Ketchikan

When I got off the airplane at Ketchikan Internationl Airport in Monday night, I walked out of the terminal to this sunset, on a rare and "sunny" evening. It was pretty amazing, but the locals told me that it was rare, and I was lucky to not have been greeted by wind and driving rain. Oh, well. I'll take what I can get. So far I've been here three days (including Monday), and only yesterday was rainy.

I snapped this picture yesterday morning. This is the road that runs by where I work now. I work up the hill to the left at that intersection. The forest all around here is thick, a rainforest so to speak, with moss and ferns and all sorts of dark and dripping things. The amount of the color green is so incredible. I remember thinking that in Georgia, but this is much, much thicker

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This ship is one of the big cargo ferries that travels the Alaska Marine Highway System. This view is looking out from by where I work, across the Tongass Narrows with Gravina Island in the background, where the airport is. I took a ferry from the airport to town. That's the way it's done up here. It would have changed had the "Bridge to Nowhere" been built, but that got shot down as "Pork And Barrel" spending in congress.

At any rate, so far, it's great. More pictures and stuff to come.

Morning in Alaska

I took this picture this morning looking southeast at the greater Ketchikan. It was a gorgeous sunrise, even if there wasn't really any sun. The days are a little longer here, but I haven't adapted from Colorado time either, so to me, bedtime is around 8 or 9, and I'm wide awake before 5. I'm sure I'll adapt.

As soon as I get some internet figured out, I'll post a longer entry with more and better pictures, but for now, I'll try to stay on the mobile witchcraft here.

Sea-Tac's Main Terminal

This place was huge! The windows curved as if nature was pushing inwards on this large space! This is the main terminal at Seattle-Tacoma International Aiport. Not quite as big or unique as Denver's Jeppeson Terminal, but the windows were enough to get my attention and share them.

Inside a Lonely Corner of Sea-Tac

Airports are airports. I've always loved them for being the hubs of people's best and worst emotions. Today, however, everyone just looks tired, and I'm bored. I wish I had enough foresight and money to find a friend to explore Seattle with. No matter, I will sit here and enjoy my quiet time. Four and a half hours to Ketchikan.

Down Time at Sea-Tac

I landed in Seattle with the daunting mission of killing almost 10 hours in the airport, but fortune smiled upon me and gave me free Wi-Fi in the airport terminal. The result, with a little searching for an electrical outlet, a quick stop at the Burger King, and a few winks of sleep on the floor, is a blogging and picture-downloading extravaganza!

Since I have plenty of time, I have to recap the awesome force of friends and family. I've somehow managed to find all sorts of wonderful, smart, funny, and supportive people in my life, people that, when I tell them I'm moving over two thousand miles away, they still manage to tell me that if I don't do it, they'll kill me. I'm a selfish friend, and many of my friends have hints of this, too. I always thought that if I had a good friend who was moving away for good, that they'd either have to stay or I'd go with them to whatever place they were going. It's interesting to see what it's like when the other foot drops and I'm the one leaving all my friends behind. Who knows if this will be permanent or temporary. It's exciting, and it's about time I created something for myself to write about.

I loaded all of the pictures I've taken onto my laptop, but unfortunately, either the WiFi here at Sea-Tac or the wireless card on my computer, one of the two is failing me at the moment. Maybe they're conspiring. At any rate, I'll have to keep in touch later with pictures of the journey. In the meantime, I'll be running one-offs from my phone. Thanks a bunch!

Denver International Airport

Today, I'm leaving Denver for Alaska, and it's a big deal for me. I'm trekking into the unknown, and because of that, I'll be blogging more and more often. It'll be my only real connection to the familiar. I leave for Seattle here in half an hour or so, and then, onward to Ketchikan. The reality hasn't coompletely sunk in yet, but I'm going to guess that my perception of life in general is so surreal already that this whole experience is just another logical step, just another bend in the river of my life.

Awesome Tunes in Fort Collins

Tonight, I took a break from Day 2 of StarFest to come up to Fort Collins and spend an evening with my good friend Joe, my college roommate, nerd-equal, fellow Trekkie, biggest-hearted guy I know.... anyway, I'm sitting with his lovely wife, Bonnie, and watching him assault his drumset. They've played Weezer and Radiohead so far, and I haven't been disappointed. They're a good band, and it reinforces the idea that a little time away from the grind for some good music and a cold beer makes all the difference when you're stressed or tired or hurt.