Straight from the lap of luxury....sort of

Hi!
I've been living in a room at the lodge since I wrote last but I haven't done much taking pictures. In fact, it appears I slept 14 hours last night - and barely made it to work today. I thought about calling in sick - but just would have been too embarrassed. I didn't think I could move....but I could, finally. I may have overdone it a bit. Yesterday at lunchtime I picked up my lunch at the Employee Dining Room in a "to go" box and took it to my room. After a quiet lunch I stole a short nap and set my alarm. I set the alarm wrong and returned to work 1/2 hour late - wierd.
Anyway, today I did work and I feel better and better. Tonight my roommate and I are in the lobby where the internet works pretty dang good !
Four more days of work and then we all fly home! It was sunny and beautiful today again but tonight it was already getting dark at 9:00 p.m. and a very brisk wind has come up. Now it appears to be raining and the rain feels like ice!
It will be good to be home soon.
I hope I get to come back next summer.
g'nite!
love,
Barb

Staying at the Lodge

Oh good grief! This is just too good not to write again already! I got ALL moved today. I did most of it myself - by shuttle bus but on the second load, the last load, Suzie & Al picked me and my last stuff up and brought me over. I tried to help them unload too, but Al had it covered. Probably just as well - somehow I had hurt my back lugging my big suitcase upstairs to my new lodging. The view from our room is Denali National Park - and it's incredible. We can hear the roar of Nenana River with the window open and my back hurt - but I had everything unpacked and enjoyed a glass of wine while watching the scenery. After the glass of wine, my back stopped hurting. Still, I needed just one more glass of wine. I seem to have dozed off by the time Riley got there with my roommate's personal small fridge. It's night now. At the homestead, I would go outside to see if the northern lights were out but there it was very, very dark outside (recently, that is) and there was no one else around. Since we've seen bear in the neighborhood this week, I tended not to stay outside long.
Tonight, here at the lodge, there are people quietly roaming the area. It's SO beautiful here! I've wandered clear across the campus to the main lodge. I had planned to practice piano on the grand downstairs - but there are still too many people about. I've been practicing for about 1/2-3/4 hour each night since I got back from Oregon. I have a piece that I need to play for Jan's memorial service. I haven't played in 25 years. At the homestead there was a grand piano tucked way back in the employee dining room. I could hit it any late evening and have time by myself to play. Here it'll be a little trickier. I can't stop practicing, though. Jan would understand that I need to play this piece for her. It's helped me each day to do this in her memory. There is cloud cover tonight so no northern lights are showing - yet.
We have had a grizzly on campus here - but not recently and somehow (I'm sure it's not the wine!) it doesn't worry me one bit here. The lodge lighting is SO pretty!
Every day I'll save the extra time the shuttle would take to get to work. All of us outfitters appear to have been moved here to the lodge. It's like old home week! It's so much fun.
I'm sitting in front of a huge fireplace in the main lodge just writing away - the fireplace is roaring and it's 25' tall.
Ahhhh,
this is a very fine summer job. I hope Laurie and Maria will consider coming to Alaska next summer to work too!
I have to be back at work by 9:am. That means I need to get up by about 8:am. Before today that would mean I'd need to be up by 6:30 - to meet the shuttle and all. In the evening, the shuttle would leave on the hour. If I happened to spend a few too many minutes with a guest at my quitting time, I'd have to wait an extra hour to go home - and that happened at least half the time! From now on, whatever time I'm done, I'm about 3 minutes from "home".

I'll try to get some pictures of the lodge campus by night. We haven't had night here very long - but we sure are getting more nighttime fast - and the leaves - the hills are yellow and red where they were green all summer.
Not all is happy here. Srdan is leaving to go home to Serbia and his visa won't allow him to return. My friend, Dobry, has returned to Bulgaria. She and I have been playing duets at our hideaway piano. She was so delightful.
I have not had a roommate for some time. My old roommate was not able to handle the "isolation" here and left earlier. Today I do have a roommate again. Her name is Kacey. She is from a town called Tok. She has been helping me try to learn to do pictures and is the one who originally told me the story about the town of Chicken. (They couldn't spell Ptarmigan - so named the town Chicken - no joke!)
I'll miss my neighbor, Marilyn. We've been playing Rummy each night. She beats me nearly every time. I'll miss that! This is just one more small adventure before the end of it. I talked to Laurie tonight and she'll pick me up from the airport.
I miss my family.
It'll be great to get home.
But this sure is one nice big fireplace
g
nite
love,
barb

Bits & Pieces

Today is my last day off. It's been a great summer for me. I think I'm stronger than I was before. I hope so. I've learned a lot about Alaska, about people and about myself this summer. That's a pretty good return on the investment. I always ask if anybody would just e-mail and say hi but nevermind. I just can't open any email anymore. Once in a while I can send a short message - but not much. The strangest things happen. Just now a message popped up from Laura D! It was nice - but I don't even know where it came from and could not respond. I don't think it was instant messaging - but it seemed new - just couldn't answer it. Anyway, nice to hear from her!! I called my credit union today to transfer some funds. Got clear through the call without a disconnect. Lately that is rare. I've heard it's because of the cloudcover. Whenever there are clouds, our phone reception gets tricky.

It truly has been a great summer - really!

Aha! Well, so much for my first day to do NOTHING!

I 've just received a call from my manager. I guess I didn't mention that we have had a sewer failur at our housing - last night it was pretty awful - but today it smells great again. I thought that the plan B was no longer in effect - but it IS. I'm to move out of my dorm housing and move to Room 361 at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge for the remainder of my stay here. OK! I can do that - I was starting to get packed anyway. I will no longer have the 10 mile commute to work and I'll have to use the hotel dining facilities for many of my meals. Ahhh, life is tough : )

I won't have daily maid service, however.

hee hee.

That would have been intrusive though. I suppose I can continue to pick up after myself even at Denali Wilderness Lodge.

The pictures, before I go:

First picture is grizzly bear scat on the trail above Eielson Center. It looked like blueberry pie filling. It was a bit too fresh.

The next picture is proof that my friend and I climbed the entire trail. It was WINDY up there! (and steep!) The third picture is of Eielson Center. In the background you can see the foothills to Mt. McKinley. I wasn't thinking about Mt. McKinley - I should have gotten that in the picture. I was only thinking of how far down our point of origin was!! I tried to add one final picture here below but now it's the first picture - Mt. McKinley as seen from our trail that day.

Take care

Not sure when or if I'll have internet connection again.

If you've been reading along sometimes, it has helped me to log this stuff.

It's been a fine summer.

I miss my home, my friends, my life in Oregon.

I'll also miss Denali.

Love,

Barb

Glacier Landing by Plane again......almost....9.7.09

9/7/09
I was up by 5:45 – quite a trick since I could not sleep last night. Yup, that happens, even in Alaska sometimes!
I ate breakfast at the Music of Denali Breakfast buffet which features mountaineer, Laurent Dick, each morning, visiting with guests, showing slides of his climb to the Mt. McKinley summit.
By 7:30, I was on my way again to the tour, “Glacier Landing by Plane”. I’ll attach pictures – but I’m typing offline. If I dare to type directly onto the blog and there is a glitch….and there are so many ….IF there is internet at all, then everything would disappear.
It seems there is so little time to write but I want not to lose these memories! In less than two weeks I’ll be home and my other world will overtake me again. The people who are renting a room in my house have decided to move on and my friend who is renting the little house across the street will be moving too. I always stress over who to get for renters and I know stress will quickly follow as I strain to cover all the bills and an extra mortgage working halftime again. I do work to remember that transitions actually require change to be real transitions. Ha, how profound.
I think I like change only when I instigate it.
Today I flew to Mt. McKinley with the same pilot as before, Bruce. He’s the dad of the chief pilot. We flew in a 1966 DeHaviland Beaver. Only 79 were manufactured with the turbo prop jet engine that this one has. They were designed for the Canadian government as military planes.
There are 5 native Alaskan tribes. The tribes around McKinley are referred to as Athabascans. They migrated with the seasons between Broadpass and the Healy area. The Healy area was their winter home because there is less precipitation (snow) in winter here. Broadpass was their summer home. It is magnificently beautiful. I was sorely tempted to stop and take photos a couple of weeks ago when I was on Hurricane Ridge duty.
In 1970 the Parks Highway was completed – named for George Parks. Before the completion of the highway Healy residents relied solely on the railroad for transportation. Of course, all visitors to the park also arrived by train. There was a road but there were no bridges so it went along in fits and starts, was a dirt road only and was rarely used.
Our plane flew at 9,500 feet over Princess Lodge. I got some pictures. If they come out, they’re all the red roofs. Princess is the largest resort lodge in Alaska with 656 rooms – spread out all over!
If you’re reading this (thanks! And) you’ll know I took notes during today’s flight. This pilot is so full of good information!
The Alaskan range is small by lower 48 standards – only 650 miles long and 40 miles wide. It has a huge impact on precipitation in Alaska, though. Rain and snow are measured in feet on the south side of the range and in inches on the north side.
Four flight companies are permitted to land on Mt. McKinley glaciers. They serve the climbers and the tourists. They were all operating before the current national park rules were instated and have been grandfathered in. Healy is 100 miles from Mt. McKinley. Our first photo opportunities were at 50 miles from Mt. McKinley. I’m not sure how far we were for the closeup views. That felt like measurement should be in feet or inches – but we were probably at least a mile away. Wish I’d thought to ask. The latitude of Mt. McKinley is 62 degrees.
The Alaskan range is a product of two tectonic plates, the North America plate and the Pacific plate, crashing up against each other. Mt. McKinley was produced by the Pacific plate being shoved upward. The black color of the rock is from the ocean bottom. The Athabascan religion centered on Mt. McKinley. The north peak was the mother. The south peak was father and two nearby peaks were son and daughter.
Within Denali, at Sanctuary, is the largest population of grizzlies in the world.
By the way, tonight as I type this, there have been several sightings of a very large grizzly at the kettle ponds up the road a couple of miles. He appears to be gorging on berries. A naturalist I listened to recently conjectured that bear and berries SOUND alike because their root words were the same. The bears eat tons of berries – and there are fields of berries up here simply called Bear berries. Kettle ponds, by the way, are created by the gouging of glaciers. Wonder Lake is a prime example of a huge kettle pond – 4 miles long, ½ mile wide and 280 meters DEEP.
There are now 400,000 visitors to Denali park each year.
We watched Muldrow Glacier as we ascended Mt. McKinley. Medial morane is the black gravel in the center – the glaciers push sediment from the sides to the middle of the flow. Terminal morane ----hmmm. I need to understand that better before I try to explain that – even and especially to myself.
Mt. McKinley is only 50,000 years old. From a satellite view, the Alaskan range resembles a human skeleton with Mt. McKinley being the skull. The rest of the range lies east of McKinley.
Most glaciers move 5-10 feet per year. Muldrow Glacier, however, is a “floating” glacier. In 1957 Muldrow Glacier moved 2-1/2 miles. The ice on Muldrow Glacier is 2,000 feet deep. The black color seen in the glacier is the terminal moraine which covers the ice. Even where I can see vegetation, the ice is directly underneath and 2,000 feet thick.
We tried to land on Eldridge glacier but were unable because of the heavy cloud cover today. On that glacier, the ice is only 500 feet deep and is covered in 45 feet of snow. The mountain directly left of McKinley as we fly is Mt. Mather. Hahahaha. But we flew clear around Mt. McKinley. So I don’t think that note was very helpful.

At Mt. McKinley, we flew at 11,300 feet. At 12,000 feet we’d have to use oxygen masks. (Later we flew just under 12,000 feet to manage the cloud cover and visibility)
We saw Wonder Lake and Burke Glacier to the north. The black mountains are on the south side of the range and the gray mountains are on the north. This is the continental divide of Alaska and the black rock is Pacific Ocean sedimentary rock. The gray is from …..(not easy taking notes while flying and taking pictures – sorry. I lost that info!)
In 1905 a federal judge was exiled to Alaska. He lived at Kantishna (the furthest point on the road in Denali Park and the original site of the gold found that created the Gold Rush)
Five times he tried to climb Mt. McKinley. He had terrific equipment and he had horses to pack. He didn’t realize that he was trying to climb a 14,000 foot vertical slope of ice. It is now known as Wickersham Wall and it is absolutely magnificent. On another flight, we flew from the bottom to the top of that wall and that’s as close as I ever hope to come to mountain climbing.
Our airspeed today was 110 knots.
With the cloud cover today we can see 75 miles at 12,000 feet.
I had planned to go into the park again today (on the ground, that is) but when I had the chance to try again to do a glacier landing, I just took it. We still didn’t get to land – but it was worth it. I have one more day off – on Friday. I’ll take a trip into the park one last time then. I am in the park much of the time, often even while I’m working but I mean into the PARK – I love the gravel road bus rides and the wildlife and vistas. I’m going to miss this place.

Church

Earlier started to tell about church in Healy but panicked and sent blog off before it went down. Then I wrote out the story later and.....sure enough. The internet quit and all was lost.
But it seems to be more durable tonight so here goes again.
The church is Healy has really good attendance. Most rentals - more than 90% - here are dry cabins. No running water (and out houses)
The church HAS running water AND washers and dryers. Community members attend very regularly AND they do their laundry and refill their water jugs while at church .

Evening drive into the park

The first 17 miles into the park, as far as Savage River, are paved two-lane highway. My friend, Marilyn and I drove into the park tonight to get pictures of the late autumn colors. The colors are already starting to fade and within a couple of weeks, the foliage will turn gray and brown, they say. We found MOOSE.

Jeep Safari, thyme, church & Bumbleberry pie

It's late autumn in the Denali. Did you know that you can remember you can remember the five species of Salmon easily ? I learned how today! Here goes! Hold up your hand. The thumb stands for CHUM salmon. The pointer finger stands for Sockeye (sock eye - get it??) the middle finger stands for KING Salmon. The ring finger is for SILVER Salmon (silver, gold rings) and the little finger is for Pink Salmon. Ha! Well, that sort of information may seem more important up here. The salmon run is very poor this year and there is concern for the bush families, the native Alaskans who depend on subsistence fishing. It will be a tough winter.

I'm holding Arctic thyme. I'll be bringing it home and using it in cooking! Speaking of cooking, I talked to Rose at Rose's cafe today and I will be making bumbleberry pie this winter. I'm looking forward to it. I practiced today at the cafe, eating some fresh out of her oven with a bit of vanilla ice cream and a cup of coffee. I believe I have it almost down pat now.

How did I get clear through that whole trip up the Stampede Trail in a jeep without thinking to actually take a picture of the jeep? It's been raining here lately and so today the 4-wheeling was terrific!! Our jeeps were MUDDY and fun. I drove - but I was afraid he would think I was an old lady. The others in our line of jeeps were in their 20's and 30's. So I didn't want to be the little old lady who held everybody up. I guess I wasn't. He yelled something while we were traversing a huge mud lake - it sounded like "DON'T! Stop!!"

So I didn't. I kept up my speed no matter what.

Well, that's NOT what he meant!

He meant - STOP!

oh well. I needn't have worried that he'd think I drove like an old lady.


See how beautiful the autumn is?

Just another mudhole - Great for driving!

Ok - I just love these pictures of me fly fishing. I just had to throw this one back in (no pun intended)


Sometimes I write in this blog and then the internet disappears. At those times, so does everything I've written, so I'm closing now.

See y'all soon. I'm flying home on the 18th and Laurie is picking me up at 5:30am

Love,

Barb

fly fishing & fox

This is the fox we met as the bus pulled into the homestead tonight. There is a cat in the bushes. I'd meant to write about the cat earlier. He's a scrawny alley cat and I've wondered how he had survived until now. Tonight the only thing that saved him was our arrival. That fox had him almost - but when we pulled up the cat ran to us - and the fox skulked away.





This is me - flyfishing for the first time in my life. Our guide/trainer was wonderful and as soon as I get home, I'm purchasing a fly fishing outfit! It was wonderful. I did happen to catch two Arctic Grayling - but I preferred to just cast and reel in - it was a lovely feeling -
Now, honestly, I must tell you that we hike 1/2 mile into Fish Creek through tundra. It was definitely uphill both ways. We walked through bogs. That is - THEY walked through bogs. I sometimes got bogged down. Once the bog was so deep I thought it would go over the hip waders - but it didn't - What a hike! The bushes were taller than I've ever noticed and the bogs deeper - and colder!! When we got there originally to the fishing site, our guide pulled out a rifle and then set it away and brought a large handgun. I've never been fishing with an armed guide but I didn't mind the gun one bit! Please note the scenery. This is autumn and it's incredible.

I interviewed Don last night. I'm still thinking about our interview. I had planned to interview one of our cooks tonight but we missed connections.

I was late getting back from the train tonight. The 430 new guests didn't slow us down one bit - but the young male moose standing at the Visitor Center stopped traffic! I got a picture with my cell phone but it was awful - sorry - I forgot I had my camera in the backpack.

There's a new girl in town. Her name is Hanna Marie. She was born yesterday (but she didn't fall off a turnip truck!) She is the daughter of Chris and April and the baby sister of Leilah. She is beautiful

I'm finally getting this stuff! It's all crammed together but perhaps I can finesse it a bit soon. Also, the first pictures I upload come out at the bottom - so it's all backwards! The bear is so cute from the inside of our parks tour bus. Took this picture last Friday on my day off. The bears are in their hyperphagia stage - and they do LOVE blueberries. We found extremely fresh bear scat on our hike - and it looked like blueberry pie filling - Our guide had his bearspray and called out a lot. I liked that hike WITH a guide!!! This next picture was also taken last Friday - Mt. McKinley from the northeast view. That's Muldrow Glacier that you can see. It's 35 miles long. It's the route that the sourdoughs took in about 1913. The native Alaskan and gold miners up at Kantishna didn't want the rich, uppity mountaineers to be the first to summit Mt. McKinley, so gathered at a bar, they decided to ascend the mountain themselves. They had some doughnuts and some hot chocolate. They also took a 14 foot pole with them which they intended to set into the ice at the summit. They expected that it would be seen from Talkeetna so people would know they'd been up the mountain. It was much harder than they'd expected - but luck (and perhaps more) was with them. They summitted Mt. McKinley in 18 hours and all of them survived. Today, mountain climbers train all year, spend weeks ascending and this year four more died in the attempt.


This is another view of Mt. McKinley. See the road on the right? There's one road into the park - 90 miles long - unpaved and single lane. It's quite a ride.

Finally, below, I just wanted a picture of the tourist busses that were parked together near McKinley. I wish I'd taken more pictures of Eielson Center - but perhaps now with my new skills, I can be more picturesque with this blog!

It was a beautiful day for Mt. McKinley. I hope I find the pictures I took along our hike - this may actually be one of them.

8/26/09

Tomorrow April and Chris and Leilah will welcome another daughter to their family. It has been a long and difficult pregnancy and will be a relief to have mother and daughter do well!!

Alpenglow

Tomorrow is my next day off so I sit here in the lobby - on the new leather couches in my jeans with socks and no shoes and my feet up on the ottoman - and a friend on the next couch. Ahh, life is good when the next day is a day off. I'll be up by 6am to go fly fishing. It'll be worth it. We'll be fishing for Arctic Grayling - catch and release only but I'll try to get pictures of fish. Then I'll have lunch at the lodge restaurant - and a glass of wine, I think - and then on to Wilderness Living and Dog Cart Adventures - a new vendor about which I know nothing - but I'll find out! Anything for the guests, you know. Everything I get to go on helps me with my job. And it's so much FUN. I'll do all of tomorrow alone since I don't have anyone with the same day off this week. That's ok. I find I really like just pleasing me. It's so easy!
Then in the evening, I'll be interviewing Don. I don't want to glamorize his story but I sure want to hear and tell it. So, he'll be the first man I've invited to my room - ha!I want him to be able to tell his story without worry about what others are hearing or what he chooses to say. He's willing to do that. Perhaps he needs to tell his story. I hope so. I've worried about him - The administration is pretty upset about two rescue efforts this summer for one kid. I believe he has spent a summer learning something important to his life. I wonder if we can unearth what it is. What a great day tomorrow will be.
Yup. Trying to add pictures - have so many great pictures but cannot post them. Perhaps Don will help me again tomorrow and I can remember how he does it next time - urgh!!!

OH! I almost sent this without talking about the Alpenglow. The Alpenglow is the pink color of the mountains and sky as the sun sets. It's incredibly beautiful and tonight was the first time it's just overtaken the evening sky. I'm trying to sit up long enough to see the Aurora Borealis (sp!) tonight too - it's very early this year - and they say the snow will be very early too.
Someday I'd like to spend the winter here too. Each season is so special - so lovely. Today the wild cranberry plants make the ground crimson red. The fireweed plants have turned a color crayon red too so the earth is lovely - in all new ways now.

FOUND

They are found, spent some time at the clinic - were very, very hungry and are HOME here with the rest of us. I don't know much more - except there is quite a bit of trouble - it's not looked upon lightly to go out and get lost and use up all that trooper and search time --- I hope they can keep their jobs until the end of the season.
I've hugged Don and let him know how happy I am that he is ok....more later - right now I think they're dazed and tired - and realizing that they're in trouble with the powers that be.
not by me.
I'm just so glad they made it!!!!!
Here's the blog I wrote last night when there was no internet.

It’s 7pm. Don and his friend are still missing. Planes are going over the area and searches are underway. They did call off the helicopters. Too bad of weather. The people at the front desk just want people to stop asking about the lost boys. My friend and I talked to a trooper who told us that their packs were found next to the river – the box lunches were there – uneaten. The tent poles were in the packs. Some other, more experienced hikers had met Don and his friend, Jackal – an oriental who also worked in the kitchen. The experienced hikers assured us that they had accompanied Don and partner to the bus – that they had successfully crossed the river and then re-crossed on the way home. The experienced hikers decided to camp for the night but Don and friend told them they needed to get back and continued on their way in spite of oncoming dark hours. It may be my imagination, but we are quiet here in the homestead tonight. There is not the laughter. Everything seems subdued. There’s a computer-generated notice on the front door and on the desk – advising that it is not permissible or appropriate for others to go searching for the lost pair – that already there are efforts being made by search and rescue teams and any others in the field will only further stress the rescue efforts.
I went ahead with my day off. A friend and I hiked – very briefly and then joined the covered wagon adventure with dinner at the bunkhouse. On the road we discovered bear tracks, again very, very fresh. I took pictures of the tracks. It continues rainy and chilly outside. There’s no internet but it feels better to talk about it and record it and remember and ask from prayers and hope. Then, if there is a bit of time with internet I’ll cut and paste this.
People talk about the 18 wolf packs that live here. Others talk about the bears. People at the front desk sit here and talk about tempers and fears and concerns that this is getting deadly serious. I fear for young kids who think that everything will be ok and set themselves up for horrific accidents.

Don

Blog 8.23.09
Don is the young man who helped me get the most recent pictures on my blog. He’s a really nice kid. Today he’s lost – again. He headed back out to the bus last Thursday – with a friend. They both work in the kitchen here at the homestead. Don was lost earlier in the year. I don’t remember if I wrote about it or not – the internet is down – of course and I can’t check what I’ve written. It’s Sunday. Don and his friend were due back by yesterday. They had asked to get a ride out on the Stampede Road as far as the trail – they were heading to the bus featured in the book, Into the Wild. Don and I had talked about the earlier problem – being lost – I didn’t think he’d get lost again – and he’s little better prepared than last time.
The kitchen manager is on the phone with the state troopers. Others have been in contact too. The general manager of the lodge is involved. A few hours ago the troopers began the search on 4-wheelers. Don is such a nice young man. He plans to return to community college after this season. He seemed embarrassed to tell me he’s in community college – I told him I work for a community college and really believe in the students who can get through their programs. Many of the folks here are terribly well educated. One of the bus driver guides works as a professor of Russian Lit at UCLA all winter but comes up each year because his heart requires the atmosphere up here. Many of the people I have met and work with carry at least one college degree – all are driven here by something that quickly gets in the blood. When Don and his friend left, they requested four box lunches from the dining room. Each of the therefore had four sandwiches, four pieces of fruit, four small bags of chips and four bottles of water. Don has a sleeping bag. It’s been as low as 25 degrees Farenheit during the nights. It’s raining today – it has been beautiful weather for the past three days – but a storm is approaching.
Even before the storm arrives, my friend Marilyn and I tried to hike this morning. It’s not terribly cold in the middle of the day – but it’s very, very wet. We decided to take a ride in her car instead and later today we’ll go on the covered wagon adventure (for tourists – but it’ll be fun and dry and interesting and we’ll have dinner in a bunkhouse)
If this gets to the internet today, prayers for Don and his friend would be in order. Thank you
I had planned to write about the hike I took with Shirley – a woman who works in housekeeping – whose responsibility is Buildings 10 & 11. She was very patient with me. She frequently stopped along the trail to check out the wildflowers – while I puffed and panted and caught up. We hiked the Alpine trail above Eielson Center. It was very, very steep. The hike was only 1.1 miles but we climbed more than 1,000 feet in that distance. The ranger said it was the equivalent of climbing 77 stories in a building. It was absolutely beautiful. I haven’t included the pictures – Don was going to help me do that.

Iditarod Champions, Christmas and snow in August

August 17, 2009
Yukon Quest & Iditerod Champion
There’s still no internet – but there’s cell coverage!
Today my job was to pick up a park ranger and two “mushers” at the train depot. The musher turned out to be Aliy Zirkle and her mother, Mickey. Aliy is a young lady who was a college student in 1998 when she decided she needed a big change. She came to Alaska and lived in a small town of 35 people – on a good day – living with an Athabascan family and their dogs. Aliy adopted six of their dogs and moved to a somewhat larger community – Two Rivers, somewhere east of Fairbanks. There she and her dogs lived and she began mushing in the winters because, as she said, in the winter in Alaska, you just tend to start looking for ways to get outside sometimes. She started with a snow machine but it was noisy and greasy and she didn’t like that. She did like the dogs. She says the way to make money in Alaska is certainly not to find a job – it’s to help construct something – that’s where the $$$ are – and so she hired out to do construction. On that job she met a man from Arkansas who also loved dogs and was mushing. They have married and now have 51 dogs – their life, livelihood and love is mushing. I was taking her and the ranger down south to Hurricane Ridge where we would meet the Princess train coming in from Whittier, north to Denali. The train would stop briefly at Hurricane and they would load on. I would transfer some papers I’d brought and receive an envelope from the onboard travel guides. Then, after depositing them on the train, I would simply drive back to Denali (about 50 miles of incredible scenery I never get used to) and they, being on the train, would go from car to car on the train and explain about Denali National Park and about dog mushing. I asked to listen and have them talk about their lives. Aliy will compete in her 10th Iditarod this coming March. She has won the Yukon Quest three times. Both are races of about 1,049 miles. The Yukon Quest is actually colder and more remote than the Iditarod which is more famous. Aliy and her husband, Allen Moore, train with their dogs as soon as there is snow each fall. The 51 dogs they currently have are descendents of those first six dogs that Aliy adopted. There are sponsors and events that keep them going all year long. I was touched by the heart that Aliy has for her dogs and she shared stories of the dogs and how they love to run, are sensitive even to the moods of the musher and are often more competitive than the human behind the sled. Aliy is a lovely, tall woman with determination which could only be explained by her story of living with her dogs and loving to mush during the winter – and feeling that there are far more dangerous things – and few things more beautiful or full of adventure.
I got a chance to talk with Aliy’s mom. Aliy came by her sense of adventure by parents who moved to Puerto Rico when she was small because a job waited there and they sensed adventure. After Puerto Rico with its diverse cultures and ethnicities, St. Louis, Missouri struck the girls as dull. Her mother always encouraged Aliy to do what her own heart led her toward – but Aliy used to write letters on the back of paper targets – Aliy was practicing with her gun and was taking bear safety classes for mushers. Her mother says she just tried not to think about it. Now Aliy’s sister has moved to Two Rivers to serve as kennel manager for Aliy. Aliy’s parents are building a cabin to live in near their two daughters – but for the summers only. This past winter they spent in Florida when they weren’t sailing through the Great Lakes and down the Atlantic.
I don’t think I’m telling this well. It was SO exciting to hear about the Yukon Quest from a real live woman who mushes it EVERY year!
I got an autographed postcard from Aliy and I told her I’d be writing about her in tonight’s blog. She shared her blog with me
www.SPKDogLog.com
I wish I could check into it – but of course, there’s no internet here – still.
It’s 10:30 and I’ll be back on the bus to work at 7:30 tomorrow morning. I have TWO days off this week. I’m planning some hiking and some tours – just need to keep planning till there’s a real plan. I got pictures of the train, Aliy and the rest of us. I hope I can post them when I post THIS
G’nite,
Love,
barb

Blog 8.19.09

I sit here listening to great Christmas music, looking at mistletoe and garlands AND a huge Christmas tree surrounded by gifts – because it’s almost August 25th! A few years ago, employees at Yellowstone National Park received an early snow and found themselves snowbound – unable to leave their living quarters – and created a Christmas then. Since then, each national park celebrates Christmas starting on August 21st. I have my secret person to whom I will be a secret Santa.
Not only THAT, but last night it SNOWED on Mt Healy – the trail I’ve planned to hike on Friday is covered in snow!
Autumn is nearly over here. Winter isn’t far off. Sometimes I can’t get warm. I keep the heat on in my room – it’s a relief to return to that at the end of each work day – but I would never leave the heat on at home – except for the woodstove –
Here, though – when it rains there is a very crisp wind attached (one that leaves snow on the nearby hillside!)
Back, though, to Aily and her mother, Mickey. Mickey has never seen interior Alaska in the “summertime” (not recognizing that we staff members do not equate this weather with summer but with late, late fall)
Mickey says she has driven the George Parks Highway – only in winter-when getting the dogs to the Iditarod – and there is only snow and ice in every direction. It is very green now and lovely. Aily and her husband generally take about 30 dogs to the Iditarod – a job which requires two pickups. One, the larger, is a Ford 450 Diesel. On the back flatbed of that truck, they’ve constructed a maze of dog homes, each with its own door and can carry 20 racing dogs. On the smaller pickup, a Ford 350, the can carry 10 more dogs. A luxury hotel in Anchorage sponsors their team and that involves, among other things, fencing off a large section of their parking lot for the dogs – an area directly beneath their suite’s windows – so that they can be in contact with the dogs. The other dogs? Too young, too old or just resting a while. One man from Michigan got in touch with Aily and offered to sponsor a particular dog he just fell in love with. He sends $1,000 each year just to cover any special needs that dog may have….and when the dog grew too old to race, Aily contacted that sponsor who gladly flew out, made acquaintance with the dog and adopted him – flew him home to live a retired life. He still sends Aily pictures of the retired dog having a dog’s life with him and his family.
Then there’s the hoopla of the Iditarod. There’s a classic START. TV cameras, reporters and thousands of people and many entrants who just want to be able to say they’ve participated in the Iditarod. So, there is a START (in downtown Anchorage) and now there is a “restart”! That used to be held later on the same day but now it’s actually on the NEXT day and not advertised. The teams meet AGAIN and actually START the race – without all the hoopla.
There’s absolutely no internet here. Oh well, who cares? It’s Christmas!!!! Because I’m sitting here in the living room typing, at least a dozen people have gotten excited – they think we have internet today – but I tell them I’m just typing into Word to process later – long looks. Even guests at the lodge are craving internet – not sure why it’s so totally gone but it sure is.
I found an incredible book, The Cruelest Miles. A guest put me onto it. It’s the story of the Diptheria Epidemic in Nome that the Iditarod remembers each year. It’s impossible to put down. I’ll want to be sharing that book when I get home – it’s so, so Alaska! There are so many things about Alaska that just defy description and are simply incredible. The book is factual and supported by footnotes and kept me up most of last night reading.
Oh my gosh! We have internet. I’ll see if I can upload this!

Isabelli Coal Mine

That's me on the right - showing you where the tire is. Coal is much lighter than dirt or gravel so they've added 1-1/2 foot to the sides of each truck and a tailgate to hold more coal per load. The power shovel I hope to upload next has a boom 1,000 feet long - the boom is as long as a football field.

Glacier Landing by Plane 8.11.09 - almost landed!

On August 11, I finally got a chance to catch the Glacier Landing flight. The picture on the right is of our flight into the glacier on Mt. McKinley as we tried to land. The picture to the left is of the Healy Coal Power Generator - it's not operating now but today I visited the coal mine and with a little luck, I'll upload some of the pictures I took on that trip in a minute. I believe everything will come up backwards - still learning, learning - very steep learning curve here. Thank heaven for young adults who help me......


Well, the pictures are up - I don't dare try to upload more. I did so this morning and then the internet went down - and all was lost. It's fall here. The wind is brisk. It freezes at night. The flowers that are at the edges of the boxes are wilting. The leaves are turning yellow and falling from trees.

Tomorrow I'm back on the train to greet passengers from Fairbanks and help expedite their stay at Denali - I love the train!!

Today I visited the coal mine - very interesting but I dare not wait longer or this blog will disappear in the next blow-by that stops internet. I tried to call my daughter but no phone service either.

All iswell here. How are you all?

love,

barb

No internet

Thanks, friends for even checking out this website. It has become a journal for me. We haven't had internet for quite a while but I've discovered this "bar" across the road - and when I can't get on internet, I write in WORD and then cut and paste. I am able to aremember so much more. As I look back, I realize how much I would have lost without this blog. Thank you for helping me with it. I am trying to find time to figure the picture thing. I have TWO days off this week -
perhaps it'll happen
I've posted the writings of the last few days.
Thanks for reading.
It's blue sky here today with big cumulous clouds. We had rain yesterday. The wind is from the north and this morning our sky is not smoky. That's great news - if it will hold - because the fire is due north of here.

Slightly R rated

Generally, I am loathe to use colloquial words to describe bodily functions. However, to remember and to tell this story, I'll do that. Hopefully, you'll better see this brief story. I know I'll remember it better because of how it was told.

Andrew is 6'6" and works with me and 8 others as an "outfitter". He is in his second season as "Outfitter" and has talked all season about In the Wild (can't find underline).
Last year he hiked to the abandoned bus featured in that book. He's been planning all summer to hike there again. He went earlier this week with a young couple, Betsy & Danny - who are celebrating their honeymoon with us this summer. They were married just before they picked several of us up from Anchorage Airport at the start of the season.
The three of them packed carefully and took off up the Stampede trail. Andrew says the river was up and he actually got nervous walking across it but they made it fine. They hiked along the trail. Andrew has a peculiar way to ward off bears. I tend to rely on my bear bell. Andrew yells out loudly and suddenly "Hey BEAR" at frequent intervals. (I find this somewhat disconcerting as I hike along trails - but I prefer to hike with whomever will hike with me - and he's a good hiking partner) He's sure his method is more effective. The brush was deep but the trail was clear. He had been yelling often but as they rounded a curve in the trail, they surprised a grizzly sleeping under a tree in the shade. Andrew was in front. He remembers simply seeing the bear's face, about 10 feet in front of him. He says all three immediately began a quick backward walk yelling to the bear to leave them alone. He says he was more scared than any prior time in his life. He told me he peed himself.

Blog August 5, 2009
Yesterday I met Rags Ragland at the hot dog shop – She works at The Magic Carpet Denali, a gift shop with the internet address www.TheUluShop.com - there, now I can find her again even if I lose this card which I have stashed in my wallet.
Rags was wearing a Hawaiian sundress. Yesterday was the warmest day I’ve seen here – somewhere between 75-80 degrees at mid-day. I was able to wear a short sleeved blouse without a vest – first time it’s been that warm.
Rags is the manager of a gift shop, a shop for the “locals”. Last year she worked as a seasonal park ranger. She waited too long to apply for that again this year. She lives up on the Stampede Trail, again the area made famous in Into the Wild. Rags’ sister is here in Denali for her fourth season. Her sister has 14 dogs now and their family mushes all winter. Rags takes pictures of Denali’s beauty – wildflowers - Bluebells and River Beauties that are prolific along roadways and back in the tundra. She mentions finding a huge butterfly while watching the flowers. Recently, she says, she can tell the moose are already in rut again. That would explain the pair we found this week who seemed, like teenagers, to be nose –to-nose discussing life and love. Rags’ favorite sighting recently, however, was a wood frog in the road. She says she stopped her car and got out to take pictures – followed the wood frog a ways into the tundra. The wood frog is indeed a unique sighting as it is the only amphibian able to survive in Denali. Other adventures and sightings Rags discussed with me involved hiking up Tattler Creek looking for and finding dinosaur tracks this summer. Her advice she’d like to share: “Get off the bus!” Breathe some open air. Be IN the tundra. That’s where they’ll start finding things.”
Rags talked about the people she is working with in the gift shop. I forgot to take notes but remember that a co-worker is also a pastry chef – others have various professions. Rags has a degree in Theology.
Last night we had a picnic up the road on the sideroad opposite Stampede Trail - at the beaver dam. We hiked after the picnic – but my bearspray is still with the pilot from Kantishna and I was nervous – too much brush for my comfort. We found three beaver lodges and the tundra was magnificent. With each step, the ground moves – like stepping on deep, deep mosses – the ground dips and rises with each footstep. Finally, we stopped hiking (yup, I was ready to get back to safe car!)
Wedrove several miles up Stampede Trail – It’s paved for a couple of miles, then gravel (with many large rocks) and then finally a b u m p y rocked road that eventually gave way to trail. I was so glad to be up there – it was beautiful. We found a female moose in robust health munching willows. She was 20 feet from the car and watched us briefly, then figured what could four women in a little Ford do to harm her? She continued to munch while we watched and heard each chewing. I am constantly amazed by the length and height of moose legs. It is as though the moose stands on four straight trees. Also, we could clearly see a huge plume of smoke, due north, that extended far into the sky. Sometimes we could see a pinkish glow at the groundlevel.
Tonight (9:30 p.m.)
Srdjan (from Serbia) is ok now. He’s been off work for a couple of hours. He has had a really bad cold. Today he complained that he felt just terrible. He speaks English real well with a heavy accent. Reading isn’t always real clear for him. That’s how he ended up taking Nyquil during his work day. He tells me tonight that he thinks he was hallucinating – he was SO tired. He’s better now.
The resort was covered in smoke all day. There are contingency plans in case the Parks Highway needs to be closed due to the fires. The guests from Fairbanks arrived a few hours early today – because they needed to get through before the road was closed. There were rumors of evacuations in Fairbanks – those rumors came from guests –I’ve heard nothing else. I think they were just rumors.
Everything was very dry. Helicopters scheduled to give tours have been drafted sometimes to fight fires – a young man just outside our lodge window began a demonstration of a baton routine – with both ends of the baton aflame. He stood and tossed the baton into the air. Very quickly, security and a few irate staff from registration closed that impromptu demonstration. A while later, suddenly it was raining!!!! Hooray!!!! People are soaked. I’m damp – but I’m hopeful this will help dampen the area and make things safer up here.

50 Years

August 3, 2009
Blog
I met a couple today from Dallas, Texas. They came here 50 years ago, as college students to celebrate the statehood of Alaska. They came back to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and the 50th year of statehood of Alaska. I was privileged to listen to a few of their stories – 50 years ago the roads were REALLY rough. In 1959, they went into a bar in a small town and met the governor of Alaska – he was real, real downhome and they enjoyed him – thinking at that time that here in Alaska it was evidently no big deal to be a governor – not many people here and certainly no women they could find. They took lots of slides (pictures in those days) and she remembers that when she walked from the grocery store back to their cabin she was followed one evening by a pack of wolves. We exchanged names and addresses. I want to talk with them some more. We’re going to call each other once I’m home and I’m going to interview them. They think it’s no big deal – and they say they don’t remember much but it was delightful to just listen to them remembering each little thing.
Another woman took my favorite trail today – Horseshoe Lake Trail – and I’d asked her to watch for “my” moose. I didn’t tell her anything more.
She returned to report that she certainly found “my” moose and she let me know that a half-grown calf was skittering along in the meadow – she barely saw the calf. GREAT! The moose calf and his mom are gone from Healy – but the moose and her baby here seem to still be all right – in spite of the grizzly there recently. Thank Heaven!
There are continuing wild fires here! Now there are more than 650 fires, having already burned more than two million acres. The largest fire is about 10 miles north of here. Word (gossip) is that there are only 300 firefighters out there and that some of those have been flown up from the Montana Hotshots. We can now see great plumes of smoke due north – this is the only fire that is still considered totally non-contained. The worst fire season was in 2004, when more than six million acres burned and there were more than 700 fires. Tomorrow the temperature will be up to 80 degrees, the hottest I’ve experienced since I’ve been here – and not good at all for firefighting. Today was clear and crisp – absolutely perfect weather here. The wind was blowing from the south. When the wind blows from the north it gets really murky here.
Today I worked from 12-9. Tomorrow I work from 8-5 and then I head off with my friend, Marilyn, to the Stampede Trail. That’s about 5 miles north of Healy – the trail made famous by Chris McCandless – written in a book by a Corvallis author – can’t remember his name right now – Into the Wild. We’re driving with a picnic dinner.
We’ve been given forms to nominate the co-worker who most exemplifies service as a Princess employee. That’s really hard. I finally decided to nominate Srdjan. He is 28 years old, from Serbia. This year he brought along his little brother. He tells us that in Serbia you can work very hard but you will never gain financial stability. He is a college student during the year. He holds two jobs here – one at Princess and one across the street at a gift shop. So he works 16-18 hours most days. He never shows up to work tired or grouchy and he never stops working. He also helps ANY member of the team who needs help. He has a heavy accent and he mentors several students from Serbia who are also working here. I watch him with the guests and he is very helpful, very concerned and makes things go smoother for the guests. He’s sincere. He’s also a delight to work with. Yup, I guess it’s him. I wonder if I can nominate more than one?

in a bar

Well, here I am, sitting by myself in a bar in Alaska. The country music is very loud - and VERY "country" - I bought a "wine spritzer" because they don't happen to carry white zinfindel.
Oh yes, and they have wi-fi.
They've been here across the road from our "homestead" all summer but somehow I missed them. Now I MUST have wi-fi, though - even if it means sitting in a bar, near the pool table listenin' to country music and loud patrons and drinking a wine spritzer.

The trip to Kantishna was intriguing! We have large fires up here by now and we saw a line of fire the pilot said spanned 10-15 miles. She warned us that the clouds were heavy over the Alaska range so we flew at 9,000 feet. At one point it became rather bumpy. She explained that we had just traded 30mph tailwinds for 20mph headwinds. My friend and I got lots of pictures and had a good time. The smoke was so heavy in the cockpit just before we landed that I started to stew - but all was well. Kantishna is the end of the road at Denali Park - the road is 90 miles and we landed just past the end of the road and then hiked back to a restored log cabin that belonged to the man who originally helped create the Alaskan goldrush (somehow this music has blown his name out of my mind - or is that the spritzer?) We came down the mountain in a park shuttle bus - the last one for the day, accompanied only by our driver, a naturalist, and the director of Denali Education Center - what a trip. They answered our questions and then began to answer questions we didn't know how to ask. We learned about drunken forests, where to swim au naturelle in Wonder Lake, authors and artists who are currently hiding out in the park at some of the elegant lodges way inside - by Kantishna. I have two books I want to read a.s.a.p. Ordinary Wolves is one. That author is here now - and The Anatomy of Bumblebees. I'm still finishing up East of Eden and not anxious to get clear to the end. We found an absolutely beautiful female moose who was getting acquainted with a young male - never have I seen healthier, more lovely moose(s).
A mother grizzly ate blueberries (just like Blueberries for Sal!) while her twin cubs munched, scrabbled, tromped each other and wrestled.

Today, Sunday, I had a chance to read pages 1 and 4 of the newspaper. On page 4, a friend of Will's was featured. A battleship has been named for him. He threw himself over a grenade in Iraq and saved several other marines. Now a ship is named after him. How strange life gets. I remember begging Will to save MY life as he left on his third deployment - and I made sure he realized that the only thing that would save my life would be his safe return. He made it - barely. This last week his Marine duty came to a close and he is finally a civilian again after more than 7 years. I'm grateful for his service - and grateful for all the servicemen and women - and grateful forever that both my sons survived war. And I'm grateful and sorrowful for the family of a 22 year old corporal who saved his buddies.

I worry about the Willamette Valley and the heat you've been experiencing! I talked with Laurie tonight and she is watering my blueberries and roses. Up here it's been smoky and or windy and rainy. Today is just beautiful - about 70 degrees and balmy.
The fireweed has mostly died down. Everyone is noticing signs of fall. The hotel is completely booked full - 656 rooms!

I have two days off this next week and am planning how to spend them! Heading to the State Fair in Fairbanks - although, really - it's NOT the STATE Fair - they just call it that ?!!!!???
Alaska has TWO state fairs so people can get to them.

THANKS Martin for helping Carol & Merlin find this blog. I'm off now to check e-mail and pay bills for the first time in almost two weeks -
Good to sit here in this bar and visit with y'all.
Bye for now
love,
barb

Kantishna

HI
We just got the word - the wind has died down so we will fly to Kantishna in a bush plane in two hours!
Then we'll come back 90 miles down the park road by bus.
I just HAVE to figure out how to do photos. What a waste that I don't know how!
I'll get busy.
Please, Martin - would you call my long-time friend, Carol Egan and tell her how to access this blog.
I tried to figure it out and let her know but I couldn't even access it.
Her number is 258-6380.
Hope that's ok to post, Carol - I didn't mean to not have you on this - I just don't know what I'm doing -
fortunately, Martin & Trudy made a shortcut for this on my laptop and it seems to work - when there is internet and when I hold my mouth just right.
I'll get on those photos.
love,
barb

a day off

I discovered, to my chagrin, that if the internet is UP and I'm typing onto the blog - if the internet goes DOWN - everything evaporates!
In the blog that evaporated, I thanked Martin & Didi & Jane for writing ANYTHING - thanks -you help me center.
I rode the train 2 hours toward Anchorage and then two trains stopped and I hopped off the southbound train and hopped onto the northbound train to expedite incoming passengers to Denali - it was SO much FUN and I got lots of pictures. Perhaps - someday, there will be time and opportunity to post those.
Today is my day off. I lay in bed a very long time with my book, EAST OF EDEN - (thanks again, Martin - for the idea). I just can't put the book down. I had forgotten so much.
I'm meeting a friend in a few minutes and we're checking on vacancies for either of two trips this afternoon - either a plane ride up to Kanteeshha and a bus trip back (the FULL length of the road into the park) or a plane ride to McKinley with a landing on a glacier. We'll settle for either. I hope the weather will hold.
A pair of foxes raised 9 kits right outside our housing - but they grew up and left just before I returned. A grizzly has been seen several times very near - and the warning signs are up again on our lodging. A female moose has been seen standing in the middle of the highway, appearing disoriented - there is no sign of the calf. I believe the mother is grieving. At least she hasn't been seen in the road in the past couple of days.
The fireweed has blossomed all the way to the top and the saying is that winter is six weeks away from the last blooms of the fireweed. It feels like September is approaching quickly. The air is chillier - some leaves are beginning to turn.
Here spring is in June. Summer is July. Autumn is August. Then 9 months of winter.
My favorite season is autumn so I will enjoy 2 autumns this year.

RAILROAD DAY

July 22 – Wednesday
I’m back at Denali. My roommate just returned from a day off shopping in Fairbanks. That's her favorite thing to do on a day off - 120 miles to town and the Princess shuttle takes us there and back. I said – The internet is down again? Yup, she said – again!
So here I am, writing in Word – setting down my thoughts on the blog – without the blog. Anyway, I’ll be calling Martin & Trudy- I can’t log onto my own blog anymore. I guess I went more than two weeks without touching it and now it doesn’t remember me. So much for modern technology.
I am not up for much talking about my sister Jan yet. It’s not that I’m not thinking about her. There are just not many words yet – and my ideas are still forming – but
My sister died Sunday morning at 10:27a.m.
I am grateful that I was able to get home so fast and spend two weeks with her, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except for a couple of short breaks. We had time together. We talked. We listened. We held hands. She comforted me sometimes. Sometimes I comforted her, I hope. I slept with her at night. That way she could just touch me and I would know – she needed medicine or to go to the bathroom or whatever.
It was just like when the babies were small. I woke so easily – it was like we shared brainwaves all night –and the blessing of that is that I still wake in the night – and I hear her breathing – and I am comforted. I have felt at peace because I hear her breathe when I sleep.

There are 73 wildfires burning in Alaska. More than 1,000,000 acres have burned. One of the largest fires is at Nenana, the closest town to us. It has a gas station. On the way in, we could see it like a giant fieldburn in the valley – with smoke streaming into the sky. We are used to the air smelling of campfires here. My roommate said that on the way home from Fairbanks, the sky became so dark from the fires that it reminded her of the movie, Independence Day – when the spaceship made the world underneath it all dark – like a big, dark shadow. Since we don’t have nighttime up here - yet - , she says it made it so dark it SEEMED like night.
I got back here at about noon. We “dead-headed” it – that is, I caught a Princess bus coming to Denali to pick up tourists – but it was just the driver, his friend and me. (Dead-heading means driving the bus without passengers. His friend and I didn’t count as “real” passengers, of course!) The whole bus to ourselves. As soon as I arrived I got it into my head to change into my uniform and show up at the lodge – just in case everyone was busy and they could use me. I came in at the far end of the lodge and guests came to me with questions before I ever got to the desk. It was amazing to realize that in uniform, people thought I’d have the answers – even though I felt like someone who had just returned from a very long trip myself. And I did happen to be able to help with their questions. When I got to the desk, there were people standing deep in lines and I asked if they could use me. I got to get back to work on the spot and worked for about 8 hours. It was cathartic – I’m happily exhausted. I’m among dear friends, albeit new friends – people I am so glad I was able to come back to work with.
Tonight I teeter on the fence of two worlds, the one there that centers at 4th Street, with true and longtime friends whom I love like family, and the world up here of moose and beavers, of wildfires and sore feet and guests from all over and new friends who have prayed for my sister and who have been calling me. One of them bought a Hawaiian blouse for me for Friday – some kind of Hawaiian party and she wanted to be sure I could dress the part. I still don’t know where the party will be but I’ll be there – with friends.
I was home there in Lebanon – but I wasn’t really HOME. I stayed with my sister until the day another sister took over and then I slept all day and then she passed away and then I only sat in my lounge chair on the front porch reading my book and trying to be as still as my thoughts. I missed visiting with my friends – with a few tiny and terrific exceptions. I tried to attend church but that was when I learned of Jan’s death-and I needed to leave even before church began. I tasted the cherries on the trees in the back yard and I made a glutton of myself with my blueberries. I weeded only where the weeds were disgraceful – and I have a very loose definition of disgraceful when I see weeds and have little time.

Speaking of weeds, the Fireweed up here is extraordinary! Huge patches. How I wish I had a hive of bees to set in the middle of a patch – the very best honey in the world is Fireweed. One can actually can peaches with Fireweed honey – the taste is so mild.
I love Fireweed honey just on a spoon – it makes every other honey taste strong and way too sweet.
The Fireweed is all over wherever trees and tundra have been chopped back or burned – and the first thing to grow back after a forest fire is Fireweed. Next year there will be more than a million new acres of Fireweed. Perhaps a beehive will be necessary.

Janet

Sometimes things go along smoothly.
Sometimes things change on a dime.
And they stay changed and everything after is different from anything that came before.
My sister Jan's illness is progressing quickly - more quickly than any of us could have imagined.
It's difficult for her to talk. It's hard to understand.
The doctors have told her that there is no chance of recovery.
She wants to go "home" - where she grew up. Hospice will start immediately. I'm sitting in the Anchorage airport. waiting 6 hours for the next plane to Portland. Laurie will pick me up at 5:30AM tomorrow. This morning I thought I was headed to work. Before I got there -at Denali.
My supervisors found me a flight. A co-worker drove me to Fairbanks to catch the plane to Anchorage.
I'm coming home.
I want to be home. I want to help. I want my sister to know that she is in the center of a family that loves her.
I want her to be comfortable and unafraid.

Simple Things

Today was extraordinarily beautiful here. The sun baked us at almost 75 degrees, very warm for here. The sun shines all day and all night but today everything just looked even better than usual - mountains all around us - and everyone commenting on the gorgeous day - all day.
A French couple came in and I was called over to help. That was SO much FUN! I believe my French is actually getting better. I had to apologize to them for how bad it was - but they kept thanking me. They're traveling in a foreign country and not speaking the language. We had a great time and they signed up for some tours and we worked out how to be sure they got aboard. I also talked to the night desk person and she'll watch out for them when then are there tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. for their Kantishna experience. Oooh. That was the high point of today.
The low point of today was at the train. I had my radio - but when my supervisor called me, I tried to turn the radio UP but instead turned it off. So, I didn't realize she wanted me to bring the 100 persons WITH me to the north gate. I did not look smart. People got gummed up getting aboard the train.
Tomorrow is a new day.
Tonight a group of us played cards. That was a second high point of the day.

My mother let me know last week that the doctor found something sinister in a recent test and that there is some kind of blockage. They stopped the chemo she has been taking. She was very, very low about that so I've been calling each day and checking on her. Now, after a week of being low, she doesn't seem to recall how low she was or that there was a blockage. Now, she thinks she's just doing real fine - and the chemo starts again in two weeks. I do not know which end is up.
I do know that my brother called today. My sister who just battled throat cancer is having difficulty breathing and they've found suspicious spots on her lungs. Janet was my first, best friend. She's two years younger than me. Every damn thing that could go wrong for her did go wrong - ever since she caught Chicken Pox from me when we were little and she got encephalitis - She was never the same. She has smoked heavily for all her adult life. Now this. I only know this. She was my first best friend. In many ways, I lost her a long time ago, but this is a crowning blow.
I remind myself that even if I were home, I could not fix anything. I try to live day by day and moment by moment but some days I just want to say it. I do not know how to make some horrible truths better.

Hi there!
What a great day!
The truth is – after I write on the blog, I’ll come back into my room for a couple of days to see if anybody wrote back! Today I see there are three comments – but, unfortunately, before I could open more than the first one (Thanks, JANE!) the internet was OFF again and is still off 6 hours later.
That’s OK – It was so nice to know that somebody (including Jane) wrote back! Cool.
So, I get to answer Jane, anyway, and sometime , the internet will work again.
Did we feel the earthquake? I was already at work. Didi and her friend were on their way to Denali and I hadn’t gotten coverage yet to have a day off with them. The only person who could cover for me had been working for 7 days and was feeling a bit like having a day off. Further, the lodge was really full and we weren’t sure there’d be a room available –
Finally, Didi and her friend, Michelle arrived! My co-worker decided to give me his day off if I would take his shift the following Sunday – DONE. Then I received a call that they’d found a room available in Building 5 (There are 5 Buildings 5 – but that’s another story!)
Shortly after Didi arrived, the earthquake struck. I didn’t feel it – but my supervisor had enjoyed the morning off and was lying down. She certainly felt it. We all went into emergency mode – not knowing what damage had occurred – Trains were stopped. Guest departures were delayed. Roads were closed until bridges were inspected. I had planned to get off work at 5ish. I was finally able to leave at 8. It was wonderful because no one was reported injured. The tracks were not damaged. I watched employees being so careful for everyone’s safety.
Our guests are generally extremely nice and very patient – they’re on vacation, after all. One lady, however, came up to me to let me know that her train had been delayed by more than two hours. I explained that we had experienced a Level 5.5 earthquake earlier that afternoon and that all tracks needed to be inspected before the train could carry passengers.
She replied, “Well, that’s just unacceptable.”
I guess she really WAS on vacation. It is sad that life doesn’t settle down for people on vacation. Some people have been notified while on vacation that their parent or that their child was dying. They’ve been quickly driven to an airport and every effort made to get them to their loved one. At least two people have died during their vacation. Another woman fell and broke her hip. Yet another broke her ankle on the ATV’s.
Generally, though, there are thousands of people who come through, are treated like royalty and have a very fine time. As employees, we generally have a fine time too! Today I was helping a couple when the wife said to me very slowly, “I do not speak English.” She spoke FRENCH! Wahoo! We were able to talk in French – very simply and briefly – but it sure was fun and she was happy. Me too.
I am very proud of this employer. Our managers have real heart. The bottom line isn’t the dollar. The people who are in charge love this company and really enjoy the guests.
There are so many stories that I’ll forget if I don’t write them down.
My roommate just showed me pictures of wolves that she took the other day inside the park. There are signs posted on every door at the lodge – and at people’s rooms – there is a grizzly who is wandering through the lodges – and it’s important to look around before going outside – and to never walk alone. My supervisor says last year a grizzly hung around the parking lot. Keeping the guests away and preventing them from going up to the grizzly gave some of them headaches – and they’re hoping this distress doesn’t last too long. Evidently, somebody threw out some ice that had been chilling salmon. The smell attracted a hungry bear. No more tossing ice out.
I have a story about Stanna. It’s another moose story. Stanna and her husband, Bob, brought their pickup and camper up for the summer with a green canoe riding on top. They found a section of the Nenana River, about 17 miles upstream, that was calm enough for the canoe. They set the canoe beside the river and Stanna stayed there with the canoe while Bob drove down the road to park the pickup at their decided take-out point. Then he was to ride their scooter back up to Stanna. Stanna was enjoying the outside reading time by the canoe when a teenage male moose walked over to her. Teenage moose are the most dangerous. They have more power than brains. Stanna immediately tried to hide behind the canoe – crawling along on the gravel. The moose kept coming toward her. There were no trees around but there was a traffic sign. Stanna tried to hide behind the sign. The moose peeked around the sign as if to say hi. Then he returned to the canoe and rummaged through their supplies, finally wandering off again.
This is a great place to spend the summer. Those who travel through with one or two nights here are missing so much!
When Didi was here, we went all the way to Wonder Lake. That happens to be the lake that Martin put up on the picture above this blog. It’s beautiful. It’s 4 miles long and ½ mile wide, AND 280 feet deep. It’s a young lake with few fish, only some grayling and a few large trout that eat rodents unlucky enough to fall in (and I wonder who is sitting around Wonder Lake long enough to notice such phenomena!)
Ask Didi about the mosquitoes.
Thank heaven for DEET.
My next day off is Sunday – it’ll be the first day off since Didi was here. I’m thinking of going to Kantishna – go up on the bus and fly back out – but I have to stay rested or by the day off I only want to sleep –
Please write to me. Either on the blog or by e-mail or (thank you, Per) by letter.
I really enjoy the people here – but hearing from home is SO comfortable! And if I can’t open the internet one day, surely it will open the next – or at least in a few days!
G' nite friends and family! I miss you! Stanna loaned me a book she found in the library about an Eskimo woman of the early 20th century. I'll finish the last chapter tonight.
This is simply an amazing place. Wish you all were here.
much love,
barb
Martin - you would love this place! About the work - I tend to sleep more up here than I would at home - many of us have noticed that - we think it's from pure exhaustion - but it's good work and there's lots of fun.
Tracy - I'm glad you like your soap - I love the smell of that one! I'm sure glad you have the summer off and understant that this may not be a time for a family vacation up here - perhaps we can plan for NEXTsummer - ha, I think I want to do this again - if only I can! Hug each of the boys for me, ok? (including Will!) And have Will hug you for me.
love, Mom

Air Traffic Control - on the ground in Alaska

We saw the mother and calf moose on the road in to work again this morning. The calf has grown to nearly 1/3 his mother's height. I believe it's the same pair we've seen repeatedly - grazing along the Parks Highway. It's a pretty smart place for them to hang out - the grizzlies generally tend to avoid proximity to the highways - and it's the grizzlies who pose the greatest danger to the calves. The first time we saw that pair, the calf's legs were so wobbly they didn't tend to move his body in any particular direction! It's pleasant to get to watch him grow up this summer.

In fact, a grizzly and a man (tourist) surprised each other this past week along my favorite trail. Both went in opposite directions, thank heaven!

Generally, hiking is invigorating and safe, but my work partner today was jogging along the highway and accidentally locked eyes with a moose who was also out jogging. The moose began a charge. The young man backed up. The moose continued to glare but walked off.

Didi was here! That visit was SO enjoyable! I have pictures. A friend will help me post them later when we have the same evening off again.
We did get up to Eielson Center and we hiked a bit - my favorite part is remembering that we sat on a ledge overlooking a canyon and watched caribou and a moose. The moose was lovely. The moose walked, posed for photo op's and then lay on the grass. I remember that Sharon & John MIGHT be coming in this direction but I don't have any idea when or if, for sure.

Today my job was "Expeditor". It was my first day in this part of the work. My partner (and leader!) was a young man who has his masters degree in Parks & Rec and who just moves from one national park to another - getting varied experience - very, very bright! (but same man who locked eyes with moose)
Our job was to facilitate the loading and unloading of busses. My partner refers to this job as - air traffic control - on the ground. I counted what I thought were 39 busses and two trains on our agenda - but quickly discovered those were only the ones we got to know about before they arrived - the actual number was half again more. Our day started 1/2 hour before the first bus arrival - 5:00 a.m.
I am only up that early if I'm going deep sea fishing.
usually.
In order to be at work by 5, it's necessary to get up at 3:45.
We worked fast and hard and the end of the day came quickly - but I needed a nap when I got back here. That young man will really go places in Parks and Rec within the next ten years. I learned a lot from him - and he's terrific with the people. If you figure there were about 36 people on each bus, well - lots of people were coming and going today. A few missed their rides and I got to drive a large van to get people where they meant to go but missed.

It was fun. I'm glad that tomorrow I'm behind the tour desk again and being cashier -whew, that'll be easier! But I hope I get to expedite again soon.
It's COLD up here today - and the north wind is blowing.
Yesterday was beautiful, almost 70 degrees and blue sky.

HO HO HO

Happy Solstice DAY

It's 12:10 a.m. here on June 21!

Special THANKS to KACEE who has taught me how to POST PICTURES!

There are parties everywhere tonight -

but this is as late as I can stay up -

That first picture, by the way, is the state bird. The Willow Ptarmigan.

There's a town of Chicken about 10 hours outside of Tok which is about 320 miles from here (a.k.a. 6 hours)

The people of Chicken wanted to name their town after the state bird, as the story goes - but no one could agree on how to spell Ptarmigan.

HAPPY SOLSTICE DAY

love,

barb
p.s. Kacee is pretty darn sure that I have not spelled Ptarmigan right either.......

g'nite!