journal

You might be wondering why my feature photo is from the Grand Coulee Dam.  This was one of the most important stops on my trip.  That’s because I am a dedicated Bob Dylan fan and have been for over 40 years.  I have been listening to the album “Blood on the Tracks” since its release in 1975.  On this album is one of my favorite songs of all times – “Idiot Wind”.  The following line is in the song: Idiot Wind, blowing like a circle around my skull, from the Grand Coulee Dam to the Capitol.  So when I realized that we were in the vicinity I turned my iPod to the song, sang along at the top of my voice and cried to be going to a place that my hero mentioned in music I have been listening to for almost 35 years.  It did not disappoint.  The photo itself made me happy.  It’s from the style of the time when the dam was built and I loved that as well.  In addition to this stop we had to take photos when we saw some of the other wild things along the highway.  The remaining pictures are all from a city near Spokane. 

Cathy and Kathy go camping.  Our first stop was in northern Washington at North Cascades National Park.  This place was georgeous with shimmering green water in the rivers and lakes, deeply forested mountains and a quieting wilderness feel.  Our first night we arrived close to sundown after a day of camping preparation, food shopping and boring errands.  The drive out of Seattle began our departure from civilization and big cities.  It felt great.  We stopped at the first campground to check it out and it was probably the best place we could have selected.  Our site was on the river, isolated from other sites, quite large and near the latrine.  The campfire was lit and we had a delicious meal of Kosher hot dogs on the grill.  The next day was our first hiking expedition.  Stopping at the ranger station I humorously inquired about bears.  Yes, he said, you might encounter some on the trail but just keep a good lookout for them and make lots of noise.  His lacksadaisical attitude did not impress me.  I made up songs along the trail and Kathy and I kept up the noise level.  No bears.  I think they hated my voice.  The only “wildlife” spotted were animals I could put in my pocket.  Anyway, the hike.  This was my first major hike in a while.  It was hard.  The trail was deep in the forest and winded upwards about 1000 feet.  It took two hours to get to the top but what  a reward.  Blue Lake was a stunning oasis.  It’s quite small but the crystal clear blue-green waters, trees, rocks and lingering snow made it a worthwhile trip.    Our return to the campsite was around dinnertime and we prepared gourmet chicken shish kabob with veggies and red potatoes.  Another beautiful night in the woods. 

My final look of this wonderful state was from the airplane.  A big airplane.  Many people suggested that I take a helicopter ride or a small plane ride to see the majesty of the glaciers.  But I just didn’t have the nerve to do so.  Instead, I was able to capture these visions from my seat (in First Class – I’ll explain in a moment) as we left Anchorage on our return to Seattle.  The airport in Anchorage was a treasure as well.  We arrived early enough to process our very heavy luggage.  Bought lots of stuff on the trip.  Since we had these extra bags and had to pay more for them, I thought that there might be another way to handle the fees since First Class doesn’t have to pay for luggage.  Upgrading cost an additional $100 but our luggage cost $40 so we made that choice easily.  By the way, we also got free food and drinks.  After unloading our bags we noticed that there was an exhibit of Native Alaskan artwork in the airport.  What a treat – one last opportunity to soak in the beauty of the Alaskan people.  This exhibit is from modern artists interpreting the iconic artifacts of their heritage.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Well, after much needed rest, Risa and I toured Anchorage again.  This time it was a superbly georgeous day and we got to see the cool art in the city.  Like so many other big cities there was the iconic animal mascot done up by local artists.  For Anchorage that was the salmon.  I was able to spot several on our walkabout.  The other images were really enjoyable on our last chance to see a bit of Alaska.

 Once you read this title I am certain you will want to know the story right away.  Unfortunately, on a day when the weather was perfect and viewing of Mt. McKinley was superb, we experienced a fatal encounter with a car at the RR crossing.  It was about six p.m. after about 10 hours of a glorious train trip when we felt a slight jarring of the train, major debris flying past the windows and the smell of burning rubber.  The train came to an immediate stop.  My sister was up on the observation deck and I went to see what was going on.  At first we didn’t believe the rapidly spreading rumor that we’d hit a car.  But after a lot of discussion with those who saw what happened and those who were looking through their binoculars it was determined that a tragic accident had occurred.  The details we learned only two days later on the Anchorage TV station.  It appears that a 66-year-old woman had just been given a new car and was learning how to drive a stick shift.  She had stopped at the crossing but somehow the clutch popped and the car lurched forward as the train approached.  All the passengers, especially those on the observation deck, was shaken by what happened and expressed their sorrow to each other during the next six hours as we waited for the emergency crew, sheriff, coroner and train officials to complete their duties.  We were then bused to Anchorage (two hour trip) where Risa and I had made arrangements to spend an extra two days.  The accident is something we’ll never forget.  But there were also some great experiences on that train.  We had perfect viewing of Mt. McKinley which only happens about 30% of the time.  We ate great gourmet meals in the dining car since we’d paid extra to go First Class.  We also met a completely charming and endearing retired teacher from Minnesota (Gloria) who we bonded with further during the tenseness after the accident.  I hope you enjoy the pictures as there is beauty even on a day when bad things happen.