Close Encounters of the God Kind I faced a dilemma at the beginning of our Alaska adventure—the budget kind of dilemma that often plagues me. We had enough money to make the trip if we kept our expenses in Alaska down. But I really, really wanted a better telephoto lens for my camera. The 100-400mm …
What Mayme Taught Me About Beauty
O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us! ~Robert Burnes, ‘To a Louse’ We spent the rainy afternoon driving to Cooper Landing, the tiny town where I spent the summer of my 16th year. I remember the summer well—how I needed a job to help pay for my Christian high school. …
Six Unforgettable Lessons I Learned From Sea Otters
After a picnic lunch at Miller’s Landing we headed towards the Seward Harbor. Along the way we went past the local Department of Motor Vehicles where I got my first driver’s license the summer I turned 16. Pedro needed to answer emails, so he dropped me off near the harbor and went to find a …
What’s YOUR Reaction to Disaster?
Looking for Birds We didn’t expect the next leg of our adventure to teach us a lesson about handling disaster. Our trip led us to the port town of Seward, AK. I took my first driving test in Seward back in 1982, and came away a happy 16-year-old with a driver’s license. After breakfast we …
The Difference Between Cruises Might Make You Uncomfortable
Wildlife Cruises Aren’t the Same a Luxury Cruises We arrived at the dock twenty minutes early for our cruise out to Blackstone Glacier. A few shards of sunlight had poked through the clouds, and I hoped to have beautiful light for taking photos. “Think that’s our ride?” Pedro asked, pointing to an immense ship. “Naw,” …
Learn About Transformation From a Tunnel
A Close Encounter with a Tunnel After our adventure up Nabesna Road, we decided to visit the Kenai Peninsula until Sarah had her next day off. We decided we should probably wash the road grime off the truck and trailer before heading out. Because of the late start, we only made it to a pullout …
Adventures in Expectations Along the Nebesna Road
Expectations on Nebesna Road We started out the next day for an adventure up the Nebesna Road—the Northern entrance to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. We stopped at the visitor’s center and discovered that we probably wouldn’t be able to drive to the end of the road. Part of the road had washed out due to …
How a Life Plan Helped Me Prepare for Vacation
How to Prepare for Vacation After our adventure to Kennecott, Pedro and I decided to putt around and catch up on work. Even vacation days require time and space to work. The weather cooperated with its low-hanging clouds and intermittent rainstorms. Ordinarily, I would have gotten a little miffed that we were ‘wasting’ a vacation …
How a Homophone Can Change Your Life
Homophone: a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different definition and spelling. Our hosts at Red Eagle Lodge suggested that we might want to visit Kennecott and McCarthy during our visit to Alaska. Not wanting to waste a single moment of opportunity, Sarah, Pedro, and I got up early the …
Finding Red Eagle Lodge Should Have Been Easy
When Your GPS Lets You Down When I entered in the address for Red Eagle Lodge at the border crossing into Alaska, my excitement surged. I sat up with prairie-dog alertness, noting every landmark, road sign and tree. Finally! We had entered the home stretch! Sarah started texting, wondering when we would arrive, and offering …
