Sunday Jan 19
Time to take the train from Fairbanks to AnchorageBe there at 7 for 8:30 - we don’t think so.
Uber - no XL so cab it is.
Quick hotel breakfast before the train station
Why oh why did we not stop off and get a proper coffee first?
Train terminal is relatively sparse. Boarding passes sorted. Now only 30minutes to hang around.
Train
Alaska Railroad
One of the last hailable trains
Cute but blue with yellow “Alaska rail”
No wifi - eeek
Caleb calls us on the train
Young guy does the safety briefing - high fives from the other staff afterward. Cute
Breakfast - called to the dining cart! Reindeer sausage anyone.
10 hours to go......
L and A walk down the street for dinner at "Ginger" Asian fusion....get there just as the kitchen closes so a bit of yummy bar food and take the long walk of at least three blocks back to the hotel.
Z and AJ are tired but not tired enough to put the screens away - they stay at the hotel.
Jan 20 Drew’s 15th birthday
Crumpled “Maggot” card from Zoe made it to the day
Stretched voucher, Zion and bearstooth t-shirts, money toward a watch, book of insults
Beartooth theatre cafe - bench tables in front of the chairs. Jojo rabbit.
Cheap tickets and order pizza. Pizza was good.
There's a bar inside.
It’s like cheap gold class but really popular. Why isn’t this standard?
T-shirt for Reester and AJ
Snows as we leave.
LD wants to check out “play it again sports” across the road.
Didn’t see the Walgreens right next door - "we'll be back"
Drew finds a dramatic hat
Zozo notes that sports store does ice skate rentals.
Asks the right questions.
Any outdoor places? Why yes there is.
Ice skating on chesterfield lake.
LD rapidly understands chance of falling into already broken hamate 99.989%.
Zozo and Drew skate.
Uber skates back then Back to voyager inn.
Happy hour with Greg and big hand gestures, convoluted “slightly drunk” storytelling, Bonnie Lou Luther. She knows Zoe's star sign!
Club Paris for dinner. Chelsea the waitress from Kentucky
Its very pretty at night
Peaceful snow
-15 seems like warmth compared to Fairbanks
Jan 21
Glacier tourSetup and meet Salmonberry tour office
Boots and jackets
Meet John and Joan
Coffee.
Couple been selling coffee for 27years.
Husband also draws on whiteboard at front of the store. Greta Thuneberg.
Moose on the drive
Helmets, crampons, electronic hand warmers (easy to fall out if crawling into a cave).
The glacier
Different kinds of ice
Mini geology as ice ranges get pushed up overnight
Lunch at the long rifle inn.
Dogs were Higgins and Onslow.
Taxidermied animals. Wonder what the dogs think of them.
Long drive back
Snow and shapes on the highway. Driving into a mist.
Trip to Walgreens.
Girl behind the counter tik toks and tells us how the only girl she knows in Australia is the one her ex-boyfriend cheated on her with.
Dinner at Rustic Goat - Z buffalo sliders, D margeurtia, R pizza, L seared Tuna. Shmore to share
15 and 18; that went quick!
Pack for v early start on journey home
Time for LD to get a middle ear infection?
Jan 22 - The journey home begins
Up at 4:20No good sleeps that night
Clockwork exit
Even found someone else’s wallet when room checking
Checked all the way through
Quick tea,coffee and super expensive pretzel before Delta starts to take us home
Easy first flight
Drew sleeps all, Zozo a bit
Leave Seattle airport after some chip clip shopping and head to nearby mall for lunch / escape airport
Taxi driver fight. Short trip. Big cab doesn’t want us. Next one gets cross
Mall is big but sad. Macerate lunches, Vietnamese and Thai before Uber back to airport for next leg.
Easy 2 hours Seattle to LA for the final classic diad adventure of Venice Beach and Chick-Fil-A
Enough....after a massive security line hod up at LAX (once again we swear "never that airport again"), it's time for the journey back to warm weather, family , cats, a super Devilee cleaned house and of course.......SONNY (18mo), Missy (11yrs) and Boo (Cute but sooooo dumb).
