The Final Frontier (An Alaska Trip Report - UPDATED 4/25)

[Captain_Oblivious]

Great list, Mark! Enjoyed the whole thing. Won't comment on every State (was that a sigh of relief I just heard?) but a few things that stood out...

Hey, I made you read the whole thing. Turnabout is fair play!

Really appreciate (and enjoyed!) that.

Glad to hear it, thanks!

You and me both... Dunno about you, but I kinda feel like "I was this close to not catching it!"

Yeah, it was starting to become a badge of honor. Like, "Hey, we did this the right way!" as if it didn't totally have to do with luck.

I saw a meme somewhere that compared people who hadn't gotten COVID yet to being the last guys alive in dodgeball.

Haikus while delirious... this oughta be good.

Those lovely pain meds
Look at the pretty colors
I can see through time

Can't wait.

Getting closer and closer!

I remember how you described that. You were pretty effusive.

I want to go back and do that drive again. It was so perfect late in the day.

Let your bias glow!

Bias? Moi?

I pretty much did that... north to south.

Going Ludicrous Speed, eh?

Remember that one as well.

Well, I do bring it up a lot.

That place was amazing... and I didn't see all of it.

You really need a couple of days. Such a great museum!

Disagree... It's a destination when the Indy 500 is happening.
Done that twice.

I'm trying with Formula 1...but there it would still be cars going in a circle.

Try living here.

No thanks! You can have it.

Pretty high on my bucket list as I've heard about it since forever.

It's always fun to explore caves. Hard to pick one as standing out amongst the others, though.

That's true!

I meant to tag you and give you credit for turning us on to Wurst Bier Hall. Sorry I missed that!

True! But... it's been many decades since I was last there. Hoping to fix that.

Well, you have Super Immunity now. You should be able to go anywhere you want!

Why? I did not know this.

WV tends to be the place that others accuse of being backwoods, etc. Lots of Deliverance jokes, if you get my drift.

eep! Not a good thing to find out since once you're on... you ain't getting off... and then (typically, unless you ski) have to ride it again on the way down.

She hated it so much that she walked back down the mountain. True story. It was summer, so at least she didn't have to figure out skiing.

Very, very high on my bucket list, thanks to seeing a certain movie (twice! in the theater) when I was a kid.

It's a neat sight to see. A couple of warnings, though:
1. There's nothing around it. It's in the middle of nowhere. And after you've seen it, there's not much else to do.
2. No spaceships showed up. I felt cheated. Didn't even get to eat any mashed potatoes.

Wait... what about Guam? Puerto Rico? American Samoa? US Virgin Islands? Northern Mariana Islands? (Did not know about that last one actually, until I googled.) What kind of an incomplete list is this????

See? You just can't do everything!

I would LOVE to get to the Virgin Islands some day. Have friends who have gone and really raved about it. And American Samoa would be the ultimate for National Park completists.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Don't you do all the planning?

Sure, but like all wonderful leaders, I give my team a great deal of input.

Hot Springs was on the list because we were trying to get National Parks. And Dave begged to do Crater of Diamonds. Dreams of riches filled his head.

Great reading the recap and remembering reading about some of the fun stories of the original trip reports.

Your state travel TR's have really inspired us to get out and travel now rather than just plan 'someday in retirement'. We have a beautiful map hanging on our wall that we regularly look at and plan the 'next' road trip!

That's so exciting! Where is the next one?

That was quite the recap! Complete with haikus!

How insane did it sound? Don't answer that.

 

[mickeystoontown]

What a great recap of all the States you have visited. We made the same mistake when we visited the Crater of Diamonds the first time....no actual diamond diggin' supplies and no sunscreen both of which resulted in no diamonds and a nasty sunburn. You forgot to mention the purple ice cream at The Purple Cow in Hot Springs. Surely purple ice cream would increase your rating of Arkansas.

I have to agree with your opinion of New Orleans. Even though we live in Louisiana, we rarely venture to that area of the State. As a matter of fact, I can probably count the number of visits to New Orleans on one hand. We too enjoy the beignets, beautiful buildings and music but I do not like the bums in the streets and the feeling that I need to be looking over my shoulder all the time.

 

[pkondz]

Hey, I made you read the whole thing. Turnabout is fair play!

That's a truism.

Yeah, it was starting to become a badge of honor. Like, "Hey, we did this the right way!" as if it didn't totally have to do with luck.

Yep. It kinda went from "Wait... you got it? What's wrong with you?" to "Well... I had it too... and so did he... and him... and her... and them..."

I saw a meme somewhere that compared people who hadn't gotten COVID yet to being the last guys alive in dodgeball.

Accurate.

Those lovely pain meds
Look at the pretty colors
I can see through time

I want to go back and do that drive again. It was so perfect late in the day.

Then do it!
I'll give you 2 years.


Feeling generous.

Going Ludicrous Speed, eh?

Or as close to without getting a ticket.

You really need a couple of days. Such a great museum!

I'd like to (and need to) go back.
But! I do feel I've seen the highlights.

I'm trying with Formula 1...but there it would still be cars going in a circle.

They're supposed to be in Vegas next year with the strip as a straight. I'd love to go... but depends on ticket prices... which might be astronomical.

I meant to tag you and give you credit for turning us on to Wurst Bier Hall. Sorry I missed that!

No worries!

Well, you have Super Immunity now. You should be able to go anywhere you want!

I hear they're sending people to the moon soon. Maybe I can put in for a seat?

WV tends to be the place that others accuse of being backwoods, etc. Lots of Deliverance jokes, if you get my drift.

Ohhh... got it.

She hated it so much that she walked back down the mountain. True story. It was summer, so at least she didn't have to figure out skiing.

It's a neat sight to see. A couple of warnings, though:
1. There's nothing around it. It's in the middle of nowhere. And after you've seen it, there's not much else to do.

Thanks for the tip... and I kinda figured that.

2. No spaceships showed up. I felt cheated. Didn't even get to eat any mashed potatoes.

I would LOVE to get to the Virgin Islands some day. Have friends who have gone and really raved about it. And American Samoa would be the ultimate for National Park completists.

I'll give you three years for that one.

Get crackin' mister. Ya got some plannin' to do.

 

[QueenJen]

Where is the next one?

Quick trip to Arizona next month and a trek through Utah, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone in the fall. I will be revisiting your TR for some tips.

We may take a long weekend sometime this summer to try and hit Yosemite.

 

[luv2sewtjr]

Omg the haikus!! They added an awesome little touch to your summaries.

Sorry to hear you contracted Covid. I’m a teacher and have been super careful for two years. Waiting for the shoe to drop

 

[franandaj]

Hi Mark,
I read all your wrap ups and Haiku. Very amusing read. Normally I would comment a bit more, but my plate is a little bit full, and I want to get caught up around here.

So I'm off to my email now.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

What a great recap of all the States you have visited. We made the same mistake when we visited the Crater of Diamonds the first time....no actual diamond diggin' supplies and no sunscreen both of which resulted in no diamonds and a nasty sunburn. You forgot to mention the purple ice cream at The Purple Cow in Hot Springs. Surely purple ice cream would increase your rating of Arkansas.

Yes! I totally did forget to mention the purple ice cream! That probably was our favorite part!

I have to agree with your opinion of New Orleans. Even though we live in Louisiana, we rarely venture to that area of the State. As a matter of fact, I can probably count the number of visits to New Orleans on one hand. We too enjoy the beignets, beautiful buildings and music but I do not like the bums in the streets and the feeling that I need to be looking over my shoulder all the time.

There was just a vibe there that was a little off-putting. I dunno.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Yep. It kinda went from "Wait... you got it? What's wrong with you?" to "Well... I had it too... and so did he... and him... and her... and them..."

I guess we could have locked ourselves in our house longer, but that's really not any way to live.

Then do it!
I'll give you 2 years.


Feeling generous.

But there are so many more things to see!

And I have stupid college bills.

I'd like to (and need to) go back.
But! I do feel I've seen the highlights.

Yeah, I agree there.

They're supposed to be in Vegas next year with the strip as a straight. I'd love to go... but depends on ticket prices... which might be astronomical.

I heard about that from my boys! I heard the prices are through the roof, though. And they were telling me they don't think the actual race route looks all that interesting. Lack of curves, I guess?

I hear they're sending people to the moon soon. Maybe I can put in for a seat?

Absolutely! On the downside, you have to ride in a rocket ship that's...kind of embarrassing-looking.

I'll give you three years for that one.

Get crackin' mister. Ya got some plannin' to do.

Drew says I have to take him to Hawaii. So I have to fit that in there, too.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Quick trip to Arizona next month and a trek through Utah, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone in the fall. I will be revisiting your TR for some tips.

That sounds fantastic! We're looking at possibly doing Yellowstone again next year.

We may take a long weekend sometime this summer to try and hit Yosemite.

Also a favorite. Just be prepared for crowds in the summertime.

Omg the haikus!! They added an awesome little touch to your summaries.

Glad you enjoyed them!

Sorry to hear you contracted Covid. I’m a teacher and have been super careful for two years. Waiting for the shoe to drop

We tried to be careful, but we also felt like we couldn't lock ourselves away completely. It's just so contagious that it's hard to miss.

Hi Mark,
I read all your wrap ups and Haiku. Very amusing read. Normally I would comment a bit more, but my plate is a little bit full, and I want to get caught up around here.

Thanks for checking in! Hopefully things are calming down for you in the near future.

So I'm off to my email now.

And now I have to respond there too!

 

[pkondz]

I guess we could have locked ourselves in our house longer, but that's really not any way to live.

Nope. Then again, there are those with bomb shelters who are set to door just that.

But there are so many more things to see!

And I have stupid college bills.

Excuses, excuses.

I heard about that from my boys! I heard the prices are through the roof, though. And they were telling me they don't think the actual race route looks all that interesting. Lack of curves, I guess?

I think it would be cool to see them going down the strip. I’ll probably take a look… and then not go due to the cost.

Absolutely! On the downside, you have to ride in a rocket ship that's...kind of embarrassing-looking.

Drew says I have to take him to Hawaii. So I have to fit that in there, too.

This goes without saying.

 

[QueenJen]

Just be prepared for crowds in the summertime.

Thank goodness we've had plenty of practice with Disney as well as CA traffic. Hoping it's not that bad though.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

(tap tap tap) Is this thing still on?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I'm finally starting a new TR for our Southern California trip that we took this past summer. If you're interested in following along, come on over! Don't be shy, I don't bite. Not anymore.

Do Not Die Today: Southern California 2022