Week Two

Ryan was able to find a cheap and dependable car on craigslist.
Oddly enough we bought it from a woman moving to Colorado.

We took the car out for a day trip to Whittier.
Whittier is located on the western edge of Prince William Sound.

This is one of the glaciers that we saw on our way.

We did not know this going in... but quickly figured out that one of the unique features of Whittier is that it is separated from Alaska’s road system by a 2.5 mile long tunnel that is shared by alternating one-way auto and railroad traffic. HOLD ON!!!!

Whittier was established during world war two as a military supply port.

Now an apartment building, this is one of two buildings originally built to house troops.

Although ominous and desolate, this is the second of the original two buildings. We drove passed this structure a few times, imagining the danger in exploring this very raw and exposed building... We wondered about ghosts, squatters, and the locals. We ultimately marked it down on a list for, "potential location for horror film."

The most interesting thing about the essence of this small town is that you find a lot of metal next to majestic. Today Whittier’s economy is comprised mainly of shipping and port related jobs, fishing and tourism.

Main attractions in Whittier are hiking, fishing, and kayaking. It was beautiful.

Recently, a number of cruise lines have begun to use Whittier as a departure port for their Gulf of Alaska Cruises.
Undeterred by the rain, we went for an hour long hike.

Careful for Bears, we turned back once we realized that it was getting dark.

This picture was taken at 9 p.m.
Earlier in the day, we witnessed this man catch a "spawned out humpy." Which, Kelly later learned, meant that this salmon (with the hump on it's back) was pretty much nearing the end of it's life as it had swam for so long to spawn.

We thankfully took the humpy that the fisherman offered to us.

We had day hike beers on ice so we were prepared with a cooler! The fish was really good!!!!

After leaving Whittier we went to Girdwood, the ski area outside of Anchorage, and had specialty pizza at a bar called Chair 5. The pizza we chose was called Thai Pizza, it had crunchy noodles, peanut sauce, and chicken. Although different, it was good.

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We had some neighbors drop in for the night, this is our front yard.

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TOUR RYAN'S WORK

(These were taken on a Sunday)

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THE TRUCK IS HERE

(thanks to our family)

Our truck arrived, and we can report that nothing (NOTHING) was broken. Except... there was one casserole pan that was not packed correctly (Kelly's fault)

After many moons on a blowup mattress, Kelly was teared with joy when the bed finally arrived.

(She tried to refrain but restless weary would be a thing of the past for this leg of the journey)

Dually excited, once the bed arrived, Temple was herself immediately performing tricks.

(We realized what she had been doing all those nights under the bed... hanging on all fours from the bottom of the mattress and clawing around like a vampire)

Chugach State Park

We went on a nice long hike in Chugach State Park this past Saturday. It was Kelly's first time out since arriving in the city. Within a 15 minute drive you are completely surrounded by wilderness for miles.

Wild Blueberries - We will be stocking up on these for the winter.

We hiked to the top of a "Foothill" of which felt like 14 miles.

Ryan at the top of the world!

We did not see any wildlife, however there were very large Moose tracks

This strange little plant was all over the place. It is called White Arctic Grass.

1st Week

Historic building in downtown Anchorage

Who shot the Sheriff?

Ryan and Elizabeth- An evening stroll after salmon and fresh oysters.

Downtown Anchorage

We had a Salmon Quesadilla at the Saturday Market

Ryan and Kelly in front of the Market

The jazz bar where we had our first drink

Guy and Gloria made pizza for us on Sunday. It was really fun staying with them.

Mud flats at Beluga Point. The tide was out. This is the mud that you don't want to walk on due to quicksand. The tide also comes in very quickly.

Our first of many tourist photos

We borrowed a card table and some chairs! They coordinated with the blow up bed!

(Our first meal was Chinese and it was good)

Here is our closet... no I mean Kitchen. Snug yet efficient.

The view from our front porch!

Home Sweet Home!
(Those other doors are storage units... although ours might work as a guest room)