After the last snowfall of the season (I now feel I can comfortably say “last”), Spring has sprung in Alaska. (Most of) the snow has melted and the bright, almost glowing, green grass has taken its place. Every morning when I take Nani out, I inhale slowly, deeply. The fragrant air pixies swirl in my [...]
Whaddya know – there’s snow! Again!
I’ve been using the back deck as a yard stick. It’s been helping me gauge the change in seasons. Or the change I was hoping to see, anyway. About 3 weeks ago, the sun finally melted all of the snow and we were on our way into Spring. I could actually see the grass (no [...]
There’s a Heat Wave in Anchorage
It really is true that it’s all relative. Take a couple of weeks ago, for instance. It was freezing. No, really. It was 32 degrees outside. And that’s freezing by any normal standards, right? It is, after all, the temperature at which normal things, like water, freeze. But never mind scientifically-proven things… Anyway, after weeks [...]
What does Springtime look like in Alaska?
The short answer is it looks like winter. So, what do you do if it’s technically Springtime, but doesn’t feel a bit like Spring? There are no April showers. No green grass. No warmer days. Just snow, snow, snow. That means you need to get creative. That means you do what the kiddos do and [...]
Glimpses of Wildlife in Anchorage
It’s not every day you have a mama moose and baby calf in your backyard. This weekend as I was reliving my nerdy days as a CS major and messing around with my site’s SQL database, I looked up and saw two moose bolting through the yard. The snow is still pretty deep, so the [...]
Alyeska: the Best View from a Ski Area in North America?
Some ski areas you go to because the terrain is just your speed – perhaps steep runs with cliffs or easy, meandering runs. Some you go to because it’s convenient. A 45-minute drive versus 3 hours? Could be a no brainer. But normally you don’t go just for the view. But in this case maybe [...]
Driving to Alaska Day 5: The FINAL Day!!
I had no idea how good it would feel to be on Day 5 of our journey. You know how they say it’s not just about the destination, but the journey, too? I agree and all, but after 40+ hours of sitting on your arse, with few breaks in between, sometimes you’re just ready [...]
Driving to Alaska Day 4: Crossing the Canadian Rockies & Arriving in the Yukon
You know what’s funny? While I had been looking forward to this 5-day drive, I can’t deny that I was dreading sitting for 60+ hours in the car. It’s the longest road trip I’ve been on by far, and 5 consecutive days of driving felt like it might just be a bit too much. How [...]
Driving to Alaska Day 3: Logging, Big Trucks & Long Roads
Canada’s big. It’s the 2nd largest country by area in the world, in fact. (That is if we don’t count Antarctica, which evidently isn’t a “proper” country. It would come in 2nd if it did.) We anticipated a long 3rd day of driving, mainly because: 1) We were leaving the more populated southern regions of [...]
Driving to Alaska Day 2: Banff, Lake Louise & the Icefields Parkway
We had spent the previous night in Great Falls, Montana, and headed north towards the US/Canadian border which was a few hours away. Before starting out on this 5-day adventure, I knew we’d be going through some beautiful country. I also knew that not all of it was gonna be pretty. And this view is [...]
