ALASKA for SALE 🌲
Calling? Obsession? too much Reality TV?
Think it’s ’cause Alaska’s so big, so rural. Being isolated, folks count more on each other, make do with what they have. Strong sense of community, similar to my own childhood. And of course the Into the Wild manifesto which inspired my Life 2nd Half – that feeling anything is possible. We’re not stuck. Dream BIG. Life is meant to be lived.
Alaska, the Last Frontier. Hopefully outta my system next 5 years; that’s the strategy. Reality – I enjoy my creature comforts. Fresh vegetables, seasonal fruits, accessibility to the Rockies. In Colorado, they’re our playground. They don’t cage us in – mountains, road-restrict Alaskans. Made my list (pros/cons) & bought another plane ticket. LOL>
Denver-Seattle, Seattle-Anchorage, Anchorage-Cordova ✈️
Most isolated of my Alaskan pilgrimages. Fishing community, economy-wrecked by the Exxon-Valdez oil spill. Birds are back, fish numbers up – shellfish ‘bottom dwellers’ gone. Decades ago, but nothing surviving the inlet’s ocean floor. For us tourists, you’d never know. Beautiful scenic Prince William Sound; inland, massive Lake Eyak.
Cordova’s Baja Taco 🐟 – YUM!
Touchdown Cordova. Long travel day. 3 nights stay at The Reluctant Fisherman. Missed, not planned? Transportation. No Lyft, no Uber. ONE guy taxi service, 4pm to 4am. Cash $$ haggled to tag-along other vacationers’ arranged transport. Mudhole Airport 12 miles from port. So where’s my rental? Folks, it’s a one street town. Population 2500. Who knew? Alaskan adventuring on FOOT this holiday.
Hotel dinner. Black-out curtains & sleeps (limited night, 11pm-3am).
Up about, walk about. Baja Taco – by far, THE place to feed. Bib pickup @ the Community Center. Grocery provisions. Two-mile walk to Lake Eyak. Big beautiful QUIET Alaska. Dig the isolation. 50-50 culture split: Inuits or Anglos in fishing boots. Moms, kids. Teens in trendy boot brands. But all wearing tall/to-your-knee Gorton Fisherman garb. Fashionistas & dockworker alike. ‘Deadliest Catch’ Fashion Week.
Downtown shops. And yep, a museum (surprisingly HUGE, paid for by Exxon). Better understanding how/why/from where we came. Eyak, Tlingit, Chugach Eskimo. Sarah Palin’s Russian neighbors. LOVE LOVE history. Afternoon NERD escape.
Big, wild, beautiful ALASKA ❤️
Salmon JAM Festival starts tonite (music JAM not fish jelly) – I’d festival bus to Mt. Eyak tomorrow, after marathoning.
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- North to Alaska
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- Cordova Welcome
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- Prince William Sound
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- great name, right?
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- first-night SEAFOOD
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- Henrich Park
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- Russian Orthodox ‘Little Chapel’
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- Mount Eyak
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- Lake Eyak
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- ALASKA summer ❤️
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- Yikes!
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- SALMON tacos 🐟
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- BEST EATS in Cordova
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- 26.2 tomorrow
Cordova Historical Museum
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- native long-boats
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- Eyak Village
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- Russian Alaska (1733-1867)
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- Captain James Cook (1778)
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- Cordova Alaska (1909)
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- Copper River & Northwestern Railway
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- salmon, halibut, razor clams
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- Exxon-Valdez (1989)
Lake Eyak (Cordova)
7th continent REALITY, my lottery name pulled.
Tradin’ turkey for sushi this year. Passing on the free entry to Abu Dhabi.
Path laid out; my globe now COMPLETE 🌏
Thanksgiving 2019 – JAPAN!
Moscow ⇨ Hamilton NZ ⇨ Toronto ⇨ São Paulo ⇨ Knysna SA ⇨ Antarctica ⇨ Osaka
OUT LOUD voice, speak it to the universe – PRAY. Stay faithful. Don’t get overwhelmed, DREAMS can’t always be planned. When/how. Pray to stay strong, that HIS will be done. ANYTHING is possible.
SEVEN continent REALITY!
Gettin’ my holiday SUSHI on – Osaka JAPAN, December 1st – whoop, whoop!
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- my last CONTINENT
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- Asia Plan B (sorry, Abu Dhabi)
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- Europe, Australia, N America
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- Antarctica, Africa, S America
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- holiday SUSHI 🐟
Late 9am start. Showered/dressed, bib pinned, bags packed. Train to Malpensa post-marathon, hotel change – last night sleeps ‘cross from Milan’s Terminal 1.
Quiet walk thru Montanelli Public Gardens (city’s oldest Park), déjà vu mirror-moment. April last year: Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo. Birds spring-nesting/making their presence known, muddled sound of runner conversation. Did a dry run yesterday (walking off evening PASTA). No surprises – knew where to go/when to be there.
Bib shown, entry granted: Sector 7. Lot goes into marathoning international. Aside from registration/foreign language emails – medical certificates, applying for an Italian Federation ‘RunCard’, Visas (Brazil/Russia). They’re not all that way but Brazil, Italy, Russia, South Africa – jumped thru some Hula-sized loops. Learned to pace myself.
Little by little, bit by bit…one day, TODAY all comes together. Race day in MILAN, ITALY. Surrounded by centuries of architecture. All worth the effort 😊
Short heavy burst of water five minutes to Start. Short-sleeved natives noticeably shivered, muttered in Italian. Been a RAIN MAGNET this year. Cap, jacket, new gloves. Merino wool. Lesson learned from last Sunday’s COLD Indiana deluge. Il Duomo, Teatro alla Scala – first Half tour highlights.
Mentally plugged in. For me, that’s the battle. Easily noise distracted. Race horse requiring blinders. Inclement weather helps. Shifts focus. Day’s physical challenge? Cobblestone, SLICK & uneven. No slips, no falls welcome. Focus, take my time. Bloodied & bruised first mile in New Zealand, I can be taught.
Picked UP speed, mile 12. Third 10k my fastest (sub-9 min/pace, 30k timing mat). push, PUSH, push. Derailed the last 10k of course, hour-26 minutes. Yeah well, I’ll be ‘African’ next year. LOL>
Jonas. Runner tag-along Mile 23. Even young super heroes hit the wall, first marathon.
Shoulder tap. Walk, slow jog. Walk again, easy run. Quicker.
40k, two kilometers to go. Lost my run partner briefly (dude paced up too early). I’d see him again in 5 minutes. Bit rattled, outta breath. Gave him the universal ‘thumbs up’. Jog, canter, steady again – STRONG under the Banner. PRIMO! PRIMO! I shook my head AFFIRMATIVE. First marathon FINISH.
The look, the excitement. Any language, completely understood. CONGRATS man.
Metro to Centrale, train to Malpensa. Early start tomorrow. Goin’ HOME, Colorado HOME ❤️
Generali Milan Marathon | 07/04/2019
USA 676 – HAGA KEENAN
Arrival 42.195 4:24:32
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- Giardini Montanelli
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- COBBLESTONE slick
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- il Duomo 🕍
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- mile 23 tag
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- super hero FINISH
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- new European PR 🇮🇹
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- day/month/year
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- U-S-A ❤️
Milano Marathon
