Alaska Day Six: Float Planes and Eisenhower

Monday morning we both managed to finally sleep in, our exertions of Sunday catching up with us.  We lazily got up and got packed and ready to check out of the hotel.  For the first time since arriving in Alaska, we had no car or hotel room to call home. 

We started by finishing up some souvenir shopping in downtown Anchorage, with the highlight of that journey being me breaking the mug I bought for mom about 37 seconds after I bought it and about 3 inches in front of the store.  We went back to our go-to Starbucks, and were waited on by a barista who had just come from living in Bartlesville, OK for a few years while she went to school.

Our next idea was to go to Lake Hood to see the float planes, so we went to the Visitor Center to figure out how to take a bus there.  They were not too helpful but did point us in the direction of the bus station and a post office.  The route to the post office took us by two guys smoking pot and hanging out on the stairs.

At the Transit Center, we bought day passes and were off on a bus to find Lake Hood.  By following our route on my GPS, I was able to tell when we needed to get off the bus.  We arrived a couple blocks away from Lake Hood and walked in the rain to find the planes.  We saw several take off and land, and a dog named Kiki jumped up on me and got muddy footprints on my jacket.

Our next destination was Earthquake Park and we determined we could get back on the bus we got off and make it there, but there were about 30 minutes before the bus came.  We opted for lunch at Wendy's with frosties for dessert.  The frosty sounded better before we had to wait in the rainy cold for 10 minutes as the bus was late.

Earthquake Park turned out to require a very long walk before you could even see anything, and we wound up going way farther than we wanted to on our post-race day.  Eventually we reached the coastal trail and had a nice view back toward downtown Anchorage.  Other than, not much to say about Earthquake Park.  To get back to the bus, we had to walk uphill several blocks through a residential neighborhood and when we finally reached the bus stop, we learned it would be 50 minutes before the bus came.

At this point we had basically run out of energy and things we wanted to do, but we had nowhere to go.  We browsed a few of the shops again and visited the Eisenhower Monument.  Frances was excited to see somebody else besides the state of Kansas interested in Eisenhower.  Alaskans like him because he made them a state in 1959.

It started raining again with a very ominous sky so we opted for the dry seats of the 5th Avenue mall food court.  It was a relief to sit down and be dry with access to a clean bathroom.  We chose Humpy's, an Anchorage classic, for our last Alaskan meal.

From there, we returned to the hotel to pick up our luggage and get a shuttle to the airport.  The desk clerk told us when we checked out that he couldn't pass along our request for a shuttle, that we'd need to do that ourselves 30-60 minutes before we needed to leave.  We waited 60 minutes and when the shuttle driver came, they told us he couldn't leave because he was the only one that knew how to fix the dryer.  Finally we were on our way to the airport, and I was no fan of the service from the desk clerks.

Our flight departed Anchorage on time at 10:40 p.m. and arrived in Denver at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday Denver time.  I managed to get a little sleep on the flight as I was not interested in watching Cars again.  After a brief layover in Denver, we headed for KC, arriving at 9:30 a.m.  Cindy picked us up, and the highlight of the ride home was Frances discovering she had gum on her arm, which she then got on the car seat.

And that's the end!

Alaska Day Five: Race Day

Frances and I both woke up before the alarm, around 7:00.  I reluctantly looked outside as a high chance of rain was forecasted.  It was drizzly but not raining heavily.  We got dressed in our running clothes and headed to the starting line, about a half mile walk from our hotel.  By the time we got there, it was 53 degrees and not raining.  There wasn't much to do so we went to Starbucks to stay warm and wait for the races to start.

The marathon- ers started off at 9:00 a.m. so I wished Frances luck and waited my turn.  Next were the half marathon- ers at 9:20 a.m.  I waited as long as possible to check my bag so I could hang on to my jacket.  We in the 5K were the last to go at 9:40 a.m.  The race went a few blocks on city streets, then down a hill and out along the coastal trail.  It was a little narrow as the trail wasn't very wide and there was two-way traffic with the lead runners coming back towards us after the switchback. 

As I got to the hill back up to the streets, it started raining lightly.  I managed to finish just under my goal of 36 minutes, so I was happy with that.  I collected my medal and started off to find the 16 mile mark of the marathon where I was to meet Frances.  It ended up being about two miles to get there, and I was there about 20 minutes ahead of when I expected her.  I had to walk along a trail with the half marathon runners because I wasn't sure how to go any other way.

Frances came along at 11:35, about 5 minutes ahead of schedule.  She said she was doing well but was having trouble finding someone to pace with.  After she was off again, I headed back to downtown to wait for her to finish.  It started raining so I went back to Starbucks again.  I was expecting Frances around 1:30, but around 1:05 the rain had mostly stopped so I went over to watch the finish line.  Luckily I did because within 5 minutes she came crusing in, about 15 minutes ahead of her last run!

We had someone take a picture of us with our medals to send home for the letter, and then we started off back to the hotel to shower.  A unique feature of the hotel bathroom is the light switch - which is a timer knob you have to turn to get the light to come on.  Of course there are no numbers on the knob so you have no idea how long you have it set for.  Frances and I both had the experience of not setting it long enough and having the lights go out on us in the shower.

We probably should have stayed put longer, but we were hard core and after a brief rest, headed out to browse the Sunday Market.  We hit up a few gift shops but I quickly realized I was too tired to shop.  We had dinner at the Glacier Brewhouse and then went to see the AurorA movie at the Alaska Performing Arts Center, a show with images of the Northern Lights.  It was just us and another couple in the theater.

After the movie, we finally headed back to the hotel for good.  I checked my fitbit and found I had my highest number of steps ever - almost 31,000.  It was tricky to get all my steps in because my fitbit was still on central time and I had to get them in by 9:00 p.m. before it reset.

Alaska Day Four: Glaciers and Otters

Early Saturday morning, Frances drove to the north side of the city to watch for the lights but no luck.  In the morning, she ran two miles, the last step of her training.  Our first stop of the morning was Walmart again so Frances could get a watch for the race.

Then we headed out again on the Seward Highway towards Whittier.  Since we weren't crossing into Alaska so no welcome sign, we opted for the photo op with the Alaska Scenic Highway sign for my collection.  Several more photo ops along the way, with few clouds in the sky and no rain.

Outside Whittier, we paid $12 and got in line to go through the one lane Anton Anderson tunnel, which is 2.5 miles through the mountain.  The tunnel is open in each direction only once an hour, and we went through during the 10:30 opening.

We paid $5 to park in tiny Whittier, where the skies were beginning to be overcast again.  We walked around and checked in for our glacier cruise.  Because we had opted out of the buffet on the boat, we grabbed some food in one of the tiny shops.  There isn't much to Whittier, but a lot of boats. 

There was a cruise ship in port.  In the shop where I bought my pizza, there were some guys who had been up in the mountain hunting and seen 3 bears, but as it was not bear season, they had to leave them alone.

After lunch we boarded the Fairweather Express II.  The boat was only about half full which was nice.  The tour was narrated by a Chugach National Forest ranger named Mary.  From the time we left Whittier, the sky was cloudy, drizzly, and cold, but we had a great time anyway.  Mary pointed out some valley and hanging glaciers, identifiable by their blue ice.

We passed several fishing boats, and we weren't able to visit the fish hatchery because the boats had their nets stretched across where we needed to go.  We went out around Esther Island and traveled through Esther Passage.  We came upon a whole bunch of sea lions "sunning" themselves on rocks. 

After the sea lions came the sea otters, which are bigger than the otters I've seen in the zoo - around 100 pounds each.  Frances was able to get good pics using her zoom lens.  We spent time out on the deck of the boat but got too cold and wet so went in for awhile.

The highlight of the cruise was our arrival at Surprise Glacier, a tidewater glacier, meaning it touches the water.  The boat stopped near the glacier and we had lots of time to take pictures.  Most people gave up and went inside, but there were a few of us still out there when a harbor seal popped his head up between the ice.  He came up one more time and then disappeared before anyone could get a photo. 

We finally had enough of the rain and cold and went in to have hot chocolate.  The crew had fished glacier ice out of the water to make glacier ice margaritas.  I was too cold, but Frances did try some glacier ice water.  On the way back to Whittier, some junior rangers were sworn in and brought around an otter pelt for everyone to feel.

Near Whittier, the captain announced some whales had been spotted, and we were able to see a whale a few times.  Frances, who is scared of whales, did OK and called it "exposure therapy."  The last stop was at a bird rookery just across the water from Whittier.  Once we got off the boat, we hurried back to the car to make sure we were in line for the 6:00 tunnel opening.



 The drive back to Anchor- age looked complete- ly different than that morning - overcast, drizzly, low tide with low clouds.  We took a picture at Beluga Point to show the difference from just 7 hours earlier. 

We arrived back in Anchorage around 7:15 p.m. and both thought Panera sounded like awesome pre-race dinner.  Unfortunately Panera has not make it to Alaska and we finally stopped at a Schlotzsky's, which had horrible service.  We had to return our rental car and called the hotel to get a shuttle.  They told us to call when we had our luggage, so we waited until we were done checking in the car.  When we called, they told us it would be 30 more minutes.

While we were waiting, I discovered I had left my phone in the car.  I called the rental company and started walking back over there.  The guy said he would go up and check and call me back.  When I got to the car, it was still there with my phone in it.  I told the guy in the booth I had it, to let the other guy know when he came to look for it.  Apparently he had already been there.  He didn't even look in the car - just asked the guy in the booth if anyone had turned it in.  Seriously!

I made it back to the shuttle stop before the bus arrived, and we finally got to the hotel at 9:30.  The room was clean but the customer service was lacking.  Frances studied the race map and made her final preparations, and we went to bed.

Alaska Day Three: Fall and Scenic Drives

The day started off at 4:30 when Frances woke up later than planned to look for the Northern Lights.  Turns out she set her alarm for 12:30 p.m. instead of a.m.  She did not see them.  She did get to see the sky starting to get light.  After logging our names in the Aspen Haus guest book, we headed back to Denali National Park.

We parked at the Science Center and headed out the Horseshoe Lake Trail.  On the trail, we saw what we decided are moose tracks.  We also noticed lots of trees starting to turn yellow, and we both agreed they seemed even more yellow than the day before.  At one point the trail crossed the Alaska Railroad tracks so we paused for a photo op.  The sky was overcast but did not rain on us during the hike.

Near the beginning of the trail was an overlook with a view of the lake, and the Subway and other shops outside the park.  From there, it is a steep walk down to the lake itself.  There was a sign that beavers live here and we saw their dam, but none made an appearance.  Other than rabbits, we did not see any wildlife.  Unfortunately the return trip was back up the hill we came down. Again we felt like we were in the Twilight Zone because there were no people or animals, just stumps that look like bears.

After our hike, we headed out of the park to do some souvenir shopping and partake of free fudge samples.  We stopped at the Mt. McKinley Chalet Resort to check it out and partake of their restrooms before heading out on the return drive to Anchorage.  About 15 miles outside the park, we met up with the intermittent rain which followed us most of the way.  We visited the same Subway near Talkeetna where we ate lunch the day before.

We stopped at the South Viewing Point overlook and checked for Mt. McKinley.  Of course we did not see it.  For those counting, this is the third time we did not see it.  You can see in the center of the photo where they claim it should be.  We got back in the car, convinced it was just a ruse to get tourists to drive out looking for it.

A little north of Wasilla, we encountered one lane traffic and were halted for about 20 minutes, of which Frances slept the first 19.  She woke up just as we were moving again.  There were more than 100 cars waiting for their turn to drive on the road.  Traffic continued to be heavy until we were through Wasilla. 

After Wasilla, we noticed all the mountains that we weren't able to see the day before because of rain and clouds.  Back in Anchorage, we stopped at the race expo to pick up our packets for Sunday.  We took a quick look around the expo but it was not very interesting.

At this point it was about 4:00 and we figured we needed another activity before we made a repeat visit to the Qupqugiag Inn, so opted for a scenic drive along the Seward Highway.  We stopped at Walmart and picked up snacks for the remainder of the trip, something we should have done the day before.  There was rush hour traffic as we were trying to get out of Anchorage but not too bad once we left the city limits.

Our first stop was Potter Marsh, offering views of birds from the boardwalk.  It was a little scenic but not being too interested in birds, we headed on to the south.  One thing of note - Potter Marsh is located directly across from the Rabbit Creek Rifle Range, so while you are chilling on the boardwalk checking out birds, rifle fire makes up the background noise.

We drove as far as Beluga Point, taking advantage of many photo ops.  We stopped at McHugh Creek and went for a walk along the Turnagain Arm trail towards Potter, hoping for some scenic vistas.  We followed signs to Boy Scout Rocks, which proved not to be very scenic.  We did find one spot where we could see out and used the camera self-timer to get a photo of ourselves.  No wildlife here, except a trail runner who came racing out of the brush ahead of us and scared us half to death.  On our return trip, he was coming back at us, startling us again. 

Here the sun was stuck in the sky again at the same spot we noticed it on Thursday night.  It looks like if you hang out for 30 minutes, you should get to see an impressive sunset, but it never moves.

We checked into the Qupqugiaq Inn for the second time, this time with a room on the noisy front side.  After checking in, we headed to downtown in search of food.  We ended up at Rumrunners for a quick dinner and were back at the hotel at 9:00 p.m., still sunny, and made it a little longer before going to bed.  Frances made sure to set her alarm correctly this time.

Alaska Day Two: Sled Dogs and a Moose

Thursday morning we both found ourselves awake at 6:30 a.m., given that it was 9:30 a.m. in Kansas City.  It was pretty rainy but slowed to a drizzle while we loaded the car.  The hostel/inn offered cereal and waffle mix for breakfast.  What they didn't mention was they don't offer any dishes.  Technically they do, but they were all being used and we had to improvise.

We made our first gas station stop of the trip for drinks and then headed north.  Most of the morning was rainy and we couldn't really see too much of the mountains around us.  We did pass through Wasilla, home of Sarah Palin, but nothing to write about there.

We took the Talkeetna spur road about 15 miles into Talkeetna, a tiny town with little shops and cafes and a view of Mt. McKinley.  We walked around, purchased a few souvenirs, and then did NOT see Mt. McKinley due to clouds.  This is the first time we didn't see The Big One.

After returning to the main highway, we had lunch at Subway as we weren't sure when the next opportunity to eat would be.  As we drove along, there were fewer and fewer radio stations and more and more RVs.  Frances provided encouragement and I on multiple occasions overcame my fear of passing them.  We also crossed the Alaska Railroad tracks many, many times.  The rain continued to come and go throughout the drive.

We arrived at Denali National Park at 2:15 p.m. and had our picture taken to prove we made it.  Our first stop was the Visitor's Center, which fascinated me by looking brand new.  In fact all the buildings did. 

The bus for the sled dog demonstration was leaving in about 20 minutes, so we did a quick hike on the Spruce Forest Trail.  This took about 7 minutes giving us ample time to get on the bus!

At the sled dog kennels, we had a chance to walk around and see the dogs, almost all of whom were sleeping either next to or on top of their houses.  Three were celebrating their 8th birthday.  These are the only working sled dogs (canine rangers) in the National Park System.

Range Jamie led the demo and told the history of how they dogs came to be in the park and what kind of work they do.  Then he asked us to clap if we were ready to see them in action.  As soon as we started clapping, ALL the dogs came to attention and started barking and jumping around.  Only 5 could go on the demo run, but they were all excited and no longer interested in naps.  They hitched the dogs up and make a quick loop run on gravel, ending right in front of us.

After the tour, we took the bus back to the Visitor Center.  A train filled with huge rocks was rolling through the station, so we stopped to take a few photos.  The park road is closed to private vehicles after mile 15, so we figured we'd drive out that far and look for a hike.  Mile 9 is supposed to be a great place to see Mt. McKinley.  We stopped but could not see it.  For those keeping track, this is the second time we didn't see it.

We continued on the road and saw two caribou along the way.  We opted for the Savage River Loop Trail.  It was about two miles and easy going, without much climbing.  We did veer off the trail to climb a hill and get some photos of the valley before heading back.  On the hike back, we came upon another caribou and Frances was ready with her zoom lens.  The "loop" part of the trail was a bit of a misnomer as it lands you on the opposite side of a bridge from where you parked, so we had to climb up and walk across the bridge.  Frances wants to write them a letter about this.

Along this hike was where we first noticed the lowering in the sky and then just stopping.  It is a bit of a Twilight Zone feel, especially since we were about the only people around.

On the drive back, we spotted a moose and Frances again got him with her zoom lens.  From the park, we drove north to Healy, about 12 miles.  We missed the turn the first time and had a little trouble navigating but ulimately arrived at Aspen Haus.  We were checked into the Southview Suite by young Dylan, son of the proprieters.  He was very professional.  The room was nice and had a small kitchenette. 

We ate dinner at the 49th State Brewery in Healy.  I ate approximately half of the GIANT burger they served.  We were back to our room at 9:00, with the sky bright as day.  Dad, to answer your question, it was not dark enough to go to bed.

Frances set her alarm for her first attempt to view the northern lights.

Alaska Day One: The Uneventful Day

Our story starts at the beginning.  Unfortunately the beginning is boring but what are you gonna do? 

After carefully extricating myself from work, Mom delivered Frances and I to the airport for our late afternoon flight.  Perhaps the most interesting thing I saw on the flight to Denver was a man with a large bald spot on the top of this head.  In this bald spot, he had a tattoo of a man cutting the grass with a lawnmower.  Other than that, he appeared to be your average 70ish man.  I tried to take a picture but found it to be too awkward.

We had a quick dinner at McDonald's in the Denver airport and then boarded our flight to Anchorage, leaving Denver around 5:30 p.m.  The flight attendants were all older males, which you don't see very often.  Apparently one of them hugged Frances as she was getting off the plane.  She did not appreciate this.  Movies shown on the flight were Cars and Avengers.  I did finally watch cars all the way through.

I entered my 49th state about 9:45 p.m. in time to find the sun just getting ready to set.  We picked up our rental car and found our way to the Qupqugiaq Inn.  That's really it.  Told you day one was boring.  Day two is better so stay tuned.

Australia - The Home Update

To complete the saga, here's the rest of the story. I made it until about 8:30 last night and then fell asleep. I woke up a few times and then woke up at midnight when the luggage delivery guy called to tell me he was bringing my suitcase. Luckily, he offered to leave it on the porch if I would leave my receipt so I didn't have to sign for it. I'm not sure how late he came, but when I woke up again at 3:45, it was there.

I looked through it this morning and it had definitely been searched, but no idea what caught their attention. Everything was still there.

For being so tired with so little sleep, I thought I would sleep better, but I only slept a few hours at a time. Then I had trouble going back to sleep. Hopefully in a few days!

Australia Take 2 - Part 3

Friday, August 20, 2010

I left my apartment earlier than necessary to walk to the office. I thought it would take more time at the supermarket, but it didn’t and I was too early to get into the office. I sat on a bench outside waiting either for 8:30 or someone I knew who could let me in. If I was here any longer I would definitely need a swipe card, and a cell phone.

At 8:30, I made it upstairs and had an email from my client about doing lunch again. I waited for him downstairs but he never showed. I went back up and ate my lunch I brought (again not expecting it to work out with my client). Around 12:30 I called mom and dad but no one answered. I figured the number was showing up as unavailable so I left a long rambling message giving them time to pick up the phone but didn’t wait long enough. Mom texted me to say they were indeed home and I called back.

Just after lunch I emailed out the draft of the learning plan to the client, so I’ve accomplished what I came here to do.


Friday evening, I had hokkein noodles from Stir Crazy and ate at my apartment. I felt like I should go do something since I was in Sydney and all, but I wasn’t up for much. I settled for walking down by Luna Park to try some night shots of the bridge since I have a different camera and the tiny tripod this time. They didn’t turn out much better than any I took before. Either dark or blurry. I did take a video which looks very clear, so I need to figure out how to get the pictures to look like that.

I walked along down by Jeffreys St Wharf and then up through the park. It was really windy and pretty cool, even with my jacket and sweatshirt on. I did play a little with the self timer and took some cheesy pictures of myself, but the cold got to me and I went back upstairs.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Today is election day! The general consensus is it will be a hung Parliament when the counting is done. I’ve been studying up on Australian government so I can understand a little bit better.

I had lots of shopping to do but most places don’t open until 10:00. I waited until about 8:30, then walked across the bridge. I must blend in okay because the guard that stands in the middle of the bridge asked me if I knew where you could vote in Kirribilli. The weather was really great – bright and sunny and about 65 degrees in the sun.



When I got across to the Rocks, I stopped and got a donut at a café, then walked up to the Royal Botanic Gardens a bit. There tulips are starting to bloom, and there were quite a few flowers blooming. I was a little wigged out when I read there were eels in the pond. I went searching and found the heard of cockatoos I’ve met before. I walked along the water to Bennelong Point and around the Opera House. Once you come around that curve, the winds pick up massively and it was quite cold.

I did some souvenir shopping at the shops near the opera house, then headed to get a bus to Paddington Market. When I got there, I thought I knew right where the Wild Island coffee place was. Of course they weren’t there and I couldn’t find them anywhere, so I wasn’t able to get mom’s Blue Mountain coffee, or even anything similar.

I headed back to the Rocks Market to see if I could find some there but no luck. I did by myself a tiny kangaroo with a tinier joey and a Tasmanian devil. My next stop was Paddy’s Market via a bus up George Street, but I didn’t have much luck there, and the crowds were making me crazy. I walked down through Harbourside and ate lunch at McDonald’s there. I was browsing the stores when I realized that was one place I knew I could come back in the evening if I wanted to.

I decided the best transportation was the ferry back to Circular Quay. By this point I was carrying around a lot of stuff and since the ferry ride from Milson’s Point is only 5 minutes, I figured I’d hop off at Milson’s Point, drop off the stuff, then catch the next ferry in 30 minutes. I held up my end of the deal and was back down at the wharf in time, but of course the ferry was 45 minutes late. I never would have stopped there if I had known!

When I finally got back to Circular Quay, I bought myself a sweatshirt and made a last sweep through for souvenirs. Then I took the train to Coles to get something to make for dinner and headed back to watch election results. My feet were in some serious pain. I did wear my pedometer, but apparently it resets when it gets past 19,999 steps. I usually average about 2000 steps per mile, so that means I logged somewhere around 10 miles of walking!

Despite my studying the two-party preferred voting, I still had trouble understanding what I was hearing in the results. I did recognize Maxine McKew’s name, after she defeated John Howard (then prime minister) in 2007 to take his seat. She lost her seat this time around.

After dinner, I made my best attempt to get everything packed. I bought a few bulky things so even though I had eaten most of my food, I was leaving with way more volume than I came with. Due to trackwork on the airport line, buses were replacing trains to the airport, so I opted for a taxi. I booked my taxi online for the morning and went to bed with the news still predicting a hung Parliament.

Sunday, August 22, 2010
I woke up to the same news as the night before – no winner declared yet. I had booked my taxi to come at 7:30, thinking that would give me plenty of time. The taxi driver was even a bit early and after being carefully not to lock myself out of my apartment or the lobby, since I had to leave the keys behind, we were off for the airport.

We made good time until just before we reached the airport turnoff, where traffic ground to a halt. It ended up taking 20 minutes from that point, so the whole journey was nearly an hour, instead of about 20-25 minutes. It also cost me $80, which the taxi driver said was the highest fare he’d ever had to the airport. Lucky me. He was a little chatty, which was okay, but a lot of what he said I wasn’t sure how to respond to. He started talking about the war, and then drew a comparison between George W. and Hitler. Nice.

When I finally got to the airport, there were only two counters open for all the passengers checking in for the flight. It took forever to get up to the line. I never know what causes people to take so long at the counter, because I was there about two minutes. After waiting through Customs and security, I barely had time to get to the gate. I had hoped to do a little shopping as I still had about $30 AUD I didn’t want to take back, but I didn’t have enough time.

I did get my water bottles filled up this time. They actually recognize that people need to do this and the drinking fountains have special faucets (for lack of a better word) to fill the bottles. This time the plane was completely full, but I did have an aisle seat.

The flight going over is definitely easier, because it night and your body wants to sleep. This time it was 10:30 in the morning, and I wasn’t tired at all. I didn’t sleep the entire way, and pretty much ran out of movies and TV to watch by the time we landed in LA at 6:30 a.m.

My bag was meant to be checked all the way through, but you have to claim your bags to go through Customs. As I was waiting at the baggage carousel, I heard my name paged over the intercom. The lady who made the page was about ten feet from me so I went over to her. She said that my bag was not on the flight but was coming on a flight arriving at 9:30 a.m., after my flight to Denver. She said they had pulled it out for security reasons and it delayed it, but that it was cleared and on the next flight. I went ahead through Customs and out to the terminal.

I definitely picked the wrong security line because, from the time I had all my stuff in the bins waiting on the rollers until it actually went through was at least 15 minutes. They kept running the same bag through several times, and then they would just stare at the x-ray screen. Open the bag people! By this point I was getting really irritable and I was hot and hungry but managed to get through without angering any TSA personnel.

I grabbed a Cinnabon for breakfast (?) and then exchanged my remaining Australian dollars. I had given all the smaller coins to the UNICEF donation on the airplane, but I still had a few dollar coins. They wouldn’t exchange them so I made it home with three one dollar coins for next time. Better than the $47 I’ve had for the past three years.

I boarded my flight to Denver at 9:00. This flight was also full, and I think I might have slept for about 30 minutes or so. In Denver, I had about an hour between flights, and then took the polar bear plane (also packed) home to KC where dad was waiting.

When I went to the Frontier baggage office to explain, the lady kept telling me she had conflicting information on which flight my bag was on, that it was possibly on my flight. I didn’t see how that was possible since it hadn’t even landed in LA by the time I took off. Finally, after watching all the bags coming off the carousel, she took pity on me and went ahead and took the information to have the bag delivered. When she asked me when I last saw the bag and I said at the Sydney ticket counter, she asked why I hadn’t taken it through Customs, that they didn’t like it when you aren’t there to take the bags through yourself. Umm, yeah, then put it on the plane with me. I don’t like it when the bag isn’t there either! Of course I did almost wish this had happened on the way out so I didn’t have to haul it around Sydney all morning. That worked out well for us in Paris!

By the time dad and I got home without the luggage, it was about 5:00 p.m., or 8:00 a.m. Monday morning in Sydney, so I had officially been travelling for over 24 hours and awake for longer. It is 6:30 p.m. as I write this and I’m not sure whether to go to sleep or not now that I’ve been up so long. The luggage is supposed to be delivered tonight, and I’ll have to take the call and then sign for the bag.

Australia Take 2 - Part 2

This post has all the boring week days combined.

Monday, August 16, 2010

On Monday, I awoke before the sun, around 3:00 I think, but managed to drift close to sleep until 6ish, when the sun started coming up. Since I had forgotten my badge, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get into the office until 8:30. I waited until 8:15 or so and took the train to North Sydney. Once I finally found the building, I think it would be nearly as quick to walk up from Milson’s Point.

I ran into Michelle in the lobby and she got me to where I was supposed to be going. The girl I was supposed to do the workshop with was out sick so I was pretty much alone in the office. It was very quiet there. The view is pretty good, and you can see part of the bridge. I’ll have to get a tour of the office when I go back on Thursday.

I spent the morning working and getting prepped for the workshop and getting everything printed out. In the afternoon, our project manager and I took a taxi to Macquarie Hospital for a pre-workshop meeting with the client’s learning coordinator and project director.

Afterwards, our project manager and I walked down to get a taxi and the taxi stopped and let him out on the way back to Milsons Point. I had leftover lasagna for dinner and managed to stay awake until 8:00. My only entertainment was a quick train ride to Woolworths to get some lunch fixins.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

I thought I had cancelled all the meetings on my calendar, but apparently not. I was awakened at 11:45 p.m and 2:45 a.m by my calendar reminders. It’s just a short vibrate, but enough to wake me up I guess. I had to sleep with the bat phone right next to me because there is no clock and I was using it for an alarm clock. Luckily I went straight back to sleep until 5:30 or so.

It was pretty breezy in the morning, only 46 degrees. I was glad for my jacket but wished I had thought to bring gloves. I had to catch a train at 7:15 a.m. to Hornsby, where someone picked me up at the train station. The room we were meeting in at Hornsby Hospital was part of the old emergency department so was a unique space. Also a bit chilly so we had a few space heaters.

Since my co-facilitator was still sick, I was on my own for the workshop. It was a large group but I think it went okay. The workshops make for long days and I was relieved when it was over and I was back at the train station again. The train from Hornsby is about 40 minutes into the city.

When I got back to Milsons Point, it was already dark. I went to the Mad Italian Café and got a pizza for dinner and pretty much ate the whole thing. Very yummy. After dinner I set out to Darling Harbour, walking across the bridge. I was hoping to take the ferry but the Milsons Point wharf is closed right now and I wasn’t sure the schedule was the same from Jefferys Street Wharf.

I didn’t have too much luck shopping, and I headed back to Town Hall to catch the train. I stopped at Woolies to buy some Tim Tams to take back to the office and then headed home. This time I didn’t go to bed until nearly 9:30.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

I slept straight through the night with no phantom calendar reminders to wake me up, and I didn’t wake up until 5:20, then managed to sleep until 6:00. It was a little bit cloudy this
morning so the sun wasn’t quite so blazing in the windows.

I caught the same train to Hornsby and between Hornsby and the next to last stop, the train stopped and sat on the tracks for about 15 minutes. They made an announcement but of course you couldn’t hear or understand what they said. I tried to text my ride to let her know, but I wasn’t sure whether I needed the area code or not. I must have because she said she didn’t get it.

Eventually the train got going again and pulled into the station. I certainly could have walked faster! Luckily she didn’t give up on me and was waiting in the car park and we went to Hornsby Hospital.

I think the rest of the workshop was pretty uneventful. I did manage to get them out early, around 3:00, which was nice. I took the train home and was back by 4:15. I went back to the train station and caught the train to Circular Quay, then walked along George Street to Town Hall. I stopped and bought licorice along the way, and then had an orange Fanta and salt and vinegar chicken tenders from Woolies for dinner. I was back at my apartment by 6:00 and spent the next two hours working to catch up on email from the past two days.

The national election here is on Saturday, and pretty much everybody says they are tired of hearing about it. I remember the election from last time, and that I thought it strange it was on a Saturday. But I suppose it makes sense – much easier for everyone to make it to vote, especially since voting is compulsory.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

This morning I opted to walk up to the office in North Sydney rather than take the train. Of course it was freakishly warm this morning and I was carrying the leftover workshop materials and was quite hot by the time I arrived. I had to wait to go in until 8:30 as that is when reception is open and someone could let me in.

Mike asked me to call him so I got on a call with him. He wanted to ask if I would be willing to stay two more weeks because my colleague was likely too sick to go to Queensland. She hadn’t turned up in the office yet, although I was expecting her. When I said I couldn’t do two weeks, he asked if I could do one. I turned him down on that, too, because it’s just too much to keep up with all the health conference work, plus arrangements I’ve made at home and all.

My colleague did turn up in the office around 11:00. She had gone to the doctor and thought she would be in much sooner. One of my clients had asked on Wednesday if I wanted to grab lunch, but without a phone it was hard to get in touch with him. He did finally text one of my co-workers to say he couldn’t make it and we rescheduled for tomorrow. Planning for just this scenario, I had brought my lunch!

The afternoon was uneventful. I did a call with a client in Queensland about a project they have coming up. I won’t be doing the work but needed to do the kickoff call.

After work I headed into the city and met Alison for dinner. We ate at a pizza place in the Rocks that I had been to before. It was great to catch up with her. Afterwards I walked home across the bridge. For all the walking I did into the city, I hardly ever walked the other, towards Milsons Point. Thursday night was the first night I slept on a normal schedule.

Australia Take 2 - Part 1

My blog is turning into a bit of a travelogue since that seems to be all I've posted lately. I'm going to break the Australia trip up into a few different posts since it is a bit long. I added a few pictures, although i didn't take very many. I pretty much took everything last time!

Friday, August 13, 2010
Mom dropped me off at the airport about 12:30, and the temperature was around 100 degrees. The good news was the agent was able to check my bag all the way to Sydney. Last time I had to pick it up and recheck in LA. Both my flight from Kansas City and my flight from Denver to LA where uneventful. It was 75 degrees in Denver, and 65 degrees in LA. Both planes were packed but not too long. On the first leg, we had Jack the rabbit on our tale, and the pilot said it was one of the most popular planes. I didn’t see the animal on the second plane. As I was sitting on the plane waiting to take off in KC, I realized one thing I forgot – my badge. They had tried to set it up so my security card would work in the office here, but now we’ll never know. I’ll have to wait until 8:30 when reception opens to get in on Monday. Hopefully that’s the most critical thing I forgot because I can live without it.

I had more time in Denver than expected but found an outlet and was able to use my computer. I wanted to save my battery not knowing what the next 24 hours would hold.

In LA, I got checked in for my Sydney flight around 6:30 and then had about 3 hours to kill. I ate dinner at McDonald’s as the choices were limited. I’m glad I ate before going in the terminal past security because there is nothing back there. I bought my two liter bottles of water and hung out waiting to board.

The plane was a new Airbus 380, although I didn’t notice anything dramatically different from the747. I think the TV screen was a little bigger and was a touch screen. I watched almost all of Shrek 4 before we ever took off. About an hour in I realized we hadn’t even moved from the gate. Eventually we got underway. I had an aisle seat with no one in the middle, which was fabulous. The window guy only got up one time that I’m aware of, and it was after I was already up.

Sunday, August 15, 2010
I slept restlessly for about 6 hours and then watched Leap Year, Date Night, and Hot Tub Time Machine, none of which go on my favorites list. I woke up once when it got a little bumpy and heard the captain tell all passengers and crew to take their seats immediately. It must have smoothed out pretty quicly. The sun was coming up just as we were landing in Sydney, although it was on the other side of the plane. They do have skycams, like a webcam, on the tail of the plane so you can see the plane landing.

Customs was no problem, and I had to wait in the quarantine line because of my food but she waved me on through without checking anything. It was only about 7:30 a.m. when I got out into the terminal. I went outside for a minute and it was about 55 degrees at that point. Sitting there near the Arrivals gate I was reminded of all the time I spent greeting others’ flights when they came to visit.

Very strange being back here. I can’t quite describe the feeling. It’s weird to me that a place so far away is so familiar to me, definitely the city I know the best besides Kansas City. Everywhere I look are memories, and I think what I’m feeling is still just proud of myself that I came here in the first place. That I made a life here from nothing. I don’t think I really thought when I left that I’d have the chance to come back.

So while it is all familiar, I still have the urge to go and see all the places again. Even when I bought a Diet Coke at the airport and it cost $4.80, it felt familiar. I had about 3 hours to kill until I could drop my suitcase off and I was limited on what I could do while lugging around 50 pounds. The best thing I could think of was to take the train to Circular Quay and find a bench there where I could park until 11:00. I bought a train ticket (a weekly one so I’m free to go anywhere I want for seven days). As I was walking from the train station looking for a bench, I noticed the Manly ferry was leaving in about 3 minutes. Since I’ve already bought my weekly train pass, it is good on ferries and I spontaneously hopped on. I figured that way I could see some things, mostly sitting down, and not have to worry so much about my luggage. And there is a bathroom and free wifi on this ferry! I sent mom and dad and email from the ferry.


I turned around at Manly and came right back on the ferry. From there I found a bench in Circular Quay where I could sit with my luggage and watch the seagulls. It was in the sun so it was warmer. It was right by where mom, dad, and I ate muffins and had all those seagulls around on the morning we went out to Watson’s Bay. It was bright and sunny and didn’t look a bit like rain.

At 10:45, I took the train to Wynyard and then got the train to Milson’s Point to drop my bags off at 11:00 at the Milson Apartments. The office is usually closed on Sunday but the manager had emailed to say she would be in to meet the cleaners and could watch my bags. When I got there, she gave me the good news that my apartment was ready and took me on up. It is on the eleventh floor but on the opposite side of the building from last time, the side facing the bridge (which I can’t see) and the old office. I do have a nice view of Kirribilli. It is a little smaller than last time but still better than a regular hotel room. The fridge is a mini fridge in a cabinet near the kitchenette, while in the kitchenette is a washer/dryer in one. The dishwasher is in a drawer, and it has a combination microwave and oven.

It’s still a great deal and they even offer broadband internet now. She said it was in such demand, they had to figure out a way to do it. When she let me into my apartment, there was extremely loud music coming from next door. She said those people were supposed to be moving out today after getting a one-week extension, so we’ll see if it gets quieter.

I took a shower and headed back out. As I walked outside, it started raining so I went back up to get my umbrella. Then I did my favorite walk ever, across the bridge into the city, my old commute. I went to the Rocks market, which was crowded, and then just as it started to pour, I got in line at Pancakes on the Rocks. I even heard thunder, which I hardly ever heard here. I had to wait about 20 minutes to get in, but it was yummy. I splurged and got an orange Fanta ice cream soda. I drank more orange Fanta when I lived here than the rest of my life total.

I took just long enough to eat that the rain had stopped when I left. I bought a tiny Harbour bridge in the market and then walked from there to go by my apartment. A lady asked me where the Australian Hotel was and I told her, although my street names were a little rusty, and she says “You’re American!” I guess she was surprised. I couldn’t go in my lobby without a key card, but I went into the entryway where the mailboxes are. Pretty weird! There is now a Nando’s chicken restaurant directly across the street, which would have been nice.

I walked down to Darling Harbour and across the Pyrmont bridge. I went through Harbourside and waved hello to the other Pancakes on the Rocks. By the way, there is still a sign up at the original Pancakes on the Rocks saying the Darling Harbour location is now open. True, but it opened while I lived here so that is old news.


I walked through Darling Harbour down where we had seen the didgeridoo show. I was a little confused until I realized they had closed that entire side behind Tumbalong Park. There used to be an arcade, McDonald’s, and some shops. And the pond with the paddleboats. All of that is walled off for redevelopment.

I walked quickly through Paddy’s Market but it was super crowded as always. From there I walked up George Street and then bought some groceries at Woolworths. It was only 3:30 but my feet had had enough for awhile so I took the train from Town Hall back to Milsons Point.

The ferry terminal at Milsons Point is closed for renovations, so I can’t take the ferry from here to Darling Harbour like I had planned. It is now 4:30 and I am sitting in my apartment listening to the loud music from next door. I did managed to get the internet to work. The great thing is I can use it anywhere in the city, not just at home, although not sure how much need I’ll having being here just a week.

I cooked my lasagna and garlic bread and started watching Up. By 6:00 it was completely dark. At 7:00, I decided I couldn’t stay awake a minute longer and went to bed.

Day 5: Traveling Home

Saturday, July 17, 2010

I was up at 6:00 to head to the airport for my 7:55 flight. Since I was only 5 minutes from the airport, I figured I had plenty of time. When I got in the car, the gas needle was not on full, even though I had only driven about one mile from the gas station. So I stopped, again, and put $2.50 of gas in. Then I drove to the rental car return. It took the guy a while to check me in, and then I didn’t count on having to take a shuttle bus to the terminal. By the time I got to check in my luggage, the alarm went off that I was a late check in and they couldn’t guarantee my baggage would be on my flight.

The line for security was pretty long as well, and I had just enough time to buy a Diet Dr. Pepper and walk on the plane. There were two kids on that flight flying unaccompanied, and I could hear the boy in front on me. He ordered coffee with six creams, which made me smile. He was probably about 10. When we were walking off the plane, he said to the flight attendant, “Look how many things I can do with my tongue!” Fun times!

My flight leaving St. Louis was also expected to depart on time, and probably five minutes early. Once everyone was boarded, the gate agent asked if anyone knew Sean Johnson. No one did. Apparently he was a passenger we were waiting on. Luckily he came within about 10 minutes so we were still on time. He was probably weirded out because when he got on the plane, everybody said, “Hi Sean!” and greeted him as he walked to the back of the plane.

All my flights were on time and I walked into my door at 12:45 p.m. With 3 hotel nights, airfare, and airport parking all on points, it was a pretty affordable trip. Too bad about that $250 rental car fee for a one-way rental.

The stats:
• States visited: 8 if you count Missouri and Kansas
• Miles driven: 1073
• License plates seen: 44, including 2 Canadian provinces and Washington, DC
• Total cost of gas: $82.45
• Tolls: $15
• Food: $52.42 (no wonder I never spend all my per diem!)

Day 4: Delaware

Friday, July 16, 2010

I woke up in time to check in for my flight on Friday, but my internet was slow and by the time I checked in at two minutes late at 7:57, I was already A60! I left the ants to their hotel and headed a little bit north to Pennsylvania to get my Delaware sign picture. I was much closer to the border than I thought so had to turn around. I used my tripod again to get the Delaware picture, but Pennsylvania sign was in a bush on the wrong side of the street. I got it, but not my best as I am barely in the corner of the photo.

That area, Brandywine Valley, has some really huge houses, and it also where the Winterthur Mansion and Grounds are. I drove by where it was but wasn’t too interested in stopping.

I headed instead to the Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington, which is the only zoo in Delaware. The lady asked for my zip code when I bought my ticket, and when I gave it to her, she said I must be from far away. I told her Kansas City, and she said she’s always amazed how many people from all over find their tiny zoo.

It was a pretty small zoo, and it was also 100 degrees. Luckily most of it was well shaded. My favorite part was the golden handed tamarins. They are very small.

After the zoo, I headed to New Castle, DE, and parked near the wharf. I walked back to see the court house and the streets and buildings from the 1600s, but again it was really, really hot and there wasn’t much to do there so I got back in the car. I had lunch at Arby’s, and the sign out front was pretty funny. It said “In Need of Management.”

Mom texted me to see if I felt the earthquake. I hadn't even heard about it and must have slept through it.

I was heading south along the coast, intending to go to the beaches in Dover, but about halfway there I decided I didn’t want to so I turned around and went back to Wilmington. I had read about the Wilmington Riverfront, but after I finally found a place to park, it turned out not to be very interesting. It was well landscaped but not shady, and other than a few restaurants, I couldn’t tell there was anything to do.

At this point, it was only about 2:00 and I had the rest of the day to fill. So I did what I used to do frequently when I traveled – I went to a book store. I drove back east to Christiana Mall and spent about an hour and a half in Barnes and Noble. It was air conditioned and I didn’t have to be in the car! Around 4:00, I headed to Baltimore and went a different way that only required $2 in tolls to go in the tunnel.

I checked in at the hotel, TownePlace Suites at BWI, and then took myself to Panera for dinner. I haven’t had that much fast food in a year and was ready for something different. I stopped to get gas for the final time (I thought) and then went back to the hotel to watch Shrek the Third. I liked this hotel for being very environmentally friendly, and they even had reserved parking for hybrid vehicles.

Day 3: Shenandoah National Park

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Thursday was Shenandoah National Park day. The drive from my hotel was only about 15 minutes, and I entered the park around 9:00, at the southern point where Skyline Drive through the park meets the Blue Ridge Parkway. There was not much traffic heading north so I had the road to myself. I stopped by a few overlooks, and headed first to the Blackrock Summit Trail.

The trail was about one mile round trip and follow part of the Appalachian Trail. I did manage to freak myself out pretty well after I read that there are rattlesnakes in the rocks you have to climb to reach the Summit. I decided I could see just about as well from where I was and did not climb the rocks.

When I got back to the car, I headed to Big Run Overlook. Just after passing, I saw a black bear cross the road behind my car. That is my first confirmed bear sighting, and I was glad to be seeing it from the car and not while I was hiking!

I stopped at the Big Meadows camp store and then headed on to my next hike, Dark Hollow Falls. It is supposed to be the most accessible waterfall in the park. On the where to the falls, you have to walk down some pretty steep areas, and I was already dreading coming back up. I much prefer to do the Up part first.

The falls were not particularly impressive this time of year. Not enough rain I guess, and I opted not to hike further down to the Lower Falls. It was already a beast of a climb back up and I was huffing and puffing. I decided I really don’t like to hike up hill!

For my third and final hike, I opted for the Limberlost Trail, which is much more level in elevation, given it is handicapped accessible. It was a leisurely loop trail, with no one sight that it is based around. It was mostly shady and I liked it.

I stopped at Skyland next, at the highest point in the park, and browsed the gift shop. There was a talk going on about bears, but I had already missed most of it so went on my way. It was already about 1:45 at this point, so I figured I’d stop at one or two more overlooks but head on to the north end of the park. Many of the overlooks were closed for rehabilitation thanks to the Recovery Act, and there was the requisite road construction as well. Skyline Drive was lane for awhile so we were stopped about 15 minutes waiting for the oncoming traffic to come by.

After I exited the park, I decided I couldn’t resist being 20 miles from West Virginia without a picture so I headed that way. Unfortunately, when I got to WV, the sign had been stolen and was just an empty post. At this point I was frustrated and just gave up, knowing I was still about 3 hours from Newark, DE. I told the GPS to take me to the hotel in Delaware and off we went.

Well, turns out I did end up crossing into West Virginia since the GPS took me north to I-70. I pulled over on the highway and used my tripod and self-timer to take a picture. It was awesome! So much better than trying to take it of myself. And I can even set the camera to take 3 shots, in case I made a face, which I frequently do.

I was also able to use the tripod to get Maryland, but I had to get out on the passenger side of the car due to traffic. After dinner at Wendy’s and $9 in tolls, I made it into Delaware, my 48th state. I didn’t stop to take the picture because it was right after the toll booth and I was just tired of being in the car so went on to the hotel.

The Fairfield Inn in Newark was not my favorite hotel, but it was adequate. Except for then ants in the room! Luckily all I had to do here was sleep. I did turn on the bat phone so I could be set to check in for my flight in the morning and 205 work emails came in unbidden. I quickly turned it off.

Day 2: Hatteras Island and Virginia

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wednesday morning dawned very ominous looking as I got up and got on the road. The free breakfast at the hotel was surprisingly adequate so I didn’t have to stop anywhere. I headed south on the beach road and got to about mile post 50 and it started POURING. There was no place to stop so I just kept going until I got to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, my destination.

It was by then only sprinkling, but when I got into the visitor center, I learned the lighthouse was close due to thunder. Once they hear thunder, they close it and won’t let anybody climb up until 30 minutes after they last heard thunder to avoid people get struck by lightning. Since it was still thundering, I figured it wasn’t going to be anytime soon. With a break in the rain, I drove to the spot about 3000 feet away where the lighthouse used to be until they moved it in 1999. erosion had made it too close to the beach.

With that excursion foiled, I headed further south until I reached the end of Hatteras Island. It wasn’t possible to go any further without taking a ferry, which I wasn’t sure I had time to do. So I parked the car near the ferry and got out in another monsoon. I decided there was nothing to be done, put on my raincoat and umbrella, and walked out on the wharf to watch the ferry go out. Then I did a little browsing in the shops nearby and bought a Christmas ornament.

Around 11, I headed back north the way I had come and stopped to do some souvenir shopping. I ate lunch at Subway and then got back in the car. The Seashore is all protected and was a pretty cool drive when it wasn’t raining so hard I couldn’t see. There is a bridge you cross that has seagulls and pelicans hovering in mid-air near the edge, watching the water. You want to look at them but you can’t take your eyes off the road.

I did not stop at the Bodie Lighthouse as it was all shrouded for restoration, but I did glimpse it from the road. I headed north to Virginia, and had to run across the street to get the picture this time. In the background are more ominous skies, which opened up almost immediately after I got to the car. I bought ice cream for myself and gas for the car, then settled in for the remaining 6 hour drive to Waynesboro, VA. At least it finally stopped raining. About 20 miles out, I got into the Blue Ridge Mountains and the scenery changed.

I arrived at the Residence Inn about 7:00. The hotel was pretty new and really nice. They were even having a cookout so I got free burgers for dinner. I did manage to lock myself out of my room within 5 minutes of arriving. Out of practice, I guess.

Since I had been sitting all afternoon, I figured I needed some exercise so I went swimming. I couldn’t remember the last time I was in a pool.

Today I only added 6 states to my license plate game for a total of 33.

Day 1: North Carolina

Since Mary Grace is still waiting for the Europe trip travelogue (and it's still on my to-do list 9 months later) I figured I'd better type up this one ASAP. As before, each day will be its own post. I may add some photos later, but I'd rather go ahead and get this posted. Here is the journal from my trip to North Carolina's Outer Banks, Shenandoah National Park, and Delaware. Why? Because I've never been to Delaware :)

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

On Tuesday morning, I awoke to find Bailey had snugly packed herself during the night and was ready to go in my suitcase. My flight to Chicago was oversold but on time. Since they were only offering the face value of your ticket as a voucher, I did not volunteer to take a later flight. (My ticket was free). My flight to Norfolk was also on time, and the only eventful thing was when the top on my water bottle popped open and started spilling on my foot and backpack. Too much pressure I guess.

As I was walking through the airport, I caught the announcement on the news that George Steinbrenner had died of a heart attack. I feel like I frequently find out people have died in the airport. But as mom pointed out, I’m frequently in airports.

I got my rental car, a blue Chevy Aveo, which probably had no idea what kind of trip it was in for, and we headed off for North Carolina. It took about 20 minutes to get to the border, and then I had my 47th state. There was no place to pull over near the sign, so I had to park and walk back and take a self portrait. It started raining as I was driving, which pretty much set the tone for my NC leg.

I made it to the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills about 5:00, which was perfect since they close at 6:00. It was hot and muggy but not raining when I got out of the car, still wearing jeans from traveling. The visitor center wasn’t much, but I walked out to the field that showed where they took off from and where each of the flights landed, including the longest one. Then I went up to the memorial, which is on a hill that’s pretty much made of sand. Once I’d seen it, it was time to head to the hotel and food.

I found my room at the Rodeway Inn in Nags Head, which was exceptionally adequate for my purposes. I had dinner and ice cream at Fatboyz next to the hotel, then walked across the street to the beach. It was cloudy but not raining and starting to cool down a little.

I walked along the beach and then watched a couple guys with metal detectors searching the sand. One started digging a pretty big hole, but I couldn’t tell if he found anything.

I made it back to my hotel room to find it so humid all my paper was curling on the edges. Luckily I was tired enough that I was able to sleep easily enough.

So far I have seen 27 state license plates and 2 Canadian provinces.

Day 9 - Home Again: The Summary

It was completely calm when we woke up this morning around 6. No sign of what went on last night. Luckily it was just wind and no rain, so everything was dry, and there was a beautiful sunrise. After our 14 hour drive on Saturday, we had a much shorter day ahead. We were on the road by 6:30 and quickly passed into Central time. We passed huge fields of sunflowers and tried to see the world's largest prairie dog but you can't see him behind the wall anymore.

We stopped for gas and I wasn't sure I could get back in the car anymore. We drove into my driveway about 1:45 p.m. As you all know, I like data, so here's a little summary of our trip:

• Miles driven: 3766
• Hours driving (according to my GPS): 55
• Times we bought gas: 13, for $374.57
  
• License plates found: 46, plus 8 Canadian provinces
• States traveled: 7
• Nights camped: 8, at a cost of $153.69
• National Parks visited: 3, for $50
  
• Moose seen: 5
  
• Bears seen: 0
  

Day 8 - Driving, Driving, Driving

We got off to an early start this morning. We had a long drive, and besides, it was cold so there was no need to linger. I'm not sure it was as cold last night as they said it would be. This morning we were out by 7:30, which was good because it took us about five hours to drive the first 200 miles. Luckily we did not run into Obama on the way out.

We did see a lot more buffaloes and two mooses. There was a ton of construction after we got to Grand Teton we spent a lot of time stopped and waiting, staring at the back of an RV. We ate lunch in an Alco parking lot in Lander, WY because all the tables were wet and we were cold. We had some mountain views as we were driving and saw some of the red rock in Wyoming, but a lot of nothing along a two lane highway. By this point we had listened to almost all of our CDs at least once and were trying to tune in radio stations, but we couldn't keep one for very long.

We finally got to the interstate and got on I-80 in Rawlins, WY at 3:00. We stopped at the Colorado sign and took a pictures because I wasn't for sure I had one. We are trying to get all the way to Goodland so opted to eat dinner at Quizno's rather than cooking our macaroni and beanie weenies. We stopped and ate a little north of Denver.

After we got on I-70 and it got dark, we could see a big lightning storm off to the northeast. We debated stopping in Limon or Burlington to stay behind the storm but decided to go on. The radar showed the storm was off to the north. We got into Goodland about 9:30 and set our tent up in the dark. Just as we were getting ready for bed, a huge wind storm came up and nearly blew the tent away. The rain fly was clear up in the air and flapping and the tent was nearly flat to the ground. We stood there staring at it trying to figure out what to do. We debated going to the holiday inn across the street, but decided there was nothing to be done except get in, so we did. The wind kept at it for about an hour I think, with huge gusts and then eventually must have died down. Of all the things I wish I had taken a picture of, it's the tent that night, flat to the ground. But it came away with no injuries (us too!).

Editor's Note: Apparently I took no pictures this day!

Day 7 - Yellowstone in One Day

Today we saw everything in Yellowstone we could see in one day, which turned out to be a lot. We woke up to a very cold but dry morning. I added socks and a hat to my winter sleeping gear and was reasonably warm. It is supposed to be colder tonight with a low of 37. Hopefully we will sleep better without a man snoring loudly in the next tent a few yards away.


We packed up and headed out first to Old Faithful and did a hike around there to see all the geysers near there. We saw Old Faithful erupt about 10:35 and then headed over to Yellowstone Lake. We stopped near West Thumb and looked at more geysers along the edge of the lake, then headed up the shore.


We had lunch at Gull Point where we had a very scenic picnic table. There was nobody there when we got there, but several people came before we left. There were some huge swarms of gnats, which ruined the atmosphere a bit. After lunch, we headed north toward Canyon Village. We had heard Hayden Valley was the place to go to see wildlife. We spotted two buffalo so walked over to see them, but they weren't very close.


Across the street was the mud volcano so we stopped there and hiked up the hill to Sour Lake. Most of the trees near there on the hillside died after and earthquake in the 1970s heated the ground to 2700 degrees. Once we got in to Hayden Valley, we saw several buffalo off by themselves, then rounded a turn and found the whole rest of the herd.


We went out to the Upper Falls lookout where we saw a rainbow, then down to the Lower Falls, which was really cool. We saw Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, then headed up to Mammoth Hot Springs and hiked around there a little. On the way there, we drove through a lot of the forests that have reseeded since the 1988 fire. Near the edge of Mammoth, there was a group of elk just hanging out so we took a few photos.


We drove the five miles to the park's north entrance, which was the original entrance, to see if there were any good souvenir shops but didn't find much. Lisa bought a stocking hat to keep warm in the tent tonight. We cam back in the park and drove to Canyon Village by way of Roosevelt Tower but didn't see any wildlife. All we hear about is bears and bear safety for five days now, but we have seen no bears. Our campsite in Canyon Village is nice and secluded, but it is cool here already. The low tomorrow night is supposed to be 29, so we'll be glad to move on.


Dinner was spaghetti again. We had a few sprinkles while we were doing the dishes but they stopped. We opted out of showers tonight and instead got organized and repacked the car. We just heard from the people next to us that Obama is coming to Yellowstone to visit Old Faithful tomorrow so we missed him by one day. Hopefully that doesn't cause any traffic delays for us getting out. We used the rest of our wood for a campfire and had s'mores again. Overall today we drove 168 miles in the park and saw just about every part. Not bad for one day.