Last night was night two of feasting with the wonderfully welcoming Tongan family. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post this was a going away celebration for non-family member Emily who’s moving from Alaska to the east coast for work.
This was one of those meals that it is an absolute tragedy that I don’t have a taste at all for anything from the sea. I mean tragic. All you seafood/fish loving foodies out there would’ve given an arm for the fresh crab that was there. As usual, I tried a bite but shamefully, a no-go. Just to give you an idea of how fresh and how much crab was there to feast on, here is the bin- yes giant Rubbermaid bin, of the clawers the men had caught yesterday morning themselves:
They could only fit half the enormous amount in the first boil. My action shot is a bit fuzzy, but I wanted to get one of him stuffing them in the pot:
Picture this scene; I am once again sitting on the couch at a home of perfect strangers. Our meeting was only as significant as me walking in the door to their home the night before. They have no idea who I am, who I came with, or what I’m doing there and they don’t even ask or care anyway because I am welcome. They certainly don’t let me help even though I ask, so I hang out and play with my new little cutie pie friends Kapua and Lavi. For the second night in a row this huge family is slicing and dicing, boiling crab, playing outside, running in and out the doors. It’s the best kind of chaos. Kapua asks me for some gum as if we have already established that I am the visitor who always brings the gum for the kids. The same scene happened the first night too. Ater we ask Mom if it’s Ok, I give her some. Just as she did the night before, she starts chomping away and tells me 2 minutes later that the minty gum is “too spicy.” I have to laugh. These cuties belong in a catalog:
A short bit later I am dished and served this plate piled high.(I still have not been allowed to move a finger. It is their honor and custom to serve me):
Have I mentioned I am not so sure I am a vegetarian anymore? I have tried so hard but 1.) After NYC and The Spotted Pig and other de-lish eats 2.) The burger I had at Gibson’s Steakhouse in Chicago (I am still drooling over that one.) and 3.) Being a guest at the homes of wonderful people like last night, I can’t very well say; “No thanks, I don’t eat meat.” Or I could, I just don’t really want to, so I ate away. I learned the spinach is an authentic and favorite Tongan side; It is always made with coconut milk. One of “The Uncles” told me the coconut milk always made things sweeter and more delicious so they cook with it a lot. It was delicious and I gobbled the whole plate. Here’s a shot of some remnants of fruit, taro and crab. (If I could explain how much fresh boiled crab there was for the taking to you crab lovers out there, you would fall out of your chair.):
After eating and eating and eating some more, it was show time to honor Emily. Several family members got up to sing, dance, make speeches to show that they love and will miss her. (This is where my head is happily spinning and I’m taking in every ounce of this culture and generosity thinking; WHAT?! Am I here right now watching this? This is so, so fantastic.) The young boys got up to give a performance. Emily is at the end of this video wearing authentic Tongan gear made and gifted by grandma. (My videography skills leave a lot to be desired so pardon the sideways action. I at least made an attempt to get a shot of the guest of honor):
There was another performance by one of the drop-dead gorgeous teen girls who was there (hula.) She seemed so embarrassed about anyone taking photos, etc. I didn’t feel comfortable taking any. The performance was beautiful. These women all have the longest most amazing hair and are absolutely gorgeous. They have no idea they are either which blows my mind. I felt like total white bread sitting next to them! After all the performances dessert was served:
This is “Tongan fruit cocktail.” It’s made of mango, cottage cheese and coconut jello (I didn’t even know that existed.) It wasn’t my favorite taste by any means, but you eat it when you’re served it! Always good to try new things.
As I thanked and was leaving with my house host at around 11:30pm more; “Are you sure you’re full?! Did you get enough?! questions came. Oh indeed I was stuffed and had enough and fell asleep with an over full belly and smile again.
Phew! All of this is so fun, enlightening, humbling, eye-opening, different, new, fantastic and overwhelming at the same time. I have collectively spent 12 hours in the same coffee shop the past 2 days in an attempt to bring all the stories here. I’m not even touching the surface of what I’m seeing, doing or thinking and I sill need to actually get out and tour AK. I could write, upload videos/photos and research the things I am seeing 25 hours a day in prep to share with you all if there were that many hours available. I’m still exhausted but I can’t seem to sleep, my head still hurts with this ongoing painful yet good sensory overload headache and I still have yet to catch my breath during all this. I have never worked so hard or cared so much about something in my life as I do BLR, this trip and being able to share my experiences here. It’s so worth every piece and part. I could sit here and type forever, but I’m going to force myself to unplug and get out into the beauty this afternoon…
After almost 32 years of life, 8 years of waiting (I hit 49 states 8 years ago), lots of daydreaming, 4,685 miles of driving, a bunch of nights of car sleeping in places like Ft. St. John, BC Canada and Teslin, Yukon Territory (map those places-whoa) and some serious heart, I have made it over the border of my 50th state.
OH HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Because I am ready to jump out of my skin with excitement, I’ll have to circle back around to more midwest and Canada later. (Lots to share on those spots too!) Onto to AK arrival for now…
I left Madison, WI at lunch time on Wednesday 8/4 and was at the “Welcome to Alaska” sign by Sunday morning 8/8. 2,906 miles I clocked alone in about 3 days and through some of the most desolate, unscathed land you could imagine. If you asked me to do that again right now today I’d look at you and ask you if you were freakin’ nuts. I have to laugh. That’s exactly what some locals and other tourists I have met so far have said to me when I’ve told them how I got here. Did I mention I didn’t plan this drive at all? I don’t have a GPS, had no idea what it entailed and I didn’t even really look at a paper map until I stopped at a AAA office in Madison. The lady at the counter whipped out some maps, drew a line in green highlighter on the road they “recommended if you are driving to Alaska.” I said thanks and just followed the green highlighted line without questioning it. Thanks lady at AAA. You contributed to me seeing some of the most indescribable sights I will ever see in my lifetime with your green line.
This is the first time I am getting enough internet signal to blog in 4 days and after all those miles. To say that since my last full post my mind and heart have gone to a different place than they’ve ever been before and I have seen things I that’ve blown me away is an understatement. Watch out world I am now video happy! Here’s my first one ever after a good “Holy bleep!” I almost just ran into a bunch of buffalo. Not my hottest look ever, but I am convinced that Ben the lumberjack will love me anyway:
The day after the buffalo, I get to the border. It was FREEZING. Not that I thought it was going to be the tropics here, but in case you were wondering Alaska is NOT warm in the summer. Here I am at the border!:
I continue through U.S customs and similar to the officer entering Canada, this one looked at me alone in my Honda Civic like I was off my rocker. I opened my door to get my passport out of my trunk and didn’t think about the fact that you are not supposed to do that so he practically pounced on me. OOPS!
I then have a dance party in my car singing out loud; “I’m in Alaaaska, I’m in Alaaaska!” I’m so exhausted I feel high at that point. I pull over in the tiny gold rush town of Skagway and take a moment. (Keep in mind I have done ZERO research about this town before coming.) I drove around for a few minutes and follow signs to the ferry. This is where I go from high as a kite with excitement to (pardon the expression) bitch-slapped in 5 minutes. Not only did I walk in thinking I could buy a ferry ticket and there would be departure times all day which was wrong, but I had missed the one ferry for the day and I also found out the $150 ticket I thought I needed was actually $600. I wanted to cry and puke in the same instant but was too tired to do either. As I put my head on the counter in shock I think the 2 guys working thought I was about to have a nervous breakdown. I just started laughing. That delirious, are you effin kidding me, I haven’t slept in days, I’m going to have to sleep in my car again, that $600 will wipe out my bank account, what the hell have I done and what the hell am I going to do and oh this is just perfect laugh like I absolutely belonged in an insane asylum.
I manage to stumble back to my car. That’s when I decided to do make yet another video to confess at how much of a doofus I am for not planning anything before just showing up to a place across the country like a puppy dog ready to play:
I thought after that point it’d be a good idea to go for a run. (I mean really? Oh the things we do when we are delirious.) So I did. The guys at the ferry sales counter had told me there was a shower at the marina for the public. After my drizzly cold run I was all about a skeevy marina shower. At .25 for a minute and a half, that was the best $2 and 12 minutes in a shower I have ever spent. Here was the fancy spot. Let me tell you it felt like the Ritz Carlton after driving almost 3k miles and being filthy for 4 days:
An early afternoon shower and nap in my car after a run was just what the doctor ordered. Blanket covered and clean, I was out. Set the alarm for when the ferry sales office opened and went in to gulp- buy the ticket. Making my best attempt to not freak and chanting my new favorite “trust the process” (this one will go down in history Astro.) I drive the whopping few blocks of Skagway looking for a burger and beer joint. This was the only thing I had really envisioned/planned on for the first day getting here; Pony up to a bar, grab a local beer, chow on some good grub and blog away hoping a random local would be up for a chat and to be my first road character. My first and envisioned beer and grub time turned out so much better than I hoped:
Meet Judy and Allen. Before I could even fully get out of my car to check out the Bonanza Bar and Grill and a few other spots, I hear behind me; “Blue Lollipop Road?! Well that sounds fun!” And the rest is history…
I chatted with brother and sister Allen and Judy for about 30 minutes there on the street. They were super friendly and funny. Vacationers making their way wandering town like me. I told them about BLR and that I was going to check out a couple places to eat and try to get some work done and we went on our separate ways. I walked into Bonanza and it didn’t strike my mood so I walked a couple blocks and into the Red Onion Saloon:
Wouldn’t you know it, it was packed and there were Judy and Allen, they already had a chair pulled up for me and waving for me to join. Locals, Alaskan brewed beer and even free snacks. That night was a silent auction for a local daycare. The cruise ships had left port so the three of us got a good taste of what a summer Sunday night in Skagway town of 500 was like. Fantastic. We toasted to that:
The summer ale and food was delicious and company was even better. Judy is a nurse who lives in the Seattle area and Allen in construction in Billings, Montana where they both grew up. We spent hours and hours talking and laughing. They were sweet and generous and bought 2 rounds of beer before they’d let me pay for one and later Judy bought us all dinner. Turned out they were on the same ferry as I was so we planned to meet up in the morning. We spent the entire 8 hours on the ferry together chatting and laughing more. Judy has a daughter my age and is about to be a Grandma for the first time. Allen got in a motorcycle wreck about 20 years ago and broke is neck and back and never even had a surgery and is walking around totally healthy to this day. (He and I talked a lot about life and appreciating time and how fortunate we are to come out of rough stuff smiling on the other side. I think our meeting was meant to be:) It was like we knew each other for a lifetime. They were the most honest to goodness people I could have met and spent time with.
Judy wanted to get a photo of me in front of the map so she could take my story back to her office and I wanted them to jump in with me too so I could post it here:
Of course I wanted a photo of all three of us outside too. (Yes! That is a GLACIER behind us!!!)
We gave our hugs and said our good bye’s after getting into port, but not before Judy made sure to remind me to call her when I get to Washington so we can meet up. She even offered a place to stay. I think we will all be friends and stay in touch for many years to come. Thank you for a wonderful time Judy and Allen! I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip here!
There’s still more to the start of my Alaska stay; I head straight to the house I’m staying at my the port. Cousins of a friend of mine. Total strangers and just come on in and stay as long/as many days as you’d like. (It’s amazing how willing strangers are to host a weary traveler.) 10 minutes into my arrival they are asking me if I’m hungry and what can they get for me. Just when I start thinking about a way to not be a rude house guest but ask if I can have a shower and go to bed at some atrociously early hour like 7pm to catch up on a weeks sleep, they say; “Oh you have to join for a Tongan experience tonight. A feast at Vinny’s sisters house!” (One of the gents I’m staying with is Tongan, the first person to graduate college in his family and they have been celebrating his awesome accomplishment for the past few days.) Thinking I’ll sleep when I’m dead because how in the world could I say no to that? An hour later I’m at the home of a huge family grandma and grandpa too, meeting his siblings, and a crew of the 34 total grandkids and being welcomed with open arms. (What?! is this happening? So cool I’m thinking.) I meet and chat for a long time with the only other non-family member Emily who seems she is part of the family after years of friendship. She is about my age and of all places about to move from here to Washington DC for a job. I joke with her that we could’ve coordinated our schedules had we know each other and traveled back and forth together. The littlest of grandkids cozy up to Emily and I while we chat on the couch and we snap some photos. (I hope to post them but haven’t asked parent permission yet, so stay tuned.) A couple hours and all the “Aunties” working feverishly in the kitchen later, the feast and I am talking feast is done. I am told; Go go! Guests are always first! I eat and eat as grandma keeps telling me to get more. this is the culture, we eat! she says.
As I sat there will a full belly on the couch after dinner is done, watching some of the family members play cards while a crew of the males practice their Polynesian dance outside for their dinner and cultural event they are going to be putting on for the cruise ship guests, I just think to myself somebody pinch me. Now this is what life is all about, there is no mistake in where I am or what I am doing, and this is exactly why traveling is so incredible. What a perfect welcome to Alaska and way to celebrate my accomplished goal. Imagine this. I’m invited over again tonight for another feast This time celebrating Emily’s new job and departure from the west. I must wrap up here now so I can stretch my belly in prep for plates of food.
I am still weary, behind on work and blogging, no idea where life goes after Alaska, but I will never replace this summer, these memories or regret the occasional discomfort during this process. I have never been so un-worried in my life. My heart is on top of the world. I’ve come to Alaska to honor my friends and I’ve found myself. If that’s not some strong mojo I don’t know what is.
