Gratitude

Good Morning All!

My adventure has been wonderful so far. My brother Greg picked up me and my 3 large boxes for a ride to Long Beach Airport. We had to stop for a pastrami and a little surf fishing at Seal Beach.

From there, he dropped me off and I checked in. Thank you Greg for taking the time to send me off, even though your sunglasses snapped in two when we hugged. Try some duct tape. I think that will work. Think of it as a fashion statement. lol

I hadn’t flown on Jet Blue Airlines before, but I was thoroughly impressed. They actually offered free snacks and drinks, as well as video screens behind each seat with free TV and a few movies. Sadly, I’ve grown accustomed to the other airlines that offer low prices but nickle and dime customers to death. I’m getting the impression they are on the verge of charging for toilet paper by the sheet.

I opted for a cheese platter, red wine and ginger ale, which creaed a wonderful sangria. So how come no one told me about this airline before?

For this wonderful experience, I have to thank my friend Adam. He’s a pilot with Jet Blue and offered me a ticket to Anchorage to begin my journey. As we all know, this world is smaller than we think. Ironically, I met Adam’s late mother on a trip to China 8 years before I met him. I didn’t have many conversations with her, but I do remember her talking about and being very proud of her son. After meeting him years later, I can understand why. Adam, I’m sure she’s watching over you everytime you jet off a runway and couldn’t be prouder of you. Thank you very much for your generosity!

I arrived in Anchorage close to midnight and was welcomed by Maureen – my daughter’s boyfriend’s dad’s sister who has become my friend. Maureen graciously offered me a ride from the airport and a place to stay while getting everything situated. Maureen, like her brother Mark, have both been into bicycling for a long time. Maureen has ridden from San Francisco to San Diego and ridden the Rosarito to Ensenada bike ride. Quite impressive.

Yesterday entailed putting my bike and trailer back together, then trying to make everything fit. I did need a soldering iron to fix a plastic piece on my seat bag, so Maureen called her friend Roger who had one available. We vistited Roger for a bit, where he showed me some random antlers he picked up here and then we all headed out for some delicious gourmet pizza and craft beers at Moose’s Tooth. I should have taken a picture of the pizza, but I was too buzy eating it!

After the amazing meal, Maureen offered to take me to Glen Alps Trailhead for a view of Alaska’s beauty and a panoramic view of Anchorage.

The funny thing about July in Alaska are the long, long days. I was packing up until 11:30pm and realized I needed a few bungie chords so we ventured out to get some before midnight when Walmart closed… and it was still light out!

After a great beginning and a good night’s sleep, I will be heading out shortly toward Soldatna for some salmon fishing. Challenges will be coming my way as I will be riding into the storm that is heading toward Anchorage. That doesn’t sound like much fun, but this is an adventure and it will be 100++ degrees in Southern California. I think I prefer the cooler weather. 🙂

Thank You Maureen and Maika for your kindness and generousity. You’ve definitely helped make my stay in Anchorage a wonderful experience. Now we have to talk Mark, Garritt and Trina into a fishing trip to Alaska next year!

Thank you all for following me on my journey. And now, it time to head into the storm!