An Amazing Surprise! More Alaska…even while in Denver!

June 26, 2008

Well, wouldn’t you know? Chet and I returned home from Alaska to our jobs and responsibilities. I am a new Project Manager for Good Catch Publishing. The company has produced over 70 books in about four years, many of them filled with very edgy, dramatic stories of people who have been through heartaches, tragedies, difficult circumstances, and have found hope and redemption and transformation in their lives. (Read blurbs on the books here.)

The very day I returned, Michelle, the Editor in Chief assigned me two more books. Would you believe – one of them is about and for the tiny Alaskan village community of Hoonah! It is located near the capitol city, Juneau, has a year round population of less than 900, 65 percent are Tlingit; the rest are other Native and non-Native nationalities, including a sizable number of Scandinavians. (An aside, I have a sizable amount of Scandanavian blood, with “Lindstrom” as my maiden name.) Hoonah can only be reached via boat or plane! During the summer, about 2000 tourists visit each day via cruise ship.

My job is to oversee the conceptualization and production of these books from start to finish. I work with the client (who contracts the book) and match our unbelievably gifted staff of writers  – currently 20, from all over the US from the West Coast to the East Coast in all their varying time zones – with seven storytellers. I make sure every component (such as the graphic rendering of the cover, back copy, intro and conclusion and ISBN numbers) are just right. Our publication cycle for each book is an amazing 8-10 weeks before we ship.

(Click HERE for free book.)

With this new book project, I have spoken with a 52-year-old native, whose living is commercial fishing and his wife; a couple of missionaries who felt their calling was to move to this tiny community and start a drug and rehab program; and several who have been delivered from drug and alcohol addiction and are now joyfully serving others in the community. Another Hoonah resident and commercial fisherman has published a previous book about his life through GCP and will be contributing a dramatic story in this one of how he was taking one of his many plane flights to Juneau and a storm almost took him out!

Having immersed myself in the beautiful sights of the Alaskan forest, riveleted tidewaters and “calving” glaciers, the smells of the fresh air, the conversations with those who live there – both their joys and struggles in a pretty harsh land – I am so excited that I get to be a part of producing this book!

 

 This is a moose Chet and I saw while biking along the coast of Anchorage. He is a young fella – prolly a “teenager” and curiously followed us along the path for a brief part of our ride.

Sneak Preview…

Tuesday…

Sorry to those who keep coming back hoping for a new blog entry! We had some glitches here with the computer.

Chet and I had a wonderful time with our family and adventures here in Alaska! We will be flying back to Denver in a couple of hours.

Over the next few weeks, I will post stories and photos. Please come back frequently and enjoy! Here are a few highlights that you can look forward to:

• A cow moose with her twins showed up in Tom & Karol’s backyard!
• What happened on the River?
• Spectacular “calving” on our 26-glacier tour in Whittier
• What surprising colorful animal did we see and hear “up close” on the glacier tour???
• The roadside business Chet almost set up while we biked along the Anchorage coast
• Did the fish bite on an ocean fishing trip?
• New friends from other countries and a crazy dance
• And so much more!!!

Come back later for more of the scoop!

We love you!

Hugs! Chet & Marla

Our Surprise!

“It’s so charming!”

Chet and I stood in the doorway of a darling little cabin Wednesday afternoon near the river where we’d soon be fishing. Tom and Karol rented it for us at Sheep Creek Lodge. They also secured a room in the lodge for Mom B. How generous and thoughtful! We loved it! It was equipped with a comfy double bed, a black Franklin stove-like electric fireplace, two bunks and a tiny table and chairs.

(Tom, Karol and Haka, their energetic hunt-trained black lab, spent the night in their cozy little trailer in a campsite near the river.   Tom and Tanya stayed in their trailer in Palmer. They drove it all the way from Florida, sightseeing their way through Canada. Thought they might need to stop and take a job for a while “to pay for gas the rest of the way into Alaska,” but looks like they were able to eek by…)
After a slow-to-get served (one waitress, prolly one chef), but very delicious meal at the Sheep Creek Lodge, we headed for the river. While Tom got fishing gear ready and Karol opened up the trailer, Chet and I walked down and secured our fishing licenses with a King Salmon tag. The licence was $20 for a 24-hour day plus $10 for the King tag. The different kinds of salmon, including King (or Chinook), Silver, Red, Coho have different running times up the river.

It was 9:00 pm and the sun was hanging far above the horizon. It had be a cloudy day, but was pretty clear. T & K brought enough fishing gear for an army…we put on our waders over many layers of clothes (“It can get very cold on the river, even in the summer!”), gloves, hoods.

We wandered down to the river.  Under the careful tutelege of “master fisherman” Tom B, Chet and

 I made of first cast for King Salmon. Chet loves to fly fish for trout in CO, though he doesn’t get to do it very often. He was in fisherman’s heaven, as we all stood in the medium current, smelling the fresh air, watching the sun dip down to the horizon much more slowly than the Lower 48.

There were a few other fishermen in boats or wading, but none that we could see caught anything. Sometimes you can’t pull them into the boat fast enough, they say, sometimes it is slower.

Mom B. and Tom watched Chet, Karol and I from a picnic table on the bank.
For me, it was a thrill to cast out the shiny half-a-ruler long lure, seeing how far I could get it, before reeling it in. I’d give a whoop when I made a pretty good cast.

“The fishermen all looked quickly in your direction when you yelled,” Tom & Chet told me later, their faces flashing sarcastic smirks. “Usually when someone gives a victory yell on the river, it’s because they caught something.”

The “river closed down” at 11 pm – that was when you were supposed to stop fishing, even though the sun still hung on the horizon, streaking across the water.

When Chet and I unlocked the door to our cozy cabin at midnight, there was still plenty of light.
 
 
 

Cast of Characters

Thought I’d share a few photos of those characters we met up  with here in Alaska.

Making the Plan

Tom & Tanya (Chet’s sister) Wilson joined Tom B, Karol, Haka (their very energetic black lab), Chet’s mom Zerene, Chet and I at T & K’s home. Never a dull moment, for the contractors had not completed the new garage, and were still digging the trench to bury cable in their back yard! The electricity even went off when I was trying to create a blog entry (hence you had to wait!).

Alaska Facts

I must have been fascinated with a state so far north, largely untamed and unsettled from the time I was a young girl. I remember choosing Alaska as my “state project” in fifth grade. Perhaps the other states were taken. Perhaps not.

But I even remembered from so many years ago that the state bird is the Ptarmigan – Willow Ptarmigan, to be precise. The Territorial Legislature adopted it in 1955.

Some other facts about our 49th state:

• Motto: “North to the Future”
• Flower: Forget-Me-Not
• Fossil: Wooly Mammoth
• Mineral: Gold
• Gem: Jade
• Tree: Sitka Spruce
• Fish: King Salmon
• Insect: Four-spot Skimmer Dragonfly
• Sport: Dog Mushing
• Area: 586,412 square miles
• Denali (Mt. McKinley): 20,320 ft. (Tallest peak in North America)

Some other Alaska trivia facts from Alaska Fast Facts and Trivia:

1. Alaska officially became the 49th state on January 3, 1959.
2. Nearly one-third of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle.
    
3. The Alaska Highway was originally built as a military supply road during World War II.
    
4. The state boasts the lowest population density in the nation.
    
5. The discovery of gold in the Yukon began a gold rush in 1898. Later gold was discovered at Nome and Fairbanks.
    
6. Alaska is a geographical marvel! When a scale map of Alaska is superimposed on a map of the 48 lower states, Alaska extends from coast to coast.
    
7. The state’s coastline extends over 6,600 miles.
    
8. Alaska is the United State’s largest state and is over twice the size of Texas. Measuring from north to south the state is approximately 1,400 miles long and measuring from east to west it is 2,700 miles wide. 
    
9. Oil is the state’s most valuable natural resource. The area includes what is thought to be the largest oil field in North America.
    
10. In 1986 Mount Augustine erupted near Anchorage. 
       
11. The Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States.
     
12. 17 of the 20 highest peaks in the United States are located in Alaska.
     
13. At 20,320 feet above sea level, Mt. McKinley, located in Alaska’s interior, is the highest point in North America.
     
14. Juneau is the only capital city in the United States accessible only by boat or plane! 
     
15. The state’s largest city is Anchorage; the second largest is Fairbanks.
     
16. The Alaska Range is the largest mountain chain in the state. It covers from the Alaska Peninsula to the Yukon Territory.
     
17. In 1915 the record high temperature in Alaska was 100 degrees Fahrenheit at Fort Yukon; the record low temperature was -80 degrees Fahrenheit at Prospect Creek Camp in 1971.
     
18. The Alaskan malamute sled dog is strong and heavily coated. It was developed as a breed by a group of Eskimos named the Malemiuts.
     
19. Alaska’s name is based on the Eskimo word Alakshak meaning great lands or peninsula.
     
20. Alaska’s most important revenue source is the oil and natural gas industry. 
     
21. The state of Rhode Island could fit into Alaska 425 times.
     
22. Prudhoe Bay, on the northern Alaskan coast, is North America’s largest oil field.
     
23. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline moves up to 88,000 barrels of oil per hour on its 800 mile journey to Valdez.
     
24. The fishing and seafood industry is the state’s largest private industry employer.

You can find more about Alaska, along with quizes, at About.com.

We Land in Anchorage!

Chet and I braced ourselves for a lot of rushing around to catch our flights in Denver, LA and San Francisco (booked a two-stop trip). But it ended up being a lot of waiting around. Every single United flight was delayed, and we were able to skip the LA leg altogether.

After an almost-five hour flight from San Fran to Anchorage, we arrived at 2:15 am Tuesday, Anchorage time, 13 hours after fast-walking through the terminal to catch our first plane that we discovered was delayed.

Tom Benroth, Chet’s bro, graciously insisted upon picking us up, even at that late hour. The sky was a dull bright color, which he said was “false sunlight”; the sun had set around 11:30 pm and would be coming up again in a couple of hours. Chet and I were beat; I opted not to wait for the sunrise, but fall into bed. Therefore, the photo to the left is actually from this website.

Our adventure has begun!

Cyber-Travel with Us To Alaska!

In about an hour and a half, Chet and I will be leaving for Denver International Airport, hop a flight with two transfers that will eventually take us to Anchorage Alaska! Chet’s brother, Tom Benroth and wife Karol live in what they call God’s country! We thought we’d check it out and see for ourselves.

So are some of the rest of his family. These include his sister and her husband, Tom & Tanya Wilson, who drove their trailer from Tampa, Florida. (For all we know, they may have had to stop someplace in Canada to get a job to pay for gas for the rest of the trip.) Chet’s mom, who will be celebrating her 84th birthday in a few days, and who also flew up from Florida. (What a trooper – and she recently had a double knee replacement! Hope I can keep up with her on those hikes!)

Our trip is from June 9-17.

What is the occasion? Does there have to be an occasion?

Well, yes, there is, as a matter of fact. Tom Benroth’s 50th birthday. Shhhhhh! I hear he doesn’t want too many people to know.

Here are more Alaska photos:

 Of course, this is not Chet and I. We are not there yet. I got these photos from a Travel Alaska web site. But soon, you won’t have to look at these faux photos because I will be uploading the real thing! Beautiful photos and stories of our Alaska Adventures!

Please come back AGAIN and AGAIN over the next few days while I bring you along on this Cyber Travel Trip on the Tell Your Story Too Blog! And please leave your comments! Maybe something that has happened to us triggers a brief story you want to tell. Please TELL YOUR STORY TOO!

Gotta go and finish packing!

See ya in Alaska!!!

Love Marla, for the both of us…

CYCLING SISSY, Part 6 – YEA! I Can Do This!

This morning I needed to drop something off to a friend of mine who lives not too far away. By car, it’s a 10-minute drive. There are about five lights on a major street and tons of traffic.

But I was feeling adventurous. Why not ride my bike to her house?

This was a day of many firsts (in a long time, anyway):

Ø  I dug out my helmet – which hasn’t been worn in years – from the garage, somewhere, and wore it.

Ø  I dug around and found my hubby’s hiking fanny pack with water bottles (shhhh! Don’t tell him – he’s out of town) and discovered I could wear it while riding and thus have a place to stow necessities. YES! I can do this!

Ø  I rode my bike to a friend’s house, rather than using up about $3 worth of gas.

Ø  I kept going in the general direction of her house on side streets avoiding the main ones and discovered shortcuts!

Ø  I also discovered new neighborhoods I have never driven through – they are very pretty with the colors and greenery of early summer.

Ø  In the fanny pack was a tightly rolled rain and wind jacket. Turned out I needed it, as it got cold and windy on the way back.

Ø  I Discovered I like bike riding even when the weather isn’t pristine!  Maybe one day I could become Hard Core (please perish the thought!).

As I was walking out the door, Vicki said, “Wait! Wait! I want to get my camera!” She took this shot of me.

 

Tree Dudes Attack the Beetle Trees!

Our wonderful friends, Steve and Linda Nuss offered to come to the family cabin in Allenspark, CO to cut down trees marked by a state forest ranger. As most of you know, the pine beetles have ravaged the Grand Lake area, on the west side of the Continental Divide. We are all working hard to try and fend off the devastating effects on our side.

The two Tree Dudes - Chet under the masterful tutalege of Dude Steve – felled over 125 trees Friday afternoon and Saturday, May 30 & 31! Very few of them actually had pine beetles. Part of their mission from the ranger was also to thin the forest. They did not have to cut branches and chop the trees, nor wrap and stack them. The National Forest Firefighters offered to come by and chip them with their huge machines.

I am going to attempt to post a brief video shot of Chet felling one of the larger beetle trees behind the cabin at the end of these photos. It was the first time I’d ever taken video with my new Sony digital still photo camera, and had no idea if it would work, or even if I would be able to get the tree in the shot! But I think you will enjoy the Tree Dude Victory and the Victory shout!

(I have run out of time and can’t get the video posted – will have to do so at a later time – come back and watch the Big Fall!!!)