Camping Vids

Camping Pictures

Ohhh Wasilla...

Well, this was quite the interesting "first family vacation." We had planned to travel towards the Wrangle Mountains, to Anchorage, to Denali, back up towards Fairbanks, and then back to Delta. That didn't work out so well.

On the first night, we traveled towards Glenallen and decided to camp 15 miles outside the town--if you want to call a gas station and a cafe a town. We set up our tent, lit our fire, and later attempted to sleep. It seriously got down below freezing. I almost died. How it went from comfortable during the day, to below freezing at night (when it never even gets completely dark) is beyond me. We made it through, however, and grilled some corn and shrimp by the fire the next day.

The drive from Delta towards Anchorage was amazing. My pictures cannot even begin to capture it (I need to get a better camera for this type of thing). The road wound through the mountains, rivers, and glaciers. It def would not be a good place to break down. Oh wait...

So after we left the camp site, we headed towards Anchorage. We stopped a long the way to hike near a glacier...it was gorgeous. About 15 miles up from the glacier, something went horribly wrong with our car. It would not shift out of third gear. After stopping on the side of the road and realizing that we were in the middle of nowhere, we traveled the next two hours driving 30 miles per hour in search of civilization....hoping that the car would not completely die. We made it to Palmer, and no one could help us with the transmission. We made it ten miles to Wasilla; of course there was no one that could help us on Saturday afternoon on Memorial Day weekend.

We ended up stranded in Wasilla from Saturday until last night. No mechanic could see us until Tuesday, and of course, they had to order a part. Turns out, when bought our car, I specifically asked the Ford salesman "Has there ever been anything wrong with this car?" and "Has it ever been in the shop?" He told me no, and that it had NEVER had any problems. In fact, when we went to the other Ford dealership in Wasilla, the head guy told us that there had been MANY problems with the car and that it had been in the shop each time at the dealership we bought it from and that we had been lied to. In fact, it had transmission work done to it 7,000 miles ago. In essence, we complained and are in the process of trying to take the car back. We weren't just told that "It's a good car, and runs great." We were completly lied to. I honestly didn't know people still lied about things like that with all the lawsuits, and computer technology. It's easy to catch someone in a lie about something like that. It's called the internet/other Ford dealerships/vin numbers.

Anyway, so about Wasilla. Wasilla is about like a smaller Troy, Alabama. There is one main road, with a suicide lane. There is no mall, a small movie theater, a Chili's, and...well that's about it. Especially with no car, we didn't have too much to do. We ended up eating at the hotel a million times, hanging out in our hotel room, and watching the two movies that were playing at the tiny movie theater. Terminator=Awesome. Star Trek=Okay.

So I'm glad to be home. It was a crazy trip...one we will never forget. I can't believe my first REAL camping trip was in freezing conditions and that our car broke down while climbing up and down mountains.

Oh...and NO I did not see Sara Palin...however, everyone knew her personally. Again, Wasilla is smaller than Troy, Alabama. Most of them love her as the governor, but hate the idea of her being pres/vice pres....mostly because Alaska is like a country of its own. Everything is different here, and they feel that she needs to take care of them and has no business leading the rest of the country. So that's that.

MOOSE!!!!

Today I went to Fairbanks to go to the car dealership and pick up a few things for the house. Afterwards, I picked Trevor up from work. While riding around Fort Greely we saw two moose and this time I had my camera! They were huge, and didn't seem that afraid of me.

It's such a beautiful day today and the weather feels great. I can't wait for the weekend.

Beautiful Day

Today has been the most beautiful day I have seen--not a cloud in the sky and relatively warm. Next week it's going to get warmer (70), but it's supposed to rain. This may cut into our Valdez trip. It apparently always rains in Valdez, but the weather could be as cold as 30. I'm not camping in 30 degree weather. Hopefully the weather will change.

This morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and went hiking/fishing at a park near Delta Junction. We had a great time. Later, we decided to explore other bodies of water close to the mountain ranges such as Donna lake. We went off-roading a bit; the Explorer will be nothing compared to the RZR. I'm so ready for it to come in. Anyway, the view of Mt. Hayes was unbelievably clear...I could finally see the peak.

It's been a busy day and I've got lots of reading to do. Gotta get to work. Oh, and by the way...I had a Clearly Canadian today. I haven't had a bottle of gold in a long, long time. Mmmm.

RZR it is!

So Trevor and I decided on a green razor. We pre-ordered it and it'll be here between May 25 and June 1. Can't wait! We also went off-roading a little bit after Trevor came home from work. This time we went down a trail that is very close to the Granites. When the RZR gets here, we'll be able to get closer. This weekend we are going to Fairbanks to get some camping supplies. Next weekend we have decided to take a trip to Valdez. Valdez is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places to visit and is described as "Little Switzerland." There are all kinds of things to do like hiking, fishing, glacier hiking, camping, etc. If you'll recall, we were supposed to hike Donnely Dome next weekend, but there is still too much snow on top. We will have to wait until June when it warms up a little more and the snow melts. Trevor booked a charter for us to go Halibut and Salmon fishing in Valdez with his parents on July 4th weekend. I've never done anything like that before, so I'm excited.

Which One?

So, Trevor and I are going to look at ATV's tomorrow and this weekend. We are in desperate need of a fun vehicle. There are trails everywhere, and honestly, there is nothing to do around here other than outdoorsy things (i.e. fishing, trail riding, hiking, camping, etc). So anyway, I'm posting two options for the fun vehicle. We were originally thinking of 4-wheelers but Trevor expressed concern that I would be "too slow" to keep up with him. Therefore, we are opting for the side-by-side. The one up top is called the Teryx while the other one is called the Rzr. Both look cool to me. Anyway, I know this is totally off topic, but there are freaking sea gulls here. Yes, sea gulls. They are "cawing" outside my window as I type. It's.... just....strange. You'd think I was on a warm beach. Obviously, where I am is neither warm nor beachy.

Shape-Shifter

I'm adjusting to life in Alaska nicely--although I don't know a lot about it yet. Trevor and I will take the time to explore on the weekends. During the week, I spend most of my time doing schoolwork and keeping the house. Today, at 3:30, I'm heading up to the fort to workout. I've only been to the fort once (yesterday) to register as a spouse, so I'm excited about getting to go out there and venture beyond the visitors registrar. Plus there is no way I'm going to make it out here if I don't get in better shape.

Yesterday, it was cold and snowy/rainy. Today, the sun is out and it's warming up. On Friday it was around 70 degrees, but yesterday it was around 40. The weather here is crazy; therefore, I dress in layers. Since the snow has melted, you can see tons of trails leading towards the mountains. I can't wait to get a fun vehicles (side by side, ATV) to ride around. It's going to be a great summer. My job over the next week is to plan a trip to Valdez for camping and fishing.

On Sunday, Trevor and I went to the local Baptist church. I got my first look at the locals. The people here seem to be very simple--no one seems to care how you are dressed, or what you look like. I actually like it a lot; at least I'll save some money. Going to church is not a fashion show here; it shouldn't be. And it was very nice. The service was good, and we'll continue to attend.

Finally Here!

Last night at around 9pm (our time, three hours behind Alabama), I arrived in Fairbanks. Of course American Airlines lost my luggage, but thankfully Trevor had reserved us a hotel room in Fairbanks and we were able to get my luggage this morning. Afterwards, Trevor showed me around and we started looking at vehicles. We needed a four-wheel-drive and something with a towing package. We were able to find an Explorer and took it for a ride up towards the Granites and the Donnely Dome (right down from our house) this afternoon. I love it. I feel much more powerful/taller/cooler than I did in the bug. Ah, who am I kidding--the bug was the bomb. We made sure to get plenty of supplies from Fairbanks, since it's 98 miles from our little town of Delta Junction.

The drive to Delta Junction was the most beautiful I've ever seen. I've honestly never seen anything so extraordinary in my life--the mountains, the Donnely Dome (which I'm hiking in a mere 2 weeks--I posted pics of it), rivers, and glaciers. It's so weird knowing that I actually live here. I feel like I'm watching Man vs. Wild when I'm riding around.

When we arrived home, I was pleasantly surprised with how well Trevor fixed things up. The housing here isn't the best, and Trevor made a good find. The furniture, etc. wasn't so bad either. Of course, however, I've got tons to do.

I'm super-tired even though it's only 10:15pm. I'm still stuck in Alabama time, so it feels much later. It's so weird trying to sleep when it's bright outside. As of now, it doesn't get dark until around midnight. It's light again as early as 4:00. This is going to take some getting used to. I've got much more to say, but I'm going to post some pictures and call it a night.