Page 34 - 2018 ALASKA NORTHERN NIGHTS LIGHTS

FRIENDLY, GARRULOUS, & HELPFUL ALASKANS

All the way through our short but totally satisfying trip in Alaska to see
the Northern Lights, we met many Alaskans briefly on several different

occasions. We found them to be invariably helpful, outgoing, and eager

to talk. Cab drivers, waiters, docents, motel staff, people on the streets

were talkative and friendly. When we were walking the treacherous

route to the lunch spot, a young man saw me carefully picking my way
along the icy sidewalk and stopped to say, "Be careful and watch your

step, it's icy. Welcome to Alaska"! I took his friendly warning to heart,

believe me. Cab drivers gave us commentary about the places we were

passing on the way to somewhere else. But the best proof happened to

us at the motel as we were trying to get to the airport!

Robe Ellis was our knight in Shining Armor (not the icy kind) who

worked for Chem-Dry and was at the motel working while we awaited a

cab which was very slow in coming. We were becoming more and

more agitated when the first phone call produced no cab nor did the
second call made by the motel desk clerk. Mr. Ellis saw us standing

around and he approached us to ask where we were from. When he

learned we live in Florida, he smiled broadly and said he visits family

there regularly in Milton, FL, and asked if we knew where that town is.

And of course we answered in the affirmative. We talked on a bit
about the differences between life in Alaska and Florida. He noticed

that we seemed stressed and asked what was going on.

We nervously answered that we were awaiting a cab to take us to the

airport to catch a plane that boarded at 5:00 p.m. We had requested
the cab to arrive at 3:30 but none was in sight, despite two phone calls.

We frantically added that if we missed this first flight of the many flight