Alaska 2007 (2nd Email Story)

My experience in Kenai was terrible. It turns out that my phone wasn't working very well so I was not able to contact the farm I was supposed to work on there. I was extremely upset because I was stranded in the rain there. The lady called today and said she didn't receive any calls from me that day and that she had been waiting all day for me to call just as I had waited for her. Anyway... I decided to go to the local bar, The Rainbow, to have some drinks and waste time waiting for her to call. It is not a gay bar as the name would lead you to believe. I drank with the locals and had a really good time. Kenai reminds me a lot of small town Ohio so you can imagine how well I fit in with the rednecks there...they loved me, to say the least. It was getting late (8pm) and I was exhausted from travelling and drinking and whatnot so I left the bar and searched for a place to camp. It was raining for the 3rd night in a row and I was not happy about having to stay in a tent again. I found a spot on the beach for the bay and snuggled up in my soaking wet sleeping bag inside of my damp tent. The alcohol was enough to put me to sleep until 2am when trucks and airplanes started circling my tent. I thought they were just messing with me since I was the only tent on the beach. I was a little scared at first but it went off an on like that for a couple hours so I just got really irritated. It turns out they were just checking the beach for people fishing illegally. It was still raining when I woke up the next morning so I packed up and went to a really cool little coffee shop on the beach for breakfast. I had some type of quiche and it tasted amazing since I have been living off of dried food and nuts for the past week! After breakfast I broke into an RV park and took my first shower after 5 days. You can imagine how much better I felt after that. I then made my way to the highway to get the hell out of Kenai and down to Homer. That day became the day of job offers. My first ride tried to recruit me to work construction with him. He gave me his card and told me to call him if Homer doesn't work out as I expect. My next ride was for 2 miles...worthless.

The final ride to Homer was with a crazy Brazilian fisherman. He picked me up in a beat up truck that had a loose steering wheel. He drove all over the road and scared the shit out of me. Oh, and he was drinking a Milwaulkie's Best beer but claimed he doesn't drink and this was his only one. He ended up giving me a tour of Homer and "the spit." Check it out on the map to see what I'm talking about...it's a really cool piece of land that stretches into the bay and has a bunch of restaurants and boats on it. I ran like 9 million errands with "Alex" so he could get money and he told me of all the land and crazy properties he owns. He also offered me a job as a crew member on his boat. He is going to pick me up at the farm I am staying on tomorrow morning and we are going on a 3 day Halibut fishing trip. From what I hear from him and other fisherman, I'm going to make a lot of money doing it. I'm just going for the experience and to see all the islands and wildlife off the mainland. So I am now a commercial fisherman. Tell all your friends.

So the place I am staying... I am staying with Jewel's family. You know, the singer Jewel? Yeah, her aunt runs the hostel and farm I am staying at. I am going to help build a house with her dad. Crazy, right? Just another day for a guy like me, lol. The people at the hostel are all pretty cool but also a little weird. I'll have to explain later once I learn more about each of them. I share a room with 3 other people right now and there other floating around the property in tents and cabins. There is also a rasberry field that is amazing. Oh, and there is a pretty cute Swiss girl staying there. She's pretty quiet and has trouble understanding English.

Minutes after I arrived with my fisherman buddy (who creeped out every female by the way) I was invited to have dinner with a German family that is staying in private quarters of the hostel. It was me, a 17 year old girl, her mom, and her mom eating pancakes and some type of carrot sauce at dinner last night. It was really nice. They got to practice their English and listen to my Alaskan adventure and I got to hear about the small town they are from in Germany.

After dinner, I went for a walk and watched the clouds and fog drift over the mountain towards the bay as the sun set. I'll have to show pictures because I can't describe it. Oh yeah, the hostel is up in the hills of Homer and over looks the bay. The view is beautiful. I sat there and drank tea with two of my roommates (it turns out we are all originally from New Jersey) and looked out over the bay. Anyway, I walked for about 2 hours last night, then hitched a ride with the first car that passed me. Hitch-hiking is the most common form of transportation here. Lucky for me, right? I ship out for the open waters tomorrow. I am sure to bring back another wild story. Maybe I'll be on the Discovery Channel. No, it's nothing intense like that. We have good weather this weekend and we aren't going far out to see. We plan to catch between 10,000 - 20,000 pounds of halibut. The going rate is $5 per pound. Have a good weekend, everyone.

Alaska 2007 (1st Email Story)

I just spent 45 minutes writing an email and the library computer time ran out and deleted the whole thing. After a failed suicide attempt I am now rewriting the whole thing. This one will probably be shorter than the last - sorry.

I flew into Anchorage late Friday night. I was picked up at the airport by the hostel I was staying at. It was late so I went out to grab a drink before I went to sleep and stopped at a place called "The Great Alaskan Bush Company" (try to figure out what that place was like). The hostel was really loud and I only slept for 4 hours. I woke up and started talking to the people staying at the hostel to figure out the best way to get to Denali. Everyone I have talked to about traveling in Alaska including these guys told me that hitch-hiking is easy and every does it. So I took a bus to the edge of town to try to get a ride but was discouraged against doing so by the bus driver. He told me he had been driving to Denali for 7 years and I wouldn't get a ride so he drove me back to the hostel. Of course I had to ride his whole route until he went back and got to meet his bus driver friends at their "break place." It was definately an experience and I never realized how much money those guys make...not too bad. I went back to the hostel to figure out when the bus for Denali left. I went back to the bus stop to wait for the bus only to realize I was getting on the wrong bus. I decided to go with it and go back out of town to Eagle River to try hitch-hiking.

I have only hitch-hiked in Mexico so I'm used to hitching from a dirt road in a small village. Here, I was walking down the entrance ramp of a highway to try to get a ride. I felt very vulnerable standing out there with my thumb in the air. Sure enough, after 15 minutes a beat up Volvo pulled off the road. I ran up not knowing what to expect to see behind the wheel of this ghastly vehicle. Luckily, it was a 27 year old girl who was born in central Africa, went to college in New Mexico, and is now living in Alaska and on her way to a wedding party in Talkeetna. We had to make a pitstop in Wasillo so she could get food for the party and ran into some random lady with her deaf child that she knew. When we got back on the highway I noticed her waving to cars passing us in the opposite direction. She claimed it was a small town but I corrected her and told her we were 70 miles outside of Anchorage. Evidently everyone in Alaska knows eachother. I have been here less than 5 days and have already run into 3 of the same people in different locations! Her name was Rachel Day and she talked me into camping on the river bank in the small town of Talkeetna. What a suggestion! I camped right on the beach and as the sun began to set, the sky cleared and I could see the whole Alaska mountain range including Denali. It was amazing! The sun set for 1.5 hours and was brighter than I have ever seen in my life (due to the tilt of the earth being closer to the sun this far up north I later found out). It didn't really get dark until 11pm so I decided to check out Talkeetna then. Rachel had said her and her friend were going to be hanging out in the town that night because it was Saturday and would be "hopping." Hopping it was. The town had a pizzaria, free thrift store, post office, and of course 2 bars. I stepped into one of the bars where a rock band was playing. The bar was about the size of my mom's living room. I was feeling pretty exhausted after all of the traveling so I decided to just go back to my tent and crash.

The next morning I packed up my stuff and caught a ride with the lead guitarist in the band to the edge of the highway. He had a girl's name...Lily or something like that. As I was waiting on the highway, I saw a black bear cub run across the street about 100 feet away. Fortunately for me, the mother bear wasn't following. After 15 minutes, 2 college kids on their way to Fairbanks pulled over to give me a ride. Their names were T-Kon (I really doubt he spells it this way) and Martin. They were listening to some crazy rap music that I couldn't figure out and they both acted a little spacey and used the word "intense" a lot. After 30 miles we stopped for a break and to look out at a great view point of the Alaska range. When we got back in the car, suddenly the ride got way better and I began to understand the music they were playing. They dropped me off at the Wilderness Access Center of Denali. I picked out where I wanted to hike, watched an hilarious 30 minute video, and was on my way. On the bus ride in, we stopped to see a bull caribou with hugh antlers and a herd of sheep on top of a mountain. I road the bus halfway in to about mile 45 where I would begin my hike. I hiked along a river across a glaciel plain to camp in a remote mountain range. I set my tent up where I would have a good view over the plain, watched the sun set, and went to sleep.

The next morning I awoke to see a herd of 30 sheep on the mountain adjacent to mine. I watched them graze and then pair off to go take naps together. They were so cool to watch. I went on a hike to the bottom of a glacier and filled up my water containers. The water was so cold that I could only hold my hand in it for a few seconds before it started to burn. I was supposed to hike out and go to a different spot to spend that night but I felt too lazy so I just moved my tent to a better spot. It started to rain at 5pm and did't stop until about 8am the next morning. I always wondered what I would do if I was stuck in my tent while it was raining. It turns out I slept a lot. I would sleep for a little while, wake up and read, sip a little whiskey, then go back to sleep. I repeated this cycle several times until it was dark enough to sleep through the night.

After the rain had stopped the next morning, I said goodbye to my sheep roommates and took off to catch my bus out of the park. On the hike in I had tried to keep my feet dry by hopping rock to rock whenever I crossed the river but on the way back I just walked straight through the water. When I finally reached the road, I had to wait for a specific green bus to take me out which took forever. I read a little and then took off my wet socks. I put on dry socks and wrapped my feet in plastic bags before putting my shoes back on so they wouldn't get wet again from the shoes. Finally, I flagged down a bus and convinced the driver to give me a ride back. I talked to a few of the people on the bus and caught as much of the scenery as I could. We stopped to watch a grizzly bear that was laying down to eat a patch of blueberries. The bears in the park are 80% vegetarian because of all the berries. This lazy bear really seemed to have "the life." As we were stopped, the mother of a girl I was talking to tapped me on the shoulder. She handed me a energy bar and looked into my eyes and said, "Here, don't starve!" I was a little taken aback and thanked her for the gift. I ate the bar and tried to figure out why she made that seem so awkward. It then occured to me that I had just finished explaining to her daughter how I was hitch-hiking around the state and then I noticed the torn plastic bags sprouting up my legs from my shoes.

When we arrived back at the Wilderness Access Center, I returned the bear container (I forgot to mention this - I had to hold my food in this thing and drag it around everywhere I went). I then walked out of the park to the highway to get a ride back to Anchorage and hopefully to Kenai to start working on the organic farms I came here for. As soon as I put my backpack down, Jonathon picked me up. He said he remembered me asking him a question in the park. He was a musician from Seattle (originally from Sacramento and Santa Cruz) and was hanging out with his brother, who works in the park. Now he was taking his brother's car to drive around Alaska fishing. We stopped for a bite to eat on the way toward Anchorage and had some really good conversations. He was a really cool guy and we got along well. It's funny how you can develop these friendships with people in such a short period of time. He dropped me off at a river he wanted to fish at outside of Talkeetna. As he was unpacking his gear, I was climbing into the back of an orange truck. He laughed and said farewell. Jim and his son and daughter gave me a ride to Eagle River, where I had originally started my journey. It rained a little while I was in the back of his truck but the scenery and mountains I saw from there was absolutely beautiful. He pulled off the highway and I walked back down the entrance ramp to catch anther ride. Aaron, a kid from Chicago currently working in commercial fishing, picked me up. He drove me into Anchorage but didnt' know his way around because he just moved to Alaska in June. He took me to a gas station where we got directions to the road that lead out of town toward Kenai and took me to where I needed to be. I walked for a little ways and got on the highway to get my final ride of the night. Josh, a UAA student, picked me up on his way to Girdwood where he worked in the winter as a ski instructor at the only ski resort in the state. The drive around the cape to Girdwood was stunning! It was comparable to highway 1 in northern California with the rocky coast and ocean. Except this drive had a mountain range much larger that wrapped around the whole bay. In between the mountains where crystal blue glaciers. Josh dropped me off at a river off the highway where I could camp for the night.

I had breakfast the next morning at a little cafe close to my campsite where I ate and looked out at the mountains in the distance. The people at the gas station claimed there was no internet close so I decided to leave for Kenai then. It took about 20 minutes but 2 large females picked me up. They were in the midst of eating cheese wiz on crackers and singing along to the Phantom of the Opera on their cd player. It actually wasn't a bad ride. Betsey and Brenda actually had some good stories of their travels in Alaska. They dropped me off and I got a ride right into Kenai with the most boring man in the world - Bob.

Okay, I am being kicked off the computer. I hope everyone is doing well and that this story was entertaining enough. The first one was probably better.

Alaska 2007 (Journal)

Sunday 8-19-07 – Sitting on a log on the beach in Talkeetna, AK (late morning)

I awoke this morning after the best night sleep I have had in a while. I am staying in a town called “Talkeetna,” where the girl I hitched a ride with, Rachel Day, recommended I stay. She was so right. I am camping in a small patch of woods on the bank of a river. As the clouds break in the distance, I can see the Denali mountain range as the morning sun shines upon it.

The sunset last night was unlike any I have ever seen. For one thing, the sun shone brighter than my eyes have ever seen. The only reasoning I can think of is that the air must be much clearer because of how far north I am. I can see s o much detail in the mountain range in the distance – as if I were standing in the foothills. Anyway, back to the sunset. The show started around 9:15pm and went on past 10:30pm. It was a slow motion sunset. The clouds very gradually became bright yellow, then red. It was so beautiful and yet so difficult to sit and enjoy. I kept waiting for the best photo opportunity and was also thinking when I should go into the town. Oh yeah, the town… Talkeetna is not rally a town but rather more of a large campsite. There is a general store, pizza place, post office, souvenir stands, a free thrift store, and as in all Alaskan towns, a couple of bars. Rachel had recommended that I grab an Alaskan Amber at one of the bars because it was Saturday and should be a good night. She was on her way to a wedding party and said s he would probably see me out that night. I did walk into town at 10:30pm to walk around. I stopped in to one of the bars to check out the band that was playing. It looked like a great time. Everyone was smiling and talking. The bar was also tiny – about 20’ by 40’ (with the band!). I was feeling exhausted after a stressful day of trying to decide if I should get a bus or chance it and hitch to Denali. In the end I chose right. So to bed I went.

Wednesday 8/22/07 – In my tent on a beach in Kenai, AK (8:00pm)

I am stranded in Kenai tonight. I have not been able to get a hold of the farm I am supposed to stay at. I have waited all day thinking that it’s not a big deal and I will hear from her but now I am alone on a beach waiting for the tide to carry me away. I had a great time hanging out at the “Rainbow Bar” (not like the rest of the U.S. would expect) but now I feel stranded. It’s funny how you hold to things of the past for comfort. If my phone wasn’t dead I would actually think about calling the “old” Bri for support. I even broke down and turned on my MP3 player like I promised myself I wouldn’t (I wanted to feel like I was roughing it so I outlawed the use of my music player). I wonder if other people cling to safe things from the past like this…probably. It’s comforting but I know it will get me nowhere. I just hope it will help me get through to a better state of mind. This feeling of being helpless and my 5^th night outdoors and 3^rd night of rain is not very inspiring. I had looked forward to a warm, dry bed to sleep in all day. I also held off on eating in anticipation of a big, healthy home-cooked meal on the farm. Fortunately for me however, a couple at the bar shared half of their sub with me.

Sunday 8-26-07 – In my bottom bunk of the hostel room at Seaside Farm, Homer, AK (morning)

I was just slowly waking up and realized something. I have only been here for 8 days but already I am starting to adapt to living here (if only for a short time). The events of this summer and before seem to be in my distant memory. It’s strange how one (or maybe just me) can settle down in a new place so quickly.

**I had felt at home at the hostel. I had my own bed and living space. I looked forward to eating breakfast and dinner every day with Barbara, which made it feel a little like being in a family. I just felt very comfortable. All of my attachments in life felt like they had faded away to a distant part of my mind. My mind was filled with the daily rituals of my new life in Homer.

Thursday 8-30-07 – Sitting on the couch in the hostel room (bedtime)

It is strange. I think that I value my alone time more than most people. But tonight staying in the hostel alone is not what I want. I would even settle for having a person I don’t care for staying in the room with me. I guess that I am getting accustomed to being around different people all the time. Just today I have met Fay’s brother Otz, her niece Geraldine, a pizza guy Aaron, a worker at Fitz Creek Becky, an older couple from Oregon, and I drank wine and ate chocolate with a German guy Garek and his father. Oh, and I continue to hang out with and eat meals with Barbara from Switzerland. I wonder if I will miss being around so many people when I return to Tucson. I feel like I am so much more of a friendly person. Tonight, I really don’t like staying here alone. I’m not really lonely – I would just prefer the company of others.

**This feeling faded away quickly. By the end of my stay, I was hoping for the hostel room to be empty every night. I had grown tired of sharing my space with other people. I think I was feeling this way at the time because Barbara had just moved out and Shawn was gone. I liked sharing the room with the two of them and felt a little lonely when they left.

Friday 9-14-07 – Sitting on a rock at a small look out point a short distance away from my campsite at Exit Glacier in Seward, AK (morning)

Serenity (from above)

The rain stopped late last night. I woke up to see blue skies with a few light clouds. I walked a short distance down the trail to catch a view of the valley below Exit Glacier. The sky is completely clear and there is fog rising up from the valley. It looks as though there is a calm fire spreading over the valley causing clouds of smoke to rise up and disperse into the rising sun. The fog is slowly climbing up the mountainside as it thins out to reveal the braided river and yellow forest below. All the while, a calm, cool breeze blows through the fireweeds that surround me. As the sun rises behind the mountain range it casts a blanket of shadows over the mountain, highlighting the small glaciers as they slowly seep into the crevices of the mountain.

The smoky valley below has an eerie, hallow presence. It lies still as the fog passes through. Even the river appears to have submitted itself to this massive force pressing from the north.