I realized that months have passed and I still haven’t finished sharing details about our Alaska trip. Since we’re enjoying some time in the Rocky Mountains this week, I thought it would be a good time to talk more about the lovely Alaskan vacation.

On our first full day there, we visited Denali National Park. I had very high expectations for the park because I was told that this is where you see the majority of the wildlife. If I’m being honest, I sort of expected it to be like a safari park of sorts…we ride around in a bus and feed wildlife from little cups. Obviously, I had the wrong idea. Apparently, the week we were there was the week all of the animals took a sabbatical. Or a vacation to Canada. We did see a few miscellaneous animals in the distance. Not. One. Bear. Though. Unfortunately, it was also a very foggy day and there was some residual smoke from recent forest fires, so we missed a lot of the mountain views too, including the majestic Mount McKinley (which I think was renamed to Denali shortly after we left). If you noticed the etching on the window in the photo above, you can tell where Mount McKinley was supposed to be. All we could see was fog. Turns out that it had only been seen 3-4 times so far this summer. I wish I would have known those odds before I rode a bus for 8 hours!

Even though we didn’t see as much of the mountains or wildlife as we’d hoped, we did get a ton of good photos and enjoyed the cool features of the visitor center. My favorites there were the American flag flying high against the mountain view, that awesome handmade quilt, and the book in which someone sketches the view of Denali every single day. So awesome! My favorite part of the park was Polychrome Pass. I loved the variety of colors and textures there. As with all of of the Alaskan scenery, I feel like it was impossible to catch its true beauty in a photo.

The trip to the park and back and the long bus ride there proved to be very exhausting. We drove 4 hours there, rode 8 hours on the bus, and then drove 4 more hours back to our campsite. Not kidding. We were exhausted by the time we turned in for the night. We were already quite tired from making the journey to Alaska the day before. Nonetheless, the visit to the park was a great way to kick off our trip! And I’m happy to report that I didn’t get motion sickness on the bus – hooray!

Whenever we first started speaking of going to Alaska, everyone talked about how beautiful it is. We heard things like, “it’s simply gorgeous everywhere you turn.” Or, “there’s no place like it on the world.”  I definitely expected Alaska to be beautiful. I also knew that I wouldn’t fully understand how beautiful until I saw it myself. The first time that I was taken away by its beauty on our trip was our drive down the infamous Turnagin Arm.

We left Wasilla early that morning in route to Seward, Alaska. Seward is a quaint little fishing town that boasts all of the features you’d imagine…a beautiful, rocky bay with water crashing up onto its edges, boats galore, and an adorable little seaside shopping area. Fresh fish was pretty abundant for purchase and I imagine the locals eating fresh halibut in the way that we grab some catfish here in North Louisiana. For this little excursion, we pulled the camper with us, which I’ll remind you is quite a setup…fireplace included. We stayed right on the waters edge and “dry camped.” In case you’re unfamiliar, dry camping means you don’t have water or electricity hookups. I’m as surprised as you are. In all seriousness, we had enough water in the tank for the basics and had the generator to use for a bit. At first I was a bit nervous about the concept and adjusted quickly. After all, it was much too beautiful and temperate there to really need much more than a place to lay my head.

That evening I enjoyed grilled halibut for the first time, and even though I thoroughly expected to not like it, it turned out to be rather delicious. If there’s one area of personal growth that I’ve developed in lately, it would be in my appetite. I’ve made a point to try new things (and old things that I didn’t previously enjoy) and I’ve really branched out quite a bit.

The next morning, Matthew and I made the trek down to the Alaska SeaLife Center. It was smaller than I’d imagined and still entertaining. I honestly could have sat and watched the sea lions for hours on end. I have probably 30 videos of them on my phone. I also really enjoyed all of the vibrant art they had for sale there. If I had a larger suitcase and plenty of money, I would have probably came home with quite a few pieces. I did snag an adorable piece done by painting the bottom of a puffins feet and letting them run around. I think it’s adorable and I’m happy to have it hanging in my entry way.

After the sea life center, we spent just a bit wandering through the shops downtown. It’s little downtown area was simply adorable and I could have definitely spent hours there. We stumbled upon an awesome souvenir shop here and grabbed a quick lunch and coffee. If you’re looking for a great place to get souvenirs in Alaksa, I’d highly recommend Seward. There were so many great shops!

While in Seward, we also visited Exit Glacier. This was my first glacier to see of the trip and it was quite fascinating! The hike up to the glacier was lovely and we got good views of the surrounding mountains. The bugs were a bit fierce at one point, and I didn’t give up!  The trek to Seward was one of the most beautiful experiences of our trip. We saw eagles galore (you can see one in its nest if you look closely in that tree photo), seven swans, and our first moose (and the only one with antlers that we saw). The waters were the most beautiful teal color and not a bit murky. The mountains were beautifully snow-capped. The drive in and the visit around Seward, was a textbook picture of what you’d expect in Alaska. The views were breathtaking and I’ll never forgot its majesty.  As I look back and dream about Alaska, this part of the trip will be one that I remember most fondly.

As silly as it sounds, stopping by this little farm was one of the highlights of our trip for me. It was just behind the campground we were staying in, and Matthew’s grandmother had made friends with the owners. On our last day there, she insisted that we pop in and take a look.

At first glance, it looks just like any other small farm. There aren’t acres and acres of vegetation and an abundance of large equipment lurking about. Instead, it’s a few rows of this and that here and there. There’s a small shed right up front where the owner is working away. Turns out, she’s packing boxes for her subscription clients. Moonstone Farm offers a monthly subscription where locals can purchase a box of whatever the farm has ready at that time. The owner drives the packages into Anchorage where buyers pick up a box of fresh, home-grown goodies. I think that’s phenomenal.

Further into the property, you come across a field of the most beautiful flowers you’ve ever seen. In addition to fruits and vegetables, they also grow and sell flowers to a local flower shop. This is where I took one of my favorite photos from the trip. As I stood gazing at these gorgeous flowers nestled just beneath the Alaskan mountains, I realized something. At first, I expected this place to be a traditional farm – one raising corn or peas or beans. Not even minutes into our tour, I’d already been blown away by a subscription system and a field of flowers. In that moment, I was reminded that not everything has to fit in a nice, neat package. Even a farm can take on a million different faces, so anything else in life could too. We don’t have to firmly be one thing or another. We can be a combination of the things most suitable to us.

After hesitantly leaving the flower field, we walked on around to the chicken coop. The owners’ granddaughter excitedly pulled me further into the backyard to show me her cat and the baby chicks. She could hardly contain her excitement as she told me about them and showed me little tricks for doing this and that. I must say, watching those baby chicks line up for a photo was quite entertaining. As I sat and listened to story after story from her, I realized how important it is to let children be a part of the things we do. It was evident how much she’d learned from her grandparents and you could see that she was eager to learn more.

We stood and talked with the family for a bit longer and although I was listening, it was hard not to get swept up in my surroundings. I wanted to sit there for hours gazing out at the simplicity of this lifestyle. I could imagine myself sipping coffee on their porch, overlooking the vegetables growing out front. I imagined enjoying that view of the mountains while tending the flowers. I felt the cool breeze and envisioned what the winters must feel like. It made me long for a similar lifestyle, even though I knew it was only temporary.

Matthew and I would be returning home later that day, and that reality sank in as we walked away. I was, of course, happy to return home for many reasons. Although, I knew I’d miss this place. I’d miss the limited cell phone service and mild temperatures of the Alaskan summer.  I’d miss the clean, crisp air and the beautiful views surrounding you every where you went. I’d miss a simpler life with easy going days filled with adventure. It was as we walked away from this little farm that I confirmed something I’d thought since we arrived — I want to make it a point to travel more. I want to be sure I see the world and experience all the things. I also knew that I wanted to start making some changes to my daily life back home. I wanted things to be simpler and more relaxed. It was at that point that I started making plans to ever so slightly alter the trajectory of where my life was headed.

I tell this story not to make anyone jealous of exciting Alaskan adventures or quaint little farms. Instead, I tell this story to show that we can design the life that we want to live. If something doesn’t feel quite right or if you find yourself longing for something different, go after that thing. Make little changes here and there so that you life looks how you want it to. The months since I’ve been home from Alaska have looked very different than the months before. It’s not because I made any radical changes. Instead, I altered a few things just enough to feel a difference in my life. Most likely, no one can even notice a difference from the outside. Nonetheless, sometimes the smallest of changes can make a gigantic difference.

The fact of the matter is, there’s nothing that we can’t do in this lifetime. Sometimes it’s about altering the big ideas such that they fit into our current lives, or sometimes it’s about going for that big dream to make it a reality. Whichever is better suited for you, do it! I definitely don’t have a beautiful farm back in Monroe, Louisiana. However, I do have a simpler life that gives me some of the same feelings I felt at Moonstone Farm. And I didn’t have to move mountains to accomplish that. What small thing can you do today to make you life just a little bit better? I encourage you to really think about that and see what you might can do to create a life that you love.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity to have had this Alaskan adventure. The trip to this farm made me look at my daily life a little differently and I’m just as thankful for that nudge as I am for the chance to see some different scenery. You can read the overview of our trip here.

It seems like yesterday that Matthew and I returned home from our fantastic trip to Alaska. Naturally, I have a million photos and experiences to share. To start, I thought I’d give you the condensed version of what we did. I intend to share more in depth details and more photos of some of our favorites. I’m going to spoil the ending a bit though…we didn’t see even a fraction of the wildlife that I thought we’d see (not even one bear!!) AND we tried several times and didn’t even get a glimpse of Mt. McKinley. Luckily, our other experiences made up for the lack of signature Alaskan events.Day 1: Our first full day in Alaska was Thursday, June 24. This was also our longest day and we spent quite a bit of time riding in the truck and on a bus. We rode up to Denali National Park where we took an 8 hour round-trip bus ride through the mountains up to Eielson Visitor Center. Ideally, this is where you’d get the best view of Mt. McKinley. You’d also see a multitude of wildlife as you travel through the park. Didn’t happen. We did see a few caribou, ravens, and lots of ground squirrels. Not one moose or one bear. We also didn’t see Mt. McKinley. The clouds blocked it entirely. Apparently, it had only been seen three or four times so far this summer. I had no idea that it was so tricky to get to see it. Later in the week, I saw photos from someone else’s trip and they’d seen the mountain the entire time they were there. I must say, I was blown away by how large and majestic it was! After seeing the photos, I was slightly disappointed that we were unable to see it. Maybe next time.

Even though we didn’t see as much wildlife as I’d hoped or the mountain, it was still a good experience. After the bus ride, we made the 4 hour trek back to Wasilla where we were staying. If you’re counting, that’s a whopping 16+ hours riding on our first day!

Day 2: On the second day, we made the trek over to Seward, Alaska which is a quaint little fishing town. The drive down Turnagain Arm was one of my favorite experiences of the entire trip. We saw 7 swans, eagles galore, and my first moose! (It was the only one I saw with antlers and was too far in the brush for a good photo.) We hiked up to Exit Glacier and I ate my first bit of fresh, grilled fish. This day was one of my favorites!

Day 3: We stayed in Seward the previous night, so we spent a bit of time exploring the town this morning. Matthew and I went to the Alaska SeaLife Center, which was a bit smaller than I thought. I had the best time watching the sea lions though! I think I could have sat there all day watching the sea lions and seals swim. The puffin is a native Alaskan bird and we got the chance to watch them, as well. I even bought a piece of art done by painting the bottom of a puffins feet and letting them walk around on a canvas. Silly, I know. I thought it was cute, though, and I’ll always think of Alaska when I see it. On the way back to Wasilla, we stopped by a local pottery shop. This sounds like it might have been a basic experience. Not quite. We parked at a gas station, walked probably a mile down a private, winding dirt road, and showed up to a quaint little cabin in the forest. We let ourselves in, shopped a ton of handmade pottery, made our selections, and put the appropriate funds into a box. The entire process works solely on the honor system. The potter was not present, and you simply followed the directions on the signs. To me, this was commerce in the simplest form, and I longed for a studio/shop that operated this way. I was truly amazed at the simplicity of it and thankful that Matthew’s grandparent were aware of its existence. The average tourist surely wouldn’t have known about this little gem.Day 4: This was another one of my favorite experiences. We went to Hatcher Pass and climbed to the top at a whopping 4,800 feet! This was my second mountain to climb, (Click here for the first.) and I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful the view was. We had a great view from the top to the bottom, and I’ve never seen anything quite like it. After the climb, we went around the corner and explored Independence Mine, an old mining town. Hatcher Pass is absolutely one of my favorite experiences from the trip. That scenery will forever be burned into my mind, and I’m certain that I’ll long to return.Day 5: I started my morning with some reading and coffee by the fire. (Yes, a fire in June.) We went to church and then headed to Anchorage for the Anchorage Market. The market wasn’t quite as large as I’d hoped. It was still rather fun though! We ate a reindeer dog (Sorry, Rudolph.) for lunch and spent a bit of time walking around the souvenir shops downtown. I could have bought so many things!

Day 6: On day 6, we climbed to the top of Flattop Mountain. If you’re counting, that’s my third mountain to climb! I didn’t enjoy the sights quite as much at Flattop as I did on Hatcher Pass. However, Flattop brought with it my first attempt at mountain climbing! Literally, there were times where you had to use all four limbs…hands and feet…to get up the rocks. I loved it! I also got the bug to try parasailing, and ate halibut for the first time!Day 7: One day, we made yet another attempt to see Mt. McKinley that was unsuccessful. It’s hard to believe that we went to Alaska and didn’t even get a glimpse of the tallest mountain in North America.  We drove up to Talkeetna, which is a quaint little tourist town. We ate on the patio at the Wildflower Café, which was delicious and lovely. The fresh salmon Caesar wrap and their french fries were amazing. After leaving Talkeetna, we drove up to the Matanuska Glacier where we saw three moose! This is where I finally got my close up photo of these furry friends. We enjoyed the Sheep Mountain Lodge for dinner where I had more fresh fish and took my funny photos with the stuffed moose. Unfortunately, these are the only photos of a moose with antlers that I got.Day 8: This was our final day in Alaska. Before heading out, we visited the Moon Stone Farm, which was just behind the campground we stayed at. They grew vegetables, flowers, chickens, and other various items. The owner packages fresh goods that can be purchased through a seasonal subscription. Subscribers pick up boxes of fresh picked goods once they’re ready. As simple as it was, visiting the farm was one of my favorite stops and it made me crave a similar lifestyle. We spent the rest of the morning driving around the valley area and seeing some of the farmland. We also drove by the reindeer and muskox farms. After returning to the campground to get our luggage, we ate delicious BLTs and played a bit of horseshoes.Matthew and I boarded the red eye home around 8:30 pm Alaskan time. We flew all night and made it back to Monroe around 10:30 the following morning. We were certainly exhausted and a bit jet lagged. However, we wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything. I’ve never seen anything quite like the Alaskan landscape and loved the crisp air and the chance to unplug. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, I highly recommend it.

If I had to make a list of my top three experiences, I’d have to say it was hiking at Hatcher Pass, the beautiful drive down Turnagain Arm, and visiting the pottery shop. Stopping by Moon Stone Farm would also be a strong contender. I am truly thankful for all of our experiences and for the chance to travel the way we did. We looked forward to this trip for so long, and it did not disappoint.

Where shall we go next??

Matthew and I just returned home from Alaska. I haven’t yet had time to sort through the hundreds of photos or put the magnitude of our trip into words. Don’t worry though, I will share details and photos from our trip very soon. (If you’d like a head start, you can check #mapinalaska on Instagram @pamelapetrus.) In the meantime, here’s a few thoughts that I had as we began our wonderful Alaskan journey.

There truly is something that I love about flying. Let me be clear. I do not like turbulence or stale air or sitting next to the one person on the plane that didn’t bathe today and has gas problems. I don’t like the migraines that I often get from the pressure or having to sit in one place for so long. I do, however, love the random bits of inspiration that flying gives me. I have written a large chunk of blog posts while flying, many of which have never even been shared. Nonetheless, I’ve noticed that sitting silently on a plane almost always makes me think about life or people or my dreams and goals, and often makes words flow from my mind almost effortlessly.

I’ve also noticed that I drink apple juice when I fly. As soon as the flight attendant brings out that rickety cart with the loud, locking brakes, I begin to taste apple juice. I couldn’t stand apple juice for the majority of my life. It’s only in the last few years that I’ve begun to drink it, and I do so understanding that any second I could wake up from this dream and remember that I don’t like apple juice. Since I’ve begun exploring this new land of juice, I’ve noticed that I primarily drink in on a plane. There may be one or two times a year that I drink it somewhere other than 30,000 feet in the air, and it’s usually shortly after a trip. Primarily though, it’s on an airplane. I’m not even sure when I decided that apple juice should be associated with flying. Regardless of how, when, or why, flying now equals sipping some juice. (Did you start singing “sipping on gin and juice??” No? Ok then.)

On this particular flight, something smelled like it was burning. I smelled it as soon as we began to move on the tarmac. My husband said he smelled it to and dismissed it almost instantly, in his usual fashion. I decided not to think much about it. After all, you could so very easily find some sound/smell/motion to be alarmed about while ascending into the sky riding in a big chunk of metal. My typically plane mentality is that if no one else around me seems concerned, then I shouldn’t be concerned either. (I could live out this scene from my all-time favorite movie. Better not though.)

I decided not to worry about the burning smell, even though I smelled it for the majority of the 7 hour flight. I figured if we hadn’t burst in to a ball of flames yet, we were probably going to be alright. Still though, there was this smell. It smelled somewhat like an old curling iron that had been on for a while, burning away years of caked on hairspray. There were times when the smell made me reminisce of getting ready for high school proms…a time when I didn’t even know how to “get ready.” (Seriously, I literally had no idea what to do with make up or how to manage this hair of mine.)

The longer I rode, I thought more about burning curling irons and apple juice. I have such a keen sense of smell (not usually a good thing on an airplane) and it’s very common for me to get catapulted back in time because of a familiar smell. The more that I thought about the new correlation between sipping apple juice and flying, the more inspired I became. Some of my best writing and business ideas have come from long, muffled flights. This is actually a great time for this flight, as I have something new up my sleeve. (Like how I just slipped that in??) Maybe someday I’ll be flying here and there for lunch or random excursions, just so I can take advantage of the inspiration that comes from these flights. If that’s the case, I want to be sitting in first class. Go big or go home, right?

It also made me think about what would happen if this plane crashed. My first thought is that this iPhone note would be backed up somewhere and maybe that’s how they would determine the cause of the crash…something burning. The headlines would read – “Young Blogger’s iPhone Note Cracks Plane Crash Mystery.” Clearly, I’m being a bit silly. Although, it made me think about the notes I have saved on my phone. A few grocery lists. Some useless passwords. Many are unpublished blog posts. Some I just haven’t gotten around to sharing. Some, I’ve decided are too random. Or too “raw.” Would anyone read those? Would I want them to?? As I’ve mentioned before, this blog is much like a journal for me. When writing for this space, it means that a lot of what I write doesn’t actually go live. Instead, those posts live on my iPhone, serving as an expression of my thoughts and feelings. They are very much so my journal where I write through my own thoughts and feelings. It just so happens that I’m writing them from a story-telling perspective rather than an introspective one. Even though they’re not shared, they still live on in my iPhone. They tell my story. Would I want someone to read all of those? I’m really not sure. I do know that I’m thankful that they’re there.

For now, I’ll continue to write more posts, much like this one, that may or may not get shared. I’ll sip some juice and smell that burning curling iron smell and dream and reminisce and make plans. Most importantly, I’ll think. I’ll think about anything and everything, often simultaneously. I’ll have good ideas and not-so-good ideas. Some of them I’ll act on. Some will fade into the distance. No matter what, I’ll be thankful for the opportunity to think and plan and dream.

I’ll have another apple juice, please.

In just a few hours I will be on my way to Alaska with my husband, with family waiting to greet us there. This is a trip that we’ve planned and eagerly anticipated for over a year. I distinctly remember how far away it seemed when we first started discussing it. I remember it feeling like the actual trip was so far away. Well, it’s here now!

Matthew and I will be traveling most of the day on Tuesday and will arrive in Anchorage late on Tuesday evening. I wish I could tell you what we have planned for the week…I don’t even know though! Matthew’s grandparents lived in Alaska for a bit and they’ve made these summer voyages back for many years since moving back to Louisiana. They’re our trusted tour guides and we’re luckily going to see the best of the best through the help of well-traveled and experienced former locals.

Am I nervous about not having some sort of agenda? Certainly. Do I have the slightest idea how to pack for Alaskan summers? Not at all. Am I eagerly awaiting to board that plane, despite my uncertainty? Most definitely!

I’m sure that I’ll share bits and pieces of our trip on Instagram and probably Facebook as I can. You can follow along with #mapinalaska (Matthew and Pamela in Alaska).  At this point, I’m not even certain how much cell service or Internet access we’ll have.  I’m assuming that it might be a bit spotty, depending on where we are and what we’re doing that day. (Don’t worry, I’ve made plans for work while I’m away.) I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least somewhat looking forward to an opportunity to unplug for a bit.

I don’t have many expectations for this trip since I don’t really know much about what’s ahead. However, I am expecting to see some of the most beautiful scenery that I’ve ever seen. Everyone who’s ever been to Alaska raves about its beauty. I simply can’t wait to see it!! I am expecting to be somewhat taken back by my surroundings, and I bet I struggle to take it all in. I bet I’m immensely inspired. I hope to approach this trip with the enthusiasm of a small child, seeing something amazing for the first time. I’m also looking forward to breathing the air there. (And drinking lots of water so I don’t dehydrate from altitude differences.) I can’t wait to see how the air feels. I also just recently learned of the Anchorage Market. I did a bit of perusing through Google images and I’m suddenly very excited to hopefully see this. The wares look very different from any market I’ve ever been to and I must see it! (I also must make a plan for getting lots of souvenirs home!)

I’m sure it’s very easy to pick up on my excitement over this trip. My enthusiasm easily overtakes any uncertainty that I feel over what to pack and not knowing a “plan.” I have lots and lots of work to do today in preparation for being away. However, I’ll be subtly counting down the hours to myself. I’m one of those people who love to travel. I love seeing new things and having all of the experiences. One of my more recently set “goals” is to eventually travel for at least 3 months out of the year. (I haven’t put this goal “out there” yet, so you’re the first to know!) I feel like there’s SO. MUCH. to see out there in the world, and I absolutely want to see as much of it as possible. I want to be that lady sharing accounts of my overseas adventures and stories of little restaurants here and there. I am thrilled that Alaska will get to be in my list of stories to tell. I also can’t wait to get home and mark it on my travel map!

I plan to share the highlights of our trip here when we get home. In an attempt to truly be present and experience this trip, you’ll miss a few posts from me. I’m truly taking the next couple of weeks off, so I’ll be back here on My Neck of the Woods on Monday, July 6. While I’m away, do something fun! And make plans to do something exciting soon…like go to Alaska!

Also, I just stumbled upon this article about  how vacation is a mindset, not a location. Great read!

(The above photo is from our United Airlines eTicket. Thanks United!)