AK P 28

JOURNAL #24

8 AUGUST 2007 EPILOG

My first concern on this day was whether or not I would be able to recover the MATC web site file in my computer. I fired up both the notebook computer that I had on the trip and my desktop to see what could be done. I called up the web publisher program in both computers and connected to the MATC web site. It was just as I had left it in Anchorage. The web publisher was able to download the web site and create a new file in both computers! Hurrah! I was saved! Not so fast -- when I tried to upload a new page to the web site, I found that nothing would change -- it all remained the same. That is the state of affairs as I write this. I am working with the web site provider and the web publishing software company to find out what the problem is. Hopefully, I’ll be able to discover why and then post these last few pages and their pictures and call finis to the whole thing.

What has been so frustrating to me is the way my computer behaved on this trip. I knew that it was a bit “flakey” when I left for Alaska, but I had no idea that it would let me down so hard. I knew from the Mosher Tour that WiFi was the way to go to get on the Internet and spent considerable time an money to get it installed, only to have the computer “lose” the WiFi driver (and I didn’t have the CD with the driver on it!). To torment me even more, my friend Don Knight, who let me use his computer to look at my email revealed the following:

He didn’t have a notebook computer, so a few weeks before the Alaska Tour he bought a used one on the Internet (it had WiFi included) for less than $200 (less than I paid to install WiFi!). His worked like a champ!

Oh, well!

On 08/15, the Olsons and Smiths accompanied by T.R. Doemland drove to Torrance to pick up the Olson, Baker and Smith cars. The Olson car had suffered some minor damage (broken lens and bulb on a tail light mounted on the rear bumper). We also learned that the Garwoods’ car had received some damage. The full extent, we don’t know.

It is now 08/16/07 and I have finished getting all the Alaska Tour information uploaded to the MATC web site. The temperature outside is 100 degrees -- oh where is that Alaska weather? If that were not enough, we came home to find that the air conditioner has gone on the “fritz.” We hope that it will be repaired by 08/22 and the weatherman predicts a continuing heat wave!