Holiday Lights!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Texas!

From no light in Alaska to lots of light, sunshine and warmth in the south. I have been spending the holidays with the family. Lights, lights, lights! Spreading cheer and sending a twinkle to your heart, a regal display of Christmas lights all over Texas. From the Riverwalk in San Antonio to the Community Electric Co-Op in Johnson City, the bulbs were a burning for the holiday season. Enjoy the photos and may the new year bring lots of love, joy, and happiness to you!

Happy Holidays from the Bierschwales!

The Darkest of the Dark

Only a few more days til winter solstice. That means only a few more days of darkness, then we start gaining light. The darkest days of winter are almost over.

Lately the sun rises at 11 am and sets at 3 pm. The sun peaks over the mountains for about an hour of direct sunlight and then hides. At lunch yesterday I sat by the window, enjoying and soaking up the little bit of sunshine that hit my cheek.

View from my office

Prior to the start of winter I was most afraid of the lack of sunlight. I was preparing myself for a difficult time adjusting to the darkness. It's amazing how much your body adapts to change. You start to accept it and enjoy the precious light you receive. There is a slant of light in winter that illuminates the mountains in alpine glow for hours. Some days it is like having a three hour sunset and sunrise. While the light may not shine for long in winter, the little that does warms your soul. 

"I will love the light for it shows me the way. Yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars." -Og Mandino

The daylight opens your eyes to the beauty of the earth, but the darkness opens your eyes to the beauty of the universe. The stars, the moon, the planets, the aurora. Nothing makes you feel smaller than looking at the stars and thinking about the vastness of space. Abraham Lincoln said "I never behold the stars that I do not feel I am looking in the face of God. I can see how it might be possible for a person to look down upon the earth and be an athiest, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God."  It's a big universe out there, and we are only a small drop in the bucket. Take time to appreciate the light in the world and in each other. 

"Never lost an opportunity for seeing anything that is beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting- a wayward sacrament. Welcome it- in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Someday perhaps the inner light will shine forth from us, and then we'll need no other light."  ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Ever since we crawled out of that primordial slime, that's been our unifying cry, "More light."  Sunlight.  Torchlight.  Candlelight.  Neon, incandescent lights that banish the darkness from our caves to illuminate our roads, the insides of our refrigerators.  Big floods for the night games at Soldier's Field.  Little tiny flashlights for those books we read under the covers when we're supposed to be asleep.  Light is more than watts and footcandles.  Light is metaphor.  Light is knowledge, light is life, light is light."  ~Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider

Skijoring

Skijoring: a winter sport where a person is pulled by a horse, dog or motor vehicle.

This weekend I had my first experience skijoring! Oh what fun it is to ski being pulled by two dogs. How it works: it starts with the dogs. One to three energetic, good dogs are needed. I had two cute and crazy Alaskan Huskies named Bandit and Chena. Each dog is decked out in a harness, which is attached to a long leash. Then you clip on the leash to the belt.harness you are wearing. Voila, you are ready to begin the ride.

And what a ride! 

Up hill is so easy when you're pulled!

Post-Wipe Out

Chena

Bandit

Jan clipping in, getting ready for a ride

Where the Bison Roam

A few photos from the last week away in Montana.

Bison Jam in Yellowstone

Rivers of Ice in Lamar Valley

Sunset in the Sky

Mount Rainier

I had a nice time away visiting family and friends. Now back to Alaska. Where the winds are a blowing!

Thanksgiving Perspective

On this thanksgiving, I am sitting in the airport. It's hard to be thankful when you are stuck traveling and have your thanksgiving meal come out of a vending machine. But remember when you weren't grateful as a child, your mom or dad would tell you to think of the poor, hungry children in Africa? This is a case in point.

I came across a National Geographic article talking about war torn central Africa. This area in Africa is essentially nature's paradise with abundant biodiversity, wildlife, and natural beauty. But it is also the most populated place on earth. Violence ensues over land and resources. To say that life is hard is an understatement. The life expectancy is 50 years old, the average income is $1000 per person, on average 5 children are born per woman, and multiple genocides have killed and displaced millions. The demand for food and fuel is so high that armed groups have invaded the forests in the national parks, destroying paradise in the name of fuel and power. It is a place where the national parks are war zones.

Knowing this strife, destruction, and injustice is happening in the world is disheartening. It certainly does put life in perspective. Here I am upset to be stuck in an airport on Thanksgiving? Annoyed no restaurants are open and I had to eat out of a vending machine?  It's so easy to almost forget how good we have it. Despite the current woes of today: the suffering economy, political unrest, and global warming; we are abundantly blessed.

We are not only rich in our possessions, but in our spirit and each other. We live in a country where injustice is not tolerated, and personal freedom is a right for all. The power of one can have just as much influence as the power of many. And there is more love than hate.

Most importantly, can seek refuge from the chaos and confusion of life in nature. Discover inspiration in parks and wilderness areas that have been preserved.  Ours is a paradise protected, thankfully.

A Lesson in Alaska Winters, Part 1

"When it comes to winters in Alaska, I have a steep learning curve ahead of me"........

Check the rest of the blog I wrote for work on:

http://www.campdenali.com/live/blog/blog/113654.

Winter Whirl

14 hours of driving summed up in 140 seconds. I made a short video of my 750 mile drive from Haines, Alaska to my home outside Denali. Enjoy!

Getting My Sea Legs

After 56 hours at sea, my voyage was over. I had arrived in Haines, Alaska.

Overall the ferry was good. The first couple of nights I slept on the deck, but the last night I sprang for a cabin. The cabin was nothing special. But a bed and a shower for the night was grand.

Only a little rough seas (which I sailed through sickness free thanks to sea bands!). It was mighty rainy on a lot of the trip. The prettiest part definitely came at the end when the sun was shining and you could see the jagged mountains.

With land ahoy(!) my time at sea was ending. It was good while it lasted, but I was ready to move on. Once we docked, I drove off the boat. Ahead of me was a long drive through beautiful mountains, valleys, and rivers. Only 750 miles left.

My car traveling by sea

The Movie Theater

Aft Lounge

Forward Lounge

Dining Room

Bar

My Cabin on last night :)

 

Final stop in Haines, Alaska

One Big Ferry

My ferry journey to Alaska begins in Bellingham, Washington. After 5 days on the road and in the car, I was ready for a change of pace and scenery.

It all started out with a bit of confusion. Where do I get my ticket? Where do I put my car? Where can I sleep? How often will I be able to access my car? They don't give you that much info.

Thus, I had to ask someone. Now anyone who knows me knows how much I hate asking strangers questions. Call it shy, call it proud, I just like to figure to figure it out without asking. But the incredibly nice captain/seaman/deckmate guy helped me out.

Once I had more info it was time to explore. The ferry is HUGE! You get lost in all the different levels, lounges, dining rooms, etc. They have 5 levels, a lounging area, dining room, bar, movie theater, outside lounging area, inside lounging area, inside front and back sitting areas, and lots of deck space outside.

I opted not to get a cabin room. They are a little pricey and I am used to sleeping (or not sleeping) in a awkward places like airports, the ground, trains, cars, and very small couches. I can handle it!

My first night began with me sleeping on the deck :)

Out to Sea from Bellingham

Sleeping on the Deck

Fall in the Rainforest

The journey has begun. On Monday I left the beautiful mountains of Montana for the coast of Washington. Along the way the trees were beaming in yellows, reds, and oranges. I might just take up a career following fall around the world. 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE FALL!

Everything gets so lush and green as you drive over the Cascade mountains in Washington. 

I planned a week in Olympic National Park on the coast of Washington before heading up on the ferry. Almost 1 million acres of wilderness including 73 miles of coast, rainforest, rivers, glaciers, and mountains are preserved in Olympic. There are a few roads that skirt around the park, but the only  way to get deep inside the park is on foot.

The Olympic Mountain Range

The trees in the park are BIG. Creek your neck up and drop your jaw. Nothing makes you feel smaller than standing next to these giants.

The park recieves almost 150 inches of rain a year,

 making it the wettest place in the continental United States.

Funky Mushrooms

Overall the weather was great. It was a little chilly, but the sun was out a couple of days.

Cool Mosses

The leaves were stunning! So many shapes, colors, and sizes.

Some were almost as big as me!

In the park you will find some of the world's largest trees. 

World's Largest Spruce Tree

Lots of cool moss....

And the ocean! 

Olympic is yet another beautiful natural place in the world. I am thankful that it was set aside as a National Park and preserved for all to enjoy and seek solitude. 

Next up: The ferry to Alaska. :)