Alaska

10 days of sleeping, eating and just looking around was absolutely awesome. We left on Sunday the 6th (turns out Sunday is the perfect day to leave since you still get a full weekend). And, since Ken flies all the time for work, we both got upgraded to first class for free. My first time in first class. And you could tell. I stretched out, read my book, drank all the free NW wine I wanted and ate the yummy cheeseburger and chips that came with the first class seat. Now I know why folks love it so much. (Note: it turns out I wasn't supposed to be upgraded for free and it's the last time such a thing will happen until Ken crosses the next mileage marker -- glad I had that extra glass of wine!)

Our greeters! Rob and baby Jackson:


Rob, Jana and Jackson picked us up from the airport and we stayed with them for our trip. Jackson has gotten so big and is practically walking. Insane. After they picked us up, they took us to Sleeping Lady Brewing Company, a great microbrewery downtown where we got our first (and only view of Mt. McKinley -- since it has rained everyday since we arrived). The place is named for the mountain range across the water... looks like a lady sleeping on her side)

Here's Sleeping Lady with Denali in the distance:


And downtown Anchorage with Jana:


After dinner and drinks, we went to a river going through the center of Anchorage. Since it's fishing season, we got to see first-hand just how many salmon there actually are up there. Standing on a footbridge above the water, you can just see the salmon in masses. I've never seen so many in my entire life.

Salmon swimming in masses along a river in downtown Anchorage:


Ken even saw some spawning (see the female on her side on the right):


Rob & Jana have a great house really close to downtown Anchorage. Jana had to work the next day, but Rob took us to breakfast at Snow City Cafe, a cute little restaurant downtown. Coffee while you wait -- Taryn and Paul and Dave's dream. I had salmon cakes and eggs-over-easy with toast and fresh jam. Like I said, salmon are everywhere. I am in heaven. Then he took us on an "easily accessible" hike to the top of Flattop that had tasty blueberries along the way and awesome views of downtown Anchorage (and sleeping lady in the distance).

View from the top of Flattop with Anchorage and Sleeping Lady in the distance:



We toured around Anchorage a bit with both Rob and Jana; however, it seems we spent most of our time in Anchorage before our kayaking trip getting ready for the kayaking trip. And eating. And drinking. And sleeping. I averaged 12 hours a day, despite the sun being up for 17 hours in the day. It's odd going to sleep with the sun still up -- at 11:30 pm. Oh, we also got to help Rob's dad pull an oil drum out of the backyard. A feat of engineering leveraging that thing out.

The oil drum loaded on the truck:


We left for our kayaking trip on Wednesday morning and headed for Whittier. Two single kayaks. They supplied the kayaks, life vests, wellies, and paddles. We brought the map, our camping gear and plenty of food. 3 days, two nights. No guide. Just the two of us paddling and camping among glaciers in the middle of Alaska. They dropped us off at milepoint 19 on the rock beach in Blackstone Bay. And then they left.

Map of where the boat dropped us off:


Just getting into the boat and getting situated (Lawrence and Marquette Glaciers behind):



The first day we spent touring the glaciers of Blackstone Bay. Beautiful. Within the first 10 minutes, Ken flipped one of the icebergs toward me (an accident, but my flight-or-fight reflex said not to paddle, but to keep snapping pictures. Side note: if a disaster comes, I likely won't make it. But I will have lovely pictures in my dead hand).

Just after Ken flipped the iceberg -- you can see him paddling away while I'm whimpering and taking photos:


Lisa paddling in the distance towards Northland Glacier:



It was awesome to hear the "thunder" of the glaciers moving. We stopped for lunch along the beach between two glaciers. And then we headed for the "lesser" glacier only to realize it trumped the first one big time.

Lisa in the icefields in front of Beloit Glacier


Ken in the ice field of Beloit Glacier:


Ken took our picture of us in front of Beloit Glacier:



Behold, the ICE FIELD MOVIE:


Paddling through the ice field was one of the best moments of my entire life. I loved it and just started aiming for icebergs by mid-afternoon. We were camping on the north end of Willard Island that night. I learned that open water makes me nauseous and I stopped for a bit to have a breakdown (see "B" on map, for location). I crashed when we got there. Ken had to make dinner since I was asleep at 6. By the time I woke up, Ken had pasta ready for me and the giant tides had subsided to strand icebergs on the beach. Amazing.

Icebergs stranded on the beach:


After dinner, we hung our food to keep the bears away and slept in a moss forest. Extra cushy. I slept for 14 hours.

Our awesome bear bag strung beneath two trees. Hightide covers the ground beneath with water. So basically, bears could probably get to it, human's couldn't:


Tent in the cushy moss bed:


Map of Day 1:





The next day was our LONG Day. More open water... meaning nausea and emotional breakdowns for me.

Oooh, bonus! Here's the open water spot where I had one of my breakdowns!


By the time we stopped for lunch, I was emotionly and physically exhausted. Luckily we had the foresight to bring 100 feet of rope. So after lunch Ken tied my boat to his. In case I had another breakdown or just wanted to throw up, Ken would be there to pull and motivate me. Together, we paddled around the scary point in the middle of some choppy seas. Soggy hands. My gloves are soaked. Luckily, I realized at lunch that gallon-sized plastic bags will keep my hands dry AND, the moisture of my sad hands keep my hands even warmer! Hence, baggie hands. A total of 15 miles that we paddled that day. Another breakdown when we reached shore. Totally overwhelming. At one spot around the point, Ken later told me that the water was 1000 feet deep. And cold. No wonder I was crying.

My gloves were sopping wet and my hands were cold -- before I discovered the joy of gallon sized ziploc bags. Mmmm, toasty!:


Working our way around the coast towards the point:


We set up camp in Surprise Cove -- they had tent platforms. Within a few hours I understood why. Massive tides. 14 feet to be exact. More rain... and our tent still hadn't dried from the first night.

Camping Location on the 2nd night. Figures that it almost looks sunny in this picture. I assure you that it was not:


Movie of our site and the cove:


Map of Day 2:


We woke up sleeping in a pond Within our own tent. Floating on thermarests. Everything is wet. Everything. No more dry clothes. None. Our tent is sopping. Our dry bags are now used to contain the water. Winds and rain in sheets this morning. I can see the swells in the distance. Breakdown. One last kiss and a giant hug before we push off. I am scared.

Getting ready to paddle out the last morning after more tears:


We paddle out. It's mid-high tide. They're picking us up back at 13 mile at 5:30. That's around the point... passed the 1000 feet cold deep waters and giant swells. And so we go. It took us 45 minutes and we barely cover any ground. Big swells. Giant swells. Ken's right ahead of me, but I can't see him because he's in the trough of the next wave. Big swells. At some point, Ken turned around and couldn't find me. Then the wave passed and he saw me again. That was his turning point. No more. This is not safe. He yelled at me that we're turning around. I happily agree. There was no way that we would make it to our goal without at least one of us landing in the water. I turn right way -- then try to balance myself as 4-6 foot swells try to throw me sideways. Ken is slower. He knows the waves are coming in sets and is waiting for the break. Finally he turns. The waves come fast. It takes us 5 minutes for us to get back to camp. I hugged him harder than ever. It is still pouring sheets. What are we going to do?

Ken had the good idea to flag down a fishing boat. Surprise Cove is a fishing spot, after all. We start looking. Luckily we find one. Ken paddles to them to ask for help. They oblige and radio to another boat who relays our message to shore. It comes back -- good news and bad news -- they can pick us up in Surprise Cove, but not until 5:30. It is 11:20 AM. It is pouring rain.

We paddle around the cove to explore. Then realize we've had enough and set up camp in our spot from the night before. We will play cards in our tent. Nope. Cards are soaked. So is the tent. Any shelter. For some reason we think it would be a better idea to CREATE a shelter than use our tent. This is not a good idea. As we finally realize the error of our ways, we hear a megaphone calling "ROKO" "ROKO PARTY" "ROKO".

I am Gilligan.

We run out to the beach and flag them down. They are giving a group tour but decided to see if we were ready. A resounding yes. Visualize the tour group watching two wet rats of paddlers getting on the boat. Turns out it was a soon-to-be wedding party. They were getting married in two days. And they were from Portland, Oregon. Less than a mile from our house. Crazy. You may also be able to get an idea of how disoriented/unhappy we were since after the picture of us leaving, there wasn't a single picture taken until we got back to Anchorage.

Map of Full trip:


We get back to shore, happy as clams. Wet clams, but happy clams. Dump our wet gear in the back of our rental car and head back to anchorage. We stopped at a gas station and ate hot dogs in silence. Not a word.

We slept in Anchorage. So happy to be back. Spent the rest of the time just enjoying each other's company. I couldn't imagine not having Ken in my life. That was all I could think about - what if something happened to you? I dreamed about paddling... the motion, the possibility of loss. I also got to complete a promise I made to myself when the seas were so high -- if we go back, I'm going to a farmer's market.

Ken joins me to fufill my promise of going to the farmer's market when we get back to Anchorage (they sold these hats for $32; no, we did not buy one):


Needless to say, Ken was surprised when I said I would go kayaking again. yes, even sea kayaking in alaska. I think I'd prefer to go kayaking in warmer water first, but I would definitely go back. The rest of the trip was just relaxing. Hanging out. Seeing neighboring towns. Making dinner for a working Jana. Playing with Jackson... man, that kid is fast! I love that he knows sign language. We also learned that he'll eat my garlic mashed potatoes -- and especially likes them in his ear and hair!

Jackson likes my garlic mashed potatoes!:


Especially in his ear and hair:



Anyway, we had a wonderful time. I'm so glad we got to go. Next time I think I'd like to do a fishing charter -- can you imagine catching 100 lbs of halibut! Imagine the happy freezer! I kept wanting to steal peoples' fishing coolers off the PDX airport luggage conveyor belt. Next time. Next time.

Many, many, many thanks to Rob and Jana and Jackson for being such wonderful hosts. And to their folks for lending cars and babysitting Jackson so we could play with Rob and Jana even more. It is so easy to see why they love Alaska so much.

See the rest of the Alaska pictures here.