Turn the Page

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Jill English Johnston

The first page of this year’s calendar has already fallen away. January behind us, February rushing in. March fast approaching. As I flip through my bullet journal planner (I LOVE my bullet journal), I wonder how quickly will the events to come become events in the past?

That said, after the crazy, joy-filled holidays and hitting the ground running in January, I’ve finally had a few moments—thanks to the ice storm that cancelled everything in Central Texas—to outline what I hope to accomplish over the next few of months.

Hope being the operative word, because what I plan for and what happens are often quite different. Also Hope, because that’s the title of the sixth Be Still book we released on Amazon in November.

As I prepared for the book release (the usual: updating my author website here, ordering books to sell, replenishing my stock of the other five Be Still books, and creating an author poster for the Artisan Faire at Journey Fellowship) I had a startling realization.

I have six books published.

SIX!

To be honest, I never quite took my books as seriously as I should. But, to be fair, the first was a proof of concept. Inspiration showed up, Amazon provided the means, I wondered if I could, so I decided to try. And I did it. Then I did it again. And again. And, well you get the idea. Six books. And this year will mark the seventh and final book of the Be Still series. (Although, I have to admit, the six look nice as an image, don’t you think? Symmetrical. But seven is completion. So seven it will be.) To order, visit me on my Amazon author page here.

Then what? I’m not sure. I have a few ideas. And that reminds me. If you’d like some insider information on the seventh book, what might be next after Be Still, as well as exclusives on my fictional works in project, then hop on over to my author website and sign up for my email newsletter: The Road Less Traveled. You won’t want to miss it.

When I have seven subscribers, I’ll send out the first newsletter. Then I hope (there’s that word again) to release quarterly newsletters. And while I have your attention, if you’ve read any of my other books, I would LOVE some positive book reviews on Amazon here. Your reviews help my books rise to the top of the search output and not be lost in Amazon’s gargantuan virtual warehouse.

If you’re interested in more, like in what I read, you can visit me at Goodreads here (maybe give me a follow and provide another review), and also drop me a comment on Facebook here. Would love to hear from you.

The pages keep turning. Plan wisely. Plan well. Then go. Live wisely. Live well.

grace & peace

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North to Alaska: Post Cruise Trip Day 14/Final Day

Posted on October 20, 2022 by Jill English Johnston

Fairbanks. Austin. Home.

Our trip had come to an end. It was time to head home. Our flight left at noon so we didn’t have to rush. The challenge that face us was fitting all of our Alaskan treasures into our suitcases. But we did it. Then tetrised our luggage into the rental car one last time and headed to the Fairbanks airport.

As we flew over Alaska, a layer of clouds stretched across the state and down into Canada, hiding the landscape below. Good bye Alaska. We’ve had an amazing time and hope to come back. Somewhere over Ts’ilʔos Provincial Park in southwestern Canada, the clouds began to break and we were treated to views below of rugged mountains, glaciers, blue lakes and rivers.

I watched as we flew over the many lovely islands between Vancouver Island and Seattle. I longed to visit and explore. We had an extremely tight layover for our next flight. The pilot asked all the passengers who did not have a flight leaving shortly to please stay seated and allow those that did to exit first. I was skeptical as to how well that would work. To our amazement, the majority of the passengers did as asked. We were able to quickly deplane (I thanked everyone over and over as I made my way to the exit) and get to our next gate minutes before it started to board. A shout out to the passengers on that Alaskan Air flight into Seattle that day.

But would our luggage make it?

Lifting off out of Seattle we were treated to another spectacular sight: Mount Rainier lit by the afternoon sun.

We arrived at the almost empty Austin airport around midnight. Yet one last place that was turning out the lights and locking the doors behind us—or so it seemed. We quickly gathered our luggage (which made it!), shuttled to our vehicle, loaded up, and headed home

We were starving. Our layover hadn’t allowed for a chance to grab dinner. We were back in Texas, so of course—Whataburger. We stopped at the one in San Marcos for to-go orders and made it home about 3 am. We rested on Friday and our traveling companions headed back to Mississippi on Saturday.

Thank you, Cheryl and Sparky, for an amazing adventure into Alaska. Without y’all, we might night have gone. Let’s keep checking those airline fares for another trip. We’ve got to see the Northern Lights and Denali still.

One last bear sighting in the Fairbanks Airport.

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North to Alaska: Post Cruise Trip Day 13

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Jill English Johnston

Healy. North Pole. Fairbanks.

Low clouds hung heavy over the mountains in the cool, morning air as I sat on the balcony. Swans honked and beat their wings as they flew over the calm water of Otto Lake. Wanting to linger still before we headed for Fairbanks, I sat on the end of the pier watching ducks create ripples as they dove under the water for breakfast. More honks filled the air as hundreds of geese (or maybe sandhill cranes) flew over head, making their way south, following the sun. As I would be inclined to do. As many who spend summers in Alaska do.

Our drive to Fairbanks on Parks Highway continued to glow gold—lined with alders, birch, and cottonwood in full color. We couldn’t pass up the picturesque town of Nenana on the south bank of the Tanana River.

And we stopped again when we saw some stunning color around Nanana City Pond.

Since it was only a two hour drive to Fairbanks, we decided to visit a must see place not far from Fairbanks (a stop not scheduled on the post cruise excursion): the North Pole. We visited the Santa Claus House where we saw Santa’s reindeer.

And I got a sneak peek at Santa’s list. Is it the naughty or the nice, I wonder?

And yes, we actually saw Santa and Mrs. Claus. They are a lovely couple. Mrs. Claus took a video of the four of us with Santa saying Merry Christmas to our grand babies. And yes, Santa will send letters to all of them this year.

On our adventure across Alaska, another animal we hoped to see was a moose. Thus far, it has been quite the elusive animal. Mrs. Claus said the best place to look for moose was out Chena Hot Springs Road. We needed to keep an eye out in the marshy areas and ponds, not the moving waters of creeks and rivers. She told us to drive slow, otherwise we’d miss them.

We also hoped (despite the cloud and rain forecast) to see the Northern Lights. Santa said he thought the best/easiest place for seeing them was to take Badger Road to Nordale Road and continue north to the second pull off.

The Santa Claus house was an amazing place to shop. I have to admit, Jon saved us a lot of money by hurrying me out of there so we would have time to moose hunt while there was still daylight. But not before a quick pic with some new frozen friends.

We followed the Claus’ directions, found the pull off Santa told us about (and I put a pin in it on google maps), then headed out Chena Hot Springs Road.

The beautiful, golden drive continued as we went on our wild moose chase.

We slowed down at every lake, pond, and marshy area looking for our elusive moose. We pulled over at all the places we thought would be prime moose hangout. Finally, after about 40 miles and an hour and a half, we decided to turn around. Maybe we’d see a moose on the way back. As we crossed a bridge we spotted a good turn around spot.

And there, in the marshy waters near the bridge, we found her—a cow moose. Our elusive moose.

We, of course, stopped and took a bunch of pictures, even though she was a bit of a distance away. While we were there, about three other cars pulled over when they saw us looking. They were on a wild moose chase, too.

The clouds thickened and some light rain began to fall on our return trip. After a not-so-quick stop at Walmart (which happens to be a great place for souvenirs), we checked into our hotel, the Fairbanks Westmark. We had an great room and for convenience, we ate dinner at their restaurant, the Red Lantern. They had a limited menu or the off season, but we were able to order coconut chicken Florentine soup and our last fried rockfish basket of the trip. 

Despite the clouds and rain, three of us had to at least show up just in case the clouds parted enough to catch sight of the Northern Lights. We followed Santa’s directions, hoping he’d grant us an early Christmas gift. But our persistence did not pay off. At least we can say we tried. Maybe we could catch a flight north in late spring. I’ve read March and April provide the best chance for clear skies to see the heavens light up.

No bears on our last full day in Alaska. But we did catch Jon trying to hide from Santa’s scrutiny. Santa’s sleigh probably wasn’t the best hiding place. I think Santa must have been looking at the naughty list.

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North to Alaska: Post Cruise Trip Day 12

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Jill English Johnston

Healy. Denali.

Our rooms at Denali Lakeview Inn came with a breakfast bar which included a microwave, a small refrigerator stocked with breakfast plates for two days (large blueberry muffin, apples, oranges, hard boiled eggs, grapefruit cups, milk and juices English muffin), a full sized coffee pot, and drawers filled with coffee, teas, hot chocolate, oatmeal, along with plate settings, wine cups, and extra large coffee mugs. It seems the owners/staff have thought of everything.

I took in the view from our balcony that morning, wanting to stay and not rush on to the next thing we had planned. Rather to rest and enjoy being present in the moment. But alas, after our breakfast we were on our way to Denali National Park. And truthfully, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss the beautiful day.

On the way we pulled over next to the Nenana River for some autumn color and a picture of the railroad bridge.

The town outside the Denali National Park entrance with all the gift shops, stores, and restaurants —known as Glitter Gulch—was closed. So no coffee breaks, lunch options or treasure hunts. Unfortunately Jon couldn’t get his Denali sweatshirt because the store inside the park was also closed for the season. The downside of visiting during the off season.

The upside of visiting during the off season: we had driving access 30 miles into the park instead of only 15 during the summer season. And no crowds.

Denali means high and great in the Athabascan language. As I caught glimpses of the souring peaks, I couldn’t help but think, does that not describe our God? Denali. High and great. In any language. The glory of God’s creation was definitely on display in Alaska.

As we drove the 30 miles to the Teklanika rest stop and back, we pulled over many times to take in the views. The many layers of fall colors—reds, golds, yellows, and orange—in the mountain tundra took our breath away.

I suppose with the harsh winter climate in Alaska, it shouldn’t have been surprising to not see a lot of wildlife. I expected it to be more like Yellowstone, with elk, moose, and bison everywhere. But it was not. Just hundreds of square miles of Alaskan wilderness.

Occasionally the clouds would clear enough to get glimpses of blues skies and sunlight on the stunning snow-capped peaks surrounding us. I found peakvisor after we returned home and wished I would have known about it when we were trying to figure out which mountain was which. There are 121 named peaks in the park.

We headed back to Healy and our options were still limited so we ate at 49th State Brewery again. This time I ordered the artichoke crab dip with pita bread. As we ate we overheard discussion that the restaurant would shut down Sunday for the season. The staff would fly out of Fairbanks to wherever and whatever they had planned for the winter. Pretty much the only businesses that would be left open in Healy would be the grocery store and a small diner. It was kind of weird passing through these places as they shut down. I joked to others when we returned home and they asked about our trip, “Alaska was turning out the lights and locking the doors behind us.” My comment was usually met with confused looks or blanks stares. But that’s how it felt.

At the close of the day, we enjoyed a peaceful sunset reflecting on the mountains as we sat on our balcony. It’s hard to determine, but I think it was Dora Peak.

The town of Healy is not a tourist destination but definitely seemed like an excellent place to getaway and unwind. I could have stayed a week—kayaking on the lake, lingering on the balcony, enjoying time around the fire pits, hiking the many trails in surrounding country side. We will have to do that when we visit again.

Yes. We found our bear. A real one. We and about a dozen other vehicles stopped to watch a bear on a distant hill in Denali National Park. She foraged for food in the bushes to fatten up for the long winter ahead. Jon took some great pictures. Check out his bear here.

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North to Alaska: Post Cruise Trip Day 11

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Jill English Johnston

Anchorage. Wasilla. Talkeetna. Healy

We woke to a soggy morning in Anchorage but the clouds lifted enough to see the mountains as we drove to Wasilla on the George Parks Highway. There we met with friends from Mississippi for lunch at Taco Cancun. They had moved to Alaska seven years ago and saw on facebook that we were in Alaska. It was so much fun seeing them again and they are loving living in Alaska. I of course had to try a salmon taco and Jon had a chicken quesadilla. We hugged our goodbyes and left with open invitations to come back to visit and stay with them. Which sounds quite, well, inviting. And the more we explored Alaska, the more we want to take them up on their invitation.

We had a beautiful drive to Talkeetna despite lots of low clouds and rain obscuring the mountains. The autumn colors in Alaska are amazing. The leaves of alders, birch and black cottonwood cast the landscape in golden yellow. And what I think might have been ligonberry (from what I could find on google) lined the roads in rich red.

I found satisfaction in the moments of extraordinary beauty but it was challenging because I knew the grandeur of God’s glory was hidden behind the clouds and rain.

The soggy weather continued in Telkeetna, where we would have stayed had the land excursion had not been cancelled. Even though it was a about a 40 mile round trip detour, we wanted to check it out. I loved the little town, although many places were, of course, closed for the season. From what I understand it provides a great view of Denali, when the peak is not hidden behind clouds.

I texted our friend (the one who made our cruise arrangements). She has a cousin living in Talkeetna and I wanted to know about must sees in our short stop there. She recommended the Conscious Coffee. A most excellent choice. We had mochas, chai lattes and Nutella crepes. Nutella. On crepes. A little taste of heaven and another must-make.

The beautiful drive on Parks Highway continued on up to Healy. We oohed and aahed at the color and the small glimpses we’d get of the Alaskan range. The awesomeness of taking our own excursion rather than one through the cruiseline was that we got to stop (or even turn around) whenever we wanted. Which we did.

At Hurricane Gulch.

And again at the interesting, abandoned Igloo City

We arrived at Denali Lakeview Inn in Healy about eight thirty that evening. If you ever decide to stay there, be sure to keep an eye out for the sign to turn, otherwise, as you drive on, you’ll question your decision of the location.

However, when you find the place, you’ll absolutely love it. Cute rooms with lovely views of (and access to) Otto Lake. We stayed in the Denali Floral room with an adjoining balcony to the Blue Moose room where our traveling companions stayed. When I come back to Alaska, I definitely want to stay there again.

The only place open late for dinner (not that there were many choices in the middle of September) was the 49th Street Brewery. Jon decided to try the Yak-a-dilla (Yes, yak on a flour tortilla with peppers, onions, Monterey Jack cheese, salsa verde, and poblano cilantro Mayo. And of course I had to get their seafood chowder with salmon, halibut, and clams.

As we ate, the pub excitement picked up when an emcee led bingo with prizes such as
their Bavarian handmade pretzel and restaurant gift cards. Our server gave us some bingo cards and played a couple of rounds. Since it was called “drunken bingo” (with rules to encourage drinking) things got a bit louder than what we liked, so we decided to leave before the last round of “blackout” bingo. But I can say, I never thought I’d be playing bingo at a brewery in Alaska. 

We found our bear in Talkeetna.

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