7-13-16

The birds were chirping and bright sun was pouring through the slit in the canvas tent on the Jeep roof. I was relieved THAT night was over. Looked at my watch. 4:00 am. After a hot night of poor sleeping we packed up and left for Talkeetna. We decided to stay indoors and found a funky little International Hostel (as opposed to a Youth Hostel) called The House of Seven Trees, and immediately took showers. Visited the museum and examined the ticky tacky for tourists. The view from the river bank was worth the stop, for sure. 

That's Denali there to my right. We went to a local brewery for a flight of beers and set to organizing our stuff for tomorrow's flight home. 

9:00 pm post script on the Hostel situation. 78 degrees outside, even hotter in this upstairs room. Dog barking. Motorcycle. Cars. Loud laughter from hostess. Loud talking with new guests. Phone ringing. People schleping up and down the narrow stairway with backpacks, an open air restaurant under the open side window -chatting, dishes clanging, drinking laughter- , the bunkhouse conversations wafting up into the open back window, and it's 9pm, bright as Noon, and the dog is barking again and the middle of this little town seems like a hot Times Square. Some guy just knocked loudly on my bedroom door. "Oh, sorry, wrong room."

Now I understand why a BOX of earplugs is on the dining room table. 

 I'm trying to be still and quiet to avoid Meltdown #4. 

Pretty much convinced I need a quiet life in nature. 

PPS: it quieted down eventually and so did I. It was a pretty nice place, actually.