Alaska October 2004

O.K., it's true, I do tend towards opposites. This trip coming so soon after Arizona tends to confirm that fact. It was part business and part goofing off.

I was participating in the Pacific Northwest Purchasing Conference. I had several workshops to present on Negotiations. NAPM Alaska did a great job, with over 120 participants, great programs and a really fun dinner mystery theater. ( I did guess whodunit correctly)

A few of us from the conference had some fun on the town and wandered around this very beautiful place together.

Weather averaged around 45, with a few drizzles and even some sun. Here are a few thoughts and pictures of the event. Enjoy!


I spent one day driving north towards Denali Park and Mount McKinley. Mountain views, rivers and golden birch trees lined the roads. I really want to take the train ride from Anchorage someday, but it had closed for the winter. I drove past the Musk Ox ranch. Closed for the winter. You'd think there would be at least one Musk Ox lounging around, but they'd gone on vacation as well.


Looking at Anchorage from near the airport. I did find several great brew pubs, but no whales, no puffins and no dolphins (unless you count Humpies brew pub named after the whale of course).	The edge of town and thousands of miles of wilderness


On Tuesday, Joanne and I drove south to Seward and took a cruise in the Kenai Fjords. The Glacier cruise was closed for the winter so we took the wildlife and scenic-vista boat. Lots of vista, but most of the wildlife had packed it in for the winter. Also, just a little chilly on deck.
this would be the cruise ship for really hardy folk
	in the eye of the beholder the world does appear of shadows and hues of colors and shapes of vistas and landscapes of places and faces reflections then refractions of light and to most nothing more in the mind's eye the reality-curtain opens to reveal a visual ballet prima donnas thrust to the sky jagged and ragged knife-edged and jumbled lifted by orange and yellow arms white shawls on a few, some canyons caulked by glacier ice others scoured clean by the wind high up a fluffy flea jumps to reveal a mountain goat proud eagles capped in white decorate green Christmas trees far below the muse of the dance wakes from his nap on the cold murky bed whiskers twitch with a look of disdain, he squints at the captain annoyed at being disturbed then twinkle feet flap a polite goodbye




	So the locals say……. Moose are a numerous nuisance in town, On the streets, chasing pedestrians Jousting with cars In the back yard eating roses Moose traps on freeway fences (just like we'd use for fish) attest to the seriousness of the freeway problem. The story is told of one college professor Attacked on the campus Kicked so much he needed physical therapy and still probably suffers from PMAS (post moose attack syndrome) I have no doubt moose are a nuisance but after nearly 500 miles driving around the state and wandering around Anchorage we had determined that the bigger nuisance was all the tourists driving around trying to spy a moose. Then on the last afternoon In a quiet neighborhood One of the lawn ornaments moved And the other moved too We drove quietly closer to get a good picture. Success; persistence paid off for Joanne Laurie and I.

Remember that I got to watch the start of the Iditarod one year. Really cute puppies, lots of frozen tourists (like Joanne was most of the time) and plenty of energy and confusion. The dog sled race starts in Anchorage... just a tourist trick. They usually have to truck in snow and you can even buy a ride on one of the sleds. Then the next day the real race starts 25 miles north near the Iditarod HQ.
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