So my little brother has lived in Anchorage, Alaska for the past 3(ish) years. I was lucky to go visit him and his new fiancée (yay!) at the beginning of June. She had no idea that he had planned a visit from 3 of her best friends and me. It was quite the surprise, and we had a blast.
I've got to say, Mississippi gets a lot of (well-deserved) flack for a lot of things. However, I'd sweat through her summers and accept her mild winters any day. I'm just not a cold-weather-loving-gal. It was actually pretty tolerable, but it was bizarre to know that it was overcast, breezy, and 50 degrees in the middle of June. My suitcases were hilarious because I had no idea what to pack. I was a packing disaster.
Apparently, the week after I left it was 70 the whole week. Figures.
The view from Blake's neighborhood. Not too shabby.
The night that I flew in, we ended up going to bed at midnight Alaska time, which felt like 3:00 a.m. Mississippi time. I was exhausted.
The next morning we had breakfast in Anchorage before hitting the road and making the 5 hour trip to Denali. Poor Blake--he drove 5 girls for 5 hours. As we drove, we saw moose just trotting alongside the highway. Of course, seeing moose is like seeing deer in Mississippi. No big deal to Alaskans, but it was certainly strange to me.
View from our cabin.
That night we ate frozen pizzas, enjoyed a few adult drinks, and took in the view.
The next morning we had tickets for a bus tour of Denali National Park. It proved to be a looonnnggg day. Worth it. Glad I did it. But looooonnnng.
At 8:30 that morning, we took our bag lunches and boarded this bus. We wouldn't return until 4:30 that afternoon. Did I mention it was a long day?
Anyway, for some reason I had this idea that the bus tour would make lots of stops---we would hop on and off at our leisure. Instead, there were stops for bathroom breaks, and a stop for a couple of people who asked to get off to go hike. Hiking isn't my bag, so no worries there.
Even if we had been able to get on and off I probably wouldn't have done it. It was cold and incredibly windy. The temperature difference between Denali and Anchorage was significant. The bus ride went about 60 miles into the park (I think,) but the ride is so convoluted it takes forever to get to your destination and back. 60 miles into the park doesn't even make a dent--the park is over 6 million acres.
However, we did see plenty of caribou, dall sheep, moose, and a bear. (Maybe a grizzly?) We also got a fairly clear shot of Mt. McKinley (Denali). The park is beautiful.
We had to represent, right?
The above is a stock photo because I didn't take a picture when we were actually riding through it. Mainly because I was about to have a nervous breakdown. The picture doesn't do it justice--you're on a bus, on a 2-lane road, hairpin curves, with other buses going the opposite direction, and a sheer drop down the side of a mountain. I was THIS close to asking everyone on the bus to lean towards the other side so that we wouldn't topple down the cliff. Look up Polychrome Pass sometime. Terrifying.
After arriving back at the entrance, we just wanted to be out of a vehicle for awhile. We found a brewery fairly close by, so we stopped there to eat and have a beer or two. It was a really neat place called the 49th State. Good stuff.
Unfortunately, we had to drive back to Anchorage that night. So, another 5 hour car-ride was ahead of us. Again, poor Blake. I think we got back to his house around 11:30 that night, although it was still light outside. At least it made driving a little easier.
This was around 10:00 at night, I think?
So, one of my favorite bands is The Head and the Heart. They very rarely come to the Southeast, but earlier this year, they actually played a show in Jackson.
I was thrilled. I bought tickets 3 months beforehand.
And then MSU proceeded to have the best season in program history. Gameday came to Starkville for the first time. Guess which weekend the concert was? So, being the wonderful wife I am, I sadly sold my tickets.
When little brother called about this potential Alaska trip, he casually throws in, "Oh, and The Head and the Heart is playing in Anchorage that weekend." Is that kismet or what?
It. Was. Fantastic.
And before the show started, Blake and I talked to a girl with an MSU baseball cap on. Small world.
Post-concert we went out dancing and I pretended that I was 23 again. Turns out I'm not. Boo.
The next day we traveled the Seward Highway and saw a nature conservatory. We hung out with some Grizzlies and Black bears that afternoon. They're even bigger than I thought they were.
Waiting patiently on his meal.
In summary:
Gorgeous. Chilly. Really long flight. Longest I've been away from my children. So glad I did it.
