#I saw the trailer at a screening of Cruising about two weeks ago

[texas-gothic]

I’m 90% sure that the secret plot of Saltburn is that the Jacob Elordi character saw the Barry Keoghan character in that park exactly once and decided “I’m gonna fuck that weird little guy” right there and then.

[ckret2]

No Tongue, No Teeth

If Rodan and Ghidorah are supposed to be courting each other, then it’s high time that Rodan explain to this big clueless alien what exactly that means on Earth.

And meanwhile, the Monarch scientists responsible for translating titan language are driving themselves crazy trying to figure out what the hell Rodan and Ghidorah are talking about.

This is part of an ongoing series of Rodorah one-shots. If you don’t want to read the others, all you need to know is: Ghidorah doesn’t speak any Earth languages so Rodan’s teaching them, and at this point they’re making an A in “creative uses for limited vocabulary” but a C+ in grammar; and Rodan’s never heard the word “Rodan” before and considers himself Nido. Links to the other fics are in the source at the bottom of this post.

###

"Look at them." Xochitl pressed her fingertip to a screen displaying a live feed from one of the many cameras Monarch had trained on the volcano. It was barely past dawn, with reddish sunbeams breaking weakly through patchy morning rainclouds—it had been raining since Rodan and Ghidorah had come home yesterday—and the two titans were sitting together in a narrow valley between the eastern side of el Nido del Demonio volcano and the neighboring hill. Rodan was chattering steadily to Ghidorah, pausing to shake off the morning drizzle every once in a while, and Ghidorah only occasionally cut in with questions or requests for clarification. "They've never been this chatty. Or this... this incomprehensible. It's like they're speaking a completely different language."

Arturo decided not to point out to her that they were.

"I can't believe it." Xochitl propped her elbows on her wobbly desk and planted her face in her hands. "Days they spend in the Antarctic circle. And when they come back, I can't understand a thing they're saying."

Arturo patted her shoulder sympathetically. This had the effect of causing her to crumple down to the desk, hiding her face in her arms in despair.

Dr. Xochitl Flores Rosales was the primary mind behind “lenguaje de los pájaros titánicos (para principiantes),” the YouTube channel produced by Outpost 56-B—which consisted of a trio of trailers at the edge of the volcanic rock on the outskirts of Rodan's territory. For weeks now, she and the rest of 56-B had been studiously recording every single squawk and trill that came out of Rodan and Ghidorah's mouths as Rodan painstakingly—and with copious easy-to-follow pantomime—taught Ghidorah his language. She'd been stitching videos together out of footage they were taking of the titans from dozens of different angles, editing and subtitling every word between them, and then releasing the videos to the public. (To the consternation of Monarch HQ, who hadn't approved a project utilizing footage that they thought of as Monarch property.)

Until now several days ago, Outpost 56-B had been riding high, buoyed by the explosive popularity of their real-time language lessons and their Monarch-unauthorized Twitter account documenting the odd-but-oddly-harmless day-to-day activities of Isla de Mara's two resident titans. Even the false alarm from several days ago had ended happily: after a long night spent sending very serious updates to the official Monarch HQ Twitter account about the unexpected skirmish between Rodan and Ghidorah, the resulting hurricane-wreathed chase scene through the Atlantic down to Antarctica, and the subsequent far more vicious fight, it had been a relief to receive pictures from the Antarctic Outpost 32-B skeleton crew showing Rodan and Ghidorah cuddling up against each other like nothing had happened. 56-B had promptly added an impressive array of heart emojis to the pictures, added a caption celebrating that the lovers' spat hadn't ended in an apocalypse, and posted it to their very unofficial Monarch Outpost 56-B Twitter account.

(Monarch HQ, again, asked them not to refer to Rodan and Ghidorah as a romantic couple, even as a running joke for their Twitter audience, due to the fact that they had no idea what was really going on between Isla de Mara's two titans; and until they saw evidence that the titans were actually some sort of mating pair, 56-B was deeply abusing the reputation of scientific authority that came from the name "Monarch" by referring to them like they were. 56-B responded by pointing out that half the times Godzilla was mentioned on the official Monarch Twitter account, Dr. Russell's totally unproven "alpha" label was still getting flung around, despite the fact that last week Godzilla had sat on a beach for six hours trying to untangle a fishing net from his dorsal plates while Kraken occasionally snuck up behind him to re-tangle the net.)

No apocalypse had happened. 56-B's personal favorite soap opera couple had come back from the brink of a breakup, gone on a cruise together, and literally cuddled for warmth. Rodan, newly-adopted pride of Tamaulipas, had done what no other titan had done thus far by defeating Ghidorah in single combat. And now they'd come back to Rodan's nest with naught but a light summer rain to disturb the weather. This should have been a happy homecoming.

But while the two titans in question had spent the last few days fighting/chilling in Antartica, riding on a supercarrier, and setting off a goddamn volcano on Bouvet Island, the 32-B skeleton crew had sent absolutely useless videos that didn't help the 56-B crew understand a single thing Rodan and Ghidorah were saying. They'd barely managed to pick out a couple of new words when the wind was right. Xochitl had spent several hours straight furiously rewatching footage from a Monarch observation ship, palms pressing her headphones to her head, volume turned up to maximum, staring at her laptop with her eyes two inches from the screen, trying desperately to lipread two creatures that didn't have lips to read as Rodan dropped rocks one after another in front of Ghidorah and she knew he was teaching him to count, dammit! She KNEW he was! And she couldn't hear the numbers!

If the U.S. Navy didn't turn over the footage they'd recorded while Ghidorah had been lounging on their supercarrier, she was taking a rowboat to Washington D.C. and challenging Admiral Stenz to a fistfight.

So here Xochitl was. On the verge of pulling out her hair because she no longer understood a damn thing coming out of their mouths. This was sobering news for “lenguaje de los pájaros titánicos (para principiantes).”

"Rodan's even changed the name he's calling Ghidorah," she grumbled. "Just slightly. But you can hear the difference if you compare recordings. What does it mean?"

"Maybe it's a rank thing?" Arturo suggested. "Since he beat him in a fight?"

"Shut up. That's what Russell would say." She sighed heavily, propped her chin on the desk, and put her headphones back on. "Okay. Shit. I'm going to figure out what they're talking about if it kills me."

"Good luck," Arturo said solemnly.

"At least Rodan's explaining new words again," Xochitl muttered. "He's usually easier to understand when he's explaining new words. Damn."

"What's he teaching now?" Arturo asked.

"Body parts," Xochitl said. She watched dully, copied the way Rodan stuck out his tongue, and frowned. "I think he's telling Ghidorah not to lick him?"

Arturo considered that. "Okay," he said. "That's reasonable. I wouldn't want Ghidorah to lick me either."

###

"Chest," Nido said, puffing his chest out demonstratively—and inadvertently showing off the newest golden face print that the golden ones had left on him. (It was a fabulous bit of decoration, he thought.) The golden ones dutifully echoed the new word. "Back." He turned. "Wings," spread wide. "Tail," wiggled.

"Small tail," the golden ones' left head added unhelpfully.

Nido gave him an exasperated look—well, they couldn't all have a million miles of spines hanging off their asses, could they?—but grudgingly conceded, "Small tail." He turned back around, wiggled his feet, then his hands, "Talons. Claws."

They repeated the new words, then waited attentively for whatever he said next.

"No touching," Nido said.

Their tails drooped.

"Touching is after courting," Nido said. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," they said. One of the voices in that chorus sounded gloomy. 

"Before courting: head and neck." He kicked a couple of rocks at the appropriate anatomy on the golden ones, since compared to them he didn't have much to speak of in the way of a neck. "Touching head and neck is okay. Not body."

"Is body touches head okay?"

Nido thought about that. He'd never considered that arrangement before. He tried to imagine a wing rubbing his head, and said, "No. Not okay."

"Is head touches body?"

Technically, in proper courting, that was a no-no too. But he was really getting to like the way that they left golden imprints in his armor when they pressed into him just after he emerged from a lava bath, and he didn't want to say no to that. "Sssometimes."

"What is 'sometimes'?"

"Between yes and no?" Nido tried.

The golden ones gave him a collection of perplexed/affronted looks. "'Maybe' is between yes and no," the right one reminded him.

With a careful mask of mildly curious indifference, the middle one asked, "'Sometimes' is between maybe and yes?"

"Is 'probably,'" the left one supplied, and then dodged as the middle one snapped halfheartedly at his horns.

"No, no, uh..." Nido tried to think of another way to illustrate the word to them. "Sometimes, the sky is raining; sometimes, the sky is sunny."

"'Sunny'?"

"Sunny! You know 'sun'. Sunny is 'the sun is here.'"

The golden ones considered that, then made a satisfied noise.

They weren't supposed to be talking about the weather. Nido tried to remember what the original question had been.

Right! Boundaries! "And no tongue," he stuck his out demonstratively, "and no teeth." He didn't really have teeth to demonstrate that with, so he clacked his beak a couple of times and hoped they'd figure it out from context.

"After courting?"

"No! Not before or after. No tongue, no teeth."

Middle and right immediately looked at left head. Lefty reared up, looked at Nido with the deepest of offense, and said, "Tongue tastes you."

Nido hopped up to the golden ones, made deep, soulful eye contact with each of them, and said, calmly but passionately, "I want you to not taste me."

Lefty made a displeased noise.

"Do you understand?"

They considered the question. "What is 'want'?" the right one asked. The other two, sensing an opportunity, immediately piped up: "What is 'not'?" "What 'taste'?"

Oh, they were comedians now. He fluttered up, brandishing his talons at their faces. They backed off with only one stray snap at his feet, making a rumbling noise low in their throats that was probably either a death threat or a sound of amusement. Nido was going to take his chances that it was the latter.

He landed a bit up his nest's slope. "No tongue, no teeth," he repeated. Then, considering what little he instinctively knew about mating, amended himself: "Maybe teeth, after courting. Sometimes. No tongue. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

"Good!" So there was one topic covered. What next?

They'd been up since long before dawn discussing courtship—which Nido had attempted to convey to the golden ones was the process of getting from "maybe love later" to "yes love now"—and, specifically, all the rules and rituals that went with courtship; and since Nido was the winner of the most recent fight to determine whether they were going to continue courting, that made Nido the one in charge of deciding the exact way they were going to handle this.

He'd like to think the rules he'd laid down so far weren't tyrannical. Some people, he knew, went into courtship with a list of rigid standards and demands that they required any prospective partners to meet. Nido wasn't interested in any of that. He'd always thought that, when there was finally someone else around to court, he'd let his suitor do whatever they wanted to demonstrate what kind of mate they would be. It made more sense to him than commanding them to fit into Nido's preconceived notions. If he'd been sticking to some list of standards he'd developed without having ever courted before, would he be entertaining a courtship from a three-headed gold-plated alien? No, he would not, and his life would be poorer for it. Preconceived notions could get stuffed. Nido was going to be lax about the rules.

He just needed to be sure that the golden ones weren't going to, like, make him feel like they were about to eat him. He figured that was a very reasonable baseline level of trust for any healthy relationship.

They'd started with nests. It was normal to hang out at the reigning champion's nest, and honestly kinda weird to hang out at the loser's nest; but considering that the golden ones didn't have a nest, Nido was going to say it was understandable that they'd been hanging out at Nido's instead. And now that he'd won their most recent fight, it actually made sense for them to hang out at Nido's place. If the golden ones wanted to choose their own nest and then won a fight, then Nido would be expected to visit their place.

(He didn't tell them that they shouldn't choose an Antarctic volcano for their nest—he did, after all, want to see what they were actually like, not demand that they change their behavior to impress him. But privately, he thought that if they did choose one in Antarctica, that was going to be a pretty strong indicator that they were going to have irreconcilable differences.)

And they'd covered fights. They could each challenge the other to a fight at any time. The most recent loser had the right to turn down challenges; but the reigning champion did not. (Some people considered accepting a challenge mandatory no matter what. While Nido thought that in an ideal world, everyone ought to be ready to throw down at all times, he had made enough friends who didn't like fighting to recognize the value of allowing people the option to say no. But he thought a current winner really had no excuse to refuse a challenge to their position.) Fights were called when one combatant hit the ground, yielded, or fled.

Because the current winner was the combatant who'd recently proven to be the more impressive potential partner, they were therefore the one who needed to be impressed by the other combatant. Consequently, the winner had the right to issue (non-combat) challenges to the current loser and to set the terms of courtship. The winner also got to lead the loser around if they decided to go out on any flights together, and—of course—they hung out at the winner's nest. Now, the loser didn't have to get dragged out on any flights if they didn't want to go. They were allowed to turn down requests to go out. But most didn't because usually, if the loser was courting the winner, it was because they actually wanted to spend time with the winner, right?

And now, after a quick lesson on words for body parts, they'd covered physical boundaries—which would hopefully prevent the golden ones from coiling around him like a hungry sea serpent as a sign of affection again—so what was next? They'd hit the most important topics, Nido felt. At this point he didn't really have any rules, per de. But maybe the golden ones would appreciate an overview of the kinds of things that normally came up during courting? Since Nido had no idea what kind of alien frame of reference they were coming from? He could touch on common things like dancing, offering gifts, kidnapping and murdering each other's enemies, and appropriate grooming behavior. Or maybe he should call it a morning and let them figure out their own way. Not that he wanted to leave them completely floundering—

"Is fighting touches body okay?"

Oh, they had another question. "Fighting is different."

"What is 'different'?"

Nido opened his beak, realized he had no idea how to concisely explain the idea of "different" with the words they had available, and decided to skip that question for now. "Yes, touching during fighting is okay—"

"We challenge winner."

"What?"

With a squawk, Nido was tackled by a hundred forty thousand tons of static-charged gold.

He wildly slashed his talons at their abdomen until they rolled off of him, cackling madly all the while.

Oh, he liked them.

He liked them a lot.

They'd barely gotten back on their feet and wings before he launched himself straight at them, claws aimed for their throats.

###

Arturo had been put in charge of both the camera feeds monitoring the tussling titans and the big red "call the Armada de México for help" button while Xochitl pored over the mountain of footage they'd collected that morning, listening to sentences over and over as she picked out new words and phrases.

"Any luck?" Arturo asked.

"Mmr," Xochitl said distractedly.

He gave her a moment. Then he tried again: "Any luck figuring out what they're doing?"

"What?" Xochitl finally looked over at Arturo.

He gestured at the camera feeds. "Is this just a little argument, or should—" He was interrupted by a fractured bolt of lightning lancing down the side of the volcano and a crack of thunder that rattled their furniture. "Should we be calling for help?"

"Oh. Yeah, no, no they're fine. Don't worry about them."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah." She tapped a finger on her headphones. "They're playing."

"Oh." Arturo paused. He looked back at the camera feeds. Ghidorah had one set of teeth latched into Rodan's shoulder while Rodan tried to claw through his chest. Arturo looked at Xochitl again. "Sorry, what?"

"It's a—I think it's a ritual? Rodan's started using way more complicated grammar—the winner gets, uh... social benefits. Picking date night destinations and the like."

"Oh." Arturo looked at the camera feeds again. In his opinion, anyone who fought like that over a date night ought to be well past breaking up and on to filing for a restraining order, but— "Hold on. 'Date night'? Like joking-around-on-Twitter 'date night,' or like actually...?"

"They keep using a handful of words they obviously worked out when we weren't recording that I haven't definitively translated yet," Xochitl said, "and—they're discussing some kind of social rules—Rodan defined the word for whatever this rule system is using one of the words we don't have. But, from the context, the most reasonable translation that fits that context is that he's laying down dating rules."

Arturo's jaw dropped. "You're serious? So that's—" the island rumbled as somebody got knocked over, "that's actual titan dating?"

Xochitl tipped back her chair, arms crossed triumphantly. "Dr. Rodan-fought-Ghidorah-to-steal-his-'rival-alpha'-title Russell can suck my entire ass."

A particularly heavy thud knocked over Xochitl's chair. "Shit."

###

Nido was pretty sure that the golden ones' faces just weren't built to properly make shit-eating grins. Nevertheless, as Nido flopped back first into his volcano and let the lava ooze soothingly into his new bite wounds, he could feel them exuding the aura of a shit-eating grin. "What."

"We win."

"No!" Nido flailed back upright. "You do not!"

"Do," they insisted. "We fight. You fall. We are winner." They took turns with the sentences—which made their accent much thicker than when they traded off with the syllables each was best at pronouncing, but incalculably increased their smugness.

"Not a fight!"

Some of their smugness dissipated as they gave him a wary look. "What?"

"A fight in the sky is a fight! A fight on the ground—" he dismissively flicked a chunk of rubble from the hive the humans had built over the top of his crater, sending it bouncing and clattering down the side of the volcano, "is not a fight. You're not a winner if you don't win." With the last word, he raised his wings, pantomiming flying, reminding the golden ones that that was the other definition of the word: you're not a winner if you don't fly.

"You—! You are—!" The golden ones stopped there, apparently unable to conjure up a word that illustrated exactly what they thought of Nido. They were making that low, deep, rumbling noise that he'd determined was either a threat or a laugh. 

"Cheater?" he offered them gleefully. "Liar? Fraud? Hustler?"

They climbed to the edge of the crater, loomed over Nido, and venomously hissed, "Insult."

Nido flopped back and cackled until he choked on his own lava.

They leaned over the crater and bunted his forehead so hard he momentarily saw stars. Now he was sure: they were laughing.

Somewhere southward, a couple of scientists at 56-B were adding a viciously cutesy photo filter to a shot of the bunt and posting it to Twitter.

###

(Replies/reblogs are welcome! Check the “source” link below for my masterlist of KOTM and Rodorah fics, as well as my AO3 and Ko-fi links.)

[atc74]

Small Battles

Summary: Jared struggles through his depression, closing off everyone in his life, except one. 

Word Count: 2684

Warnings: Depression, self-harm, this is angst and I am so sorry. Please do not read if this triggers you at all. 

Characters: Jared, OC Kimberly, Reader (Friend/Co-Star), Jensen

Written for: this request from @oneshoeshort:  Something angsty with Jared x Reader. I’ve been in the PadaTrashCan for a while now :3

A/N: No disrespect is meant to Jared or his family. This is a work of fiction, please regard it as such. This takes place circa 2008-2009-ish. Thank you so much to @ellen-reincarnated1967 and @impalaimagining for their patient guidance. Beta’d by @just-another-busy-fangirl.

(gif found on google - I know this is Sam, but let’s pretend it’s Jared)

“B-but we w-were s-supposed to be in this to-together,” Jared stuttered out through his tears. He had spent the last hour explaining to her how he was feeling and why he was seeing a therapist; how he wanted to hurt himself. He poured his heart out to her, wanting to be completely transparent in their relationship. Apparently that was only one sided.

“Jared, I can’t. I thought I could, but it’s too much. I’m so sorry,” Kimberly apologized, tears streaming down her own face. She removed her engagement ring and placed it in his hand, closing his fingers around it. “I hope you find the peace you’re looking for. I’m sorry I can’t be that for you.”

Through his blurred vision, he watched her walk out of his apartment and his life. He cried until he felt numb. He wanted to feel something, anything. His thoughts drifted to his shaving kit in the bathroom. He knew what was in there. Jared shook his mind to clear those thoughts; he didn’t want to think about that being the only way. In the darkness, the green light blinked on his phone, like a beacon in the night. He sighed and picked up the phone, unlocking it. His thumb hovered over the name until the screen dimmed. He took another ragged breath and pressed his thumb to the glass.

“I need you,” he whispered three shaky words.

“I’m on my way,” you promised. “Stay on the phone with me, Babe, okay?” He could hear the footsteps through the phone as you left your apartment two floors down.

It was one of the best things about living in Vancouver and working on Supernatural. Co-stars quickly became friends, then family. You, Jensen and Jared all lived in the same building, just on different floors. You often spent time in each other’s places when you were not filming.

You had started as a guest star on Supernatural in the second season. Your character was so well liked by the cast and crew, they quickly brought you back a few more times in season two and you were added as a regular in season three. You bonded with Jared and Jensen right away. Jensen treated you like family, like a sister and you fell in with him and his prank wars pretty quickly. Jared was just there whenever you needed something. He became your best friend and helped you get the apartment in their building.

You were diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety shortly after your eighteenth birthday. Your parents were embarrassed by your behavior and unsupportive on their best days. It wasn’t until you left home for college that you sought help for what you were dealing with. It didn’t get better right away, some days you think it actually got worse. The cutting continued for weeks until your therapist finally got through to you that you weren’t to blame for your problems, but you could learn how to control them and not let them control you. That was more than five years ago and although the struggle was constant, you knew you were a better person for it.

When Jared started withdrawing from you and Jensen, you recognized the signs immediately. He would disappear into his trailer for hours. His eyes were red and puffy from crying. He missed call times. One day in his trailer running lines, you used his lavatory and saw the drops of dried blood on the floor near the shower. You waited until he walked you to your door one night after filming and you told him about your own experiences and struggles. He opened up to you and you held him while he cried.

You sat huddled on the floor of your shower, a blade in your hand. It was just a few days before Christmas break and your parents called to tell you they were taking a cruise for the holidays so there was no point in you coming home. School was stressful, you had no friends, you had no one; not even your roommate cared about you. Now your parents, the people who had given you life, just reminded you that they couldn’t even be bothered enough to spend a holiday with you.

You felt you had no choice as you lowered the blade to your upper thigh. You wanted someone to care. You wanted someone to call when you felt like this. Someone who had a vested interest in you, but you didn’t. As you felt the cool metal break the skin, the blood bubbling to the surface, you heard your body sigh as the first signs of pressure were released with the blood. Every couple of minutes you sliced another section of skin. This went on until you could breathe easier, the pressure of every emotion you’d ever felt gone under the weight of the blade, at least for now.

You shuddered at the memory, glad you could be the person there for your friend, when no one had been there for you. You had vowed to Jared from day one, that he would never be alone. You knew how that felt and you were going to make damn sure he never did.

You wondered if his fiancee knew how bad it is. You had your own issues with Kimberly from the moment you met her. She seemed a little too shallow for someone like Jared, who is so full of life, so giving to everyone around him. She was an actress herself and like to make a show of hanging out on set, talking with the director and anyone she felt could help her further her career. Kimberly and Jared had been together since his days on Gilmore Girls, but it wasn’t until Supernatural was picked up for a couple seasons that she finally said yes when Jared proposed. You didn’t say anything to Jared even though you promised to always tell him the truth. Kimberly still lived in Los Angeles and she wasn’t there to see his everyday struggles. Your mind takes you back as you climb the stairs.

“Jared!” you pounded on the door. You had run up from your apartment when he didn’t answer the phone. Now you stood outside his door, praying to God he would answer. You had all left set at the same time last night, arriving home and crashing after a very long week of night shoots and freezing temps. You and Jared had plans to go to breakfast but when he didn’t pick up your call,  you knew something was wrong. You had called Jensen on your way up, but he didn’t answer either.

Your phone started ringing. “Jensen! I need the key to Jare’s apartment now!”

“I’m coming,” Jensen replied. You heard his door close and feet running down the hall above you. A moment later he appeared from the stairwell, key in hand. “What happened?”

“I don’t know, Jens. We had plans to go to breakfast but he isn’t answering. You know how he loves food, he never turns down a meal. I’m worried,” your voice was shaky as Jensen unlocked Jared’s door and you pushed your way inside, Jensen right on your heels.

“Jare! Babe, answer me, please,” you pleaded with him as you ran to his bedroom, but the room was dark and the bed empty. Jensen tried the bathroom door, but it was locked.

“Jared? It’s Jensen, Buddy. I need you to open the door, okay? Y/N and I are here and we just need to know that you’re okay,” Jensen urged him from outside the door. You listened carefully, hearing shuffling and sobbing from the other side.

“Jensen, just go. You can’t be here right now,” Jared’s broken voice sounded hollow, echoing off the tiled walls.

“I will call you as soon as I can, okay. He doesn’t want you to see him like this. It’s okay, Jens, I got him,” you comforted your friend as best you could, the look of fear and uncertainty evident on his face.

“Okay, kiddo. Just-just let me know he’s okay,” Jensen hugged you, passing you the key before he walked back down the hallway. You waited until you heard the front door shut before turning back to the bathroom door.

“Jare, Babe, it’s just me, okay. Jensen went back home. Will you please let me in?” you asked, your voice strong, but inside you were shaking, hoping you could help him this time.

You heard the lock on the door release and you pressed your hand against the door, easing the handle down and slipping inside when it opened. You shut it firmly behind you and locked it again, just to give Jared the assurance that no one else was in the room with you. You slid to the floor next to him.

“I can’t stop, Y/N,” Jared cried into your shoulder as you wrapped your arms around him. It had been a couple weeks since you had confided in Jared about your own struggles. A couple weeks since you had introduced him to your therapist and outwardly he seemed to be doing better; he seemed a little lighter than he had been in the previous months. You knew it was a constant struggle.

“I know, Babe. It is going to take some time. But I need you to talk to me, okay? You can always talk to me,” you rubbed your hands up and down his bare back and sides, trying to enforce your words with actions. You felt something wet and pulled your hand away.

“Jare, we need to get you cleaned up, okay? Let’s get you in the shower,” you made a move to stand, but his strong arms kept you from moving.

“Not yet,” he sniffed into your shoulder. “I just need you.”

“Okay, okay. But you gotta let me clean them, okay?” you prodded and felt him nod and he released you. You turned and grabbed the first aid kit from the bottom drawer and moved behind him, pushing down the waistband of his boxers and grab a towel.

Jared had a tendency to cut himself on his hips, just under the elastic of his undergarments where no one would see. He lifted his hips and removed his boxers and you gently laid the towel across his lap, covering him up. You got to work cleaning up the blood still trickling from the four cuts he had made across his hip.  You quickly got them cleaned and bandaged. You pulled the towel around his waist and tugged on his arm to encourage him to stand. Once he was upright, he tied the towel tighter around his waist and you unlocked the door, gently guiding him back to his room.

You grabbed him a clean pair of boxers and handed them to him, making yourself busy with the bed so he could slip them on. You heard the towel hit the floor and you walked back to him, holding out your hand and he reached for it. You lead him back to his bed and he crawled in, curling into himself. You got in behind him, one arm behind his head, carding through his hair, the other tucked firmly around his chest. You both laid there in silence until Jared drifted off to sleep.

You waited a few minutes until you were sure he was out, then eased yourself out from behind him. You went back to the bathroom to get the medication the doctor had prescribed him, then to the kitchen for water. You called Jensen from the kitchen.

‘Y/N? How is he?” Jensen was frantic.

“He’s not good Jens,” you were truthful. “He doesn’t want you to see him like this. He feels you’ll think he is weak and he needs to know that you respect him.”

“Christ, kid. Why didn’t someone tell me it was this bad? Why didn’t he come to me? I’m his best friend!” Jensen was shouting now. You knew he was upset, but he also didn’t know the truth about your own struggles. He didn’t understand why Jared came to you instead of him.

“Why don’t you come back down here and I can explain a few things to you,” you offered.

Minutes later Jensen was back in Jared’s apartment. You had made a pot of coffee and the two of you sat at the breakfast counter and you filled him on your history. He wrapped his arms around you in a warm embrace and you held tight to him.

“So this is why he comes to you, not me?” Jensen asked, his voice heavy with sadness.

“Yeah, he didn’t want you to know everything, and I am not telling you. He will in his own time, but I thought if you knew my history, it would help you better understand that he isn’t pushing you away. He just doesn’t want you to think less of him,” you explained.

“I never would. And I am sorry for what you had to go through on your own. I am here for you. I need to understand so I can be here for both of you,” Jensen stated.

You arrived at Jared’s door and let yourself in. He was sitting in the dark, the only light in the room coming from the range light above the stove and the phone in his hand. You disconnected the call and padded over to the couch where he was sitting. You took his phone and placed it on the table, then sat down in the corner of the sectional, your legs tucked under you.

“Jared,” you kept your voice calm, soothing, knowing that is what he needs. He turned his head to look at you, almost like he just noticed your presence in his home. He crawled across the sofa and placed his head in your lap, curling his body into a ball. You lifted your hand and ran your fingers through his hair while his body shook from the sobs wracking it.

“Sh-she left, Y/N,” he choked out. “She just left.”

“Shhh, I’m so sorry, Jared,” you soothed and continuing to play with his hair until you felt his body relax a little. He finally sat up and looked at you. You rose from your seat and headed to the kitchen, returning quickly with water.

“Here, drink this,” you urged him. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“I told her everything that has been going on with me for the last year. I explained how I was feeling and what I needed from her. And she walked out. I guess that tells me all I need to know,” he relayed to you.

“Jare, I know this hurts like hell. I know you feel betrayed and alone. But trust me when I say that you are not alone. I am here and I will always be here for you. Jensen too. We care about you and love you so much. We just have to keep fighting, Jare,” you looked him in the eye and promised him with everything you had. “Do you want me to call Jens?”

“No, not tonight. Can you just stay with me, please?” he pleaded with you and you agreed without missing a beat.

“What do you say I make us a light supper, we turn on some horrible television and camp out here for the night?” you suggested.

“I’d like that,” Jared replied.. “But you’re a terrible cook. Maybe you should call Jensen.”

“I am extremely offended sir! I happen to make an delicious grilled cheese sandwich,” you protested.

“You started my kitchen on fire the last time you cooked for me!” he recalled, the corner of his mouth pulling up, just a touch.  

“That was one time,” you reminded him. “Chinese?”

“Anything but your cooking,” Jared ribbed and you felt your heart soar. You had been so worried about him and although it was a small start, you took it. You win wars by fighting the small battles one at a time, and above all, you always keep fighting.

ALWAYS KEEP FIGHTING 

AND NO MATTER WHAT, KNOW THAT

YOU ARE NEVER ALONE. 

Taglist - if you like: @iwantthedean @d-s-winchester @just-a-touch-of-sass-and-fandoms @mamaredd123 @ellen-reincarnated1967 @tankcupcakes @katymacsupernatural @winchesterprincessbride @chelsea072498 @meeshw777  @tmccarney @ruprecht0420 @theoriginalvicki @hexparker @nanie5 @docharleythegeekqueen @megansescape @notnaturalanahi @impalaimagining @mrswhozeewhatsis @blacktithe7 @emoryhemsworth @bringmesomepie56 @devilgirlsarah @spnbaby-67 @emilycollins11 @myoutletforfanfiction @deansangelgirl @mizzzpink @jerk-bitch-and-an-angel @kayteonline @percussiongirl2017 @fanfreak07 @tattooedmomster13 @sandlee44 @moonstar86 @uttertrash–butlikecutetrash  @squirrel-moose-winchester @growningupgeek @charliebradbury1104 @evansrogerskitten @feelmyroarrrr @itseverythingilike @smoothdogsgirl @ashstrom87 @supernatural-jackles @ryantherandomhero @love-kittykat21 @kathaswings @crispychrissy @paintrider13-blog  @bethbabybaby 

Jared girls: @leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid @tardis-full-of-fallen-angels @oneshoeshort @thing-you-do-with-that-thing

[travelingtheusa]

NEW YORK

2021 Aug 31 (Tue) – Well, the caravan is over.  It was a job but we happened to fall right into the perfect time period to make our trip.  We started just as everything was starting to relax and finished up just as restrictions were starting to come back into place.  

     Newburgh was lots of fun.  We did not get to take the group to the FDR Presidential Home & Museum.  The National Park Service stopped group tours but they were allowing individual, timed entry so several of our group went on their own.  We took the group to an Italian restaurant for dinner in place of the museum.  It was a great choice!

     On Sunday, we took a small group of folks into New York City on an extra excursion. It was a long day with lots of walking but we got to see the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and the 9/11 Memorial. Some of us couldn’t go to the Top of the Rock because they were requiring everyone to have a COVID vaccine card.  That requirement was just started by New York City two days ago.

     We had our farewell dinner on Monday and a continental breakfast on Tuesday.  Then it was hugs and good byes and in one fell swoop, 15 rigs pulled out of the campground and we were standing there alone. And just like that, two years of planning, months of changes and nail-biting anticipation, and 41 days of caravan were over.

     We pack up and leave tomorrow for a race to South Carolina to help our son celebrate his 40th birthday.  We’ll be there for 2 nights then it will be another race to The Keys to join my brother, Tim, for a memorial service for his son, Joe.  

2021 Aug 25 (Wed) – Our next move was to Saratoga Springs where we toured the racetrack.  It was interesting to see that the horses have the right of way as their stables are across the street from the track.  Cars were stopped as a parade of horses crossed the road back and forth. There was a cruise on a boat on the Hudson River where we saw several eagles.  They have made a successful comeback in the area.  We also toured the U.S.S. Slater, a WWII destroyer escort. Then the group moved to Cooperstown and we toured the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  That night, we had a barbecue of hot dogs and hamburgers. That was followed by a rousing game of bean bag baseball where the women challenged the men.  The women started off strong and kept the lead until the bottom of the ninth when the men rallied and overtook the women.  It was a lot of fun.  Tomorrow, we leave for Newburgh and the final stop on our caravan.

 2021 Aug 17 (Tue) – We enjoyed Alexandria Bay and Clayton in the Thousand Islands where we toured the Boldt and Singer Castles, looked over beautiful antique boats, and enjoyed an outdoor concert on the St. Lawrence Seaway.  Then we moved to Lake Placid where we saw the Olympic Sports Complex.  Unfortunately, the Olympic Museum was closed for renovations but we did drive up to the top of Whiteface Mountain and climb to the summit.  It was breathtaking!  We toured John Brown’s Farm and Gravesite and learned about the abolitionist movement. We are currently in Ticonderoga where we toured the fort yesterday with a docent dressed as an English soldier. That was followed with a tour at the Star Trek Set Tour.  They have lovingly recreated the set of the TV series Star Trek.  It was fun to pose in the different sets and hear stories of how the series was made.  Finally, we toured Ausable Chasm today with a delicious lunch of barbecue chicken and salads.

2021 Aug 12 (Thu) – The past week has been very busy.  We moved from Niagara to the Thousand Islands.  Took a boat ride on the St. Lawrence Seaway and toured both Boldt and Singer Castles.  We went to the Antique Boat Museum and walked around a 106’ house boat.  We had a potluck with a Cajun/Mexican theme.  The food was very spicy!  The campground host and her band played music for us while we ate. The next day we went to a free concert in Alexandria Bay where we heard a tribute to the Beatles.  The music was very enthusiastic.  Today we moved to Lake Placid.  

2021 Aug 5 (Thu) – We are camped at Red’s Twilight on the Erie RV Resort near Rochester.  We went to the George Eastman Photography Museum and Home.  Eastman committed suicide when he was 77 years old.  He left a note saying that he had done everything and “why wait?”  We also went to the Strong Museum of Play.  It was three floors of everything you ever wanted to know about games. They had a beautiful butterfly garden with 600 butterflies in the enclosure at any one time.  They bring in 250 chrysalises a week.  

     We carpooled to Seneca Falls (an hour away) where we enjoyed lunch at the Ventosa Vineyards and walked up and down the historic street.  The movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” was purportedly based on the town of Seneca Falls.  We toured the museum.  We also went through the National Women’s Rights Historic Park and the Seneca Falls Waterways & Industrial Museum.  

     At happy hour, we played corn hole and beanbag baseball.  It’s been lots of fun.

2021 Aug 2 (Mon) – Sorry.  We have been so busy that I fairly collapse at the end of the day and don’t get a chance to post on this blog.  It will only go on for a few more weeks, then we will be back to normal (whatever that is). Hang in there.

     In Chautauqua, we visited the Chautauqua Institute; took a dinner cruise on the Chautauqua Belle, a steam powered paddlewheeler; toured the Lucy-Desi Museum; and visited the National Comedy Center. We had a member of the caravan (Doug) have a heart attack.  He went to the hospital and they put in a pace maker.  We left him at the campground waiting for his son to come drive them and their rig home.

     In Niagara Falls (where we are now), we saw the Falls and took a ride on the Maid of the Mist to the base of the Falls on the Niagara River.  We took a bus tour that included the NY Power Vista and Old Fort Niagara.  Today we took a ride on a canal boat on the Erie Canal and went through two locks. That was followed by a delightful buffet meal.  Jim and his wife decided to leave the caravan because he is still now feeling well.  We are now down to 16 RVs in the caravan.

     Tomorrow we leave for Rochester where we expect to explore the Strong Museum of Play, the George Eastman Museum & Home, and Seneca Falls.

 2021 Jul 26 (Mon) – We moved out today, leading the caravan with 3 other RVs.   We arrived at Camp Chautauqua at 1:40 PM.  After checking in, we got settled in then made us the sheets for where everyone else would go.  It was another 2 hours to get everyone parked and settled in.  There was a delay as Doug couldn’t get his satellite dish to stow properly and Johnny waited with him.  When they left, Doug got lost on the way.  

     Paul set up the tent and we had happy hour at 4 PM.  At 7:30 PM, we tried to show a movie – The Long Long Trailer with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.  This is in preparation for our visit to the Lucy-Desi Museum on Wednesday.  It was still too late and the movie didn’t show up on the screen.  So we sat around, waiting for the sun to lower in the sky.

     While waiting, Janet told me Doug was going to the hospital because he was experiencing chest pains.

 2021 Jul 25 (Sun) – We rode with Rick & Brenda to the Brewery of Broken Dreams. The name intrigued me and I wanted to see what the place was like. As we were getting out of the car and posing for pictures, Rick passed out and face planted, hitting the car on the way down.  After we got the bleeding stopped, we took him to the hospital.  After waiting a while, Brenda gave us the keys to the car and we returned to the campground.  Brenda called later to say they were admitting Rick for testing at another hospital.  Hank and I took care of their dog, Timmy, until she came back after 10 PM.

     At 5 PM, we held our travel meeting.  Announcements included the fact that Rick was in the hospital and Jim was recuperating from his bout of dehydration.

2021 Jul 24 (Sat) – We went to the Finger Lakes Boating Museum this morning. They split us into 3 groups.  We got the newbie who didn’t really know that much about the collection.  After admiring their large collections of boating paraphernalia, we went down into the former wine cellar and enjoyed a catered lunch.  After we were done, everyone was released to explore the area on their own.

     We returned to the campground.  At 4 PM, we had happy hour. Everyone appears to be very happy.  

2021 Jul 23 (Fri) – We took the group to the Corning Museum of Glass today. Because the drive was long (32 miles), we told everyone to go on their own rather than drive in a long caravan line. They just had to arrive by 9 am. One person didn’t arrive until almost 9:30.  We gathered outside and I assigned everyone their times to go do their projects – either a holiday ornament or a fusing glass project.  The museum itself was huge!  It is amazing how many products use glass.  

     We went to Corning with Rick & Brenda after the museum for lunch.  We had wanted to tour the Rockwell Museum but we were running out of time and needed to get back to the campground.  Western Winery did a free tasting at the campground. We also had a potluck dinner, which went very well.  Everyone had a good time.

     One of our group, Sue, came to me during the dinner and told me she and her husband were going to leave the caravan.  He has been feeling very bad and she is afraid it is his heart.  He is not able to go on and they are going back home. After she left, we discussed their situation and felt that he needed to go to the hospital if he was feeling that bad. So Paul and Hank took Jim to the hospital where they left him to be evaluated.  While they were at the hospital with Jim, I worked with Sue to file the paperwork to the Good Sam Emergency Evacuation Program.  If you are too sick to go on when you travel, this insurance policy assures you they will fly you home and transport your rig as well.  We got a case number assigned and called to find out what the next steps were.  Jim needs a doctor’s note saying he is unable to drive.

     At 10:30 pm, the hospital called to say we could pick Jim up.  It turned out that he was severely dehydrated.  They gave him fluids and he says he feels 100% better. They will sit a day or two after we leave and then follow us.  We are glad he is OK.

 2021 Jul 22 (Thu) – We took the group to the Glenn Curtiss Museum today. What a remarkable man he was!  He started inventing things at the age of 14. Curtiss was into speed and made motorcycles that went faster and faster until he hit speeds over 100 mph.  This took place in the 1920s!  He was soon billed as the fastest man alive.  He moved from motorcycles to planes, dirigible and boats, and even built the first fifth wheel RV.

     Following the museum, we went to lunch at the Switzerland Inn.  We had originally reserved the Bully Hill Vineyard but they couldn’t stabilize their chicken prices and we wound up having to cancel. We found the Switz (as they like to be called) online but it turned out to be a disappointment.  First, we arrived for an 11:30 lunch only to be told they don’t open until 12.  Then they messed up the orders and Paul saw them take 3 meals back to the kitchen. Two people did not get what they ordered but were happy with the substitute meal they did get.  The place was very small.  We were all crammed in a small room that looked out on the lake. We had wanted to sit out on the deck but the restaurant insisted we sit inside.  I think it was easier to serve us because we were closer to the kitchen. Then the bill came and I was unable to sort it out.  Instead of listing each meal (burger, fries, Pepsi for example), they had 14 burgers, 17 fries, 8 onion rings, etc.  There were many variations and they just billed the total.  And, again, the bill came in higher than what was budgeted.  

     After lunch at the Switz, we went with Rick & Brenda, Hank & Brenda, Johnny & Linda, and Joe & Diane to the Bully Hill Vineyards.  I was kind of depressed after that.  It was beautiful located high up on the hill overlooking the lake with a large outdoor patio.  They also had a tasting room, a museum, an art room, and a gift shop. What a come down to have gone to the Switz.  I hope the rest of the trip goes better.

 2021 Jul 21 (Wed) - The caravan started today!  We spent the early part of the day getting things ready. Paul and Johnny put the ladder plates on and collected forms certifying vehicle worthiness.  I finalized my briefing.  We all put the gift bags together.

     At 4:30 p.m. we held the orientation briefing.  After that, we rode to the American Legion Post in Bath. They served us a meal of salad, chicken speedies, salt potatoes, brown baked beans, and cheesecake.  The food was very good.  They were very appreciative of our payment.  We had everyone buying drinks at the bar to support the lodge.  Everything went off well.  It was a good start to the caravan.

 2021 Jul 20 (Tue) – We spent a good part of the day getting things together.  There was a quick run into town to get groceries and wine.  Johnny & Linda are eager to take on their Tail Gunner duties.

     At 4:30 p.m. folks started showing up at our campsite for happy hour.  By 5 p.m., we had quite a crowd around us.  About 2/3rd’s of the group is in the campground now.

 2021 Jul 19 (Mon) – Hank left early this morning to go to Lockport. He is picking his wife up from the airport tomorrow.  The rest of us left Laporte, PA, at 11 a.m. since we did not have very far to go.  As we were going up the long hill, there was a bang and we lost power.  We knew the repair on the turbo hose failed.  We pulled over to the side and opened the hood.  This time, the hose really blew apart.  We told everyone to go ahead.  We parked the trailer on the side of the road and drove back into town to the Ford dealer.  After hearing of our dilemma, they sold us the turbo hose they were holding for another customer and fit us right into their schedule.  They even gave us a car to use to go into town and get lunch while they did the repairs.  We were in and out in less than an hour.  Wow!

      Back on the road, we arrived at the Hammondsport/Bath KOA campground around 3 p.m.  We set up then returned to the office to settle accounts.  What a shocker that was!  They charged us more than $2,300 more than we budgeted.  The manager mumbled something about us getting put in higher rated campsites.  She is an extremely poor communicator.  She changed our campsites about a month ago but never explained they were for more money.

      About a third of the caravan is here.  We were tired and didn’t really do anything tonight.

[stone-man-warrior]

February 21, 2021: 1:09 pm:

==================================================

This WH Press Sec Psaki Tweet leads to @Jonkarl Verified Account on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1363477765211701253

This from Scalis is there, it’s an offer to take some gold for free, but @Jonkarl fails to accept the golden opportunity that Scalise handed to him.

At the 1:00 mark:

Scalise said he had been to Donald Trump’s home, and spoke with Donald Trump about his post presidency personal life, including what Mr. Trump’s plans for the future are with respect to himself and family, and @Jonkarl miserably fumbles that hand off, skirts the questions that could have been a gold mine of information that no one else has, but Scalise says he has that kind of information, the kind that you cannot get ... Karl goes the other way, runs backwards, does not take the gift he was given by Scalise.

What you need to know about that, is both Scalise and Karl set that up, it’s about the cry for help I sent to the Biden White House, and, by extension is also about the same kind of cry for help I sent to the Trump White House just over for years ago. They are using “news Anchor insider tactic” in such a way as to say that this account here at Tumblr that you are reading, contains the kind of information that is not available any where else on earth. It’s Unobtainium. Karl’s refusal to take the golden oportunity is a message sent to others, one that specifies the desired result, that is to make sure that no one can see the information presented on this Stone-Man-Warrior@Tumblr.com account of eye-witness terror.

The two suggest a distraction, a “look the other way” sort of command to terror operatives who are also part of the national security chain of command.

https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1363503951782494209

https://twitter.com/ABCPolitics/status/1363491357340413957

https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1363492941738749952

https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1363494344234311684

Those other links above are more sinister, because those are instructions to kill & replace US School students.

It’s a double header though, because those three linked tweets also spell out a hit to be done at the DMV when I go there to renew my drivers license.

Watch the linked videos, where you see the color green, you are seeing instructions to use nitrous oxide gas as a weapon in similar places when the school student murders take place.

Where you see the color red in those videos, that is instructions that spell out where the protected killing areas are going to be in place, where the murderers will have cover from the State Police, the police fake, are from Canada, are Royal Canadian Mounted Police disguised as State Police, and they protect the murderers of the US Children, in favor of replacing all of the children with their own Canadian terror army children, the same way they did in the Oregon schools in around 1998 - 2005.

They killed the elementary students first, the middle schools later, and the high school students were killed and replaced last, when the terror attacked the Three Rivers School District, it may be done differently in other school districts.

===========

1:49 pm:

The baby is on fire, there is no one watching the baby.

The terror army simply moves from state to state, city to city, killing and replacing the state police with help from SAG shill elected state governors. Then, once all of the law enforcement has been replaced with SAG and Canadian terror operatives, they just start slaughtering the children, and the general population is also killed as a result of taking over the schools.

I strongly advise to be very suspicious of Freeway and other major infrastructure upgrade projects, road building, bridge replacement, other major city and state infrastructure projects nation-wide at this time. Those kind of projects are used as the basis of manpower and for disposal of dead victims. They serve as distraction, confusion, road-block, detour generators that make it far more difficult to detect that any mass murdering is happening. Those kinds of projects cause delay and danger for investigative persons, who are easily detoured into traps set the Department of Transportation workers.

In Oregon, there was a ten year long project that was used in parallel to the mass murder slaughter of the population between 1996 and 2006 when all of the bridges in Oregon were removed and replaced, a massive undertaking in more ways than one. After that, Beta Twitter was used as a command vehicle to role out the Corona Virus Phase of the slaughter, for eliminating the other remaining US Citizens who were not killed by other means when the schools, grocery stores, courts were hijacked, and the Oregon Bridge Project from 1996 - 2006 was used before hand as an orchestrated combination plate of terror slaughter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5fezBnvkiU

Baby's on Fire

Brian Eno: 1971

Baby's on fire Better throw her in the water Look at her laughing Like a heifer to the slaughter

Baby's on fire And all the laughing boys are bitching Waiting for photos Oh the plot is so bewitching

Rescuers row row Do your best to change the subject Blow the wind blow blow Lend some assistance to the object

Photographers snip snap Take your time she's only burning This kind of experience Is necessary for her learning

If you'll be my flotsam I could be half the man I used to They said you were hot stuff And that's what Baby's been reduced to...

Juanita and Juan Very clever with maraccas Making their fortunes Selling second-hand tobaccoes

Juan dances at Chico's And when the clients are evicted He empties the ashtrays And pockets all that he's collected

But Baby's on fire! And all the instruments agree that Her temperature's rising But any idiot would know that.

Songwriters: Brian Eno

For non-commercial use only.

Data from:

Musixmatch

===========

1971.

Think about it.

===========

4:24 pm:

Local Conditions:

Local conditions are made difficult to say as my computer is about six different kinds of hijacked after venturing out for a short walk to the mailbox in the wake of sending a request to the White House for help to stop terrorism and mass murders of millions of people in Oregon last week.

I took a short walk, observed that my heater compressor outside is still completely caked with ice surrounding the unit, worse than before, and it’s not really all that cold outside.

I went towards the driveway where it gets near the Offensive Monroe Surveillance Travel Trailer, and there I saw a new terror operative sitting on a bench while watching the activities of a small black & white rabbit as it was eating something from a basket in a cage out front of that Travel Trailer. The woman there has been there in the past, a few years ago with the same rabbit in the same cage with the same Easter Basket.

She is best described as a young George Castanza, from Sienfeld fame as far as a physical description goes. The woman has short brown hair cut like a boys hair cut, had glasses on, and was wearing a black sweatshirt and black sweat pants.

I could see there was some small pink flags in the roadway ahead from there, so, I went on my way to the mailbox, and saw that there are some pink ribbons lining the east side of Jackpine from the corner where the trashcans are, to the Clyde Baum terror cell at 333 Jackpine, maybe beyond that. The ribbons are low on the ground, and are accompanied with the kind of small marking flags that are used by contractors for marking out where excavation or trenching is to be done, so, there must be some Pacific Power Thompson toting Pac-Pow trucks nearby with those Trench Markers there across the street from my driveway like that.

After five days of not going to the mailbox, or going outdoors at all in fear of retribution from the Joe Biden White House for having reported terrorism and mass murder, there was no US Postal Mail inside my mailbox, there was, however, one card, the kind that a traveling salesman puts on the doorknob to say they came by the house, a “Door Hanger Card” (Ron Howard Sponsored Master Class Advertisement) from Josephine County Sheriff’s Office. The door hanger card was left in the mailbox. It says “You have important legal documents awaiting you at Josephine County Sheriff’s Office” and goes on to say in hand written lettering that the Important Documents are concerning Grand Jury participation.

I am guessing the Sheriff heard from Ron Howard at One Hour Martinizer HQ at Nancy Sinatra’s Pacific Palisades Basement where she keeps her personal kidnapped surgically altered pet people. I suspect Ron Howard & Company are upset that they have been called out as the terrorists that they truly are, responsible for the World Trade Center Terror Attack on September 11, 2001 when Screen Actor Guild arranged that the towers would be demolished as a distraction while they attacked the Pentagon with a parallel set of events there.

So, I took that from the mailbox and returned to my house.

I wanted to take a photo of that woman who looks like George Castanza, a young one, and got my phone to take a photo, and returned to where I could take a photo, but she was gone, and the rabbit was still in the cage there.

Then, I was surprised to see Jeff Monroe!

He must have healed from his wounds from the last time he attacked me at my house, or, from attacking me at the Walmart, I can’t recall which was the last time Jeff Monroe attacked me and was hurt real bad in defense.

Jeff Monroe was hosing off a Remote Control Hobby car, and orange one, was big, about 24 inches long, about 10 inches wide, and was wearing a black hoodie sweatshirt as per usual, and blue jeans. Jeff looks a lot like Frank Beard of ZZ Top for a description, shorter hair.

They are using all of that stuff I explained there to discount the reports I make here, one such thing is the real full size actual vehicles that are fitted with remote control, the ones with automatic transmissions and factory cruise control are fitted with remote control operation around here, all of the local terror cells have at least one remote control full size automobile, not a toy car like Jeff Monroe wants you to think I was referring to.

That rabbit is going to be used to cover the eye-witness of the Dog Catcher Truck I saw take Peter Sparacino away in many years ago, by men with whips who attacked him in front of my house at the mailboxes, and put him inside of the cages on the Dog Catcher Truck, which was full of other people who also had been put int the cages on that truck.

It’s also notable that the 545 Jackpine Mailbox that belongs to the Sparcino terror cell has been taken off of the plank where the mailboxes have all been since way before I moved to the nieghborhood 24 years ago. Sparacino terror cell are using the family name of Peter Sparacino, after he was killed, and they stole his house, and all of his belongings. That happened more than twenty years ago, and no one will send help despite all of these reports of terrorism.

Same is true about Clyde Baum at 333 Jackpine. He killed Red Powers who owned that property free & clear like Peter Sparacino did. Clyde killed Red, and held Dolly Powers captive in her home for about five years before he killed her. Clyde used her for a lot of things, to get county aid, for drugs by taking her to the doctors, and for a place to live while controling her with protection from imposter police, so, Dolly Powers as an elderly woman in her 80′s had to do exactly as she was told when Clyde Baum took her for the doctor appointments and to sign up for county and state handouts of various kinds.

(Clyde Baum also has connection to Monsanto Agrochemical Corporation, and has access to modified seeds, and uses those in complicated ways at a State and Federal level of International Commerce sort of agricultural terrorism)

So, the rabbit in the cage will serve as an explanation made to federal agents to cover up the men who use cages on trucks to haul Victims away. It works because the federal agents insist on being fooled all of the time, they absolutely refuse to refrain from being fools, and continue to trust the local authorities, who are not authorities, but are a terror cell that killed and replaced the local authorities a long, long, long, long, long time ago.

I also noticed that the small camera at Monroe’s Four-Three-Four, on that thin wire stand on the stump that has been pointed at my gate for about two months, is gone, and the telescope on the tripod remains there, just has been moved back slightly farther away, but is still pointed at my driveway gate.

There are many cameras there at Monroe’s that are used to wage attacks on me when they can see that I am outside, and am within range of a cross-bow, gun, or vehicle. or vehicle with gun mounted in the front grill.

So, it took some time to run scans and reset the modem, and turn the computer on and off a couple of times to say Local Conditions, but there you go, as long as the “Save Post” button is not disabled, this will post after I say:

It’s overcast, is cold, and there is absence of wind.

no help has come.

There are no signs of helpful people anywhere.

====================================

5:52 pm:

This is a good place to make a reminder to security people who may be interested in preserving USA and know how to read the details I have presented here on this account. It’s extremely dangerous for me to share this kind of information, so please use it as it was intended, as a guide to save many millions of lives, and to gain my own freedom.

When you raid Ron Howard’s personal studios and the ones at Universal, Disney, and Pixar, at MGM, and even at MTM, when you come across the Seagate FreeAgent Hard-Drives, those are very special, some are ten years older than were made publically available, are prototypes of wizbang technology from the time when SeaGate was hijacked, so, those have Encryption that makes the files on them invisible, and, the SeaGate software does the math to make it appear as the disc does not contain any hidden files. The encrypted files are absolutly invisible, and you cannot learn that Ron Howard is the terrorist who directed the WTC attack if you cannot see those invisible files on his personal collection of SeaGate FreeAgent Hard-Drives. So use specialize disc scanning on those, especially at Disney Studios and Micheal Eisner’s personal discs.

=========================================================

6:12 pm:

nsa better hurry.

You failed to take Twitter offline, and that is going to cost the USA it’s existence.

You need to take Twitter offline permanently in order just to get started with US national security work.

This says to erase hard drives.

They reported source is “Red Canary”.

That is a bird in a mine field where nitrous gas is the weapon.

Red Canary, in Hollywood, translates to “Redken Hair Products”.

It’s shampoo. Cnn is commanding their connected terror assassins in the music industry (”Cross-Hairs”; Vatican Choir HQ Special Assassins are “Cross-Hairs”) to erase their hard-drives just because of what I said about the SeaGate encryption.

Don‘t believe that Twitter time stamp they put there for fools to believe in. The tweet is in response to what I said about SeaGate.

Also, don’t forget the connection Cnn has with the music industry up close and personal. Remember the other day when Brooke Baldwin showed up to kill me along with Sammy Hager. Do you think I was joking you fucking idiots?

Take Twitter offline right now, you need to just to save your own lives, even if Joe Biden says not to, you must take Twitter down, there is no Joe Biden, it’s all done with movie magic on Twitter, while Ann Wilson is running the White House from Kauai Ranch with Roger Waters.

When they do shit like that, they also kill the disposable US Citizen kidnapped terror soldier children, and, they kill the “Partners” surgically altered pet people that SAG keeps in their attics, dog houses, and basements in Hollywood, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, and the Wilsher District.

Fools did not do as they should have done. They did not read the details.

https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1363647234571726848

========

6:33 pm:

“Chuck Todd” trending on Twitter:

“Hamburger the Children”

That is command generated by Google, sent to Twitter, to say a command to SDA and SAG to kill the kidnapped child soldiers they keep.

https://twitter.com/search?q=%22Chuck%20Todd%22&src=trend_click&vertical=trends

I’ll do the math for you:

Surely you can figure out that Chuck is both “80/20“ ground beef, and is also “Chuckie” the child with the knife under the bed.

Then:

“Todd” is short, like little kids are, they are short people ... remember? Kids?

Todd is short for “Toddler”.

Toddler = Todd + L + ER

Also, Toddler = Todd + Ell + ER

Also, Toddler = Todd + LE + R

That means Todd + Law Enforcement + Aarrgghh (pirates say “Aarrgghh when they swing the sword)

A “15″ = One adult imposter police w/one child terror soldier. (in plain clothes, disguised a father & son while on attack, the child has no choices, has to do as the RCMP terror adult soldier says to do. They are attack teams that are extremely difficult to defend against)

“Todd” means “Kill the child terror soldiers four different ways”

“Hamburger the Children“ was just commanded on Twitter by Google, to reach millions of terror soldiers in the field in the Twitter viewing audience.

===================================================

7:36 pm:

More notable conditions observed at the Four-Three-Four (Monroe terror cell) from my driveway while on a walk to the mailbox earlier today:

First, I need to express with great emphasis that Monroe (434 Jackpine Drive) terror cell at Four-Three-Four Jackpine (Drive, Grants Pass, Oregon 97526) clearly has access to the same people that I need to reach for help. I can see by their daily activities that the things they do, items they use in the yard on display, and visitors to that Offensive Trailer there are all used to help them use what I write to fool the federal agents I need to reach, but am unable to having been outnumbered 50,000 to 1 in Josephine County. I am the last remaining US Citizen that has not been killed or taken into more confining captivity. I am held captive in my home by the Monroe terror cell, and all of the other residences in the surrounding area, which are also terror cells of various origin throughout the county. My phone is made to only reach phone numbers that the terror army wants me to reach, ones that will aid them in killing me, or, to further fool the federal agents. The Centurylink Internet Service I use is hijacked at their base of operations, and the phone lines themselves don’t go to the addresses mapped at Centurylink ISP, all of that is explained in great detail here on this account in many places. So, I can’t reach where I need to reach, and the phone only rings when the terror army wants it to ring.

So, those other observations:

As I looked at the heater compressor in the backyard, I heard the sound of the small wheeled motorcycles that belong to a large terror cell composed of many disposable kidnapped US Children that was at the Chapman terror cell at 3701 Russell Road and rode away as I looked at the heating unit.

Then as I got close to where that Offensive Trailer is at along my driveway, that is when another, bigger motorcycle started up, revved and drove away from the Strong terror cell at 3747 Russell Road. That is the time that I observed the woman on the picnic bench out by the Offensive Travel Trailer.

I noticed some new additional items strewn about at Monroe’s backyard. There was some chicken wire fencing that had been torn off of one of the chicken coups there, was all bent up, and in a heap along with the supports the (that) held the wire in place. That one is the smaller of the two chicken coups at Monroe’s, the one that contains so many electronic devices hidden inside.

I noticed that there was a newly installed fencing arrangement at the other, bigger chicken coup that is over there, the one where so many electric lights of all kinds of different bulbs are used to fuck with me when I take a walk, some of them are very bright, all of them are within a chicken coup. The newly installed fence extends the usefulness of that particular chicken coup, the way it looks from 200 feet away as I took that walk, and a green tarp was hung over that new fencing like a drape, makes yet another hiding place for a cross-bow assassin to hide for shooting at me.

(Two separate chicken coups. The kind of thing where egg laying domesticated foul are kept, some say they are “farm animals”, others say “roosters & hens”, where one of the two chicken coups is larger than the other one is. The larger one looks like a puppet show stage modified into a chicken coup, and has many different kinds of electric lighting used at different times inside and nearby the chicken coup. The other chicken coup, the smaller one, also contains some ducks, so, “chicken & duck coup”, it used to be a firewood shed long ago, and that one (the small chicken coup at Monroe terror cell) has audio & video recording equipment operating inside of the “chicken & duck old firewood shed coup”. Is that clear enough?).

As I reached the place where I could see there was someone seated at the picnic bench (at Monroe terror cell, 434 Jackpine Drive), there was a scream, or yell from the main house at 434 in the front part of the Monroe driveway.

When I returned from the mailbox, that woman in the black sweat shirt that looks like George Castanza, was doing what I would call a “Jeff Monroe Routine”. Jeff was often seen in the past using a shovel to “stab” at some dirt near a hole, or, stab at some dirt in a large bucket repeatedly and violently for no apparent reason while adding a variety of other ingredients into the dirt he is stabbing at, as I walk by there. So, today, that woman that looks like George Castanza was doing the “Stab at the dirt in the hole with the shovel” routine. Then, she put the shovel down, went and picked up a bag of some very orange looking potting soil, and dumped all of it out, shaking the bag violently. The odor of fresh manure filled the whole area immediately.

The thing that made me want to do this additional comment is that the woman was doing exactly as Jeff Monroe usually does often with that activity with the shovel, the dirt, the additive into the soil. But not the rabbit in the cage. Jeff Monroe uses goats in a bigger pen, not rabbits, where the goats get their heads stuck in the six inch mesh fencing and can’t get their heads out because of the goat’s horns get stuck like barbs in the fencing, and the goats get all bloody and torn up around their necks after being stuck in the fence for many hours and trying to get their heads out of the fence. Goats scream. They sound like small babies when they scream, it’s horrible to be exposed to this kind of thing everyday, but by comparison to other kidnapped US Citizens around here, I am fortunate that I am able to walk away, from things the others are not able to walk away from. (national security in USA fails to protect by the hour, by the day, by the minute)

It was a “Role Reversal”. I don’t remember where I have seen that woman before outside of that trailer area, but I have seen her somewhere around Grants Pass before.

That remote control car is important to find who owns it. I don’t think it belongs to Monroe’s, I think it belongs to Juseph Myers at 560 Jackpine, who makes a lot of different things that are remote control, including a bird that hops around on the ground, looks injured, has two cameras mounted in it, and can bounce away if you try to pick up the remote controlled injured small bird.

That gal who looked like George Castanza could have been Rena Myers wearing a “Fat Suit”, a whole body suit that is made with real human skin, and a skinny person can put on the Fat Suit and become a fat person as a disguise made at the Juseph Myers terror cell. If so, there is a good chance that the suit is made from the skin of Donald Trump, who exploded in a bus on January 6, 2021 out front of the Grants Pass DMV across from the Fred Meyer store where Kyle Myers works as a grocery checker, and is a Lieutenant of the SDA Terror army. The Myers at 560 Jackpine have been making wearable costumes from the skin and body parts of the victims they kill for more than twenty years just two doors down the street from my house. I used to be able to see as they tossed the little girls into the shed in the backyard over there, usually by someone on horseback who literally tossed the little girls kidnapped from the Grants Pass Community Church just a half mile or so down the road on Russell Road. The people at 520 Built a big fence in the way, and I no longer have a view of where that shed is at where the little girls are processed by the Myers terror cell.

=======

9:07 pm:

There is a lot of continued reports on Twitter about that airplane that lost it’s engine cowl, I feel someone is trying to reach me with that.

I once was on commercial flight when the motor caught fire. I took some photos, maybe I still have them somewhere.

So, yeah, shit happens and then no one cares enough to talk about it.

I was another flight when the pilot called me into the cockpit. I still don‘t know why he did that, but out the drivers side window was a US Air-Force fighter jet escorting our flight along on the route. There is a whole bunch more to say about what happened in that cockpit, I’ll just say that the co-pilot flew the airplane the rest of the way after I entered the cockpit.

There was another flight when the pilot was headed straight into some mountains ahead of us, everyone on the airplane began to sort of whisper: “pull up... pull up” .... then louder some of the passengers where saying: “PULL UP!” and I shouted too: “PULL-UP!”.  We missed the mountains by a little bit, and kept on going.

There was a different flight when the flight attendants pulled a man from his seat and put him down into a access panel in the floor of the airplane, one between the wings on a L1011 size airplane as we were on approach to Portland airport. On the drive home, there was a big road block near Hillsboro on the I-5, lots of emergency crews there, as I passed by I asked one of them who they had scraped off of the pavement, and told them about the man that was into floor of the airplane: “Did someone happen to fall out of the sky and land on the freeway?”. There was no particular response that I can recall right now, but I think it was like “How did you know that?” kind of response from the emergency worker there.

There was another time when I stopped a shooter from shooting on airplane destined for Portland. Everyone on the plane was rounded up at the airport. I don’t think any of them are alive anymore, I had to run away from that, me and one woman and one ten year old were the only people who got away. It was not a safety thing, it was a forced round up by people other than airport security at Portland International.

Another time all of the oxygen masks came down from the overhead area. There was nothing wrong with the airplane, some young men were in the back of the plane seated farthest back, they all began to get out of their seats after the passengers were instructed to put the masks on. I could see they had weapons so I shouted real loud: “It’s nitrous oxide, any one with a lighter, lite the lighter!” and kept shouting to “look behind you” as those men were in the aisle. Me and at least two others had lighters, and lit them. Those guys all sat back down. There was a “Pop” noise from the luggage compartment area below the passenger area, and the pilot advised to put the masks back up into the overhead place where they came from, and we continued on our way.

no one on the airplane complained about any of that, as if they had all forgotten that anything happened.

The Baby is on fire, there is no one watching the baby.

TSA, Air Traffic Control, the concession restaurants and vendors at the airports are all occupied and controlled by terror cells. The rental car agencies are also all terror cells. In Las Vegas at McLaren airport, the rental car kiosk area is built intentionally as a killing field. Salt Lake City Utah international airport is built intentionally as a killing field with a system of food vendors combined with “Sky  Caps” who do the kill and then cart the bodies away.

There are some secret words that will keep you alive when you order a smoothie in Utah at the airport. I don’t recall what worked though, i guess you had to have been there to know what to say.

==========================

10:30 pm:

This below is exactly the way a typical SDA attack on US Citizen residential home is done.

That guy would be accompanied by about three to six other people who remain out of sight. If there is a smart meter on the electric panel at the residence, the power company terror cell would have already done enough analysis on electric usage at the home to know basically where in the house the victim is at, such as in a laundry room, when the washing machine begins to run, they know that much information in real time as the smart meter is broadcasting all day, all the time as electricity is consumed. So, this guy shows up with some bad weather on an Ivanka Trump Oportunity Zone style attack scenario. The home owner may not like having some asshole out front like that, but watches for a minute, it looks innocent, like a doo gooder is just happens to be in the neighborhood and wants so badly to intrude on other people un-announced, just shows up to randomly go ahead and start to shovel someone else’s snow away because, well heck, that guy just does not have anything else he needs to do at his own house, he’s so good that he already removed all of the snow at his house, racked the front yard, took out the trash, fed the cat, cleared the rain gutters, mowed the grass, made his bed, and made lunch in advance for the whole week, after he went to the grocery store this morning, and had all of that done before ten am, so, he has all kinds of extra time to go do random snow shoveling at other peoples houses, right?

The home owner thinks about all of that, and all seems legit.

So the home owner can relax now, it’s feeling very comfortable all of a sudden, as the nitrous gas is being forced into the back slider, and the bathroom window, while the scent of fresh laundry soap, also inserted into the gas mix in the house, reminds the homeowner to go ahead and do some laundry, as long as there are people helping out around the house and everything. So the laundry or other thing gets started while the owner is enjoying that warm fuzzy, sense safety and neighborly kindness that the nitrous gas provides. When the power company gets the reading that the home owner is in a desired place in the house, that is when the bastards come into the house. They will have already gained the house key through observation over time about where the home owner keeps that outdoor hidden house key, borrowed that long enough to make a copy at the key making machine that is in the garage next to where that guy hangs up his snow shovel every night after a hard day of raping, murdering, torturing, and killing. Then, on Saturday, he goes to confession, to say what loot he and the crew was able to take, and to drop off any small children to the church that may have lived at the home where the nice church goer went to shovel some snow.

They are all connected with blu-tooth communication, and have lots of electronic equipment available for knowing exactly when is the best time to use that hijacked house key to go in right through the front door to make everything appear is if there is no problems in the neighborhood.

In the spring they send a teenager with a lawnmower. In the summer they send someone in a bikini, in the fall they bring rakes, and offer to clear the rain gutters if you don’t mind getting the ladder out of the garage for them first.

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1363729986214060038

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior February 28, 2020 – THE INVISIBLE MAN, GREED

Welcome to Leap Weekend (if there is such a thing) as we get that one extra day of February for the first time in four years before we leap (get it?) headlong into March’s proverbial lion on Sunday.

This past weekend, 20th Century’s Call of the Wild did far better than anyone had projected as it benefited greatly from being one of the most Disney-friendly movies produced by the former Fox-house, as well as the solid reviews. Even though I probably had one of the highest projections for the weekend at $17 million, it ended up blowing that away with $25 million, coming out just below Sonic the Hedgehog. This coming weekend it might surpass it. Brahms II fell short of my already-low prediction. (Also, Impractical Jokers: The Movie ended up making $2.6 million in 357 theaters last weekend, just missing the top 10. Makes me curious how many more theaters it will expand into this weekend... but we’ll get back to that in a bit.)

Thankfully, this weekend we only get one new wide release, and it’s a good one, as Saw and Insidious co-creator Leigh Whannell takes on HG Wells’ THE INVISIBLE MAN (Universal) with Elisabeth Moss playing the unseen killer’s primary victim, one who believes her toxic and abusive ex Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen from “The Haunting of Hill House”) is dead, but in fact, he’s just invisible!  I know, it sounds cornier than it actually is. By the time you read this, I’ll have probably already written my full review so you already know that I kind of dug what Whannell did here.

This will be an interesting test to see if Moss can bring her popularity from shows like “The Handmaiden’s Tale” and “Mad Men” to the big screen since she really hasn’t been the lead in many big studio releases. Obviously, she had a fairly big role in Jordan Peele’s Uslast year, which was also produced by Jason Blum for Universal, and that did decently by opening with $71 million. (That movie got a huge boost by being Peele’s follow-up to the Oscar-winning Get Out with the amazing Lupita Nyong’o.) A few months later, Moss’ co-starring role in the WB graphic novel-based crime thriller The Kitchen tanked even with support from bigger stars like Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish. The Invisible Man will be a good test to see if Moss can carry a major wide release, already having a strong fanbase, especially among critics thanks to last year’s indie Her Smell.

There’s a pretty long history of Universal’s Classic Monsters being brought back to the screen with Dracula and Frankenstein getting the most iterations -- some more successful than others. Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 movie Bram Stoker’s Dracula was one of the bigger hits for the time, grossing $82 million after a $30 million opening, and this was 1992 money, mind you.

Just ten years ago, Universal’s The Wolf Man opened with $31.5 million over the Presidents Day weekend and ended up grossing $61.9 million, the name value of its title character helping quite a bit but only for that opening weekend. Even though it was universally (ha ha) panned, Tom Cruise’s The Mummy reboot also opened with $31.7 million (in the summer) although it failed to kick-start Universal’s planned “Dark Universe” shared universe of films. The lack of quality for those projects may hurt The Invisible Man with moviegoers who have felt like they’ve been burned too many times before, but we’ll have to see how the critics feel about it. (Reviews so far are mostly positive, at the time of this writing.)

Going back further, the Paul Verhoeven thriller Hollow Man, starring Kevin Bacon, opened with $26.4 million on its way to $73.2 million, so I can’t see any reason why 20 years later, The Invisible Man can’t find similar success.

Sure, there’s been a serious downturn on horror over the past two months with so many pretty mediocre horror movies getting released, few of them doing well. The name brand of The Invisible Man and the Blumhouse branding (not to mention Universal’s marketing, which has done a decent job with the trailers and commercials) should allow it to make $26 to 30 million (maybe more?) – it won’t have a problem being the #1 movie at the box office this weekend regardless.

My Review of The Invisible Man

My Interview with Leigh Whannell over at VitalThrills.com

The Invisible Man shouldn’t have a hard time taking #1 whether it ends up on the low point of projections or breaks out with something closer to $30 million or more. Even more interesting to watch is the bottom of the top 10 and whether last week’s Emma or Impractical Jokers: the Movie might break into the top 10 depending on their respective expansions. The latter might have a slight advantage since it might be targeting 700 to 800 theaters or more while Emma is only expanding into about 100 theaters before its nationwide release next week.

Also, apparently the popular manga series “My Hero Academia” is coming to the big screen starting tonight with the nationwide release of My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, but since I know almost nothing about the series or how many theaters it might open in, there’s not much more I can add. Maybe it’ll do well enough to break into the top 10, but who really knows?  The previous movie grossed $5.5 million domestically with an August ‘18 opening, and presumably, its sequel can do even better with the series being even more popular. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt that it could end up with $3 million over the weekend if it opens in 500 or more theaters, but it’s really a stab in the dark here.

1. The Invisible Man (Universal) - $30.6 million N/A (up $2 million)*

2. Call of the Wild (20th Century) - $15.4 million -38%

3. Sonic the Hedgehog  (Paramount) - $14 million -47%

4. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey  (Warner Bros) - $3.5 million -48%

5. Bad Boys for Life (Sony) - $3.5 million -40%

6. My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (FUNimation) - $3.1 million N/A* (based on 550 theaters - note that this opens Weds i.e. today)

7. 1917  (Universal) - $2.6 million -38%

8. Brahms: The Boy II (STXfilms) - $2.5 million -57%

9. The Impractical Jokers Movie (TruTV) - $2.2 million -15%* (based on 750 theaters)

10. Jumanji: The Next Level  (Sony) - $2.1 million -35%

11. Emma. (Focus Features) or Parasite (NEON)   - $1.7 million (down .3 million)

*UPDATE: Giving Invisible Man a little boost since it’s opening in about 600 more theaters than my earlier projection plus the reviews have mostly been positive which will definitely help. Still no actual theater counts for My Hero Academia and The Impractical Jokers movie, so I guess we’ll have to see when numbers come in Saturday where they end up.

LIMITED RELEASES

This week’s FEATURED MOVIE is GREED (Sony Pictures Classics), the new collaboration between Michael Winterbottom and Steve Coogan, whose earlier films, 24 Hour Party People and “The Trip” movies (a fourth one coming out this summer!) are some of my favorite British comedies. In this one, Coogan plays Sir Richard McCreadie, the “King of High Street,” who has earned a reputation for his billion-dollar fashion store empire by negotiating wholesalers’ prices down, even when it means the already poorly-paid workers overseas are deprived further of anything close to a fair wage.

The film is told through a pseudo-doc format as McGreadie’s family and staff are preparing for his lavish 60th birthday soirée in Greece, complete with a facsimile version of Rome’s Colosseum so that “Greedy” McCreadie can fulfill his fantasies of being Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. What could possibly go wrong? The story is told through McGreadie’s biographer Nick (the amazing David Mitchell from Peep Show in a rare movie role!) who is going around the world talking to those who know McGreadie to get interviews for a video profile to be shown for the event.

Greed takes on a fairly standard mockumentary format with Winterbottom (who also cowrote this screenplay himself, another rarity for the filmmaker) putting together an impressive cast that includes Isla Fisher as McGreadie’s wife Samantha and Shirley Henderson as his mother (despite her being the same age as Coogan). Much of the humor comes from the comedy-of-errors surrounding this celebration with one thing going wrong after another but things getting progressively worse whenever McGreadie steps in to try to fix things.

The funny thing about watching Greed is that I spent most of the movie convinced it was a biopic about a real person ala 24 Hour Party People, vaguely remembering certain events as something I remember hearing about. Thanks to my old Beat editor Hannah Lodge for pointing out that the movie was in fact loosely based on the true story of billionaire Sir Philip Ross Green, someone I wasn’t even remotely familiar with but clearly was enough in the public consciousness to make me realize this film was loosely based on fact. (I’m sure that many will touch on the toxic masculinity clearly displayed by McGreadie which lines up with accusations about Green, who has repeatedly had his knighthood in danger of being repealed for his behavior and actions.)

I found Greed to be very funny but with a clear and poignant message about what the likes of “Greedy” are regularly getting away with at the expense of beleaguered workers in poverty-stricken countries. In that sense, it doesn’t hit the viewer too hard over the head with its message but still gets it across as well as any actual doc might. There’s also a great Knives Out style turn that will appeal to those who have gotten tired of the wealthy doing whatever they want and getting away with it.

There are other movies I’ll probably be watching this week and a few others that I won’t have a chance to watch.

Andrew Heckler’s BURDEN (101 Studios) premiered over two years ago at the Sundance Film Festival, but it’s finally being revived and released.  It involves a Ku Klux Klan museum opening in a small racially-diverse town in South Carolina in 1996 and how it affects the people of the town. The story mainly revolves around Garrett Hedlund’s Mike Burden, a top soldier for the local KKK head Tom Griffin, played by Tom Wilkinson, who is odds with the local preacher, Reverend David Kennedy (played by Forrest Whitaker) about that museum. When Mike falls for a single mother (Andrea Riseborough), he has to start deciding whether he can leave the KKK despite his inbred hatred for blacks, including Kennedy, who helps him when Griffin turns the town against Mike. This is a decent drama that I wanted to like more because it deals with a really important message about allowing love to overcome hatred. It’s a strong story (based on true events) that features some amazing performances, but particularly from Riseborough (once again virtually unrecognizable!), but also Hedlund and Whitaker, both playing very difficult roles. I guess the problem is that Mike’s inevitable road to redemption is so bumpy with so many ups and downs, you love him, you hate him, he’s good, he’s bad… it really created quite an erratic tone whereas a tighter script could have made this a movie as good or better than Spike Lee’s BlackKklansman. It’s a shame, but I still it’s worth watching since it does deal with issues like racism and hatred that seem to constantly raise their ugly head even when we think there’s hope for a better world. It’ll open in select cities this Friday.s

Speaking of Sundance, Benh Zeitilin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild was all the rage at the festival all the way back in 2012, eventually getting four Oscar nominations, and he finally releases his follow-up WENDY (Fox Searchlight), a re-envisioning of the classic Peter Pan mythos. It once again features a group of no-name non-actors with Devin France in the title role and Yashua Mack playing Peter Pan.

Albert Shin’s moody thriller DISAPPEARANCE AT CLIFTON HILL (IFC Midnight) stars Tuppence Middleton (“Sense 8”) as Abby, a young woman who witnessed a kidnapping at Niagara Falls when she was a girl, who decides to return to home there to see if she can figure out who was responsible.

Apparently, John Turturro’s THE JESUS ROLLS, in which he reprises his bowling character from the Coens’ The Big Lebowski,is opening in select theaters this weekend. Turturro directed the movie that co-stars Bobby Cannavale, Audrey Tautou, Susan Sarandon and Sonia Braga, and for some reason, I thought it was opening on March 20 but apparently, it will be at the IFC Center starting this weekend!

Matthew Pope’s feature debut, the thriller Blood on her Name (Vertical), stars Bethany Ann Lind (from “Ozark”) as Leigh Tiller, a woman who discovers a body of a dead man with his blood draining out onto the floor, and she decides to cover it up while also feeling like she needs to return the body to the man’s family. It will get a special screening at the Nitehawk in Wiliamsburg on Thursday night with Pope, Lind and co-writer Don Thompson doing a QnA, and then will be On Demand (and other select cities) on Friday.

Next up is The Whistlers (Magnolia), the new film from Romanian filmmaker Cornelio Porumboiu (12:08 East of Bucharest, Police Adjective), and it’s a rare Romanian film that’s less than two hours long! It’s a policeman trying to free a crooked businessman from a Romanian prison, first travelling to Gomera, one of the Canary Islands, where he has to learn the local dialect that includes hissing and spissing. Bummed I missed this one. It will open at the Film Forum downtown and Film at Lincoln Center uptown, plus other cities.

Alex Thompson’s Saint Frances (Oscilloscope) is written by and stars Kelly O’Sullivan from “Sirens” as 34-year-old Bridge, who finally catches a break and gets a much-needed job taking care of a six-year-old (Ramona Edith-Williams) and also meets a nice guy but when she gets pregnant, it avoids to unexpected complications with her young liege.

Opening Thursday night at the IFC Center is James Sweeney’s rom-com Straight Up (Strand), starring Sweeney as Todd, an obsessive compulsive gay twenty-something who suddenly gets the existential feeling that maybe he isn’t gay after all. Meeting Karen Finlay’s Rory, a struggling actress, the two form a bond around their conversations.  Sweeney and some of his cast will be doing QnAs at the IFC Center on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Lastly, D.W. Young’s doc The Booksellers (Greenwich) looks behind the scenes at the world of rare books with appearances by Parker Posey, Fran Lebowitz and Gay Talese. It opens at the Quad in New York and other cities.

Also screening at the IFC Center Weds night is Stuart Sweezey’s excellent music doc Desolation Center, which looks at the efforts by an L.A. concert promoter to hold indie rock/punk shows in the Sahara Desert in the early ‘80s featuring the likes of Sonic Youth, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Red Kross, Swans, Einstürzende Neubauten and more! The special screening will include a QnA with Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley, and having seen it at Rooftop Films last summer, I highly recommend it to fans of any of those bands.

LOCAL FESTIVALS

The big regional film for the New York area, and it’s one that I have yet to be able to attend, mainly since it takes place so far uptown, is the 10thannual Athena Film Festival, which is quite an amazing achievement for my friend Melissa Silverstein and her Women and Hollywood for putting this on for ten years.

This year’s fest runs from February 27 (this Thursday) through March 1 (Sunday), kicking off with Unjoo Moon’s I Am Woman, a biopic about Helen Reddy, who famously wrote that song in the ‘70s. It closes on the 1stwith Suffragette director Sarah Gavron’s Rocks, starring newcomer Bukky Bakray as a teen girl trying to take care of her younger brother and herself. The centerpiece films are Liz Garbus’ Lost Girls, starring Amy Ryan; Haiffa Al-Monsour’s The Perfect Candidate and the Oscar-nominated documentary For Sama. The festival includes a mix of new and already-released films including Harriet, Toni Morrison: the Pieces I Am and lots more. Click on the link above for the full schedule and program of films.

REPERTORY

METROGRAPH (NYC):

Metrograph wraps up its month-long “To Hong Kong with Love” this weekend with the fictional anthology Ten Years (2015), James Leong’s 2018 film Umbrella Diaries: The First Umbrella (chronicling the recent revolution in Hong Kong) as well as a work in progress screening of Leong’s If We Burn. “Climate Crisis Parables” continues with Lars von Trier’s Melancholia (2011) shown again, as well as Bong Joon Ho’s Snowpiercer from 2013, Antonioni’s cRed Desert (1964) and Tarkovsky’s Stalker (1979). Also this weekend, Welcome To Metrograph: Redux will screen the ‘80s classic Beverly Hills Cop (1984), starring Eddie Murphy, as well as Abel Ferrara’s equally classic Bad Lieutenant (1992), starring Harvey Keitel. Also screening Saturday evening is Jeff Kanew’s Black Rodeo (1972) as well as Vincent Gallo’s Buffalo ’88 (1998) and then Claude Chabrol’s 1960 film Les Bonnes Femmes on Monday night. This weekend’s Late Nites at Metrograph  is Ingmar Bergman’s Persona (1966) while Playtime: Family Matinees  is David Lynch’s The Straight Story (1999) a good introduction of Lynch for the kiddies?

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE BROOKLYN (NYC)

Tonight’s “Weird Wednesday” is 1985’s softcore gladiator film The Perils of Gwendolyn (hosted by my pal, the wonderful Heather Buckley!). Showing earlier this evening (but sadly sold out) is the Tom Cruise/Brad Pitt classic Interview with the Vampire (1994). Thursday begins the Alamo’s “VHStival” with a screening of the 1987 flick Video Violence, and then next Monday’s “VHS Vortex” movie is Evil Spawn, also from 1987. Next Tuesday’s “Terror Tuesday” is the 2005 movie House of Wax and then next week’s “Weird Wednesday” is the classic Robocop 2 (1990) plus there’ll be a screening of William Friedkin’s Sorcerer from 1977 earlier next Weds, which more than likely will also sell out.

Over on the West Coast, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Downtown Los Angeles (which would earn you 4,256 points in Scrabble if you could even fit it on the board) is playing Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984) as its “Weird Wednesday” tonight (it’s sold out) and then Thursday night is the J-Horror Bloodbath double feature of Demon Within and Biotherapy that New York got earlier in the month. (Also, sold out! Sorry!) Also on Saturday, the appropriate Amy Addams comedy Leap Year will screen in the afternoon. Sunday is a double feature of Destin Daniel Cretton’s movie Short Term 12, starring Brie Larson, is paired with Brett Haley’s new film All the Bright Places with Haley and writer Liz Hannah on hand to answer questions. You can either choose between that or Pawel Pawlikowski’s 2005 film Summer of Love, starring a very young Emily Blunt. Monday’s already sold-out “Out of Tune” hosted by my buddy Jeremy Wein (who keeps forgetting to tell me about these before they sell out!) is the Electric Light Orchestra and Olivia Newton-John collaboration Xanadu from 1980. Next week’s “Terror Tuesday” is Brian Yuzna’s Society from 1989 with the director in attendance.

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

Wednesday’s Afternoon Classic is Vincente Minelli’s An American in Paris (1951), starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, while the Weds/Thursday double features are Freebie and the Bean and Busting, both from 1974. 1992’s Candyman will screen as this week’s “Freaky Friday” and then Friday’s midnight movie is True Romance (again) and the Saturday midnight movie is Arthur Hiller’s The Hospital  (1971) starring George C. Scott. This weekend’s Kiddee Matinee is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix from 2004 and the Monday’s matinee is Wesley Snipes in Passenger 57 (1992).

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Friday is the rescheduled Retroformat 2020 screening of 1913’s Traffic in Souls while Saturday begins a series of “Weinmar Variations” (free with RSVP!), German films made between 1919 and 1933 with musical accompaniment. Pandora’s Box from 1929 will screen on Saturday night and then Sunday’s “Sunday Print Edition” is Vincent Minelli’s The Clock (1945). Lav Daz will appear in person on Sundayfor a screening of a restoration of his 2001 film Batang West Side with a series on the Philipino filmmaker shared with Aero.

AERO  (LA):

Thursday’s “Antiwar Cinema” matinee is The Mouse That Roared (1959), starring Peter Sellers and then Thursday night is a double feature “Salute to Kelly Reichardt” with Old Joy and River of Grass with Reichardt in person. Saturday is a series called “The End of History: The Cinema of Lav Diaz,” screening 2013’s Norte: the End of History with Diaz in person. Sunday evening’s double feature continues the Kelly Reichardt series with two of her picks: 1953’s Ugetsuand 1970’s Little by Little.

MOMA  (NYC):

Modern Matinees: Jack Lemmonwraps up this week with 1954’s It Should Happen to You on Weds, Blake Edwards’ 1962 Days of Wine and Roses on Thursday and 1968’s The Odd Couple on Friday. (The next series will focus on the great Cicely Tyson!) The “Theater of Operations” film series also continues with Werner Herzog’s Lessons of Darkness (1992) on Sunday. The “It’s All in me: Black Heroines” series will screen David D. Williams’ 1993 film Lillian and All by Myself: The Eartha Kitt Story (1982) on Wednesday and more running through the weekend. “Television Movies: Big Pictures on the Small Screen” also continues through Friday.

NITEHAWK CINEMA  (NYC):

Out in Brooklyn the Nitehawk in Williamsburgwill show the 1998 horror sequel Bride of Chucky on Friday night at midnight and Allison Anders’ 1993 film Mi Vida Loca as part of its “California Love” series on Saturday morning. (Not rep but another option for Saturday morning is seeing Rashaad Ernesto Green’s Premature which will screen at the Nitehawk on Saturday with the amazing Zora Howard and cinematographer Laura Valladao doing a QnA. (Also on Monday, the Nitehawk will screen the incredible 2018 doc Varda by Agnès, which I highly recommend. Meanwhile, Prospect Park will screen Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain from 2005 on Saturday morning and then IT will screen Premature on Monday, again with Howard and Valladao doing a QnA in case you have to miss the event on Saturday.

BAM CINEMATEK (NYC):

Starting Friday, BAM is doing a special series “Kelly Reichardt Selects: First Cow in Context” which will offer screenings of movies that inspired the indie filmmaker’s upcoming film, First Cow, which opens March 6. This weekend’s offerings include Agnès Varda’s The Gleaners and I, the 1953 Japanese film Ugetsu, Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali (1955), the 1978 Italian film The Tree of Wooden Clogsand more, as this runs through Weds with Melville’s Le Cercle Rougefrom 1970.

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

This weekend’s “See It Big! Outer Space” offerings including Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi classic  Alien and John Carpenter’s 1974 film Dark Star, which was said to be an inspiration for Scott’s film. As usual, Kubrick’s 2001:  A Space Odyssey will screen on Saturday afternoon as part of the exhibition.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

Elem Klimov’s Come and See will continue through the weekend, as will Visconti’s L’Innocente, while the weekend’s “Film Forum Jr.” is Barbra Streisand’s Yentl from 1983 and then keep an eye out next week a new series called “The Women Behind Hitchcock,” which should be fairly exciting.

ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES (NYC):

Dušan Makavejev’s 1971 film WR: Mysteries of the Organism screens tonight and Sunday, as part of “Dušan Makavejev, Cinema Unbound” (that should really pull people in) while “Dream Dance: The Films of Ed Emshwiller” runs through Friday. To be perfectly honest, I know nothing about either of these filmmakers and if their films interest you, you’d be better off clicking on the links and doing some reading. Sorry.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

This week’s Weekend Classics: Luis Buñuelis Diary of a Chambermaid from 1964, while the Waverly Midnights: Hindsight is 2020s is Tim Burton’s 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes, starring Mark Wahlberg, and Late Night Favorites: Winter 2020, it takes the weekend off.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman will run through the weekend to next week but with only one or two screenings a day, but then on Friday, the Quad will pick up the new 4k restoration of Horace B. Jenkins’ Cane River (1982) that has been playing at BAM the past couple weekends with the filmmaker’s son Sacha Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.

ROXY CINEMA (NYC)

Thursday’s Nicolas Cage movie is Werner Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans from 2009.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART  (LA):

Friday night’s midnight movie is WilliamFriedkin’s Cruising (1980), starring Al Pacino.

STREAMING AND CABLE

This week on Netflix, we get Brett (The Hero, Hearts Beat Loud) Haley’s romantic drama All the Bright Places, starring Elle Fanning and Justice Smith, on Friday, as well as the first season of I’m Not Okay with This, a new series from the Stranger Things team, starring Sophia Lillis from It, and the South African spy thriller series Queen Sono, as well as the second season of Altered Carbon with Anthony Mackie.

Next week, it’s March, and the latest Disney-Pixar movie Onward takes on Ben Affleck in Warner Bros’ sports drama The Way Back. I’m not sure if I’ll be given a chance to see either.

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or send me a note on Twitter. I love hearing from readers!

[easytravelpw-blog]

Full text write on https://easy-travel.pw/john-hall-s-alaska-grand-slam-land-tour-trip-diary/magazine/

John Hall's Alaska Grand Slam Land Tour Trip Diary

01 of 08

Day 1 – Travel Day

Old Line Photography

I took a land tour of Anchorage, Prince William Sound, Valdez, Fairbanks, Denali Nationals Park and Preserve and Talkeetna with John Hall’s Alaska. Here is my trip diary.

Traveling from the eastern US to Alaska takes the better part of a day. I woke up at 4:00 a. m. and was at the airport before 5:30 a. m. I have never been so glad to have TSA PreCheck in my life. The security screening line was extremely long, but the PreCheck line had fewer than 10 people in it – lucky me! I had plenty of time to get to my gate.

My flight connected through Denver, which is a nice airport with plenty of dining options and lots of places to charge electronic devices.  John Hall’s Alaska’s travel documents mentioned the limited space for carry-on bags on the tour bus, so my Eagle Creek zip-top tote bag seemed like a good carry-on bag option for this trip. Most of the people on my flight had wheeled suitcases or duffel bags and the overhead bin space filled very quickly. My carry-on fit under the seat in front of me. I chose a window seat so I could take photos as we flew over British Columbia and Alaska, and it was nice to be able to reach my book, e-reader and other items without disturbing the other passengers in my row.

When I arrived at the airport in Anchorage, it was easy to find Tara, the John Hall’s Alaska representative assigned to greet incoming flights. My bag arrived quickly, and Tara and I headed off to find the other tour participants who would be riding to the hotel with us. It took only a few minutes to locate them and head out to the curb, where the Crowne Plaza Midtown shuttle picked us up and whisked us to the hotel.

The Crowne Plaza Midtown is on the main road between the airport and downtown Anchorage. John Hall’s Alaska arranged for a shuttle driver to be available at specific times so that any arriving tour participants who wanted to go downtown could do so. I was tired from all of my travels – I was not yet over jet lag from my trip the previous week to the West Coast – so I decided to unpack and deal with some work-related emails rather than go into Anchorage.

John Hall’s Alaska gave all the tour participants vouchers for dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. We could order any meal on the menu, from a sandwich to rib eye steak. My salmon was tasty and I had more than enough to eat.

After dinner, I headed back to my room to relax and get a good night’s sleep.

Continue to 2 of 8 below.

02 of 08

Day 2 – Alaska Railroad, Meares Glacier, Prince William Sound, Valdez

Old Line Photography

Today was a fun but long day. We had breakfast at 7:00 at the hotel. Offerings included scrambled eggs, omelets cooked to order, bacon, sausage, fruit, pastries, yogurt, oatmeal, potatoes and salmon.  We traveled to the Alaska Railroad train depot by motorcoach.  The depot was jammed because people were waiting to board special trains that were running from Anchorage to the state fair. Our train, the Glacier Express, ran from Anchorage south to Whittier. After the state fair train left the station, our train arrived and we boarded.

Our two-hour train ride took us through some very beautiful areas, particularly the Turnagain Arm.  The Seward Highway runs parallel to the train route, and we could see many RVs, trailers and campers on the highway as we traveled. We saw glaciers and amazingly beautiful mountains. Although this trip took place in late August, some of the trees had already turned yellow.

When we arrived at the train station in Whittier, we walked across the street to the Inn, where we had a nice lunch. I had salmon with asparagus and lemon sorbet for dessert. Sadly, after lunch, one of the ladies I ate with fell and fractured her pelvis. John Hall’s Alaska sent a driver to take her to the hospital in Anchorage. One of her friends stayed with her for a couple of days, and then rejoined the tour.

After lunch we took a seven-hour boat trip from Whittier to Valdez via the Meares Glacier. It was a beautiful trip, with the highlight being the 20 minutes or so we spent at the glacier. Glaciers make sounds! They crack and pop even when ice falls aren’t happening. We saw a couple of large ice falls (talk about noise!) and a couple of smaller ones. Our boat got about ¼ mile from the glacier – way closer than my Holland America Line cruise ship could do in Glacier Bay five years ago. Even with the wind and engine noise, it was easy to hear the glacier’s sounds.

We saw sea otters, kittiwakes, two types of puffins, harbor seals, sea lions, and one humpback whale that wanted very little to do with us. I enjoyed watching an otter clutch a giant salmon while seagulls flew toward this tasty meal. The otter would watch the proceedings, then suddenly dive underwater to trick the gulls.

We had dinner on the boat – halibut, steamed vegetables, rice, a roll and oreos.

We arrived in Valdez about 9:00 and were told that we had to have our suitcases outside our room doors and be downstairs at 6:00 a. m. the next morning. After a long day of travel, this was not welcome news. Best Western Valdez Harbor Inn is clean and comfortable, but it does not have air conditioning or elevators.

Continue to 3 of 8 below.

03 of 08

Day 3 – Valdez to Fairbanks

Old Line Photography

We all made it downstairs by 6:00 a. m., and Tour Director Bill led us across the street to The Fat Mermaid, a restaurant and bar that looked like something straight out of Northern Exposure. Breakfast included scrambled eggs, eggs and omelets made to order, bacon, sausage, fruit, French toast pecan casserole, toast, English muffins and juice. We watched the sun create a glow behind the mountains as we boarded the coach and headed out of Valdez.

Our drive today was very long; we arrived in Fairbanks at about 6:30 p. m. We had several adventures along the way. We stopped twice in Keystone Canyon to photograph waterfalls. I really enjoyed the scenery in the Thompson Pass.  At the Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve Visitor Center, we discovered that a rock had struck our coach’s radiator and caused a leak. Tour Director Bill called John Hall’s Alaska’s office right away, and together they came up with a plan to get us safely to Fairbanks.  While at the Visitor Center, I walked the half-mile loop trail, which is advertised as wheelchair-accessible. It’s definitely flat, but there are tree roots and forest debris in the way, so it would be good to have someone else along if you plan to explore this trail via wheelchair.

After our 45-minute stop, we hit the road. At the first gas station we saw, Bill bought a large quantity of Stop Leak and poured it into the radiator. He checked fluid levels a couple of times along the Richardson Highway, but the Stop Leak did its job and we had no further issues. John Hall’s Alaska sent another motorcoach to Fairbanks for our group to use.

We ate lunch at Gakona Lodge’s Carriage House Restaurant. Gakona Lodge was built in the early 1900s and is currently Alaska’s oldest operating roadhouse.  The Carriage House used to be a carriage repair shop, back in the days when people used horses and buggies to get from place to place in Alaska. Its log walls, quirky antiques and tasty food made our lunch experience feel very Alaskan. It was fun to see my traveling companions run around taking photos like a bunch of travel writers.

After we resumed our day-long drive to Fairbanks, we stopped a couple of times to view the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which appears to be an engineering marvel that has been built to withstand huge earthquakes. I say “appears” because the pipeline’s innovations are relatively untested. Our group was immensely interested in the pipeline and nearly everyone got off the bus to take photos at each of our pipeline stops.

We stopped at Delta Junction to stretch our legs and take photos of the mile marker at the end of the Alaska (Alcan) Highway. By this time it was later in the afternoon and all of us were quite tired of being on the coach, but we still had two hours to go. Bill did his best to tell us about life in Fairbanks, his childhood, Fairbanks winters and anything else he could think of to pass the time, but in the end it was still an 11.5 hour day on a motorcoach.

The Bear Lodge in Fairbanks is very nice and is home to a wonderful museum filled with pristine vintage cars and equally well-preserved ladies’ and childrens’ clothing from the late 1890s through the 1940s. The collection is immaculately preserved and contains many rare vehicles. It’s well worth a stop or even a detour through Fairbanks. We ate dinner at our hotel. Portions were huge, service was beyond friendly and I felt inspired to go on as many hikes as possible in order to burn off some calories.

We were able to request a Northern Lights wake-up call – apparently this is a normal hotel service in Alaska.

Continue to 4 of 8 below.

04 of 08

Day 4 – Fairbanks

Old Line Photography

I got the Northern Lights call at 2:45 a. m., threw on some clothes and walked outside as quickly as I could. I knew the lights would be less than spectacular. Our Tour Director had told us about a website that predicts the intensity of the Northern Lights in Alaska, and last night’s prediction was for intensity level 2, with 10 being maximum intensity. Still, I saw them! They were hard to see because of all the lights around the Bear Lodge, so I could not take photos, but I will try again tonight.

It took me a while to fall asleep after viewing the Lights, so I was a bit groggy when my alarm went off. Still, I had plenty of time to get dressed and have breakfast. It was served buffet-style in the hotel restaurant and included eggs, French toast, potatoes, bacon, sausage, fruit, pastries. Next, we took a steamboat tour of the Chena River on the sternwheeler Discovery III. Along the way, we watched a float plane take off and land and saw a sled dog musher take her team for a training run. We also watched a Native Alaskan fish camp demonstration. The river cruise narrator interviewed the pilot, dog musher and fish preparer, using television cameras and microphones, so we could see and hear each demonstration clearly wherever we were on the boat.

The Discovery III tied up at the Chena Indian Village, where we spent an agreeable hour touring three different sites with college-age Native Alaskans who told us about Athabascan life before and after Anglo explorers and trappers arrived in Alaska. We had free time to walk around and ask questions. Laura Allaway, the dog musher we had watched earlier, was also there with some of her dogs.

At the conclusion of our trip, we went by motorcoach to Trail Breaker Kennel, where Laura Allaway gave us a tour and told us how she came to Alaska and competed in the 2015 Iditarod. We learned about the dogs’ training program and about the Alaskan Husky dogs. After a buffet lunch, we were allowed to hold Trail Breaker Kennel’ newest pups, Phelps, Ledecky, Simone, Farah, Bolt and Felix. The puppies were adorable, of course!

After our Tour Director tore us away from the pups, he took us on a quick drive through downtown Fairbanks so we could see the downtown area. We had the option to spend a couple of hours there before dinner, but we were all so tired that we chose to go back to the hotel. I spent some time packing for our Denali stop. John Hall’s Alaska gave all of us tour participants a small red duffel bag at the start of the trip for use at the Denali Backcountry Lodge. I needed to make sure everything I really and truly needed would fit, and it did.

We regrouped at 5:00 and headed to the Alaskan Salmon Bake at Pioneer Park. This meal is an all-you-can-eat affair featuring salmon, prime rib, beer battered cod and “crab clusters,” which are Alaskan king crab legs. Sides included green, pasta and potato salads, baked beans, rolls and butter. Four kinds of cake were served for dessert. Needless to say, no one left hungry! Although many tourists come to the Salmon Bake, there were several local families waiting to pay for their meals as we left the restaurant.

We walked to the Palace Saloon and Theater in Pioneer Park to see the early performance of the Golden Heart Review, a lighthearted look at Fairbanks’ history through the eyes of its early pioneers. We were back at the Bear Lodge by 8:00.

Continue to 5 of 8 below.

05 of 08

Day 5 – Fairbanks to Kantishna and Denali National Park

Old Line Photography

We left Bear Lodge at 7:30 a. m. after a breakfast that was identical to yesterday’s buffet. We drove south to the entrance of Denali National Park and had some free time at the Visitor Center before and after lunch. We ate lunch at the Morino Grill; we ordered off the regular menu, which included burgers, sandwiches, soups, panini and salads.

After lunch, we boarded the Denali Backcountry Lodge bus, carrying our red duffel bags and our purses, camera bags and other small carry-on items. The bus strongly resembled a school bus. It had no air conditioning, but the windows worked and there was a bit more seat room than a typical school bus. Our trip to the Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna took about six and a half hours, much of it at 20 miles per hour on a packed gravel road. The scenery was beautiful, and we had a clear weather day – this is somewhat unusual, apparently – which gave us spectacular views of Denali. We also saw five grizzly bears, one caribou, four swans and a couple of Dall sheep along the way. Our driver told us about the park’s history and wildlife during the drive and pulled over each time we saw an animal so we could take photographs. He also made four scheduled stops for snacks, restroom breaks and photography. Although the drive was very long and the road was a bit scary at times (there are no guardrails), our driver and Tour Director did their best to help pass the time and teach us about Denali National Park.

The mountain (in Denali National Park, there is only one mountain worth mentioning) was beyond amazing. 20,320 feet high, covered in ice and snow, Denali looms above all the other peaks in the Alaska Range. We knew we were fortunate to have such perfect weather for our drive, and we took plenty of photos, just in case the weather on our return drive turned out to be less than stellar.

Upon arrival at the Denali Backcountry Lodge, we received our room assignments. My room, which smelled delightfully of cedar and redwood,  had a small table and two chairs by the window, which looked out on the river. The room also had a futon. The heater worked well, I discovered. We ate dinner in the main lodge; we had a choice of ribs (this turned out to be one large pork rib per person), baked cod or stuffed Portobello mushrooms, served with mashed potatoes, rolls and butter, kale Caesar salad and a mélange of broccoli, carrots and golden beets. We had bread pudding, served cold with rhubarb sauce, for dessert.

We spent some time choosing hikes and other activities for tomorrow and plotting yet another expedition to view the Northern Lights. Then it was time for sleep; 1:15 a. m. (peak Northern Lights time) was just around the corner.

Continue to 6 of 8 below.

06 of 08

Day 6 – “Free Day” at Denali Backcountry Lodge

Old Line Photography

The 1:15 a. m. Northern Lights viewing was a bust, but we did have spectacular views of the Milky Way and constellations. Apparently the Northern Lights did not appear until about 2:30 a. m., according to the lodge staff.

Breakfast was served buffet style in the Main Lodge. Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, oatmeal, fruit, coffee and orange juice were on the menu. After breakfast I went on a guided hike to Blueberry Hill. This hike was rated “casual” and it was a fairly easy hike on an improved trail. Our guide did a great job telling us about native plants and their medicinal and nutritional uses. Once again we had sunny weather, which meant Denali and the Alaska Range appeared in practically every photo I took. We saw a caribou grazing on the hillside, and the caribou not only was not afraid of us, he started approaching our group. Park rules required us to move away from the caribou so he could graze in peace, but we really enjoyed viewing him as he munched on lichens. We picked wild blueberries on Blueberry Hill and took plenty of photos of Wonder Lake and Denali.

We made it back to the lodge as lunch service began. Lunch consisted of two soups, chicken and wild rice and vegetarian lentil, as well as sandwiches, turkey wraps, salad and two dessert choices. The food was plentiful and tasty.

After lunch, we had a gold panning session with our Tour Director. Bill made swishing the dirt and water around in the pan look easy, but it was clear early on that gold panning is an acquired skill. Everyone had fun, though, and the lodge staff laminated the gold flakes our “prospectors” found onto little souvenir cards to take home, which was a nice touch.

At 2:30 a group of us met our guide for the afternoon historical walk. Our destination was Fannie Quigley’s cabin. Fannie Quigley was legendary in Kantishna, a mining town in what is now Denali National Park, even during her lifetime. She was married to a miner, and when he left her, she stayed on, hunting her own food, looking after herself and providing hospitality to any folks who wandered through the former boomtown. Today the National Park Service and two of the lodges in Denali National Park offer tours to Fannie’s cabin, which stands as a symbol not only of Kantishna’s gold rush days but also as a memorial to a self-reliant woman.

We had some free time after our hike. I used it read a book next to the river. The Lodge offered a social hour at 5:00; the staff put out an appetizer tray in the bar area for guests, and we could sit inside or out on the deck to enjoy some treats and socialize. Dinner was served at 6:00. We had a choice of either Cornish game hens or beef tips; both were served with a spring mix salad, tiny potatoes and mixed vegetables. Our chocolate mousse dessert was a sweet treat.

The Lodge offers evening programs; tonight’s was on mammals of Denali National Park. Our tour group planned to cap the evening with a hot chocolate social, but with a 6:00 a. m. departure looming, I opted to go back to my room, pack and turn in early.

Continue to 7 of 8 below.

07 of 08

Day 7 – Talkeetna

Old Line Photography

We were up before dawn, ready to take the bus back through the park to the Alaska Railroad’s Denali station, which is a short walk from the Park’s Visitor Center. The drive was very enjoyable, if dusty, because we stopped to take photos of Denali at sunrise from Wonder Lake and a couple of other vantage points. You know it’s a great shot when your bus driver takes a photo, too.

Our four-hour train trip from Denali to Talkeetna was great fun. We had Goldstar Service tickets, which included lunch and two beverages. It was fun to eat in the dining car. A very well-spoken young lady narrated our tour, pointing out historic sites and telling us about life in the Alaska backcountry. We found out that she is a high school student who works for the Alaska Railroad during the summer. Many students compete for the Alaska Railroad jobs, and it’s easy to see why. It would be fun to talk about your home state and see such gorgeous scenery every day.

We traveled to Talkeetna, a town on the other side of the Alaska Range. Because it was on the “easy” climbing side of Denali and had a train station, Talkeetna became the home base for people who want to summit Denali. Today, anyone who wishes to climb the mountain must pre-register and, if approved go to an orientation session at the ranger station in Talkeetna before beginning an expedition to Denali.

Talkeetna is packed with souvenir shops, restaurants and adventure outfitters. Whether you want to take a flightseeing expedition to Denali or rent a kayak, Talkeetna is an excellent place to begin your journey. Our hotel, the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, offered spectacular views of Denali and the Alaska Range. The Lodge, with its enormous windows, patio that was perfect for mountain viewing, and large dining room, reminded me of some of the Alpine hotels I have stayed in. I found myself constantly looking at Denali, no matter where I was in the Lodge.

We ate dinner in the hotel’s Foraker Restaurant. I ordered the pan-seared halibut, which came with potatoes and braised leeks. It was delicious. Others in our group tried some of the appetizers and salads. The beet salad and KFC (Korean fried cauliflower – spicy!) got rave reviews.

After dinner, I watched the sun set behind the mountains. It was so beautiful I could hardly bear to go inside. Eventually I did, and spent some time packing for my flight home the next day. Of course, I asked for a Northern Lights wake-up call.

Continue to 8 of 8 below.

08 of 08

Day 8 – Anchorage

Old Line Photoography

I saw the Northern Lights again, and, as before, they were too dim to photograph. My bucket list is very short, but seeing the Northern Lights was the first item on the list, so I was very happy to see the Lights again.

My last breakfast in Alaska included scrambled eggs, bacon and potatoes. Several other items were available, including fruit, oatmeal and pastries. We had some difficulty tracking down our waiter, but he explained that in Alaska, late August is the end of the tourist season and staff rosters begin to shrink, leaving fewer waiters to take care of guests.

After breakfast, we drove to downtown Anchorage. Tour Director Bill drove us around the downtown area so we could get our bearings, as we would be spending the morning on our own. We parked near the Anchorage Museum, which was a great place to begin our exploration of the city. This museum tells the story of Anchorage through art, cultural artifacts, stories and hands-on science. The highlight of my visit was visiting the Alaska Native Cultures exhibit, which contains not only hundreds of artifacts from Alaska Native cultures but also recordings of oral histories. Viewing the artifacts while listening to these stories helped me learn about Alaska Native life.

I left the museum and walked around Anchorage on my own. I spotted a couple of murals, and realized that Anchorage’s murals are worth seeking out. I found an Iditarod mural, a moose mural, a whale mural and a public art project created by local youth under the direction of the Anchorage Artists Co-op. Bill later told me that there are other murals in Anchorage; next time I visit, I will look for them. Anchorage has plenty of souvenir shops, and I bought a couple of small items to bring home.

We had lunch at Simon & Seafort’s Saloon & Grill. This restaurant specializes in steak and seafood. We ordered off a limited menu that included sandwiches, salads and fish and chips. Portions were quite large, and my open-faced crab sandwich was excellent.

After lunch, I said goodbye to my fellow travelers. They were continuing to Seward for the cruise portion of their John Hall’s Alaska Grand Slam Tour, but my journey ended in Anchorage. I’m sure they had a fantastic time. John Hall’s Alaska’s Cruise Manager was waiting to greet them and look after the group for the next seven days. Tara, who greeted me on my first day, took me to the airport. My flight was delayed, which forced me to change my connecting flight, but I got home with little difficulty. Of course, I left a part of my heart in Alaska.

John Hall’s Alaska’s impressive attention to detail made this trip as close to perfect as a tour can be. Bill was an excellent Alaska ambassador, tour director, bus driver and problem solver. Our hotels and meals exceeded my expectations, and each day brought a new adventure and expanded my horizons. My fellow travelers also enjoyed their Alaska adventure and were quick to sing the praises of John Hall’s Alaska to anyone who asked about our name tags, John Hall’s Alaska windbreakers or anything else. There’s no higher recommendation than praise from a happy traveler.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary tour for the purpose of reviewing those services. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our Ethics Policy.

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John Hall's Alaska Grand Slam Land Tour Trip Diary

New Post has been published on https://www.usatelegraph.com/2018/john-halls-alaska-grand-slam-land-tour-trip-diary/

John Hall's Alaska Grand Slam Land Tour Trip Diary

I took a land tour of Anchorage, Prince William Sound, Valdez, Fairbanks, Denali Nationals Park and Preserve and Talkeetna with John Hall’s Alaska. Here is my trip diary.

Traveling from the eastern US to Alaska takes the better part of a day. I woke up at 4:00 a. m. and was at the airport before 5:30 a. m. I have never been so glad to have TSA PreCheck in my life. The security screening line was extremely long, but the PreCheck line had fewer than 10 people in it – lucky me! I had plenty of time to get to my gate.

My flight connected through Denver, which is a nice airport with plenty of dining options and lots of places to charge electronic devices.  John Hall’s Alaska’s travel documents mentioned the limited space for carry-on bags on the tour bus, so my Eagle Creek zip-top tote bag seemed like a good carry-on bag option for this trip. Most of the people on my flight had wheeled suitcases or duffel bags and the overhead bin space filled very quickly. My carry-on fit under the seat in front of me. I chose a window seat so I could take photos as we flew over British Columbia and Alaska, and it was nice to be able to reach my book, e-reader and other items without disturbing the other passengers in my row.

When I arrived at the airport in Anchorage, it was easy to find Tara, the John Hall’s Alaska representative assigned to greet incoming flights. My bag arrived quickly, and Tara and I headed off to find the other tour participants who would be riding to the hotel with us. It took only a few minutes to locate them and head out to the curb, where the Crowne Plaza Midtown shuttle picked us up and whisked us to the hotel.

The Crowne Plaza Midtown is on the main road between the airport and downtown Anchorage. John Hall’s Alaska arranged for a shuttle driver to be available at specific times so that any arriving tour participants who wanted to go downtown could do so. I was tired from all of my travels – I was not yet over jet lag from my trip the previous week to the West Coast – so I decided to unpack and deal with some work-related emails rather than go into Anchorage.

John Hall’s Alaska gave all the tour participants vouchers for dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. We could order any meal on the menu, from a sandwich to rib eye steak. My salmon was tasty and I had more than enough to eat.

After dinner, I headed back to my room to relax and get a good night’s sleep.

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Day 2 – Alaska Railroad, Meares Glacier, Prince William Sound, Valdez

Today was a fun but long day. We had breakfast at 7:00 at the hotel. Offerings included scrambled eggs, omelets cooked to order, bacon, sausage, fruit, pastries, yogurt, oatmeal, potatoes and salmon.  We traveled to the Alaska Railroad train depot by motorcoach.  The depot was jammed because people were waiting to board special trains that were running from Anchorage to the state fair. Our train, the Glacier Express, ran from Anchorage south to Whittier. After the state fair train left the station, our train arrived and we boarded.

Our two-hour train ride took us through some very beautiful areas, particularly the Turnagain Arm.  The Seward Highway runs parallel to the train route, and we could see many RVs, trailers and campers on the highway as we traveled. We saw glaciers and amazingly beautiful mountains. Although this trip took place in late August, some of the trees had already turned yellow.

When we arrived at the train station in Whittier, we walked across the street to the Inn, where we had a nice lunch. I had salmon with asparagus and lemon sorbet for dessert. Sadly, after lunch, one of the ladies I ate with fell and fractured her pelvis. John Hall’s Alaska sent a driver to take her to the hospital in Anchorage. One of her friends stayed with her for a couple of days, and then rejoined the tour.

After lunch we took a seven-hour boat trip from Whittier to Valdez via the Meares Glacier. It was a beautiful trip, with the highlight being the 20 minutes or so we spent at the glacier. Glaciers make sounds! They crack and pop even when ice falls aren’t happening. We saw a couple of large ice falls (talk about noise!) and a couple of smaller ones. Our boat got about ¼ mile from the glacier – way closer than my Holland America Line cruise ship could do in Glacier Bay five years ago. Even with the wind and engine noise, it was easy to hear the glacier’s sounds.

We saw sea otters, kittiwakes, two types of puffins, harbor seals, sea lions, and one humpback whale that wanted very little to do with us. I enjoyed watching an otter clutch a giant salmon while seagulls flew toward this tasty meal. The otter would watch the proceedings, then suddenly dive underwater to trick the gulls.

We had dinner on the boat – halibut, steamed vegetables, rice, a roll and oreos.

We arrived in Valdez about 9:00 and were told that we had to have our suitcases outside our room doors and be downstairs at 6:00 a. m. the next morning. After a long day of travel, this was not welcome news. Best Western Valdez Harbor Inn is clean and comfortable, but it does not have air conditioning or elevators.

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Day 3 – Valdez to Fairbanks

We all made it downstairs by 6:00 a. m., and Tour Director Bill led us across the street to The Fat Mermaid, a restaurant and bar that looked like something straight out of Northern Exposure. Breakfast included scrambled eggs, eggs and omelets made to order, bacon, sausage, fruit, French toast pecan casserole, toast, English muffins and juice. We watched the sun create a glow behind the mountains as we boarded the coach and headed out of Valdez.

Our drive today was very long; we arrived in Fairbanks at about 6:30 p. m. We had several adventures along the way. We stopped twice in Keystone Canyon to photograph waterfalls. I really enjoyed the scenery in the Thompson Pass.  At the Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve Visitor Center, we discovered that a rock had struck our coach’s radiator and caused a leak. Tour Director Bill called John Hall’s Alaska’s office right away, and together they came up with a plan to get us safely to Fairbanks.  While at the Visitor Center, I walked the half-mile loop trail, which is advertised as wheelchair-accessible. It’s definitely flat, but there are tree roots and forest debris in the way, so it would be good to have someone else along if you plan to explore this trail via wheelchair.

After our 45-minute stop, we hit the road. At the first gas station we saw, Bill bought a large quantity of Stop Leak and poured it into the radiator. He checked fluid levels a couple of times along the Richardson Highway, but the Stop Leak did its job and we had no further issues. John Hall’s Alaska sent another motorcoach to Fairbanks for our group to use.

We ate lunch at Gakona Lodge’s Carriage House Restaurant. Gakona Lodge was built in the early 1900s and is currently Alaska’s oldest operating roadhouse.  The Carriage House used to be a carriage repair shop, back in the days when people used horses and buggies to get from place to place in Alaska. Its log walls, quirky antiques and tasty food made our lunch experience feel very Alaskan. It was fun to see my traveling companions run around taking photos like a bunch of travel writers.

After we resumed our day-long drive to Fairbanks, we stopped a couple of times to view the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which appears to be an engineering marvel that has been built to withstand huge earthquakes. I say “appears” because the pipeline’s innovations are relatively untested. Our group was immensely interested in the pipeline and nearly everyone got off the bus to take photos at each of our pipeline stops.

We stopped at Delta Junction to stretch our legs and take photos of the mile marker at the end of the Alaska (Alcan) Highway. By this time it was later in the afternoon and all of us were quite tired of being on the coach, but we still had two hours to go. Bill did his best to tell us about life in Fairbanks, his childhood, Fairbanks winters and anything else he could think of to pass the time, but in the end it was still an 11.5 hour day on a motorcoach.

The Bear Lodge in Fairbanks is very nice and is home to a wonderful museum filled with pristine vintage cars and equally well-preserved ladies’ and childrens’ clothing from the late 1890s through the 1940s. The collection is immaculately preserved and contains many rare vehicles. It’s well worth a stop or even a detour through Fairbanks. We ate dinner at our hotel. Portions were huge, service was beyond friendly and I felt inspired to go on as many hikes as possible in order to burn off some calories.

We were able to request a Northern Lights wake-up call – apparently this is a normal hotel service in Alaska.

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Day 4 – Fairbanks

I got the Northern Lights call at 2:45 a. m., threw on some clothes and walked outside as quickly as I could. I knew the lights would be less than spectacular. Our Tour Director had told us about a website that predicts the intensity of the Northern Lights in Alaska, and last night’s prediction was for intensity level 2, with 10 being maximum intensity. Still, I saw them! They were hard to see because of all the lights around the Bear Lodge, so I could not take photos, but I will try again tonight.

It took me a while to fall asleep after viewing the Lights, so I was a bit groggy when my alarm went off. Still, I had plenty of time to get dressed and have breakfast. It was served buffet-style in the hotel restaurant and included eggs, French toast, potatoes, bacon, sausage, fruit, pastries. Next, we took a steamboat tour of the Chena River on the sternwheeler Discovery III. Along the way, we watched a float plane take off and land and saw a sled dog musher take her team for a training run. We also watched a Native Alaskan fish camp demonstration. The river cruise narrator interviewed the pilot, dog musher and fish preparer, using television cameras and microphones, so we could see and hear each demonstration clearly wherever we were on the boat.

The Discovery III tied up at the Chena Indian Village, where we spent an agreeable hour touring three different sites with college-age Native Alaskans who told us about Athabascan life before and after Anglo explorers and trappers arrived in Alaska. We had free time to walk around and ask questions. Laura Allaway, the dog musher we had watched earlier, was also there with some of her dogs.

At the conclusion of our trip, we went by motorcoach to Trail Breaker Kennel, where Laura Allaway gave us a tour and told us how she came to Alaska and competed in the 2015 Iditarod. We learned about the dogs’ training program and about the Alaskan Husky dogs. After a buffet lunch, we were allowed to hold Trail Breaker Kennel’ newest pups, Phelps, Ledecky, Simone, Farah, Bolt and Felix. The puppies were adorable, of course!

After our Tour Director tore us away from the pups, he took us on a quick drive through downtown Fairbanks so we could see the downtown area. We had the option to spend a couple of hours there before dinner, but we were all so tired that we chose to go back to the hotel. I spent some time packing for our Denali stop. John Hall’s Alaska gave all of us tour participants a small red duffel bag at the start of the trip for use at the Denali Backcountry Lodge. I needed to make sure everything I really and truly needed would fit, and it did.

We regrouped at 5:00 and headed to the Alaskan Salmon Bake at Pioneer Park. This meal is an all-you-can-eat affair featuring salmon, prime rib, beer battered cod and “crab clusters,” which are Alaskan king crab legs. Sides included green, pasta and potato salads, baked beans, rolls and butter. Four kinds of cake were served for dessert. Needless to say, no one left hungry! Although many tourists come to the Salmon Bake, there were several local families waiting to pay for their meals as we left the restaurant.

We walked to the Palace Saloon and Theater in Pioneer Park to see the early performance of the Golden Heart Review, a lighthearted look at Fairbanks’ history through the eyes of its early pioneers. We were back at the Bear Lodge by 8:00.

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Day 5 – Fairbanks to Kantishna and Denali National Park

•••

We left Bear Lodge at 7:30 a. m. after a breakfast that was identical to yesterday’s buffet. We drove south to the entrance of Denali National Park and had some free time at the Visitor Center before and after lunch. We ate lunch at the Morino Grill; we ordered off the regular menu, which included burgers, sandwiches, soups, panini and salads.

After lunch, we boarded the Denali Backcountry Lodge bus, carrying our red duffel bags and our purses, camera bags and other small carry-on items. The bus strongly resembled a school bus. It had no air conditioning, but the windows worked and there was a bit more seat room than a typical school bus. Our trip to the Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna took about six and a half hours, much of it at 20 miles per hour on a packed gravel road. The scenery was beautiful, and we had a clear weather day – this is somewhat unusual, apparently – which gave us spectacular views of Denali. We also saw five grizzly bears, one caribou, four swans and a couple of Dall sheep along the way. Our driver told us about the park’s history and wildlife during the drive and pulled over each time we saw an animal so we could take photographs. He also made four scheduled stops for snacks, restroom breaks and photography. Although the drive was very long and the road was a bit scary at times (there are no guardrails), our driver and Tour Director did their best to help pass the time and teach us about Denali National Park.

The mountain (in Denali National Park, there is only one mountain worth mentioning) was beyond amazing. 20,320 feet high, covered in ice and snow, Denali looms above all the other peaks in the Alaska Range. We knew we were fortunate to have such perfect weather for our drive, and we took plenty of photos, just in case the weather on our return drive turned out to be less than stellar.

Upon arrival at the Denali Backcountry Lodge, we received our room assignments. My room, which smelled delightfully of cedar and redwood,  had a small table and two chairs by the window, which looked out on the river. The room also had a futon. The heater worked well, I discovered. We ate dinner in the main lodge; we had a choice of ribs (this turned out to be one large pork rib per person), baked cod or stuffed Portobello mushrooms, served with mashed potatoes, rolls and butter, kale Caesar salad and a mélange of broccoli, carrots and golden beets. We had bread pudding, served cold with rhubarb sauce, for dessert.

We spent some time choosing hikes and other activities for tomorrow and plotting yet another expedition to view the Northern Lights. Then it was time for sleep; 1:15 a. m. (peak Northern Lights time) was just around the corner.

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Day 6 – “Free Day” at Denali Backcountry Lodge

The 1:15 a. m. Northern Lights viewing was a bust, but we did have spectacular views of the Milky Way and constellations. Apparently the Northern Lights did not appear until about 2:30 a. m., according to the lodge staff.

Breakfast was served buffet style in the Main Lodge. Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, oatmeal, fruit, coffee and orange juice were on the menu. After breakfast I went on a guided hike to Blueberry Hill. This hike was rated “casual” and it was a fairly easy hike on an improved trail. Our guide did a great job telling us about native plants and their medicinal and nutritional uses. Once again we had sunny weather, which meant Denali and the Alaska Range appeared in practically every photo I took. We saw a caribou grazing on the hillside, and the caribou not only was not afraid of us, he started approaching our group. Park rules required us to move away from the caribou so he could graze in peace, but we really enjoyed viewing him as he munched on lichens. We picked wild blueberries on Blueberry Hill and took plenty of photos of Wonder Lake and Denali.

We made it back to the lodge as lunch service began. Lunch consisted of two soups, chicken and wild rice and vegetarian lentil, as well as sandwiches, turkey wraps, salad and two dessert choices. The food was plentiful and tasty.

After lunch, we had a gold panning session with our Tour Director. Bill made swishing the dirt and water around in the pan look easy, but it was clear early on that gold panning is an acquired skill. Everyone had fun, though, and the lodge staff laminated the gold flakes our “prospectors” found onto little souvenir cards to take home, which was a nice touch.

At 2:30 a group of us met our guide for the afternoon historical walk. Our destination was Fannie Quigley’s cabin. Fannie Quigley was legendary in Kantishna, a mining town in what is now Denali National Park, even during her lifetime. She was married to a miner, and when he left her, she stayed on, hunting her own food, looking after herself and providing hospitality to any folks who wandered through the former boomtown. Today the National Park Service and two of the lodges in Denali National Park offer tours to Fannie’s cabin, which stands as a symbol not only of Kantishna’s gold rush days but also as a memorial to a self-reliant woman.

We had some free time after our hike. I used it read a book next to the river. The Lodge offered a social hour at 5:00; the staff put out an appetizer tray in the bar area for guests, and we could sit inside or out on the deck to enjoy some treats and socialize. Dinner was served at 6:00. We had a choice of either Cornish game hens or beef tips; both were served with a spring mix salad, tiny potatoes and mixed vegetables. Our chocolate mousse dessert was a sweet treat.

The Lodge offers evening programs; tonight’s was on mammals of Denali National Park. Our tour group planned to cap the evening with a hot chocolate social, but with a 6:00 a. m. departure looming, I opted to go back to my room, pack and turn in early.

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Day 7 – Talkeetna

We were up before dawn, ready to take the bus back through the park to the Alaska Railroad’s Denali station, which is a short walk from the Park’s Visitor Center. The drive was very enjoyable, if dusty, because we stopped to take photos of Denali at sunrise from Wonder Lake and a couple of other vantage points. You know it’s a great shot when your bus driver takes a photo, too.

Our four-hour train trip from Denali to Talkeetna was great fun. We had Goldstar Service tickets, which included lunch and two beverages. It was fun to eat in the dining car. A very well-spoken young lady narrated our tour, pointing out historic sites and telling us about life in the Alaska backcountry. We found out that she is a high school student who works for the Alaska Railroad during the summer. Many students compete for the Alaska Railroad jobs, and it’s easy to see why. It would be fun to talk about your home state and see such gorgeous scenery every day.

We traveled to Talkeetna, a town on the other side of the Alaska Range. Because it was on the “easy” climbing side of Denali and had a train station, Talkeetna became the home base for people who want to summit Denali. Today, anyone who wishes to climb the mountain must pre-register and, if approved go to an orientation session at the ranger station in Talkeetna before beginning an expedition to Denali.

Talkeetna is packed with souvenir shops, restaurants and adventure outfitters. Whether you want to take a flightseeing expedition to Denali or rent a kayak, Talkeetna is an excellent place to begin your journey. Our hotel, the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, offered spectacular views of Denali and the Alaska Range. The Lodge, with its enormous windows, patio that was perfect for mountain viewing, and large dining room, reminded me of some of the Alpine hotels I have stayed in. I found myself constantly looking at Denali, no matter where I was in the Lodge.

We ate dinner in the hotel’s Foraker Restaurant. I ordered the pan-seared halibut, which came with potatoes and braised leeks. It was delicious. Others in our group tried some of the appetizers and salads. The beet salad and KFC (Korean fried cauliflower – spicy!) got rave reviews.

After dinner, I watched the sun set behind the mountains. It was so beautiful I could hardly bear to go inside. Eventually I did, and spent some time packing for my flight home the next day. Of course, I asked for a Northern Lights wake-up call.

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Day 8 – Anchorage

I saw the Northern Lights again, and, as before, they were too dim to photograph. My bucket list is very short, but seeing the Northern Lights was the first item on the list, so I was very happy to see the Lights again.

My last breakfast in Alaska included scrambled eggs, bacon and potatoes. Several other items were available, including fruit, oatmeal and pastries. We had some difficulty tracking down our waiter, but he explained that in Alaska, late August is the end of the tourist season and staff rosters begin to shrink, leaving fewer waiters to take care of guests.

After breakfast, we drove to downtown Anchorage. Tour Director Bill drove us around the downtown area so we could get our bearings, as we would be spending the morning on our own. We parked near the Anchorage Museum, which was a great place to begin our exploration of the city. This museum tells the story of Anchorage through art, cultural artifacts, stories and hands-on science. The highlight of my visit was visiting the Alaska Native Cultures exhibit, which contains not only hundreds of artifacts from Alaska Native cultures but also recordings of oral histories. Viewing the artifacts while listening to these stories helped me learn about Alaska Native life.

I left the museum and walked around Anchorage on my own. I spotted a couple of murals, and realized that Anchorage’s murals are worth seeking out. I found an Iditarod mural, a moose mural, a whale mural and a public art project created by local youth under the direction of the Anchorage Artists Co-op. Bill later told me that there are other murals in Anchorage; next time I visit, I will look for them. Anchorage has plenty of souvenir shops, and I bought a couple of small items to bring home.

We had lunch at Simon & Seafort’s Saloon & Grill. This restaurant specializes in steak and seafood. We ordered off a limited menu that included sandwiches, salads and fish and chips. Portions were quite large, and my open-faced crab sandwich was excellent.

After lunch, I said goodbye to my fellow travelers. They were continuing to Seward for the cruise portion of their John Hall’s Alaska Grand Slam Tour, but my journey ended in Anchorage. I’m sure they had a fantastic time. John Hall’s Alaska’s Cruise Manager was waiting to greet them and look after the group for the next seven days. Tara, who greeted me on my first day, took me to the airport. My flight was delayed, which forced me to change my connecting flight, but I got home with little difficulty. Of course, I left a part of my heart in Alaska.

John Hall’s Alaska’s impressive attention to detail made this trip as close to perfect as a tour can be. Bill was an excellent Alaska ambassador, tour director, bus driver and problem solver. Our hotels and meals exceeded my expectations, and each day brought a new adventure and expanded my horizons. My fellow travelers also enjoyed their Alaska adventure and were quick to sing the praises of John Hall’s Alaska to anyone who asked about our name tags, John Hall’s Alaska windbreakers or anything else. There’s no higher recommendation than praise from a happy traveler.