I leave the reservation, then catch two planes north; as the hour grows later, the night brightens
Monday, May 31, 2010 at 3:23AM ;)
Here I am, having just exited the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, home to the White Mountain Apache Tribe, looking back at my wife and children's homeland in my rearview mirror. There is a horrid hole in my heart. I do not want to go. I want to linger longer, slower. But I can't. I have to go, right now.
Margie will stay for another five days. The kids are coming home at staggered times.
;)
Here I am, driving through the tunnel just north of Superior, enroute to PHX Sky Harbor Airport. Before I get there, I will stop in Mesa for a short visit at the home of Dustinn Craig, oldest son of Vincent. Vincent's wife, Mariddie, will be there, too.
Eyes will moisten, but it will be a warm visit. Before I leave, I will ask the quickest way to the airport, and if there are any gas stations in-between, as I need to fill the tank of the rental car before I return it.
Mariddie will send her youngest son, Shiloh, to the gas station with me, with instructions to use her credit card to buy that final tank of gas for me. I did not expect this, but I cannot turn this gift down. She is an Apache woman and the wife of my great friend. I am grateful.
Shiloh and I have an interesting conversation. Maybe I will come back this fall sometime.
;)
Now I wait at Gate 11 for my first jet, the one that will take me to Portland. This is not it.
;)
This is it. I am inside it now, flying toward Portland.
;)
And this is my second jet, not long after leaving Portland a bit after 9:00 PM. It is pointed almost due north. You can see that, to the north, there is still light in the sky, whereas to the south, it is darkening.
;)
This is about an hour-and-half later, somewhere along the British Columbia coast. You can see that, despite the hour being later, the night is brightening.
;)
And here I am, approaching Anchorage, just before 11:30 PM. While the sun is still up from the perspective of the airplane, down on the ground, it has set - but it has not grown dark, nor will it completely do so.
;)
Here I am, touching down at Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, 11:30 PM.
Now it is 3:12 AM. I am home in Wasilla. I have taken care of a couple of tasks that needed to be done. I have removed the timed food-release pellets from my fish tanks and have fed my fish their regular food.
My little green terror has disappeared. He must have been eaten.
I will miss him.
I was most worried about my parrot fish, who I have had for 9 years now and who is most intelligent, friendly and trusting. I feared he would not do well on the time release, but he seems to be fine.
I will go to bed now for four hours, then get up, go pick up some poor, distressed, bewildered, kitty cats, bring them home, take care of a couple of other tasks, then head back to Anchorage, catch another flight to Fairbanks and from there, another one to Anaktuvuk Pass.
Caleb will be home by then and he can take care of the cats.
I am really tired. I feel like I could sleep for a week.
Maybe next week.
Ow! A spider just bit me, right above my left elbow.
Poor thing. I killed it. I didn't mean to, but when I felt it bite, I reflexively slapped it. I thought it was a mosquito. But it wasn't. It was a spider.
I usually catch the spiders that come into my office, take them outside and let them go.
I would have done so with this one - if only it hadn't bitten me.
Reader Comments (11)
too bad about your fish...i worry about mine too. have a good trip and i hope the cats will not be to upset
welcome back however briefly and safe travels as you're off yet again, great pictures of the night brightening, here on the east coast I'm ecstatic when it is still light out these days after 7pm!
Welcome home!
The photo of Margie, her mom and Jobe brought tears to my eyes...so beautiful.
I was fascinated by the view of the lightening (not lightning) sky as you moved ever north! No wonder you love Alaska! Maybe we can move Iowa more north than its present location.
Glad you had a safe trip home. It is amazing how light the sky is so late/early.
Something about a spider bite freaks me out because we have the brown recluse spider here.
I hope the kitties are OK. They'll be glad to be home too.
I'm glad that I found your blog. I made that night flight up to Fairbanks from Seattle so many times when I was younger (my husband was a summer bush pilot out of Kaktovik). I'm eager to see any photos of Anaktuvuk Pass; it has been many years since I've been there. I'm living in New Zealand now and don't know that I will ever be able to return to Alaska so you give me a window on the present of my past.
My sympathies to you and all your family on the recent death. You have written a fine tribute and the marvelous photos show so much. Thank you.
Take good care. God bless.....
Yoi, going to Anaktuvuk! I'd so love to be there this time of the year and go camping again! Have fun!
Biting spiders must die. It's my take on things. The great circle of life and all of that. Kill it and feed it to your fish. I've had no time for commenting, but I've been reading along. I think it's fascinating to watch you all walk back and forth from culture to culture, and not even blink. What a vision you and Margie have provided to your children. Well. Off to class. And tests. And...well...how about I just hang around here for a while....
Welcome back home to Alaska Bill! Did you see any of the smoke from the wildfires as you were flying in?
Twain - Those cats were really upset. They have calmed down, now, though. Pistol is still a little nervous.
Pat - I am loving the light. In Arizona, it was fun to gather around a big fire in the darkness, but still, on the whole, I love the light of a summer time Alaska night.
Kelly - Thank you. I had wanted to do much more with Margie's mom and family, but I was pulled in different directions in Arizona. We might return in the fall. If so, I hope it will be a slower, more contemplative trip.
Whitestone - All we need is for the earth to tip about 30 degrees on its axis and, presto - Iowa is the Far North.
Mocha - no brown recluses here. I like spiders because they eat mosquitoes and noseeums. The kitties are doing good.
Ellen - I'm glad that I can give you a window back to Alaska. Now, how do I get a plane ticket to New Zealand? I have always wanted to go there.
Grandma - You too.
Cindy - Wish you could have been there. Maybe yet?
Debby - Maybe there will be a spider perched on your shoulder, watching your hand write as you answer the questions on your test.
Lisa - Thanks. The smoke seemed fairly light as we flew in, but was much heavier the next morning and when I reached the Interior - it was really heavy. We couldn't even see the Yukon when we flew over it.