Taste of the South in the Cold, Rainy North

Tonight featured an incredible Southern meal of fried chicken, homemade fries, salad, white rice and pineapple upside-down cake with ice cream for dessert. While I'm by no means homesick, it was still a nice reminder of my roots under the cold, rainy Alaskan sky. It's a tad weird to need a coat and gloves in the middle of June, but that's one of Alaska's many charms. It beats the 100+ degree heat that's recently been choking my Texas home.

Eagles have soared above me, and eagles have fed on their prey within 100 feet of me. I've seen eleven of them since my arrival two months ago. One of nature's most majestic creatures, combing the skies of Skagway patiently stalking its next meal. Will it be a fish? A seagull? A dog? A tourist? Mountain goats, a couple of otters and even a black bear have also appeared. Once my car is fixed up, I'm hoping to get a group together to drive out to Dyea to watch more bears from a safe yet less entertaining distance. Whether safety or insanity wins out remains to be seen. However, I assure everyone we won't run if we get too close (running away automatically activates the bear's hunting instincts which will result in a high speed chase that almost guarantees the runner will lose).

I, Moose Jaw Dave of the North West Mounted Police, greatly enjoy my job. Train tours, especially ones involving champagne toasts, are my favorite, but everything is top notch. At the White Pass Summit, we toast to the ones who traveled the route of Hell with hardened hearts and broken souls before us, and we toast to the ones who will ride the route of paradise after us. We even toasted in hopes of Winnipeg acquiring a new NHL franchise in the future, because that's important too (and the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, which is t3h awesome).

Tourists love to be shown a good time, which includes entertaining commentary and bad jokes. And snack bags. We can't forget about the snack bags, especially the Milano cookies and cheese. I just wish everyone would stop stealing my moose.

The first of two summer solstice parties is tomorrow night, a celebration of the midnight sun and the continuation of the Tales of '98. Until next time!