DAY 147
August 8, 1999
While awaiting the shuttle today, I biked around
a bit to keep my legs moving. When I headed back to the visitor center this morning,
I met Martin, a very tall Swiss guy. We talked about our rides and when he found out
I left Key West on March 15 and was headed to Prudhoe Bay, he said "I leave Miami on
same day and I hear about you for a long time." Martin strongly encouraged me
to go to Vancouver Island and said that he wouldn't go to Prudhoe Bay, "not worth it,
nothing to see." On his bike, he had a giant bottle cage that housed 2 liter
bottles. He said that he keeps 2 liter cokes there, as that is what he mainly
drinks. There is a smaller 22 oz water bottle that he keeps for water.
Martin soon left and headed south towards Anchorage. Later I met Guro again and her boyfriend Terje(pronounced Tah dia). We discussed our journeys and Terje shared many of his mountain climbing experiences with me. He made an assault up Mont Blanc from the base in just 14 hours. We also talked about some of the attitudes of other climbers and reaching the top no matter what the cost, even the life of another. Many climbers will just leave their team mate behind and continue on leaving them to die in the snow. Terje had told me about when he found a climber lying in the snow that was left behind to die. He helped him up and walked the guy back to his camp and saved his life. Well we traded many interesting stories and both of them invited me and anyone I want to bring with me to visit them in Norway. I too gave them my info and invited them to visit me sometime. By 2:30 PM I found myself in an 11 passenger van on my way to Anchorage. The lady beside me asked about my bicycle and my ride. She too had been on several rides and looked to be now in her 60's. Her name was Barbara and we talked for a long time trading stories and discussed some of the exact same books both of us had read. She was very excited to have met me and told me so, and I too was excited to have met her. After about 2 hours into the ride, the bus driver seemed to be looking very tired with eyes barely open. The van drifted into the middle a bit and then the lady right behind him smacked the back of his seat with a book and said "get back over, you're driving down the middle!" He didn't say anything and just kept driving. we soon had a break to eat at a small cafe'. Thirty minutes and we had to be done and back on the bus...oh! I've become one of them! hoping off a bus and in a hurry. Having to rush like a tourist. Well at least it is only for this 7 hour ride. There were some other people we had to pick up down the road whose car had broken down. Upon arriving at the Grizzly Store, we saw a couple with 2 small children and LOTS of luggage. There was one empty bench seat and it didn't look like enough room for their stuff. The lady in the front seat had a little bit of an attitude and said that "they're not fitting on here!" Geez what a remark to say when a family is stranded way out here. They managed to get all there luggage in and the four of them occupied the seat in the back. I turned to talk to them since I was directly in front of them. I asked about their misfortune and about their vacation. Both of them were pleasant and we had a great conversation. After I told them about what I was doing and my escape from healthcare, I found out that he is a doctor and she is a nurse. They own 3 clinics in Michigan. By now I am trying hard to not feel sick. The frost heaves
in the road this guy kept flying over had been making me feel naeuseous
for a while. And with has very bad driving, all over the road
speeding while half asleep.... AHHHHHHHHHH I'm feeling "domed"
someone please smash my head in with a rock and put me out of my misery. |