8/29 – Princess McKinley Lodge and Jetboat tour

We stayed at the Artic Adventure Hostel last night, which was cheap and did the job. 🙂   Our bedroom was tiny but was equipped with a refrigerator and linens.  We had to make the bed up – big deal – it was literally half the price of other motels.  There was a kitchen with microwave, fridge, stove, dishes, etc. for us to use. 

By the time we rented the car (2007 Grand Prix) and got there, it was 10 pm.  I was feeling quite icky and the only thing I could even fathom eating was soup, so we went to Walmart and got soup for me and a frozen pizza for Walter, then heated it up at the hostel.  We went upstairs and I promptly crashed!  When we got up we went to McDonald’s for breakfast, then headed up to the Princess McKinley Lodge.  The motif of the room is cute – moose everywhere! 

 

When we got there, it wasn’t time to check in yet, so we killed an hour, then boarded a shuttle to Talkeetna to go on Mahay’s Three Rivers Jetboat Tour.  That jetboat was neat!  The whole thing is covered and made of glass, so you don’t get wet or too cold from the wind, and  you can see everything.  The boat can go up to 30 mph.

 

The captain of our ship was Steve Mahay, the owner of the company, and he was a neat guy!  We went up and down two rivers but couldn’t navigate the third because the water was too low.  That was disappointing, but we got a refund for a portion of it.  That was pretty nifty though because we had a TourSaver buy one get one free coupon to begin with, so it only ended up costing $55 for both of us! 

Along the way we saw a bald eagle and an eaglet.  The pictures of the eagle and eaglet didn’t come out too good, but we did get video, and when I am done playing with the video I will upload those in a different post.  We stopped and saw a huge beaver hotel which had been deserted when water levels went too low.  Walter held a beaver skull – icky!

          

We also went to one of Steve Mahay’s old trapping lodges. He used to trap animals to sell the pelts and showed us all sorts of stuff about that.  The entire tour was VERY informative and fun and I strongly suggest you check it out if you’re going to be in Talkeetna!
    

The full set of pictures from the Jetboat tour is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/48311514@N00/sets/72157601786878395/

When the Jetboat tour was done, we boarded the shuttle back to the Princess, checked in, then went to eat in their Twenty Three Twenty (named for the height of Mt McKinley, 20,320 feet) restaurant.  The girl at the front desk had described this as “like Applebees” but it wasn’t!  It was higher than Applebees for certain.  Walter got a bacon cheeseburgerand fries ($9) which he said was no better than Hardee’s Six Dollar Burger, and I got a chicken parmegan sandwich ($10) and some fruit instead of fries.  The sandwich was good, but it was not worth $10!!!  As soon as we got done eating, I crashed again. LOL

We’re in Alaska!!!

It is 6 AM Alaska time on Wed  8/29 as I begin to write.  I can scarcely believe we are actually here in Alaska!!! 

Yesterday morning we left the house early for the baby’s ultrasound (see www.ourpregnancyjournies.com) which went fabulously, then we ate at Denny’s with Walter’s brother Bill who drove us, then we got to the airport in St. Louis.  We had several hours to kill to begin with, but then that big storm in Minnesota yesterday made all the planes delayed.  Our connecting flight was in Minneapolis and THANK GOD that one was delayed too or we would have missed it!! 

And of course we had to get clear from the A concourse to the C concourse, but the Minneapolis airport has those moving sidewalk things – but I was still huffing and puffing by the time we got to our gate, and the plane took off maybe 15 minutes later.

The flight from St. Louis to Minneapolis was CRAMPED.  The plane held maybe 50 people, two per side, and it was pretty uncomfortable.  We were supposed to be on a Boeing 747 for the flight to Anchorage, but it was a 757 instead. That was better.  They no longer give snacks out I guess, because on the Anchorage flight we had to buy a turkey sandwich and some munchies.  At least the soda was free! LOL

The longest flights I’ve ever been on before were from Philly to St Louis or Philly to Florida, no more than two hours.  Can I just tell you how much a 6 hour flight bites???  I am a reader, but when I read I like to be curled up in my bed, or stretched out on the couch.  No can do on a plane of course!  I did manage to read one book in its entirety (a murder mystery I wouldn’t reccomend) but partway through the flight I started to feel like crap, courtesy of being first trimester pregnant.  I had heartburn, felt nauseaus, and just felt nasty.  And of course you can’t exactly lay down on an airplane!  The closest I got was to have Walter let me lay on him, and I was able to take a nap.  When I woke up we were over mountains!  I’ve driven from St. Louis to Philly and back and you go through some mountains on the PA Turnpike, but they are NOTHING compared to the view from an airplane in Alaska.  Here’s a sample, but I’ve got all my pics from the flight at http://www.flickr.com/photos/48311514@N00/sets/72157601749540241/

    

My gown part II

So to make a long story short, the gown could not be altered.  All of the beads and lace would have had to come up, then go back down, and there just wasn’t time.  So we safety-pinned it in the back!  It’s barely noticeable, and I will still have a gown that appears to fit, and my pictures won’t show it. LOL

Our ceremony

This is what is planned to be said:

Introduction

We have come together today to unite Walter and Carolyn in marriage. A wedding is the celebration of the miracle of love, and that’s what we’re here to do: to celebrate that miracles do occur all of the time, that at any moment, the unexpected can happen and often does

Reading

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be created. In the art of marriage, the little things are the big things.

It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say, “I love you”. It is at no time taking the other for granted. It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives; it is standing together facing the world. It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. It is not expecting perfection in each other. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding, and a sense of humor. It is having a capacity to forgive and forget. It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, the dependence is mutual, and the obligation is reciprocal. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is not marrying the right partner; it is being the right partner. It is discovering that your love for one another at its best will never lose sight of or be blotted out by the common place experiences of life.

And it is remembering that remaining devoted, confident and hopeful in one another are the secret ingredients, which will help you to remain two very happy people, richer for your oneness.

Vows

Minister says to the Groom: Will you have Carolyn to be your wedded wife, to live together in holy matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, so long as you both shall live? Will you stand together during rough seas, mountain storms, torrential downpours, and desert winds? Will you also stand together during the sunrises, sunsets, and the many blessings and beauty that the world may bring to you?

The Groom shall answer: I will.

Minister say to the Bride: Will you have Walter to be your wedded husband, to live together in holy matrimony? Will you obey him, and serve him, love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, so long as you both shall live? Will you stand together during rough seas, mountain storms, torrential downpours, and desert winds? Will you also stand together during the sunrises, sunsets, and the many blessings and beauty that the world may bring to you?

The Bride shall answer: I will.

Rings Introduction

Minister: The wedding ring is a symbolic icon. Alone the ring is just a piece of metal heated and formed with out love. But today, we will transform these cold pieces of metal into beautiful symbols of everlasting love. They will be placed on your fingers and shine forth like a beacon in the storm shouting out that you are not alone in this world, that you have someone to share your life with. When you are apart from each other let this symbol shine in your heart as well as on your hand. This symbol that says you have chosen each other above all others.

Blessing of the Rings

Bless these Rings, and those who wear them, that they may be ever faithful to one another, and live and grow old together in love.

Ring Vows

(Bride repeats after minister): Walter, I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you. Please accept this ring as a symbol of my love and as a constant reminder that I have chosen you above all others to be the one to share my life.

(Groom repeats after minister): Carolyn, I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you. Please accept this ring as a symbol of my love and as a constant reminder that I have chosen you above all others to be the one to share my life.

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Declaration of Marriage

You all have been given the pleasure of witnessing this very special occasion that formally announces the marriage of Walter and Carolyn. Now they have spoken their vows to each other and given their promises. They have declared before all of us that they are in love and they will live together in holy matrimony. They both now wear the rings of love on their hands and in their hearts. So, by the authority vested in me, I now pronounce them to be Husband and Wife.

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You may now kiss the bride.

Presentation

Minister: Ladies and Gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to present Carolyn & Walter Gerding.

Walter is sick!

On Saturday Walter started feeling crappy, and by Sunday evening he was running a 102+ fever, so we went to urgent care and he’s got strep throat!  Can you believe this, so soon to us leaving!  So he’s on penicillin, started it on Sunday night, and should hopefully feel back to normal by Wed. morning when we start the real traveling.  I have not slept with him since he started feeling crappy so hopefully I won’t get it.

The gown arrived today…

… and it is gorgeous, but my chest isn’t near as big as the woman who bought it! LOL

My aunt (actually, Walter’s aunt, ha ha) Doris looked at it and said she doesn’t know how to do complicated stuff and this has no seams in the top, so I called my friend Kimmy who is an AMAZING seamstress and we are stopping over there tomorrow morning and she will see if she can fix it over the weekend.  I really hope so because i have called every dry cleaner/alteration place I can find and NO ONE ELSE can do it in any shorter than a week!

Unexpected kindness

As I wrote before, I found my witnesses on Craigs List Alaska. The people that I have been talking to are another couple and have been very helpful with telling me what is located where, what kind of place such and such is, etc. My original ad looking for witnesses offered compensation plus a meal. I asked C today about the different places that have those coupons from the previous post, she told me about them, then said that they weren’t “fancy” enough for our wedding and offered to treat us to dinner at Orso’s in Anchorage!

I am pregnant and hormonal and I admit I cried a little because it was so sweet and generous! They have never met us and are taking time out to be our witnesses, and instead of getting paid for their time, she said, “We’d love to treat. Seriously, it’s not very Alaskan to let you come into town and also buy dinner. Bad ju ju. Also, just remembered that Costco has $100 gift certificates for $80. We’ll pick up a couple of those and be ready to rock and roll. Consider it a wedding present!”

So, thank you C for you kindness, and thank you God for putting me in contact with C.  🙂

More bargains – this on dining

I belong to Upromise.com, which is a college savings program. They sent me an email a while ago about a new partner, Restaurant.com, which sells gift certificates for restaurants at a discount. I looked at it, joined their mailing list, and forgot about it… until today, when I got the following email:

			Offer ends on Friday, August 31, 2007! Important Stuff: East, West, North or South, we’ve got you covered with great savings! This offer cannot be combined with any other discount, rebate or promotion. When redeeming a Restaurant.com Gift Certificate from the Gift Center, these savings cannot be applied. Offer ends on Friday, August 31, 2007 at 11:59PM CDT.

Eh, the email doesn’t come up right. Oh well. It’s 40% of their prices – which is usually $10 for a $25 certificate – which means it’s only $4 – which means $21 in free food! Yum! If you go to Restaurant.com, do it before 8/31, and the coupon code is “coast.”

So needless to say Walter and I will be getting some of these to eat while we’re in Alaska!

My gown

I found my gown on ebay!!! It was $115 including shipping, whoo hoo! It is brand new with tags still attached. It should get here tomorrow. The woman who is selling it had to cancel her wedding. It may not even need to be altered as the measurements of the dress are exactly my measurements! Thank you, God!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110161725459

Change of plans already! LOL

We had originally booked a rail trip from Anchorage to Talkeetna, but I discovered that in order to get from the lodge we’re staying in to the Talkeetna airport for the flightseeing tour, it’s going to be $75 each way in taxi! Ouch! So for not much more than that, we’re renting a car for the entire trip, which gives us more flexibility anyway.

We found that the Jeep thing we wanted to do has been discontinued, so now on the 31st we’ve got reservations for: “The ultimate back country exploration tour awaits! Join your guide as you drive your own 4-wheel All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) on a truly exciting and scenic journey! Your trek takes you high up on Black Diamond Peak where you can view the entire Healy Valley and you can see the Dry Creek River Bed where Athabascan Indian artifacts have been found in archaeological digs! You will be fitted with all the proper gear. We provide a helmet, safety goggles, gloves, and rain gear.” http://www.blackdiamondgolf.com/ATV.html

And of course, that’s a buy one get one free coupon too.  he he