The Winter Wonderland Begins

Hi, Everyone!

Sorry for the delinquency in blogging, but life here has been fairly standard the past 2 weeks.  We had the high holidays, and so a lot of time on the weekends was devoted to that.  Mix that with Michigan football, and we haven't had a lot of opportunity to get out.  But, now that things have settled down, we went exploring again this afternoon.  And hence, the blog post!

Some exciting news to begin with: Steve got AK license plates and Tammy bought a car.  We are really starting to feel like we're settled in, and our doors are open to anyone who may want to come visit.  Some people have been asking about weather, so we'll discuss that in a little bit in the blog.

Today we went for a hike with some of Steve's co-clerk friends.  We went to an area called Eagle River, which is about 45 minutes outside of Anchorage.

When we left, we had heard some reports of possible precipitation, and there had been some light brushings coming down, so we decided to do a bit easier of a hike.  We walked along the historic Iditarod trail, which was a really nice and mostly flat hike along the river.

The temperature in Alaska has been changing lately, and we've started to see drops down to the 30s-40s.  As a result, it's beginning to look a lot like fall here, and many of the trees have changed their colors and the leaves have fallen, giving splendid beauty to the already incredible outdoors.

This also meant that Steve spent about 2 hours this week raking leaves from our lawn.  Can you say sore back?

Anyway, as we were hiking, we decided to take a lunch break at a river along the path.  It was beautiful and relaxing, until we noticed this:

Yes, that is ice.  The river was beginning to freeze over.  And then, within 5 minutes of sitting down, the area began to look like this:

It is official.  We have had our first snow fall of the season . . . in SEPTEMBER!  It was like walking through a winter wonderland.  The snow was sticking a bit to the ground, so it made for some really interesting hiking (and loss of trail markers along the way!).  It looks like the cold wintery weather is now here, and will be here for the next 7 months.  So, if you love snow sports, now is the time to come!

There's more snow for ya!

By the time we got back to the car (3 miles later) the snow was gone.  But it has fallen.  We are officially entering winter in Alaska.  Come on and visit!  The bears are hibernating now, and we have bear spray and a bell to keep us safe just in case!

Talk to you all again soon!  Keep warm!

We walked.

Hello!

Well, we've been here for about 2 weeks and are finally starting to feel settled.  Steve is really enjoying his job, and Tammy found one which starts tomorrow!  She'll be working for Camp Fire USA, running its before and after school programs.  Hooray!

Since last week, we've explored the Anchorage area a bit more, including multiple visits to the Fred Meyer (essentially Target) and Costco.  Yes, Anchorage has Costco.  It also has Nordstroms, Safeway,  Banana Republic, REI, etc.  Normal city!  Wooo!

Yesterday, we watched the Michigan game thanks to NBC's national broadcast.  It was a great victory, though certainly emotional and stressful in the last 6 minutes of game play.  A couple of the clerks (and significant others) came over, so we all celebrated together.

Today we went for a walk along the Turnagain Arm.  This stretch of trails runs along the Seward Highway, which has been proclaimed a national scenic highway.  It is unbelievably beautiful, and already established as one of our favorite drives in Alaska.  It is also a mere 10 minutes outside of the city.  Pretty incredible.

The hike was a lot of fun.  It climbed approx. 800 feet and was about 4.5 miles long.  We also went with some of Steve's co-clerks, which made it even more enjoyable.  As usual, pictures below:

That's it for this week.  We'll be back soon with more Alaska adventures!!!!!  Let us know when you're coming to visit :)

Glacier!

Today we went with some clerks to the Portage Glacier, about an hour outside of Anchorage.  We took a boat ride to get close to the glacier, and then did a small hike to walk around another one (including a walk on a snowfield).

There are not words to describe the beauty of both the day and the surroundings, so we'll let pictures do the trick instead.

And, yes, Steve did try to start a snowball fight on this snowfield.  Tammy refused.

More to come in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned!

Established.

Hi, Everyone:

It's been a little while, so we thought we would give you an update of what life is like in Anchorage!

Anchorage is a really amazing city.  There's this awesome 5x3-or-so block stretch of downtown located by the water.  This is where the tourists hang out when they get off the ships, and also where most of the state/federal buildings are located.

The best part of Anchorage, however, is clearly the established trails that run throughout the entire city.  During the summer, there are miles upon miles of biking and running trails that run along the mountains, oceans, lakes, and rivers.  During the winter, these trails are converted into cross-country ski trails, and are crazily lit so that people can use them late into the night.  These trails can be reached by a 5 minute (no exaggeration) walk from our apartment.

Thus, we went for an evening walk this week, and were simply stunned by the view we had, and will continue to have, over the next year.

It really is quite breathtaking to step outside and realize you're surrounded by mountains, ocean, and just pure beauty.  You all NEED to come visit!

Last night, we also went to our first Shabbat service at the local synagogue.

Yes, they call themselves the Frozen Chosen.  Hysterical.

It was awesome being 5500 miles from home, and yet still hearing the same songs and prayers to which we have become accustomed over our lives.  It really made for a relaxing, peaceful evening.

Plus, on the drive home from shul, we saw 2 moose on the side of the road.  It was actually a very strange experience.  Everywhere else we have gone, whenever there has been serious wildlife nearby, there are cars lined up along the sides of the road with people inside trying to get a closer look.  Yet, this time, while the moose were no more than 5 feet from the shoulder, people were just driving by as if it was nothing strange or exciting was happening.

Turns out, it was nothing strange or exciting.  Seeing moose so close to buildings, roads, and people is no surprise here (just like seeing deer in MI), and it is actually a bit of a nuisance.  But, HOORAY FOR MORE MOOSE SPOTTINGS!

Oh, and today we watched the Michigan game at the local sports bar.  We are VERY excited that we'll be able to watch all of the games while in Alaska.  Hooray and Go Blue!!!!!