It Lives Up to It's Name

No matter what you call it- Mount McKinley or Denali, the Athabascans got it right when they aptly named it, "The Great One". 

Marleanna and I decided to spend Thursday and Friday at her cabin in Willow to celebrate her being one year older (but not wiser we later learned) :)  We woke up Friday morning with plans to walk around on the frozen lake, visit neighbors, ride the quad and take a sauna. First and foremost, we wanted breakfast at the Willow Trading Post. After satiating our hungry bellies, we were homeward bound. Until... we crossed over the Parks Highway and looked to our right and saw this:

Ok not exactly this view, but similar, just further away. So, we decided to drive to Talkeetna to see if we could get a better peak. We did at the river:

And after hanging around town for an hour or so, we got this view from the a hill on the way out of town. The sun was just setting and it was amazing. Pictures really just can't do it justice. 

All in all it was a great time and I was reminded of the fact that I really do live in a truly spectacular place.

Almost Spring-- The reason we live in Alaska

You never know how much you take advantage of things like being able to wear shoes that have no treads, not having to carry Kleenex with you everywhere you go, always being on guard for that huge piece of gravel that is going to fly into your windshield with a sound that resembles a gunshot. Oh, Winter how we so love when you're gone.

Don't get me wrong, spring isn't all sunshine and roses either. It's a time where the snow melts and leaves gigantic pools in your yard that smell remotely like dog poop. It's a time where you see all the trash that has gathered along the roads. And it's a time where you want to pull out the cute shoes and skirts but it just isn't quite warm enough yet.

I'm not complaining, I'm just pointing out the facts. In the end, us Alaskans really have about 3-4 months out of the year that are thoroughly enjoyable. That is, if it isn't raining or if the mosquitoes aren't so bad you can't leave the house. So why do I live here?

Because it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Because it's a land of opportunity where if you wanted, you could do pretty much whatever you want; start a business, run for office, become a mountain runner, a deep sea crabber, or whatever it is that floats your boat (and hopefully keeps it afloat). Because even though it's the largest state in our nation, I can go to pretty much any place and know someone. It's that "small" of a state.

Don't believe me? Look here: https://bethk98.jux.com/