Scenic Alaska
Day 2
The rain continues and it’s still cold. Buddy told me that it was 85-degrees in Alaska in the summer. Bull pucky. It’s 59 and raining. I’m still dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. I bought a hoodie at the gift shop. That was a little help, but not enough. I still froze.
Did I ever tell you that one of the reasons I left Seattle was that in the winter, the cold, wet weather hurt my knees? Well, here I am, having flown 3400 miles to spend ten days in the warm Alaska summer. My knees are killing me.
I took eight pain pills in the first two hours to get the pain under control. My doctor says I should not take more than eight a day. That advice was out the window.
Darla is amazing. We sent her some money, and she stocked us up with all the supplies we would need at Chena Hot Springs. She even sent a coffee machine and coffee. Unfortunately, it was regular coffee, and I can’t have caffeine.
We dragged ourselves out of bed after our travel day. I stumbled into the bathroom to discover that the hotel provided a coffee maker and two packets of decaf. I would have been ecstatic, except that they forgot to give us a coffee pot. My buddy just shrugged her shoulders and said, “It’s Alaska.”
Thank you, Darla. I hooked up her coffee machine and made a pot of the worst coffee I ever drank. When Buddy was up and dressed, I needed food. We went to the restaurant in the lodge building and had mediocre omelets. The reason Darla packed us the food was because the restaurant here is not exactly 5-stars.
Welcome to the Great White North. The resort has Wi-Fi if you stay close enough to the lodge to get it. I can sometimes get it in our room on my laptop. Cell phones are iffier.
We can’t make phone calls, but we can send texts, sometimes. It’s really spotty whether the text you send gets through or not. Sometimes I’ll take a picture and send it to someone, and it just sits on my phone ‘til we get back to our room. Sometimes it doesn’t go through at all. It’s also spotty whether we receive texts or not.
All of this is to say Buddy has a problem. She owns a business back in San Diego, and her partner is covering for her in her absence. Oh, wait a minute, there’s a crisis.
Buddy can’t call her partner to work it out, she sometimes gets his texts and sends her texts, but sometimes he doesn’t answer them, so I think they didn’t get through. She is stressed to the max.
After breakfast, we decided to go sign up for horseback riding. It was still raining. Buddy loved the rain. I just remembered my Seattle winters. They weren’t taking the horses out in the rain.
“OK, what do you want to do now?” I asked.
There was a bushel of other activities (did you notice the clever use of a country term?), all of which involved getting soaked in the rain. I opted for a nap.
Buddy went for a walk with her brother, sister-in-law, and Cody.
After the nap we went to the activity center to see what else was going on. There was a tour of the resorts geothermal electric plant, so we signed up.
The guide took us first to the green houses. We stood out in heavy rain because they wouldn’t let us in during some critical procedure. He told us all about the resort’s desire to be self-sustaining and most of the food served here is grown here.
I couldn’t have given a damn. I was cold, wet and my knees hurt.
Then we went on a walk around the facility. We saw the gardens where they grow giant cabbages and squash (yuk). Then on to the duck ponds. I was ready to give up the tour, but I wanted to see the geothermal plant.
Eventually, we made our way into the plant building, like a bunch of drowned rats.
The rain continues and it’s still cold. Buddy told me that it was 85-degrees in Alaska in the summer. Bull pucky. It’s 59 and raining. I’m still dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. I bought a hoodie at the gift shop. That was a little help, but not enough. I still froze.
Did I ever tell you that one of the reasons I left Seattle was that in the winter, the cold, wet weather hurt my knees? Well, here I am, having flown 3400 miles to spend ten days in the warm Alaska summer. My knees are killing me.
I took eight pain pills in the first two hours to get the pain under control. My doctor says I should not take more than eight a day. That advice was out the window.
Darla is amazing. We sent her some money, and she stocked us up with all the supplies we would need at Chena Hot Springs. She even sent a coffee machine and coffee. Unfortunately, it was regular coffee, and I can’t have caffeine.
We dragged ourselves out of bed after our travel day. I stumbled into the bathroom to discover that the hotel provided a coffee maker and two packets of decaf. I would have been ecstatic, except that they forgot to give us a coffee pot. My buddy just shrugged her shoulders and said, “It’s Alaska.”
Thank you, Darla. I hooked up her coffee machine and made a pot of the worst coffee I ever drank. When Buddy was up and dressed, I needed food. We went to the restaurant in the lodge building and had mediocre omelets. The reason Darla packed us the food was because the restaurant here is not exactly 5-stars.
Welcome to the Great White North. The resort has Wi-Fi if you stay close enough to the lodge to get it. I can sometimes get it in our room on my laptop. Cell phones are iffier.
We can’t make phone calls, but we can send texts, sometimes. It’s really spotty whether the text you send gets through or not. Sometimes I’ll take a picture and send it to someone, and it just sits on my phone ‘til we get back to our room. Sometimes it doesn’t go through at all. It’s also spotty whether we receive texts or not.
All of this is to say Buddy has a problem. She owns a business back in San Diego, and her partner is covering for her in her absence. Oh, wait a minute, there’s a crisis.
Buddy can’t call her partner to work it out, she sometimes gets his texts and sends her texts, but sometimes he doesn’t answer them, so I think they didn’t get through. She is stressed to the max.
After breakfast, we decided to go sign up for horseback riding. It was still raining. Buddy loved the rain. I just remembered my Seattle winters. They weren’t taking the horses out in the rain.
“OK, what do you want to do now?” I asked.
There was a bushel of other activities (did you notice the clever use of a country term?), all of which involved getting soaked in the rain. I opted for a nap.
Buddy went for a walk with her brother, sister-in-law, and Cody.
After the nap we went to the activity center to see what else was going on. There was a tour of the resorts geothermal electric plant, so we signed up.
The guide took us first to the green houses. We stood out in heavy rain because they wouldn’t let us in during some critical procedure. He told us all about the resort’s desire to be self-sustaining and most of the food served here is grown here.
I couldn’t have given a damn. I was cold, wet and my knees hurt.
Then we went on a walk around the facility. We saw the gardens where they grow giant cabbages and squash (yuk). Then on to the duck ponds. I was ready to give up the tour, but I wanted to see the geothermal plant.
Eventually, we made our way into the plant building, like a bunch of drowned rats.
The Geothermal Process
Our guide then explained the process from which electricity was generated. It was interesting and they had some neat diagrams on the wall, but I was disappointed. Three giant machines sat in the huge room behind the glass window. I expected to see them huffing and steaming with a bunch of trolls and troglodytes tending them.
Nope, they just sat there. Whatever mysterious process that produced electricity took place inside these giants and after thirty seconds, you’d seen it all.
We went back to the activity center to sign up for massages tomorrow. Sorry, all booked up. However, Steve and Darla were at a table playing dominos. We inserted ourselves into their game and had a great time.
Remember our baggage? I’m still wandering around in a soaked hoodie. Of course, being from Seattle, I can’t complain, and I’m too macho to anyway. No one else was complaining. It’s Alaska.
There is a shuttle that runs to the cruise ship dock every day. We asked if they could stop by the airport and pick up our bags. Too late. Already gone for the day. Maybe tomorrow.
Then providence stepped in by the name of Wendy. Wendy drives the cruise ship shuttle. She called in. She was going to be late coming back.
Could she stop by the airport and pick up our bags?
She’d be delighted. She should be back by 6.
She wasn’t here at 6. OK, maybe she’ll be here by 8 or 9. 9 came and went, no bags.
We repaired to our rooms, and I fixed a package of frozen Beef Stroganoff and noodles that Darling Darla provided. I had no idea what I was getting into on this trip.
Darla thought of everything. We had an electric skillet to prepare the meal in, plates and silverware, and most anything else the heart could desire.
Nope, they just sat there. Whatever mysterious process that produced electricity took place inside these giants and after thirty seconds, you’d seen it all.
We went back to the activity center to sign up for massages tomorrow. Sorry, all booked up. However, Steve and Darla were at a table playing dominos. We inserted ourselves into their game and had a great time.
Remember our baggage? I’m still wandering around in a soaked hoodie. Of course, being from Seattle, I can’t complain, and I’m too macho to anyway. No one else was complaining. It’s Alaska.
There is a shuttle that runs to the cruise ship dock every day. We asked if they could stop by the airport and pick up our bags. Too late. Already gone for the day. Maybe tomorrow.
Then providence stepped in by the name of Wendy. Wendy drives the cruise ship shuttle. She called in. She was going to be late coming back.
Could she stop by the airport and pick up our bags?
She’d be delighted. She should be back by 6.
She wasn’t here at 6. OK, maybe she’ll be here by 8 or 9. 9 came and went, no bags.
We repaired to our rooms, and I fixed a package of frozen Beef Stroganoff and noodles that Darling Darla provided. I had no idea what I was getting into on this trip.
Darla thought of everything. We had an electric skillet to prepare the meal in, plates and silverware, and most anything else the heart could desire.
Buddy put away 5 duck farts For months Buddy has been telling me that she was going to buy me a duck fart in Alaska. After dinner she drug me to the bar for said libation.
When we walked by the main desk, the young lady told us our bags had arrived.
YAHOO!
“We’ll pick them up after we have our drink.”
We went to the bar to further test my patience and Buddy decided to go thank Wendy, the shuttle driver. She thanked her, they hugged, and Buddy gave her a $50 tip. All’s well that ends well.
I had all sorts of evil fantasies about what was in a duck fart. With a heard of ducks in the pond I expected the bar tender to duck out the back door (pun intended) and grab a duck to get a fart.
It was nothing of the sort. It was made with Kahlua, Bailey’s, and vodka. It went down smooth. Buddy downed hers in a gulp or two. I was more judicious. Before I had quite finished the first, the second one showed up in front of me. It too was good.
I had one more and Buddy had five. The amazing thing is that we consumed that much alcohol and we weren’t tipsy. I do have to say that my humor got funnier and funnier.
We picked up our bags and headed up to our room. We both took showers and flopped into bed. Too much alcohol, a warm shower, and clean clothes made the day.
Thus, ends day 2.
When we walked by the main desk, the young lady told us our bags had arrived.
YAHOO!
“We’ll pick them up after we have our drink.”
We went to the bar to further test my patience and Buddy decided to go thank Wendy, the shuttle driver. She thanked her, they hugged, and Buddy gave her a $50 tip. All’s well that ends well.
I had all sorts of evil fantasies about what was in a duck fart. With a heard of ducks in the pond I expected the bar tender to duck out the back door (pun intended) and grab a duck to get a fart.
It was nothing of the sort. It was made with Kahlua, Bailey’s, and vodka. It went down smooth. Buddy downed hers in a gulp or two. I was more judicious. Before I had quite finished the first, the second one showed up in front of me. It too was good.
I had one more and Buddy had five. The amazing thing is that we consumed that much alcohol and we weren’t tipsy. I do have to say that my humor got funnier and funnier.
We picked up our bags and headed up to our room. We both took showers and flopped into bed. Too much alcohol, a warm shower, and clean clothes made the day.
Thus, ends day 2.
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