The Best-laid Plans

OK, so…work on the house took a little longer than a couple of weeks. And as expected, the allure of Alaska was quite strong. The desire to stay was — and is — strong. But comes a time…

I had planned to be here until the house sold or Labor Day; well, the work was completed around Labor Day and there’s been little to no activity in terms of people looking at the place, so I stayed until mid-October. Today, to be exact: October 18. St. Luke’s Day. That’s right: it’s my namesake saint’s day today. That’s an auspicious day to make a bold decision. So on that note, I’m heading south starting tomorrow.

It’s time to get busy again. It’s been an uncharacteristically spectacular autumn here in Southcentral Alaska, but with the last leaves falling from the trees in my yard in this evening’s breeze and the termination dust in the mountains, it’s time for me to follow the V’s of geese departing to the east and south. And practically speaking, all my cold-weather clothes and toys (hockey equipment, skis, etc.) are in storage in Solana Beach…so even if I were going to stick around for the winter I’d need to go get ’em. That, and sleeping on an airbed for three-plus months is getting old.

Tomorrow, it’s northeast to Tok (as in: “One ___ over the line, sweet Jesus…”) and the border, then southeast, around the Wrangell Mountains and the St. Elias Mountains to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. On Wednesday, down the Alaska Highway to Fort Nelson (with a stop at Liard Hot Springs, of course). From there, either south to Jasper or southeast onto the plains and the Edmonton area. That’s TBD. Then across the 49th parallel and into the Lower 48 on Friday.

I’ll try to post updates from hotels each night along the road — this time of year, sleeping in your car is not advised and driving at night isn’t wise, what with all the mega-fauna (bears, moose, bison, caribou) along the road and the potential for slick spots. The weather forecast is quite good for the coming week (another reason I’m bolting on such short notice) so I’m hoping for some jaw-dropping visuals; if so, hopefully there will be photos.

And then, upon arrival in the mainland U.S., we shall see where the road leads…

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Plus ca change…

Well, a lot has changed since that last post. Let’s do a quick recap:

* Ten days after that post, I left Active. Perhaps I’ll get into that later, but now is not the time.
* In May, I crewed on the 51-foot Swan “Star Chaser” from St. Maarten to Newport, Rhode Island. SPECTACULAR time in many different regards.
* In June, I got re-certified as a scuba diver — 31 years and 11 months since I last got certified.
* And the day I got certified (Sunday, June 20), I abruptly came to the conclusion that I should head to Alaska and get my home there in order after my recently departed tenants had left the place in a shambles. Eight days later I was on the road, with a game plan to be in Alaska until the house sells or Labor Day, whichever comes first.

I’m now in said house in Anchorage and the work has begun. There is much to be done but I think I can get it hashed out in a couple of weeks…and then we’ll see what happens. As I expected, the closer I got to Alaska, the more I pondered staying. And now that I’m here, opportunities are arising (I’ve always said I have faith in the universe). So…we shall see.

In the meantime, I’m getting caught up here…and will post a recap of the journey north shortly. Stay tuned.

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One More…Once

It’s been how long since I’ve posted here? Yikes. And while it hasn’t been quite as long at my blog over on Active, it’s still been a while. So here it is, a return to the blogosphere, a return to the written (typed?) word, a return to…me.

I started out 2010 with a declaration that I was, to paraphrase Justin Timberlake, “bringing Luke back.” And thus far, it’s been a moderate success. I got my knee scoped and fixed, and ran pain-free on pavement yesterday for the first time in almost a year.

I’ve never been a good runner, and I can’t say that I truly enjoy the act of pounding out the miles (and yes, at my size/weight, it truly is “pounding out” the miles). But yesterday’s three-mile jaunt along the north San Diego County coast was almost ecstatic. No one would accuse me of gliding through the miles but it sure felt like it to me. The pace wasn’t particularly quick — an average of 8:30 miles — but it was faster than what I’ve done on the treadmill recently and faster than I expected to go in my return. But the ability to move at pace, at MY pace, was nothing short of a declaration of freedom…and it felt wonderful.

And here I am, back to the creation of words on a page (or at least the electronic version of a page). Like my running in the past 12 months, it’s been far too long; longer, even, than my absence from running and far more crippling. But as with those first days of physical therapy that then progressed to running on a treadmill and finally to yesterday’s excursion on the Pacific Coast Highway, this blog will serve as the tentative initial steps back into the life of creativity I once enjoyed. That life has been squelched in the past three years and thankfully, the universe has kicked me in the ass (again) to get back on the course I’m supposed to be traveling.

As sketchy as yesterday’s run was, so, too, are these initial posts going to be sketchy. So be it. They’re also a declaration of freedom. MY freedom.

Self-indulgent? Absolutely. But like I say: I’m bringing Luke back. 2010 is now a quarter over and the to-do items are being checked off. Getting back to a creative life is at the top of the list.

Count Basie gave me the title for this post. As he might have told his band at one time: hit it!

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