Denali Bound

We are headed up to Denali for our annual Memorial Day Weekend pilgrimage.  Stephen will be riding the bike and Alicia and I will meet him up there in the minivan.  We're the support crew. 

It is supposed to precipitate a bit over the weekend.  But, it should still be a fun trip. 

We stay at the Denali Grizzly Bear Resort for Saturday night.  We've reserved the same little tent cabin we stayed in last year.  It has a double and a twin bed for which we'll bring our own bedding.  It also has a little table & chairs and a small front porch.  No running water, electricity or heat.  But it beats pitching a tent!  We'll bring our little propane heater that Stephen uses in his ice fishing shanty to keep us toasty.

On Saturday evening, there'll be a cookout with a bunch of folks wearing black leather and bandannas.  Then, on Sunday, we'll all meet up at the Mary's McKinley View Lodge on the Parks Highway and the bikers will all ride about 12 miles to the Veteran's Memorial.  To me, it seems like that memorial is out in the middle of nowehere.  But, it does make for a scenic ride. 

Usually a high ranking general or a senator or the governor will get flown into the memorial in a blackhawk to make a presentation.  Alicia likes to check out the helicopter.

Then, Sunday afternoon, we'll drive back towards home, stopping at the log cabin chocolate shop in Talkeetna for some treats along the way.

We like to explore different parts of Alaska each summer.  But, it's nice to make this same trip each year. 

This Week's Whirlwind

It's been a pretty busy week.  Most activities centered around the weekend.
On Saturday, we had a multi-family yard sale in the morning, followed by a Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony, followed by a birthday party.  And, Sunday was, of course, Mother's Day.  Lots to do.  At least it keeps us off the streets.

The yard sale was actually at our friends' house in Eagle River.  Our house is situated in such a way that makes holding a yard sale a complete waste of time.  Very few customers ever make it to our neck of the woods!  So, we hauled our "treasures" to our friends' house and set up shop there, amidst an extensive neighborhood yard sale event.  Despite the logistics and our time constraints, it went pretty well!

Alicia's Daisy Troop bridged up to Brownie Girl Scouts on Saturday as well.  We held our ceremony in the backyard of the previous troop leader.  All the girls were very proud to exchange their Daisy smocks for Brownie sashes.  I made each girl a tissue paper flower to brighten their day.

After the Bridging Ceremony, all the girls headed into Anchorage to attend one of the girls' birthday party being held at the Alaska Natural History Museum. 

Despite the back to back activities of the day, I'm pleased to say that it all went relatively smoothly.

Sunday dawned bright and early (this is Alaska after all) with a tasty serving of breakfast in bed.  Alicia joined me for a meal of bacon, eggs, and pancakes.  She also included a bouquet of pretty flowers in a vase which she'd made at school.

Tess took both Alicia & I out to lunch once she got off work downtown.  She's working at the Anchorage Market on weekends during the summer months.  It's open Saturday and Sunday from now till early September.  This, along with her daycare center job and summer class, should keep her pretty busy.  With all her newfound wealth, she can afford to buy a ticket to join me on my weeklong trip to San Diego in July.  That will be a much-needed beach break from her summer grind.

I finally got around to processing some of the photos I took of Mom's garden when I visited her earlier this month.  I've added some to an album here:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150848602273159.419704.523908158&type=1&l=60c2e16dbb

 

Alicia participated in the elementary school Talent Show today.  She and her friend, Italia, danced the Salsa!  They were pretty cute.  Italia is a bit taller than Alicia, although she's the same age...  ;o)

 

Here's a link to the video of their performance:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150847681688159

Air Travel -- Not What It Used to Be

I finally made it home to Alaska in the wee hours of Monday morning.

I spent most of last week in Houston, TX on a business trip.  But I added a small detour to my return trip by way of Ohio where I visited my mom for the weekend.

Is it me, or are airplane seats shrinking exponentially in direct proportion to the downward spiral of the global economy?  For each of my 3 travel days last week, not once did I get a direct flight to my end destination.  To get from Anchorage to Houston, I had to pay a brief visit to Salt Lake City.  Then, to go from Houston to Columbus, I paused briefly in Memphis.  The last travel day which took me from Columbus back to Anchorage not only gave me the chance to see Salt Lake City again, but also to spend several hours in Detroit. 

All the while, I marveled at how the travel industry has taken what was once one of my very favorite past times, air travel, and transformed it into something to be endured rather than enjoyed. 

I remember the day when you could arrive at the airport 45 minutes before your flight, giving yourself that “extra” time to soak in the excited vibe of travelers preparing to embark on an adventure. 

People dressed up to travel.  You know, shoes that buckled or laced.  Big metal belts designed to hold up your pants.  We packed big bottles of shampoo and beverages in our carry-on bags.  If you were a parent traveling with kids, you might have a week’s worth of snacks in your bag as well.  But, in general, it was completely unnecessary, as the airlines used to actually feed their passengers full hot meals, for FREE! 

When I was a child, we took several flights where the stewardesses (no, not flight attendants) provided me and my sister with all sorts of airplane-themed coloring books and gadgets.  We each got a pin shaped like wings just like the ones worn by the stewardesses. 

Flying was fun.  Remember that?  Fun!

I feel bad for today’s new travelers.  The only flying they will experience includes ridiculously cramped seating, starvation, metal detectors, and pat downs.  It’s almost like you’re paying to be incarcerated for a 2-6 hour sentence. 

I miss the days of joyful travel.

Black Gold... Texas Tea

I have escaped Alaska for a brief educational respite in balmy Houston, TX. I am attending the Esri Petroleum Conference this week. 

Alaska is full of oil companies, particularly in Anchorage and the oil fields of the North Slope. That's where all those "ice road truckers" are headed...  A popular form of employment in Alaska is to be a slope worker.

These folks, mostly men, work 2-weeks on and 2-weeks off. Most live in Anchorage and get flown up to oil camps around Prudhoe Bay at the far north coast of AK. The pay is good. But the hours and work conditions are harsh. Stephen has considered trying this line of work. But, the schedule can be tough on family life. So, for now, we're sticking with more traditional employment. 

While Anchorage has several tall oil company office buildings, Houston is clearly a city built on oil! This conference is downtown. And, from my hotel room window, I can see dozens of skyscrapers full of oil executives.

I've also noticed how much this is a male-dominated field. There wasn't another woman in line at the rental car counter when I went to pick up my car on Sunday. And that line was long!  It reminded me of my trip to Dutch Harbor a while back... King crab fishing is another of those heavily male-dominated fields.

That one I can understand somewhat. Most woman aren't mentally deficient enough to choose to risk their life for "easy money". It makes me wonder what I might be missing about the dangers of the oil & gas industry. Hmmm.