(no subject)
Alright everyone, it is time for me to update you on my Alaskan adventures.
I finally went to Canada, which is only about an hour-long drive from Skagway. I was a little disappointed in it, as the roads were not paved in gold and the streetlights weren't lollipops. There are, however, cheap groceries and more than three thousand people. EXCITING! I was able to smuggle some ripe produce across the Canadian border, which made me happy that I did not have to explain the whereabouts of my mangoes. I went to Carcross, where most of the population (of 300) still lives in houses from the gold rush of 1898. The town of Bennett still accepts gold as currency. Despite all this gold money, I wonder how the Yukon clothes itself...There were only two clothing stores to be found, one of which sold exclusively Carhartts and various other heavy-labor accoutrement.
The drive from Skagway to Whitehorse, The Yukon Highway, is the most amazing stretch of land I have ever seen. Words can not even describe what it is like. I don't think there is anything else in the world that even comes close. As soon as I get pictures of my trip, I will post them online. The waterfalls off the mountains were especially strong yesterday due to the TONS and TONS of RAIN we've been getting here (and it is not supposed to stop for another week). It's a good thing though...The town of Skagway runs off of hydroelectric power from Pitchfork Falls and the Dewey Lake System. The clouds began to break towards the end of our trip and we got to see the lakes. Emerald Lake is green and clear because there is no inlet or outlet except the source of the water, which is a glacier. The chemicals from the glacier turn the water that green color. Lake Tutshi is one of the larger lakes in the mountains and the Natives used to think it was evil because the water is so dark and the wind is really strong, which creates whitecaps. Finally, I got to frolic in the smallest desert in the world, which was created by glacier movement and silt-processes (or something like that).
The forth of July here in Skagway was pretty interesting. There was a pretty big party downtown and I went with a big group of people I work with to watch the fireworks. Luckily, there wasn't much fog or many clouds, so everything was pretty easy to see. The fireworks were at the harbor, against the mountains in the inlet. The lights and sounds didn't seem all that impressive though, considering the really tall mountains dwarfed them.
But now...what I know you actually care about...
Wildlife Spotted (Still no Moose or Caribou):
I believe that I am searching for something here that I doubt I'll ever be able to find. I certainly will never be able to find anything like this anywhere else or at any other time. I am obviously searching for the confidence to be an adult and be on my own. It is is frightening to be where I am right now, but so terribly exciting. I have no idea what will happen from day to day, I can decide where I want to work, what I want to do, the world is so full for me. At the same time, I would like something stable and...a place to go after this summer. Transience is alright for the time but I think I want something more than that. I want friends that will last past this summer.
And really,
what I guess it comes down to,
is that I want a boyfriend.
I have refused to admit this fact, though it should be so obvious.
Here's another list:
Boys I've kissed in Alaska:
It must seem totally juvenile to keep liking these people that it would be so impossible to have a relationship with, even though this is what I claim to want. There must be some sort of deep-seeded emotional issue that I am refusing to admit, currently. (Meh, at least I know that part).
In any case, the gist of my ramblings is: everything is going alright here. On the surface, I probably act like things are perfect or things are awful. They are neither of these things. One must pay the price for living in the great wide open (which, I think the case may often be, is feeling terribly lonesome sometimes) and being on one's own (being easily knocked around, feeling as if inner-strength will never develop).
I hope everyone else is doing alright. I really do. I think I realize now why my previously-graduated-from-college-friends told me how tough the summer after graduation is. We need to stick together. SO CALL ME. SERIOUSLY.
I finally went to Canada, which is only about an hour-long drive from Skagway. I was a little disappointed in it, as the roads were not paved in gold and the streetlights weren't lollipops. There are, however, cheap groceries and more than three thousand people. EXCITING! I was able to smuggle some ripe produce across the Canadian border, which made me happy that I did not have to explain the whereabouts of my mangoes. I went to Carcross, where most of the population (of 300) still lives in houses from the gold rush of 1898. The town of Bennett still accepts gold as currency. Despite all this gold money, I wonder how the Yukon clothes itself...There were only two clothing stores to be found, one of which sold exclusively Carhartts and various other heavy-labor accoutrement.
The drive from Skagway to Whitehorse, The Yukon Highway, is the most amazing stretch of land I have ever seen. Words can not even describe what it is like. I don't think there is anything else in the world that even comes close. As soon as I get pictures of my trip, I will post them online. The waterfalls off the mountains were especially strong yesterday due to the TONS and TONS of RAIN we've been getting here (and it is not supposed to stop for another week). It's a good thing though...The town of Skagway runs off of hydroelectric power from Pitchfork Falls and the Dewey Lake System. The clouds began to break towards the end of our trip and we got to see the lakes. Emerald Lake is green and clear because there is no inlet or outlet except the source of the water, which is a glacier. The chemicals from the glacier turn the water that green color. Lake Tutshi is one of the larger lakes in the mountains and the Natives used to think it was evil because the water is so dark and the wind is really strong, which creates whitecaps. Finally, I got to frolic in the smallest desert in the world, which was created by glacier movement and silt-processes (or something like that).
The forth of July here in Skagway was pretty interesting. There was a pretty big party downtown and I went with a big group of people I work with to watch the fireworks. Luckily, there wasn't much fog or many clouds, so everything was pretty easy to see. The fireworks were at the harbor, against the mountains in the inlet. The lights and sounds didn't seem all that impressive though, considering the really tall mountains dwarfed them.
But now...what I know you actually care about...
Wildlife Spotted (Still no Moose or Caribou):
- Black Bear (Today, for the first time! It was in our trash.)
- Seals
- Golden Eagles
- River Otters
- Bald Eagles
- Blue Jays
- Whales
- Salmon
- Dolphins
- Ravens (They are like Pidgins here.)(And are especially active lately. The salmon are spawning soon in the river.)
I believe that I am searching for something here that I doubt I'll ever be able to find. I certainly will never be able to find anything like this anywhere else or at any other time. I am obviously searching for the confidence to be an adult and be on my own. It is is frightening to be where I am right now, but so terribly exciting. I have no idea what will happen from day to day, I can decide where I want to work, what I want to do, the world is so full for me. At the same time, I would like something stable and...a place to go after this summer. Transience is alright for the time but I think I want something more than that. I want friends that will last past this summer.
And really,
what I guess it comes down to,
is that I want a boyfriend.
I have refused to admit this fact, though it should be so obvious.
Here's another list:
Boys I've kissed in Alaska:
- Martin
- Sam
- Matt
- Nathan (who looks a lot like Nathan F-K but does not remind me of him. This Nathan lives on a glacier most of the week and gets Fridays off...so comes down, buys groceries, goes to Moe's, usually finds me, subsequently tries to make out with me, stays alone in Sargent Preston's Lodge until he's due back up on the Glacier the next day)
- Don (who does not live in Skagway but was visiting some friends here. He lives in Seattle.)
It must seem totally juvenile to keep liking these people that it would be so impossible to have a relationship with, even though this is what I claim to want. There must be some sort of deep-seeded emotional issue that I am refusing to admit, currently. (Meh, at least I know that part).
In any case, the gist of my ramblings is: everything is going alright here. On the surface, I probably act like things are perfect or things are awful. They are neither of these things. One must pay the price for living in the great wide open (which, I think the case may often be, is feeling terribly lonesome sometimes) and being on one's own (being easily knocked around, feeling as if inner-strength will never develop).
I hope everyone else is doing alright. I really do. I think I realize now why my previously-graduated-from-college-friends told me how tough the summer after graduation is. We need to stick together. SO CALL ME. SERIOUSLY.