Day 56: The Adventure Continues!

October 13, 2012 - Today I made it to Tucson.  Warmer weather, actual sunshine, and a good companion makes this trip well worth it.  The actual flights were long and cramped; they don't make planes like they used to.  While I have no idea what the plans are; I'm sure we will figure something out.  I am in no hurry right now.

Welcome to Tucson!

Flying

I have never really liked flying.  Being packed like sardines in a can with somebody you don't even know is not really my idea of fun.  However, the end goal was well worth it which made it somewhat bearable.  Even Humberto got to play around; much to the amusement of the other passengers.

"Please make sure you seat belts are fastened..."

Anchorage to Salt Lake City was a four hour trip that started off late.  As usual, I had a hard time sleeping on the airplane so that time was mostly spent trying to get comfortable.  I ended up not sleeping at all and trying to watch a movie.  I didn't really pay attention to the movie because of the pain in my legs.

Yes, quite different.

I did get to see the Great Salt Lake from the plane.  It was a lot larger than I thought it would be.  It is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere and covers roughly 1,700 square miles.  The lake is the largest remnant of Lake Bonneville, a prehistoric pluvial lake that once covered much of western Utah. The Great Salt Lake has no outlet besides evaporation and has very high salinity, more than regular sea water.

It was a very small plane...

 

 

From Salt Lake City to Tucson was only an hour flight, but it was a small plane with no distractions besides the magazine in the pocket in front of me.  The Flight Attendant was rude, and the person next to me had a penchant for peanuts.  Sine I had no access near the window, I wasn't able to see a lot.  However, I did get to see part of the Grand Canyon; a place that I have plans of visiting sometime soon.

Actually, this is a canyon structure seen before the actual Grand Canyon.

Getting off the plane and meeting up with Bruce was the highlight of the day.  We left the airport and headed towards Home Base where we would stay for the next couple of weeks while Bruce finished up his projects and plans before the actual part of the trip back to Alaska.

Once there, I decided to enjoy the warmer weather and look around the local area.  Bruce had things he needed to do which left me on my own to unpack, work on my farmer's tan, and take some pictures.  I had forgotten how pretty the desert-scape could actually be, and had no problems taking some quick snapshots of the local flora and some scenery.

Mesquite tree and blue sky...this is Tucson.

A glimpse of a mountain range near Tucson.

Humberto examines a cactus...careful!

Some of the cacti were larger than Humberto.

That evening, Bruce and I just spent some time together.  It was good to see him again.

 

 

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Leaving on a Jet Plane

October 12, 2012 - The time has come to head back down to Tucson and bring Bruce back from those sunny lands and back to his home in Alaska.  The trip will include quite some time in Arizona as Bruce finishes up his things down there.  After that, we will be on the road again, although the actual route has yet to be determined.

"all my bags are packed, I'm ready to go."

I am really looking forward to this trip with my Battle Buddy.  I've been waiting for this leg of the trip for well over a year; since I found out that Bruce would be traveling to Arizona in the first place.  As I mentioned in a previous post; it is time to fulfill my promise. 

Don't Know When I'll Be Back Again

Because of the nature of the trip, and the uncertainty of the route we will be taking, I have no idea when we will be back again.  However, I do know that Bruce is in a hurry to get back home, so this part of the trip will not be as long as the first.  For those of you who wish to know when I will be back:  I really have no clue.

I will endeavor to update this blog again; although I require Internet access (and I am unsure as to how often I will have it once we get on the road).  In the Worst Case Scenario I will update it in chunks at a time as needed; but hopefully it won't come down to that.

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A Promise To Keep

July 27, 2012 - A year ago today I embarked on a grand adventure with Bruce. The journey was more than a road trip with a buddy however. It was a fulfillment of a promise I had made to him when I first found out that he would be travelling to the deserts of Arizona; the promise to make sure that he arrived safely to the best of my ability. I kept the promise from the moment I got in the truck that day in Alaska and ended when I was in the air above Tucson two months later.

Yes, I will be taking the gnome with me.

However, I also made another promise, a promise I intend to keep. When the time comes I will ensure that my battle buddy arrives safely back home to Alaska. The trip will be shorter, but it will involve driving up in different weather than when we first went down. Horror stories of the Alcan Highway in the fall and winter do not scare me because, quite frankly, I have a promise to keep.

While the time in between has been difficult and stressful, I am looking forward to seeing my buddy again. The time, while not considerably long, has changed the both of us. However, as I learned in my trip with Bruce the first time; any differences can be mended in time.

I look forward to the trip.

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A Strange Post

March 21, 2012 - Today, while getting gasoline, I saw something that brought back some very good memories.  No, gas wasn't priced at $2.30 a gallon (am I dating myself there?).  I saw a truck and camper that reminded me of the trip that Bruce and I took months and months ago.

Yeah, good memories!

Same type of truck, same style, same color, same type of camper; it was strange to see it my hometown.  If I wasn't positive that Bruce was still down in Tucson, I would have thought it was him.  This glimpse really couldn't have come at a better time considering that we are about halfway through Bruce's extended stay in Arizona.

Sure, I have other ways to remember our fun times.  Besides this blog, I still carry the gnome around with me.  Remember him?

Humberto on Tour

Back in the beginning of the trip, I acquired a gnome (perfectly legal acquisition, mind you).  He travelled with us all around the United States; and along with Batman, was photographed in many different places.  I haven't stopped our little "tradition."

I'll probably get in trouble for it later; but the gnome looks like Bruce.

Humberto has been around since he came back to Alaska.  Mostly, he goes around to different events and poses as Bruce.  Since Humberto and Bruce could be identical twins, many people mistake the two of them.

Shopping at a holiday bazaar.

Humberto prepares to cut a pineapple for the New Year's party.

Don't worry, he didn't drive home that night.

Humberto (or is it Bruce?) trying his hand at chopsticks.

And it's not done yet, not by far.  I will be sending Humberto down to Estrella War this year, and as soon as I get the pictures, I will be posting them.  Sadly, I will not be able to make it down to Phoenix this year.  However, just as the gnome is Bruce while he is gone, Humberto can play me since I can not be at war with my buddy.

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The Long Goodbye

January 25, 2012 - Today my battle buddy went back down to Tucson; his wife and daughter ended up taking him to the airport.  Sadly, I probably won't see him for ten months or so, when I go down there to help him come back up to Alaska.  While that makes me more than a little sad, I am very grateful for the time we got to spend together.

"Leaving on a jet plane..."

Bruce and I have several projects that we have been working on for a couple of years now, and we came up with plans to continue these projects while we are thousands of miles away from each other.  It's going to be difficult, but good friendships mean pushing past all barriers; even distance.

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A Mid-Winter Visit

January 18, 2012 - Bruce has managed to take some time off of work to visit us in the Far North.  To say that I am excited would be an understatement.  How I have missed our adventures (some would say misadventures).  While he is only visiting us for a week, I am sure that we will have fun.  I look forward to the time.

Sadly, a week is a very short amount of time. 

My little corner of the Far North...note the cold.

Today we texted back and forth while his flights were delayed, and he sounds very excited to be coming up; and if somebody could sound excited in a series of text messages, it would be Bruce.

What kind of adventures will we have?  What stories will we tell each other?  Only time will tell.  I am just hoping that it will be fun spending time together like we have in the past.

I look forward to seeing you soon, Battle Buddy!

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Casinos

Note to self: Casinos in Mississippi are tons better than Oklahoma-Ok Casinos sucked!

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