Sibling Rivalry

Sweet kayaking gear

I hadn't planned on blogging about my sister and her husband coming to visit, but they said if I didn't then they wouldn't come back for Fur Rondy in February. Empty threat or not, their visit was awesome, and I don't want to risk Tracy and Brian not coming back. Tray and Brian came a few weeks after my parents left. Our big challenge with our second set of guests was not repeating too many activities. We made a trip to Seward, but did not stay over night or take a cruise, we got pizza from the Moose's Tooth, but got it to go, and we went souvenir shopping and made sure Tray and Brian got different items. Aside from sharing some of the same information about Alaska, the trip similarities end there.

Starting the Loop District

Black Bear from the train

We took the train down to Seward instead of driving. Aside from having to be at the train station at 5 am, it was a great idea. It was such a relief to be able to pay attention to the scenery along the Turnagain Arm instead of oncoming traffic. Although a much longer ride, the views were fantastic. We saw Beluga Whales feeding on Salmon out in the Cook Inlet on the way down. The rear of each train car had an area where you could lean out for unobstructed views of the passing scenery.

A view of Trail glacier from the train

After arriving in Seward we started walking to the Sea Life Center. Kelly and I had been in the building a number of times, but never got around to actually going through. It's a good thing we did, we saw a baby Walrus the center was nursing back to health. We saw all sorts of fish, birds and other marine mammals. 

Chubby little fella

Brian refused to get any closer to the bird

Taking in the sights

We ate dinner in Seward and then boarded the train for the trip home. The sunset was brilliant as we joined back up with the Seward Highway. We were lucky enough to see more Beluga Whales on the way home. Unfortunately, they were too far out and surfaced too briefly to photograph. The sunset was much better for photographing.

I should sell this one to the Alaska Railroad

The next day we got up and made out way to Whittier to go kayaking. The drive to Whittier requires a trip through the Whittier tunnel - the only toll road in Alaska - a one lane 2 mile long tunnel that is also used by the Alaska Railroad. Tunnel traffic follows a set schedule, but rarely runs on time. We waited about 30 minutes past our scheduled time.

Entrance to the tunnel

After passing into Whittier it immediately started pouring rain. Luckily, the rain let up the time time we got into the kayaks, but the sun never did come out. Our guide said we might see some sea otter, black leg kittiwakes, salmon, bald eagles, and maybe a bear along the shore. We saw plenty of black leg kittiwakes (seagulls), lots of salmon, and two bald eagles. I saw some drift wood that I thought was a sea otter. We were out on the water for almost three hours, and paddled a few miles. It was an awesome day, made even better by Tracy and Brian treating us to kayaking.

Setting out

Taking a break

Bald Eagles on the hillside

We did spend some time indoors - mostly drinking Alaskan beer. We took Tray and Brian on a tour of Midnight Sun Brewery and picked up some of our favorite beers from around the state. Tray and Brian ventured out on their own a bit to visit the Alaska Zoo and check out downtown Anchorage. There was a lot we did, and a lot we didn't. We'll take some time in February to do what we missed, but we'll mostly be busy enjoying Fur Rondy events - dogsled races, fireworks, snowball fights, snow shoe softball and ice hockey. Looking forward to their next visit.

Seward: The Gateway to Alaska

Parental Advisory

In front of Holgate glacier

Summer is over in Alaska. We had our first snow yesterday - about an inch - and it was gone by the end of the day. The weather this summer was highly disappointing. It seemed to rain nearly every weekend. There were only a few weekends that seemed to have decent weather and I think our guests brought that good weather with them. The first visitors we had this summer were my parents in late July. My parents had as much sun in their trip as we'd had the entire summer to that point. We made good use of the abundant day light and clear skies.

Kelly and my parents spent the first few days of their visit touring around Anchorage. I was working on the railroad, all the live long day, and I could only break away for lunch during the day. We had a salmon bake the first night. It became a running theme for the rest of our guests this summer. Anyone who visits will get a delicious seafood dinner their first night in town.

Alyeska Resort

After a few days in town, we went South to Seward. Driving down to Seward with my parents was probably the first time I'd driven on the Seward Highway when it was sunny. It's a beautiful drive. On the way down we stopped at a few scenic overlooks and pulled off the highway to drive through Girdwood to Alyeska Resort. Neither Kelly nor I had been to Alyeska and my parents wanted to check out the view from the top of the mountain. The gondolas that normally transport skiers and snowboarders still run during the summer and take hikers and tourists up to the top for lunch, dinner, and mountainside hikes.

The gondola to the top

Still plenty of snow at the top

After lunch at the top we drove back down to the highway and continued on to Seward. A couple hours later we pulled into sunny Seward. My were all amazed how stunning Seward looks in the sun. We hung around town for a while until it was time to check into the cabin we rented.

Looking out across the harbor

The Moosewood Cabin

The cabin sat in the corner opposite the owners home, set back a bit 5 miles outside of Seward. The owners kept llamas on the property that they used to carry supplies while out on long hikes. Only two llamas were not out on a trip, one was retired and the other too young to travel. We went back into town for dinner and were just about to head into the restaurant when I got a call from the doggie daycare we left Ellsworth at for the weekend.

It seems that he was having some trouble settling down for the night. He had busted out of the fenced in dog run he was supposed to sleep in. The owner assured me that it wasn't a big deal. She moved him into the large open area the dogs play in during the day. This area is separated from the small dog area by a half wall door that was bolted shut. Ellsworth didn't like this either, and broke the bolt off the door. When it still wouldn't open, he hurtled the door and went to play with the small dogs. The owner rounded him up and moved him into the luxury dog suites, an area with a stronger fence and wood plank ceiling. When going back to make a final check, the owner said she saw Ellsworth at the top of the fence, 6 feet in the air, hanging by all his paws, trying to chew through the ceiling. Sadly, there are no pictures. Needless to say, Ellsworth did not spend the night, and can probably never go back. Thankfully we had friends who could take care of him over the weekend. After all the excitement my parents treated to a delicious seafood dinner in town and we called it an early night.

Stopped off to see Exit Glacier after dinner

The next day we had a 6 hour Kenai Fjords tour to hopefully see, whales, otters, eagles, seals, and sea lions. When we got up, we finally had typical Seward weather - cloudy, a bit of rain, and cool. My parents were hopeful that it would clear up, but I didn't have the heart to tell them it wouldn't. During our 6 hour trip we saw a dozen humpback whales, a sea otter, sea lions, seals, thousands of gulls, puffins, cormorants, maybe twenty killer whales, and bald eagles. It was an unbelievable trip.

Leaving the dock

5 minutes in we saw a Sea Otter

Humpback whales bubble feeding

Humpbacks

Bald Eagle

The first of the Killer whale pods we saw

The second pod of Killer whales

Seals

Sea Lions

Bears! Oh My!

We had a fantastic visit with my parents. Kelly and I saw parts of Alaska we hadn't seen before, and my parents were able to check off just about every animal from their wish list. We didn't see any bears (lives ones, at least), but we seemed to see Bald Eagles every time we left the house. My parents saw a Moose when they were out with Kelly, and the cruise took care of the rest. It should be pretty easy to find a set of new activities for my parents next visit.

Our First Anniversary

Nothing to see here, just strolling through the park

This past Monday, May 21, 2012, Kelly and I celebrate our first wedding anniversary. One year ago we were married on top of the Free Library of Philadelphia during a ceremony that was supposed to take place during the ending of the world. Good thing that turned out to be wrong. Even if it hadn't, it was still one helluva party. We were surrounded by friends, family, books, and our city. We couldn't have asked for a better day. Unfortunately for me, I drank just a bit too much the night before and fought off a hangover all day. After nearly refunding what little breakfast I ate - to be fair, it was over cooked, my sausage patties were burnt on the outside and raw in the middle - I recovered just in time for pictures. Good thing too, pictures too for-ev-ver. 

One fine looking group of people

We got through the initial run of pictures and moved on to the ceremony. According to one of those crack-pot apocalypse the world was supposed to end at about the same time our ceremony started. Sure enough, some dark clouds blew in, the wind kicked up, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen got rained on. And just like that, it was gone, the sun came out, and the world kept turning. I made my vows, which were awesome, Kelly made hers, which were nearly as good, we said "I do" and the party was on. 

College crew #1

The dance floor was pretty busy all night, especially when REM's "It's The End of   World as we Know It" came on. There was the obligatory sing along to "Sweet Caroline," and a pretty sweet mix of music all night. 

College crew #2

 I even did my best not to smash cake in Kelly's face. I really wanted to, but her threats were accompanied by a sufficient level of menace that I decided I was better off being nice. Besides, there's years ahead to push her buttons.

Delicious, delicious cake

Good view of a great city

And We're Back!

Got a behind the scenes view while at Brewin for Bruins at the Alaska Zoo

Whew. Sorry for the long absence. April got pretty crazy there for a while. Breakup (the melting season) came and went without any major incidents. It started with lots of standing water and slushly puddles. After a week snow piles started to compress. After a few more weeks the snow was gone. It seemed like it was sunny approximately 37 days in April. The extended sunshine counts as extra days. 

Got a hair cut and shave to go along with breakup

At the end of April, we moved. The owners or our first rental want to sell their home. They offered to let us out of the lease anytime before it ends July 31st. We decided that rather than waste the summer looking for a new place, packing, moving, and unpacking, we'd compress the experience into about a month. We found a sweet new place on the East side of Anchorage, in a neighborhood called the "scenic foothills" near the base of the Chugach Mountains. We're on the second floor of a house. We picked up an extra bedroom and half bath, along with a bigger yard, large shed (complete with electricity!), and a deck that looks out to the mountains. The move at the end of April went smoothly and Kelly and I have settled in nicely.

Nice big dining room windows that look out at the mountains

Ellsworth has had a big of trouble with the move, but that's a 

story for another post.

...Maybe not that much trouble 

Days in Anchorage are topping out at almost 18hrs of daylight. It's been hard to go to work everyday, when the sun is shining so brilliantly outside. It seems to be much nicer during the week than on the weekends. After this winter, that's just cruel. Fortunately the long evenings make for perfect hiking opportunities. Now that the snow is gone and the ground is drying, we'll be getting back out on the trails. Stay tuned for summer adventures.

This is what Alaskan summer are all about

It's Official!

Courtesy of ADN

We did it! The winter of 2011-2012 if officially the snowiest on record. Forget that it started snowing in the fall and continues to snow in spring, we've accumulated more snow than any other winter on record. In you face "the past!" (fun fact, I often say that at work when finally gaining the upper hand on an archival collection). It's still snowing. We'll likely finish the day with another inch of snow. From what I'm told, it's not unusual to get snow in May.

It was nice seeing our driveway and the occasional swath of grass. Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow. 14hrs of daylight do wonders in melting snow. I remain fairly confident that one day, maybe soon, the snow will be gone.

Running of the Reindeer

Check out around 1:57. Look for the guy with the red jacket and batman mask.


Last weekend was the ceremonial start of the Iditarod, but more importantly it was the 5th annual Running of the Reindeer. Feeling particularly adventurous since moving to Alaska, I decided it would be a great idea to run with a bunch of costumed people while being chased by animals with extremely pointy antlers. What could go wrong? As it turns out, the hardest part of the whole event was actually running 3 blocks in deep snow. The reindeer turned out to be rather tame - they'd rather run around you than over. Not that I'm complaining. They are also extremely fast. By the time I noticed there was a reindeer close for me to pet, it was bolting down the street.

Thrill of the Knight

In order to fit it with the crowd, I decided to make myself a costume. Using several rolls of red and black duct tape I made a Michael Jackson-esque Thriller jacket and a batman mask. Not that they really fit together, but I thought it'd be fun. Turns out, as much as I liked my liked my costume, duct tape is a terrible insulator. It was cold and snowing! I made out better than other though, like the guy who showed up wearing only boots and a pair of daisy-dukes.

The unicorn was dancing with a cow

Wouldn't be an Alaskan even without a husky

Pretty cool spot to watch the start

Earlier in the day, Kelly and went over to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod. Thanks to my company's work with Exxon, I snagged a couple passes to the Exxon hospitality sweet. We had a nice spread of breakfast burritos, cake, cookie, coffee, and or course, smoked salmon. We had a great view of the start line and saw some of our favorite mushers go by. We popped in and out of the suite - it was really hot in there - and we could get front row view from the street. The Iditarod has been on for almost a week now. Mushers are passed the halfway point and should be finishing up in a few days.

The mushers have a good time with the ceremonial start too