Into the Wild

Friends,

Our Alaska adventure enters its final stage today. We arrived in Anchorage a week ago today, badly in need of a shower, a bed, and real food. We leave Anchorage clean, well-slept, well-fed, and moderately infected.

We took Monday and Tuesday as rest days - recovery from the 2,500-turned-into-4,000 mile journey from Seattle. But even in these recovery days, in the company of good family, was well worth having. Wednesday we ventured down the Kenai Peninsula to Seward, where we went to Kenai Fjords National Park. We saw gorgeous mountains, rushing glacier-fed rivers, and (of course) ice-blue glaciers the length of football fields.

Thursday night we saw The Mountain River Valley Coastal Association of Indigenous Peoples (actually just the Mountain River Valley Boys, my Uncle Joe's band) open for C.A.K.E at the Moose's Tooth's First Tap. A great night filled with bluegrass, weird talk-rock, and a plum tree. Some 60 year old woman tried to set Lizzie up with her son. Good time had by all.

Friday we went back to Seward to visit the Sea Life Center, where we saw puffins (MY NEW FAVORITE AMINAL. THATS RIGHT. A-M-I-N-A-L.) Sea lions, seals, squids, salmon, and a host of other sea creatures. We ate late lunch in Seward and ventured north to Hope, where The Mountain River Valley Boys were playing at the Seaview Inn. Got a taste of real rural Alaska here, as the town of Hope is about the size of an elephant's footprint. A good show, with a half-decent crowd. Lots of fun to be had.

Mean Uncle Joe's a bastard in Monopoly. He will bleed you dry. Watch out for him.

The weekend was spent family-tizing. My cousin Alexis rolled into town with her kids last week, so between me, her, the two kids, my two aunts and uncles, and my cousin Veronica, it was probably the largest non-wedding Page family gathering outside of Massachusetts. We all got rolled in the rug. And no, that is not a veiled drug reference.

And now we head north to see the great mountain, Denali, before we blitz southwards across Canada, where there are no bears. Vat vould they vant?

And remember friends, Let's all get f*cked up for C.A.K.E!

Love,
Tom