While in Juneau last week, I went gold panning for the first time. It takes lots of patience, but you couldn't beat the scenery or the weather.
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I'm not a big fan of heights and I like them even less when I have to give control of going up or down to someone or something else, like wheels and pulleys. That being the case, it was a big step for me to ride the Mt. Robert's tram in Juneau last week. I've been to Juneau probably 20 times and never wanted to ride the tram. This time the incentive was that the hike up was so muddy I was afraid I'd be a gonner falling somewhere on the way down, plus after I bought a water bottle (I'd left mine in Anchorage) the ride down for myself and my friend was free.
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Update: Here are some pictures from the trip thanks to the camera card recovery skills of my husband.
I'm in Dutch Harbor/Unalaska for work this week, which generally means lots of time spent inside a room providing information to people. However, last night my co-worker and I grabbed our cameras and played the tourists. We took pictures of bald eagles, the old Russian Orthodox church, the mountains, water, etc. We didn't spot any of the boats from the Deadliest Catch show that is based out of here, but perhaps today or tomorrow.
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In getting ready to leave this morning here in Barrow, we were told to wait and not leave as there was a polar bear nearby. Come to find out the polar bear less than a block from the hotel. Of course, I stayed put, not knowing which way the bear was from our hotel.. Later when we got the driving tour, we kept our eyes peeled for the bear, but didn't see it. I've been spending the last hour or so getting up the nerve to walk the two blocks to the coffee shop. I think I'll go, but walk really fast. Here are a couple of non-bear pictures from around town today. Check out those "palm trees."
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Whittier is south of Anchorage about 60 miles surrounded by the Chugach Mountains and water. While Zach has been there numerous times, I have not, so this weekend was my chance. We met up with about 14 other couples to stay the evening at the Inn at Whittier.
Before checking in, Zach showed me the sites. First, to get to Whittier, you have to go through a 2 1/2 mile tunnel, which can only be accessed at certain times. It's the longest dual purpose tunnel (car and train) in the country. Second, once we were through the tunnel (whew!), we drove by Begich Towers, a converted military building from Whittier's military days, now condos which most of the town live in. Not a single family house in the whole town to be seen, or at least that I could locate. Next we drove by Buckner Building, a huge abandoned building also from Whittier's military days. Finally, on to the Inn at Whittier.
Once checked in we watch some cable tv, quite the treat since we don't have cable at home. However, our decision not to have cable is always reinforced by these experiences with so many channels and nothing we really want to watch. We then headed down to a nice dinner and then spent some time in the bar, primarily watching the Olympics. This morning was lazy as the rain fell outside. We had some breakfast, lazed about again for a while and then finally made the 11:10 tunnel out of town. Back in Anchorage, the skies are blue and the weather has the feel of spring in it.
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Update: Here's a picture my friend took of me while snorkeling with her underwater camera.
Whew, I survived the snorkel trip. I'm not a very strong swimmer so things like snorkeling make me nervous. But there were these foam noodles to hold onto & they keep you floating. They also let me relax a bit & enjoy the scenery. For a reward it was fresh piña coladas & some minor sun burn.
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Finally digging out from vacation and getting through my photos and realizing I took almost 800 pictures. That's got to be a record for me. Here are just a few. The first is from the drive to Durango to Moab. The colors were really great. Next, I believe, is inside Arches National Park. Not that I've visited all the national parks, but as of right now, it's my favorite. The next is my attempt at a self portrait. While I am not as good as our friend, Chris, at taking the self portrait, I'm working on it. I'm learning its essential for the lone traveler. Then some more scenery pictures before a marquee in Albuquerque taken at night and a bit blurry. Finally, some plains on the drive through northern New Mexico, back to Colorado and on to Nebraska. I'll post more pictures to the flickr set later, once I go through and delete a lot of the one of the ground or car as I was doing mainly drive by picture taking.
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This morning I drove from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, just a short hour drive after the super long drive from Moab yesterday. Knowing that tomorrow brings another day of long driving as I have to get near or in Nebraska so I can pick Zach up on Friday, I made today a very leisurely day. I browsed the art galleries and shops and toured some churches in Santa Fe after having the most amazing $4 breakfast. I then had a massage, my first, and a manicure. The manicure turned out so so, but the massage was amazing and something I'll definitely have to do again. It was certainly different for me to try to turn off my brain and just relax and let it all go. I could feel that even though I'd been in vacation for almost two weeks I was still carrying some considerable stress in my body.
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On the drive yesterday from Moab to Albuquerque, I decided to take a turn off that added a bit of time, but also took me through some spectacular country. The turnoff certainly wasn't planned, but well worth it. I passed through several Indian reservations, saw desert, plateaus, and beautiful fall colors and some wild horses cross the highway and a stream. All in all, even though I spent a lot of time in the car, it was well worth the view.
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I keep three blogs with the help of my husband and some foodie friends:
todayitried.com
patrioticandromantic.com
anchoragegourmet.posterous.com
