Parking and Driving

Sunday we explored a few of Anchorage's many, many parks. First up was Earthquake park, which features a nice walk and an overgrown view of places that were severly disrupted by the big 1964 earthquake, as well as a somewhat overgrown outlook over Cook Inlet and toward Anchorage's downtown and midtown. The park is situated near the Airport, so it is around the inlet's curve from the main body of the city, while still being in Anchorage. The location also makes it ideal for plane watching, as both large passenger and cargo jets as well as small planes line up for landing over this area. The area is very wooded and intersects with the Tony Knowles Coastal trail. In the current climate of roughly one bear attack per day, it also kind of creeped us out. However, there was a lot of activity on the trail, so we put the odds at a reasonable level that we probably wouldn't see any bears.

The second park we went to is just a bit up the road, and I'm actually not sure it really is a park. It is more of a scenic overlook on the edge of a seriously decaying cliff. The warning signs are not kidding...it looks like the bluff is falling away at a pretty steady pace. We stayed well back, but the view of the inlet was incredible. There was a parking lot, a "You are here" type sign, and a small sign that said "Airport Park", but for some reason it didn't look much like a park. More like an official scenic outlook. But that is fine, as the outlook was indeed scenic, and it was a very clear day.

The third park we visited was the Arnold L. Muldoon park, which was basically a path through the woods. It was much quieter than the other two parks we visited, making the woods even creepier, though there is much less underbrush in this forest, making for better visibility. If you like quiet walks in wooded area, this would be the one to go for of the three we visited on this outing. Although this is not an official feature of the park, our walk was enhanced by a series of things some person or persons had thrown away along the trail. Most mysterious of all were pages from a book which I believe was called The Honeymoon. It looked very much like someone had ripped out all the pages and then strewn them in big wads along the path. So we occupied ourselves making up stories about what had led to this literary eviceration.

Anchorage has, as I previously mentioned, many many parks strewn liberally throughout the city. One I lobbied hard to visit is Russian Jack park, but we did not get there on this outing. Next time! I am mainly curious who Russian Jack was (if he is a specific person) or if this is a name that all Russians in the area were called for some reason, or what. Also, why is the park named that. I count on finding an informative plaque at the park to solve this mystery for me!

Salmon Adventure II and Miscellaneous Stuff

Saturday we spent the afternoon wandering around downtown again, and saw the rest of the Salmon on Parade. We had about 13 more to see, and time was running out! It was a cold, rainy day, but that wasn't so bad as it thinned out the crowds pretty well. We did get to see all of the salmon except 1. Doh! We actually went to the place where it was supposed to be (according to the map) and it wasn't there...so we're counting it as a win. We were there, it wasn't. Still, we got to see a lot of the city, which I'm sure was part of the organizers' point in posting the pieces all over downtown. So we spent some time exploring and saw a lot of Anchorage on the way.

While on our urban adventures, we started noticing more and more art around the city. Some of it is good, some of it is bad, some of it is quite comical. Now, I'm aware that our opinions on art are just that - opinions. And any city that takes the bold step of sponsoring public art is taking a big risk. There will be mockery, no matter what is out there. One man's laughable mess is another man's bold statement on humanity and consumption. Or something. But anyway, the point of all this is, we have another quest. Occasionally, I will post pictures of Anchorage's art, without comment, and you can see for yourself what you think. So there's something to look forward to!

Also, Anchorage has a Planet Walk! Yeah! So we will do that one day when we are bored. But with the stuff we have to do here in our new home state, that will probably be sometime next year.

So Far Away

My Dad has been having a medical problem - a pretty serious one, so keep him in your prayers! We think he's out of the woods, but not enough so he can go home yet. He is well enough to argue, though, so he's definitely on the mend!

I know, intellectually, that we are far away from the lower 48, and particularly from Florida, where the rest of my family lives now. However, cell phones and skype mostly erase the distance - the only constant reminder is the 4 hour time difference. Something like this, though, is a reminder of how far away we are.

Real life sets in

Jane here. (Actually, it is usually me writing, so assume it's always Jane unless Art specifically says it's him.)
Well, after a few months of being here a week at a time while I finished out my obligations at my now-previous employer, I am now here in Anchorage full time. I am also unemployed. So my job hunt begins. I have been looking for about a week now and have a few leads, but no offers. However, I took a day out last week to wander around midtown, which gave me a chance to meet Art for lunch and look around the stores and so on, which was pretty useful. I am also getting the chance to clean the apartment really well, which I plan to do any day now. Right now I'm...um...sending out resumes. But mainly what I'm doing is sending out resumes.

What's with these career sites on company webpages that have you first upload your resume, and then enter in all the same information field by extremely tedious field? Why can't they just read the darn resume you just sent in. I do dearly love the CareerBuilder quick apply feature - just click in the check boxes and apply to a bunch of jobs with one fell swoop! I also enjoy emailing my resume. I know I'll have to fill out the applications eventually if I get called for an interview, but to fill it out once online and then again in person is just insult to injury.

By and large, the jobs are just like jobs anywhere - or at least like they were in Pa. No dogsledding or whale-blubber processing jobs. At least not that I've seen in the paper!

Northern Adventure!

Well, today we finally broke free from Anchorage's gravitational pull. Not that there's anything wrong with Anchorage! We really love our new city, and there's lots to see and do still. But if we want to see anything elsewhere, we need to do it soon or wait until spring. You can travel during winter, but its sketchy, and we don't want to make the newby mistake of underestimating the hazards of the weather.

Anyway, our initial plan was to head north to the Independence Mine, which is an old gold mine that is now a state park. We were hoping to make it in time for the geology tour and the regular tour if at all possible. There were some other attractions up that way that we might see if there was time, but the mine was the big thing. Well, we drove north, enjoying the scenery and the comical signs along the way. Then things started to look weird. We were following Mapquests directions to get to the park, but we weren't seeing any signs for the mine. We make the final turn and ... nothing. No mine. A few houses and a road that just ends.

OK, well we passed the Iditerod Headquarters a little way back. That was one of the other things we wanted to see, and also maybe they would know how we could get to the mine. I can wholeheartedly recommend the Iditerod Headquarters if you are interesting in dogsled racing. The Reddingtons (son and grandsons of the famous Joe Reddington) are the mushers who take care of the dogs and run the rides for people. For $10 you can ride in a wheeled cart pulled by a dog team. You can also pet the dogs and interact with them - they are very good with people and very well-trained. In addition to the dogs themselves, there is also a "museum" with memorabilia and a movie about the Iditerod. Also, as you might expect, there is a well-stocked gift shop with Iditerod, sled dog, and Alaska memorabilia. They were also able to direct us to the Independence mine.

We started driving. We had already missed the geology tour, which was a severe blow. But there was a slim chance we might make the last guided tour. We drove. And drove. And drove. We decided to just skip it for today, thinking that without a guide, it wasn't going to be as good. Also, we are only about an hour away from our house here, so we will go back another time. We turned around, and decided to stop at the Eklutna village.

This is only a little way north of Anchorage, and bills itself as the oldest continously inhabited native village. There was no one around, and a sign urged us to drop $5 each in an offering box, which we did. The Russian Orthodox church and the gift shack were locked up, and a few minutes of wandering around did not raise any personnel. Basically, it is a native graveyard. The main interest of it is the spirit houses above the graves. Also, interestingly, there are a few modern adaptations such as a spirit house that looks like a doll's house, and also a mix of Russian Orthodox crosses and Russian language markers. If you are interested in cemetaries and interestingly different graveyards, this is definitely a good place to visit!

AK DMV II This time it's tiresome!

Yes, so my little chess game with the Alaska DMV continued this week. After getting a copy of my state-issued birth certificate (as opposed to the hospital issued one that has done for everybody else in the country), I went back yesterday to take my test. This time I had every damn document I could find, including grade school report cards, pictures of our apartment...everything. So the lady barely glances at the documents and directs me to a computer to take my test. And I fail. I could scarcely believe the questions I was getting. How many consecutive hours in jail must first time DUI violators serve? How many molecules are in a square foot of asphalt? (Ok, that last one is an exaggeration.) She tells me I can come back the next day and I leave. As I walk across the parking lot, I think to myself "Cry or get mad?" And just like that, I am suffused with rage. So I rampaged around midtown Anchorage for the next hour or two, waiting to meet Art for lunch. It's things like this that make me vote libertarian. I totally support anarchy if it means I never have to spend another minute in line at a DMV again.

I spent the rest of the day alternating between rage and self-pity, and then finally took the practical step of studying the manual again. When I read through before, I kind of ignored things like "Consequences of DUI" and so forth. I don't drink and drive because I can't even stand to think about the possibility of hurting someone else. Also, I don't want to be dead or hurt myself. Therefore, drinking - even one! - and then driving, is not something I even consider. It's not that I don't drink - it's just I either do it at home or rely on Art, who is not much of a drinker, to drive me home. So I basically figured, what the hell do I care how much time idiots spend in jail? Well, the DMV doesn't see it that way. So this time, I gritted my teeth and learned how many consecutive hours first time DMV violators must spend in jail and all the other detail stuff I had kind of skipped over when I went through the first time.

So we got up early (well, 8) this morning and went back in so I could try it again. The whole way in I was thinking about what I would do if I couldn't get a license. We are right on 3 different bus routes. Maybe I can get a job on a bus route. Maybe I can get a job in Art's building. We only have one car anyway. Maybe I can just be a recluse. I would save a lot of money in office clothes... But I go in anyway. And of course there's a hassle. Today's hangup is the paperwork. Our marriage license says "license" and not certificate, and therefore is not proof that we actually got married. Although it is. It was filed with the state and everything. Look! There's a seal! So I offer mild protest to desk lady, who is quickly becoming the bane of my existence. I point out that the desk lady was fine with it yesterday. She disappears into the back to check with a supervisor. I am about to go postal when she comes back and announces I am allowed to proceed. I go to the computer and...I ace it! 16 right, none wrong. Guess that book learnin' is good for something anyway! After that there is the relatively painless process of answering a bunch of questions, taking the eye test, and hanging around while another desk lady creates my record and fills us in on where the good Mexican restaurants are in the area. After a quick half hour of that, there's just the horrible picture and we're gone, off to continue our day. And just like that, I am a validated contributing member of society again.

Hard to port

Yesterday afternoon we went on a tour of the Port of Anchorage, which was a good deal more interesting than it probably sounds. Until sometime in August, the port is giving bus tours of its facility and the expansion it is currently undertaking. The tours are available on Sundays from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. with a bus leaving the departure point every 30 minutes. Our group was a mix of locals and tourists, and it was surprisingly popular, considering what it is. You get on the bus with a guide who works for the harbor and who tells you what you are driving past. I won't give anything away, so as not to spoil the ending. :) However, a surprising lot of stuff flows through this port, and the statistics will give you some things to think about. If you are inclined to think about that sort of thing...


The highlight of the tour is a stop at the operations (I think) building, where you will be offered a hot dog cooked by the director of the port, a nifty little presentation, and a view of port operations. We stood on the building roof, watching a crane operator lifting shipping containers off a barge and loading them onto trucks with breathtaking precision. It was, no kidding, really fascinating. Also, the drivers that drive the containers away have personalized their vehicles with flags - some have pirate flags, one had a diver's flag - that sort of thing. So we had fun tracking which drivers were coming and going. They were also giving awaycoloring books concerning the harbor, which we looked at for our godson, who was born in Alaska. They were lame, though. But hey, they're free! We didn't take one anyway. After enjoying the splendor of the loading/unloading operation, you get back on the bus and go back to the starting point. All in all, it is maybe 1/2 hour to an hour tour.

A few words of advice - it is a closed and secured port. This means, among other things, that they will check your photo ID - we saw people getting turned away who did not have any. You will not be allowed to take photographs. You will not be wandering around unsupervised. That said, if you have any interest in this sort of thing, it is well worth the time.