Almost Heaven

On clear days, which are rare in August, you can see Mt. Tamalpais from my bedroom winter. You may recall a previous blog post about the rare snowfall we had on Mt. Tam this winter. You may have also noticed the drop in posting frequency in recent weeks. The reason for that is simple. I haven’t been sitting at the window very much. During the last two months I’ve spent my time doing only one of two things. One, going on vacation. Two, surveying park visitors for my thesis research. 

Since returning from Alaska I’ve spent the last two weeks begging, bribing and bullying people into doing surveys at Muir Woods, Angel Island and Mt. Tamalpais. On Saturday I drove up to Mt. Tam through a thick, pea soup fog. At one point I was driving 15 mph and still almost missed my turn. But as the road kept winding up I eventually broke through the fog and emerged above in sunshine and blue skies.

Is this heaven?

I met more than a few sunworshippers who frequently make the pilgrimage up Mt. Tam to transcend the gray gloom of a foggy weekend. After convincing enough of them to take my survey I was free to complete the last leg of the pilgrimage myself. After three days of sitting in the parking lot I finally bounded up the short 0.3 mile trail to the lookout.

Looking down on the parking lot

I found a good rock to sit down on and finally relaxed and enjoyed the view. I sat eating a sandwich, quietly contemplating the 360 degree views. Dragonflies buzzed around, turkey vultures soared overhead and other hikers sat quietly revering this holy place. To the east, San Quentin State Prison was visible. I wondered if any prisoners in the yard were looking up at me and what they were thinking. I thought for a moment of Ernest Morgan, a convicted murderer we met there earlier this year who was paroled in May. How many times did he look up at Mt. Tam during his 24 years behind bars? Was he now experiencing the same feeling of freedom that I was?

San Quentin and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge

To the north, a small wildfire burned as the fog creeped in above. 

To the west, on the middle of the ridge, was what I believe is an observatory and the subject of a future blog post no doubt. 

And to the south, was the view of my house, somewhere down below the clouds.

And that was where I was off to next to start entering all that survey data into an excel spreadsheet. But my spirit was soaring as my car descended into clouds so I couldn’t help but snap a few more photos of this magical place. 

A plant with sticky leaves and the lookout in the background

Mt. Tam is a place I see every day but I guess I really didn’t fully appreciate all it had to offer before this week. I encourage everyone to go explore some place near your house that you haven't been to in a long time and let me know what you find!

A Window Seat through the Last Frontier

Well, I made it back from Alaska last week and now that I've got myself settled back in I can share a couple stories and photos. We covered hundreds of miles exploring some of the national parks of southern Alaska. We took 7 different planes, stayed in 6 hotels, rode in/paddled 3 boats, took 2 bus tours and spent hours taking in the scenery and roadside attractions from our rental car. I arrived at our B&B in Anchorage at about 2am so I didn't see much on the way in. I was excited when I woke up a few hours later, pulled back the blinds and gazed out at the majesty of the last frontier.

View from our room at the B&B

After a breakfast of reindeer sausage we were back at the airport for a short flight to King Salmon and then on to Katmai National Park. Scott and I were looking forward to see the snow-capped mountains from the air and of course, argued over who would get the window seat. Scott won it, sort of.

Scott enjoys his "window" seat

 Apparently, not every row has an actual window. Luckily, there was an empty seat in front of us where we could see out the window.

From then on out Alaska proved to be a place that rewards you again and again for simply gazing out the window.

View from seaplane, Katmai National Park

On the road north out of Anchorage we were reminded that Alaska is the biggest state in 'Merica.

And one that loves fireworks, hippie buses, the Batmobile and other pieces of Americana.

Once we arrived in Denali we took an all day bus trip through the park, spotting and (mostly) unsuccessfully photographing lots of wildlife. We stayed at the Skyline Lodge in Kantishna and enjoyed a beautiful view from our cabin.

11 pm sunset from our room

But the view out the back window of the lodge we stayed at in Kenai Fjords National Park was even better. I spent an evening sitting out on the rocker, reading and listening to the birds while my parents slept in a dramamine enduced coma inside (the boat ride there was a little rough). 

The best view from any window I've ever been able to look out though had to be from our Cessna 206 flying past Mt. McKinley.

Hello Beautiful

Mom contemplates the view

Leaving Denali in our rear window

Gazing at the scenery from the window of cars, buses, planes, boats and hotels provides only a glimpse of the immense beauty of this place. To really experience and appreciate it you have to get out there on the trails, the tundra, the rivers and lakes. You have to be out in the cold rain, swat away the mosquitoes and see the wildlife face to face. You may have seen the hundreds of photos of those experiences on my Facebook page. Luckily, we were able to do it all on this trip and I recommend everyone put Alaska on their bucket list. It's really a once in a lifetime kind of place!