Saturday, June 26, 2004

The sun hasn't set for two weeks

It's past midnight, Alaska time, and I'm sitting in my room at the Denali Overlook Lodge in Talkeetna. The sun has just dipped behind the mountains, but it won't quite set. I'm now at the point where 24 hours of daylight is normal.

This is what I've been looking at for the past week:

For the record, photos don't do Denali justice. The mountain is massive; it completely dominates the horizon.

All the locals have said we've run into an incredible streak of luck. Some people come to the Alaskan interior for 2 weeks and Denali is clouded over the entire time (the mountain is hidden from view about 80% of the time). And it's been out every single day we've been here.

It's also been hot, around 90 in the interior, where we've been for the last week. The heat prompted a spur-of-the-moment whitewater trip down the glacial Nenana River yesterday, and our guide let us hop in the 36-degree river to cool down.

Well, Vicki, Debz and Sharon just got kicked out of the hot tub for being loud and obnoxious. I guess that means it's time for bed. Even though it's still daylight out...

By the way, this is what I look like after almost 2 weeks of not bothering to shave.

• Posted by Brian at 4:45 AM
• Comments (5)
• Category: Travel

Friday, June 11, 2004

And we're off

Jeee-bus... we are hauling a lot of crap to Alaska.

Even though this trip is going to include several long hikes, a few kayak trips and long stretches without access to a shower, the most tiring part of the trip is going to be carting our crap from the airport parking garage to the terminal.

Last time I checked, Denali National Park and other areas of the Alaskan wilderness don't have an overabundance of WiFi points so don't expect any updates for two weeks.

The flight leaves Savannah at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow, and I'm on a self-imposed 11 p.m. bedtime. So g'night and enjoy whatever it is you do for the next two weeks while I try not to get mauled by bears.

• Posted by Brian at 10:49 PM
• Comments (2)
• Category: Travel

Tuesday, June 8, 2004

What I didn't learn in kindergarten

Sharing... I'm not a fan of it. It's not my fault. See, when I was in kindergarten, I injured myself learning to tie my shoes (groin pull, very painful). I was out for a week, which just happened to be the week they taught the concepts of sharing.

They don't force you to make up missed work at age 5, so I got progressively worse as I grew older.

If, after a couple bites of your salad, you now want a few bites of my sausage, pepperoni and mushroom calzone... Too bad. You should have thought about that during the ordering stage. Yes, there's approximately 12 pounds of meat and cheese in front of me, but it's MY 12 pounds of meat and cheese. I will defend my bounty with knife and fork, and if I have exhausted all other options, I will use the spoon.

But I'm trying to get better. So Deborah, I apologize for being a pain in the ass about putting your music onto my iPod for the trip. I was being stupid, and I'm sorry. You can add whatever you want, and I won't complain when songs I don't like are playing. However, I reserve the right to delete all your Tori Amos the moment we get back home.

• Posted by Brian at 12:32 AM
• Comments (5)
• Category: Friends/Family

Saturday, June 5, 2004

T-minus one week and counting

Exactly one week from now, I will be six miles in the air, somewhere between Houston and Anchorage. This will be my first vacation of at least one week in over 2 years, and my first vacation without mooching off someone's parents since I went to Europe in 1998. (Yes, that is sad, I am fully aware of that.)

However, I fear for what awaits me upon my return.

• Posted by Brian at 2:18 PM
• Comments (2)
• Category: Travel