Lions, Puffins and Whales, Oh My!

700. This is roughly the number of photographs we took on our Kenai National Fjords Boat Trip. Now I will not be adding 700 pictures to the blog but I will give you a taste of some of our really good shots.

The Kenai (pronounced Kee-nai) National Fjords Park is located near Seward, Alaska. This map will show you the route of our trip.

We followed the blue route.

Anyways, upon waking that morning we saw the sun and believed it to be a beautiful day. I got my contacts out and was ready to put them in when, I realize I needed new ones. So I went to get them from my bag and they aren't there. Then it dawned on me, I left them in NJ. I came to Alaska with used contacts and then didn't bring extras.

So now I'm annoyed. I still have two weeks left of this vacation and there are plenty of times that I will need my contacts. These include snorkeling, white water rafting and dinners on the ship. After much chagrin, a thought came to me - I would get them overnighted. And now, thanks to Nana, they are on their way. I will update later as I track their process across the country.

Now back to Kenai. I put my contacts in only to discover that the right one was bothering me. After some annoyance, I took it out and realized that it had a tear in it. So I saw Kenai with one contact.

We boarded our boat at around 830 and were off to visit the Fjords by 9. Here are some of the animals we saw.


Sea Otters


Whales


Harbor Seals


Sea Lions


Puffins


Sea Stars

The crux of our tour was a visit to the Northwestern Glacier - something only 200,000 people have witnessed. As we headed towards the glacier, our captain regaled us with tales of how much the glacier has receded in 100 years. Since 1909, the Northwestern Glacier has receded 2 miles to its spot today. The melting has slowed but that amount of loss is significant.





After leaving the glacier, we headed back towards Seward. It was a three-hour trip back and we finally hit land at 615. We got into the truck and began our trip back to Fairbanks. We stopped at the Summit Lake Lodge for dinner - same place we stopped on the way down - and ended our night at the Portage Valley RV Park - Mile Post 78.9 - near Whittier. We were all hunkered down for the night when....all the lights went out.

After much tinkering by the men and much staying out of the way by the women, we discovered that the inverter had gone bad. Everything that was on A/C power was working but nothing on 12-volt was. So we decided to bundle up and sleep for a bit before heading out the next day.

It's an Alaskan Fishing Frenzy!!

Working on a fishing charter in Alaska has to be the greatest job in the world. Get up, fish, drink yourself silly, sleep. Repeat. That is all you do. And it's amazing.

When we got to Ninilchik, we got unpacked and then met the captain and the deckhands - all of whom were drinking already. Jason - captain; Curtis - deckhand; Mike - deckhand. They are all related and all spend their summer fishing and drinking.

By 2 a.m., we had shotgunned about 15 beers, tried to get someone to throw up and had eaten enough s'mores to fill my quota for the summer. It was a great welcome to Ninilchik and the life of a fisherman in Alaska.

The next day we got up around 10 a.m. and headed out to fish around noon. They have the craziest way to get the boat in the water. Everyone gets on the boat on land and then a tractor of sorts hitches up to us and pulls us into the water. Its awesome.



We got out to the fishing spot by 1 p.m. The water was flat and there was a bit of a breeze. It was sorta chilly but not too bad. We started fishing then and didn't stop until 8 p.m. Mom sorta caught the first fish. She was reeling it in when the line broke. However, Will began to reel in a halibut and it ended up being the same one that Mom had. So, technically Mom had the first fish but she shared it with Will.



It took me ages to reel in my first fish. I was reeling in a bunch, getting lots of bites but those halibut would never stay with me long enough. I ended up getting three halibut and a cod. Not too bad for my first time. Dad had some issues. He didn't catch one fish until we moved spots. Then he kept catching halibut that were too small. Finally he caught a good one and then went on a roll.

Jackie, Tim, Mom and Will all did pretty well. The first fish was the biggest one caught but Tim caught one that was close in size. His had a full salmon in its stomach too. Will had some bad luck with the fish later on in the day. They would use him for his bait and then not be there when he reeled in. Seems he has the same issues with women.



We got back by 830 after a really long day. 16 Halibut and some cod on the side. We got showers and then Mom and I went to check out the eagles. We got some awesome shots of bald eagles and golden eagles. Then we went back and......drank! I know, it's abnormal. This time we stayed up til 3 a.m. Another great night with some great people.



All in all it was an awesome day. The people were nice and accommodating to us. We were sad to leave but look forward to going back someday. We packed up this morning and headed out to Seward. But again, that blog post is for another day. Til then.

This Here's an RV, Folks

I apologize for the absence. We've been away from internet access for two nights. I will now recap those days in two separate blog posts.

When I first saw my brother in the Fairbanks Airport, I was a bit worried. He was growing a rather bushy beard, was wearing a beer t-shirt and was driving a diesel truck. Could it be that he had become a hick? My worries began to subside as we drove to their house. He seemed normal enough. Maybe Alaska hadn't gotten to him too much.

But then we saw it. The RV. The trailer. He had done it. He had gone over to the darkside, bringing Jackie with him. There it was, parked next to his quadplex, in all its glory. I knew at this point that they cannot come back to the East Coast with such a contraption.

However, it got even better when I realized that the RV would be my home for the next 4 days. We were going to pull it all the way to Ninilchik and then to Seward and then back to Fairbanks. All five of us were road tripping in the truck. Channeling Chevy Chase in our very own Alaskan Vacation.



So we packed everything up on Thursday morning and got on the road at 930 a.m. I worried for the sanctity of my world. Would I hate my family by the end of it or love them even more? A trip that was first thought to be 9 hours turned into 14 hours. We made a few stops along the way, picked up a Will Doyle in Anchorage and finally made it to Ninilchik at 10 p.m. We saw some large gorillas, dogs driving cars, a black bear and stopped to take in the sights

Once arrived, we(well Mom and Dad went to bed earlier) all then proceeded to get completely wasted with the captain and deckhands of the fishing charter. But that will be for the second blog post.

Alaska, the Final Frontier

We are here! It has been a long day. A very long day. And here now is a recap:

We landed in Seattle around 10:45 PST. I was able to sleep a bit despite my rather rotund seat mate. My parents had enjoyable seat mates. Except for the 40-year-old man sitting next to my mom who was watching Bewitched on his laptop. Yes, I know what you are wondering, how did he get that on dvd? I'm not sure but he is one lucky man.

We got off the plane and needed food. We went to Wolfgang Puck - the first restaurant we saw. Got some sandwiches. Then we decided to head to the gate for the next flight. This is where the fun begins.

I will preface this tale with a short story. When I got off the plane, I went to look at the board to see where the next plane was. It said terminal N8. So, after lunch, we went to terminal N8. We had to go down two flights of stairs and then take a tram to the terminal. We get there and my father goes to check the board again. He informs us that the gate we should be at is actually D9. And D9 is all the way back where we had lunch.....so we walked all the way back, this time up two flights of stairs. We definitely worked off lunch.

We got on the plane to Fairbanks at around 130. It was another uneventful flight. We all sat next to each other so there weren't any random travelers to poke fun at. I did end up passing out at some point...a moment that my mother froze in time.


I'm attractive when I sleep.

We landed in Fairbanks at 430 AST - Alaskan Standard Time. That is the time we will be using from now on. We met Jackie and Tim at the airport, got our luggage, and headed to their duplex. We got a full tour of the place - pictures to come later - and it is fantastic. They have really made themselves a nice little home here in the woods.

Jackie went food shopping while the Aras clan went to the Transfer Station - a fancy Alaskan name for a trash depot. Then we went to get fishing licenses - well Mom and Dad got them. I had not been informed that I needed to bring my license or a photo id so I didn't. Nevertheless, we went back later to get my license and fill up on gas. Dinner was Halibut caught last weekend. It will most likely be Halibut for the next week and that is completely fine with us.

At this point in time, it is 930 AST. This means it is 130 EST. I have been awake for 21 hours. I should be dead tired but I'm not. Probably because of the cocaine....

Anyways, this will be the last post until tomorrow night. We are driving to Anchorage tomorrow. 9 hours in a car with my four favorite people in the world! Can't wait! Til then....but wait, here is a taste of what is to come. Get excited. :)

And We're Off.....

Disclaimer: This blog will contain loads of sarcastic comments. Some will be about my family while some will feature random people I see. I will make comments about my surroundings and even make fun of myself periodically. Please don't take much of it seriously. I lace the truth with sarcasm because my livelihood depends upon making all of you laugh. Please don't believe that I despise my parents or hate the world. I discriminate all - no one is safe from my stinging wit. All in good fun. All harmless. I'd rather not get sued for anything I say here. I am incapable of keeping my opinion to myself so get used to it. :0)

Let me preface this blog by informing you all that I am writing this while on the plane. Alaska Air has free WiFi in the air. It's amazing. Technology is both amazing and yet horrendously frustrating. At 34,000 ft. in the air I can surf the web but I seem to have difficulties getting good cell service in my house. Go figure.

Anyways, we are off. My parents finally got around to packing...slackers. And much to her chagrin, my mom forgot her book. She begged and pleaded (asked once) to use my Kindle to buy the book. Now she's happy. Crisis averted.

We left the house at 5 am. It really is a lovely hour to be alive. A cool breeze and a beautiful sunrise welcomed us as we drove the New Jersey Turnpike towards Newark Airport. Such a picturesque drive....I must try to do it more often.

We boarded the plane by 715. We are sitting in separate seats on this leg of the trip. I'm in row 21 and my parents are in row 23. They seem to have semi-respectable row mates. I, however, got stuck with some rather ridiculous characters. To my right is a woman who seemed a bit uptight about traveling. She was on the phone with her daughter before we left the gate. Definitely told her she loved her about five times in a five minute conversation. Then she proceeded to take a bunch of pills. I didn't pay attention to what they were but I'll assume that they are anti-anxiety pills and make her out to be crazy. The truth has no basis in this blog.

And to my left is the character that could be up for the "buy an extra seat" award. She was right behind me when we boarded the plane and she hardly let me sit before plopping down herself. (plopping is the key word here). She had to request for a seat belt extender and has been sleeping on and off for the past hour and a half. I was forced to climb over her to use the bathroom. My long legs saved me the hardship endured had I awoken the sleeping giant - now if only the Japanese had thought along the same lines...

We are due to land in Seattle at 10:40 a.m. PST. So that would be 1:40 p.m. EST We will be there for three hours do to a layover. Then we take a 2-hour flight to Fairbanks. I'll post some pictures of the Seattle airport later on. Til then...

Defeating the Urge to Overpack

If you are like me, the timetable to pack depends upon the length of the trip. If it's a weekend away, I'll pack roughly an hour before I leave. If the trip is for a week, then I'll pack the day before. When I went to Egypt for month, I began my packing a week in advance.

However, this trip is different from all others I've taken. Reasons being:

1. It's Alaska. This is explanation enough for those who have been there but I'll divulge for those who haven't had the opportunity. Alaska is unpredictable. Yes it's the middle of the summer. And yes it is light out for most of the day. However, the temperatures can fluctuate rapidly. It might be 75 and sunny one day and the next day it's 60 and rainy. We cannot rule out the possibility of snow either. Often it is warmer in Fairbanks than it is in Anchorage . So you see the dilemma. We have to pack for all seasons.

2. It's Alaska. Yea I know, same as the first one but for another reason. No one goes to Alaska to tan on the beach, drink your face off, and flirt with the bartenders. Well, I might end up doing two of those things *see future blogs ;)* Anyways, we will be hiking, fishing, whitewater rafting, etc. These activities demand a certain dress code. Hiking boots, hiking pants, wool socks, foul-weather gear, etc. Things like this take up a lot of space in suitcases so it's been a bit of a challenge.

3. The Cruise. This trip encompasses a lot. We fly to Alaska, spend a week doing crazy things with Tim and Jackie, and THEN get on a cruise ship. So we also have to pack for the cruise. Bring nicer items for dinner. Bathing suits. Maybe some clothes for warmer weather.

For these reasons, packing has become an art form. We cannot overpack. There is no leeway. You must only pack what you need and what you will wear. Very militaristic in a certain way. (Side note: I must add that we do have the luxury of washing facilities at Tim and Jackie's place as well as on the cruise ship. So maybe this isn't that bad).


Mid Pack


All done!

Well I'm all packed. My parents aren't. They have some lame excuse about work but I'm not buying it. Just pure laziness.

Less than 48 hours til we leave. Stay tuned for more posts.

New Name, New Blog, Same Blogger

Hello,

I formed this blog many months ago. I wrote about three posts in three days and haven't been back since. Obviously, I haven't had much to say and had no real reason to have a blog. I don't live with this false sense of entitlement, believing that people really care what I have to say and I'd like to believe that I am not pretentious.

That being said, I have finally found a reason to blog. This blog will become my travel blog. Reasons being:

1. I love to travel. Easily my favorite thing to do.

2. I have traveled a lot in the past year. I should've started this blog back in October when I went of my first of three cruises this year. Alas, I didn't, so I'm going to start it now.

3. I like to talk about traveling. I definitely do different things when I travel. I like to eat odd foods and take risks that I never do when I'm home. I'll try to keep it lively.

4. I can post pictures! Modern technology has blessed me with this ability. I can dazzle you with my witty comments and then hit you with some Pulitzer-prize winning photographs taken on my 7.1 megapixel Canon camera. (Note: There are cell phones with better cameras)

Those are probably the main reasons why I am "re-starting" this blog. I did blog when I went to Egypt two years ago and that seemed to go over rather well. Let's hope this one is as enjoyable, albeit I'd rather not get any offers of marriage this time.

This first segment of the blog will deal with our next trip to Alaska. In two weeks time, my parents and I will be traveling to "Seward's Folly." We will be visiting my brother Tim and his wife, Jackie, who live in Fairbanks, Alaska. I won't give away too many details about the trip itself but it will include fishing, hiking, snorkeling, whitewater rafting, eating, sleeping and cruising.

So I hope you all enjoy it. I will be back soon for some pre-trip updates.