Best Day Ever Part 2!

So why did those other people get picked to go on the first dog sled ride?

This is THE MOST IMPORTANT AND EXCITING PART OF THE DAY! We actually had a choice as to who went first. Dan and Amanda decided that we would go on the 2nd dog sled tour so that THEY COULD GET MARRIED ON THE GLACIER FIRST!! That's right - they were getting married right now on the glacier! You can't imagine how excited we were!!

I was surprised - kinda - when Dan and Amanda told me the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend at the Boat House restaurant in Falmouth that they were getting married - and they were thinking of getting married in Alaska! I think at the time they were considering the Arctic Circle, but the driving there can be dicey - the road isn't paved - it's a long trip with monotonous scenery (so I read) - it could be worse if it rained. Anyway, they told me to keep it quiet. So I did - I didn't tell anyone in my family or my close friends. I didn't even tell Johnny Murphy or my other kids. Mairead only found out when Dan and Amanda sent Mairead and myself a spread sheet with the expenses of the trip on it - on page 2 it included the cost of the marriage license. When I saw it, I immediately texted Dan - he figured that Mairead wouldn't even read the spreadsheet. But she did!! I finally had to tell Johnny Murphy the day before I left - I didn't want someone else telling him. Dan told JB and Mike the day JB drove him to the airport!

In between Memorial Day weekend and August 1 when Mairead and I left for Seattle, Dan and Amanda told me that they had decided to get married on the glacier. Dan had contacted the helicopter company who were all in with it. 

When we landed in Anchorage, the first stop was to pick up the marriage license at the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Dan and Amanda went in to get it - but there was one problem - the clerk had lost the application. But it was all straightened out right there - and they came out with the license. 

Remember that Saturday when we went to the Anchorage market? Dan wanted us to pick up a jacket that he had seen online to wear for the wedding - that was our first stop - that shop where we had parked outside - Amanda bought Dan a jacket and a vest - he had been eyeing them for some time apparently - Dan decided on the vest. The wedding dress code for the rest of us was flannel shirts and dungarees! This was so easy - very little stress as far as I could see.

So here we were now on Punchbowl Glacier - this dream was coming true! The staff were asking where Dan and Amanda wanted the ceremony. Dan and Amanda looked around carefully and chose a scenic spot. Mairead was a witness and was assigned to take pictures.  Dan and Amanda had asked Alpine Air Alaska if one of their employees would be a witness - Grayson was the man. Dan and Amanda had told me to apply for a one day Alaskan Marriage Commission license - so I was marrying them. We invited the employees and the other people who were there to join us. 

I had been putting together some remarks for a couple of weeks. I had decided that this magnificent outdoor setting should be the theme of my remarks. Then Dan threw me a curve ball - he said that they were Game of Thrones obsessed and that I should look up GOT weddings online for some inspiration! I don't watch that show and have no clue what it is about except that Dan or someone had told me that I wouldn't like it because of all the violence! What could that possibly have to do with a wedding? Anyway, I continued my research and came up with a few remarks.

MEM reading welcoming remarks at the wedding ceremony - Grayson the 2nd witness was to my right with tan pants. He said he had never been a witness to a wedding before. 

My remarks:

Welcome to this important family event. In this magnificent natural beauty that surrounds us, we’re here today to celebrate the marriage of Dan and Amanda and to be witnesses and supporters of the commitment they share with one another. 

Marriage gives permanence and structure to a couple’s love. Marriage is telling the person you love that you’re not going anywhere, and THAT is a powerful commitment for two people to make to one another.

(Native American prayer) 

In keeping with this natural beauty, May the sun bring you new energy by day. May the moon gently restore you by night. May the rain wash away your worries. May you live the days of your lives in peace, love, and happiness.

(GOT)   Amanda and Dan know that 

As you are the moon of his life, he shall be your sun and stars.

Your love shall be as ever present as those two celestial bodies - even though they are sometimes hidden from one another’s sight. 

Your love will be the guiding force that charts the course of your tomorrows, holds your world together in difficult times and will make life itself shine bolder and brighter than we human beings have a right to dream of.

Dan and Amanda, the vows that you are about to make are a way to share your love and commitment to each other in your own words. These vows are your way of openly declaring your promise to one another as well as to all of us who are here in attendance today.

Then Dan and Amanda exchanged vows.

Amanda reading her vows - they wrote such touching vows - I was trying not to cry.

I continued: Dan and Amanda, you have professed your love by exchanging your vows. We are gathered here today to witness the joining of Dan and Amanda, in the bonds of matrimony. Marriage is a serious, honorable matter and should not be entered into lightly. I trust the two of you have had enough time to think about what marriage means to you, and that you stand now, before these witnesses, ready to offer each other a life-long commitment based on love, trust and respect.

Dan and Amanda, please join hands.

Do you Dan Murphy, in the presence of these two witnesses, take Amanda to be your wife?

Do you Amanda Dupont, in the presence of these two witnesses, take Dan to be your husband?

Please repeat after me - (GOT) I am yours and you are mine from this day until the end of my life.

I continue: As Native Americans pray: May the gentle breeze bear witness to this ritual and carry its message to all lands
May the sun warm their hearts, and its ever-burning fire fuel their desire for each other.
May the sea provide for them from its bounty and comfort their souls with her sounds.
May the earth lend its strength and reveal its mysteries.

Dan and Amanda please join hands.

(Required by law) For as much as Dan and Amanda have consented to marriage, have stood before these witnesses here today, have joined hands and pledged their love, under the authority vested in me by the laws of the State of Alaska, I pronounce you husband and wife.

I continue: Let us end with an Inuit/Eskimo Love Song

You are my husband, you are my wife

My feet shall run because of you

My feet dance because of you

My heart shall beat because of you

My eyes see because of you

My mind thinks because of you

And I shall love, because of you.

May I present Mr. and Mrs. Dan and Amanda Murphy.

One of the women waiting for the dog sled tour threw snow -  she had recognized the references to Game of Thrones in Dan's vows and my remarks. Everyone clapped and cheered. They did it!! I have a daughter-in-law!! And I really like her!! 

We all hugged and congratulated each other.  It was so exciting!! First that Dan and Amanda were married. Second that they did it on a glacier - what an extraordinary location! Third that Mairead and I could be there to participate! When Dan started talking about a trip to Alaska, I could never ever have foreseen this!!

Then the first dog sleds were ready and took off, and we all walked over to see the puppies - they were so cute - I think they were 5 weeks old - they will be pulling sleds in a couple of years. They are getting accustomed to the snow, cold, and other conditions on the glacier. 

The new Mrs. Murphy

Dan's blue vest that was special for the wedding.

There were 4 more puppies in that enclosure where the mother was tied up - they will come out when the group that is now on the sleds returns. Amanda is holding all four puppies.

Look at that gal with just a T-shirt! 

I shed my outer jacket and had my own jacket open.

The first two sleds were returning so the gal took back the puppies. I put my waterproof jacket back on and put on my gloves. Dan and Amanda went on one sled. I jumped on the Princess seat and held tight to the bars on the edges of the seat. I was afraid to look back at Mairead - I felt badly because she had had that terrible seat up front on both legs of the fishing trip - where she was practically knocked off the seat - now she is standing on runners and holding on - for dear life if it was me!

Then we were off!!  It was a sudden jerk as we took off - at first I was trying to get the feel of the rhythm of the run. We were bumping along but not horribly - some snow was flying but not that much - we tilted several times and all I could think of was Mairead on those runners. I could see Dan and Amanda ahead of us. I was trying to get a look at the scenery. We were only going 2 miles so I wanted to see everything - it was so bumpy or unsteady that I couldn't pull my phone from my pocket to video the ride. We stopped about halfway to give the dogs a rest. We walked up to Dan and Amanda to take some pictures of them. What a way to start out a honeymoon!!

There is a patch of ice above and to the right of Mairead's head. The staff was telling us that the snow is melting more because it has been so warm - they may even have to close before the end of the season - dogs don't run on ice. One of the gals had told us that there is about 3-5 feet of snow on top of the massive glacier which is constantly moving. She told us that a crevice had just opened up the night or 2 nights before - they were in bed and heard a loud noise - they found it in the morning. 

Some of the dogs are still resting.

MEM and Mairead with some of our team.

We look so far away back there!!

You can see the extra sled attached to ours in this picture. Mairead, our musher, and I are on the first sled - the gal taking this picture is standing on the runners of the 2nd sled when the dogs are running.

So the dogs have rested, and it was time to get going again. We jerked off to a start, but I was feeling more relaxed. Another mile went fast - then suddenly we started hitting this roller coaster like patch - down and up - up and down! The sled was lurching side to side. Poor Mairead!! I was holding on tight so I didn't slide off! The dogs saw base camp and really got going now! It was such a rush of excitement! And then it was over. The musher yelled at the dogs to stop, and they did immediately. The ride was unbelievably fantastic!

When we were first talking about going to Alaska - way before they were engaged, Dan and Amanda said they wanted to visit a training camp for Iditarod dogs - where they could see the dogs that were training and play with the pups. I had said that if I was going to Alaska then I wanted to go on a dog sled ride - the dogs pull carts in the summer as part of their training - I wanted to see them in action. Next thing I know, Dan was asking me if I wanted to take a helicopter to a glacier and go on a real dogsled ride! That was a no brainer - of course I did!! And here we have just done it!! A once in a lifetime experience! Amazing!!

The dogs stretched out for a rest while they waited to be set free from the harnesses.

Taking a well deserved rest for themselves after lugging us for 2 miles! Notice the cute little booties - this is to protect the dogs' paws from constant exposure to wet cold snow.

Mairead gives the dog sled ride a thumb's up!

I love this picture of Dan and Mairead - both look so happy! Amanda was petting the dogs from our two teams.

This guy just doesn't want to miss a trick!

Proof the four of us were all there!! 
You can see a line of ice behind our heads. If the snow keeps melting as fast as it is now, they will have to break camp and close early for the season - the glacier will be sheer ice until it snows again in the fall.

This was a great experience - the helicopter ride, the wedding, the dog sled ride. While we were waiting for our helicopters to take us back to the air field, the staff were telling us that they spend 5 days on the mountain and then are off for 36 hours. Everything must be helicoptered back and forth - dogs included. The staff have no wifi, no TV, but have DVDs. They said they are usually so busy that they don't miss TV or cell phone access. They have to clean any dog waste off the snow of the dog sled course. They also have to shovel around the dog huts to keep that area clean. They shovel the whole dog sled track to keep it firm and smooth although it is getting more difficult because it has been so hot. They have to move their tents and the dogs' huts frequently because of the snow melting under them. They also have to put their human waste into containers - just like the dogs' - and the helicopters pick it up and remove it to the airfield where it is disposed. At the end of the summer season, helicopters remove everything from the site - nothing can be left there. The airline company gets a license from the National Park Service and then contracts with Mitch Seavey, an Iditarod winner, for his dogs. The staff seem to love their jobs - Grayson has been doing it for 10 years! He looks like such a baby!

New visitors about to disembark from the helicopter Mairead and I will be taking. The dog is an old pet - you can pet him any time - he does not run with the sleds.

The people from our group heading back - 3 and 3. Dan and Amanda will take the red helicopter back.

Off to the airfield.

We wanted to get Grayson in a picture - now the whole wedding party is together!

Here comes Dan and Amanda's plane.

The helicopters were coming for us now. It was a good time to be leaving - the clouds were getting very dark and the wind was picking up. At least we had sunshine for most of our time. The new visitors got off the helicopter, and we headed over. I had said earlier to Grayson that I had trouble getting on the helicopter in Girdwood. He kindly said that I wasn't the first and won't be the last - they would help me get in. And one gal did - she lifted my right leg higher than I ever thought it could go - I was seeing stars! - I grabbed the bar in the plane - and swung my left leg in - it took seconds! And I was in the front seat!! the front seat!! OMG!!!

This ride was breath taking! And there was enough room for me to grab my camera and video some of the flight. Unfortunately, Dan said I would have to upload it to YouTube first before putting a link here - that is impossible to do in this house in Fairbanks - I can hardly upload 3 pictures at a time now which is why it is taking so long with these blog posts. So I will put those videos on Facebook.

Suffice it to say that this was an extraordinary day!  I can't believe that in one afternoon I rode in a helicopter twice, walked all over a glacier, and went on a dog sled ride!! And on top of that, I officiated at my son's wedding!! I can't think of anything that would top this! We were all on such a high when we landed. I stripped off those extra clothes so fast!! Dan paid the bill - we tipped them $200.

We headed back to our chalet, and we all collapsed for a while to take it all in. Amanda had made reservations for a Salmon Bake at Crook River, but they decided that they just wanted pizza. So Mairead and I drove down to Coast Pizza at the small shopping mall and picked up supper.

When I found out that Dan and Amanda were getting married in Alaska, I wanted to do something that would make it seem special since it would only be the 4 of us at the wedding. So I decided that I would bring some champagne glasses and a cake topper - then buy some champagne and a cake in Alaska the day before the wedding - maybe we could have the champagne on the glacier - I bought some extra plastic champagne glasses just in case. 

I searched the internet and finally ordered 2 Lenox champagne flutes with a Celtic knot on them. Unfortunately, the stems were broken when they were finally delivered the day before I left. So I went to Celebrations in Falmouth and found 2 champagne flutes that said "Celebrate" and had some colorful decorations on them. I then went to the Dollar Store and bought 2 plain heavy champagne flutes for me and Mairead. I also found a colorful little table decoration with stars on it. Dan and Amanda are obsessed with Game of Thrones according to Danno. I included some references to GOT in my remarks at the wedding. I couldn't find any small decorations with stars and moons so I took the one with stars. I also bought some wedding plates and napkins for the small cake that I was going to buy. It wasn't much, but I thought it would make it more festive.

Funny thing - Dan told us in Girdwood that they don't drink - I knew he didn't drink often, but, anyway, there went the champagne. I had been looking for a place to buy a cake from the day we arrived. The 2 bakeries in Girdwood do not make cakes or cupcakes. I was  even asking at the market in Anchorage - I found someone there who makes cupcakes, but they were going to be in Palmer the day before the wedding, and we were going to be in Kenai. It was roasting hot Saturday, I didn't want to take the chance that the cupcakes would melt in the car before we got back to Girdwood. I even checked in the General Store and the gas station in Girdwood for cakes. There went the cake idea. I couldn't even find sparkling water in Girdwood, for heaven's sake!

But this morning when Mairead and I went out for breakfast, the Picnic Club had sparking cider in small bottles - so I bought 2 small bottles! Just enough for the 4 of us - I had never had sparkling cider - I figured I wouldn't like it.

I put everything out on the table before we left for the airfield. Dan had said that we should save them for when we got back home - and I learned that he was right when I saw how squished that helicopter was. So, when Mairead and I came home with the pizza, we opened the sparkling cider - which was very tasty! - and put the cake topper on the pizza! This was the wedding feast!

Dan and Amanda had gone in the hot tub while we went to pick up the pizza. After supper, they headed back downstairs to watch the 3 hour finale of The Bachelorette. So I decided to try the hot tub. I have never been in one that I can remember - I know that is hard to believe. I hadn't tried this one before because after sliding off the boat onto the ground when we went fishing, I didn't want anything to happen to me that would cause me not to be able to officiate at the wedding - then they would have had to postpone it. My commissioner's license was only good for one day. If I couldn't marry them on August 7, then I would have to reapply for another license. Now that they were married, I climbed right in! If I get stuck in there, who cares!!

This is how I ended a fabulous day! Good night all! It's 2 am, and I am going to bed! Don't call me in the morning!