We Paid For An Adventure...And We're Getting One!

Greetings from Anchorage, Alaska!  After a six hour flight (complete with crying baby) we have arrived in the great state of Alaska.  And already the motto I use on these trips (the title of today's post) has been invoked.  When we landed, what's the first thing I did?  Turn on my cell phone.  OK, no sweat.  It'll take a few minutes to find a signal and it'll take a few more minutes to find a signal and why is it taking so long to find a signal?  We get to the hotel and still no signal.  When we get to our room, I fire up my trusty iPad (thanks to the Marriott for the free Wi-Fi) and search Google for 'Does Virgin Mobile have coverage in Anchorage Alaska?' To my surprise, the answer is a resounding NO!  No coverage for THE ENTIRE CITY!!  WTF Virgin Mobile ? (excuse my three-letter-acronym)  I could understand if were were in the deep woods of this state.  But Anchorage is a major metropolitan city.  Other mobile carriers have cell service here.  OK.  No sweat.  I'll just have Laura post/upload all the picture and video.  Me:  Laura, who's your cell phone carrier?  Laura: (with a hint of resignation) Virgin Mobile.  WOW!!  So, we can't text people, use Facebook, surf the web or upload pictures on our phones.  So what will we do?  We'll adapt, overcome and survive (just like the marines in 'Heartbreak Ridge' (good Clint Eastwood movie, I highly recommend it).  I found an app for the iPad that allows me to send text messages.  I was able to text mom and let her know we made it safely.  Posting pictures to this blog will be a bit of a challenge.  But your humble blogger will find a way to work around this predicament.  Otherwise, It's great to be in our 49th state.  It's in the upper 50's right now which is a 40 degree difference from what we left back in Chicago.   Rain is predicted almost everyday of the trip with temps in that upper 50-lower 60 degree range.  But......WE PAID FOR AND ADVENTURE, AND WE'RE GETTING ONE! :)

The tour starts tomorrow morning.  We can't wait to get going!  Will talk to you tomorrow!

   

Thank you!

To everyone who took the time via email and Facebook to wish us well on our Alaskan adventure, THANK YOU!  Your kind words and comments were very nice and much appreciated! :)  I must say I have been very blessed in this life and I must thank God for giving me the gift of friends such as yourselves.  

Packing.  I'm not to crazy about it.  Yet I know at some point, I will have to get off my big tuches and start the process of stuffing things applicable for Alaska in a suitcase.  And that point is rapidly approaching.  I am really really excited about Alaska and really really not excited about packing.  But, I will get over my packing malaise and (in the words of Larry The Cable Guy) GIT 'ER DONE!

The calm before the storm.  More tomorrow! )

Back On The Road...To Alaska!

Hi Kids! It's your humble blogger back and better than ever (or so I like to think). You know if I'm writing a blog, it must mean I'm going on another cycling adventure. And this year's adventure will take me to our 49th state, Alaska. This will make the 9th state I will have either completed a one day century or multi day bike ride in. I can't wait to start the tour! And this year, I will have girlfriend extraordinaire Laura along for the ride! It's gonna be a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy the blog as we chronicle our Alaskan adventure!