Stars and Bars - Alaska Style

I have been back in Alaska spending time with the hubs since Saturday. The time has flown by! I have to return to the South, to my roots, tomorrow. :( Though I'm sad to leave the hubs, 
that means we're just that much closer to his return home! Yay!!!

This trip has been such a blast. We have done less sight seeing than before and more hanging out and eating and drinking.  Lawdy. Though we have been super active, we've also been active with our mouths. Oops.
Oh well... when in Alaska, do as they do! Cheers!

We have been really lucky this trip - JWood has had 3 whole days off!
We have gotten to spend some great chill, quality time together! :) 

JWood and I enjoyed our first real date night since April on Saturday night! We went to Suite 100 where we dined on Alaskan King Crab and Salmon. Holy moly - fresh fish! After our date night - we went out and about with J's roommate, the Hippie, and co-worker/friend Jim. Big fun!

scrumptious

fun times out and about downtown

We celebrated July 4th, Sunday, like I have never experienced before, in jeans and layered up in fleece. I was told that this was "great BBQ weather!" Whaaa? Where is the 98 degree temps and the miserable humidity? Either way, it was fantastic. I sucked it up and had a ball. JWood's boss threw a huge party where we enjoyed moose burgers, steak, brisket, ribs, shrimp, guacamole, beans, corn .... so much food I might get sick on my keyboard thinking about it. I felt like a moose when it was time to head home. But, it was great! The hospitality of those at the party was far greater than I could have imagined, you know - being from the South and all. If I was reminded once that I was from the South and had an accent, I was reminded 100 times. I was like the jester. Someone make her say something! Ha! I feel much, much better now having met all of JWood's co-workers and those that we are so grateful to employ him this summer. It was like JWood was back among family. My heart (and my belly) were full that day. 

 J's friend and mentor, Bob.

 This is Ryan, the owner of the company, that J works for....

think they like him here?

Also, I met a girlfriend! Miss Aggie is from Nome, AK. JWood has a really good friend, Tom, here that he lived with for a while. Aggie is his better half and they invited us to their house for a little dinner gathering the following day. We had a couple dinner date :) 

She and I are even friends on facebook now, we're BBF4L.

 Aggie & Tom

What's Alaska without some hiking? Before we had our duo dinner date, we hiked up Flat Top on Monday with the Hippie and Jim. I have never, in my entire life, experienced wind like I did on that hike. Freggin' miserable. (Jess - I get it now.) There were several times that I literally had to squat down and brace myself, for fear of getting sucked off of the edge. Not my favorite hike ever, but done and done. JWood's favorite saying is, "where trees don't grow, Woody don't go." (They all call him Woody here - some don't even know his real name.) I adopted his phrase after that hike. Flat Top is basically hiking up rocks. No trees. Hella wind. No ma'am. I told J that if this is what hiking is like in Alaska, take me back to the Smokies.  ;)

 
albeit miserably windy, the view was specatular

 

 

Tuesday, after a yumtastic brunch at Snow City Cafe, I think J felt like he had to do his favorite place in America justice the following day, and he took me on a short hike to Thunderbird Falls. THERE WERE TREES and no wind! Hallelujah! The hike and the falls were awesome - 

much better than the ole Flat Top.
 

Yesterday, J had to go back to work (boo work, yay play) and so I suckered the Hippie into going on a bike ride with me last night. I didn't bring my bike all the way up here but there are bike rentals on every corner. The people here are so active - I love it! The Hippie and I biked for 2 hours along the coast line on the Coastal Trail. It was amazing. There were a ton of people out running, biking, taking a stroll, and bladeing. Yes - bladeing. ha! The Hippie said, "Alaska is so alive..." I couldn't agree more. From wind to earthquakes to volcanoes to the ocean to the snow to the amazing flowers they have growing this summer - the state is alive and I have tried to take advantage of it all.

views from the Coastal Trail  

my little biking partner and tour guide

 at one point on the trail, the planes fly right over you as they land.
i haven't ever seen a plane flying that close overhead.
yikes.

Today is my last full day here. I don't want to leave.

(but I don't want to move here, either. ha!) 

I definitely could do an extended stay, however. There is so much left that I want to try and need to experience - I guess there's always next year! While J got his beauty sleep to recover and prepare for work today, I went for a run on the Coastal Trail. The weather this morning was a runner's dream. It was sunny and a crisp 68. Amazing. Baby G was not playing nice so I just decided to rely on the posted mile markers to gauge my distance. My goal was to run a nice 5 or 6 miles and just soak in the morning. Well, by the time I got to mile marker 1 - I knew something was up. Either I was really feeling sluggish and paying for all of my playing - or the mile markers began at a difference location from their ground 0. D'oh. Upon the place where I decided to turn around, Baby G decided to wake up and participate. 4 miles later - I made it back to my car.
I freggin' ran 8 miles by accident. Oops!

Speaking of Alaska being alive, as I am typing this -
we just had an earthquake.
Holy smokes, folks.
I have never experienced an earthquake!

Mark that off the list!

So, so long, Alaska! Until next summer! 

Play nice to my hubs the next few months!