All Aboard!! Train Travel in Alaska

All Aboard!! Train Travel in Alaska

uyguguygu   11.40   Comment  

One of the other things we were able to do in Alaska was take a train. Train travel is de rigueur for tourist travel throughout the state. Even though we had rented a car for a portion of the trip I wanted to see what it was all about - and lets be realistic...I just wanted to ride on a vintage train and experience life at that pace.

We headed to the station in Anchorage and got there obscenely early which turned out to be a good thing. I got some coffee, wandered around their gift shop, and then settled down on a bench. A sweet grandfatherly man from Montreal was kind enough to have a patient conversation in French with me so I got to practice that for a while. My autodidactic strategy for learning French has been to ask anyone and everyone to speak French with me if I find out they speak it so this was a great bonus. I mostly speak French to people with North African accents so I had to adjust and listen closely to adjust to the accent!

Our first seats we picked were in the Dome car, which were awesome. You could see everything from up there. Eventually I figured out that the pictures were better from the open air spaces between the cars and there was a bit of a "party crew" out there - rambunctious anniversary celebrators from Texas or some other southern state on their way to an Alaskan cruise. They were awesome and just about the funniest people I've ever met while traveling. I shared my Wasabi peas with them and they almost fell over dead from the taste (him) and spice (her). I guess they're not for everyone!

We settled in to watch the scenery pass (and it was quite lovely!) after awhile and arrived to our destination on time and in fine style!

Finding Alaska: Cruising Prince William Sound

Finding Alaska: Cruising Prince William Sound

uyguguygu   17.19   Comment  

We went looking for Alaska last week, flying into the never ending days, into the alpenglow that never quite settled on the mountains, and the forest so thick you need some major orienteering skills, a map, and a compass just to get through it and not get lost. 

One of JR's and my goals is to visit all fifty states. I think we have about 10 or so left - mostly the Pacific Northwest and New England. We also had Hawaii and Alaska left so when I saw amazingly cheap flights to Alaska I jumped and off we went!

Alaska is a crazy place to be - the cost of living is exceptionally high with food being outrageously expensive. The beauty is second to none, and the 24 hours of sunlight in summer will start to drive you just a bit crazy if you don't have a good eyeshade or blackout curtains. 

We did Alaska on a shoestring budget - we chose one "major" outing (a glacier/whale watching cruise that was certainly the highlight of my trip - watching a blue whale breach is unlike anything I've ever seen before!), bought camp fuel and cooked most of our meals over that from the grocery store, camped inexpensively (hotels run between $150 - $300 a night!), only ate out twice (to the tune of $40.00 for an average dinner!) and chose lots of free activities - driving up as close to the arctic circle as we could get, climbing a mountain in Denali, lots of walking and hiking and looking.

Packing for Alaska was a bit challenging - the weather is pretty unpredictable up there and every single travel source I read said to pack technical hiking clothing, quick dry, waterproof, etc. It's just not my style to look, for lack of a better word, like a superhiker head to toe in Patagonia and I have slowly culled most of that out of my wardrobe and replaced it with more everyday clothing that can double as hiking apparel. 

The weather forecast was predicting sun for the first half and rain for the second half so I packed accordingly - the Barbour coat with the hood shoved in the pocket, a fair isle wool sweater, some t shirts, a few pairs of jeans, my hiking boots, some random shirts. It turned out to be almost 85 degrees the entire trip...so I only wore about half of what I packed. The sweater and jacket came in handy for an early morning hike and a boat ride but the rest of the time I wore a short sleeved shirt and a lighter chambray shirt over it to try to outsmart the massive mosquitos that own the state. By the end of the trip I was definitely sick of what I had to wear.

***

All pictures taken in Whitter, AK. 

Barbour Pockets

Barbour Pockets

uyguguygu   14.50   Comment  

It's no surprise from my last few blog posts that I'm slightly obsessed with my Barbour jacket. I wear it just about everywhere - to work, the mountains, on hikes, while traveling. 

I can't remember how or why I knew I wanted one - people don't wear them much here in Colorado since technical fabric seems to be the preferred water resistant fabric, but I knew that I wanted to be both stylish and functional in the back country and mountains, especially when weight isn't an issue (like during long backcountry adventures when every ounce matters). I was also attracted to the idea that people who have Barbour coats wear them forever. If there's one mantra I live by it's buy once and use forever. A Barbour coat was just the ticket - warm, waterproof, sturdy, stylish, with lots of options like a hood or a liner for different adventures. 

I saved up my clothing money, purchased a jacket directly from the UK via Skype, and as it turned out we've had an usually wet spring so I've worn my Barbour coat more than I had anticipated. In addition to that it's been a layer under my sleeping bag in the Utah desert, it's protected me from the spring showers while shuttling my students to their cars after school, it's gone on numerous adventures to the Colorado Rocky Mountains, and it's huge pockets have been purse, tote, and hand warmers based on what I've needed that day. 

So...what's floating around in the giant pockets of my classic Beadnell? It looks almost like an homage to the southwest and to-do list made out of objects all rolled into one:

- A tiny book of poetry published by Centennial Press. I had intended to share a poem with a friend. 

- Several pens and neon sharpies used to write thank you notes for my parent volunteers. 

- A vintage silver and turquoise Native American bracelet picked up on my last trip to Moab, taken off so I could take notes on something. 

- A letter with an overdue reply owed to a dear friend.

- A rock picked up on my last hike with my family in Rocky Mountain National Park. Yes, that one where I fell through the snowpack into the meltwater below! Brr!

- My wallet and keys

Graduation!

Graduation!

uyguguygu   09.56   Comment  

Well, friends, I did it!

I finally managed to graduate with my master's degree! I feel like I've let this blog go to the wayside while I finished up both my second year of teaching and the coursework and paper writing required to finish up. 

My parents flew out for graduation, my husband and I both took a full day off of work, and my brother drove up to see it straight after work. It was truly a wonderful day and a great endpoint to this chapter of my academic career. 

This time graduating was not a big scary cliff I was pushed over, landing squarely and painfully into the real world - I was already entrenched in it and graduation was a refining process. I improved my teaching practice through reflection, writing, and study. I learned how to better communicate and build relationships with people in my academic program. I learned, most of all, how to write the best ever "Can I get coffee with you and pick your brain" email...and I made it a point to use it and seek out wise people who are walking the paths I would like to walk. 

I think age also has a part in that - the difference between 22 and 28, though only six years between, is staggering. I know who I am now, I've had full time jobs in two career trajectories, I've spent time really contemplating what it is I want and who I want to be. My relationship with my husband has evened out through time and refinement and work. I've moved to Colorado and made a life here.   I'm beginning to dig in, do work, and stick around long enough to see the work come to fruition.   

Life settles as you get older, and not in the way that everyone here in Colorado is always railing against, that painful token house in the suburbs, a car payment, and all the accessories. Settling doesn't mean you no longer travel or write off the idea of selling everything and backpacking the world if that's what your heart is set on. It doesn't mean you hang up your guitar or platform wedges or never take your bike out except on the weekends. Settling doesn't mean you accept what you've been given as all there is or stop trying to become a better person, or stop learning. 

It is more about coming to terms with who you are as a person. Maybe self acceptance is a good way to define my version of settling. You make peace with the size of your hips and thighs or nose or the way you look in skinny jeans. You begin to cope with the fact that you always will be or never will be a morning person and your best work is done late at night or first thing and you begin to set aside time during that hours for your passion projects. You begin to toss some of the clothes that were purchased in fits of craziness and create a more cohesive wardrobe that makes putting together work outfits a whole lot easier and a lot less time consuming. You learn to say no when you're overbooked and yes when you're excited about a project. You begin to invest your time in long term ideas and projects, no matter where you are in life. 

And most importantly, you begin to figure out what you want and what you are capable of. And what you are capable of is anything.

Finishing Twenty-Seven

Finishing Twenty-Seven

uyguguygu   19.54   Comment  

There is a ghost town in the desert. When they put the freeway through it didn't reach to this town so it died when the oil ran out. We take the back roads often through the desert and we know this ghost town well. 

Near this town there is a field of daises. It had taken me by surprise - we were driving along and all of a sudden we were surrounded by a field of white. I had never seen it in bloom like that so I asked JR to pull over and I hopped out into the field of daises. They were tough little buggers, those desert flowers. I had to pinch them hard with my fingernails to pull them up. 

We kept going and found a place to pull over and camp in the BLM land, right against the mesas, in a flat spot against the tumbled rocks. In the morning it was cold and a little overcast, and the wind was incredible. I woke up early before everyone else got up and walked a ways down the road, meditating on the last day of my 27th year.  

Its always hard for me to give up another year for some reason and I get a little melancholy around new years and birthdays. I'm not afraid of aging by any means, but I wonder a lot if I did a good enough job with the year that I'd been given. The desert is a good place to let those thoughts settle.  

Spring Comes Slowly

Spring Comes Slowly

uyguguygu   20.58   Comment  

We're expecting another 6 inches of snow here tonight in Denver. It's like the trees, buds, and blooms get started and another snow kills them off. Then, they try again.

I admire their persistance. 

And their patience. 

***

Shirt: Gap (Similar here)

Pants: j. crew

Belt: Land's End

Shoes: Thrifted

Adventure Time: A One Day Colorado Itinerary.

Adventure Time: A One Day Colorado Itinerary.

uyguguygu   19.02   Comment  

We went adventuring yesterday, JR and I. We got in our tiny car, packed with a little bit of cash and my knitting project, and headed out south and west to see what we could find.

(I needed a day off from reality - reality has been so difficult lately!)

As we were driving through the backroad of Colorado we stumbled upon vineyards. In a bit of glory, these vineyards were attached to Mount Holy Cross Abbey, a former boy's catholic school and monastery. The grapes are partially grown on the grounds and other people in the community (including the inmates at a nearby prison and people who live around the Abbey) contribute the rest.

 

Even in the middle of a desolate spring the vineyards are beautiful, and the Abbey itself was gorgeous having been built in a style of architecture that is not commonly seen in the West, especially a rural area.

 

After wandering around the grounds for awhile we continued up into the mountains, stopping at The Royal Gorge Bridge park. This was a pretty huge tourist attraction and I imagine it gets a lot of visitors in the summer but since it's not quite tourist season yet we got to wander around a nearly empty park. I'm not a huge fan of heights but I enjoyed myself regardless, sweating it out as I crossed the gorge in their cable car and the bridge. We also took the incline railway down to the bottom, and then back up.

Finally, we had a very late lunch and went hiking at Hellen Hunt Falls on our way back. I love Hellen Hunt Falls area because it's one of the lushest places along the front range. Colorado is incredibly dry and I struggle with how brown it looks most of the time. I miss the humidity and the water and the moss and the way a damp forest smells so I head to Hellen Hunt for a bit of that every so often. It's an old park area that used to be the grounds of a hotel and so there is a little bit of infrastructure in the park - old bridges and buildings and crumbling water supply systems - that you can stumble upon as you hike around. At the top there's a beautiful waterfall and at the bottom there's a great visitor center with the history of the park as well.

(The only picture of me on the Royal Gorge Bridge. If you want to see pictures in and around Hellen Hunt Falls you can check out my instagram here.)

***

Scarf: Unknown (similar here)

Earrings: Unknown (similar here)

Jacket: Barbour

Shirt: Lands End 

Sweater: Unknown

Jeans: j. crew

Shoes: Sperry Topsiders

Handbag:  Longchamp Le Pliage

Of Rights and Responsibilities

Of Rights and Responsibilities

uyguguygu   15.47   Comment  

I've been thinking a lot, particularly as I drive, about the etymology of the word stewardship. I have been mulling over the history of the word as well as what it means to be a steward in this day and age.

My older etiquette books (cira 1840's) refer to a steward as the head caretaker of an estate. They had the right and responsibility to manage it, and do it well. A steward was involved in all matters of the estate, from accounting for possessions to making sure the land was managed well and was productive. A steward was one of the most important hires a family could make, and to have a good steward was to have a successfully run estate. 

As time moved forward to train, then ship, then air travel the word steward began to refer to someone who was responsible for you, the traveler. They would take care of your baggage, your cabin, and attend to your needs. 

Today we no longer have stewards and stewardesses out and about. We refer to the helpful (and sometimes cranky...but mostly helpful!) people on airplanes as flight attendants. I haven't traveled long distances by large boat, though, and there may be a person aboard who is a steward. 

Bearing that in mind - I am my own steward. I hold stewardship over all of the the experiences, things, and people I have the fortune or misfortune to come to know. I hold the responsibility for how well my limited estate runs. 

I don't believe that you ever truly own anything. Everything is simply on loan to you - it has been given with the intent that you may use it to serve your purpose but you must take care of it, demonstrate your stewardship of what you have. I feel as if I can take care of what I'm given now - from my career to my relationships to the objects in my house - I will be better prepared to handle the large things later. 

Here are some small ways I show stewardship:

- I buy the best quality I can afford and maintain it -  I save to buy one pair of leather boots I can wear for years instead of four pairs of plastic ones I can wear for three months, I  mend any repairs needed in clothing once every few weeks, wash it carefully and properly, quickly wipe down appliances when I'm done using them, rinse out my makeup brushes once a week, keep the inside and outside of my car clean.

- I keep in touch with the people who I value, regardless of what gain they bring to my life - I write letters, call, text, send out a semi-monthly family newsletter, meet for coffee

- I stay on top of my finances - My income is limited as a teacher but I know how to shuffle the money I do make into the places that count - Savings (both long term and for things I want in the near future) first, paying down student loans second, bills third, and everything else last. 

- I focus on the long term - This is a tough one. I, like anyone else, enjoy a bit of instant gratification. If I see it, I want to buy it right away. I want things now - a better paying job, a sailboat, a nicer car, travel, moving abroad. I know, however, that life doesn't work that way for most people. You have to build your life, build your estate, manage it well, work hard at it, and things will happen. A few people get lucky and things just happen - the rest of us, though? We have to build it ourselves. It's not a bad thing, though. It teaches perseverance. 

How do you show stewardship in your life?

***

Scarf: Unknown (similar here)

Earrings: Unknown (similar here)

Jacket: Barbour

Shirt: Urban Outfitters (can't find a comparable shirt, sorry!)

Skirt: Self Made

Boots: Frye