Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Winter in Anchorage - Dec 8, 2010
Hello!
It's been too long since I've posted. I apologize. Work is still crazy. Our motto seems to be "It'll get better".
The first snow was just after Halloween. We have a foot or so now. Just enough for everything to be covered. Snow is infinitely better than ice. We all cringe when the temp gets to 32 degrees or warmer. It happens rarely, thankfully, because when it does the snow melts and freezes when the temp drops again. That gives us a bunch of ice. You can drive on snow. Driving on ice is next to impossible.
Someone needs to write a guide for Alaska transplants. Things I've learned (either thru advice or personal experience): ~Baby steps will get you over slick pavement in most any shoe. ~When driving in snowy conditions you are pretty much guaranteed to slide. Give plenty of following space for braking. Turn the wheel the direction you want to go when sliding. ~Don't let your gas tank get below one-fourth to one-half of a tank. If there is any water in it, it will freeze and that is bad. ~Keep Kleenex on you at all times. Something will run as you move from warm to cold to warm again. ~Hold onto you car with two hands and one foot firmly planted while moving you other foot into you car. Falling is embarrassing. Falling and sliding under you car is worse. ~Carry a small can of de-icer with you in case your car door freezes closed. ~Scarves work as ear warmers and face coverings if needed. ~What they call "sanding" up here is really "gravelling" and you will eventually need a new windshield. ~Not all bears hibernate. And the awake ones tend to be grumpy. ~Static Guard spray isn't the best smelling, but is a necessity. ~Lotion is also a necessity. ~Have one really good, warm, dry pair of snow boots. ~It's only cold if you don't dress for it. ~Walk (the dog if you have one) everyday. It will make you feel better.
I'm sure there are more. That's all I can think of right now. I do have to say that I'm much more in the Christmas spirit this year than last. Being so far from friends and family I have to plan ahead to account for shipping time. Plus decorating and doing holiday things knowing family and friends are doing the same things just a ways away gives me comfort. I'm not flying home for Christmas and I actually have a couple invites for Christmas up here. Not sure if I'll accept any of them. On Christmas Eve I am going to a friend's house. I found a cranberry turkey crock-pot recipe that I'm making. She's making dessert and we are going to sit around eating and watching movies for the day.
Take care!
Sandra
It's been too long since I've posted. I apologize. Work is still crazy. Our motto seems to be "It'll get better".
The first snow was just after Halloween. We have a foot or so now. Just enough for everything to be covered. Snow is infinitely better than ice. We all cringe when the temp gets to 32 degrees or warmer. It happens rarely, thankfully, because when it does the snow melts and freezes when the temp drops again. That gives us a bunch of ice. You can drive on snow. Driving on ice is next to impossible.
Someone needs to write a guide for Alaska transplants. Things I've learned (either thru advice or personal experience): ~Baby steps will get you over slick pavement in most any shoe. ~When driving in snowy conditions you are pretty much guaranteed to slide. Give plenty of following space for braking. Turn the wheel the direction you want to go when sliding. ~Don't let your gas tank get below one-fourth to one-half of a tank. If there is any water in it, it will freeze and that is bad. ~Keep Kleenex on you at all times. Something will run as you move from warm to cold to warm again. ~Hold onto you car with two hands and one foot firmly planted while moving you other foot into you car. Falling is embarrassing. Falling and sliding under you car is worse. ~Carry a small can of de-icer with you in case your car door freezes closed. ~Scarves work as ear warmers and face coverings if needed. ~What they call "sanding" up here is really "gravelling" and you will eventually need a new windshield. ~Not all bears hibernate. And the awake ones tend to be grumpy. ~Static Guard spray isn't the best smelling, but is a necessity. ~Lotion is also a necessity. ~Have one really good, warm, dry pair of snow boots. ~It's only cold if you don't dress for it. ~Walk (the dog if you have one) everyday. It will make you feel better.
I'm sure there are more. That's all I can think of right now. I do have to say that I'm much more in the Christmas spirit this year than last. Being so far from friends and family I have to plan ahead to account for shipping time. Plus decorating and doing holiday things knowing family and friends are doing the same things just a ways away gives me comfort. I'm not flying home for Christmas and I actually have a couple invites for Christmas up here. Not sure if I'll accept any of them. On Christmas Eve I am going to a friend's house. I found a cranberry turkey crock-pot recipe that I'm making. She's making dessert and we are going to sit around eating and watching movies for the day.
Take care!
Sandra
Saturday, July 31, 2010
In the News
Hello!
I finally subscribed to the local newspaper, Anchorage Daily News, for weekend delivery. It's a very small paper compared to the Sacramento Bee. But I won't hold that against it.
It was very interesting that the first day I receive the paper the project I am working on is on the front page. TransCanada and ExxonMobil have requested bids for buyers/transporters of natural gas. There were several bidders which is very good news for the project. I think I've posted this before, but if you are interested in the project, the website is www.thealaskapipelineproject.com. Alaska residents are very interested in the project, because of the money it will potentially bring in.
Speaking of money, that brings me to the next topic. The other interesting article in today's paper (also front page) was about the PFD. I've heard this acronym several times and thankfully the paper explained: Permanent Fund Dividend. This is the yearly dividend that Alaska residents receive from the investments in oil the state made... basically from the Other Pipeline. This year it will be between $1,250 and $1,320. Nice! Of course, I have to apply to receive this dividend and I can't do that until I have lived here for a year... so maybe next year depending on the application deadline.
In other news, I have sold out and allowed advertisements on the sidebar and underneath my blog. I'm not entirely sure how this process works, but do not feel obligated to click on the ads unless you are truly interested.
That's all of the interesting things I have to say. Work has picked up and I'm in the office 60+ hours a week now. Makes for a nice paycheck and for a lousy allowance of free time to explore the area. :-P I'll try to keep everyone entertained anyway.
Take care!
I finally subscribed to the local newspaper, Anchorage Daily News, for weekend delivery. It's a very small paper compared to the Sacramento Bee. But I won't hold that against it.
It was very interesting that the first day I receive the paper the project I am working on is on the front page. TransCanada and ExxonMobil have requested bids for buyers/transporters of natural gas. There were several bidders which is very good news for the project. I think I've posted this before, but if you are interested in the project, the website is www.thealaskapipelineproject.com. Alaska residents are very interested in the project, because of the money it will potentially bring in.
Speaking of money, that brings me to the next topic. The other interesting article in today's paper (also front page) was about the PFD. I've heard this acronym several times and thankfully the paper explained: Permanent Fund Dividend. This is the yearly dividend that Alaska residents receive from the investments in oil the state made... basically from the Other Pipeline. This year it will be between $1,250 and $1,320. Nice! Of course, I have to apply to receive this dividend and I can't do that until I have lived here for a year... so maybe next year depending on the application deadline.
In other news, I have sold out and allowed advertisements on the sidebar and underneath my blog. I'm not entirely sure how this process works, but do not feel obligated to click on the ads unless you are truly interested.
That's all of the interesting things I have to say. Work has picked up and I'm in the office 60+ hours a week now. Makes for a nice paycheck and for a lousy allowance of free time to explore the area. :-P I'll try to keep everyone entertained anyway.
Take care!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
General Differences
Hello,
I know I haven't posted in a while. Since the routine of work started, I haven't had anything big to post about. I still don't have any big events to write about, but here are some of the differences I've noticed between Anchorage and the rest of the lower 48.
1) No recycling. It makes my cringe to throw away paper and plastics. I'm so used to CA where every house has a recycle bin along with the regular trash bins. You can pay to have a company come get your paper stuff to recycle. I had to look in the phone book to see about cans and such. There are a handful, but not like the places all over in Cali. Then again there's no CRV on cans or bottles here either.
2) No taxes. It still throws me a bit when I look at a receipt and the tax line is either missing or has "0.00" there.
3) Apparently Alaska has no lotto either. A co-worker mentioned that there is an independent company (or something) that tries every so often. But they had to cancel the last drawing because not enough people bought tickets.
4) Only one highway... and that even has traffic lights downtown thru mid-town. Phooey. I miss using 5th gear in my car. I haven't driven 65 mph in over a month.
5) The Roller Skating Rink. A co-worker took pity on me and my homesick self and invited me to go rollerskating with her and her family for her daughter's 14th birthday. It was a blast and I have the blisters to prove it. Here are the differences... First the rink was in desperate need of a wax job. It was smooth enough to skate on, but not nearly as well kept as I'm used to. Second, at max there were 30 people on the rink at any given time. I know because I would do random head counts. So there was plenty of room to fall down without getting run over if need be (and no, I didn't fall down). Third, it was pretty cheap. Only $5 admission for the night (3 hours) and $2 for skate rental. Fourth and last, there was no Hokey-Pokey, nor was there the Chicken Dance. I was highly disappointed.
6) Things are more expensive here. I laugh at fast food ads on TV. A $5 foot-long at Subway is $6 here. A pizza at Pizza Hut advertised at $10 (or so) is $13.99 here. Makes up for the whole no taxes thing I suppose.
7) There are lots of earthquakes. I think there's about one a week or so. The radio news this morning reported that there was an earthquake at the far end of the Aleutian Islands this last weekend and the aftershocks were still happening. I haven't felt any earthquakes, and I'm okay with that.
That's all I have to report. The weather has been in the low 60s and overcast of raining for a week now. Every so often the sun will visit for a day and the temp will get into the low 70s. That's when everyone breaks out the shorts and flip-flops. :-)
Take care!
I know I haven't posted in a while. Since the routine of work started, I haven't had anything big to post about. I still don't have any big events to write about, but here are some of the differences I've noticed between Anchorage and the rest of the lower 48.
1) No recycling. It makes my cringe to throw away paper and plastics. I'm so used to CA where every house has a recycle bin along with the regular trash bins. You can pay to have a company come get your paper stuff to recycle. I had to look in the phone book to see about cans and such. There are a handful, but not like the places all over in Cali. Then again there's no CRV on cans or bottles here either.
2) No taxes. It still throws me a bit when I look at a receipt and the tax line is either missing or has "0.00" there.
3) Apparently Alaska has no lotto either. A co-worker mentioned that there is an independent company (or something) that tries every so often. But they had to cancel the last drawing because not enough people bought tickets.
4) Only one highway... and that even has traffic lights downtown thru mid-town. Phooey. I miss using 5th gear in my car. I haven't driven 65 mph in over a month.
5) The Roller Skating Rink. A co-worker took pity on me and my homesick self and invited me to go rollerskating with her and her family for her daughter's 14th birthday. It was a blast and I have the blisters to prove it. Here are the differences... First the rink was in desperate need of a wax job. It was smooth enough to skate on, but not nearly as well kept as I'm used to. Second, at max there were 30 people on the rink at any given time. I know because I would do random head counts. So there was plenty of room to fall down without getting run over if need be (and no, I didn't fall down). Third, it was pretty cheap. Only $5 admission for the night (3 hours) and $2 for skate rental. Fourth and last, there was no Hokey-Pokey, nor was there the Chicken Dance. I was highly disappointed.
6) Things are more expensive here. I laugh at fast food ads on TV. A $5 foot-long at Subway is $6 here. A pizza at Pizza Hut advertised at $10 (or so) is $13.99 here. Makes up for the whole no taxes thing I suppose.
7) There are lots of earthquakes. I think there's about one a week or so. The radio news this morning reported that there was an earthquake at the far end of the Aleutian Islands this last weekend and the aftershocks were still happening. I haven't felt any earthquakes, and I'm okay with that.
That's all I have to report. The weather has been in the low 60s and overcast of raining for a week now. Every so often the sun will visit for a day and the temp will get into the low 70s. That's when everyone breaks out the shorts and flip-flops. :-)
Take care!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Forest Faire - photos
Forest Faire - 07/02/10
The pictures are available for viewing at: http://community.webshots.com/album/578100260poRpso?vhost=community
Forest Faire in Girdwood - 07/02/10
Hello!
Since I've been slow at work (and that's going to change very rapidly this next week) and this is a holiday weekend, a co-worker of mine and I took off work a bit early on Friday to drive to Girdwood. Once a year for the 4th of July the Forest Faire takes place. It's a huge craft fair outdoors at a park in Girdwood.
General information: Girdwood is a town (if you can really call it that) about 30 miles south of Anchorage on A1. There is a gas station/convenience store at one end and a ski resort at the other end. I wish I had gotten pics of some of the houses. They were beautiful!! The benches on the front porch of most of the houses are ski lift chairs. Pretty cool!
The people watching at the Forest Faire was a lot of fun. Apparently, it is the hippie gathering in Alaska. There were a couple artists there that I wanted to buy pictures from but didn't have the money for it. Check out their websites: www.whalebonewatercolors.com and www.katiesevignyart.org. Other vendors sold hats, jewelry, custom clothes, soap, honey, and tie-dye underwear. Yes, there was a booth SPECIFICALLY for tie-dye underwear. And I mean panties, not long johns.
The busiest booth was for face painting and hair art. The line there was forever long and there were three hair artists working. If my hair was longer, I would have seriously considered having something done. You'll just have to look at the pictures.
The food court there was different than what I'm used to. I had a reindeer hot dog for lunch. It was good. It tasted like a hot dog. There was a seafood corn dog booth... I was too afraid to ask what is in a seafood corndog. There was a Thai booth, a curry booth, a killer shrimp booth, and a kettle corn and funnel cake booth.
My boss creates blown glass, so we visited her. She just bought a new torch to heat/melt the glass with and we watched her make a couple small items. Very cool... but I'd never attempt it because I'd set myself on fire.
To remind me that there is wildlife all around in Alaska, we saw a Bald Eagle on the drive down and a Moose on the drive back.
4th of July: They do have fireworks here for the 4th. I have been told by more than one person that it's not really worth it. The fireworks are at 11:59pm and it's just not dark enough here to be a good show. I've also been told that the fireworks I positively cannot miss are on New Year's Eve. By then, I'm hoping to have someone(s) to hang out with and watch fireworks with. So for now, I'm being lazy and skipping the fireworks show.
Take care and I'll update you as more stuff happens!
Since I've been slow at work (and that's going to change very rapidly this next week) and this is a holiday weekend, a co-worker of mine and I took off work a bit early on Friday to drive to Girdwood. Once a year for the 4th of July the Forest Faire takes place. It's a huge craft fair outdoors at a park in Girdwood.
General information: Girdwood is a town (if you can really call it that) about 30 miles south of Anchorage on A1. There is a gas station/convenience store at one end and a ski resort at the other end. I wish I had gotten pics of some of the houses. They were beautiful!! The benches on the front porch of most of the houses are ski lift chairs. Pretty cool!
The people watching at the Forest Faire was a lot of fun. Apparently, it is the hippie gathering in Alaska. There were a couple artists there that I wanted to buy pictures from but didn't have the money for it. Check out their websites: www.whalebonewatercolors.com and www.katiesevignyart.org. Other vendors sold hats, jewelry, custom clothes, soap, honey, and tie-dye underwear. Yes, there was a booth SPECIFICALLY for tie-dye underwear. And I mean panties, not long johns.
The busiest booth was for face painting and hair art. The line there was forever long and there were three hair artists working. If my hair was longer, I would have seriously considered having something done. You'll just have to look at the pictures.
The food court there was different than what I'm used to. I had a reindeer hot dog for lunch. It was good. It tasted like a hot dog. There was a seafood corn dog booth... I was too afraid to ask what is in a seafood corndog. There was a Thai booth, a curry booth, a killer shrimp booth, and a kettle corn and funnel cake booth.
My boss creates blown glass, so we visited her. She just bought a new torch to heat/melt the glass with and we watched her make a couple small items. Very cool... but I'd never attempt it because I'd set myself on fire.
To remind me that there is wildlife all around in Alaska, we saw a Bald Eagle on the drive down and a Moose on the drive back.
4th of July: They do have fireworks here for the 4th. I have been told by more than one person that it's not really worth it. The fireworks are at 11:59pm and it's just not dark enough here to be a good show. I've also been told that the fireworks I positively cannot miss are on New Year's Eve. By then, I'm hoping to have someone(s) to hang out with and watch fireworks with. So for now, I'm being lazy and skipping the fireworks show.
Take care and I'll update you as more stuff happens!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Alaska Zoo - photos
Alaska Zoo 06.20.10
Pictures can be seen at: http://community.webshots.com/album/578039076pfcbCV?vhost=community
Alaska Zoo - 06/20/10
Hello All!
So Mom, Dad and I all went to the zoo the first Sunday here in Anchorage. I finally had time to upload the pics. It's a very neat place. All the animals there were previously injured or orphaned and unable to be released back into the wild. All the animals are also from cold weather climates, so either native to Alaska, the Tundra, Siberia, etc. The zoo is very resourceful. There are numerous animals killed by vehicles here (moose mostly, but also deer and others). The "road kill" are brought to the zoo via the Dept of Wildlife/Forestry and fed to the larger predators. So, while I think it's sad that wildlife is killed, I'm glad that it is not wasted.
We took the "behind the scenes" tour and our gracious tour guide was Dan, an intern from Wisconsin. It was a two hour tour that lasted two and a half. I didn't take as many pics as I should have since I was busy asking questions. So I'll have to go back and take more pics for everyone. There were polar bears, brown (grizzly) bears, brown bears, bald eagles, red foxes, arctic foxes, grey wolves, a coyote, musk oxes, a female snowy owl, magpies, ravens (way bigger than the crows in Sacto), a two-humped camel that I can't remember the name of, caribou, moose, harbor seals, river otters, a wolverine (no, not Hugh Jackman), a snow leopard, Siberian tigers, Dall sheep and others.
The cool thing about the ravens, when their keepers bring them food, they bring more food than the birds need. If no one is around, the ravens call out to the wild ravens. Wild ravens flock to the cage and the captive birds pass food out to the wild ravens. In return, the wild ravens bring the captive ravens trinkets. The keepers have found coins and other shiny objects in the cage.
I'll definitely go back. They have nature lectures on Tuesday nights and free concerts on Fridays.
Take care! The slide show will be posted next.
So Mom, Dad and I all went to the zoo the first Sunday here in Anchorage. I finally had time to upload the pics. It's a very neat place. All the animals there were previously injured or orphaned and unable to be released back into the wild. All the animals are also from cold weather climates, so either native to Alaska, the Tundra, Siberia, etc. The zoo is very resourceful. There are numerous animals killed by vehicles here (moose mostly, but also deer and others). The "road kill" are brought to the zoo via the Dept of Wildlife/Forestry and fed to the larger predators. So, while I think it's sad that wildlife is killed, I'm glad that it is not wasted.
We took the "behind the scenes" tour and our gracious tour guide was Dan, an intern from Wisconsin. It was a two hour tour that lasted two and a half. I didn't take as many pics as I should have since I was busy asking questions. So I'll have to go back and take more pics for everyone. There were polar bears, brown (grizzly) bears, brown bears, bald eagles, red foxes, arctic foxes, grey wolves, a coyote, musk oxes, a female snowy owl, magpies, ravens (way bigger than the crows in Sacto), a two-humped camel that I can't remember the name of, caribou, moose, harbor seals, river otters, a wolverine (no, not Hugh Jackman), a snow leopard, Siberian tigers, Dall sheep and others.
The cool thing about the ravens, when their keepers bring them food, they bring more food than the birds need. If no one is around, the ravens call out to the wild ravens. Wild ravens flock to the cage and the captive birds pass food out to the wild ravens. In return, the wild ravens bring the captive ravens trinkets. The keepers have found coins and other shiny objects in the cage.
I'll definitely go back. They have nature lectures on Tuesday nights and free concerts on Fridays.
Take care! The slide show will be posted next.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Move in day! 06/19/10
Hello!
So I checked in and signed all the lease paperwork for my apartment at 11am. Very exciting. The apartment is smaller than what I'm used to, but that's okay. It took us two hours to unload the truck. It's way easier to unload than to load.
Just as we finished with the truck, a moose and her two babies appeared not 50 feet from the front door. Awesome!! We got several pictures, but kept our distance.
That night we had a real dinner at a sit-down Pizza Hut restaurant. It was heaven! Hung out at Barnes & Noble for a while that night too. It was very nice to be back in a city with all the amenities.
Adventures at the zoo next!
Take Care!
So I checked in and signed all the lease paperwork for my apartment at 11am. Very exciting. The apartment is smaller than what I'm used to, but that's okay. It took us two hours to unload the truck. It's way easier to unload than to load.
Just as we finished with the truck, a moose and her two babies appeared not 50 feet from the front door. Awesome!! We got several pictures, but kept our distance.
That night we had a real dinner at a sit-down Pizza Hut restaurant. It was heaven! Hung out at Barnes & Noble for a while that night too. It was very nice to be back in a city with all the amenities.
Adventures at the zoo next!
Take Care!
Day 7 - 06/18/10
Whoo-Hoo!!! Last day of travel. From Tok, AK to Anchorage, AK, approximately 330 miles.
Not much to report. Lots of beautiful scenery. My first sighting of a glacier. In the pics it looks like a river almost, but the colors are different. While I'm here I need to go visit one up close and personal.
We arrived in Anchorage around 5pm and hit a bit of traffic. Nothing compared to traffic in Sacto, so I laugh when people complain about "traffic" here. Once we checked into the last hotel, Mom and I went exploring. We got lost, so we found a Wal-Mart and bought a city map. Not a very big map. Check out the few pics and more exciting ones will follow for Day 8.
Take Care!
Not much to report. Lots of beautiful scenery. My first sighting of a glacier. In the pics it looks like a river almost, but the colors are different. While I'm here I need to go visit one up close and personal.
We arrived in Anchorage around 5pm and hit a bit of traffic. Nothing compared to traffic in Sacto, so I laugh when people complain about "traffic" here. Once we checked into the last hotel, Mom and I went exploring. We got lost, so we found a Wal-Mart and bought a city map. Not a very big map. Check out the few pics and more exciting ones will follow for Day 8.
Take Care!
Day 6 - 06/17/10
Hello All!
Back to the trip! On Day Six, we drove 398 miles from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada to Tok (pronounced Talk), Alaska, United States.
I'm pretty sure I found the only Starbucks on the planet without free Wi-Fi in Whitehorse. I didn't think such a thing existed. Since we arrived in Whitehorse so late the night before, we slept in a bit and got up and going in time for lunch. Since Starbucks didn't have Wi-Fi, the barista there suggested Earl's Restaurant. It was very posh, with a trendy almost night club-ish feel. We ate lunch and then at 12:30pm we hit the road again.
This stretch of road was the most... um... interesting to navigate. It was warped and had potholes and a large portion was gravel. So much for all the roads being paved. As we traveled the Dawson mountain range was on our right. This range (I believe) is part of the Canadian Rockies.
Soon enough (Yay!!!!!) we were back in the United States. It was nice to see a road sign and not have to mentally convert the kilometers into miles anymore. We had dinner at Border City, which was really just a gas station/cafe/souvenier shop combination. There was a hoodie there that said "Got Moose" and I'm still a little sorry that I didn't buy it.
Onward to spend the night in Tok. The hotel was very nice with theme weeks. It was Valentine's Week that week. Very cute. I slept very well that night, glad to be back on US soil and knowing there was only one day of traveling left.
More to follow! Take care!
Back to the trip! On Day Six, we drove 398 miles from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada to Tok (pronounced Talk), Alaska, United States.
I'm pretty sure I found the only Starbucks on the planet without free Wi-Fi in Whitehorse. I didn't think such a thing existed. Since we arrived in Whitehorse so late the night before, we slept in a bit and got up and going in time for lunch. Since Starbucks didn't have Wi-Fi, the barista there suggested Earl's Restaurant. It was very posh, with a trendy almost night club-ish feel. We ate lunch and then at 12:30pm we hit the road again.
This stretch of road was the most... um... interesting to navigate. It was warped and had potholes and a large portion was gravel. So much for all the roads being paved. As we traveled the Dawson mountain range was on our right. This range (I believe) is part of the Canadian Rockies.
Soon enough (Yay!!!!!) we were back in the United States. It was nice to see a road sign and not have to mentally convert the kilometers into miles anymore. We had dinner at Border City, which was really just a gas station/cafe/souvenier shop combination. There was a hoodie there that said "Got Moose" and I'm still a little sorry that I didn't buy it.
Onward to spend the night in Tok. The hotel was very nice with theme weeks. It was Valentine's Week that week. Very cute. I slept very well that night, glad to be back on US soil and knowing there was only one day of traveling left.
More to follow! Take care!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
First Day of Work
Hello All!
I'm taking a break from the travel postings (since I don't have my notes or the pics with me at the moment) to tell you a little bit about the differences between Alaska and California.
First, there is no sales tax. Very nice! Second, safety updates for the office include things like: The Seagulls are nesting in the downtown area so watch out for falling bird poo and the birds diving at you. Another difference is that the field staff out here travel in groups and have a Bear Guard with them. A Bear Guard is a person who's only job is to watch for bears. I believe they are armed also, but I've yet to confirm that part. When someone first mentioned Bear Guards, I thought it was some sort of body armor... yeah, I was wrong about that.
Something else I noticed while traveling and forgot to mention (I think anyway... if I'm repeating myself, feel free to skip to the next paragraph) there are no stars out during the summer nights. It doesn't get dark enough. It's like twilight for a couple hours and then the sun rises again. Makes me wonder what they do up here for the 4th of July... I don't think the fireworks would be very visible.
My real training starts on Monday, but for those of you curious about the project I'll be working on here's a public website: www.thealaskapipelineproject.com.
Take care!
I'm taking a break from the travel postings (since I don't have my notes or the pics with me at the moment) to tell you a little bit about the differences between Alaska and California.
First, there is no sales tax. Very nice! Second, safety updates for the office include things like: The Seagulls are nesting in the downtown area so watch out for falling bird poo and the birds diving at you. Another difference is that the field staff out here travel in groups and have a Bear Guard with them. A Bear Guard is a person who's only job is to watch for bears. I believe they are armed also, but I've yet to confirm that part. When someone first mentioned Bear Guards, I thought it was some sort of body armor... yeah, I was wrong about that.
Something else I noticed while traveling and forgot to mention (I think anyway... if I'm repeating myself, feel free to skip to the next paragraph) there are no stars out during the summer nights. It doesn't get dark enough. It's like twilight for a couple hours and then the sun rises again. Makes me wonder what they do up here for the 4th of July... I don't think the fireworks would be very visible.
My real training starts on Monday, but for those of you curious about the project I'll be working on here's a public website: www.thealaskapipelineproject.com.
Take care!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Day Five - June 16, 2010
Day Five was a very, very long day. We traveled 603 miles total.
We left Fort Nelson and saw our very first Moose. After a couple hours of driving we saw Muncho Lake, BC. It was like glass. We took several pictures and drove past an adult Big Horn Sheep. He was right on the side of the road around a tight curve. We made eye contact as I drove by. Mom got pics of three young Big Horn Sheep (with much smaller horns). As we left the Lake we spotted another Black Bear. In the picture, its the black lump in the grass, so you can't really see it very well.
Next stop... and the only official tourist stop in Canada was Liard River Hot Springs. Mom and I went lounging in the water. Of course, we get to swim in hot springs on the day it hits 80 degrees. It was very, very awesome anyway and totally worth the stop. There are pics of us there also. It was also the only place in Canada with Souvenirs. So I bought a magnet and a bumper sticker.
Next stop was Watson Lake - Gateway to the Yukon. There is a Sign Post Forest, where people post street, city and personal signs and license plates. It's crazy!! There are posts everywhere. The have to put up new posts every year for all the signs. I tried to get pics to show how big the place is, but you need an aerial shot for that. We ate dinner there and we were going to spend the night, but all four hotels were full. So we got back on the road and drove the four hours to Whitehorse.
We arrived in Whitehorse at 2:30am and only one hotel has vacancies there. We checked in and got a couple hours sleep. Buy then I was done with Canada and really, really wanted to see the U.S. and some civilization again.
Check out the pics and let me know if you have any questions. I'll get started on the next day's blog.
Take care!
We left Fort Nelson and saw our very first Moose. After a couple hours of driving we saw Muncho Lake, BC. It was like glass. We took several pictures and drove past an adult Big Horn Sheep. He was right on the side of the road around a tight curve. We made eye contact as I drove by. Mom got pics of three young Big Horn Sheep (with much smaller horns). As we left the Lake we spotted another Black Bear. In the picture, its the black lump in the grass, so you can't really see it very well.
Next stop... and the only official tourist stop in Canada was Liard River Hot Springs. Mom and I went lounging in the water. Of course, we get to swim in hot springs on the day it hits 80 degrees. It was very, very awesome anyway and totally worth the stop. There are pics of us there also. It was also the only place in Canada with Souvenirs. So I bought a magnet and a bumper sticker.
Next stop was Watson Lake - Gateway to the Yukon. There is a Sign Post Forest, where people post street, city and personal signs and license plates. It's crazy!! There are posts everywhere. The have to put up new posts every year for all the signs. I tried to get pics to show how big the place is, but you need an aerial shot for that. We ate dinner there and we were going to spend the night, but all four hotels were full. So we got back on the road and drove the four hours to Whitehorse.
We arrived in Whitehorse at 2:30am and only one hotel has vacancies there. We checked in and got a couple hours sleep. Buy then I was done with Canada and really, really wanted to see the U.S. and some civilization again.
Check out the pics and let me know if you have any questions. I'll get started on the next day's blog.
Take care!
Day Four - June 15, 2010
Sorry it's been so long since I updated! Internet and time has been few and far between.
So the morning of the 15th, we left Prince George, BC. I was disappointed to find that Canada does not have Hostess mini chocolate (or powdered or crumb) donuts. :-( I managed to survive somehow.
We did see our first Black Bear and her cub. Didn't catch her in time to stop for a photo though. There are warning signs along the road for Moose, Deer, and Wild Dump trucks (see the pics for that one). We saw a wild dump truck, but no moose or deer. It was a pretty long and boring drive. Lots of BEAUTIFUL scenery, but that was it. We drove 528 miles this day. There was a bit of rain and I got a fabulous shot of the rainbow in my sideview mirror.
We spent the night at Fort Nelson, BC. Mom and I met an Army Chaplain who was driving from Anchorage to Fort Leavenworth (sp?). He gave us some very good advice about the road coming up and where to stop. Which was good because we found out that a "town" on a map could be a closed gas station and boarded up cafe. You can't count on the dots on the map for actual towns in Canada.
Pics to follow.
So the morning of the 15th, we left Prince George, BC. I was disappointed to find that Canada does not have Hostess mini chocolate (or powdered or crumb) donuts. :-( I managed to survive somehow.
We did see our first Black Bear and her cub. Didn't catch her in time to stop for a photo though. There are warning signs along the road for Moose, Deer, and Wild Dump trucks (see the pics for that one). We saw a wild dump truck, but no moose or deer. It was a pretty long and boring drive. Lots of BEAUTIFUL scenery, but that was it. We drove 528 miles this day. There was a bit of rain and I got a fabulous shot of the rainbow in my sideview mirror.
We spent the night at Fort Nelson, BC. Mom and I met an Army Chaplain who was driving from Anchorage to Fort Leavenworth (sp?). He gave us some very good advice about the road coming up and where to stop. Which was good because we found out that a "town" on a map could be a closed gas station and boarded up cafe. You can't count on the dots on the map for actual towns in Canada.
Pics to follow.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Day Three - June 14, 2010
Survived another day of driving... 398 miles today. The first two hours were GORGEOUS!!! Here's the link for my photo album: http://travel.webshots.com/slideshow/577942004gqACUP. I'll post a slide show later if I can of the pics from just today.
What surprised me is that there's not much to do here. I'm used to the US where there are tourist traps everywhere. I was expecting lots of places to stop and check out. You know, those places with cheesy souvenirs: magnets, postcards, mugs, hats, t-shirts, etc. Nope, nothing here. Maybe when I hit the Alaska border, I'll have more opportunities to buy silly stuff. There are plenty of places to camp, though.
I can say that Canada has WalMart, Subway, and Dairy Queen. I finally found Starbucks listed in the phone book. Haven't seen them at every other exit like I'm used to. We are staying at some no name hotel in Price George, BC, Canada tonight. I think this is the biggest city we'll see until we get to Anchorage.
Getting closer. Whoo-hoo!!
Take care,
Sandra
What surprised me is that there's not much to do here. I'm used to the US where there are tourist traps everywhere. I was expecting lots of places to stop and check out. You know, those places with cheesy souvenirs: magnets, postcards, mugs, hats, t-shirts, etc. Nope, nothing here. Maybe when I hit the Alaska border, I'll have more opportunities to buy silly stuff. There are plenty of places to camp, though.
I can say that Canada has WalMart, Subway, and Dairy Queen. I finally found Starbucks listed in the phone book. Haven't seen them at every other exit like I'm used to. We are staying at some no name hotel in Price George, BC, Canada tonight. I think this is the biggest city we'll see until we get to Anchorage.
Getting closer. Whoo-hoo!!
Take care,
Sandra
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Day Two - June 13, 2010
Only 283 miles today. It was a short drive with a lot of sitting in the car waiting.
Started the day with the fabulous free continental breakfast at the hotel. Got packed up and we were on the road before 9am. At 12:45pm, we were detoured away from I-5. Apparently, the one and only day I want to get into Canada, the I-5 border crossing is closed from 11-3:30 for some event. So we got to hang out and creep along a detour to a border crossing somewhere else (on Washington highway 543, I think).
Drove up 15 (highway, parkway, not sure what they call it here) to hit Highway 1. Passed thru a town called Chilliwack. Awesome! Had dinner at a mom & pop restaurant called Skinny's Grille. Good food. We stopped early 5-ish in Hope, British Columbia. The guide book says the next 120 miles are the most beautiful on the Alaska Highway. I'll let you know if I agree tomorrow.
Take care!
Started the day with the fabulous free continental breakfast at the hotel. Got packed up and we were on the road before 9am. At 12:45pm, we were detoured away from I-5. Apparently, the one and only day I want to get into Canada, the I-5 border crossing is closed from 11-3:30 for some event. So we got to hang out and creep along a detour to a border crossing somewhere else (on Washington highway 543, I think).
Drove up 15 (highway, parkway, not sure what they call it here) to hit Highway 1. Passed thru a town called Chilliwack. Awesome! Had dinner at a mom & pop restaurant called Skinny's Grille. Good food. We stopped early 5-ish in Hope, British Columbia. The guide book says the next 120 miles are the most beautiful on the Alaska Highway. I'll let you know if I agree tomorrow.
Take care!
Day One – June 12, 2010
Nothing like driving 682 miles in one day.
I was on the road at 7am heading north on I-5. Nothing too exciting to report on this day. I did see 5 deer (all in different locations) along the highway throughout Oregon. Oregon (and the little I saw of Washington) is beautiful!! I was lucky enough to stop at my friend’s place in Vancouver, WA. Got there about 5:30pm and had dinner with Annemarie and her two beautiful daughters. The guinea pigs got a ton of food and petting while there. Met up with my parents and the Uhaul truck at 8:30pm. We drove for a bit and then stopped twice at hotels with no vacancies. Ended up at the Peppermill Empress hotel (no relation to the Peppermill in Reno) at a bit after 11pm.
Working on getting pics to load to the blog... I try and the pics translate to a bunch of computer gibberish. :-( So any advice is welcome.
Take care!
I was on the road at 7am heading north on I-5. Nothing too exciting to report on this day. I did see 5 deer (all in different locations) along the highway throughout Oregon. Oregon (and the little I saw of Washington) is beautiful!! I was lucky enough to stop at my friend’s place in Vancouver, WA. Got there about 5:30pm and had dinner with Annemarie and her two beautiful daughters. The guinea pigs got a ton of food and petting while there. Met up with my parents and the Uhaul truck at 8:30pm. We drove for a bit and then stopped twice at hotels with no vacancies. Ended up at the Peppermill Empress hotel (no relation to the Peppermill in Reno) at a bit after 11pm.
Working on getting pics to load to the blog... I try and the pics translate to a bunch of computer gibberish. :-( So any advice is welcome.
Take care!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Oh my... moving the distance that is essentially cross-country is a special thing. Not only do you get to pack all your stuff up (assuming it all fits in the Uhaul, otherwise you decide what goes and what goes to Goodwill) you get to pack for a week-long road trip too. Admittedly, nothing is strapped to the top of my car, but the bed and backseat are so loaded that I feel like a HillBilly moving West. If I ever decide to do this again, I'm throwing my favorite clothes in my car and the rest is getting sold on Craigslist or donated.
I'm desperate for a shower so I can go to sleep, but that means standing and my feet are arguing against that idea. Maybe I can sit on the shower floor and still get clean. Gonna go try anyway.
Take care! The next post will be from somewhere outside of Cali. Whoo-hoo!!
I'm desperate for a shower so I can go to sleep, but that means standing and my feet are arguing against that idea. Maybe I can sit on the shower floor and still get clean. Gonna go try anyway.
Take care! The next post will be from somewhere outside of Cali. Whoo-hoo!!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Last Week in Sacramento
So, it's Sunday morning...almost 7am. There are still so many things to do that the full weight of moving North hasn't quite set in yet. I will miss my friends and family terribly, but I'm also very excited about this new adventure. I have my apartment reserved and waiting. I have my "new" car. Just need to pack the rest of my stuff.
I've promised everyone that I will keep in touch, and I will. For the thousandth time in the last month: THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know what I would do without email... and text messaging... and I'll be signed up on Skype in another month or two. That will be sweet! I'll just have to remember to not call anyone while still in my jammies with bedhead. I'm pretty sure it's cold enough up there that I'll never make the mistake of calling someone on Skype while nekkid.
I'm off to work on my To-Do list. Take care!
I've promised everyone that I will keep in touch, and I will. For the thousandth time in the last month: THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know what I would do without email... and text messaging... and I'll be signed up on Skype in another month or two. That will be sweet! I'll just have to remember to not call anyone while still in my jammies with bedhead. I'm pretty sure it's cold enough up there that I'll never make the mistake of calling someone on Skype while nekkid.
I'm off to work on my To-Do list. Take care!
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