Traveling to the Top of the World

It hit me as I stepped inside the Airport Shuttle. I’m traveling to the light. The days are still longer in Alaska. I am also traveling to the top of the world. In Japan, folks celebrate their 60s as a new beginning, the turning of a leave, a new exciting chapter to the novel of one’s life. What a great way to commence the new era, traveling to the light and standing on the top of the beauteous planet of life in the Arctic Circle, sharing the ground with Polar Bear.

As United’s flight 614 to Denver took off, Zodiac, the spirit of the freckled white horse with grey spots I ride on my birthday in the Sonoran Desert, kissed my third eye. Thank you, dear fellow. I tried to sleep, but my head was racing with excitement.

The woman from South Dakota sitting to my right googled the gate for my connecting flight. It was boarding while we landed. I rushed from gates B48 to B39 and boarded flight 1126. I stood up and smiled at the woman sitting in front of me.

“What brings you to Alaska?”

“I am turning 60 tomorrow and decided two days ago I wanted to see the glaciers and have the great outdoors adventure a Henry David Thoreau style.”

“I moved from Page, Arizona, to Alaska last year. I came like you for my 60th birthday and could not leave. I fell in love with the northern lights. Moving to Anchorage is the best thing I’ve ever done.”

“Do you have any tips? Where should I go?”

“Drive straight to Whittier on the other side of the tunnel. You can rent a captain and sail on a sturdy boat to the glaciers.”

“That most be expensive.”

“No, honey. It’s a local business. Just get to the marina and ask around. Make any sailor an offer. And those are sturdy sailing boats. Nothing like touching an iceberg. Much better than a cruise.”

Northern lights? A town on the other side of a tunnel? Sailing among icebergs? I’m high up in my element. Air a Libra’s favorite. Drinking a Bloody Mary with Mr. T mix is my flying ritual. I only drink this stuff when I am up in the air. This time I had to pass Mr. T Bloody Mary and settled for water on the rocks. I took a sip and wondered if I could pull off a cheap sailing trick out of my sleeve and watch some whales up close.

“Do not forget to visit the tram.”

The storks of possibility glided inside my head. How much adventure can I pack in four days? Travis, the flight attendant wore a watch that weights a whole pound. It does not get better than this. The northern lights are already playing their trick. What can I do on the next four hours while traveling in the belly of this metal bird? It’s time for Free Cell.

*******

For the first time in my life, I did not make a car rental reservation. National was the only car rental agency at the Anchorage Airport with available compact cars.

“I love your jacket,” the cordial and tall older man waiting behind me on the car rental line said pointing at my leather jacket.

“Thank you. It has seen sixteen monsoon seasons. I bought it for thirty-five bucks at Buffalo exchange a second hand store in Tucson, Arizona. I wear it as a second skin.”

“What a deal,” he said and smiled. “What brings you to Alaska?”

“Is it that obvious that I am an implant?”

He giggled.

“Tomorrow I turn 60, and two days ago I decided to make it memorable.”

“You chose the right place. Happy birthday. My wife turned 60 few days ago. You must be another Libra. Let me give you a birthday present.”

He handed me a $25 coupon for the Alyeska Resort tram.

“My son gave us these a month ago and that is not our thing. I hope you enjoy it. The views are spectacular.”

*******

Under the last rays of sun, I drove to the hotel following the instructions of my beloved Alberta, as I called my Samsung 6 GPS, on a fire-red compact Chevy I named Tango, since I planned to dance a glacier-melting tango along the Alaskan terrain.

Nothing like the hunky call of wild geese flocking over Anchorage, the welcoming committee.

The hotel was cleaned and filled with stuffed hunted animals, which is not my thing. I promptly asked for a place where I could get some fresh fruit. My digestion had been excessively poor, I could not afford to risk getting sick. The front desk girl directed me to Carrs Grocery Store, an affiliate of Safeway located a short drive from the hotel on 1650 W. Northern Lights Boulevard. Alberta patiently guided me to the grocery store. I hoped to find fresh produce in Alaska.

I'll be darned, Carrs wound up to be a travelers' paradise. It included a large fresh produce section that included produce from my neighbor Arizona border town, Nogales. I bought fresh strawberries, a tray of fresh cut pineapple chunks, seedless grapes, a jar of dill pickles, several leak-proof small plastic containers to carry my food in my backpack along with my Nikon camera and several bags of dried pineapple snacks to keep my energy up. After browsing around, I returned to my feather-free hotel room totally wiped off.

For those interested, Carrs also offeres a full deli with roasted chicken, barbecue ribs, smoked salmon, and a full line of gourmet sandwiches prepared to order and delicious looking salads and side dishes. It also included a pharmacy and all sorts of last minute shenanigans like winter coats, jackets, hats, and scarfs. Anything you can think off can be found at Carrs, including camping gear, coolers, and folding pocket guides. I bought the Alaska Wildlife and Alaska Birds A Pocket Naturalist Guide.

Happy to have my special dietary needs covered, I headed back to the hotel, grabbed the free Bearfoot Anchorage and Kenai Road Guide, the Alaska Activity Map, the Official Guide to Anchorage Alaska and Surrounding Areas, and myriad other free pamphlets available at the visitors corners of the hotel, placed my groceries on the refrigerator, served a large portion of fruit and made instant fat-free Thai soup using the coffee maker available in the room.

Happily, I parked on the king size bed laptop on the side, surrounded by tour guides, and ate my meal while watching the Welcome to Alaska channel overflown with infomercials about local attractions, restaurants, tours and anything you can think off tours and things to do.

That evening as I envisioned the tour I had purchased for my birth day next morning, I received a call from Salmon Berry Tours. They had cancelled the tour I had selected due to weather conditions and explained that I was the only one taking the tour. Instead, I purchased a similar package for Sunday and figured that my birth day would need to go with the flow. After several pages of notes, I slept like a log.