Waiting to Escape

Its another late night, and I cant sleep. Nothing much happened today, like the rest of the week, like last week, like the whole month. I dont know what I am doing- just letting time pass so I can get to the next thing. I have made some decisions, which I cant go back on now. Since they are things I have been mulling over, I feel good that now I am going one way or the other, and not trapped in limbo. However, I am still stuck waiting to make other decisions, step by step, so I can finally completely free myself from this stage in my life. I know it is a stage, and it will change; nothing is permanent. I just keep imagining happier times, times when I will feel exuberant again, inspired, enthusiastic about new possibilities. I dont feel that now, I just watch tv and sit on the couch. It doesnt seem like me; maybe it is a way to mourn. I feel like the caterpillar inside the coccoon, so ready to break free, struggling inside the shell, unsure of the new life, the outside world, yet it is my instinct to break out eventually. Nothing can stop me; if I dont break out, I will die here, and I am so eager to fly away. So I am gathering my belongings, throwing out needless things, putting to the side some items for immediate use and others for storage. This sorting process is easy for me, perhaps too easy. I have to be careful two months from now I will be searching for some misplaced item which in fact I threw out in a moment. Many items taking up space wont be necessary in the future so better to let them go and forget about it. I cant erase everything, and I shouldnt, although I am compelled to begin completely fresh. They say I am implusive, that they didnt see it coming, and yet for me, it has been brewing inside me like a seismic earthquake. And now, and now, now...now I have to just keep waiting for the right moment to make a clean break, all the while making little steps, little decisions, that push me closer and closer to the edge, to the point of no return. Its really not as poetic as it sounds.

I Wish I Was Anywhere But Here...

December 15th, 2008

Looking out on a snowy winter day in Seattle, I wish I was anywhere but here. My apartment is comfortable, maybe too comfortable; I am losing motivation daily and going out less and less. I can barely think of anything to do outside, plus it is so damn cold I have no urge to freeze when TV is ever so entertaining. In short, I have got to get out of Seattle- the time has come! Enough is enough! We cannot go back! (Do you recognize these quotes?) Folks, I cannot go on living in the shell of my former life. I need a new attitude, get my groove back and all that crap and I cant do it looking from the same window on the same life and thinking thoughts that are constantly comparing the life I thought I had with the life I am left with. I must move on, move out and get started fresh. There really is no substitution.

The End of the Road

December 1st, 2008

As the song goes, the road has got to end somewhere. Oftentimes, its hard to tell when the journey is over because one thing leads into another. A small road trip was on the menu the last couple of weeks. Although I dont enjoy driving generally, I found myself heading south on I-5 and didnt stop until the weather was a steady 75 degrees. Along the way, I saw many friends and family- some had new children, had built houses, started new businesses, strengthened relationships, grown up, grown older and yet all of them were still my friends. Each one gave me something different, part of themselves that reminded me who I was. Its easy to forget the little things that make each of us unique and its nice when you can rely on friends to remind you of what makes you special. It was this thought I had for Thanksgiving.

Was there any special significance of slamming in to a harmless deer at 70 miles an hour last night? Luckily, I had not had time to swerve or to try and avoid hitting it which would have been worse for me. I hit it full force, head on, killed it and destroyed the truck. The police man said he had never seen a car so destroyed by just a deer. Where did the entire front end go? In a moment, everything changed again.

A night in Weed, Ca, a greyhound bus ride and long drive in a rental car later and I finally returned to Seattle. Life ends and begins again, round and round, we just keep going. The road doesnt ever end, does it? The journey is endless; you cant quit yourself.

To my friends an blog followers- keep on truckin'! Oh, and watch out for deer.

The Rain Begins

The rainy begins for the true fall season and turning of the clocks. This is the view around Seward park and Lake Washington.
A walk through the Japanese botanical gardens at the aboretum was a Sunday treat. A perfect venture for the weather. The striking oranges and reds against the once grey sky, then bright blue was really dramatic. Look at these red maple leaves as they have fallen on top of the larger yellow ones. The contrast made me think of the work of Andy Goldworthy, a public artist who uses these contrasts in nature for his work. While one season ends, another begins, and I feel comforted by the passing of time when it once seemed to stand still, now we know that things have changed, we have all gotten older, in a good way, and may find more peace in the future.

Fall is Here

October 2008

Dont give up on the sun just yet- we are really having a late summer here in Seattle. Sure some days rain and have those cloudy gray skies, but we are still having 70 degree clear skies mixed in. It has been really, really nice, like mother nature is just easing us along to winter. I dont remember too much about fall last year but the leaves do turn nice shades of red, orange and yellow. Maybe I am a true Seattlite now that I can still wear shorts on these blustery days. I guess I am not ready to give in so easily to fall.

Yet fall is here- there is no denying that and October is the busiest month of the year to be working with schools. The colleges are on quarter systems and it seems shortly after classes start its time for teachers to start looking at new texts and placing book orders. It is a constant cycle of new and review. Luckily, we do have some key additions to our offerings that teachers can really enjoy using. Now that I have had a chance to meet with some of the schools to look at new products for fall, there is one that is really standing out.

The first one if Criterion with Longman Academic writing series. I remember my pedagogy of writing class as one of the most enjoyable and more time consuming of my MA. Teaching writing is so intensive and demanding on teachers, especially in ESL. You have to develop writers on so many different levels and in an 11 week course, I cant imagine how tough it is!! I also remember having to highlight errors and then categorize them by type and then tally them up to help the student to identify their top priority errors. I only tutored one student for my teaching project but it took so much time! Plus, I was overwhelmed at how many grammar errors there were in a high level ESL student writing that I couldnt even comment of the ideas because I just couldnt understand.

Anyway, this new program can do a lot of that work- from identifying, to categorizing, to tallying and even prioritizing. The best thing is that reasons and examples are provided to students so they can self correct. When I think back on my own chicken scratch and bumbling examples while just trying to stay awake, I would have killed for a program like this. Just run the first or any draft of the paper through the system and then give it to the teacher. Wonderful!!

http://longman.criterion.ets.org/

Life's Not a Beach in Hawaii

September 2008

I am lucky to have Hawaii as part of my territory, and its true I do get to visit a couple of times a year. And its funny that nobody will ever believe me that the hardest I work all year is when I go to Hawaii. My last trip was 5 days- from Monday to Friday, and from the moment my plane landed the insanity began. Once again, it is my own fault for scheduling myself my first appointment 30 minutes after landing. Of course at the time it seemed feasible, until I remembered baggage claim, renting a car, traffic and worst of all- needing water! I barely had a moment to stop and buy some water before getting to the classroom.

My appointment at the schools were very interesting. Hawaii has the largest population of ESL students of any of the states I cover- over 13,000. As we learned during our stay, the teachers are working to create the ELD standards and they are far from being finished. Without the standards, you cant create the assessment, or vice versa, and cant have continuity among levels, movement etc...It is the same problem I have encountered over and over again. Teachers are really struggling to do something for their students, but they cannot. So lest you think the only thing that people working for publishers think is to SELL SELL SELL, we do not. What good will the best program be for a teacher if they have no foundation of skills and standards to base the instruction upon?

Of course, amid my sprints from classroom to classroom, dashing up stairs, running in and out offices leaving notes, and bags and my car, I occasionally caught a whiff of plumeria or the sound of the breeze rustling in the palm fronds. Most of all, the sun was ever so delicious after cold days in Seattle. Let me just repeat, how tough it actually is to work on the road- sleeping in hotels, trying to remember to bring the right things, finding parking, finding the right door, etc and all while being on time and meeting everyone possible in the short amount of time you have so you can really be productive. It is really hard work.

The End of August 2008

30 something August 2008,

Another month has ended- how come the summer months go so fast and the winter months creep by? To be honest, while the rest of you in other places are still warming your toes, we have been experiencing fall weather for a couple of weeks. Rain, clouds, multi color leaves hitting the ground...The summer was over a few weeks back...It is sad.

I have been working on gearing up for a busy fall season, which includes looking back and improving on my knowledge of all my schools- and the locations in all 4 states. I am amazed at how much I have learned- yet so far to go...One of my most unpleasant jobs is updating my customer database and so maintaining it with accurate info has been my imperative before sampling, visits, conferences...the fall season approaches.

After more than a couple of hours on the computer, I am ready to kill myself, so despite gloomy weather predictions, I saddled up for the Oregon Coast. I was fairly convinced it would be warm there. After all the state is flatter, and always sunny. You may be laughing, but as someone who lives in Washington, I am convinced it is sunny wherever I am not (Oregon).

For once- I was right! I had three fairly sunny days on the beach. The sounds of the waves was enough to trick myself it was still summer, and it was so relaxing. The hills were crazy, but I think I shall return to the entirely protected Oregon coast someday soon. Every section seems to be a state reserve and the camping was only $4 and included hot showers!

Gem of All Gems- Whidbey Island

August 16th-17th, 2008

I am trying to keep up with the blog and post once a week. So far I am doing good because work hasn't totally kicked in to overdrive. This week was interesting because Robert came back from Africa. He had pretty good spirits after a 12 hour layover in Morocco, a 6 hour flight delay in NYC and then a 2 hour wait to get a super shuttle to the doorstep- 7 AM and I was just waking up. He was out the door and off to work by 10 AM. I couldn't have done it...

Overall, I am so glad he came home safely.

There were a couple of trainings we did for teachers this week and one thing we really enjoyed showing was Side by Side interactive www.longmanusa.com/sidebyside . We demoed the program on a smartboard and wow! these things are cool. Every teacher in the district is getting one...Even ELL teachers? Have they been upgraded from chiseling on stone tablets? Amazing!

I had been gazing out on the beautiful sunny days all week and then I just couldn't give up on the idea that I should have at least one trip rain free...So I packed up my stuff and headed down to the downtown ferry for Bremerton. I had never been there before and wasn't overly impressed. It was a good snap shot of living in a Navy town- if I am ever going to fit in I will need to gain 200 lbs, frost my hair and drive a Transam.

I was determined to see Whidbey Island and relive a bit of out cross country US trip in 2008, where we went from Anacortes to Boston. I recently ordered some new bike maps from http://www.omnimap.com/ and although they took some getting used to, I really enjoyed the route suggestions! Great! And just when I thought life was perfect, it seems the scenic less trafficky way is also the HILLIEST way...I had to walk many a hill on the route.

I continued from Port Townsend to Keystone. Upon embarking, I had one of those spells where life is perfect- rolling fields of golden grain, multi colored wild flowers, setting sun and dark fir trees against the blue ocean. The ride from the ferry in to Coupeville is a must see list of cycle trips.

I had to make a choice and continue on Highway 20 if I was going to make it to Deception Pass. I tend to ride faster on the highways, so I gulped a banana every 30 mins and a PowerBar every hour, and water and water and water...The miles just didn't seem to stop. Nor did the hills.

At last, the state park sign appeared and I turned to see "campground FULL." But, there was no way in hell I was doing another mile, so I went up the 20% grade hill to the campground and found the gem of all gems- the hiker biker sites!! Set back along the path, they were remote quiet and about as close to isolation I was going to find. No rain, no mosquitoes and a brilliant full moon emerged at midnight. A magnificent day!

Day Two- Sunday

I rode just a mile north and took some photos on Deception Pass. I was once again entranced by the idea of kayaking the waterways of the state...At least on a sunny day.

Then I rode south again. You know, Whidbey is a very long HILLY island. Getting to the Kingston ferry took until 3 PM with my side tours, extra hills and miles. My knees were starting to hurt and it was still 30 more miles home from Mukilteo...I called Robert. I rode hard thinking how fun it would be to have him see my ride up like Lance Armstong- but he misunderstood my location, and I ended riding almost all the way home anyway.

In total, the two day trip was almost 200 miles and not for people who dont like climbing.

He did make a lovely SPICY dinner- and there was chocolate and ice cream. I couldn't move from the couch, but it was fun and I was SUNBURNED! I know this isn't good, but well, it is summer, right?

Mt Rainier- 150 miles and 10,000 ft of climbing

August 8th and 9th, 2008

So, is there a reason why the name is Rainier- as in "rainy-er"? Rainier than what- Seattle? Yes, it rains more on Mt Rainier. How could it be I am spooked by this looming mountain on sunny days, and when I go right to it, I cant even see it?

By the end of the week, I was fried and yet couldn't stop working. When you work from home, it is so easy to just keep working, and feel you have accomplished nothing. Just send one more email, send one more sample, look for this person,...it never ends. My wrists actually hurt from typing all week and so did my elbows. It was time to get away from the daily life and get some perspective.

Why is it I am always trying to find ways to clear my mind? It took me 80 miles of climbing to finally stop thinking about work. I parked the van in Enumclaw and rode in to the park, rolling hills, trees getting bigger...Then, I went dooowwwn, and then I entered the national monument and went uuuuppppp...It was one of those roads where you can see it zig zagging across the other side of the valley, cutting an impossible line way above the tree line. I needed another banana if I was going to do this.

Then, wouldn't you know it, it started raining! Should I put on my rain gear or not...? Then it started pouring, no more debating...I started shivering and my hands froze around the brakes, my feet were wet and numb and I was hating life. At least I had finally stopped thinking about work!



I got to the campsite and although the sign said "full," luckily people had cancelled, probably because of the weather. I got a nice little spot and cooked in the vestibule of my tent. I put on my dry clothes and hunkered down. It was a dark night- so dark I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face when inside the tent. There was no Alaska summer light and I couldnt find my flashlight.

The rain did stop and I continued the ride the next morning out of the park and on to the main roads back north up through Elbe, Eatonville, Kapowsin and Buckley. Hey- my van was still parked at Rite Aid! Cool! I drove home and got stuck in traffic and construction and road rage, again, back to reality...

Then, Talya saved me with a cool barbeque at Magnuson Park- wow! A beautiful sunny day on Lake Washington...I have to get a boat!

Look At This Mess!

August 4th-8th, 2008 Seattle

My first tasks upon returning back to work?...

Move a pallet of books from the mailbox to my new garage; move out of my old storage space in to my new unit; re-organize EVERYTHING without hurting my back; send the pallet of books back to the warehouse; catch up on the two trainings I missed; finish my reports; email people who dont email me back; call people who dont call me back...blah blah blah.

There's nothing like getting back to "reality" after being on vacation. The weather is so nice, too! Man, I've got to get outside! 3 days of 80 degree weather and I am moving my storage by myself! Dang!

Exploring My Own Back Yard

August 3rd, 2008 Sunday

I was mourning the end of my trip last week. With my neck injury, I thought I would never ride again. Luckily my x-ray proved that the problem was not bone related and probably a cyst of some kind. With that news, I broke out my bike from the box and set off. Getting back in the saddle felt great! This bike fits me so well and the bike seemed to be riding on its own- I kept having to up shift to be able to keep up with the pace...It was weird- I was so desperately missing riding.

And, as luck would have it, there are plenty of great amazing rides right here in Washington! Now that I am "back in business" (credit to Olinda), I am excited to start exploring the neighborhoods and parks right outside my door. On Saturday I rode around Lake Washington (the full loop) for the first time- 53 miles. And on Sunday, I did part of the lake and around West Seattle and Lake Union. The Blue Angels were out performing over the I-90 bridge and although the stunts are cool, it feels like the top of sky is being shredded off every time they go by. Dad would like it, but its too loud for me.

I ended with a picnic lunch on Lake Union in the new park at the south end. I watched a guy fly some stunt kites and the hydroplanes take off for flight seeing tours...It was a wonderful sunny day and thank god, I finally feel that "summer" has arrived.

Next stop? I am thinking weekend trips to the Olympic Peninsula and Mt Rainier.

Please Stop Raining...

July 22nd- 27th

Valdez-Cordova-Whittier-Hope-Seward-Anchorage

Alot more stuff happened, but it was all clouded over, by, well, CLOUDS. I found myself singing Rihanna's "Umbrella" to myself, and a more indecent 50-cent song because I was ever so soggy for the last days of the trip. I had dreamed of doubling up the trip since I had reached my goal so quickly, where to next? Seward (too close) Homer (bad roads)...Soldotna? Sterling? Once I was on the Kenai, though, I realized the traffic was denser, faster and well, people weren't giving me room anymore. Trucks were blasting by a hair's width away from me, RVs were racing past and there was tons of wet gravel and "glacier dust" covering every inch of the bag, the bags and ME. My feet had been wet for at least a few days now and I cringed to look at them. The Safeway bags weren't really working and I was out of dry socks. A fellow camper asked me how things were going, and I blurted, "Good. But I'm done."

The rain just took all the fun out of it. So, I ended up in Seward. I took the train back to Girdwood. I saw a bear. I saw a moose. I started counting the miles and although I would have like to continue my neck was really hurting now. Sharp stabbing pain flowed down my left side and there was a huge scary lump on the vertebrae. I was consumed with thoughts I would soon be Christopher Reeve, so I stubbornly packed it in.

In Achorage, I rolled up to my friend Liz's house and there ate all her food, played with her dogs, dried out and came back to life in a house. We had some great conversations and I continued my soon-to-end affair with the intriguing state of Alaska...

In sum, how can I explain what intrigued me so of Alaska? I think it has to do with possibility. Alaska isnt totally developed, inhabited, paved over, or even known. The native cultures do still exist and even live the way they always have. The few headlines I saw in the local papers had native issues as headlining stories. Native voices in the lower-48 are quite absent, but in Alaska they were voicing concerns about drilling and gas pipelines. Sure, the gas will bring temporary profit, but then what?

I feel there is a chance to do it right up here. Now, more than ever, modern business must develop land in sustainable ways; now more than ever we should share incorporate native attitudes about nature into our modern lives. I have often felt native culture and modern consumerism are inconsolable, but in Alaska, perhaps time has not run out. I dreamt of a future that meshed both, in an environmentally sustainable way, and I have hope this could be done in Alaska.

Alaska alaska alaska

Even Mother Nature has Favorites

July 20th- 21st Copper Center to Valdez and ferries

I spent a hellish evening in my tent at the Blueberry Lake campground. Like I previously mentioned, it had commenced raining and raining, so the higher up in the mountains I went, the colder, windier and rainier it got. I was accompanied by a group on a supported cycling tour and we passed and re-passed each other on the way to the top. One of the women took this photo of me near another glacier and the guide warned me to have good brakes on the downside. I had decided to camp at the rec center at the top because it had already been at least 80 miles and I was TIRED.

I rode in to a puddly foggy wet, very wet, and cold campground. It seemed like I was the only one there, but then I spotted some strange folks in a beat up van by the lake. I started getting freaked out and I hopped in to my tent as soon as I could. Then I was plagued with doubts and fears, "who were those weirdos? what was that snorting sound? i have no dry clothes left...what happens at night?" I tried to re-read a book I had hated the first time through. I read the soggy tourists brochures, tried to write in my journal; anything to stop thinking about what was soon to be jumping on top of my tent.

The campground host came by to collect my fee and I was relieved it was a woman. I stuck my hand through the tent peephole and gave her $15 bucks. I said, "When's the weather supposed to let up?" She just chuckled saying two days ago it was sunny. The weather seems to be a persistent bad joke. On that note, although I wasnt sleepy and a little hungry, I tried to close my eyes and sleep. Anything to get through the rainy evening. I must have bedded down about 6 PM, tossing and turning in my damp sleeping bag.

In the morning, I went down the mountain. I was cold, very cold and the rain pelted my face. I had this sense that it was probably the most amazing view ever- but I couldnt see it. At long last, I pulled in to the port of Valdez, and the clouds parted for the afternoon. I was right in the middle of a plateau and I could see all around me- high peaks, glacial cirques, waterfalls streaming from the mountainsides... After setting up the tent, I sprinted to a HOT shower. I never thought I would be warm again! After I rested I went shopping, did laundry, journaled, cooked, ate...all the basic camp chores. This sort of distracted me from the fact that I had made it. I was there. Valdez had been my goal and here I was. Yet, I was too early- I have a whole week left...Hmmm, Kenai Peninsula?

A $5 Shower

July 19th, 2008 Friday

Lake Louise to Copper Center

I was wondering how I would do without showering, and removing that piece of luxury was something I wanted to do to myself, but dang it, I am hurting for a shower.

I rode in headwinds to Glenallen. I felt like the scourge of the earth riding to the grocery store. Is everyone looking at me, or what? There were lots of other folks there stocking up as the town is a central place before embarking to the Wrangells (which is the second largest state park-did not know that). After buying some cans of tuna, cookies and 3 packs of rice-a-roni, I headed straight for the drive-up Java station. Ahhh, a double latte. Nothing like roughing it in the backcountry.

A couple noticed my road beaten bicycle and the guy asked me if I was on a bike tour. Why, yes, I am. Alone? Yes, I am. Silence follows. They looked outdoorsy but you could clearly see this was his dream and he wasnt following it for some reason, probably his girlfriend/wife, which is why I say, do it alone. Dont get me wrong, I would love to do some adventures with my hubby: what a perfect opportunity to bond by battling the elements and sharing the little moments of discoveries together. But looking at this couple, I remembered the suffocating strain that comes from compromising and the ensuing battle of wills. I know Robert would never do this. I have some friends that wouldn't enjoy this either. Heck, I'm not even enjoying every moment of this, but I would rather spend my energy keeping myself going than having to motivate somebody else or look at their rain soaked visage and feel guilty.

It's my private hell so don't bug me!

Then there is the lack of hygiene, which was the topic I started with. I arrived at Copper Center with about 2 miles to go- again, 2 miles that felt like 200. My hands were numb, my neck was seizing and shooting pain down my back, my skin was a disaster, my hair was a greaseball and slicked to my head, my bike shorts could probably finish this tour by themselves and there was no shower at the RV park. But!- in the liquor store there were showers and I sprinted across the gravel to take one. I enthusiastically paid $5 without even thinking, he could have charged $15 and I probably would have paid that as well. Granted the hot water turned to cold in 30 seconds, but lordy, this was heaven on earth...

It was about this area that I noticed that people are completely obsessed with fishing in Alaska. This intensified as I travelled onwards to Valdez and reached a crescendo in the Kenai...

Lake Louise

July 18th, 2008

Matanuska Glacier to Lake Louise

I will be honest, I was watching the miles yesterday and calculating how long it would take me to get to Glenallen, then Valdez, then on and on. Its really not good to do this because then you miss out on the moment, but I was tired. That is my excuse. So what to do? Get some friggin coffee, Im friggin freezing, Scott (say this with a Doctor Evil voice).

I am going too fast, yet I cant stop myself either. I have already made too many miles- I should have stopped more, done a rafting trip, or heli-skiing or some trekking. But, I came here to cycle- to ride!- and that is what I am doing...Lots of it. Today was a long day and I finished with an extra 20 miles off the main highway to Lake Louise. Just remember, 20 miles is 20 miles. Just like when you get to mile 18 in a marathon and think, "Oh cool, I only have 8 more to go..." but 8 miles is a good run, and 20 miles when you have already done 80-something feels like 20 million.

So I was stoked when I got to the sweetest state recreational campground on the lake with barely anyone there! I got a nice spot by the water where I could see the lake house resorts, hear the ducks and pass the launch beach when I went to the well to get non-potable water (yum!). I just love these state rec campgrounds- they rock! You pay $10-$15 bucks and nobody bothers you. Its just me and the tent, my little i-think-i-can stove, some smashed bread and some salty rice a roni to burn my mouth with.

The other cool that happened was I met another cycle-tourist! His name was Bruce and he appeared on the horizon as a black blob a half mile away that had me wondering, "is that a bear? a large duck? what the heck is that?" But, of course, its a bike tourer, the hardy, the few, the survivors. After the Apocalypse, you can be sure, that a few cyclists will emerge from the mushroom clouds loaded and ready to ride.

And loaded he was. He had some good tips for me about buying food in Glenallen, seeing McArtur, taking the ferry from Valdez to Cordova and to Whittier. He rambled on for a while in his Aussie twang before we parted ways. I commented to myself that my counterpart was an old, beat up looking man. Perhaps my inner soul belies my outside appearance, although at this point, I look pretty rough myself, as you can see in this picture (I didnt post the most unattractive ones.)

I do thank ole' Bruce for pointing out an enormous glacier that was behind me which I didnt even notice and would have completely missed. He said there was only a few places you could see, at the top of the hill and before the turn off to Lake Louise. I managed to catch it riding out to the lake and again in the morning- it actually scared me to look at. I wont try to describe it because you really have to be near it physically to get the full effect of its power.

Roadside Glaciers

July 17th 2008 Palmer to Matanuska Glacier

There arent many places I have been to with glaciers and these are definitely one of the unique things about Alaska. I didnt really know what to expect but somewhere down there off the roadside was the Matanuska Glacier, which the guidebook says is one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska, a mere mile from the main highway.

Once again, I ditched my stuff at the campsite and proceeded to investigate. I had a long bumpy ride down a gravel road with tons of potholes. There I found "Glacier Park" which has a gate and a fee $15 and I had to sign a waiver. I dont know how these people scored to put a gate in front of a glacier, but it was sweet deal if you ask me. I continued riding down the half mile road singing Joni Mitchell "take paradise and put up a parking lot-doo doo doo." I guess the indigenous people had it right- how can we own the land, the sky and sea? But dont get me wrong, I would love to buy a little homesteader plot of land out here and put up my own fence...

There it was- a giant glacier- a frozen sea of ice raging through the mountains. I walked out following the orange cones, and the black turned to blue- glacial blue- which has a nice sound to it. It cracked and popped like ice cubes you leave on the counter. There was the sound of running water and a coolness to the air. I walked out to the "warning" sign and had no desire to pass it and disappear in to a crevasse like a frozen mammoth.