Blogs from Anchorage, Alaska, United States, North America - page 36

May 12 Today we decided to take our first mountain hike. For 10 days we have been watching the snow on the hills surrounding Anchorage and trying to guess when the trails up Flat Top Mountain would be clear of snow. Despite the temperatures daily in the mid-50’s, the snow not only seems slow to recede, but every couple of days there are snow storms over the peaks depositing a fresh layer. Gauging that it might be June before the snow is gone, and anxious to take our first hike with a little elevation change, we set out. At 7 p.m. This mid-afternoon departure leaves about four hours of useable daylight to make the climb up and back. There were half a dozen cars at the trailhead and about two feet of snow at the beginning ... read more

May 1 The picture you see here is NOT of the apartment we moved into yesterday. The apartment complex, found online and booked by phone, did not meet my expectations. It was obvious as soon as we began moving in. The idea had been to have a comfortable base prearranged for the month of May, and spend that month finding a place to live for June through September. A thorough study of the Sunday paper classifieds yesterday, a couple of phone calls today and one visit later, we moved out. Less than 20 hours were needed to go from the prospect of a month in a place we didn’t want to be to moving into a cabin on a creek at the edge of Anchorage. We are beyond happy. The picture you see here IS of ... read more

As promised, I'll catch you all up on all the "old news" from the last six months. Most of which will, I sure, be a big bore; but I'll attach a bunch of fun pictures to make the browsing worth your time. Summer & Fall The rest of the summer after my mom visited consisted of lots of hiking, geocaching, and grilling out. There is nothing like Alaska in the summer. During this time, I completed some training and earned my "Expert Infantryman's Badge" I started my OCS packet in September after waiting the obligitory 6 months after arriving at your unit that is required by unofficial Army etiquitte. Right from the start, I hit road block after road block; but being the stubborn person that I am I trudged on. Special thanks to those of ... read more

Wow! It's been a long time since I have posted anything on this travel blog. Please excuse our silence. I'll post again soon to bring you all up to speed on the last several months and post some picture so stay tuned, but more importantly, Selah Ryan Erskine made her dramatic enterance on April 6, 2006 at 1754 (5:54pm for you civilians). She was 6 weeks premature, weighed 5 pounds 14 ounces, and was 19 inches long. That's the news in brief. For those of you who want the full story, read on. By the way, everyone is havin a hard time pronouncing "Selah." It's pronounced, "SAY' la" The Prelude On Wednesday morning right before I left for work (April 5), Laura was having some abdominal pain totally unrelated to her pregnancy. She swore that she ... read more

Thanks to everyone who has posted comments. It is fun to connect in that way. It is also gratifying that my writing is lucid enough to connect with several people who have visited Alaska. I am your channel, come, live through me.... More to come. Next stop, back to Tacoma.... read more