Time to leave; I wonder what I'm forgetting

Today is the day we pull out from Denali. Unbelievable. These five weeks have flown by so fast.

I wonder...

I wonder what else I need to do this morning.

I wonder if I can really be ready by 10 a.m. so that I can have time to hang out at the Black Bear before we have to pull out.

I wonder if I am remembering everything we need to stow away before hitching up.

I wonder what I'm forgetting to do here in the canyon.

I wonder how many tears I will shed today.

I wonder how many days it will take us to get to the Alaska Highway by going the south route and how many days to drive the length of the Alcan this time.

I wonder if I have enough Xanax for the mountain roads.

I wonder if we'll be able to get internet in tonight's camping spot. I wonder how long it will be before we can get internet along the highway.

I wonder when we will be able to wear short sleeves for most of the day.

I wonder when we will pull away from all the rain.

I wonder when I will be able to pack away my winter coat.

I wonder if we'll ever come back to Alaska. If so, I wonder where we would stay.

I wonder how many years the kids will keep working here.

I wonder if I will keep in touch with any of the people I have met here.

Of all the cool stories I've heard and want to write about, I wonder how many I will actually get written and posted. I know my pattern of good intentions and eventual lack of follow-through.

...

Yep, I wonder about lots of things this morning. This kind of wondering is pretty typical for me on a travel day - particularly the first day of travel after being camped for a few weeks. I guess that's the way I process my pre-travel anxiety.

Thankful Thursday in the middle of a fun week

I'm feeling very thankful to have so much time with a couple daughters this week. Such fun to hang out with them.

And today I am actually thankful for a "day off" from all the fun while the sisters and their dad are traveling deep into the national park for hiking. Actually the road goes only 93 miles road into the six-million-acre park and their bus route covers only 60-some miles of that road - so maybe I shouldn't say that they are deep in the park. Deciding not to go with them today was a no-brainer for me because I can't keep up with their long legs and I knew I probably wasn't up for some of the scary mountain roads. Besides I needed a day to catch up on lots of things - so I was more than happy to stay home.

And speaking of being at home...
I'm also thankful for the extended time here in Denali to get acquainted with Wendi's world. I can hardly believe that it is winding down in just a few more days. These five weeks have flown by so quickly! It some ways it seems like we've been here just a short time while in other ways it feels like a wonderfully long time. It turns out that I love it here and feel at home - as if I'd been here awhile.

Raindrops and other morning sounds

Lazy morning.

It's raining again.

Snuggle a little deeper under the covers and listen to the rain on the roof.

...

Sounds

Besides the raindrops...

Raindrops and other morning sounds

...

The world outside is slowly waking up - as evidenced by sounds.

Lots of sounds.

As I listen, I realize that I recognize many of them...

The low rumble of the train in the mostly still quiet morning air and then the long whistle as it approaches the crossing and then comes into the station.

The big trucks hauling super long loads rolling through the canyon... when the stoplight is green. The deep growl of their engine braking when the light is red.

An airplane overhead. I guess the "Fly Denali" aerial tours have begun for the day.

Closer to our walls, I hear the first traffic within the park. Huge fancy rigs roaring to life to get an early start on the day's journey.

The garbage truck stops all along their route through this back alley followed by huge delivery trucks bringing supplies to the various restaurants and stores.

Suddenly the very loud Chinese-language conversations just under our window. Startling. Once that subsides, I hear another deep voice at the other end of our home. Must be one of the Bulgarian students who works at the ice cream store on his cell phone.

Now there's the big white van flying by - rattling on the bumps - presumably off to shuttle another load of tourists to the attraction they've chosen for the day.

And in between the rattling and roaring and rumbling, the steady sounds of raindrops.

Lazy morning.

...

Unspoiled

The overlook

Unspoiled by men

Untouched

Untamed

Not colonized, not commercialized, not civilized

Just natural beauty

Pristine

Wild

No sign of humans

No roads, no railroad tracks, no pathways or trails

No buildings, no bridges, no power lines, no cell towers

Nothing to interrupt or interfere with the beauty of nature

Simply unspoiled

Life on the road, life at Denali

Location: Rainbow Village RV Park, McKinley Park, Alaska

Outside: Raining. Again.

Miles traveled: None today or this week. We are just parked behind the shops along the boardwalk.

Walked: Here and there and everywhere in the canyon and in the national park

Hubby is: typing

Milestones:

• Two weeks ago today we arrived at Denali
• Four weeks ago we were camped by the ocean in sunny southern California just heading out on this middle stretch of our epic journey
• Six months ago we were starting to move into the RV and preparing for the big trip

Recent happenings: Copious amounts of rain resulted in mudslides and flooding yesterday. One slide here just above the canyon brought a tree down on power lines cutting off the electricity all along the boardwalk for 3 1/2 hours. Flooding in the national park washed out chunks of the road leaving tourists and staff stranded in buses at the end of the remote highway until helicopters could rescue them

Unexpected: so much rain and such cold temps. Not sure why this surprised me - except that it is late June

Other surprises: Lots of snow on Mt. Healy

Discoveries: the General Store that carries lots of little necessities - for a price!

Makes me smile: Hearing the train as it comes through the canyon

Makes me sad: Such limited internet access

Makes me drool: pulled pork at the Black Bear

Blessings: my winter coat found in the cargo hold - which makes a great raincoat, our cozy rig, close proximity to the Black Bear where I can get internet access AND see my daughter

Reading: History of Alaska - Land, People and Events.  (Thanks, Karina!)

Watching tonight: Probably nothing much. Maybe a little channel surfing. My excitement last week about finally having TV reception after four years without has quickly dwindled into disappointment at the lack of anything worth watching.

Considering: whether to make the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Fairbanks for supplies or just get by with what we can get here in the canyon and give up an arm and a leg to pay for it.

Accomplishments: I finally took time to find the addresses and write little notes on that pile of postcards I've been collecting. AND I took them to the post office!

Lessons: People are often more interesting that they might originally seem.

Looking forward to: Stacy coming in two weeks!

Tourists and schedules

Thousands of tourists come to Denali. Most of them will be here for two or three days - or maybe a week. There are lots of things to do and see around here. You can take a flightseeing tour to Mt. McKinley or you can even land on a glacier. You can go white-water rafting or ride horses. You can hike for miles in just about any direction. You can shoot pictures of amazing wildlife up close and personal. You can walk the boardwalk and stop at all the gift shops finding the perfect souvenirs and trinkets. You can try a variety of menus if you care to go out for dinner - or attend one of the dinner theaters in the canyon.

The typical tourist has to keep moving - in order to see and do all that he/she wants to see and do - and in such a short time.

But it's raining again today. Not great weather for being a tourist. Especially if you spent all those dollars and traveled all those miles to see the tallest mountain in North America, which happens to be obscured by clouds two days out of three.  However it might not be raining down there at the mountain. It is, after all, over 60 miles away - so it could be clear there. So maybe don't rule out the idea. Besides the other tourist-y stuff is not quite as much fun in the rain either.

But when you have only three days, you need to do what you came to do, rain or shine.

We, on the other hand, aren't really tourists. We can afford to relax because we don't have to see it all and do it all today and tomorrow - or even by the end of the week. We will be here awhile. So when it starts raining again, we can just curl up on the couch with a book and enjoy the cozy sound of the rain on the roof of our trailer. Ahhh...

We have the luxury of time. We might not have the luxurious accommodations at the resort lodge nor do we even have a fancy campsite. But we have our home on wheels and we have most of the conveniences that we really need. (See what I did there: equating convenience with need - as good Americans tend to do?) We have options. We can dig out our rain gear and go for our walk in the rain if we choose to - or we can just stay inside and enjoy the raindrop symphony.

We made it to Denali!

Oops; I haven't posted here yet - since we arrived at Denali. I guess I made good on my promise to take a few days off and not feel responsibility for anything. And they have been good days. We were able to park our rig right outside the back door of the Black Bear Coffee House where Wendi works. What fun to be able to pop over here and see her face anytime when she was on duty. I quickly got in the habit of bringing my computer over here for my early morning writing. Wendi supervises the morning shift so it has been great fun to watch her in her world. It was really special to be close enough that she could step over to our trailer for her lunch break.

Alas; that was only for the first few days and now we have had to move a few sites farther down the street - in order to get a long-term discount on the lot rent. It is not quite so handy nor as much fun but still pretty convenient and easy to get to the Black Bear.
Now that we are settled in for the next month we can figure out our schedule for our time here. Each new place invites a new normal.