The BeMWu lives to fight another day

Yep, why leave it in suspense. I was asked to call the Anchorage BMW dealership around 5:30 to get the diagnosis and news. I called right on the dot, but Thomas, the guy in charge, was busy with a customer. I called again at 5:40, and he was still busy, so I left a message and my number. At 5:45 Thomas called. I answered and got the good news. It was indeed a minor thing. A problem with the clutch slave. What an irony. Since it was almost closing time, and there was not time for me to get there, I will be picking it up at 10 am tomorrow, load up and be on my way. Praise God. I have prayed repeatedly today, and I know lots of people have been doing the same. Prayers were answered.

So where am I going tomorrow? It is still to be decided. Later tonight I will be looking at maps, and times, and will try to decide. My initial desire is to make still make it to Anchor point, but I really need to figure this out.

So what happened the rest of the day? I slept in ’til about 9:30. This was a big change from the rest of the trip. I was feeling rather bummed out, and really needed to muster up the desire to actually get out of bed. A sweet message from my daughter, Adelina, was waiting for me on the phone, and that provided a good lift. It also contained the picture you see here, which she snapped during her recent travels through southeast Asia. Indeed, Real Men Do Not Buy Girls.

Later on, messages from Karen G., and Valerie K., give me some pointers on what to try to do while I was here. I decided to try to go to the Anchorage Museum. I inquired at the front desk, regarding directions and buses, and headed out.

The sky was overcast, and the day was cool. I was wearing my motorcycle jacket liner, which, throughout this trip, has proven to be quite the flexible item. It is waterproof, and it is cut well enough that it can pass for a light jacket on its own. I walked to where the bus stop was supposed to be, and eventually I located. I looked at the bus schedules and for the life of me I could not figure out which bus route I needed to take, nor when it would come. So it occurred to me to look this up on my phone map. According to the internet, the museum should be up the street about 2.5 miles away. Certainly walkable. This would provide me with the opportunity to experience Anchorage from the ground, and at a slower pace.

This was a new opportunity for me. I began to understand the stories of victims of human trafficking, who find themselves in countries where they do not know anything about their locations. Street names do not mean a thing, even when you understand the language. Lack of transportation, and lack of knowledge of how public systems work, makes it a daunting challenge to try to get away from something and seek shelter. Today I experienced some of this, in a smaller scale, but I have a new appreciation for what the life of victims of modern day slavery can be like.

Halfway through my walk, my head started feeling cold. The Mohawk is cool in the South, but for the last several days I have discarded the original plan of having a barber retouch it once I got here. I actually had to dive into a hunting goods store to get myself a skull cap. Next to it was a coffee shop, where I went in for a cup of cappuccino, and a bagel with avocado. The area was supposed to be a mall, but it reminded me of what I thought were really fancy [strip] malls in Florida, when I visited from Guatemala in the ’70s. I loved the small town feeling it had.

From there it was back to hitting the pavement, and soon enough I found my way to the museum. Its four levels housed a variety of exhibits, but I must say that my favorite was the one housed on the fourth floor. I was a collection of black and white photographs of Mount McKinley, taken by Bradford Washburn. The collection of mostly aerial photographs of the glaciers and mountains, is just breath taking. The contrast is unique, and the interplay between the hard, straight edges of the rocky peaks, and the undulating, curvy edges of streams and ice fields, produces an amazing, and evocative energy that captures what I have been feeling for so many days. In some cases one can see the diminutive human figures in the landscape, which bring to the foreground the immensity of God’s creation.

I also enjoyed myself in the children’s section of the museum, especially the super slow-mo camera, and the heat spectrum camera.

From the museum I crossed the street to another, more modern, mall, where I managed to track down an adapter that will allow me to charge my phone from the motorycle.

At that point I decided it was time to head back to the motel. I also decided to try taking the bus. This time, I had people at the bus station, who were able to direct me to the proper bus number, and a few minutes later I was comfortably riding back. The rest, you have read at the beginning of this message.

Bottom line for the day, I am immensely thankful for His grace, and for the faithful prayers of family, friends, and, especially, the City of Refuge Church community in Houston, Texas.