Alaska Forever West

Looking down on Seattle Washington enjoying the scattered lights strewn throughout the mountains, I prepare myself. We need to find our shuttle to the hotel, get everyone in bed and get ready for an early flight to Juneau, Alaska in the morning. 

After a little craziness we finally found a shuttle that was nice enough to take us to our hotel.  The shuttle for our hotel decided to not run that night. Wouldn’t have been a big deal, we could have gotten a taxi and been on our way, BUT the giant that had been screaming at me for a month or more was now standing in front of me.  I did not want to spend any money on “extras”, when I booked this particular hotel for the free shuttle to and from the airport. 

We pile out of the van grateful for his kindness taking us to a “sister” hotel to the one he drives for.  We grab our waters at the front desk and quickly find our room.  Bedtime routine was expedited, with only a few hours to sleep and get back to the airport for our flight.  

We planned our Alaska trip to be a day trip.  We thought it would be frozen and not much to see and do in Juneau, Alaska in the earliest parts of January.  So we booked the hotel in SeaTac Airport for two nights, leaving most of our stuff in our room and taking backpacks for the flight to Juneau. We left Seattle in the upper 30’s and got to Juneau in the lower 40’s.  Not what we expected.

We passed through several snow showers and the mountains were covered in snow. Such a beautiful sight to see. But Juneau was completely snow free.

We were greeted by a huge polar bear, in the eerily empty airport.  After getting our tourist photos next to the polar bear, we ventured out the door.  We understood there was a decent bus system in Juneau and that was the primary form of transportation for outsiders. 

We were hungry and wanted to get out of the cold so we walked about ½ to Donna’s Cafe. We landed at 9am and we needed to decree at 2:30pm, so we had time to kill.  We planned to slow play it in Donna’s to make this a brunch, with the hopes of a meal on our flight back.  Again the giant was starting to breathe down my neck.  As we found a seat, Donna’s was everything I envisioned Juneau to be.  Made me feel like I was back home in, small town, Texas. The waitress stopped at the tables visiting with the normals talking about family and friends, seeing how all were doing.

She greeted us and didn’t make much on small talk. She was reserved with the newcomers. Got our food and we took our time eating everything, to fill our bellies full and to stay inside out of the cold wet wind.  After dragging brunch out for an hour and half we bundled up and walked to the bus stop right out front.  We definitely looked like a gypsy family with our bags, my shofar, and us all bundled up.  A few locals joined us at the stop.  To break up the awkwardness, one young lady said, “you’re not from here, are you?” We smiled and told her we’re Texans and we made a wrong turn in Albuquerque.  She laughed but I knew she didn’t get the reference… She told us she was getting ready to move to Texas for nursing school. As Kristi was visiting with her I took notice of her jewelry and a couple tattoos.  She had a few charms and amulets. Wasn’t sure if she had them as “trinkets” unknowingly or was practicing.  

Our bus pulls up and we find our seat near the back.

With this being our first time on public transit, we acclimated ourselves to the procedures of getting off and on, the do’s and don’ts. With a few exceptions, most on the bus had a very heavy look on their faces.  Absurving from the back of the bus I was now putting a few things together that I could feel.

I first felt it, when we boarded the plane then noticed it more while we ate and now on the bus.  The young lady we just met, pulled the rope to indicate she wanted off at the next stop. As she got off she gave us well wishes and safe travels, as she turned to step off, another young lady had gotten on and came up to her to hug her. I noticed that this girl had the same “trinkets” and similar tattoos. She had a similar “feeling” about her.  A sense of control, or that’s the best that I could describe it. I take note and log it away.

Juneau isn’t very big but it is pretty long. The airport is about 20 minutes from the downtown portion via bus, about 9 miles. It is all nestled at the foot of the mountains and hemmed in by the sea.  The primary economy is fishing and some sort of factory work.  There were a few places that were nicely kept, but most looked run down.  This perspective is from a public bus route, so I know that it could be skewed a bit, but we covered most of Juneau and it definitely had a “heaviness” to it.

After looking a few times, I couldn’t figure out what our stop would be to get us near the capitol.  While the bus was stopped I hopped up and asked where we needed to be dropped off, he said he will give me a sign when we need to get off and he will get us close.  He did just that and all five of us filed off.  Close was 5 blocks away and it was all uphill. Very steep hill.  We all got a good workout. 

We had about an hour and a half before we decree so we took our time in the capitol building exploring and touring the exhibits.  It’s interesting to experience the vast differences from one capitol to the next.  Some make you x-ray everything and everyone, others make you put your pocket knife back in the car, some even examine your staff and shofar with scrutiny. Alaska, not so much.  We walked around up and down four floors and got a few simple hello’s and smiles from those working.  

Our exploring didn’t take the full hour and a half so we found a few benches in the upper floors to rest a bit.  It didn’t take long for some tired eyes to close for a few moments. They were tired of hauling their backpacks around.

We head back outside in the drizzle, fog and wind to set up at the Liberty Bell replica.  We decree, and commission The Return of the Spirit of Elijah at 2:30.  We take our photos and hurry to find the bus stop to head back to the airport.  Our flight was at 7pm.  The bus wasn’t coming back around for 45 minutes, so we found a little grocery store to warm up in and hang out as long as we could before we stood waiting in the cold for the bus.  As we walked up the stairs to the store, I noticed several new age and occult symbols hanging on the wall in the portico area of this building.  At this point, in the day, I had seen several other “trinkets” on other buildings and houses.  This seemed to be par for the course here.  

We strolled down the aisle and it was pretty evident that this was an alternative health grocery store that was new age/ occult based. As we meandered around for about 15 minutes I told Krist, we probably need to get something to ease the guy at the cash register's mind, who was watching us.  I expect a few people to give me the side eye as they notice me carrying a shofar, well he was doing just that.  We grab a couple kombuchas and beef jerky sticks.   I have the kiddos place it on the counter to pay out. The cashier is the owner of the store and he said, “You all caught my eye when you walked in and then I noticed that in your hand. What is it?” I explained what it is and what we were doing with it.  He was blown away. He said that he sees people carry things all the time for spiritual reasons, but this caught his eye and he could feel this was different.  He called over a few workers, a guy and girl and asked them if they had ever seen something like this.  The girl shook her head no and the guy said he thinks he had but didn’t know what it was.  He then asked me if it really made a sound.  I told him that it does and this represents the voice of God.  The owner said “blow it, please, I want to hear it, blow it”. Absolutely, I said and blasted the shofar three times. The guy and girl seemed a little uncomfortable but the owner said “ Oh my God, that was awesome, thank you for showing me and doing that”. 

We paid out and asked if we could stay warm in here sitting at one of the tables in the back, he kindly offered us to stay as long as we wanted. So we did.  Watching the clock we enjoyed our drinks and snacks, the Lord said, do you see what just happened?  I pondered for a moment and He said, the owner wanted to hear “my voice”, it caught his eye. The voice of Yah was sounded in the midst of witchcraft and demon dominion! No one is a lost cause, each person wants to hear from God.

I sat in awe of what Yah just did and was carrying out through us.  

We make it back to the bus stop down the mountain, freeze a bit and finally be back on. We plop down in the back of the bus, trying to get comfortable for our 20 - 30 minute ride back.  Again I observe the locals and the surroundings confirming what I had noticed before. About five minutes in our ride we notice Brea, smooth out, face smushed against the window, barely sitting up right about to slump over.  I grab her and get her comfortable up against me.  

I pull the rope for our stop, we hop off and walk the half mile back to the airport.  It’s now about 4ish and starting to get real dark out.  We walked in the airport and it felt like an apocalyptic movie, with no one in there at all.  We find seats with chargers and crash there for a couple hours, a few of us falling asleep. Momma bear stayed awake making sure no caribou or polar bears would take off with us…

Other than the Alaskan TSA having to do a “thorough” search on me, due to their swab picking up “something” on me, we had a very peaceful trip there and back. This would be our last flight on the West Tour.  Now I would have to face the giant tomorrow morning.  Olympia, Seattle, here we come.

Shalom Y’all