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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