Hunkered Down
There was a little unexpected wrinkle when I checked in at the Sunrise Motel in Cooper Landing... I'd planned to hunker down there for three nights to wait out the rain we were supposed to be getting.
Well, they had a single room for the first night and the third night, but... not for the second. I told them I'd just take a larger, more expensive room on the second night (they had one of those available), because I wanted to stay there with all the necessary things so readily available....
The Sunrise Motel, Café, and Lounge (also a little general store there…)
Prospector John lets tourists try their hand at panning...
Well, Arden (the owner) said, they would just put me up at the cabin (she also owned a couple of those about a mile away that she rents out) for the same prices I would have paid at the motel, and that way I wouldn't have to move yet again for the third night...
I had really wanted to stay near the café and lounge, but… everybody was being so nice and going out of their way to make things good for me… not to mention, it's almost always best to go in the direction fate seems to be leading you... I just couldn’t say anything else but, “Thanks! I’ll take it!”
This ‘cabin’, actually a two story house, is huge, and a very, very nice place! And, way better than a motel room… spacious, clean, and well appointed. The downstairs area has three bedrooms, two baths, kitchen, dining area and great room... 1800 sq. ft.! Nearly the size of my last house!
My part of the structure is all downstairs with a parking space right outside the front door. Arden lives upstairs in her own apartment along with her father during summer, so I've got the entire bottom floor to myself. A family of five (mom, dad, and three teenagers) was here in 'my' space until this morning, and I'm typing this as Sally, the cleaning lady, is getting things ready for me...
The ‘cabin’
Sally told me that just down the road to the dead end, less than a tenth of a mile, is a fabulous lake with awesome views... I rode down there and she was right! I took a couple of pictures.
The lake
Wonderful place, fabulous, exceptionally friendly folks, most scenic locale... WOW! Sometimes I think I could fall into a cesspool and come out smelling like a rose.
One of the many distinct advantages of solo travel and not planning, or at least not over-planning, and not setting rigorous, 'stretch' daily objectives, is the ability to recognize adventure opportunities and take 'the path less traveled'... Naturally, this is much more difficult for a group, and nearly impossible if on a tight schedule.
The chance to meet characters and alter direction immediately... to literally spin on a dime and get some change back... is nearly irresistible for this curious wanderer! Even when I don't always recognize those opportunities at first, fate/destiny often smacks me upside the head anyway and helps me out a bit... I just love my life!!!
When I emerged from the motel room after the first night, I noticed a private 'Greyhound' sized bus parked on the lot... It had musical notes painted on the side and the name of a band, ‘Honky-Tonk Rebel', across the back... Hmmm… passing through or here for a local performance, I wondered…?
‘Honky-Tonk Rebel’ bus
I then returned to the room and uploaded some pictures, edited a story I’d written, and posted all that. The three Ss followed, then breakfast at the café…
I was deliberately dragging my feet, because I knew nothing much was going to happen this day, since I’d be moving from the motel down to the cabin… and doing so whenever Arden or whoever could fit me into their quite busy daily chores to-do list…
I didn’t have to wait long, though, as ‘Bill’, Arden’s father, introduced himself and said he would lead me to the cabin and set me up… Since this was before normal checkout time, the previous guests were still there, so Bill left, and I just hung out and fed the skeeters…
YES! Although nowhere near as bad as I remembered they were on my last visit, being down in the woods (a mile or so down a quite good gravel road) near water seems to have enabled many of these rascals to overcome this season’s weather challenges and to flourish!
Nothing a little bug spray can’t handle, however, and Sally said she thought there was some already here… If not, then I’d definitely be running back to the store! There was a can of ‘Repel’, "Sportsmen Max, 40% Deet", now we're talking!
Well, turns out Mario Carbone, the “Honky-Tonk Man’, is playing tonight at a local restaurant and juke joint, ‘The Kingfisher Inn’... and, Arden said I could ride with her to and from, so I wouldn't have to ride ALI... Could be I’ll get talked into partying some, reckon…?
Sally told me Arden had also invited her to go, so there will be at least three of us; but, who knows, there could be an entire entourage! Sally is a couple of years younger than I and she is widowed… I told her I’d probably want to dance with her tonight, but that I was not very good at that. She just laughed and said not a problem, but… she couldn’t be twirled… Now, where have I heard that before…?
See what I mean! More adventure, and all I had to do was be here and not have to leave right away. On a more 'traditional ride', I'd have ridden on despite the forecast and not even have stopped here, probably spent the night in some solitary room in Anchorage again, and missed all that has followed. Yep, I'm living large and loving life for sure!!! And, adventurizing every chance I get!
DDT
