9/1/2013

Ketchikan, Alaska

Magnets!

Is it wrong that I’m in Alaska, surrounded by incredible mountains, and glaciers and scenery… and yet, I woke up this morning excited about magnets? 

Yea, I roll like that.

Brief background: years ago I was once in a relationship with someone who liked magnets.  So, when I traveled for work, I would pick up magnets for him from wherever I went.  Alas, when the relationship ended, he took the magnets with him… and quite suddenly… I realized I really missed those damn magnets!  I mean, they provided this wonderful map of all the places I had been for work and pleasure. 

So, I started collecting magnets for me.

Now, I have certain rules: I have to have been to the place in question in order to collect the magnet.  No magnets from friends on vacations, alas.  I want this to be a visual map of where I’ve been, after all, not where others have been.  Also, I have to have done more than just lay over through the airport… which is why I don’t have a Hong Kong magnet (much as I wanted to buy one while I was there!).  It just doesn’t seem fair.  The only exception to this is Dubai, where I broke down and bought a magnet even though I never left the airport… sigh… I suppose there always has to be an exception.

Because having all of those magnets on my fridge would just be annoying, I decided to buy a large sheet of galvanized steel, hang that, and make it my “magnet art”, so to speak.  Since then, I’ve nearly replaced all of the magnets from those I places I lost those many years ago (although, not all of them), and I’ve had to add a few additional steel plates around the wall to account for everything. 

I have a section for States, cities, countries, foreign cities, historic/iconic places I’ve visited, and plays I’ve attended (that have magnets, anyway… not many do). 

So… the problem is… now when I travel it’s almost always to places I’ve already been.  I do all of this traveling, and can’t add to my wall.

I know, there are more horrible crosses to bear in life… just hush.

Thus, when I go someplace I’ve never been before (or someplace where I can replace those magnets I lost), I get REALLY excited.  And this trip has been Magnet Epic!  Yes, I plan to coin that phrase.

Really, I’ve replaced my Seattle and Washington State magnets… I’ve gotten an Alaska, Yukon, Caribou Crossing, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Inside Passage magnet… and more actually!… I may have to buy another steel sheet… this makes me giddy… and a bit tingly in those “special places” =).

You’re so, like, “weren’t you going to tell me about Ketchikan?”  And I’m so, like, “here, little reader, take this sweet little piece of Ketchikan candy out of my hand while I lure you into my magnet story!  Bwahahahaha!”

Ah well.  I never said I didn't have ulterior motives for writing my blog.  

Ketchikan was actually an awesome way to say ‘Farewell’ to Alaska.  The weather, here, like so much of this trip was simply perfect.  Like a perfect, early Fall day that’s neither too hold nor too cold… really, I could go on all day.  Now, let’s think for a second about how amazing and perfect this has truly been.  In a an area where the average rainfall in a year can be over 14’… yea, you saw that right… not inches… FEET (in fact, Ketchikan specifically has an average of 300 days of rain in a year)… we’ve had gorgeous, sunny days for every single one except Juneau. 

Yea, I know… you’d almost think my horrible vacation luck may have slacked off for once…

Vacation isn’t over yet, though… so I don’t want to jinx it.

We were only in Ketchikan for about 5 hours… a very short stop.  Alas, the only excursions that seemed really interesting involved taking a small propeller plane to tour Misty Fjord.  This actually sounded pretty cool, but it was pricey and Mom wasn’t really up for a plane ride.  So, we decided to just walk around town.

Now, this sounds a little dull, but it turned out to be quite nice.  Yes, it was FULL of tourist shops… but it was also this quaint, adorable little fishing village nestled into rolling, forest encased mountains.  It was, quite simply, a lovely day, doing some shopping with this fantastic view surrounding you.

In the end, we boarded the ship again around noon, and I jogged on my treadmill as I watched us sail from the beautiful day in Ketchikan into another dense, impenetrable cloud of fog.  The temperature took another intense, sudden drop as indicated by the appearance of first jackets, then parkas on the people still daring the deck outside.  The winds came.  The fog horn on the ship would sound every so often… a deep, chest throbbing boom that echoed off the water and fog around us… and it became beautiful and eerie just watching the ocean, the boat, and the incredible fog as we made our way into Canada.