Alaska Trip fini 9/28/08

Wall Drug, Wall SD: what can I say. You'll just have to stop in. We counted 64 billboards advertising Wall Drug from Rapid City to Wall, about 50 miles. I was so overwhelmed that I didn't take any pictures. We left Wall SD at 8:30 Thursday morning and drove our longest day by a long ways, 640 miles. Dad and I tagged teamed drove, switching every 2 hours. The beauty of this is that we got to Ames at 8:15. That is, in the parking lot of Hickory Park at 8:15 for a celebratory Saucy Southern. The waitress was a bit, well really quite a bit, surprised to be taking our picture. It was a good end to a remarkable trip.

The next morning, after getting Cinderella, from Betsy and James, that I said good by to Mom and Dad and drove for Hutchinson. I stopped in Manhattan to see Zoe, and Trevor who was visiting her from the USAF. I was home by 9:45. I knew that I had been gone a long time when I missed 2 of my turns getting off the highway and into my neighborhood. Paul was happy and grateful to see me. 8388 miles. That was the length of the trip not counting the 4 days/5 nights that we spent on the ferry. It was amazing , remarkable, awesome, stunning, fun and a good trip. I would do it again, but not next week.

Mountain sheep

Mountain sheep. We went to Alaska and back and saw them in South Dakota! This trio was right beside the road by Mount Rushmore. They are furry fluffy and I want to hug one. But I'm afraid that they would not like that. I see those small horns. And I'm guessing that they are used for butting complete strangers who try to come up and hug them.

Today we saw deer, prong horn antelope, mule deer, mountain sheep, cattle, horses, sheep, ground squirrels, brown squirrels and bees.

South Dakota 9/24/08

Crazy Horse Mountain. A lot of carving has been done on the mountain since 1970. If you look closely, you can see his nose and eye.











George, Tom, Theo and Lincoln:
Mount Rushmore. Begun in 1927 and completed in 1941. WW II started then for the US and the sculpture had just died. There were several changes that happened during the design phase. First, he wanted to do WASHINGTON AND LINCOLN. Then he was going to add Jefferson. But Jefferson was going to be to the left of Washington and Lincoln was going to be to the right of Washington. And there was going to be a dedication where Lincoln is now. There wasn't enough room to the left of Washington, do Jefferson so he got moved to the right of Washington and Lincoln was moved to where the dedication was going to be. This left a blank and Roosevelt was carved in the opening. You ask why Teddy? Borloug thought he was the all American president and had done positive things for the US, Panama Canal and National Parks.

The allee of states leading up to the viewing area. Dad is pretending to be a moose. (On our whole trip we only saw 1 moose. It was on the highway in Fairbanks. It looked lost and lonely.)

Animals 9/23/08

Elk.











Bison. (These were very close to Old Faithful Lodge.)













More Bison. This small herd walked right beside Earthie as we sat inside. We were stopped on the road and just watched them come, surround us and leave. Totally, totally memorble. They are such big animals.

Lots of warnings about bears, but no bears sighted. Or moose for that matter.

Old Faithful 9/23.08

What is a trip to Yellowstone without seeing Old Faithful?


Old Faithful Lodge is a beautiful historic building. Lovely. Inside is huge. And it is made of wood and branches and trunks. The yellow tour buses out front are just plain nostalgic and cute.












Old Faithful spouted right on time. Kind of fun to see. Also quite fascinating.



















We must have all been fascinated, all 300+- of us, waiting and watching. And taking pictures. I took a few and then put the camera away and just enjoyed the sight. I think that this is really importan. To enjoy with our own eyes and mind and not try to capture what ever it is through a camera lens.

Yellowstone National Park 9/23/08

It was a clear cool morning in Montana and Wyoming. Finally sunshine. We were greeted with rising steam as we drove into Yellowstone. Awesome! Geysers, mud pots and steam vents. They are all pretty amazing. I don't remember any of this from when I visited as a child.



The sound of the mud pots surprised me. Blurp blurp. And choochoochoochoo.

Highway 12 9/22/08

This is a lovely drive. Highway 12 from Lewiston ID to Lolo Pass.

We are in Belgrade MT. Janet R. where does you daughter live? I think that we drove past earlier today.

In Montana there was a sign that we saw for the Testicle Festival. I'm assuming that they are bull testicles commonly called rocky mountain oysters. That is a tripple yuck from me.

Knitting at last 9/21/08

You have been waiting patiently for more knitting shots. Here is what I'm working on today. I started them while we were on the MV Malaspina (aka, the ferry). They are 2 socks worked toe up, pulling yarn from a hand dyed sock blank. How is that for some real fun. Actually, using the sock blank gets rid of the hardest thing about knitting 2 socks at once, the tangled yarns. And I am enjoying the toe up process. The heel is quite different so we'll see what I think after that. See how both socks match effortlessly?

Is it worth a class? Well maybe.

I want to tell you about an interesting woman I met on the ferry. She was moving from Juneau to Santa Rosa CA. She had resigned her job at a library and was changing careers. Does this sound like anyone you know? Her change was to go to CIA (Culinary Institute of America) and become a pastry chef. Sounds great doesn't. I'm sure that things will go well for her and I wish her the best. She is also a WORLD CLASS KNITTER. She was working on a cardigan sweater done on size 2 needles with fingerling weight yarn and fair isle knitting. It was gorgeous!

HEY, I just discovered that this blog program has spell check. This is good, this is very good. Maybe there will be fewer giggles at my expense.

Final Posting 9/20/08

Well I don't quite know how to say this. THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN, and it needs to be fixed. Re-entering the United States is a chore. We spent 3 1/2?!@%$# HOURS in this line waiting to get back in to the US. I don't have a problem with the Border Patrol or Security I know that they are essential. What I do have a problem with are the cars that go to the duty free store, drive thru the parking kot and then get ussered back into the line much closer to the front. I hate feeling like a chump and being peniltized for following the rules and not working the system. After that long in line, no one was very happy in our car.

All this might have been just a little bit better if I had gotten my knitting out of the back. Well yes, 3 1/2 hours of knitting, that would have made me happier.





Here is the Space Needle on the fly as we whiz by. I'venever been to Seatle before and will have to go back sometime to see anything.

More Stanley Park 9/20/08

Stanley Park has a large collection of Totem Poles in it. There are more here than we have seen anywhere else. Each pole had a marker in front of it that told of the person who carved it and the story behind it.

There were also a large group of international tourists there. Well, I guess that we were a part of the internationals. But I was thinking more of the Japanese and Germans. Earlier we had met a German couple who had flown direct to Fairbanks from Frankfort over the artic. It took them only 9 hours. They had come to Alaska the year before to drive up to and into the Artic. And had
enjoyed it so much that they had come back this year. Maybe I will drive to the Artic Ocean some time. Watch out ICE ROAD TRUCKERS.

But back to the Totems, aren't they just amazing.



















The one on the far left was the only one without paint. It tells the story of Beaver and Raven and Man.

Stanley Park Vancouver 9/20/08

Stanley Park is beautiful and quite close to downtown Vancouver. It seems huge and has some old growth forest in it. Lots of green so close to all the concrete and cars.












It also has an Inukshuk in it. Boy I seem to love these great big piles of rocks. They are just such a cheerful welcome and well wishing. What a concept.








Saturday was Race for the cure here. There was a good sized group of walkers. We just kept running into them.

We also saw a RED BULL truck. A little subaru truck halling around a multi-liter can of Red Bull in the back. (Sorry picts stink.) It was pretty funny when the break lights went on in the back of the can. Humor can be kind of weird when you have been on the road for 4 weeks.

Back in civilization 9/19/08

Vancouver BC is a crowded city. There are people and cars everywhere. And lots of ambulances too.












The view at sunset looking out into English Bay. Look at all those big cargo ships. We think that it is a busy port.















Hey, I didn't know that trees grew on the tops of tall buildings.

We had a good Chinese dinner tonight. I think that I have a new favorite dish, Szechuan prawn and peanut. Yum and spicy. There is a large Asian population in Vancouver


Well, I am all caught up blogging. It feels great. I willl try to not get so far behind again.

Still no picts of knitting projects. But maybe a new yarn shop tomorrow.

9/19/08 Fort Langley

We are back on solid ground, and off to a Canadian historical site. Completely new history to me. This fort was orginaly built as a trading fort about the same time as Bent's Fort was built on the Santa Fe Trail. It was built by Hudson Bay Company. And several years later, this is where British Columbia was proclaimed a colony.










Look at the strong man. Bales of furs weigh a lot of kilograms. Paul is standing infront of a bale press.














And now he is a Red Coat. (Don't shoot until you see the whites of his eyes.)


Canadian historical sites seem to have reinactors manning them. I think that this is good. But it does put the burden on the reinactors to be accorate with their information.

9/19/08 End of the voyage

We are a cute short 3-some as we get ready to leave the ferry.

Hey, I got my hair cut in Anchorage. It is a slightly different style. The verdict is still out.

9/18/09

Yep, we are still on the ferry. This is a carved seal of the state of Alaska. It is under deck by the Pursers desk.













Did I mention that there was a lot of fog and clouds? Well here is one of the many light houses along the way. Most I could not take as well as this because of all the clouds.












Paul is a pirate. ARRRRRRRG!