ridin' dirty

My trip to AK is so close I can't hardly stand it!

7 days and a wake up!

We're within the 10 day forecast, people.

Side note: Am I the only one who gets really excited when your upcoming trip is finally in the 10 day forecast? I'm a psycho weather checker anyway - thanks to being a farmer's daughter -  and it just makes it all the more exciting when I can check the weather at my future destination.

 Anyways.

Last year when I visited AK, we rented a car so that we could travel around and I would be mobile while JWood is out makin' the bacon. We assumed we'd just do that again this year until we explored the rental world and found that inflation must have hit the auto rental industry. $600-$1000 for the week. Whaaa? Not happenin'. What was I going to do? I felt trapped from here - I didn't want to be held hostage in a house all day while JWood was working when there is lots of exploring in the AK wilderness that I need to do.

Enter - The Hippie.

Hi, Hippie :)

This is JWood's best friend and has been so awesome to open his home to JWood these past two summers. They're literally like 2 peas in a pod. We are very thankful for the Hippie.

After much discussion with the Hippie about our current car dilemma, he mentioned that he found a mini-van that he would really like have to cart around his little flower children.

Jackpot!

He, too, has family visiting this summer and was faced with the super duper expensive rental issue. JWood and the Hippie are both fortunate enough to be able drive work vehicles around Anchorage, but they need an additional vehicle for visitors like me :) So, instead of paying for rentals over the summer and JWood paying what little "rent" the Hippie would actually take for letting my man crash his pad -

we bought this beauty in exchange.

JWood is calling it the "Black Beast"!

I will be truckin' around in true hippie Alaskan fashion in this puppy in 8 short days :)

"try to catch me ridin' dirty...."

be jealous.