River it featured. We had a round or two of the made-on-premises microbrews and they were all tasty but this homebrew trend that started in Oregon ten years ago is fading, so I'd have preferred a Knob Creek on the rocks but this wasn't Kentucky. So by now we were pretty beat since our bodies felt like it was 3:30 a.m. We went back to the room, now cooler with the windows open to the city. H. realized why her camera wouldn't take any photos after dinner downtown. Her camera is broken and will not function. I found a way to jimmy a lever-like mechanical problem with the lens and got it functional. But will it take clear pictures? I wasn't sure, nor was she and we lay sad thinking she'd have no film photographs of our travels. Our sleep was disturbed the whole night by sounds barging in though the open window: freight ship horns, trains leaving the railyards blowing their immensely loud horns. When the horns were not blowing the Anchorage youth were racing their jalopy cars back and forth behind the hotel. I wish you could hear the P.O.S. cars rev their ticking valves and mal-exhaust until they caught air, over-revved, and hit the pavement again with a tire chirp with the chassis and suspension rattling itself apart over and over again. Hey, did I mention that in September in Alaska it doesn't get dark until 10:30 p.m.?! The adventure we came for begins tomorrow and can only get much better.

Blog under "Contruction"

Heading out for Alaska tomorrow and the blog will be under construction in the week or two ahead while I journal all of our daily adventures and take hundreds of photos which will certainly find themselves in a thumbnail link at the bottom of the page.

Here is the Plan...

• Witness Bore Tide at Turnagain Arm.
• Hiking in Chugach National Forest.
• Guided Ice Fall Trek on Matanuska Glacier.
• Alaska State Fair Celebration.
• Tour Denali National Park.
• Cruise Kenai Fjords National Park into Aialik Bay and Glacier.
• See the Aurora Borealis in Fairbanks.
• Ride the "Haul Road" north beyond the Arctic Circle.
• Dodge Moose & Bear along Richardon Highway through Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
• Cruise through Prince William Sound on the Alaskan Marine Highway.
• Dog Mushing and kennel visit on Kenai Penninsula.
• LOOK FOR JOB AND ESCAPE MEGALOPOLIS FOREVER!!

Caught the "Contruction" sign in Maine back in May 04. Link up to the Maine D.O.T. if you want to ask just what exactly "Contruction" is. See ya in a couple of weeks!!!!