I was in a state of shock when Dana announced that he had decided not to open the office on Friday 5th July. Historically, if 'the fourth' is on a Thursday, the following day is very quiet. My first thought was that he was giving the office staff an extra holiday, but then he surprised me beyond my wildest imagination. "We are going to go to Alaska!" 'Capturing' our fiftieth, and final state had seemed almost impossible, as a three day weekend was just not long enough. A few months ago, Samantha and I had lobbied and suggested we close on the 5th, and when Dana had asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I had quipped, "A trip to Alaska", but I did not think it would happen.
Planning a four day weekend was rather harder than expected, especially as we found out we could not leave Sunday morning, but would have to fly out on the 'red-eye' Saturday night. "There is a whale watching tour on a boat. I really would love to do that" said Dana. "Great", said I, remembering my last experience! The boat would have to travel through some rough sea to get to the calmer climes, apparently, but I was willing to sacrifice. "They have a buffet lunch too!", my husband said eagerly. I wondered if I would be able to eat anything, but mentally prepared myself with motion sickness wrist bands, Dramamine and ginger ale! All ready to book, he saw that it was a two and a half hour drive to the boat, five hours on the boat, and then a return journey. I breathed a sigh of relief. Checking the surrounds at Anchorage, I found we were not far from a group of glaciers. We booked a glacier hike. I was delighted! This was my dream. To walk on a glacier! The company provided a list of items they provided, and we were all set!
The slow down started on Tuesday afternoon. Work trickled in after two, giving us a false sense of security that Wednesday would be quiet. On the contrary, Wednesday picked up like it was the last day to ever have papers served! I had been to get my nails painted, and to see Joe before that. I had popped into Target to see if they had a pair of trainers for my glacier excursion, as my new travel shoes were not waterproof. They had nothing in my size. When I returned to the office, Dana said that he had received an email to say 'tennis shoes' were not suitable footwear for the trip, and a pair of 'good' walking shoes would be preferable. I worked as fast as I could to get my desk cleared before going home to prepare dinner, and packing my boots that I had bought in the Sears close out sale. Reduced to $7 they saw me through fifteen miles a day in New York City, and beyond. I was sure they would be suitable. With the last minute influx of work, I was not sure that I would see my husband until Thursday morning, but he came home on Wednesday evening without his usual 'work case'. "I'm done until Monday!" he said.
Setting off at a little before six on Thursday morning, wearing my stars and stripes shirt, and a badge with 'Birthday Girl' displayed, we headed towards the airport. The queues were short, and the people were good natured. I was wished happy birthday by many, and my nails, which I had painted on Wednesday morning, were a big hit!
The trip to Colorado was extra special as we had been upgraded and I enjoyed my first cup of coffee, as well as a blueberry scone. The connection was 40 minutes, which had been a concern, but we arrived early, and the gates were very near each other. The ground staff at the gate were very patriotic. The lady at the door to the Jetway gave a small speech as to the history of July 4 and the man at the desk thanked her and said he was proud to be a citizen of the greatest country in the world. The crowd erupted with applause, and the applause and cheers grew as he thanked the military, past and present. It was glorious to see such patriotism, despite being a foreigner. Richard had 'facetimed' me and asked what all the fuss was about.
Flying over Canada was a little disappointing as the cloud coverage
Our hotel was a short hop from the airport, and we checked in and decided to go for a drive along the coast, although we remembered our promise that we would not go 'wading'. Finding the coastal road was somewhat of a challenge, and when we did find it, we were separated from the water by an elevated railway track so we could not see the ocean. Slightly disappointed, we returned to our hotel to get ready for dinner. We received an email from the tour company to say that we needed to bring suntan cream. We would also need shoes with ankle support. Having brought a pair of shoes that had no ankle support, in preference to the 'tennis shoes' he had originally intended to wear, Dana emailed them back to ask, "What shall I do now?" or words to that effect. They responded immediately that they would supply shoes!
It was dinner time. 'The Bridge' restaurant is by the bridge! The bridge itself is over a river in which Salmon try and escape the hooks of many a fisherman that is trying to catch a bite. The salmon looked as if they were winning, as we watched the frustrated men, and women, cast lines constantly with hope. What I assumed was a very relaxing sport, turned into a near 'fisticuffs' event, when one woman, who had caught a fish, walked up the edge of the river and started to fish in the area outside the window of the restaurant. The fish she had caught was still on the end of a line, and she was dragging it over the rocks, like a dog on a lead. If the fish was not deceased when she started her walk, it would have been so by the time she reached the wider part of the river! The body language made up for the lack of sound. A man who had been standing in the same place since we were seated, was shouting at the woman with the fish. The man's wife, (at the very least companion; a woman who was tapping her watch and shouting at the man from the top of the rocks,) was obviously wanting to leave. Everyone who had a window seat in the restaurant were watching the event. "Do you suppose the restaurant pay the fishermen to put on a show?" I asked Dana.
My dinner, a salmon and rock fish skewer with reindeer sausage, was complimented with a birthday dessert of strawberry and rhubarb crumble. I wondered about the 'reindeer' sausage, and came to the conclusion that the only difference between it and the venison we get from Jerry, is that Santa does not use regular deer! Rudolph, Dasher, Blitzen and their brethren would be sure to stay out of a hunter's way, and considering their life span is eternal, my consuming one of their cousins should not make a difference to the Claus family vehicle!
A twenty seven hour day is rather special when its one's birthday.
We were going to have to be up early on Friday, and being three hours behind Austin, it was not hard to rise at six and head down for breakfast. The sun had been up for at least two hours prior to this, and was shining into another record breaking heatwave day. It appears that the fourth had been the hottest day on record, beating one of almost sixty years. After a very hearty repast, we got ready for our trip.
There were only three other passengers on the bus, and we set off slightly later than anticipated. However, it was all very laid back, and there was not a scheduled time to arrive. Although the road to the glacier is privately owned, the ice mass is the property of the state, and therefore accessible by anyone, at no cost. Unfortunately, the road to the glacier is the only access point, unless you can land a helicopter on the ice, or attempt to navigate by boat. The latter two are not viable options, having been attempted and failed!
We had to sign a disclaimer, although I was unsure as to why. If the land belonged to the state, why would the people who owned the road feel the need to secure themselves. Helmets and walking sticks were provided, and we set off. As we reached the snow covered area, we put on snow cleats.
I think when Dana said a 'glacier tour', I thought I was going on an 'ice field'. However, I was absolutely wowed by the sights. Being that it was summer, the glacier was melting, and moving in ways that it does not in winter. The crevices that are formed create a different view, and different dynamics. Ice caves are created, and the drops between the solid areas can be very deep. We walked up and along, down and through and over and around. Down in the valley of the glacier, the views of the sides were outstanding, and the scenery around spectacular. I was snapping away with my camera, and forgot that I was totally out of my comfort zone! Of course the glacier was not going to melt, and the ice was not going to crack, leaving me stranded. Up until this moment, I had my reservations, but I was too much in awe! The walk into ice cave was probably the most amazing experience, as I realised I had not a care in the world! We filled our water bottles with the clearest, freshest water, and despite the warm temperatures above ground, of course, the water was ice cold.
I could understand why the preference for ankle support was requested, and the need for helmets. Although we did not need a jacket, trousers were preferred to shorts. There were many people who were wearing flimsy footwear, and short trousers, or skirts. A young boy who was not travelling with a tour group, and wearing very little, had fallen and was bleeding profusely down his arms and legs. Another child had been allowed to run from his parents, and fell into a crevice. Fortunately it was not deep.
The four mile round hike did not seem very far. It was not until we got back, removed the cleats and looked back, did we realise quite how far we had travelled,
The trip back to the hotel followed lunch at a small cabin like restaurant, and a chance to see some of the pictures taken by our guide, Bill, We got back to our hotel a little after five, and decided to eat locally. The list of restaurants at which we had been told to dine were too many for our short stay, and despite the once in a life time opportunity, and promise of fabulous scenery, no views could compete with what we saw today! The Cattle Company was just around the corner, and the food was exquisite.
Once again, I could not sleep, as the sun stayed out until midnight and I looked at the sky in amazement. Despite the wonder of the day, this had to be the highlight of the weekend for me.
I went swimming early Saturday morning, before breakfast, and then we packed up and left the hotel. Driving downtown and seeing the 'Cook Inlet' was quite exciting. It is impossible for me to fathom what a sailor might think when he sees land, after being at sea for two years! The weather was, once again, beautiful, and the views devine. We ate lunch at another recommended restaurant, and although the food was reasonably good, it took forty five minutes to present two salads! Perhaps they grow the lettuce in front of the chef! Salmon and prime rib are the mainstays here, as well as the Rudolph sausage!
I would have liked to explore a little bit more, but my husband had just been through a grueling exercise regime that was above and beyond the norm. We had a cup of coffee and some ice cream in another one of the 'recomended' restaurants, and decided we should have had lunch at the Twisted Goat, instead of the one we chose!
On to the airport and cheerio Anchorage. Although we did not get an upgrade to first, our seats were impressively comfortable, and quite spacious. I ate my salmon burger and then went to sleep. Dana watched three movies, and dozed just as the announcements for landing started!
Houston airport was incredibly busy. We walked from our gate, down the aisles, before realising that our departure gate was opposite the one we had come from. Dana parked himself on a chair and fell asleep. I went in search of some hot chocolate and spent the best part of three hours roaming around the airport, before being told I had an upgrade!
The 'operations' guard came around the corner where we had parked ourselves, or where I had parked Dana and our bags for the long wait for our flight. On a three wheeled electric bike he drove into the corner to check the emergency doors. He got stuck. Rather than get off the bike and check the door, he tried to manoeuvre the vehicle with forward and reverse gears, and could not get out of the spot. As Dana and I were the only two in the area, and I was the only one awake, it would have been obvious who was giggling! However, he persevered and after several minutes, managed to get the bike out of the tight spot! I was rather 'punch drunk', not having a proper nights sleep, and found this all very amusing.
The flight back to Austin was uneventful. Samantha joined me by the pool, before taking Sparks to his 'naughty boy school', where he graduated! I think the pass grade must be rather low! I did not see a soul by the pool all afternoon, and swam a lot. I came back to my condo, watered my wilting plants (which had been taken care of by our wonderful maintenance man on Friday) and found my husband fast asleep. I tried not to wake him, as the work week starts tomorrow and with three days away from his desk, he is anticipating a landslide!
With all fifty states now conquered, where to next? One of my friends suggested we start on the hundred and ninety or so countries of the world. I told him that we had trouble getting away to Alaska! Ayres Rock and the Great Wall of China may be a little out of our reach! However, there is so much still to see on this continent.
I am not sure how I can improve on this week, going into the next, but I am sure something will crop up for me to write ...... another story!
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