0902 When you are traveling

You never know what will happen on your journey. I can't beleive I am so lucky today. Everything seemed just happened in one day. I woke up in 5:30 in the morning and started to get everything ready. Joseph seemed need no sleep. He was there in so early morning. I said I planned to go camp but I have so many stuff which made me not like a backpacker haha. He saw my tent was big (I think it is for four people) and he lent me a one person one!!! Thanks him so much! He said it was left by one of his gust here. Anyway, I swiched the tent and it reduced my stuff a lot. My shuttle was on 7:30 just out side here. We took about 5 hr dirving to Denali. you can feel the vegetation and temperature change along the road. We are lucky to see Mt Mckinley on our way! My first thing when I arrived Wilderness Access Center was to make reservation of my campgroud for next few day an I was so lucky that there were still space in Wander Lake! I will stay two night outside in the Mountain Morning Hostel then move inside to Wander Lake for three nights and two nights in Sanctuty Creek. This was my plan and what I reserved in the beginning and it would going to have a big change!!
I went to a ranger's guid tour on meadow view trail around the entrance area at 2:00. It was very good. I like their avtive way of narration, some questions and answers. It makes you know more than just see everything by yourself. I always like to have a ranger guide tours in a national park. Myself is also a narrator in Kenting national Park in Taiwan. I think it is nice to learn how other people do. After that I saw two vedio about Denali and at 5:30 got on the mountain morning hostel's shuttel. I met Alkiko here. She is from Japan and this was also her first day here. You know what she is going to camp in wander lake on 9/4 which is the same day with me! She planed to camp there for 7 nights, unfortunately one the 3rd night the campground was sold out. She needed to move out one night and come back again. I had three nights in wander lake so I said why not share with me on the third night then she would need no moving and I have company! How wanderful :)
Not last, I met two Taiwanese people here, too! They planned to go for flight tomorrow which I didn't plan at all because it costs to much for me. There were looking for the third person because the flight takes three people one time and one flight cost $360. Anyway, I take it! It is a big money for me, but it seems like a chance once in a life time and people from your country!!!
It is for today. It really cold outside but my heart is warm.

0901 Start my journey

As I hoped, the sky start to clear this morning. The scernery is beautiful along the coast. Sun light bright in the break of the cloud. I had a little walk and got some pictures. My last day here. Jenelle asked how I feel. I said, I is really complex feeling, at one hand I feel sad I'm leaving the lovely place, but on the other, I'm excited to go Denali. Every one says it is so beautiful especially it Fall color. I had a very pleasant trip with Jenelle on our way to Anchorage. We talked a lot. I like her very much. She is a bright person always with smile on her face. We should keep in touch. She droped me at Arctic Adventure Hostel. I went so errant to buy some food, souvenirs and my first stove in REI! It is on sale and cost 29.99! I told to Mandy about this. She said she want to buy one for herself, too. I met her around 5:30 and we had a dinner date. She brought me to BEAR TOOTH which was so great! http://www.beartooththeatre.net/index2.html I had Blacked Halibut Burrito which was suggested by Mandy and it was great!!! And also a glass of polar pale ale beer. They have many kind of bear here and made by themself. I'm not good at alcohol at all. Only helf of it made me feel dizzy. Mandy heard that I'm planning to camp in Denali. She lent me a tent and a sleep pad! How nice!!! Now I'm ready for camping!
It was nice to meet Joseph in the hostel again. And I went to bed early because I needed to wake early to take my shuttle to Denali tomorrow.

0831 My last day in ASLC

Heavy rain. Today, I set up the database for all parameters (temprature, conductivity, oxygen and fluorsence). The old one I made has only temprature data and just for test. Seems it is good. So I load the others inside. I cound not finish all the charts, but at least I set up a template for futher use. My last day here. I felt a little bit lonely. I don't know how to explain that kind of feeling. I' m leaving soon, but if there is any difference if there is no me. Anyone really care? I worked, I ate and walked around the aquarium, everything is the same. Expect I'm leaving. Maybe there are too many interns and volunteers come and go here. People leave like everyday's business. I don't mean I want a farewell party for me or something like that. Just need some concerned by others. Anyway, I will have a driving trip from here to Anchorage with beautiful scenery around with Jenelle. And the sky clear now. I think we probably will have a sunny day tomorrow. It must be a pleasant trip :)
I went to Rantin Raven again for their soup. The soup today is creamy tomato basil. Woo, tomato again! This is very funny because I ate a lot of tomoto in this month. I have tomato pasta sauce and tomato cans, so I cooked pasta, tomato soup with veges, fried eggs with tomatos etc... And I have it in the end of my day here. Haha~~
For a month, it is really hard to say what I did and what I got. I need time to figure it out. Of course the beautiful place is what I will miss.

0830 Dark aquarium

I worked overtime today. I got renew data this afternoon and I wanted to get something as soon as possible. After got the result, I need to talk to Anne to see if these are what she want. I went back, took a shower and finished my dinner, then went back to lab around 7:00. I have known how to do this, just neet data and time. Sit in the lab is no difference between day and night since there is no window, I can't feel the sky is dark or not. I finished in about 10:00. I had a look into the lobby. It was dark there. I wonder what the animals are doing now. Still swimming in the water or resting now. I only imaged it. It was too scary for me to walk into the darkness to check it out. Haha~ I walked on the dark street back home. It was cold and rainny. No one there.

0829 Day goes by

Seems Anne did not in the office today. I asked her to give me the updated data since I found the one she gave me has some missing. I didn't get the new one today.
I went to a oil spill presentation. This is about the influence of the Exxon Valdez http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/ It makes me think about the balance of human and environment. Taiwan also had a oil spill issue in the sea area of Kenting national park. We always have less knowledge of the result than what we are going to do.
I also went to visit the aqualium. Everytime, when I got bored, I went there to see animals swimming in the water. Today, I saw sea lion's performance. He was very close to the glass and spined again and again. He also looked outside where standed many people. It was interesting that we started at each other~

0828 Day Harbor trip

Finally, I got on a boat on a beautiful day. Anne needed to change the vedio tape and camera memory disc for wild life watching system. Our captain was Justin. It was really a enjoyable trip. Fish and porpoises jumping out of water; sea gulls, puffins and some other birds diving with the wave or flying in the sky; sea otters taking a nap on the tide; curious harbor seals peeking us once a while checking out what were we doing. Annd checked these cameras and changed their memories before the winter. There are all powered by sun with sun panels. Hopefully they would survive during the bad condition in the winter. Anne said the behaviors of harbor seals in the winter are unclear. These cameras would help us understand more.
On our way back, Justin tried to fish. We all hopes he can get a Halibut, but only a dog fish (shark). In the harbor, we went to refill gas of the boat. Cool! A gas station on the sea!

0827 My last Sunday here

I was tireder than I expecred. I woke up in the morning but laid in bed. My muscle ached that I can't move. The only exercise that I did yesterday was stand on a whale and cut it. Only doing this makes me so tired. I can't imagin Sylvia and Sami's feeling. They needs to work like these for at least four days!
Today is a very pretty sunny day. But I decide to work. I organized the data to the form that I can show them on maps easily. Actually, I finished these part on my bed. I was so tired that I left my office and went home to get a nap. In the evening, Marina asked me to go fishing with her. The sky is so beautiful. I enjoyed the time with Marina. If there is only me, I think I would stay in my room not going out to enjoy the beautiful time.

0826 A whale

Don't get excited so soon by seeing my title here. Yes, there is a whale and I went out today for it. This whale is the same one that I saw float in front of the cruise with Becky two weeks aga. And, yes, you can imagin what it looks like after two weeks. Anyway, I went out happily, though it rains heavily today. Sylvia and Sumi are from Fairbanks and came here to collect the bones of whale. I'm the only volunteer today. Maybe it was because the weather was so bad. Matt was our water taxi driver. It was not a pleasant job working with a decaying whale. We were trying to cut its meat and left the bones. Ha, feel like I am an Eskimo that cuting a whale. As you know, it was smelt. Its meat was also starting melt. I tried to get some fresh air and worked. Sumi did a very good job, just like a professional. I tried hard but can only cut small peicese and we needed to keep on sharping our knief. Whale has a very thick skin which is very hard to cut through. Another thing that bothers us was a black keeps showing up. He knows here is food. He got braver and braver, came closer and closer. We tried to scare him away, but it was no use. We backed up, stayed in a distance for a while. I didn't get any pictures because my bag and my camera were not very far from bear. I didn't go grab them. A little bit scary, but I saw a bear in such a short distance! we went back to whale worked on it for a while and the bear came up again. We were lucy to have some kayakers with us and after that, our water taxi came. About 4:30 we went back. They wanted to finish the cutting and bring back the bone today, but seems like there are still lots work need to do. They may stay two more days here.
Yes, a little bit disgusting, but stand a whale and cut it is not kind of the thing that you can have it everyday.
They needs helps. I know that and I would like to help for tomorrow. But I also have lots of works to do on my maps. I want to finsh it before I leave. I don't know what should I do tomorrow. Always gets ready, you never know when so many things come out and needed to be done.
In the evening, sky cleared up. This was the last time I have camp fire here. So good to sit beside the fire and talk. Nice and warm. I also played some games with kids. They gave me a earthworm flavor Jelly bean @@

0825 Smoked salmon

I was so surprised today is Friday. I thought it should be Thursday. I feel I lost one day.
The most happy thing today is I got some smoked fish! Arlene made some and gave a plate for me to taste. It was soooooo good! Its smoky and rich taste is just incredible. The smoked salmon I had before was thin slices but the one Arlene made was cubics. I love it so much that I ate them all right away.
I got the tracking license today which is a very good news. Now, I can show the water temperature change with time by animation. It seems coming out good. Anne likes it. Few adjustments need to be done. But that is a "giant leap" for me :) I also showed the temperature depth changes by different figures on a page. Anne likes that one, too. To make this kind of figures needs a lot of time but not difficult at all. I think I can have my small project by doing these two formats (animation ands figures) and these would become the report of what I have done for one month here. Not bad~ I need to do faster. There is really not much time left. Anyway, I still spent some time sitting by the coast. Everything is so bright under the sun here. You can feel the fall in the air. Temperature drop, but not so much rain. This is the typical weather in fall here, Arlene said. I heard the Denali has started to change its color. I should start to plan my trip now.