Trans Americas 2009 - The Blog

Today has been another day of doing very little here in Anchorage, as the rest of the Group start arriving from the far corners of the US, where they've been trying to get over the initial shock of jet-lag and the realisation that the trip is finally underway after all this time.

I must be acclimatising now, as this last night I slept like a baby (awake every 3 hours screaming and having pooped my pants... OK, maybe not quite like a baby!) until 8am. Jim had already got up and gone out without even waking me, so I must have been in a fairly deep sleep. Showered and breakfasted (more waffles with maple syrup) and then back to the room to get online update the blog. Unfortunately there was no Tracy online as there had been yesterday, and I found my heart sinking as I realised that catching her was the reason I was rushing to get my laptop out. Disappointed, I updated the blog for yesterday, then Gerald popped by with a problem with his email which I was fortunately able to resolve (imagine the embarrassment of being the IT guy who couldn't fix a simple IT problem...). No sooner had Gerald left than Tracy came online and we were able to have a good chat. After she'd gone, I was able to use the orignal website files to restore the beer pics gallery (it's proven to be quite popular, so I was devastated when I broke it yesterday). I then did my washing, leaving socks and underwear all over the bathroom (hope Jim doesn't mind!) before going out for another wander round the shops.

I'd had cold feet since arriving, as I only brought some canvass trainers and sandals, so I bought a pair of trekking shoes, and a long-sleeved tee-shirt to make up for not getting one before I left the UK. I also bought a couple more stickers for my bike... we need to get on the road soon, or I won't have any money left!

I took lunch (an Alpine Burger with garlic, mushrooms and swiss cheese) in a local restaurant before heading back to the hotel. Mid afternoon Richard and Karen arrived, and shortly after Max and Christine also appeared, so we headed off to the Snow Goose for some beer. Oh, and we also booked a cruise to see 26 glaciers for tomorrow, departing from Whittier which is a short ride from here.

And that was that, really. A restful day of doing very little. Tomorrow looks like being more interesting, and we also have things planned for Friday and Saturday, so it's going to be a good run-in to the departure on Sunday morning...