flying

Summer and that means visitor

Posted on by J. R. Patee

Failure seldom stops you. What stops you is the fear of failure.

Jack Lemmon

Interesting summer, but that is usual. In Alaska seems there is no such thing as a normal summer. At the beginning of the summer several of us were discussing the usual,quandary of what will the season be like. The choices were rainy, cool, cloudy, or hot, dry and smoky. Predicting the future is always a go to conversation and almost always a waste of time. It will be what it will be. But we continue with the predictions of the future.

After the boat trip in southeast, it seemed an auspicious beginning, but the weather forecasts often stated otherwise. Cloudy rain were the predictions, but often did not come true. 3 times this summer I arose in the morning, as usual and read the weather report, 3 times it said it was raining and going to rain all day. I looked outside and had to remember basic weather. Does not rain require clouds, as it was a blue sky, clear day. Sometimes you have to think for yourself and not depend on others. The summer turned out to be one of the best. And I am backed up by the energy output of our solar panels. 2nd best year in 8 years. 3700KW this year.

Summertime in Alaska for us these days means visitors. The story I tell, although short and to the point as well as a story is, we had visitors every day from June 4 until the 24 of July, with 7 days off of which we flew to Portland Oregon and picked up a car we had purchased and drove it home, a 2500 mile trip.

New used car from Portland Oregon enroute to Alaska

It occurs to me that when one is home one does not think of it as an adventure or a trip or such thing. It is just normal life. But why does everyone come to Alaska to visit on vacation. I live here, just normal existence, and do not write about it because it is just normal.

Summer ski jumping camp. Hike to portage glacier
Summer solstice sunset 23:41(11:41 pm)

Visitors bring out the spectacular in Alaska. We did the 26 glacier cruise day trip, viewing, yes, 26 glaciers although they are shrinking fast and are not as spectacular as in the past. ( But then what isn’t better in my memory) We did it twice. For me though, the Kenai Fjords tour is taking over, as the spectacular one. Both see wildlife and glaciers, and despite some people saying “If you have seen one glacier you have seen them all”, I never tire of glaciers. Always interesting always changing, always spectacular.

Pacific coastline covered in kittiwakes, gulls and a sea lion
Hiking Matanuska glacier

And the wildlife, stellar sea lions, puffins, (tufted and horned), salmon, a smack of jellyfish, bears, goats, sheep, moose, seals, herons, the list goes on and on.

Did some work building new stairs for jumps (250 steps)
Backyard moose
Backyard

And our freezer is full of fish. Fortunately or unfortunately I am not one who necessarily enjoys fishing for the sake of catching fish. Get a net and catch what you need and move on to something more fun. Different strokes for different folks.

Mt Huntington summit French ridge
Ruth glacier landing
McLaren river valley
Blueberry picking
One of the worlds largest Ukrainian flags

And so goes summer 2025, now into the fall season. One of main discussions is what will the winter bring, miserable warm no snow, or cold and good snow. ?? the questions of the future go on.

And it continues

Thoughts on trains

Posted on by J. R. Patee

The Beauty of life is to be outside the box, so that the box doesn’t exist…. to limit a human being to one mode of expression is really a crime.

Herbie Hancock

It’s been almost three weeks since we got back from our trip, and I still have a lot of questions.

1: Would I do it again?

I highly recommend taking the train, but maybe not for an extended trip like we did. Jeanne mentioned that the trip started to feel a bit monotonous, day after day, not really exploring but just taking short breaks. But we also realized that the purpose wasn’t necessarily to visit specific places and focus on them, but rather to circumnavigate and see the entire country, not just a portion. Where does that stop and start? Why just the United States? Well, there are so many amazing places to explore!

I’d still highly recommend taking the train if you have the time. When you’re in a hurry, it’s easy to miss out on all the cool stuff along the way. For example, driving from Alaska to the lower 48 states takes at least 3 days, and it’s even better if you take your time and enjoy the scenery. But when you fly, you miss out on all the amazing sights and experiences. It still remains the most memorable train ride experience, of my life, was the Australian train the Indian-Pacific. We woke crossing the Nullarbor desert, at sunrise watching the red kangaroos race the train. One does not see that from an airplane.

Seeing the country was absolutely stunning. Cruising along at often 80mph (125 kph) gave you vistas, forests, lakes, rivers, industrial areas, backyards, cityscapes not necessarily seen from cars or airplanes. We definitely enjoyed viewing the various agricultural bounty as we traversed the country. Seemingly never-ending fields of wheat, corn, soybeans, potatoes, sugarcane, cotton, pecan trees, and unknown green stuff. Human industry at its best.

Cruising through the towns, villages, and cities gave a perspective unlike driving in a car. Where people live is interesting, how a town is laid out, why the houses are built like that, what activities do the people partake in. All reasonably guessed at by seeing the layout and accommodations in the yards. In a car, you are paying attention to the road, what is happening in the car , and how long until you arrive. The railroad is the journey.

As for airplanes, I did have a friend describe an airliner as a time capsule. You walk in, sit down, tap your feet for a few hours, get out, and you are somewhere else entirely.

When we talked with others on the trains, we asked why the train and not flying. We expected a common answer would be afraid to fly. Not once did that come up, but usually the answer was much more relaxed by train. No hassles with airports, no lines, no standing or sitting around, no security fuss.

But trains are not problem-free. Being, shall we say, older, I do not sleep as well vertically as I used to. When I fly long haul, I seem to require stops along the way. Instead of just changing planes, I will stop for the night and stay in a close motel or hotel; otherwise, I arrive exhausted and lose days trying to catch up. Maybe I am spoiled, being retired, but that is my travel. Enjoy the journey and I find airplane travel not as fun as it used to be.

Hence, we got the sleeping car. Not knowing how it worked, we opted for the cheaper mode – a roomette. Turns out that is good for one, although there is an upper bunk. A bedroom with slightly more room would be better for 2. Then there is the family room, but that was way too much for us. We wanted to just sleep there, not live there. The cost of a sleeper is exorbitant.

And that was the major problem. Expense! This was a very expensive trip! It cost just over $10,000 ($6,500 for the train, rest in hotels in Chicago and New York). That makes no sense to me. I do not know where the money goes, but I find it hard to believe operating a train is more expensive than a plane. There are subsidies out there of which I am unaware. One gets the distinct feeling passenger trains are low on the totem pole. Texas has turned down a fast train from Houston to Dallas numerous times, not believing in mass transit.

2: What did I learn?

A: In the United States, capitalism is the economy. OK, that makes sense, but making money has become the end-all. Years ago, Jeanne and I did a 4-month kayak trip and learned some towns definitely wanted your money, but sometimes forgot to give something in return. Oops, forgot! We remember some places for their ability to extract money and not for the memories of the town. Much the same now, but “they have gotten better and trickier at ability too extract money.

Our first experience with the train was the website. We were curious as to the cost, but could not find prices. Turns out the train is like airlines: they use demand pricing. You can’t get a price until you are ready to book. Earlier is better. Two couples we talked to paid $400 different for exactly the same thing but booked 10 minutes apart.

The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago did that for Marathon Weekend. Normally $35 entry, but Marathon Weekend $50, which is primarily why we did not go. No wonder “rich” people get along easier.

And we discovered in today’s world “they” sneak things into a bill. The Chicago hotel charged us $50 for a late checkout – which they conveniently did not mention, only noted later. Or a gratuity automatically added, or employee health benefit cost added separately. I never noted the cost of electricity or building maintenance on a bill.

I used to use the phone to find nearby places to eat, but it turned difficult as I would google places to eat near me and the closest would be a 1/2 mile away while we were standing in front of one. I learned to pay attention.

B: I learned what a large, incredibly diverse country we live in. The variety was awesome. That alone was one of the best parts. New York City, just walking the streets, was a lesson in diversity. Our guide for the 9/11 tour was 30 years old and did not know how to drive. She had never had a need. (She said our tips were going to pay for her driving lessons.) The food truck fellow from Egypt, the guide from Eritrea, the Jewish neighborhood in Baltimore. And the train, talking with various people, the Amish joining the train somewhere in the Midwest to go to a wedding, the musician traveling through the South to Houston, searching for a life beyond his past. The employees of the train, all from different backgrounds and hard-working, all. They do long hours and days with a smile.

C: As noted earlier, trains seem to take the short shrift. In the United States, freight gets precedence over passengers, often causing us to sit at a siding waiting for a freight train.

One could see this in the modern train stations. Houston and San Antonio had torn down their train stations and built bus terminals. Most of the elaborate train stations were relics of the past. Beautiful works of art, comfortable and functional.

3: Which was my favorite part?

People can be amazing!

That is difficult, depending on which part I am thinking about currently. My favorite train, although to call it a favorite does major injustice to the other sections, would be the Coast Starlight up the California coast. But the Sunset Limited from Louisiana to Los Angeles ranks in there, with the bayous, then the deserts. The Empire Builder from Portland to Chicago was spectacular, going from the mountains, to plains, to forests. The trip along the Great Lakes, I suspect, is spectacular, as is the Crescent train along the Appalachians, but they were at night, hence I cannot say much about that.

East coast trains, east of Chicago to New Orleans, were dirtier and I would say less friendly, although I am not sure how to describe that.

All in all, I enjoyed the trip, but like many things, I am very glad I did it, but do not need to repeat it. I would definitely do sections though.

I am glad I have the ability to enjoy it.

And next – the Zephyr train from San Francisco to denver sounds amazing if during the day, or the City of New Orleans from Chicago to New Orleans. Options and ideas.

For now though I am excited for the next adventure which is to stay home and enjoy winter here. Bike season is here, ski season, and just enjoying the sanctuary of home.

And for those still awake I posted a video of our travels on youtube. Hopefully it can be found on the youtube website https://www.youtube.com/@JRPatee