Christina Meets Alaska

Alaska's Midnight Sun and Glaciers

2009-05-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

Alaska's spring has been beautiful this year with sunny days and temps in the mid-60's. One Sunday a few weeks ago I saw FIVE moose in one day...2 at Hatcher Pass, 2 at Portage and 1 at Potters Marsh....these are all locations outside of the city but I have never seen so many wild animals in one day..... Bears are out too but they tend to be attracted to homes on the outskirts of the city that leave their garbage in unsecured areas and attract bears.

So the sun rises now about 4:30/5:00am and does not set until around 11pm. It never really gets completely dark. The days will be getting longer until the summer solstice on June 21; the longest day of the year.....this is why they call this the Land of the Midnight Sun. Check out this pic I took the other morning when my flight got into Alaska at 1am!

A couple of weekends ago my one of my best friends was up for a visit and we drove north to see Matanuska Glacier. We hiked a short trail to get great views of the glacier but we did not get to the trail that leads directly to it. It was still a beautiful view and a great drive. Here are a couple of pics of the Matanuska Glacier Hike and the Glacier itself.

We stopped by Hatcher Pass, my favorite spot, and I was surprised how much snow was still at the top of the mountain in Mid-May. Of course this is not anywhere near as much snow as there was back in March. Here a couple pics of me at Willow Creek(bottom of Hatcher Pass) and the Hatcher Pass Lodge at the top of the mountain.

The next day we drove down south toward Seward to see Exit Glacier. The trail we took this time led us right up to the rock field at the bottom of the glacier. We crossed the rock field to get to the toe of the glacier. Exit actually comes down the side of the mountain and Harding Ice Field is at the top of the glacier, but that was a 7-8 mile hike and there were notices up that a brown bear was active in the area soooo.....I was content just to touch the "toe" of the glacier! Here are a few pics of the rock and silt at the bottom of the glacier and Exit Glacier itself.

March Madness in Alaska

2009-03-29T18:33:00.001-07:00

So for the Madness...March Madness was alive and well here in Alaska! I met my coworker and some new UNC alum friends at the Peanut Farm in Anchorage. Lots of fun!

Now for the Mayhem,,,,yes Mt. Redoubt erupted in March. When it erupted years ago, it erupted 23 times over 4-6 months...This time it erupted 18 times in 1 week! Ash clouds came to Anchorage only twice. Here are pics in the day and night...crazy right?!?

Ash in Anchorage....

2009-03-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Living in the southeast most of my life, I have had my share of thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornados. I even experienced an earthquake in Northern California a couple of years ago, but I did not expect a volcanic eruption....especially in Alaska!

Pic: Mt Redoubt is completely covered in ash after several eruptions.

Well little did I know...Alaska actually has over 100 volcanos. Mt Redoubt has been erupting since Sunday(3/22) night and ash finally came to Anchorage today. Mt. Redoubt is a stratovolcano and instead of flowing lava, gas and rock erupts shooting ash up to 65,000 feet in the air. Where the ash falls completely depends on how the wind blows. So after yesterday's 3rd and 4th eruptions at 3:30 and 7:30, the wind finally blew the ash into Anchorage. The airport shut down and people were wearing their air filter masks outside.

I myself do not plan to leave the apartment until it is all settled! I can watch the Heels play Oklahoma from right here :)

Eruption at 11:20pm 3/27

Eruption at 1:20am 3/28

SEE, DO, EAT..Alaska in the Winter

2009-02-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

Visiting Alaska is usually recommended in the summer months however during my stay here I have found there is still quite a bit to SEE, DO and EAT while visiting the Anchorage, Alaska area. I'll be updating this post as I see, do and eat at new places.

SEE

Flattop Mountain - located in south Anchorage. Great pan views of cook inlet and the city of Anchorage.
Turnagain Arm - Seward Hwy/Hwy 1 that runs south of Anchorage. Great views of the cook inlet and its majestic mountains
Portage Glacier - Views of glaciers forming down in Portage

Seward - Lots of cruises set out from here. Also home to the Alaska Sea Life Center and the Polar Bear Jump Off in January.
Homer - great to visit in the summer months, but it's still a nice drive in the winter and has great views from Homer spit

Talkeetna - not worth the drive...only visit during the summer months
Hatcher Pass - totally worth the drive. Willow creek at the bottom of the mountain...but this is my favorite view in all of anchorage.

Resurrection Bay Cruise - This cruise sets out from Seward and takes a tour of Resurrection Bay. You'll be sure to see some good sea life and some glaciers if weather permits. Last cruises of the season tour in late October.
Alaska Train Ride - Ride from Anchorage to south to Seward or North to Denali.Alaska Zoo - Visit Aphun the Polar Bear and his friend at the zoo in Anchorage :) www.alaskazoo.org
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center -Basically a drive through zoo on Hwy 1 just south of Girdwood on Hwy 1. www.alaskawildlife.org
Alaska Sealife Center - located in Seward www.alaskasealife.org
Fur Rondy - 10 day celebration of life in Alaska. Feb 27 through March 8. Ends with the start of the Iditarod...I'll post pictures. www.furrondy.net
Iditarod - 1150 mile dogsled race through Alaska. I'm going to the kickoff in Wasilla so I'll post pictures later. www.iditarod.com
Skiing - Aleyeska resort in Girdwood...from Anchorage just drive south about 45 minutes to Hwy 1 to Girdwood.
Snowboarding - Drive up to the top of Hatcher Pass and park and snowboard down. You should probably have someone to drive down to the bottom to pick you up.
Ice Skating - Outdoor rink complete with ice sculptures located downtown between 5th and 6th streets

Hockey Games - Alaska Aces Games....the fans ring cowbells at the games so make sure you do not have a headache before going to the game :)
College Basketball - while it is not the UNC Tarheels or ACC basketball.....but the University of Anchorage basketball team is doing pretty well this season

EAT

Glacier Brewhouse - my personal favorite so far; great food
Kobe Japanese Steakhouse - local japanese steakhouse, not upscale...and if you've been to one Japanese steakhouse, you have more tha likely been to them all
Orso - owned by same people that own glacier. a little upscale from Glacier Brewhouse, but I still prefer Glacier.
Simon & Seafort - great view of cook inlet...a little upscale, good american food and deserts. They have a seasonal fruit cobbler that is wonderful...my favorite is the berry cobbler.
Sourdough Mining Company - Warning! Warning! Visit at your own risk. Greasy and overpriced. will leave you with indigestion that will NOT be worth it.
Village Inn - Alaskan version of your local IHOP. Decent breakfast.
Moose Tooth Pizza & Pub - local favorite pizzeria, very popular....you will more than likely have to wait a minute for your food.
Bear Tooth Theatre & Grill - owned by same people that own Moose Tooth. American food with theatre on the back side of restaurant where you can eat food from the restaurant and watch movies. Nothing particularly special, but a local favorite.
Sea Galley - Seafood restaurant that has the BEST tempura shrimp. Atmosphere leaves something to be desired...but then again, most places you visit in Anchorage are dated with decorations/furnishings that belong in the 70's and 80's.

Artic Desert...with a volcano???

2009-02-08T14:35:00.000-08:00

So I went to the doctor here after being sick for a week and having chest pains whenever I breathed the cold air outside. She explained to me that Alaska is essentially an artic desert with cold dry air. People like me who are used to warmer, more humid climates sometimes find it difficult to handle the climate for extended perioods of time. So I have to make sure I wrap up, cover my face when outside, drink significantly more water than I normally would and take plenty of vitamins....yeah yeah doc, so are you saying I have been in Alaska far too long???

Here's my January recap:

First week of January...subzero temps around 25 below zero. It was one of the longest cold snaps in history. You know the temperature is below zero when you sniff and your nostrils stick together, hahaha! One good thing is that the days are lengthening in January…gaining 6 minutes a day.
Mid-January... There was a quick "heat wave" in mid-January of temps around 35 and 40….so much snow and ice had built up that many streets were a sheet of wet ice which made it almost impossible to drive or walk on. The local courts and government offices closed down for ice for the first time in almost 30 years due to weather. Alaska is used to cold and snow, but the ice was horrible.
January 20… There were several community service events in Anchorage the day before to commerote the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I took off on January 20 to celebrate the inauguration. (See why I'm celebrating) The University of Alaska at Anchorage showed the inauguration in the auditorium on the big screen. It was part of their Civil Rights Month Celebration. Hundreds of people attended and we all participated as if we were there….standing, applauding laughing and even crying. They also provided reflection cards for attendees to write down their reflections on what the day meant to them so they could display them all as part of the Alaska Civil Rights Exhibit later in the month. Later that night there were celebration parties/balls around Anchorage.

At this point let me say that I have experienced thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes and even an earthquake in Northern California, but of course, Alaska is aiming to broaden my experiences even further...

January 23/24...Some in anchorage felt an earthquake, but I didn't. This earthquake was unrelated to the unrest that was observed at Mount Redoubt Volcano. Yes, a volcano. ' I was surprised to learn how many volcanoes are actually located here in Alaska. Mt. Redoubt is located some 100 miles southwest of Anchorage was expected to erupt at anytime. It's eruption differs from your traditional lava flowing eruptions from a Hawaiin volcano in that it spews volcanic ash miles into the air and the wind carries that ash miles away. The danger is that the ash from the eruption is most likely to significantly impact Anchorage. This ash is actually earth rock which our lungs can't process. Residents are encouraged to buy goggles and face masks to prepare for the eruption. So yes, all of the hardware stores were running out of stock. Thankfully I was able to secure 2 masks and a pair of goggles just in case. The Alaska volcano observatory keeps daily updates on their website. I'm praying it just settles down and does not erupt. I'll keep you posted.

Still Here in Alaska

2009-01-18T08:33:00.001-08:00

I have not posted a blog in a while but the past couple of months here have been interesting.

november
After election week, it was a while before Alaska's race was finally decided. Ted Stevens was found guilty in his corruption trial. Absentee ballots counted Begich beat Stevens for the Senate seat. Reaction among local residents ranged from nostalgia at the end of an era with Uncle Ted to estactic joy for a fresh voice for the state.

I went home to NC for Thanksgiving and it was good to see family again after so many months. Okay so for the short version of my "Charlie Brown" trip back to Alaska:he short version: Saturday - Greensboro to Charlotte. 1 1/2 hr Mech delays out of Charlotte... missed Phoenix connection. Spent the night in Phoenix. Sunday - Breakfast at the hotel then spent day in Phoenix airport. Able to catch flight to Seattle. Bad weather in Seattle, not enough fuel to make it to another airport, had to land in local Boeing test field. After 1 1/2 hrs, US Air FINALLY sent buses to take us to the airport. It was around 10:30. Monday - After mech issues AGAIN, in the wee hours of morning, flight finally leaves Seattle for Anchorage.

Pics from breakfast in Phoenix:

december
When I got back, my rental was a Dodge Ram truck...check out my excellent parking skills... and yes I backed into that spot in a parking garage.
December rolled in with colder temps in the teens and single digits and more darkness. Now I understand why alcoholism and depression is so high in Alaska during the winter. Anchorage is further south so the days were not as cold or short as they were further north. Yet, I can say that when you drive into work at 9 am and it is still dark and when by the time you leave work, it has already been dark for a few hours, it can be boring, frustrating and depressing. The key is to stay active as much as possible...or to leave to go home as much as possible, ha!

Anchorage is prettty when it snows. They also have what freezing fog when it is so cold that the fog "frosts" the trees and it looks like a winter wonderland.

More to come soon.....

I could see NC turning blue all the way in Alaska!

2008-11-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

Soooo it was 7pm here on November 4 and I had just gotten off work and was on my way to the store on the phone with my sister. California polls in CA closed and they called the election for Barack Obama. I rushed through the store and headed straight to the Egan Center downtown. On the way there I had called my parents and talking to my dad on the phone when McCain gave his concession speech on the radio. Concessions in the past few elections have definitely not come that soon, that easy and certainly not that graceful.

By the time I got downtown to park, I was talking to my mom and as she told me Barack had reach the stage, my friend from work and I were rushing to find a park and got into the Egan Center right as he took the stage. The victory celebration was sponsored by the local Obama campaign office and the local Democratic party. I saw grown men and women, black and white, young and old crying like babies and screaming with excitement and jumping up and down......we were all friends that night and all took part in the victory...even though it would be a while for AK polls were closed and the race between Stevens and Beigich was yet to be decided.

North Carolina was on my mind that night as it was yet to be decided as well, but first here are some pictures from the Celebration in Anchorage on election night:

Now North Carolina was finally called for Barack a couple of days later. He won the state by 14,053 votes. I will preface my next few comments by saying I am an Independent voter who has previously voted both Democrat and Republican...

North Carolina voted for Obama and it was the first time since Jimmy Carter in 1976 that NC voted for a democratic president.

I am proud of North Carolina not just because people are accepting change and voting for Barack and even Kay Hagan but because so many people registered to vote and voted for the first time....this allowed the country to hear the REAL voice of North Carolina.

And why did people vote? They voted because people began to have hope... actually believe that their voice could be heard, would make a difference and should drive change NOW... And not just change but a shift It is a shift to a time when people realize that we are all US citizens, we are all people have common human values & we all have to stand before GOD one day.

More pics from the celebration:

Sharing My Story

2008-10-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of months I’ve shared stories and pictures of the beautiful and fun sites here in Alaska as well as political experiences and ideas here in Anchorage that are particularly interesting given the unique dynamics of this current election. For the last several months, I have taken an introspective look at why I vote, how I have voted previously and how I should vote this time. Now it's time for me to share a portion of my story:

I VOTE BECAUSE this is my country. As a citizen of the United States of America, my right to vote is guaranteed and protected by the 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th Amendments of the Constitution of the United State of America. I have a right and a responsibility. I have a voice and a choice. I am personally compelled to vote.

MY VOTE THEN in 1996, I voted as a Gen X-er. In 2000, I voted as a Christian. In 2004, I voted as an Independent and did not make my decision until I was literally standing in the voting booth.

MY VOTE NOW is a holistic vote based on who I am as a total person. I am not just an African-American or just a woman or just a Christian or just an entrepreneur. I am all of that and more.

I am an entrepreneur who wants an economic policy that best supports my small business.
I am a middle class family that embraces a tax plan that effectively and responsibly maximizes my income.
I am an educated professional who would love to see an intellectual in the White House for a change. Heck, what is wrong with being smart and being an expert in constitutional law and knowing how to effectively communicate and use words in a sentence that actually belong together?
I am a Gen X-er and would love to have a President who can not only inspire but translationally lead this country into greatness in the world and humbleness before God.
I am an African-American who wants a President who understands the need to embrace diversity of ethnic background, diversity of religion and most importantly diversity of thought in this country.
I am a woman who wants a President who displays respect, support and advocacy for women as smart, intelligent and equal citizens of this country.
I am a Christian who really wants to have a Christian in office who is compassionate and understands you are not effectively showing the love of Christ to this generation by throwing a Bible at them and condemning them all to hell.
I am an American who wants a President whose top priority is protecting America then restoring America in the eyes of itself and the world, making us the example that the world is compelled to follow.

All of these separate demographics together make up who I am, but most importantly, I am an individual. I am Christina and I chose to vote for Barack Obama. I encourage you to vote now.
To read the full exposition, you can email me at cgayle126@gmail.com.

I just got off the phone with my mom, as I'm posting this and she said she is on a "voting" date with my dad right now....how sweet! They are in line at a early voting location in NC and my sister was on the way there to vote too.

After 50 Years of Statehood, finally the national spotlight...and did I mention its c-c-cold outside?

2008-10-27T23:05:00.000-07:00

So the temp for the drive to work this morning was 7 degrees. Not seventy but SEVEN degrees! Ok, so me not wearing a hat is no longer an option. It's on now! Hat, gloves, scarf and more layers...it's ALL on! Hahahaha!

As Alaska celebrates 50 years of statehood this year, it has definitely found itself in the national spotlight. John McCain announced Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska as his running mate. With only 10 weeks until election, there was a media frenzy to learn about Governer Palin. But as the weeks have pressed on, she has struggled portray herself as a viable candidate as she fumbled countless interviews, became the focus of an ethics investigation and hosted rallies with such divisive undertones that it publicly resurfaced some of the most dangerous groups in the history of America. The biggest rallies in the history of Anchorage have occured in the past 4-6 weeks as concerned Alaskans have held Anti-Palin rallies to show the rest of the country, she does not represent all Alaskans.

As if the governor issue was not enough, there was Ted Stevens who was running against local democrat and mayor of Anchorage, Mark Beigich. Well, Stevens also was under investigation and was found guilty today. Instead of resigning from office, his party is urging him on to continue to run, hoping that he will win, and not get expelled from the Senate and get pardoned from President Bush...oh and if that does not work, at least the seat will be open for another republican.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/27/stevens.jurors/index.html

Let me just say that many of the people I have worked with and met here in Alaska have been warm and inviting...It's a shame that the national spotlight can't see those people.

Anchorage Daily News Endorses Obama

2008-10-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Obama rally coincided with the Anchorage Daily Newspaper's endorsement of Barack Obama. The Anchorage Daily Newspaper is the largest newspaper in Alaska. Here is an excerpt from Saturday's paper:

"Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time."

Read the entire endorsement here: http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/567867.html

Hockey and Homer

2008-10-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

I'm going on a Glacier cruise tomorrow and realized I had not blogged about last weekend yet, but let me take a step back first....

A couple of weeks ago I finally went back to CA for the weekend and warmer weather, but the week before I left it was snowing and 30 degrees:

When I took off in Alaska it was around 30 degrees with snow on the ground.

Cali was a nice break from the cold - Pond across from my CA apt and a sunny California day.

When I got back to Alaska early Tuesday morning it was snowing STILL! I had to get a car with AWD this time.

Now it is soooo cold, 20 degrees during the day. We're also losing 6 minutes of daylight each day. So it doesn't get fully light until around 9 am and gets dark around 7. They say the key to deal with the "darkness" is to stay busy and always go out during the day. We'll see.

Last week, our client gave us all tickets to the Alaska Aces hockey game last Friday night. I did get to see one fight before leaving early but it looked staged. Guess I gotta go to a San Jose Sharks game to see a real fight, huh? :-)

Saturday morning we started off on our road trip to Homer.

It was a beautiful 4 hour drive (most of the way at least) to Homer. Along the way, we stopped along the Kenai River. The water is a aquamarine color because the river is catching water from the glaciers.

We got there to find that many of the shops were closed so we drove out all the way to the end of Homer spit

Jackpot Halibut Derby - closed for the winter

Me taking pictures at Homer Spit

Beach at Homer Spit, I slipped and fell on my butt on this doggone seawead. Valerie said she looked up and all she saw was my feet in the air one second and me on the ground the next. LOL! No comment.

Alaska Welcomes Target

2008-10-09T02:40:00.000-07:00

Something wonderful happened to Alaskans today.....they got their very first Target store in Achorage! While this may seem like a small thing to us from the lower 48, it was a really BIG deal here in Alaska. Apparently, Alaskans have wanted Target here for years. Today was just the soft opening so I thought I’d go and check out the opening....and I have also been Target-deprived for the past month.

Now I expected it to be crowded, but this was like the holiday shopping season, like the day after Thanksgiving or better yet...Christmas Eve. Seriously. Not only was there a long, slow line going into the parking lot, but there were at least 5 security guards directing traffic once you got into the parking lot. The traffic pattern led you past 10 full rows of parked cars before you arrive at the entrance. Even then you had to drive past at least 6 more rows to get to open parking spaces. While I was waiting to park, I stopped a lady walking out of target with a full shopping cart to ask her about the checkout lines in the store. She told me that parking was worse than the checkout lines. But I thought to myself, all of these cars are going to equal a very crowded store and loooong lines.

I was absolutely right. It was just as crowded inside as the mall on Christmas Eve. Seriously. Some of the prices seemed higher than Target in the lower 48, but most seemed about the same. The sales clerk that checked me out said they had a VIP opening for Target card customers the night before and it was even more crowded but fun and they had servers walking around the store serving customers with platters of food.

But anyways I ended up buying Superman Returns, Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers DVD for $5 each. I also bought a travel pillow for my flight back to CA this weekend. Yay! I need a break from AK and this weekend is just that. :-)

Hello Snow!

2008-10-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

So I’m sitting on my sofa Sunday afternoon and all of a sudden its starts snowing like crazy. I called in an order to Applebee’s Carside To Go so I won’t have to get out of the car (and probably fall on my butt, ha!) and get food quick before the snow began to stick.

Within an hour it stopped snowing and the sun came out. So I took a nice little Sunday evening drive along Turnagain Arm.

Monday night,my coworker, Val and I decided we wanted to try Cattle Company and expected great steak. We both ordered our steaks medium well and they both came back bloody, with it running into the potatoes and brocolli on the plate. My ribeye was actually burnt and bloody which means they cooked it too fast. We expected more from a nicer steakhouse and the prices were too much for incorrectly prepared steaks. By the time we left the restaurant that night, it was snowing again.
Tuesday morning I woke up to a snow dusted town, really pretty, but by lunch it had stopped and was melting, but still so cold. 33 degrees in early October is cold weather to me. I’m not complaining too much because by early afternoon, the sun was out and the road was dry. I heard some people say that it was snowing much earlier this year, but when I asked people who were born and raised here, they just laughed at me. They laughed even harder when I said I was cold. I saw one woman in the office with a dress, no hose and sandals. Okay, they can laugh but I don’t understand. It is 30 degrees, snowing and you have on sandals? For those that would ask me the obvious question, the answer is yes and “no comment.” =)
Oh and I saw a bull moose last week. It was just moseying along behind the office building. I got this picture, but it hard to see (circled in yellow below). I was not willing to run closer to get a pic, because it was bigger than me and I thought it best to respect its space.

Another point, Alaska's cost of living is higher than I expected. Retail, gas and groceries are expensive. Local residents call it the AGF, the Alaska Gouge Factor. For example, gas in Alaska is from Alaskan pipelines, is refined in Alaska and transported throughout Alaska. I have yet to meet an Alaskan resident that understands why gas is still in excess of $4.00/gallon in most places. Also I was in the grocery store, noticed even higher prices for groceries. A pack of 16 slices of Kraft American Cheese was $6.00. I sent this picture to a friend in Greensboro and he sent me back a picture of cheese that was 2 for $4.00. Man, I miss North Carolina! I know I’m on work travel and not really paying for this, but I was trying to wrap my head around the fact that there was a 300% difference in the price of cheese! LOL!

Obama Rally in Anchorage, Alaska

2008-10-04T22:34:00.001-07:00

The Obama-Biden ticket is widely supported in Alaska. The campaign office is run almost entirely by local volunteers with only a few paid staffers. The local community's support is amazing. There is in fact still untapped potential in local supporters. As I wore my Obama sweatshirt today, I was stopped a few times in the mall and grocery store by people who wanted to know how to get a shirt and how to volunteer....these people - families of people, had not even heard about the rally or volunteered yet, but wanted to be a driving force in getting Obama elected next month.

So today the official Obama rally (sponsored by the Obama campaign) was held at Delany Park in Anchorage. The goals of the rally were (1) highlight why Alaskans are supporting Obama (2) to connect Obama supporters with each other (2) and to connect Obama supporters to the campaign so they can volunteer over the next 30 days up until the election. They encouraged people to use Pro-Obama signs and not Anti-Palin. The day was not about attacking the other candidates but rather about promoting Obama. Representatives from various groups (Veterans for Obama, Women for Obama, etc...) spoke about how the Obama-Biden ticket makes sense for them.

A common misconception is that most veterans support McCain because of his military experience. Many veterans, however, are fed up with status quo and do not agree with the current approach to the war. They are also concerned about accesibility to healthcare and retirement benefits. The long, tedious process that veterans have to endure before receiving their full benefits is unacceptable. Many vets have gotten sicker or even died before getting through the process. Veterans also support a fresh approach to making the Unites States of America a respected country in the world again - not through compromise with terrorist but through integrity.

As for women supporters, contrary to what many Republican conservatives suggest, all women who choose to to support Obama are not just "a bunch of heathen, liberal, lesbian baby killing girls on a rampage." These are Native American women, white women, Asian women, African-American women, old women, young women, women of faith, educated women, moms, grandmoms, daughters, aunties, sisters and friends. These are women that are from a variety of different generations, ethnic backgrounds, social classes, etc who are impressed by (1) the respect Obama has for his wife and the love he has for his daughters, as well as (2) Biden's first hand experience of raising children and having to balance work and family and (3) their advocacy and support for the women of America as smart, intelligent and equal American citizens.

At the rally, tents were setup for face painting for kids and adults, volunteer signup and Obama pins, t-shirts, yard signs, etc... They also had a tent for people to volunteer to write postcards to undecided voters in swing states. Volunteers were asking people to stop by and just write 5 postcards sharing their personal story....not arguments about issues, but stories about why they support Obama.

Here is some (very amatuer, ha!) video of the rally:

Here are just a few of the signs from the rally:

Again, these are Alaskans for Obama that are making sure their voice will be heard on November 4, 2008. So I encourage all Obama supporters to volunteer in some way. Whether it's writing 5 postcards, making 5 phone calls or even driving people to early voting places or the polls on Election Day. All of our individual contributions combined will have a HUGE impact in this election.

Personally, I support Obama for a variety of reasons that I'll blog about later. Many conservatives suggest that Obama supporters believe the "savior" for American politics. I do not think he is the savior. I do think he is a catalyst and leader for change. He has my vote and I support him to be the next president of the United States of America.

Birthday Weekend in Alaska

2008-10-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

My birthday weekend actually began on Thursday. My wonderful loving parents sent me flowers to my office at the client. Thanks mom and dad! :-)
Friday, was the first day since I have been in Alaska that it was sunny and clear all day.

After work Friday, I went to a debate watching party at Bayshore Clubhouse. You can pretty much get a good view of the mountains anywhere in anchorage but there is a great view from the Clubhouse. There was a pretty good turnout of the debate watching party. They had a good food spread, Obama gear and also solicited for volunteers and announced next week's officicial Obama rally in Anchorage. I got an Obama sweatshirt and pin as well as the CD of the Alaskan Women Reject Palin rally on Sep 13.

After the debate, I had dinner with my colleagues from TSG. There are 4 of us here from other markets. Mark and Jeff have been out here for a while now and Valerie came out here just last week. This was our first outing as a group and we decided to call ourselves Team Alaska (my idea, ha!) We were celebrating Valerie coming to AK, Jeff's bday last Tuesday and my bday on Saturday.

Saturday morning I was up by 6:30 and cooking my wonderful birthday breakfast: French toast, bacon eggs and grits. Then I laid down for a quick morning nap, but by then people had started calling and wishing me happy birthday.
Alaskans for Truth held a rally at noon a couple of blocks from my apartment. They started that their goals were to hold their governer accountable to the residents of Alaska. There were at least 2,500 people there. It is interesting to walk through the crowd, talking to people and hearing their views local politics. It was a peaceful rally and everyone did not have exactly the same stands on several issues but they were all disappointed with the way the governor has been running government over the past couple of years and especially the past month.

Later I went back to Flattop Mountain. Valerie hadn't been yet so she met me there. This time we went up the VERY trail to the top of the mountain. But once you get to the top, you realize it is still NOT the top. The very top was an even STEEPER path and both decided we were cool with the views we had at that level. Hahaha!

Then we went to Eagle River. The trail was closed down to the public because of bears. Bears use that part of the river for fishing this time of year so the trail is officially closed but you can still walk down to the river. It is ill advised to try to mess with bears even if you do have bear spray.

We were trying to find a non-crowded place for dinner and ended up at steakhouse. Unfortunately they messued up my steak 3 times and I got my steak free. Can someone please tell the cooks that medium well does not mean bloody?!
Sunday morning, I attended morning service at ChangePoint church. I came back to the apartment for a steak and shrimp lunch and then a Sunday afternoon nap.
Then I drove out to Hatchers Pass. I stopped at Willow Creek at the bottom of the mountain. It was beautiful day but it was freezing and I had on 6 layers of clothes. I drove up to Hatcher's Pass but the road was closed at the very top so I parked and walked up the road to see the snow on the mountain.

So overall I had a pretty good weekend...nothing really exciting....just a nice relaxing weekend and I grateful to GOD for another year. :-)

September in Alaska

2008-09-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

It's my birthday month and it has been another couple of weeks in Alaska. Summer is now gone, but apparently this was the 3rd or 4th worst summer on record. It has rained most days and it is getting colder. But it makes for some pretty rainbows. The high each day is between 45 and 50. There have been fewer clear days for outdoors activities and even sightseeing. I went to Barnes & Noble one rainy night and it was so absolutely packed that I could not find a parking space AT ALL. I had to wait for someone to leave to get a park.

Sidebar – I started reading this new book, Anathem by Neal Stephenson. Basically, the author is writing from the premise that the internet is dumbing us all down because we use far less mental effort to solve problems, etc.. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Anathem/Neal-Stephenson/e/9780061474095/?tabname=custreview

Okay, so the few days when it was not raining or raining less I did get to see more of the area. Chugach Nat'l Forest, Glaciers on Portage Glacier Road and View from Flattop Mountain

I was surprised at the amount of restaurant chains here. Yes McDonald's is everywhere, but Outback, TGI Friday, Chili's. But there are lots of little local places that have lots of character. Harley's is a country kitchen, KOBE Teppayaki, local Japanese steakhouse, and Moose Tooth pizza are just a few. But so far I think my favorite two places may be Glacier Brewery in downtown Anchorage and Beartooth Pub, which shows movies and serves good food.

Random pics -

Oh and I finally moved to my new place and its completely renovated, appliances and all!

View from old balcony vs new balcony :-)

Gotta run...more later...

Alaskan Women Reject Palin Rally Media Coverage

2008-09-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

So here is some local media coverage talking about the threats to the rally organizers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8pewzwBybc

Alaskan Scenery, Housing and Obama Supporters

2008-09-14T01:40:00.000-07:00

I arrived here about 2 ½ weeks ago and it has been an interesting 2 ½ weeks. The weather the 1st week or so was around 60 degrees each day. Since then, the high has been around 55 degrees and rainy each day. Most times, the further south I drive, the harder it rains and the harder the wind blows. I took a daily drive each evening after work down Turnagain Arm exploring stops along the way. Unfortunately the rain and clouds made for not so hot pictures but here we go:
Family of bears crossing Portage Glacier Road and Moose in Earthquake Park

Sunset in Anchorage

Here is my corp housing which was less than ready when I arrived and its NOT in a good area (a couple of blocks from the local liquor store and mental hospital). Thankfully I am finally moving next week:

Bathroom after their "upgrade" - still not great

So I explore Alaska so I won't have to stay here as much, LOL!

So last week I stopped by one of the Obama campaign offices to see if they needed volunteers and of course they put me right to work. I was surprised at how many Obama supporters are in Alaska. This morning we worked a session to train people to be registrars and authorized to register voters. At the session I got people to volunteer to work the registration at the Peabo Bryson concert next week. Someone there told be about the Alaskan Women Reject Palin Rally. Apparently they had planned a rally for today at noon, but a local radio talk show host who’s a republican heard about it and gave the phone numbers of the organizers of the rally to his listeners. The organizers began receiving hostile calls and death threats and many urged them to cancel the rally but they did not. In speaking with many of the people there, most people said there has NEVER been a rally like this in Anchorage EVER! The energy created by the crowd was amazing. When we arrived, there were almost 1,000 people on the side of the road with Anti-Palin signs and chanting “Obama, Obama!” and “Go Tell Your Mama to vote for Obama!”

The people in attendance were anti-palin obama AND hillary supporters. There was one sign that said, Palin is no Hilary. Other people held signs but admitted that they were hesitant to support Obama openly in fear for retaliation by local officials supporting McCain Palin. Here are some of the signs:

By the time we left there were between 1500 and 2000 people in attendance. The official Obama campaign (paid staffers) were not in attendance because it was not a Obama sponsored rally. They did not want to sponsor an Anti Palin rally. But many people left the rally and went to the office and signed up to volunteer and buy t-shirts. As a matter of fact, the local campaign offices said they completely sold out of all of their tshirts and buttons, etc.

Today standing in the crowd I definitely felt like I was in the midst of a movement.

Packing for Alaska

2008-08-24T18:42:00.000-07:00

8/24/08

I’m leaving for Alaska tomorrow to work with a client in Anchorage, but I thought I would blog and share my next few months here.

Back in May, I started working out of the NorCal office with my firm and am just getting settled in to the South Bay Area. This weekend has been gorgeous as always. I will miss the wonderful climate…and salsa dancing. I am, however, definitely looking forward to a new experience.

At the moment I am packing. Summers here in the Bay do not require warm clothing (and I have not had to wear hose since I’ve been here) so my focus is to take clothes that I can layer. The weather in Anchorage over the next week is scheduled to be in the mid 50’s and rainy. I am limiting myself to only 2 suitcases and my laptop bag. My flight lands in Anchorage around midnight so I want to have as little as possible to have to carry. All of my travel travel arrangements have been made and my apartment so I just need to focus on packing. So far I have a few business suits, heels, a pair of sneakers and my umbrella. Gotta remember my heavy jacket too.

Enough blogging for today…back to packing!

Sunny Sunnyvale & San Jose

Yesterday's relaxing drive down Highway 1 to Monterey and Carmel: