Today I booked my hotel in Barrow, Alaska for the nights of December 19th, 20th, and the 21st. The woman on the phone sounded like she was from Alabama. When I asked her how Decembers were in Barrow she told me to “dress warm.” That’s literally the only advice she gave me. Not “Barrow has the lowest average temperature in the United States” or “There’s a 67% chance you will be greeted off the plane by the open jaws of a narwhal, just “Dress warm.”
When I booked the trip to Barrow the amount I would be spending there seemed horribly short — about three days — but the more I think about it it’s starting to sound like an eternity. For three days, I will not see the sun rise. When I go to sleep, it will be dark; when I wake up, it will be dark; when I eat lunch, it will be dark; when I have afternoon tea, it will be dark; when I have dinner, it will be dark; and when I go back to the Airport Inn where I’m staying to beat my head against the wall in desperation, it will be dark. It will be very interesting to see what kind of effect this darkness will have on me (though I think I touched on it). I already complain about there not being enough sunlight in Seattle, running to the quad every time there’s a few minutes of sun so I can soak up as much precious vitamin D as possible, so what will happen when this sun ceases to exist altogether? Will I survive?
I’m so excited for this trip to Barrow. I’m so excited to travel. I want to travel as much as possible for the rest of my days. This winter break it’s Barrow, and maybe also Southern California after Christmas and before New Years. Then I want to go somewhere in January, and also February. I’m thinking Vegas, Hawaii, or Nashville. Then for Spring Break I want to get fucking gnarly. I want to road trip through Northern Mexico or go to Mexico City or maybe the Deep South. Then in the summer I want to get even gnarlier. I want to go to Finland and Russia and maybe, like I’ve mentioned before, study French in Quebec. I also for some reason have a strong urge to go the Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, etc.). I think part of me is convinced I’ll meet Ellen Page in Nova Scotia and settle down with her and live a quiet yet extremely happy domesticated life in the far Northeastern reaches of Canada.
But anyway. The point is that I’m excited to travel. I’m excited for Barrow. I’m excited for winter. I’m excited for cold. I’m excited for it all.
This entry was written by , posted on December 9, 2009 at 3:02 am, filed under Alaska and tagged aeromexico, airport inn, Alaska, barrow, canada, el DF, ellen paige, mexico city, seviglius. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.