Category Archives: Transit

Transit, travel

Alaska

This week last year I was in Alaska for the first time. I traveled by plane to Fairbanks, by train to Anchorage, then Whittier, by ferry to Cordova, plane again to Anchorage and then of course by plane back to Minnesota. Loving both trains and boats, it was the perfect trip for me.

In Fairbanks I Couchsurfed for the first time and couldn’t have found more gracious hosts. Though I arrived pretty late in the evening the lady of the house stayed up and chatted with me for a good two hours. We quickly became friends and I continue to look forward to her Facebook posts about all they see and do up there. If you’re not familiar with Couchsurfing, it’s pretty much just crashing at a stranger’s place. Of course you read all about them and weed out the creepies first. Being that I love meeting new people, I highly recommend it but realize it’s not for everyone.

Early the next morning I was up to catch the train to Anchorage. It took me far too long to discover that I could hang out in the open air vestibule as much as I wanted, but upon that discovery that’s pretty much what I did the rest of the day! I now understand what a thrill it must be to hop a train. So far removed from roads, seeing landscapes few others will see.

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Reflections on the train.

It was the clearest, bluest sky I have ever seen and Denali was out in full the entire day. Absolutely breathtaking. It was tough to find an open vestibule whenever it returned to view but I managed to get a few good shots.

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The ride to Anchorage was a little over 12 hours but it never once felt too long. If anything, it wasn’t long enough. Should you ever visit (and you should!! now! and take me with!), make sure to add the Alaska Railroad to your itinerary.

I stayed one night in Anchorage at a hostel, also my first time doing that. I was looking forward to meeting people there but never really got that part of the experience as I wasn’t there very long. The only thing remarkable about my stay was that my phone died. Luckily I had the Kindle Fire I purchased for the trip so that I was able to connect when I needed to.

The next morning I boarded another train for Whittier, where I needed to catch my ferry to Cordova the next day. Another beautiful ride. I had read a little about the town and it sounded interesting enough to stay the night in but as I was chatting with one of the employees on the train he mentioned a catchphrase of those not living in town is “There’s nothing shittier than Whittier.” With that, and his belief that I could possibly catch the ferry leaving in 5 minutes, I ran towards the ferry terminal. Quite the sight I’m sure with a 30lb pack on my back. No real surprise, I didn’t make it. I briefly sulked but soon picked myself up and explored the little town. Not much to explore but large enough that it took a considerable amount of time to find a shoe I lost while wandering. (from my pack, not my foot.)

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Marina in Whittier

I found lodging with a bar and spent a large portion of the rest of my day and night there, chatting with local fishermen. So many stories! I don’t think you’ll find a group of guys with better tales to tell. I wrote down many of the details somewhere, but as I was recalling my dead phone it reminded me that the Kindle I brought with me has since died and may have taken my notes with it.

The next day I hopped on the ferry to Cordova, another amazing ride. To be on the water surrounded by mountains is my dream come true. I lived it for 3 hours or so that day.

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Cordova is a pretty neat town, only accessible by boat or plane. I spent all 6 nights of my stay there in a boat, did some hiking, danced at Salmon Jam, experienced gillnetting (pulled the salmon from the net with my bare hands!) and was pretty much awestruck every day by the beauty around me.

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View from my “bed” one morning.

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Just a glacier. And one of my favorite pics of the trip.

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I was told this boat is kind of a big deal.

I hadn’t really planned my departure from Cordova but enjoyed it so much that I decided I’d fly back to Anchorage so I could spend as much time there as possible. Though I didn’t consider it so at the time being it caused me to miss my office summer party, the plane I was supposed to take out of there couldn’t land and I was gifted with an extra day in Alaska. And over 12 hours in the Anchorage airport. In case you should ever have to sleep there, it’s a little drafty. Be sure to pack a blanket! (recalling that part reminded me I did hand write my notes this trip. whew! now to find them. so happy my brain is still able to connect some of the dots.)

Though I had long wanted to leave Minnesota, it was Alaska that ultimately set the wheels in motion. I knew I couldn’t live away from the mountains any longer. Could I live in Alaska? Maybe some day. I still loved city life too much. The decision to move to Seattle was largely due to its proximity to Alaska (in addition to having mountains, lots of water and a huge city), thinking I could more easily travel there. I thought I’d get back there this year but have been pretty smitten by this wonderful new city I have to explore. Hopefully 2015 will afford me the time to enjoy both of them.

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dogs, Murphy, Transit

Pickup Artist

After the guy next to me in the three seat bench departed the bus and it was clear no one else needed a seat, I slid to the open seat out of courtesy to the gal my hip was encroaching on. Not too long after, a man squeezed into the space. He complimented my shades and asked where I got them. “Target,” I said. “Are they Versace?” he asked. “No, they’re Target.”

I had hoped my short answers and attentiveness to my mobile phone would shoo him off but it was no use. He continued to ask me questions and explain he also liked whatever I just said I was into. (which just made me think of this song… oh how I miss these guys!) Though I didn’t tell him anything other than that I lived in the neighborhood, he shared his location and it happened to be just about a block north of me.  I debated whether to pretend it was my stop and have him find out later I walked nearly a mile to evade him, or just suffer through the conversation and kindly blow him off when it was time to depart.

During a brief moment he wasn’t looking my way, I texted Jen and begged her to call me asap. Thankfully she did and shortly after I got up to depart the bus (while still clearly on the phone) Mr. Smooth asked, “is your number a 206 number?” and told me he was hoping to call me sometime. I mumbled something about maybe running into him and hopped off the bus. As I did I overheard him start his game on the girl seated to the other side of him. I got home and having to walk Murph, I very quickly changed out of my dress, into pants and a completely different pair of sunglasses.

That wasn’t what this post was supposed to be about, however. I have another pick up tale to share.

Earlier this week I had taken Murphy out for a walk. On our way in he had stopped to sniff something that I soon learned was dog poo. There are at least two signs in front of the condo where I’m living that clearly state it’s a dog poo free zone. I’m quite certain this makes it a giant poo target rather than an always green zone. Anyway, I have picked up dog remnants other than Murphy’s in the past but today I didn’t want to be bothered with it. A few minutes later we were getting in the elevator when a neighbor and her dog rush in the entry to tell me that my dog just went and I didn’t pick it up. Having walked Murphy at least 4 times that day waiting for him to dump already, I knew I’d have noticed if such a thing occurred and I told her I’d been waiting on it all day. I realized she probably saw him sniffing the offender’s pile and assumed it was his so I told her he stopped to sniff some. Now I still look like a jerk for leaving it there. She went on to tell me she hated to sound like a busy body but that when it’s out there all the dogless people in the building assume it belongs to the dogs in the building and alerted to the location of a scooper in the garbage area. I explained once again that it wasn’t Murphy but that I’d go clean it up anyway. She said she already has but she just wanted me to know about it. I think I would have preferred her leaving the bag at my door with a note describing my alleged offense.

A day or two later I’m once again returning from a dog walk and the elevator stops on two. I’m on 4. Not too many people downstairs ever come up here so I was curious as to who it might be. A neighbor puts one foot and a huge bag full of produce bags in the elevator. “Could you use these? I used to give them to my son but his dog died. I figured you might be able to use them.” Of course I’d rather get for free what’s ridiculous to have to pay for (and nearly impossible to open!), so I took them and thanked her. She said she’d just leave them by my door from now on when she had a few to give.

It only took me a couple of minutes to tie the incidents together and now I’m left wondering whether the neighbors had been chatting about my other run-in with the poo police. Why hadn’t she given the bags to one of the other dog owners? I very visibly carry bags on Murphy’s leash!

Looks like for at least the next few weeks I’ll be collecting some from other locales, dropping it out front and picking it up again in hopes one of them will witness my good deeds.

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moving, Seattle, Transit, Uncategorized

You might not wanna go in there…

Some updates since I last posted…

I am truly happy to be here.

Every day there is something that makes me smile and I know I made the right decision. Don’t get me wrong, I have times when I miss hanging out with my sister, fam, friends and the crazy group of pals I worked with, but I know they’re just a quick flight away. And it’s fun compiling a long list of all the places I’ll take them when they come to visit. If you know of a must see place in Seattle, I’d love to add it to my list.

Today was day 5 of my new job. It’s not too bad being back at work and so far the office seems pretty cool. I have views of Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains. There were so many days when I was contemplating my move that I’d stare out of my office tower at the flat lands surrounding it and feel so empty.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to get to work and not leave Murph locked up too long so I’ve experimented with different buses, driving to buses and Car2Go. The bus keeps me away far too long but I love being able to check out all the boats in Fisherman’s Terminal rather than giving them a fleeting glance. I’ll likely end up driving a lot when I replace the van. Yes, the sunroof still leaks. I have yet to completely surround it with duct tape.

There are plenty of good places to eat near the office and my coworkers love to get out. That was one thing I always enjoyed about being Downtown Minneapolis so I’m glad to have that again though I’m already making a point to bring my lunch now and then. Tough to do when all I want to do is try every single food place right now!

If you haven’t seen a Bubba Keg, you need to check them out. I’ve had one for years and found it the best way to get all the water you need. Mine is 52oz and I’ll often drink at least 2 of them a day. Where it becomes a problem for me now is that there are only 2 bathrooms for our office and the other offices in our area of the floor. Each is clearly marked for men or women but the men will use either if theirs is full. One lunch trip the guys were explaining that to me and how it is common courtesy to let a gal know she might not want to enter. I never want to be on the receiving end of that message but think I’d forever hate a coworker that didn’t warn me. So if you’d all hope for me to never be in the situation at all, I’d appreciate it. And a very sincere ‘you’re welcome’ to anyone who has read a previous post about bathroom related activities and was hoping I’d share more.

If you happened to read my post about the guy living in the park, he’s still there. He disappeared for a day or two so I assume he found his key but he is back and more comfortable than ever. Leaving empty food containers outside his car to prevent a stinky inside and his clothes out to dry on the roof. He’s had at least 3 parking tickets now but continues his stay.

At my favorite neighborhood bar they’ve started a $5 steak night! I’ve only been there the first night of it so far but it was great. And such a hit that they’re continuing it. Steak, potato, mushrooms & another veggie. You really can’t beat it! We went up there for St. Pat’s to have reubens. That and the weekend’s parade were the extent of my celebrating this year. I felt pretty lame but I’ve got lots of time for partying in my new home.

I think that’s about it for now. I’ll try to share some more about Costa Rica some time and Grand Cayman too, before I forget it all.

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