Yeah

So I realized that my last entry raised a lot of questions. Where to start? Why is my job dangerous, hmm... everyone should follow the link to the Sockeye Cycles web page and check out the Klondike or Train and Bike Tour. I lead both of these tours. The tours are not dangerous to myself but to the unexpected tourist the present many inherent dangers. You don't need much imagination to realize that sending cruise passengers (they are from all different demographics now) down a 15 mile hill, where we lose 3000 feet of elevation might be dangerous. Some of these people haven't been on a bike in 30 years and have never heard of or seen hand brakes. Even after explaining how to brake you see people back peddling to no avail in attempt to stop the bike. After a five minute bike orientation we let these people ride down the hill where to one side there's a 2000 foot cliff and the other side a guard rail that is sharp enough to cut your face off. It's dangerous, I don't know how there are not more accidents. With that said, we take a lot of safety measures to HELP assure that people don't hurt themselves, but damn is all I have to say about that.

So it's dangerous, but so fun. My face is totally sun and wind burned, I'm freezing a lot, but I'm getting paid to be outside, in f-ing Alaska!

Another cool thing about my job, apart from being in Alaska and riding bikes all day is that I work for a really good guy who loves Alaska and nature in general (totaly stoner). Nearly half of my training has been on the history of Skagway, plants, animals, geology, and conservation efforts. He's paying me to take people on biking trips because he believes that if people get out there they will have more of an appreciation for nature and therefore work to preserve it. It's genius, I feel honored to work for this cause. As an employee he expects us to be extremely knowledgeable, almost experts on the area and it's history. He's paying me to ride bikes and to learn about the area. I really feel like this is move in the right direction for me. I love being outside and I love learning. Unlike other jobs that I've had where I've been expected to be an expert in a specific field, this job has actually given me the tools and the time to learn. I am extremely pleased with the job so far.

I will blog soon about Skagway and why it is so awesome. In the meantime, check out my flickr site and look for the tag "skagway" for photos.

PEACE