Hey - stop theif!!!!

Trip Start Jun 24, 2009
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Trip End Jul 04, 2009

Flag of United States  , Alaska,
Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Arrived at in Anchorage, Don met me at the airport, grabbed my backpack and the rental car and got dinner. We got to the hostel and good luck/bad luck... good news - the other travelers in the room had checked out and we didn't have any new arrivals so we had he place to ourselves; bad news - the travelers that checked out took Don's backpack and rain cover, our camp kitchen, his sleeping pad, and our TENT!!!!
When Don checked in the manager offered to locked them in this shed in the back that he said he had "the ONLY key to" and swore it would be safe. When we got back from dinner Don went to go retrieve it so we could head out early in the morning and low and behold, there was another key that another staff had and they let other travelers use the shed as well...so when they took their stuff, they took ours too. So we filed a police report and the manager swore to make good if the stuff was not returned. Don was a great trooper and was determined not to let this ruin our trip. The next morning our trip to REI to pick up fuel also included a new tent (we didn't know the camp kitchen and Don's sleeping pad were missing yet) and then we set off for Denali.
On the way to Denali we got to see The Mountain - which depending who you talk to is either Denali Mountain or Mt. McKinley...or if your a local, just 'the mountain'. It turns out our great views were pretty lucky, ended up talking with a couple people who had been to Alaska a couple times and still hadn't gotten to see it due to clouds. Don also got to help a family break into their car - it was a group effort, nice to see strangers stopping and taking their time to help others in need - they used an axe, a claw hammer, wire, and a stick and got in (the keys were in the ignition). Half way through, in a brief weak moment - when they thought it wasn't going to work, the owner tried to break a back window with the axe - the thing bounced off, he hit it hard a couple times and nothing...which leaves me wondering how 'those guys' broke my window???
It was a beautiful drive.

oh, yeah - small world, on the plane over here I sat with a group of people and one of them had a son who was working at the bar on Catalina Island this summer and his girlfriend is working at the Banning House - I was like "that's where we stayed - I probably met her" and then she showed me a picture of her son, and I was like "wow-if I hadn't just changed out my picture card - I am pretty sure I would have a picture of your son on my camera"
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