PROLOGUE TO OUR ALASKAN ADVENTURE
After returning home from our extended trip to the Southwest and Mexico in March, 2004, our attention turned to preparing for a long anticipated trip to Alaska.
In June 1953, after Ken’s discharge from the army, we planned to accompany his father on a gold prospecting trip into the Yukon Territory where we fully expected to find our fortune. We were very young and I still believed in my “knight in shining armor".
By the time we arrived in Arizona, “good sense” had descended upon Ken’s father. Our “great gold prospecting trip” had been downgraded to working an old abandoned mine on Spruce Mountain in Arizona. Accepting the wisdom of our elders and with no other choice before us, we joined Ken’s family at the mine site where we spent the summer
camping out in a tent and enduring the summer monsoons from on top of the mountain.
Our daily dose of storms soon became a less than perfect break in what was an otherwise tranquil lifestyle. After three months, enthusiasm was replaced by discouragement and fatigue. The final straw occurred one morning when Ken returned from inside the mine with his shirt hangingin shreds. His shirt had become caught in the jackhammer and it had truly ripped the shirt off his back. We accepted this as a final omen of truth. Ken had lost his shirt. Our dream of great fame and fortune in the form of gold dimmed.
Now, our memory of that incident has faded, our disappointment overcome and we are about to finish the dream adventure that we first shared as a young married couple, over fifty years ago. There will be no gold prospecting, but we do expect to find gold in the beauty of the great Northwest. We hope you will share with us this long time dream.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Since our return from three months on the road, I have been busy getting caught up, getting well (I returned home with a bad back and that took a few “chirp” visits) and getting organized for our Alaskan adventure. Ken, too, has been busy around the place and after installing a roof top carrier for a spare tire on the RV, accomplishing several little incidentals preparing the RV for its trek North, he has dedicated a great part of his time to gardening. He has built some walkways and planters in our front yard. Thus, engaged, PATS GAZETTE has suffered but it was not forgotten. Our current plans call for our departure from Glendale June 7. Llauren, our beautiful granddaughter graduates from High School on June 6, and if all goes well, we expect to spend the next three months exploring America’s great Northwest.
In the interim, our friends Bob and Kitty Van Horn, whom we met on our Spain to Portugal cruise in 2000, gave me permission to share their adventures in Peru which I think you will enjoy. We plan to liaison with Bob and Kitty for dinner in Las Vegas on June 7 and we are looking forward to seeing them.
From Bob and Kitty Van Horn May 2004
We just returned from Peru. Have you been there? It was a very nice trip. I shopped til I dropped. The hotels we stayed at were not the best Lima, Cuzco and Aguas Calientes were interesting.
We arrived in Lima at about 2PM and expected to be met by our travel agency but couldn't find them. Finally took a cab to the hotel. Cost: $20.00. It should have cost a lot less. We feel lucky though because another couple who arrived around 11 PM found someone holding up the sign from the Travel agent but it was a phony. They put them in a cab and about half way to the motel the
driver demanded they pay $120.00. They were then taken to the wrong hotel and with all the goings on someone stole their camera. Bad start to a wonderful trip. All the other people in the group found the travel agent There were 42 people on the trip but we were split up into two groups of 21each.
>
> When we arrived at the hotel we said "oh no"! I guess I have to remember that Peru is a poor country and they do not live the way we do. At least there were two beds, a TV and a bathroom. It was centrally located in the tourist district so we checked in and took off walking. Went to the Indian market to shop then headed back to the hotel because it was getting dark. Tried to remember the way but after we passed the same supermarket twice we decided we had better ask for directions. At least the cookies from the supermarket made a good dinner. Our tour included breakfast daily which most of the time consisted of toast, juice and coca tea. We were told to drink a lot of that coca tea in order to not suffer from altitude sickness. It seemed to work because neither Bob nor I were bothered much. A lot of the people in the group had some problems.
>
> We were off the second day for a flight to Cuzco. This city is the oldest inhabited city in America and is at 13000 feet. We circled around the top of a mountain to land on a one-strip airport. We got there and had a city tour and then walked downtown for dinner. We had pizza in a very quaint restaurant. All the restaurants were interesting and the food presentation was alway wonderful. We toured the Inka ruins for a couple of days with atour guide that was amazing and spoke excellent English. We then took a 4-hour train ride to Aquas Calientes. It is the town closest to Machu Picchu which is what we went to see. It was unbelievable. Pictures just can't do it justice. The place we stayed had a balcony with a wonderful view of the raging river and picturesque mountains. We were told that this river is the start of the Amazon river and was the cause of the mud slides that killed 11people a few weeks before we arrived. The day we got there was at our leisure then the next day a tour of Machu Picchu.
The Inka's were very industrious people. It took them 100 years to build the village on the top of the mountain but it was never finished. I was not feeling good that morning but the tour was great with another excellent guide. I went back to the hotel early, for a little rest, and Bob climbed the mountain to get a better view. He said it was spectacular and he could see our hotel at the foot of the mountain from the trail he climbed.
>
> The next day we had to ourselves. It rained most of the day and was pretty cold. The weather cleared up in the afternoon and we ate in a place recommended by Frommer. It was unbelievably good. Bob had Mango Trout, another couple had macho trout and lemon trout and dumb me had chicken. The trout was some of the best we have ever eaten. We shopped then caught the train and a bus to Cuzco. The next day we flew back to Lima and home with a five hour lay over in San Jose, Costa Rica. I must say we really enjoyed the trip even though the accommodations were not the best. At least they were almost clean.
>
> I now know why when Matt Lauer from the Today Show was asked what his favorite place was when he did the "Where in the World is Matt Lauer" segment his answer was Machu Picchu.
Before we left we painted 3 sides of the outside of our house and since we returned we finished the back and all the trim. It looks so nice and clean and shiny. Bob is busy now redoing the cool deck around the pool. Right now he is experimenting to see what will do it. After that four bathrooms and we are done -- I hope. Next trip is Las Vegas again. We will need the break.”
•Thanks Kitty for permission to add your note to these meanderings.
•That’s it friends– until we hit the road again, may good health,
happiness and peace be upon us and the terrorists brought to justice.
In the interim, our friends Bob and Kitty Van Horn, whom we met on our Spain to Portugal cruise in 2000, gave me permission to share their adventures in Peru which I think you will enjoy. We plan to liaison with Bob and Kitty for dinner in Las Vegas on June 7 and we are looking forward to seeing them.
From Bob and Kitty Van Horn May 2004
We just returned from Peru. Have you been there? It was a very nice trip. I shopped til I dropped. The hotels we stayed at were not the best Lima, Cuzco and Aguas Calientes were interesting.
We arrived in Lima at about 2PM and expected to be met by our travel agency but couldn't find them. Finally took a cab to the hotel. Cost: $20.00. It should have cost a lot less. We feel lucky though because another couple who arrived around 11 PM found someone holding up the sign from the Travel agent but it was a phony. They put them in a cab and about half way to the motel the
driver demanded they pay $120.00. They were then taken to the wrong hotel and with all the goings on someone stole their camera. Bad start to a wonderful trip. All the other people in the group found the travel agent There were 42 people on the trip but we were split up into two groups of 21each.
>
> When we arrived at the hotel we said "oh no"! I guess I have to remember that Peru is a poor country and they do not live the way we do. At least there were two beds, a TV and a bathroom. It was centrally located in the tourist district so we checked in and took off walking. Went to the Indian market to shop then headed back to the hotel because it was getting dark. Tried to remember the way but after we passed the same supermarket twice we decided we had better ask for directions. At least the cookies from the supermarket made a good dinner. Our tour included breakfast daily which most of the time consisted of toast, juice and coca tea. We were told to drink a lot of that coca tea in order to not suffer from altitude sickness. It seemed to work because neither Bob nor I were bothered much. A lot of the people in the group had some problems.
>
> We were off the second day for a flight to Cuzco. This city is the oldest inhabited city in America and is at 13000 feet. We circled around the top of a mountain to land on a one-strip airport. We got there and had a city tour and then walked downtown for dinner. We had pizza in a very quaint restaurant. All the restaurants were interesting and the food presentation was alway wonderful. We toured the Inka ruins for a couple of days with atour guide that was amazing and spoke excellent English. We then took a 4-hour train ride to Aquas Calientes. It is the town closest to Machu Picchu which is what we went to see. It was unbelievable. Pictures just can't do it justice. The place we stayed had a balcony with a wonderful view of the raging river and picturesque mountains. We were told that this river is the start of the Amazon river and was the cause of the mud slides that killed 11people a few weeks before we arrived. The day we got there was at our leisure then the next day a tour of Machu Picchu.
The Inka's were very industrious people. It took them 100 years to build the village on the top of the mountain but it was never finished. I was not feeling good that morning but the tour was great with another excellent guide. I went back to the hotel early, for a little rest, and Bob climbed the mountain to get a better view. He said it was spectacular and he could see our hotel at the foot of the mountain from the trail he climbed.
>
> The next day we had to ourselves. It rained most of the day and was pretty cold. The weather cleared up in the afternoon and we ate in a place recommended by Frommer. It was unbelievably good. Bob had Mango Trout, another couple had macho trout and lemon trout and dumb me had chicken. The trout was some of the best we have ever eaten. We shopped then caught the train and a bus to Cuzco. The next day we flew back to Lima and home with a five hour lay over in San Jose, Costa Rica. I must say we really enjoyed the trip even though the accommodations were not the best. At least they were almost clean.
>
> I now know why when Matt Lauer from the Today Show was asked what his favorite place was when he did the "Where in the World is Matt Lauer" segment his answer was Machu Picchu.
Before we left we painted 3 sides of the outside of our house and since we returned we finished the back and all the trim. It looks so nice and clean and shiny. Bob is busy now redoing the cool deck around the pool. Right now he is experimenting to see what will do it. After that four bathrooms and we are done -- I hope. Next trip is Las Vegas again. We will need the break.”
•Thanks Kitty for permission to add your note to these meanderings.
•That’s it friends– until we hit the road again, may good health,
happiness and peace be upon us and the terrorists brought to justice.
