Harassment Pays Off

So yet again, I've been harassed to write a new blog entry. I'm terrible at writing frequent entries, unless I have something interesting to write about. I guess this time I'll just make some updates as to what I've been doing for the last 9 months....

First off I went back to Alaska for 5 months. It was a total blast as usual! I was so happy to be back. Skagway has almost become my real home. The second the plane landed, I felt immense relief and happiness to be back where I belong. It was cool going back as a second year driver too. I started out doing local tours again, but then I got roped into doing highway tours since they were short on drivers and I knew how to run them. In the '08 season, I tried doing highway and hated it. I didn't like leaving all the time and living out of a suitcase. This year however, since most of my good buddies (i.e. Helen and Donnie) didn't come back to AK, I didn't mind leaving. Not to mention, the local Skagway drivers weren't getting as many hours this season as we had been getting in '08 so I made more money there, plus WAY more money in tips! I've realized that local tours are too inconsistent as far as tips go. One week you could do really well, the next week you could get totally stiffed. Highway is much better since you're spending multiple days with your passengers, resulting in a better relationship, resulting with them giving you more money.

After highway was over, I was stuck in Skagway for a month doing local tours which kinda sucked money wise, but was fun to enjoy the town. I got to hang out more with some friends I hadn't seen much all summer, plus go hiking up to the glaciers too!!

Glaciers are gorgeous! Especially when they're sporting an OM NOM NOM cave!

In August, my parents came to visit also!! They were there for about a week. I only got to see them for like 3 days since I still had to run my highway tours. But they did a bunch of tours, and got to see where we all hang out. Plus, they were able to ride on one of my highway tours partway up to Whitehorse. It was fun having them onboard!

Mom, Dad and I on a bike tour down the White Pass!!

Once the season was over, Bethany and I decided to take the ferry from Skagway to Bellingham, WA. The managers shut down employee housing early, so we had to take an early ferry out of Skagway to Juneau. We were in Juneau for 3 days! It ended up being a LONG time in Juneau since we didn't have a car and were restricted to the downtown area. Now you may think that there would be plenty of things to do in Juneau, but the tourist season was practically over so most of the attractions were closed, had limited hours or were only open on the weekend. Plus downtown Juneau, while historical, was basically like Skagway on steroids with a McDonald's thrown in. None of the shops we came across were unique (most stores had a location in Skagway too) and it was all the same touristy merchandise I'd seen a billion times in Skagway. Below is a picture of Juneau from the mountain top:

So after an eternally long time in Juneau, it was time for the eternally long ferry ride to Bellingham!! Luckily, a couple other friends joined me and Bethany for the ride. The ride was basically 3 days and 3 nights!! We had plenty of en

tertainment though. We had both bought a couple TV seasons to watch, and I loaded my iPhone up with games to play. During the ride, the ferry stops at lots of towns as it makes its way to Bellingham, so we had plenty of opportunity to get off. Plus we got to see more of Southeast Alaska. We stopped in Sitka, Petersburg, and Ketchikan. All of them just like Skagway! Haha. But the ride was gorgeous and I got to take a lot of pictures!!

The wake from the ferry:

Sunrise on the Ferry!

Whales!!!

After the ferry ride, Bethany and I arrived in Bellingham and got picked up by our friend Chelsea, who was also in Alaska with us. She gave us the tour around town. Showed us the hotspots, and we met up with Rose, another co-worker from Alaska. It was fun to be back in civilization! We went to a movie, got to eat real food and enjoy real shops!! We went out to this place called Larabee Park. It looked a lot like The Point in Skagway with similar landscape and views. I didn't want to leave Skagway at all, so it kinda made me homesick. But we found some starfish in the water which was so cool!!

So after 3 days in B-ham, Bethany and I rode the bus to Seattle and went our separate ways. Well actually, we both went to the same place (Baltimore) but my flight was later in the day. I decided this winter that I would live at home to save money, so here I am in Fairfax, VA. I'd thought about the idea of possibly just collecting unemployment for the winter, but then I'd really have nothing to do to occupy my time. So I ended up getting a job at REI, which if you don't know, is an outdoor sporting goods store. It's kinda like the Nordstrom of sporting goods. It's a really awesome place to work!! The company is on the "Fortune 500 Top 100 Companies to Work For" list and it's easy to see why. Not only do they help provide health insurance (even for part-time employees), but they give you great discounts on gear. I get 30% off gear I buy from REI, except for the actual REI brand gear which I get 50% off. I can also buy directly from the manufacturer's for an even better discount (more commonly known as ProDeal). ProDealing is addicting because it's usually 60-75% off the retail price. Since REI is just part-time, I also got a job driving buses for a public transportation company. I'm still in training for that job though, since it took awhile for all the logistics to be completed. But it pays $16 an hour and it's a good filler job for extra money.

Now that's its after the holidays, it'll be good to settle down for a few months. Abby and Trent were here for almost a month. They leave tomorrow :(. And in 3.5 months, I'll be going back to Alaska!! I'm planning on driving up this year. My world was shattered a few months ago when I found out that HAPA has decided to only run highway out of Fairbanks this year! It's a terrible decision if you ask me, and now I will be reduced to only doing local tours in Skagway. But I'm hoping with a car, that I'll be able to enjoy Alaska more and be able to travel more too.