North to Alaska...

NORTH TO ALASKA…

Tomorrow we fly out to the land of tundra, arora borealas, Sarah Palin, and Sarah’s (mine, not Palin’s) parents and daughter. The stress and anxiety of packing at an end. It’s tough when two control freaks try to take charge of all the details. Actually, one control freak with procrastination tendencies and an obsessive compulsive with a prepencenty to over plan way too far ahead! We’ve survived the coordination of dog care, house sitting, luggage selection (revised 3 times), last minute vet visit for a cat with an abscessed paw post cat fight, finding time to visit with Sarah’s son who arrived for a welcomed impulsive visit from L.A. where he is going to Musician’s Institute, and pre-planning events that will occur quite quickly immediately upon our return.

Now, drinking expensive airport coffee as we wait at the Eugene airport. I think we are the only people that actually paid attention to the proscribed 2 hour pre-flight arrival time. Airport security is a snap when you are the only ones in line. At the house, Sarah was into last minute nervous cleaning mode and I was simply bored. Now, we are actually in “travel mode” and relaxed.

The luggage scene settled out to “screw it” just add another checked bag, pay the extra $15 and don’t worry about all the crap we’re taking. Baggage is always a challenge. (literally and metaphorically it always is!) We originally went with the large Eagle Creek bag and the smaller carry-on piggy backed so I can manage it all. Ended up with the carry-on becoming just that and a soft sided with hidden backpack straps as extra check-in. I can still manage it all but do have to wonder why the wife needs 4 pairs of shoes, 2 different rain coats and 6 knitting projects in various states of completion!

Had spent an inordinate amount of time over the past months trying to “plan” itineraries, make suggestions for Alaska adventures, research options on the net, participate in conference phone calls with Sarah’s folks or daughter only to finally decide the obvious approach to take is, “Yes dear. Whatever y’all want to do.” Am actually looking forward to this trip. Haven’t been to Alaska in quite some time. Last time was before Sarah and I was married and we made Sarah’s folks clear out all the stuff out of their storage closet/sauna so we would have somewhere to go alone and private! Did get some pretty intense skiing in at Aleaska that trip. Spent a summer years ago in Dillingham on Bristol Bay 350 miles west of Anchorage. Don’t remember much about the nursing aspect of that job but did enjoy helping them move the entire 12 bed hospital from a Quanset hut into a brand new high tech government financed facility which basically closed when the salmon was running (we’re talking 4 ft fish weighing 20 lbs net caught in surf). Camped next to steaming bear scat with dusk at midnight, pulled a couple of boaters out of freezing water and stripped them down to shove them into sleeping bags to treat their hypothermia, and spent 3 days on a salmon fishing boat gill netting (not kind to the fish!) when the teenage owner of the boat wasn’t threatening us with a filet knife or we weren’t being boarded by armed Coast Guard personnel because we somehow drifted out of the designated fishing area when our brilliant captain backed up on our net entangling it in the propeller. Yep, been a while…