We’ve been blessed to enjoy God’s creation in a trip of a lifetime these past months. We immersed ourselves in astounding, vast, varied, overwhelming vistas with sweeping mountain ranges, endless valleys, streams, waterfalls, and glaciers. We observed wildlife from an almost safe distance—bears, whales, moose, Dall sheep, mountain goats, eagles, and salmon.
C.S. Lewis wrote about writers needing to wander in and wonder at God’s creation, to be in touch with the creative powers of the universe. We are blessed to wonder at the human creation as we wandered around North America. From couples to singles, to football, soccer, and cross-country teams, we are encouraged by the burning fire of goodwill and a ‘be best’ attitude.
Keira manages the Homewood Suites in Lansing, Michigan where we made our first stop. She goes above and beyond to engage guests in conversation and encourage their daily walk. She left in a cloud of euphoria, singing her way to church, significant other by her side.
Susi and Clint befriended us in a Walmart parking lot near Marquette Michigan. We chatted for well over an hour and gifted them a book. Fun to talk with, they put us in high spirits for starting our trek. Following our adventures on google maps, Susi emailed us several times, reflecting about the U.S. and Canada’s geography, as she hails from Great Britain.
We made note of so many positive interactions. But not all. Disclaimer—we forgot to jot down the names of some we met, much to our regret or worse yet—forgot to ask during an exciting exchange. For instance, we went to enjoy the sunset along Michigan’s Presque Isle, and parked next to a couple sitting with their dog and a bottle of wine, on lawn chairs in the bed of their truck. We enjoyed a peaceful hour with the nameless couple, watching ducks forage along the shore, and paddleboarders exploring in the light of the sinking sun.
On we went, across the great plains, toward Glacier National Park, where we met Tommy, and later his wife Danielle. Their adventure included a long train trip to get there, and they set off on a multi-night guided trek into the wilderness. Quite an adventure they planned, and we hope to hear about it via email.
We explored Calgary by bicycle, and one bike had a dragging brake, which can be a real drag. A couple of fellow bicyclers pointed us toward Bowness Bo’s Bicycle shop, where it was immediately taken in and fixed for free. We bought a pair of bike gloves in compensation and later dropped off a book.
As we moved on to Whitehorse, in the Yukon Territory, we were shocked at how crowded the restaurants were in this remote corner of the world. We offered a spot at our outdoor table to Tony and Jan, on an excursion from a cruise, and spent a pleasant couple of hours with our new dinner partners.
Everyone is happy at The Village Bakery in Haines Junction, Alaska. Hundreds of miles from anywhere, the last thing you expect is a line, but this bakery has the best food and coffee you can imagine. As we traveled, hundreds of miles from Haines Junction, people would ask, “Have you stopped at the bakery in Haines Junction?” The workers are mostly young foreigners, on 3 to 4 month working trips. Each one is more pleasant and helpful than the last.
A highlight of our trip was visiting Jessica and Patrick at Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks, Alaska. A former student, Jessica has found her niche there as an Army wife. Patrick serves his country proudly, in spite of injuries received on duty. They are a joy to be around, in their youthful enthusiasm for all good things, especially God’s fur and feather creations. They live in a beautiful neighborhood on the Base, full of like-minded young families. We joined them at the Baptist church, and soon were surrounded by many friendly and welcoming church attendees. The pastor’s message was timely, and would be in any time, about letting go and letting God be the guide.
The Alcan highway was rough on the bicycles mounted in racks on the back of our car, so first order of business in Fairbanks was to find a bicycle repair shop. The bumps loosened the front axle on one of the bikes and it fell out, fortunately the front tire remained secure. Lo and behold, the bike shop we found in had one spare used axle that fit, and at $10 was a steal. The shop workers happily assisted us the minute we walked in, and the best coffee and bagel shop happened to be next door, so we celebrated our blessings there. We enjoyed Fairbanks’ botanical gardens, Pioneer Village, Museum of the North, and the bike trails around the University of Alaska.
Jack and Sandy chatted with us on the 43 mile bus ride into the heart of Denali. Their words took our minds off the grueling return by bicycle we planned. As the friendly bus driver, Barr Bea helped to unload our bikes from the front of the bus, she warned us about the large grizzly nearby. Makes peddling fast easier. We wanted to tip Barr but lacked the resources at the time. She’s not a government employee and as a contractor was allowed to receive gratuities. The next day we made the effort to locate her and give her a book plus monetary compensation for being such a joyful addition to our adventure.
Leaving Denali, we stopped to take a selfie with the entrance sign. Tom and Barb from Sacramento offered to take the photo for us. We talked for well over an hour. They recommended Talon Air on the Kenai Peninsula for a fly-in to salmon fish, observe bears, and fly low over a glacier. After three days of gazing at the clear majesty of Denali, this is about the time we realized every encounter with nature and people was glorious. Their recommendation to call Talon Air fit perfectly with our reservation to stay in Moose Pass on the Kenai Peninsula.
At Talon Air, we were greeted by helpful staff and escorted to a sea plane. The pilot jumped in and simply yelled, “did you figure out the seat belts?” We flew across Cook Inlet to a lake only accessible by plane or boat. Our capable guide Morgan assisted us into a fishing boat and away we went to a stream emptying into the lake. Salmon were gathering to continue their journey to their birthplace. Our boat mate Linda caught a salmon within 30 seconds, but then our luck slowed, so we moved away a bit. We found a sweet spot and caught all we wanted, in short order. We visited a waterfall for photo opportunities and finally returned to the salmon stream. Eureka! We witnessed many mother grizzlies and their twins and triplets of various ages vying for the best fishing spot. The offspring follow their mother’s signals closely. They all were enjoying the salmon feast, and the moms spent quite a bit of time swimming leisurely. Morgan said it was the most bears he had seen at once, in his 17 years of guiding fishing trips. He and his wife are educators in the lower 48, and this is their summer employment. Their 16 year old young cub was also working for Talon Air.
In Haines we met Anita, who tried to out-nice us. She succeeded. We only stayed with her one night in her home, due to scheduling conflicts while we tried to take in Haines, Skagway, and Juneau. In that time, she offered (and we much enjoyed) homemade mushroom vegetable soup, our favorite! She drove us to the ferry port to drop our car, and then to our other lodging. She even checked on our car, while we were away for several days. She offered to take out salmon for our lunch. She met us at the senior center and we enjoyed lunch with her and her friends. She sent us away with dried snow mushrooms, which we turned into a delicious soup promptly on arrival home. We hope she visits us in the future.
We enjoyed a friendly chat with Jim and Cathy from California, at a restaurant in Juneau. They were from one of the many huge cruise ships docked nearby. They emailed with us the remainder of our trip and even offered for us to stop by their home for lunch once we were all back in the lower 48.
So many wonderful encounters will need to be saved for future blogposts, as the blessings flowed daily. A few impactful interactions can’t wait, though.
Near Arcata, California we visited the Avenue of Giants. The tallest trees in the world, our human brains can’t quite take it in. The massive girth and height of these ancient trees, and their ability to stand through all sorts of disasters defies expectations.
The football team from Reedley College also is a gathering of giants—in size, but also in faith, attitude, and personality.
We left the one horrible experience of our entire trip, a really bad night’s stay in a bad hotel. We departed without expressing our feelings or grumbling, we chose to move on, praying better things lay ahead. Spotting a 24-hour breakfast restaurant, we hoped to revive our spirits there. What we stumbled onto defied all expectations. As we pulled up we noticed a tour bus parked outside and wondered if it had unloaded yet. We walked in to check the place out and were greeted by very cheerful waitresses who told us it may be a while for service. We’re fine with that, as long as coffee is available. Delivering the coffee, the staff clued us in on the circumstances. The waitresses mentioned many local regulars had left to seek other places to eat. They were surprised when we said these were the kinds of opportunities we sought. The numerous giant-sized young men we noticed milling around had been there for 16 hours. One of their busses broke down out on the highway, so they were loaded onto one bus and brought to Toni’s. They had to sleep on the floor or on the tables. One of the bus drivers deserted them. They stood in long lines to use the toilet. They were still hours from home, on a holiday weekend. No word of a rescue anytime soon.
To a man, these young athletes were polite and personable, even cheerful. They tossed a football, and allowed a local youngster to join them. They joshed with each other and the customers. They engaged in real conversations, with good eye contact. Our faith in the future of our country instantly recharged, we gave several copies of our Devotions for Brave Knights to the first one we encountered with a huge cross on his chest. He wasn’t the only one sporting his love of Jesus. We overheard a conversation another young man was having with a customer who remarked on their positivity. The young man stated, “God’s got this.” We noticed another with a hoodie proclaiming Psalm 32:1 (look it up). Aren’t we all? At least now they’d have something to read while awaiting their rescue. Reedley College has reason to be proud.
The waitresses managed to stay in good humor, even with the taxing circumstances. A motorcycle group almost missed their scheduled departure for an event, because of the crowd. They didn’t whine or complain, they simply waited until the last possible moment, gulped their breakfast, and took off with friendly waves to the young men spilling into the parking lot.
While gassing up at a Love’s in Wasmutta, Wyoming, one of us suffered a bad fall. Instantly, many attending angels descended to help. The one named Wilma disappeared immediately after. Because of the traumatic experience involving chasing an ambulance 40 miles down the interstate, I forgot the name of the helpful manager, and of a prayer warrior from the southern US who stepped out of a nearby car. If either of you see this and email me, I’ll add your names in! (See Hebrews 1:14 and 13:2)
As we left Denver, we encountered the USAF Academy’s women’s soccer team, who had just suffered a defeat. They were studying for upcoming tests in a meeting room of the hotel, moving on in spite of disappointments. We gave their coach a copy of Above and Beyond: radio silence, a story of another young person taking on responsibility and making the best of it.
At Hillsdale College in Michigan, we visited our great-nephew Grant, who at barely 18 is undertaking rigorous study along with a demanding cross-country training schedule. He is thriving in this environment, as his teammates on both the men’s and women’s team seem to be.
God is good, all the time. And all the time, look for what is good through God. There’s lots of it in our world. braveknightwriters.com
