Portland Temple - Beautiful!

As we were traveling on Sunday we stopped by the Portland Temple to walk around.  It was an absolutely amazing evening.  There is no visitor center at the temple but they have tours they give on Sunday evenings.  How convenient for us...since we weren't able to go to church we kind of had church on the temple grounds.  Just wanted to show how beautiful the Portland Temple is.  Wish I could have gone inside, but I'll have to do that next time, yep, next time!

The Roloffs, and Goonies!!!

I'm totally excited!  I got to see the Roloff Farm outside Portland.  We missed the day that they do their pumpkin patch and tours of the farm, but I'm still excited that I got to see the outskirts of their farm.  For those of you who don't know who the Roloffs are they are a sweet little family on TLC - known as "Little People Big World."  I love this show and have become a huge fan, I feel like I have become apart of their family.  When they cry together I cry, when they laugh together I laugh.  It's on Monday nights - check it out!  

After the Roloff farm it was off to Astoria where the famous and fabulous movie Goonies was filmed - "Andy, YOU GOONIE!!!!".  I got to see the Goonie house and a few other famous buildings used in the movie.  It was great to be in the town, and we made sure that we listened to Cyndi Laupers song "Goonies are Good Enough" over, and over.  I love Astoria!  It is an old town full of some beautiful homes, and of course lot's of history.  We also saw the beautiful beaches of the Oregon Coast - featuring the beach where, you know it, Goonies was filmed!  

Good Friends!

I have some of the nicest friends in my life!  Good friends are always the sweetest in life.  

While staying in Seattle the Green's were so gracious to let us stay with them for two nights.  They are the craziest, yet sweetest people ever!  Their two girls are adorable.  Juliana, their oldest daughter broke my heart when we left, she wanted to come to Utah with us.  She got her shoes on and everything.  Sorry sweetie, I would love too, but honestly we have no room.  Plus your parents would miss you!  What a doll!

Next, in Portland we stayed with my dear friend Ciara, and her husband Herb.  They to also have two cutie pa tootie kids (Sage and Herbie)!  We were just stopping in to visit and they let us crash for the night - with a great home cooked breakfast in the morning.  How sweet are they?  SUPER SWEET!  

Thanks my dear friends - may the Lord bless you for your hospitality.  Always know my place is always open to travelers coming through!!!  

Seattle - Brief, BUT Beautiful!!!

Spent the day in Seattle.  It's just another city, and once you have seen one city, you have seen all cities.  However, the weather was very much in our favor today, and it was great being out and about.  I do like Seattle, but for some reason Vancouver, Canada is still calling my name???

We, for sure, did the tourist things, but not with out starting the day at the Temple.  I was a little disappointed to see that it was under construction.  Pictures didn't turn out the best, but it's what is on the inside of the temple that matters.  Small world - one of the temple workers is a member in my parents ward in Ivins.  

After the temple we went "downtown" to Pikes Place and ate some yummy fish and chips - best I have had south of Alaska.  Then it was off to the Space Needle.  Before going all the way to the top we hit the music museum right next door - not the most exciting, and I am $14.00 poorer than when I started out today.  

All and all Seattle was fun, but it's time to leave for Oregon - I've had my fill of Washington, and am excited to see another state tomorrow.  Gosh, I'm getting into quite the life of just traveling on the road...HOWEVER, I will not be making this a career?

Canada, Eh?

We spent the most beautiful day in Victoria, Canada.  First thing this morning we went to the Butchart Gardens.  These gardens are phenomenal!  The colors of the flowers were amazing.  It was one of the highlights of our trip thus far!  I am so glad we took the expensive (150.00) ferry ride over to the island to see the gardens, and of course the city its self!  Our trip in Canada was very enjoyable, however it is ever so nice to be back on U.S. of A soil.  After a long 50 minutes of waiting to cross the border it was as if we were welcomed with open arms back into the great "lower 48"!!!  I love America, but wouldn't mind being a Canadian...that is, if I can maybe get me a yummy Canadian?!?!?!  

P.S. We arrived around nine this evening to stay with my friends Troy and Melanie and their two beautiful daughters.  They have been so gracious to let us stay with them for two nights.  Tomorrow it's a fun filled day of exploring Seattle, Washington.

Driving Like Crazy Women...

Are we out of Canada yet???  Nope - still here!  We went to Victoria Island...and missed the ferry back to Vancouver.  Yeppers, we are staying in Victoria to check out the beautiful gardens.  Going to make the whole experience positive!  

Anyhow - driving from Alaska has been just as eventful as the drive up!  It is just as bumpy, just as long, and just as full of wildlife as the journey NORTH!  We have seen more bears than I want to admit too - black and brown.  No worries Mom, we stayed in the car, but I did think about putting honey on a piece of bread and throw it at the bears.  I DIDN'T.  Thought about it, but didn't do it.  We were stopped by a Lynx (a northern cat) that jumped out in front of us, and then ran back in the bushes.  Exciting, if you ask me!  

Other than that - we are having a complete blast - kind of sick of my car "L.F.T" as we named her (Last FronTier).  Seeing as how we slept in her for two nights in random parking lots along the journey.  

OH, also, I think I have fell in love with Vancouver and Victoria, BC, Canada.  I am falling in love with the men here Ehh!  Putting it out there - looking for a Canadian Man, Eh, with blue eyes, Eh, and health insurance, Eh.  Oh wait, health insurance is free here in Canada - It's included, so even if I don't find a man in Canada then I've at least got health insurance, Eh!!!    

Goodbye, and We're on the Road

(Going to dinner one last time - at Orso's, finishing up with Peanut Butter Pie...)

(Roomies:  Me, Laura, Bev, and Emily)

It's time for goodbye to friends and loved ones in Alaska.  I'm not going to cry because it's not goodbye, it's a see ya later alligator, in a while crocodile!!!  I will miss you all - it was a wonderful, fun filled summer and I am still blown away at how fast it flew by!!!  It's time to go already?  I just got here?!?!  

We leave in just a few hours...It's 12:30am and we are leaving Anchorage at 7:30ish in the morning.  We drive all the way to Whitehorse, Yukon.  Stay the night there, and then on to a small town in British Columbia to stay the night there.  After those TWO LONG days of driving we should be in Vancouver to stay in a Hotel that we booked ahead of time.  After some sight seeing in Vancouver and Victoria Island we will be staying with some friends of mine; Troy and Melanie Green, in Seattle area.  We'll be staying with them for about two nights and then on into Portland.  I hope to see the Roloff Farm (Little People, Big World - a show on TLC) then on to Astoria, Oregon (Goonies) to start our drive down the Oregon Coast.  HOW EXCITING, AND BEAUTIFUL!!!  We then will camp at a few beautiful spots along the coast and then on into the Redwoods National Forrest.  Arriving then at San Francisco (by the 1st of October - another hotel booked ahead of time) to stay there for three days then through Yosemite, Death Valley, and then lastly to Amargosa Valley to stay with my friend Holly before taking the three hour drive to St. George.  Home again, home again, jiggity, jigg!  See you all soon!!!  I will be keeping everyone posted on our journey home!!!

It's Over!

It's official.  It's SO over!  I had my last run on Wednesday.  Showed up to work at 6:15am to be told that I would be working with David Alexander.  Are you freaking kidding me???  David hates me, and I hate him.  Okay, so it's a love/hate relationship - we hate to work with each other, but we love to "hang" out with each other.  Long story short, I had to be the tour guide slash bartender for my last day.  I was "car tending" which actually ended up being awesome.  What a way to end the season.  I had two cars, one from Talkeetna to Denali, and then my last group from Denali to Fairbanks.  We arrived in Fairbanks got the folks off the train, threw all the perishable food out and turned off the lights and hopped off the train within minutes.  I didn't even get a chance to really say goodbye to the train.  As I walked to the bus, I said, Goodbye Train, see you in 40 years when I can barely walk and am on my death bed wanting to add to my "Bucket List" before I kick it.  The season is over, it is now but a dream...a bad dream, tis not so!  I will miss you Princess Train, I will miss the awesome passengers, but most of all I will miss the awesome amount of money that I was bringing home on a daily basis!  What to do next summer...  

What Gets Me Through a Train Day

Pickles and Bloody Mary's, that's what gets me through a long train day!  I can't even say how many times a day I run down to the kitchen and have a pickle.  Eating a pickle is like having a cigarette after sex.  Okay, so I can only imagine - that's the kind of high I get from eating a pickle.  It really gets me through the long train day.  When I'm not running down to the kitchen for a pickle I'm sipping back a tasty VIRGIN Bloody Mary.  Yes, I do have to clarify to the passengers when they catch me drinking one that it's a "virgin" drink.  If it weren't for these two tasty treats I would have probably quit the train life months ago.  I'm a little dramatic, but I'm grateful for these two foods on the train. 

Permafrost/Feet

Permafrost:  n.  (pûr'mə-frôst', -frŏst') Permanently frozen subsoil, occurring throughout the Polar Regions (ALASKA) and locally in perennially frigid areas.

MY FEET HAVE BEEN PERMANENTLY FROZEN ALL SUMMER LONG - YES, SUMMER!!!  I can't seem to get any warmth to my feet, they are continually cold even with shoes and socks.  What I would give to have sweaty feet...St. George is sounding better and better all the time, and is Hawaii!!!

7 Facts

7 Facts People Don't Know About Me...

1.  I hate any movie about a comic strip character, and I will not watch them!

2.  I would love to be a dancer!  One who can really shake their groove, and look dang good doing it!

3.  I've tasted an alcoholic beverage...and it was not good.

4.  I had to take college algebra three times before I passed with a "C" grade.

5.  Along with being a dancer I would love to sing, belt it out like Celine Dion, or some other famous diva!

6.  I really can't handle three hours of church...I endure it, but it is DANG HARD!!!

7.  I still have a crush on a boy from fifth grade...last I heard he is still single???

On the Down Hill

Thank the Good Lord Above; this train season is almost over!!!  I am really going out with a bang!  Just wanted to let everyone know that we leave September 22, 2008.  I'm excited to be back in the lower 48, and to be closer to family.  It is bitter sweet to leave up here, bitter meaning, I have to leave my dear friends, and roomies.  Bitter meaning, leaving the beautiful surroundings of Alaska.  Sweet meaning, NO MORE STUPID TRAIN LIFE!!!  It's been a great experience, but this has definitely been the final summer working on the train.  No worries one and all - I'm coming home HAPPY, with some new experience under my belt.  It's time for a change, I need something new, and I'm excited to start my next chapter. 

The Chad!

This Chad has some PERSONALITY!!!  A.K.A Wolverine.  This is Chad, he runs the train, he also was the one who was suppose to take me up front and show me his stuff???  Instead we focused on the back end and just chatted it up, as always...  

Camping in Homer

This Labor Day weekend I happened to have off, so Bev and I went camping to our favorite city in Alaska, Homer.  I got of work late Friday night and got home and packed as fast as I could. We left Anchorage around 11:00pm after stopping for gas and caffeine.  We drove all the way down to the Kenai to stay at the Princess Lodge for one night, unfortunately I wish we could've stayed longer.  That next morning we got up and had the most beautiful day ever.  To bad it only lasted until night.  That afternoon we got to the Homer Spit and set up camp on the beach.  We met up with Camilla and Matt, and two of their friends; we made tin foil dinners and sat on the beach watching the sun set.  

The next day, Sunday, we woke up to rain.  All day it rained.  I did however get to read part of Breaking Dawn, but am still not done.  After more rain and sitting in the tent we had a lull in the storm and went on to the "Spit" to walk around and eat some dinner.  We went to our favorite restaurant known as Captain Patty's.  It has the best seafood pasta I have ever had in my whole life!!!  But as soon as we were done eating I headed straight for the nearest bathroom.  Oh my gosh, the cream on that pasta does not mix well with my stomach???

After that experience in the bathroom we went on to walk on the "Spit" and as we were finishing our walk the rain came again.  So off to sleep we went.  It rained so hard and blew I just kept thinking we were going to get washed away along with the tide of the ocean.  I wake up around 3:00am to see that Bev is gone.  Come to find out she went and slept in the car.  I of course rolled back to sleep to wake up around 8:00ish and had enough of the rain.  I packed up within minutes and we made like the brakeman and jumped off the train!!!  Basically got the Hell out of Homer!  P.S. I still love Homer - it's got to be my favorite town in this state!

I got crabs when I walked on the beach!!!

The Alaska State Fair

The State Fair just ended, and Bev and I were so lucky to get a chance to go and hang out.  We went on my "one" day off, and it just happened to be great weather.  I just wanted to go to see all the MASSIVE veggies - Alaska is known for it's big vegetables...they get huge.  One year they had 106 lbs cabbages, 19 lbs carrots, and 65 lbs cantaloupe.  Those are some big melons if you ask me!  This year they had a 907 lbs pumpkin - that has got to make a lot of pumpkin pie! That was the biggest veggie I saw.  However, the cabbage were pretty good size.  In fact, I got a tiny bit scared...they looked like they could eat me!!!  Could you imagine my family getting a telegram of me being eat'n by a cabbage.  CRAZY, CRAZY...okay - so I have lost it.  What else is new?

Another random thing at the fair...They had animals.  We watched the pigs for a bit, they are such funny fat animals.  BUT, they had cows, and one of them shared the same name as me.  Her name was Liberty, and is due to have a baby cow in June.  She was very sweet and photogenic.