Spring?

So i've been in Alaska for almost 2 weeks.  It is still pretty chilly.  The other night i was going home from work and it was 41 degrees.  I actually got brain freeze riding my scooter.  I am staying at a house about 12 miles out of town for the next 4 days until my cabin is available.  It has running water.  There are 4 other girls living there from my church.  

I have already planned my first backpacking trip for this coming tuesday and wednesday night.  I met  a couple girls that want to go backpacking but never have and so we are going to go on this hike called Chena Dome.  It is a 30 mile hike that is mostly steep hills.  There is a plane crash wreckage at the top somewhere that is 50 years old.  The pilot died in the crash.  We are goign to be gone for 2 nights.  I will definately post some pictures.  I am excited though because i have never been on a hike where i was the most experienced.  So this will be a new experience for me.  I hope i don't get us lost or we don't starve to death. 

I don't have anything more exciting to report.  if you haven't scrolled all the way down the page there are some pictures i already posted.  

Visiting Riana and Sean's Cabin

I finally got to see where Riana and Sean have built their homestead.  They live 20 miles outside of Fairbanks.  It takes at least 30 min right now but can take longer depending on the conditions of the road.  For instance my mom had an hour added to a trip she took because there was a truck on fire in the middle of the road.  Many times someone will be in the ditch so they stop to help out.  Moose are always a distraction and the road itself is the worst part.  Most of the 20 miles is gravel road.  These are not your average gravel roads.  The entire time driving out there the i was thinking "these guys are crazy"  they drive this twice a day?  IT was so bumpy and muddy and twisty and turny and it was absolutely ridiculous.  Then we got to their driveway.  I thought the roads were bad.  This driveway is 1/4 mile long and it is no more than a logging trail gone bad.  And it is mostly up hill.  Now i really thought they were crazy.  And it wasn't even winter.  I couldn't imagine the roads/driveway with snow and ice (they don't plow their roads in AK)  So we came up to the top of the driveway and saw the cabin.  Then i knew exactly why they do what they do everyday.  Although the cabin is not finished yet it is absolutely amazing.  I saw pictures as they were in different stages of building and when they moved in, but they did not capture the magic of the place.   It is gorgeous.  IT is a log cabin with a deck that goes all the way around.  The cabin is 24x24 with a 3/4 loft.  It is completely surrounded by tall birch trees with little to no brush in the woods so you can see way into the trees.  Hopefully i can figure out how to upload pictures.  The inside is not finished yet.  They just got a refrigerator but have no kitchen cabinets.  They will be putting in hardwood floors and the upstairs is one big open room with no railing (scary)  they also just put in a sink (no running water of course)  with a bucket underneath.  IT is very cozy and warm and surprisingly very big (compared to my 7x7 sauna i had been staying in).  

I am not sure if i will attempt to ride my scooter out there.  They would have to meet me at the end of their driveway for sure.  IT would probably take me an hour to get there.  

Scooters are complicated

So it is Tuesday,  last night i had my first experience with rain and scooter.  Did not go so well.  it was barely sprinkling and there was still blue sky and sun so i didn't think it was going to stay raining.  I wanted to meet Riana and Michelle at the coffee house to use the internet.  So i got all dress up to ride my scooter which is: jeans, dansko shoes, long sleeve shirt, fleece jacket, rain jacket for rain and wind, helmet, sunglasses,  and of course had to load up my backpack with computer and such.  I pulled out onto the highway and made it about 2 blks and could not see.  the sprinkling rain turns into pouring rain when you go fast on a scooter.  so i turned around, got home took everything off  (jeans all wet)  and hung out in my sauna for about 10 min.   then looked out and it was perfectly not raining so i put everything back on and got to the coffee house a few min. after Riana and Michelle left.  

Today i wanted to go running and then take a shower.  I decided that if i went running from my sauna i would be too hot and sweaty to put on my riding clothes.  I decided to drive to the showers and run from there and then i'd be at the showers and things would be better.  So i had to wear my running clothes under my jeans and such and pack all my shower stuff, computer stuff because i shower at the University and they have free wi fi.  

i got to the parking lot and had to unpack my backpack into the trunk of my scooter and try to make things safe as i would have to leave everything there while i was running.  I got everything unpacked from backpack and was about to take off my jeans and i looked down and i was not wearing my running shoes.  So i packed up my backpack again and headed for the showers.  

I am getting a lot better and driving my scooter.  I got up to 50 mpr yesterday and today.  very scary.  It is fun riding it but it is a process.  my back is already sore from always carrying a backpack full of crap.  

And tonight is the last night i will spend in my sauna (still no camera cord to upload pictures)  I will get to spend the rest of may in the same cabin i lived in last time i was here.  Then i move into this really cute cabin that is next door.  It has a little deck and a balcony deck as well.  

I am going to start work today.  I found out the cook who i worked with last time (5 years ago)  was just fired a week ago.  He was my favorite chef.  I also helped him crack all the king crap for the king crab salads for the night.  I would graciously take time out my serving duties to help out.  It was a hard job but someone had to do it.  (he always set a little cup of butter next to me in case there was some crab that might not be good enough for the salads  :)  

He also sometimes "accidentally"  made an extra salmon or halibut dinner at the end of the night and i would have to eat it.  

Day 1, 2, 3

Ok so this is my first blog ever.  I have way too many people to tell about my travels to email everyone individually to tell the same stuff 37 times.  So i will tell of my adventures on this thing and that way i can tell about my trips and adventures.  Please email and i will email you back personally not as a mass.  But this way i can tell the story once.

So here I am in Alaska.  It has been a long 8 months to get here.  The flight was so very long and Puma did very well.  he did not like the taking off part.  My whole family was at the airport with big signs to welcome me.  it was 9:00 p.m.  AK time and after settling puma into my sauna (pictures to come) my mom, sister and her fiance sean went out to eat.  It was 11:30 p.m.  by the time i was back at my sauna and it was still sunny and bright as day.  It was so strange.  Silly me was not thinking about that part so i packed my head lamp, flashlight and tent light.  I have not seen darkness since Friday in MN.

Sunday was Riana's bridal shower and we went to this place called Angel Rock.  It is a really fun quick 3 mile hike up to the top of a big hill  to these granite tors that are sticking up out of the ground.  We did some bouldering and did not get killed.  Then we went to a natural Hot Springs for the rest of the evening.  It was fabulous.  We grilled caribou, hunted by two of the girls that were there.  It was really yummy.  

I experienced my first scooter ride in the rain.  I went about 2 blks and turned around.  I need to better prepare myself for rain.  hope it doesn't rain again until i can get some rain gear and a face shield for my helmet.  Fairbanks doesn't really have small residential streets like st. paul with little traffic.  everything is like Snelling or univeristy, lexington and such.  So it was a little scary at first with a big semi on my tail.  I am getting better at it.  

I start work at the Pumphouse tomorrow and am excited to get myself established independently from my family and meet some people.  Things are going good so far and am really happy to be here.