So, I meant to write an entry about what I did the last few days in Alaska before I headed back to the UK. But mostly, the dealing with being back and Trey splitting up with me has been occupying my mind; that and trying to get to all the appointments I should have been at.
So, yeah, here’s an unexciting post for me and my flakey memory.
Incidentally, I have the worlds weirdest memory. I say it’s useless, but it’s not, it’s just bizzare. I remember emotions and I can remember facts, but events somehow seem to be unfixable in my brain. Ask me what I did or where I was I won’t know; ask me where I parked the car in an unfamiliar town and I’ll walk directly to it. Ask me what drugs I gave a patient, and I’ll remember. Ask me what story you told me yesterday or what game we played, I’ll have no frackin’ clue.
Kaisa took Trey and I down to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center [sic], bizzarely, for my entire trip we saw I think one wild moose and that was about it. Normally (I’m told) there are plenty of moosicles, wandering round and generally being mooselike, but while I was there they spent the entire three weeks nesting, or hiding behind trees, or disguised as snow; at any rate, we couldn’t see them. So, to make sure I saw more than one (which lives on a farm), we headed out to the conservation place, and suddenly the size of moose became apparent.
When you see them sat down a fair way off you go ‘oh, they’re quite big’. When you see them stood up with their head about a foot from you you go ‘bloody hell they’re big’. These long long legs hold these fairly huge beings quite high up. And the males have huge antlers. So you’re stood there, and it’s looking at you with vague disinterest, and you think ‘this fence right, it’s just decorative isn’t it… It’s a polite request to the moose not to wander off and trample you’… which is kind of an interesting thought to have stood next to the animal in question. They’re really incredible looking though; really.
We also saw elk, now elk are by far the cutest of the big creatures, and the wee baby elk… I just wanted to scoop it up and bring it home. All fuzzly and cute… yes. Anyway, yes, elk, bears (at a distance…) , muscox, deer, a bald eagle, a porcupine (which sat being a little fuzzy ball of spikes)… oooh, an owl… Mmm, I think that’s most of them.
There was a little teeny moosicle too; who was also very cute and only just coming out of his/her recently delivered crate and experimenting with the world around it…
It was amazing actually, just to see the sheer scale of the animals there. I mean, here, the biggest thing you’re likely to encounter is either a horse or a cow, really. And the chances of them doing you severe harm are not that great. They might, but it’s not hugely likely. And over there… well, the wildlife is just that.
Anyway, so, yes, that was that (I promise, there will be photos). I can’t remember what we did that evening (see, my memory does suck). Anyway, Colony Christmas…
Yeah, so the last weekend I was there was Colony Christmas, which was fantastic, it was like they’d organised this whole thing so that I could have a good last weekend (me, self centred, never…). We headed out down to the depot (station) in Palmer, first up, to wander round the arts and crafts and things stalls. A train brings people in from Anchorage later in the day packing the streets of down town Palmer with tourists (bloody tourists ;-) and so it’s better to get in there early. At any rate, we looked around some really funky stalls and eventually headed over towards the Burough building to look at more artsy craftsy stalls; but on route ran into Kara’s Grandma who invited us to see the Colony House (and sing Carols).
One of the things I find really interesting about Alaska is their history is very reach-out-and-touchable. Because it’s only been inhabited by Americans for such a short period, Alaska’s “history” is incredibly short, and you actually can talk to the first people to colonise the place; people who remember living in tents while sorting out housing. Who didn’t have running water. To be fair, some of my grandparents remember not having running water, but still. You get the gist. Another interesting thing is phyiscally, how little of it remains. Because of earthquakes (not a phenomenon I’m used to) and presumably the use of wood instead of stone or brick (which would probably not be a great plan in an earthquake zone), the buildings are not as permanent, I guess. And maybe again, the practicality of living there.
I dunno, but for such a short history, so much has changed.
Anyway, Kara’s Grandma gave us a tour of the house, chatting all the time about the things she remembers living in a house very, very similar to the one that we were in; talking about her experiences and her furniture, and everything. It was a really interesting experience. Feeling history.
Anyway, they (Kara / Trey / Grandma / Murph) went off to sing Xmas carols, and I eventually got uncomfortable and headed out, but met up with them again at the Burough building; where I’d eventually gone with the intention of doing more exploring. I’d kind of resigned myself to spending the rest of the day more or less by myself, so was really pleased to see Grandma and Murph stood in the entrance way, apparently waiting for Trey and Kara to come back from a cart ride.
We then toured the rest of the places (job centrey place?) looking at a variety of stalls – I still think I should’ve bought the Moose mug I saw, it was sooo cool. But I was feeling a bit, well, like I should stop spending, so I didn’t get it. Bah. It’s not like I’ve not spent a fortune since I got back…
…anyway, we went to the Murph and Grandma treated us to dinner, but while we were waiting for it, we headed out onto the highstreet to see the Parade of Lights. This was a fun, and slightly weird experience. Alaskans are very odd. Hardy. Anyway, a variety of floats came past, including what appeared to be the entirity of Alaska’s fire department (“In Palmer last night, 4 hours burned to the ground after the firebrigade were unable to respond due to other pressures. And in other news, Palmer’s festival of lights was a spectacular success, the fire engines being particularly popular” ;) ). And most bizzarely of all, for me, a Ural. Of all things I expected to see in Alaska, after I’d been cautioned on wearing my CCCP teeshirt, seeing a Ural (and some Russian Jets at the airfield) was not what I’d expected…
Yeah, so we got back to the house and met up with Cassandra and Morgan… and played games. Things in a box (which I’ve now ordered ‘cos it was so much fun. It’s not available here, but the nice people who make it offered me money off in exchange for my begging), Mau (which I *so* want to play here as well) and Oodles of doodles (which was like ADD Pictionary (And also enormous fun)). Oh, and Spoons.
Now Spoons. Spoons is a game in which injuries are caused by Trey trying to grab the same spoon you’ve got hold of and refusing to let go. Yes. It’s also a great way to destroy a table, a pack of playing cards, and in Kaisa’s case, her thumb (I hope that splinter’s come out…). Trey also managed to hit her head, and yes. Well. It was fun! Do other people get so violent when they’re playing Spoons?
Anyway, onto the final day.
I packed that night, after the Spoons and doodles and things; leaving behind (inadequte, really) Xmas prezzies and cards, and shoe-horning into the case clothes, laptop… all the detritus I’d brought with, and presents to bring home. Having finally got it all in, I discovered that the Airline had managed to do more damage than I’d realised (there was a hole in the side of the case that I’d noticed) – and my case had a huge tear in the board at the base). Duc tape was applied, and the case looked even *more* battered and like it’s travelled round the world (which it has, a bit, just not with me).
We got up the next day and piled into the Jeep, Kara driving, and headed out towards the Matanuska glacier. Having lugged the bloody thing all the way to Alaksa, I finally actually took my SLR out with me; it’s not that there weren’t photo ops, but I didn’t really want to spend hours taking photos – and also, I didn’t want to drag people back places we’d been for me to spend 2 hours trapising around taking shots of things I like, because I like abandoned gritty dirty photos, and do much less of the pretty scenic stuff these days. Pretty scenic stuff is what the digital camera is for, because it’s just to remind me of places I’ve been. The SLR is expensive to run, and is for the purpose of making me feel like I’m talented in some vague way.
Anyway, we piled in and Kara drove, and drove, and drove. We headed along eventually reaching the glacier – and it’s *huge*. I mean, you know it’s big. Logically. It’s a glacier, it’s going to be big – otherwise it’d be the Matanuska Ice Cube, or something. But no, it’s a vast, huge expanse of ice. Sadly the glacier visity place was ‘expensive’ and also said “there’s not much to see”, or words to that effect. So instead, we headed on further up to Eureka (and the Eureka Road House).
At the Eureka Road House where they do Reindeer Sausage (nice, but a bit fatty) and a 25 ¢ bottomless cup of coffee, we had lunch. Well, techincally, 3 of us had breakfasts, and Kara had lunch. But I don’t know if Kara’d eaten, so it may have been brunch. Anyway. We ate, and I looked out at the beautiful scenery I was about to leave, and the friends I was going away from, and felt sad.
It’s an incredible place, and I stayed with just the very best people.
After eating, they endured my driving back to Palmer (it didn’t really feel fair to make Kaisa drive all the way back to Palmer, and then out to Anchorage for my flight); I didn’t kill anyone, stayed on the right side of the road, largely followed the posted speed limits, and generally did rather better than the first attempt.
I nipped to Fred Meyer’s and picked up Mountain Dew (for me, Nikki and Kate), chocolate (for me and a teeny bit for Nikki and Kate), Reeses Pieces (for Lauren), a couple of odds and sods for me to eat on the flight, and then we headed home…
Aye, so then Kaisa drove us to the Airport; and after quick hugs and chats and e-ticket fun I wandered slowly towards security. Hoping the whole way that my flight would be cancelled, so I could have more time. I made my way through security, my bag being scanned twice because it contained ‘something battery powered’ and the woman going ‘oh, I’ve got one of them’ to the bloke. I have *no* idea what they were on about… picked up a couple of odds and sods, including some Carmex (which I’d failed to get the rest of my trip), and eventually, half an hour later than scheduled, I got on my flight.
No Northern Lights for my departure though, but coming into O’Hare, and flying over America in the early morning was stunning; you could see the space, and the just… yeah, it’s so different to here.
And then I got back, as did my luggage, despite me mildly panicing because no one seemed certain if I’d have to move it between flights or if they’d do it.
Home. Home.
Yeah.
The UK.
Everywhere has it’s beauty, and at moments I know just how much I’d miss the cramped and windy streets of Bristol, with their higldey pigldey random buildings jostling each other for street space; their hundreds of year old fascades careworn and battered by years of rain and polution and in some places neglect. It’s a gorgeous city, and it’s quirky and strange like me. But I look out from my house, and see row upon row of bland anaemic red-brick homes, filling street upon street of surburbia and I long for open space, for looking out every morning and seeing mountains (or knowing that mountains lurk, waiting to suprise you, from behind every cloud).
I have fantastic friends who remind me daily that it is good to be on this Earth, and that I do in many ways love the UK.
But.
But I do miss Alaska.
I miss it so much.
The space. The scenery. The people I met there.
But I know, that were I to move to Alaska, I’d have sold out. I’d’ve have scrapped my belief in public healthcare based on need for personal pleasure. And I’d slowly die inside.
Which is why I’ve been looking, with real actual interest at Canada. Canada could be… home. Maybe. I obviously need to actually *go* there, before getting all set on it; but I’m certainly considering it as a longer term plan. Yes.
So.
There’s the news, according to Kate. In a minute I’m going to set to on the photo post. So, yay me.
Incidentally, since I’ve been back, I’ve found / been shown a couple of cool comics, so here’s some stuff for your reading pleasure: Questionable Content, Bunny.
