The Smith Family is still glowing from our visit to Alaska in June 2009. If you are new to this blog, PLEASE be sure to click on the "Older Posts" link at the bottom of this page to read about the beginning of the trip.
At present, I make irregular posts at backWORDS, a blog about word roots and relationships - trust me, it's more interesting than it sounds here.
So, stay in touch, drop me a line, eat what you like.
Be of good cheer.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
A Look Back
We digested our trip into about 100 pictures.
To these images, please add the sweetest smelling air, the pungent aroma of sourdough, the thrilling taste of incredibly brisk mountain streams, the awe of grand vistas - one folding on top of another, the soothing feel of moss, the hilarious laughter of ferns, the clicking of a camera shutter, the steadfast pursuit of reindeer sausage, the dispassion of moose being photographed, the daring boasts of city-slickers, the tears of old friends well met, the panic of confused reservations, the changing of much money, the adoration of human artistry, the taste of salmon bathing in smoke, the elusive nature of long hidden gold, the sound of rocks crashing against one another in a watery bath, the shout of parents for boys "lost" in the woods, the boredom only tarmac can bring, the shattering bark of glaciers, the joy of discovery, and the healing of one human heart - too long gone from home.
To these images, please add the sweetest smelling air, the pungent aroma of sourdough, the thrilling taste of incredibly brisk mountain streams, the awe of grand vistas - one folding on top of another, the soothing feel of moss, the hilarious laughter of ferns, the clicking of a camera shutter, the steadfast pursuit of reindeer sausage, the dispassion of moose being photographed, the daring boasts of city-slickers, the tears of old friends well met, the panic of confused reservations, the changing of much money, the adoration of human artistry, the taste of salmon bathing in smoke, the elusive nature of long hidden gold, the sound of rocks crashing against one another in a watery bath, the shout of parents for boys "lost" in the woods, the boredom only tarmac can bring, the shattering bark of glaciers, the joy of discovery, and the healing of one human heart - too long gone from home.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Closing Thoughts
I will make one last post here in a few days (read: weeks) that will point to a photo album of large format images from our trip. It will take a while to sort through everything and create the album.
Upon our return to Flatland, we often been asked what was our favorite part of the trip. For everyone, the train ride was nothing short of epic. If I can get them to send up one more post, I'd like to have each family member to share a memory / experience.
For me, it's so extremely difficult. The train ride was sensational and a definite highlight. It was also very important to me to see my old neighborhood and walk along the paths I trod as a child. As I have said, reconnecting with Craig B, a classmate 39 years ago, a dear friend today. That is a huge experience that will impact me for years to come.
Upon our return to Flatland, we often been asked what was our favorite part of the trip. For everyone, the train ride was nothing short of epic. If I can get them to send up one more post, I'd like to have each family member to share a memory / experience.
For me, it's so extremely difficult. The train ride was sensational and a definite highlight. It was also very important to me to see my old neighborhood and walk along the paths I trod as a child. As I have said, reconnecting with Craig B, a classmate 39 years ago, a dear friend today. That is a huge experience that will impact me for years to come.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
My Apology
A few of you are aware of another blog by your host in which I wax dire and desperate about our Plan A world and fantasize - more than a little - about my Plan B solutions to all things which stand to unravel.
In a recent post over there I commented on the near-nefarious actions of the Transportation Safety Administration. I stand by that post, but I must now also add this: on the whole I appreciate the job TSA is obliged to perform.
For example, how would you feel if the pudgy, balding Kansan (the one with the red shirt and swollen feet) trying to board Alaskan Airlines Flight 138 from Anchorage to Chicago was carrying not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR knives in his backpack??
Now mind you well, IF something like this were to happen (as extraordinarily hypothetical as it sounds) it would all be the result of a perfectly innocent souvenir orgy in the waning hours of his once-in-four-decades visit to the mightiest state in the Union. But such explanation, if it were offered to Federal Authorities, would still lack any persuasive force.
So, again still speaking hypothetically, I would like to thank TSA's Officer Schnickel for her grace and gentle certainty as she ushered me out of the screening area, returning my weapons to me only after I had crossed the Line of Demarcation separating bad passengers who may not fly from those good passengers who may. And then, from there, I'm gushing with gratitude to dear Ula (a name which looks and sounds a lot like "ulu" - a knife favored by Native Alaskans and tourists alike - which lies at the heart of the problem) of Alaska Airlines who resolved my peril by checking an additional bag and waving the customary $50 extortion fee for said overage.
So, in the theatre of my mind where only such extravagances are allowed to percolate, I am brimming with gratitude to the good men and women of the TSA who nip calamities in the bud and to the agents of AK AIR who help idiots work around their idiotry.
Thanks America, I heart you.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
How to Kill An Hour at The Airport
Heading South
I don't hear so well in noisy joint - which this is - but all of a sudden, everyone in the Smith family got a big smile on their faces. Turns out there was a song playing... "Going To Kansas City". Wow, couldn't have planned that. In 12 hours we'll be going there and in 24 hours we'll be there. But for these last few hours "we're not in Kansas anymore". And in my heart, I may never be again.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Everyone Is Happy
The Final Countdown
The picture above explains this day in full - why I married this gal and why I had to come back to Alaska.
Webcams in Portage and Whittier
Sorry again, didn't get these posted until after our cruise. The weather started out cold and gray, but by the time we were 30 minutes into the cruise, nothing but blue skies as the photos below show. Here are cams for the (land) areas we passed through.
link to our a cruise in Prince William Sound.
We drive by Portage Glacier before entering the Anton Anderson tunnel to arrive in Whittier.
Cam 1
Popping out the tunnel on the other side, here's Whittier.
Cam 1
link to our a cruise in Prince William Sound.
We drive by Portage Glacier before entering the Anton Anderson tunnel to arrive in Whittier.
Cam 1
Popping out the tunnel on the other side, here's Whittier.
Cam 1
Fish Finish
May We Recommend...
Basking in the Noon Day Sun
Surprise Glacier
How Interesting
So be glad we don't have more lay-overs like this or else all my posts would be long, tedious posts of great scholastic insight and little real popular interest.
June 26
Happy AKniversary, Baby!!!
Multimedia message
With a knockdown early in first round, my score card reads Gideon-8 Bathtub-10. -Teddy Atlas
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Kids These Days...
Long and Winding Road
The Alaska Rail Road is an utterly remarkable experience. It cuts through the most rugged territory in North America and still, there is scarcely a ten-mile stretch in which we did not see a cabin tucked into some hillside with it's own million dollar view. It was the best 12 hours I've nearly ever spent... if I could think of something that comes in above it, I'd say so.
We arrived in Anchorage just in time for some fresh caught salmon and crab and thirty minutes of souveniring. Our hotel was a fiasco in a variety of ways - all resolved now and fading fast in the distance as we are ensconced in our last lodging, Bud & Carol's B&B in Girdwood. Oh my goodness, this place is perfect for weary travelers and for energetic explorers - both of which we a little bit are.
I've posted up some more of Noah's fabulous pictures above. Be sure to click on them to enlarge and get a peek at the majestic scenes we devoured with glee yesterday. (You've figured out we've run about two days behind in posting up good pictures. Once we settle back in at home, we'll put together a better album of all photos to share and enjoy.)
Our persistent conversation after going this long and this far into Alaska is when do we move up here and what shall we do to earn our cabin on the hills over-looking salmon-laden streams, moose-parading meadows, beaver-engineered lagoons, and eagle-soaring skies. I'm sure we'll think of something.
Greetings from Girdwood Base Camp
Joshua took his bear knife with him so we're not worried.
Ready, Action
Trains, Autos, ... And that other one...
Highly Recommended
Plan B
Webcams - Anchorage and Girdwood Area
Thursday we wander around the Anchorage area.
Here are several links to webcams in the Anchorage area. Be sure to check in occasionally and hit F5 to refresh the image.
Cam 1 looking southeast
Cam 2 looking north across Turnagain Arm toward Wasilla
Cam 3 looking east
Cam 4 another southeast view
Cam 5 looking north from downtown toward Mt McKinley
Cam 6 looking down 4th Ave where we'll be doing some souvenir shopping
Cam 7 looking over Lake Hood just east of the airport - world's busiest float plane "airport"
After goofing around in Anchorage for a while, we're off to our Bed & Breakfast in Girdwood at the base of the Alyeska Mountain Ski Resort (no skiing, though). Here are a couple cams with different vistas of Girdwood.
Cam 1 four miles south of Anchorage on the Seward Hwy leading to Girdwood. Watch for us!
Cam 2 base of the Alyeska tramway
Cam 3 further, much further up the tramway.
Of course, all this time, we'll be keeping our eye out to the west - across Turnagain Arm - at the smoldering Mt Redoubt volcano.
Cam 1
Cam 2
Cam 3 not sure when this one will come back up - it was knocked out by an eruption in the Spring
Webcams on the route from Fairbanks to Anchorage
Sorry, I forgot to post this up yesterday.
We say goodbye to Fairbanks today as we board the Alaska Railroad train to travel from Fairbanks to Anchorage through Denali / Mt McKinley. We depart Fairbanks at 8:15 - no sourdough pancakes today!
Here are links to webcams that will give you a glimpse of the area we are passing through and what the weather is like. Tune in often and hot F5 to refresh the image.
A view of parking for McKinley Park (passing by here around 12noon). Train tracks on left - watch for us! Same location, looking south. A view of the Alaska Range from Summit (the village, not the top of the mountain!) (passing by here around 1pm).
A view of McKinley from the south across famed Wonder Lake.
A view of the Mt McKinley from Talkeetna (passing by here around 4pm).
Here is a cool webpage that gives you webcams all along the passage from Fairbanks to Anchorage. Click on "Camera" near the top of the page. Then click on any of the small blue cam icons to see current road conditions. The train route parallels the Parks Highway all the way.
Finally, we arrive for our stay in Anchorage around 8pm. A view of Anchorage looking southeast toward the Chugach Mountains.
We say goodbye to Fairbanks today as we board the Alaska Railroad train to travel from Fairbanks to Anchorage through Denali / Mt McKinley. We depart Fairbanks at 8:15 - no sourdough pancakes today!
Here are links to webcams that will give you a glimpse of the area we are passing through and what the weather is like. Tune in often and hot F5 to refresh the image.
A view of parking for McKinley Park (passing by here around 12noon). Train tracks on left - watch for us! Same location, looking south. A view of the Alaska Range from Summit (the village, not the top of the mountain!) (passing by here around 1pm).
A view of McKinley from the south across famed Wonder Lake.
A view of the Mt McKinley from Talkeetna (passing by here around 4pm).
Here is a cool webpage that gives you webcams all along the passage from Fairbanks to Anchorage. Click on "Camera" near the top of the page. Then click on any of the small blue cam icons to see current road conditions. The train route parallels the Parks Highway all the way.
Finally, we arrive for our stay in Anchorage around 8pm. A view of Anchorage looking southeast toward the Chugach Mountains.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Wasilla to Anchorage
Triple-header
[Yes, I'm terribly sorry for offending the spelling sensibilities of my world-wide readership. I've gotten 5 hours of sleep each night for a week and on a 12 hour train ride I missed spelling CYGNET correctly. Again, I'm sorry if this made you lose a spelling bee in Karmina Burana or wherever they challenge people to know the difference between the homonyms "cygnet" (a baby swan) and "signet" (an object with an identifying symbol - a sign - on it, such as a signet ring). I am doubly embarrassed by my mistake because I am shopping for land in Kansas in the area of the Marais Des Cygne River (Marsh of the Swans). Good grief.]
Glee Ride
Me Ride
Free Ride!
She Ride
One More Memory
In the picture above, the vehicle on the distant right is Mr Gid getting his Andretti on in an empty parking lot. I wonder if he'll remeber where and when he learned to drive??? CHS
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See You Later
A popular ending to stories (other than 'they lived happily ever after') is 'and they walked home in the rain'. It captures a dark, brooding mood. Tho not dark, I'm definitely brooding over leaving Fairbanks and for the first time during our visit, we've got solid rain.
Craig B came to see us off - what a champ. A great friend I never knew I had. Of course we arrive, brimming with enthusiasm, only to discover we have no reservations. Oh snap!! Wait, here they are - for Friday... What's today? Wednesday. Oh boy.
All is well, they've shifted us to today and we're moving right now.
And we trained away in the rain.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Bless Be The Ties That Bind
Dinner tonight at the Whisenhants. Jim and Elizabeth Whisenhant were great family friends of our in the 50s and 60s and my mom has stayed in touch with them through the years. Jim (Whizzy) died about several years ago - much to early for a man so brimming with life, courage, and joy. Everyone misses him.
Tonight we dined with the Whisenhant family, including Greg who is my age, as well as other luminaries from my childhood, the Butlers and the Schillings. There are very few of our readers who would understand and appreciate the value of renewing those old relationships so I'll keep this brief. For me, it was a chance for an all-grown-up little boy to sit as an adult with the people that I admired as a squirrely little kid. Elizabeth told the grown ups to sit at one table and for the kids to sit at another. What a delight it was to be able to sit at the same table with the Whisenhants, Schillings, and Butlers. Time flies... and I'm not at the kids' table anymore.
And with that, our visit to Fairbanks comes to a close - and our discovery of the rest of this magnificent place begins. Good night.
Tonight we dined with the Whisenhant family, including Greg who is my age, as well as other luminaries from my childhood, the Butlers and the Schillings. There are very few of our readers who would understand and appreciate the value of renewing those old relationships so I'll keep this brief. For me, it was a chance for an all-grown-up little boy to sit as an adult with the people that I admired as a squirrely little kid. Elizabeth told the grown ups to sit at one table and for the kids to sit at another. What a delight it was to be able to sit at the same table with the Whisenhants, Schillings, and Butlers. Time flies... and I'm not at the kids' table anymore.
And with that, our visit to Fairbanks comes to a close - and our discovery of the rest of this magnificent place begins. Good night.
Scenes from the Chena
Here are some gorgeous shots of our trips up Chena Hot Springs Road. Classic Alaska!!!
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