No Words...

Alllllll Aaaaaaboard!  Woo, woo!  Welcome aboard the Midnight Sun Express, I'm Libby, and I'll be your tour guide today - all the way to Denali.  I come from the second greatest state known as Utah...yes, yes, and I usually silence the car when I say that.  Folks I love Alaska, and I love being here, and we are going to have a fun time getting you all the way to Denali.  By the way just to let you all in on a little secret I have recently been single for 27 years, but now I turned 28 and I'M READY TO DATE - SO LET'S FIND ME A MATE...in 2008, it would be great...Noel, take the mic, get it out of my hands I'm going crazy...Excuse me for just a moment.  I'll be back in five!

Denali - The Great One

Saturday I got in my car by myself and drove two hours north to do a flight around Denali. I have always wanted to do a flight around the Mountain, but have never been able to go with anyone. Not that I need to be dependent on someone else, but I just didn't want to do it by myself. Well, I threw that all out the window and headed north to the Mountain. I left Anchorage to drive in the rain, as I thought to myself, this is not going to work, I'm going to get to Talkeetna and it will be raining there and they won't be doing any flights. That's what happened last year when I attempted to do a flight. As I was about forty five minutes outside of Talkeetna I saw blue sky up ahead and the sun trying to poke through. Oh, thank heavens - so I stepped on it and drove a little bit faster. I arrived in the tourist trap town, Talkeetna and drove directly to K2 Aviation and walked right in and said, "I'm a tour guide on the trains for Princess Tours. Is there any way I can do a flight with you today?" Ned, the nice young man looked at his schedule and said, "It looks like we have a glacier landing leaving in fifteen minutes, do you want to take it?" HECK YEAH!!! Then he asked my weight, I said, "What? You don't ask a girl her weight!" He then said, "I have to because the planes are small and we can only carry so much weight." I tried to get out of it, but then realized this is a free flight - give the man your weight!!!

Within fifteen minutes we were loading up on the plane and heading to the Mountain. It was ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!! I have flown past the Mountain several times when I've had to fly to Fairbanks, but this was better. Much better! Tony, our pilot was an awesome tour guide, as I just sat in awe of being this close to such a huge piece of rock. We came upon Ruth Glacier where he landed the plane. I got out and was overwhelmed with the silence, it was something I have never experienced - the sound of clouds moving. I was bummed when I suddenly heard a plane in the distance flying. We were on the glacier for ten minutes then hopped back in the plane and flew back to Talkeetna. Just as we were leaving the Mountain showed it's top one last time then completely disappeared. It was rain the rest of the way back to Talkeetna. We arrived safely and I tipped my awesome Tour Guide/Pilot $50.00 and still feel that was not enough money for what I experienced.

K2 Aviation was awesome, I will always be grateful for their service and allowing me to take the opportunity to fly to the Great One, Denali.

More Fairbanks Fun!

I recently had to fly to Fairbanks for work and flew with several of my coworkers from another crew. After arriving at three in the afternoon we decided to make the most of our evening in Fairbanks, so we rented a SUV and drove to Chena Hot Springs. It was a fun adventure. Some of the gang soaked in the springs why the other half of us ate some food at the bar. After the soaking we went to the ice museum. It was really cold - considering that Fairbanks on this day was really cold it's self!!! Before entering the frigged museum we got bundled into very big parkas. Our tour guide took us in and showed us the place. The tour started in the room where the ice engineers work, and then we were taken into the bar - Alaska is all about bars??? Then across from the bar was the chapel where they perform marriages. In the back of the building were two bedrooms for those who are daring enough to brave the night in a cold bed...as then the tour guide mentions not to many people survive the long night and end up getting a room at the lodge. It was a lot of fun, but after thirty minutes when the tour was over I was rearing and ready to get outside. Once we stepped outside the temperature that I thought wasn't so great, was actually tropically warm considering where I just came from!

Breaking Dawn - Done With It!!!

I'm really struggling to finish the final book in the Twilight Saga, but I have come to hate werewolves. I can not get through the Jacob and werewolves chapters. I will finish, but it's going to take some time! I had plenty of time on the train the other day to read since after noon I went "dead" with passengers and had until almost 10:00pm to read, however I couldn't take any more of Bella. I will finish this book, and when I do you will all hear about it for sure!!! Also, for Jessie, I don't want Edwards Sperm if I get a child like that...so that will be a negative on the T-shirt that say's, "I want Edwards Sperm" now I want a T-shirt that say's "I hate Werewolves". I got board, or frustrated with the book and fell asleep to the rocking of the train...apparently one of my coworkers came by and snagged a picture of me asleep...good thing I wasn't drooling - for some reason the train makes me drool when I sleep on there??? Not something I should probably admit.

I Have Become a Cattle Wrangler

Let the flood gates open...

You have to admit this is kind of funny...I've turned in my tag as a Tour Guide and am now a Cattle Herder. (Uncle Ronnie, do you need help out at the Ranch???) Here they come...they're coming!!! Folks, just to remind you, your seats are assigned. ALL ABOARDDDDDD!!! Wooo, wooo!

A Recent Post

As most of you have noticed I have become somewhat bitter. Let me just say that I am trying not to be, and that was just a bad day for me...I have LOVED being here in Alaska, and I have been stretched in my job; I would love to come back next summer, but seeing as how my life is playing out I just don't know if it's going to work out to come back. I have learned a lot in this job; such as, I will be a tourist who does not make others in the service field frustrated. Also, I have been surrounded by many people who have different beliefs and lifestyles that I am not use to. We all are different, we all have different ways of life; basically I have come from the Utah culture, thrown into one not so "Utah". This is not my first time out of Utah, I realize that, but I also have been somewhat naive to what lies outside the borders of Utah. It's a crazy world outside of the "Safe State" and it has opened my eyes to many different things. There are a lot of wonderful people out here that have different lifestyles and beliefs then I do, I need to respect those, and will hope that they respect my beliefs and ways of life. I want to strive to be nice and loving to everyone, it's hard when sometimes you feel like the only one out there striving to live like that. So, in regards to my recent post, I am sorry if I offended anyone in my rampings, but it can be very hard in the service industry, especially hard when you are living on tips. I only have eight more runs on the train and it will be all over for the summer. I want to come home with fond memories of Alaska, so here is to my final month in the last frontier!!!

The Wonders of Alaska...

Folks, if you could look over here on your three o'clock side you will see this beautiful and majestic canyon known as Indian Canyon - SCREAM!!!!!!!!! Oh my GOSH, What the, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! I can't believe this is happening!!! Folks, I had know idea!
Did you get a picture of that? Would you mind sending me a copy...Thanks! (Thanks to a passenger who got this photo I was able to show off some of the wonders I see from the train on a daily basis. Come to Alaska, it's awesome!)

It's getting closer...

Okay, so maybe I should grow up and get over these silly books. I can't - I just can't do it!!! I hope all my Twilight buddies can appreciate this and enjoy it!

Learn from these People

Working on the train has made me a little bitter - what can I say? If you had to deal with these idiots all day long in a cramped closed quarter you would start to agree with me!

Passengers I have come to HATE:

Anyone who mentions that it's to cold - Folks you came to Alaska!

Couples who dress in the same shirt!

People who wear Alaska attire in Alaska...I'll be sure to wear Hawaiian attire in Hawaii in a little over a month!

Passengers with mega camera equipment, or with a disposable camera - sorry mom!

This is the worse - people who sleep through their train journey. COME ON!!! This is Alaska, and you are sleeping...oh I'm sorry you just got off the ship, Isn't that what you do on the ship???

Passengers who watch videos on their computer the entire time - I think this will be your only trip to Alaska - I'm sure you can watch that lame action packed movie when you get home!!!

People who complain that the train ride is to long...do you really want to know how long I'm going to be on the train???

The question. Why is the train going so slow? Well, since we have had major rain this summer it has caused mudslides, the train is going slow so that we can safely make it to our destination and avoid any mudslides - I'm sorry I can't do anything about mother nature. Does that answer your annoying question?

Sleeping passengers who sleep with their mouths open - aka - fly trap, or Archibald, are nickname for these people.

Passengers who are so kind and friendly, yet they get off the train and their tip to me is, "Sweetie, you were such a pleasure, so great, thanks for making the trip awesome!" Okay - that's nice but where is the cash??? Don't trip off the stairs - cause I won't catch you! (By the way, I have found that Mormons are some of the worse tippers!!! Although, my Mormon Parents proved that wrong...the rest of you keep your ten percent for tithing!!! Or just learn how to tip!) http://www.tipping.org/tips/us.html

People with children! Need I say more??? Parents need to learn how to be parents to their children!!! I am really starting to hate kids, but it's not their fault, it's the PARENTS FAULT!

Parents with children named Sinclair - what, was he conceived at the local Sinclair gas station???

Old men who come up to me with some lame joke that I can't even courtesy laugh at!

Anyone who says, "You're from Utah, can't you have more than one husband?" That's when I say - GO TO HELL!!! We don't practice polygamy!!! Okay, I have really been saying, "That's in Texas!" "Oh you're from there...that's what I thought!" That usually shuts them up!

This is the worse question, as I am on the caboose of the train, "Which way is the train going?" Are you serious, are you really seriously asking me this???

The fights that break out on the train as to which way they will be sitting. "I have to sit facing forward or I will throw up everywhere!" Really - hmmm...is that a proven fact???

The list could go on...but I'll stop here! Alaska is wonderful, the money is great, I couldn't be happier! Venting is always a great release...