Palmer, Alaska - My Favorite Things

We've lived in Palmer for a little over two years now, and I have to admit that it is a really unique and picturesque little mountain town. There's so much to love about it! I wanted to do a post highlighting all of my favorite things about Palmer, but I honestly had to edit quite a bit because it was going to get loooong. In the end, I decided to just focus on five of my favorite things about Palmer. 

Five of My Favorite Things about Palmer, Alaska

1.) Hatcher Pass. Hatcher Pass is a 300,000 acre state recreation area located right outside of Palmer, in the Talkeetna Mountains. It's truly otherworldly with how beautiful it is up there. There's a seemingly endless number of trails available for all skill levels, and in the winter it becomes a playground for skiing and snowboarding. It's also home to the Hatcher Pass Scenic Drive, which is a stunning drive up through the mountains, and in the summer you can actually drive all the way to Willow. This drive holds a special place in my heart. You see, when we first moved to town we lived right outside Hatcher Pass. Annika was a horrible sleeper as a baby (actually, she still is), so when she was a little I would sometimes take her for drives to get her to sleep. I got in the habit of grabbing a coffee from the nearby coffee stand and driving up into Hatcher Pass. It was a relaxing and scenic way to spend naptime. 

2.) Coffee, Coffee, Coffee. Palmer is home to some great coffee. Vagabond Blues is my favorite restaurant in Palmer and also my favorite place to sit and sip a cup of coffee while I get some work done on my computer. There is no shortage of drive-thru coffee huts here, which is something I LOVE about Alaska and haven't encountered in many other places. Brew HaHa is a little drive-thru coffee hut that is by my office that I frequent and I cannot say enough good things about it. There's also about a million other good places to get coffee.  

3.) Breweries. So many good place to get beer. Bleeding Heart is my favorite. It used to be set back on a really beautiful farm and beer was served outside in a cool, old farm building. The setting was amazing. They were moving/expanding this summer + COVID, so I'm not sure what their current setup is. I love their beer though. Matanuska Brewing is another great one. They have a quirky little brewery right underneath the famous Palmer water tower. I highly recommend stopping by there too. Or, if you want food with your beer, check out the Palmer City Alehouse. In non-COVID times the alehouse often has live music and events too (my personal favorite is their weekly Yoga & Beer class during the summer!). 

4.) Little Shops. So many cute local shops. Palmer is one of those unique towns that hasn't totally sold out to big business and it shows in a big way. The downtown stretch of Palmer is so scenic - big mountains rising in the distance and tiny shops lining the streets. You can get food at any number of local restaurants, buy books at Fireside Books, or get some locally made goods at Alaska Chicks, Cobb Street Market, Poppy Lane, or any number of other spots along the main drag and beyond. 

5.) Community Events. Palmer is all about the community events. There's the Palmer Wine Walk, Friday Flings, Food Truck Fest, Vintage Home Market, Yoga & Beer, Colony Days, Colony Christmas, Halloween Hollow, the Alaska State Fair, and so many more. Seriously, I can't even begin to describe how many cool events we've been to since moving here. There is something new happening every week. It's really neat to be a part of a small community with such an active group of residents constantly working together to make events happen. It really makes Palmer a cool place to live (or visit!). 

Currently listening to...Taylor Swift - Cardigan 

Denali Road Lottery - September 2019

As I dip my toes back into the world of blogging, I thought recapping some of our adventures over the last two years might be a good place to start. It is doubtful that these adventures will end up being in any sort of chronological order, because let's be honest - organization has never been a strength of mine. I'll try my best to label the posts with dates though to provide a little bit of context to our adventures.

In the summer of 2019 (Annika was 1.5 at the time) we found out we'd won a ticket for the Denali Road Lottery. Cody and I were so excited! You see, personal vehicles aren't allowed in Denali National Park. Generally, you have to book a tour on one of the park buses if you want to see the entirety of the park. The exception is the Denali Road Lottery that happens each year. In order to qualify to drive your car into the park you have to enter a lottery ($25ish per ticket) and hope for the best. Miraculously, we won the first year we entered, which we are told doesn't happen very often. The park assigned us a single day in September that we were allowed to drive the park road.

The second week of September we packed up our Jeep for a long weekend spent in Healy, AK (the town right outside the park). We booked the best little AirBnb (here's the link!). It was a secluded cabin probably 15-minutes outside the park. We really loved the location because the front porch hung right off the mountainside and we could sit out there and drink coffee while staring out onto the most beautiful scenery. They also had a great grilling area and lots of flat play space for small children (Annika pictured below running around behind the cabin).

The day that we drove the park was a little crazy, but in a good way. It can take 10+ hours roundtrip to drive all the way to Wonder Lake (mile 85), which is the final stop on the Denali Park Road. With a toddler in tow, we didn't even entertain the idea that we'd make it that far. Our goal was to make it to Eielson Visitor Center at mile 66 of the park road. Driving 60 (or 80) miles might not sound that far, but you have to consider the condition of the park road. The Denali Park Road isn't like your typical road. It's extremely primitive. There are no road markers, traffic signs, or even any pavement. The roads are roughly graveled (in some places VERY rough) and often only one lane through mountain passes. At one point, we actually traveled a section of road that was one lane, covered in orange cones, and had a handmade sign asking us to "stop, get out of the car, and make sure you don't see any oncoming traffic before proceeding." Turns out that particular stretch of road collapsed the following winter.

We succeeded in making it to the visitor's center at Eielson. It was a bit of a long day for Annika, but lots of stops and playing at the different campgrounds was helpful. Eielson was gorgeous and we are so glad we made it that far. It took us just over eight hours roundtrip. Unlike many visitors to Denali, we didn't really see much wildlife along the drive. We did see a couple of moose, but they were pretty distant. We weren't hugely concerned though because after years in the bush, we'd seen more wildlife than most people will in a lifetime.

One other cool thing about the trip was our dinner at 49th State Brewing Company. The brewery has a great location in Anchorage too, but we just adored the one in Healy. It was much more rustic and the outdoor seating was great. They also had a decent vegetarian menu, which is a huge bonus for me. Our favorite part was the bus though. I was a big fan of the Into The Wild book and movie in my younger days, and they happen to have the movie set replica of the bus at the brewery in Healy. Cody and I loved exploring the bus and taking pictures in front of it. I'd definitely recommend hitting up the restaurant and seeing the bus if you're headed to the park.

Currently listening to...Woodland - The Paper Kites 

It's Been Awhile

It's been awhile! A long while. I'm not sure if there's any readership still on this little corner of the internet where I poured my heart for many years, but I thought I'd give a little update in case there is.

The last two years have been a whirlwind. Having a baby, becoming a mom, moving to a new city, starting a new job...there's been no shortage of changes in the Middleton household. That is likely why this blog fell by the wayside. I also felt like I didn't have much to write about anymore. This blog was sort of fueled by Cody and I's lives in remote corners of the world that were primarily unknown to the general population. However, our lives in the bustling Matsu Valley in Alaska don't seem nearly as exciting. We are still having wonderful adventures, but we no longer rely on 4-wheelers for transportation or await the mail plane for our Amazon boxes that we ordered 6 weeks prior. We go to work, we eat at restaurants, we go on playdates at the library and the park (well, before COVID hit that's what we did), we grocery shop weekly instead of once every six months. It's a much different life.

Annika, 2018

A big part of our new life is our sweet baby, Annika. Her start to life was bit tough, as she was born with some health issues that kept us in the NICU for awhile. Thankfully, between excellent doctors and lots of love from her family, she made a full recovery. Now she is a spunky, opinionated toddler who is happier in the mountains than she is in the house. Cody and I really got lucky with this kid. She is such an adventurer and we can barely keep up with her most days. She is truly our little Alaskan wild child.

Annika, Summer 2020

We've slowly settled into life in the Valley. Although, if it were up to me we'd probably still be living in a village somewhere - growing our own food, set netting for fish off of the beach, hunting caribou out on the tundra, and enjoying a good steam on the cold Alaskan evenings. Ah well, a girl can dream about her husband building her a little cabin and living off the land, right??

I might try to start writing again, regardless of whether or not anyone reads. Writing is such an amazing outlet for me and I've really missed it. Hopefully I can work it into my routine in some form or fashion. Until then - happy adventuring!

Currently listening to...Stay Wild - Shook Twins

Same District, New Job

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. Well, if I'm being honest, this whole year has been a whirlwind when I take into consideration the craziness that has been this pregnancy and general life/teaching in the bush. It's been a wonderful year, but a busy one. Weighing heavily on Cody and I's minds this year was what we were going to do next year. We really love Pilot Point and have enjoyed living and working here. There are quite a few things working against us staying here for next year though. For starters, we have no childcare. Cody would have to stay home with baby, which he and I were interested in doing, but he wouldn't have any other young families/parent groups to socialize with here because our village is just so small. Also, the lack of healthcare and inaccessibility of it has been heavy on me. It costs $1,100/person to travel to the hospital in Anchorage and unfortunately our school's insurance doesn't cover health services in our village.

With these two issues weighing on us, we eventually came to the decision that we needed a change for next year. I began speaking with my district administrators about moving to one of our northern villages for next year. Our northern villages have much better, cheaper access to Anchorage and there is a clinic in one of the villages staffed by a PA that our insurance will cover. So, I proceeded through the second half of this year thinking I'd probably be calling one of these villages home soon.

Then, I found out that our district's Registrar was retiring and that they were combining his position with the position of Teacher Mentor. The district advertised that they wanted a current LPSD teacher to take the role because they wanted it to be someone who was already familiar with how we do things. I applied on a bit of a whim and told myself that the job was a total shot in the dark, especially since I heard that many others were applying too. I interviewed and tried to remain optimistic, but I had strong hunch that it wouldn't work out.

Well, I was wrong! The district offered me the position of Registrar/Teacher Mentor for next year. The position will actually be located in Palmer, Alaska, which will be a HUGE change since Cody and I haven't lived in a road system location in over six years. I will be traveling some and will still get to spend time in our villages helping new teachers adjust to life in the bush. Most of my time will be spent working remotely from our new district office in Palmer though. It'll be a huge adjustment and very different than being in the classroom, but I am super excited for this next chapter.

With all of this new knowledge, we've been adjusting to what our new lives will entail next year and starting to panic a little bit about moving with a newborn. The next couple of months are sure to be crazy. In less than a month we move to Anchorage to have the baby, then sometime before May 15th we will be moving back to Pilot Point to start the packing process, sometime in late May I am going to spend a couple of weeks training with our current Registrar, and then in June we will be relocating to Palmer. While it will be crazy, I am really optimistic and hope this will be our last move for quite some time. This will be our fourth city we've lived in over the last 7 years and I'm hoping it's the one we get to stay in and raise our child. Fingers crossed for a smooth transition!

Your turn...Have you ever made a big job switch?
Currently listening to...Good People - Jack Johnson

Videos for Teachers Interested in Rural Alaska

It's that time of the year! In many Alaskan districts (including Lake & Pen) contracts have gone out and the hiring season is getting ready to begin. As always, districts across the state are looking for quality teachers to join the ranks out in the bush. Making the decision to move to rural Alaska isn't an easy one, but there are many good resources out there to aid you in your research. One of the many great resources out there are videos. There are tons of videos out there on YouTube and school district websites. Below, I've compiled four of my personal favorite videos that I recommend checking out if you're thinking about making the leap to become a teacher in rural Alaska.

Bushed: Teaching Life in Rural Alaska
This is a four-part documentary series, and even though it is long I would highly recommend watching all four parts of it. The couple in it does a wonderful job of looking honestly at some of the challenges that come with being a teacher in rural Alaska. When I was first researching teaching in Alaska this series helped me so much. The wife from this series maintains a really great blog, which I recommend checking out too. BONUS - This family is a total success story because they still live and teach in rural Alaska!

KTUU Teaching in Alaska: Pilot Point School
This one is about us! KTUU (an Alaska news network) came to Pilot Point a few years back and shot a special about teaching in Alaska. It does a great job of highlighting the pros and cons of teaching in such a remote, small village. The teachers in it are also great, and one of them actually still works for our district just in another village. I watched this one more than once before making my decision to move to Pilot Point and found it super helpful. This video will be particularly informational if you're considering a one or two teacher site.

INDIE ALASKA: I am a Whittier Teacher
INDIE ALASKA does a lot of really amazing videos, which I highly recommend checking out. This one in particular is great because it follows a teacher in Whittier through her daily life. Whittier isn't exactly a Bush community, but it isn't exactly a normal community either. For anyone unfamiliar with Whittier, it is a small community south of Anchorage that is only accessible by tunnel. In addition to this oddity. Whittier's entire 200 person population lives in one building. This teachers story is super interesting and she has some good insight into living under a microscope, which is inevitable as a bush teacher.

First Year Teacher Adjusts to Life in Rural Alaska
I think this one is super informational because the teacher in it is a first year educator who has only been in Alaska a few short months. She discusses the intensity of being somewhere so rural and some of the difficulties that come with teaching in the bush. She addresses homesicknesses and texting her family to tell them she's ready to come home, which I think is something some new teachers don't always realize will be so amplified in the villages. Her principal also makes a guest appearance to talk about what makes teachers successful in rural Alaska.

There are so many other great videos out there, and I highly recommend you watch some of them before making the leap. As always, some of the videos you find will be from educators who had successful experiences and some are from those what had not-so successful experiences. It's important to look at all sides before you jump into such a big decision though and listening to people's firsthand experiences can be super helpful with that.

Your turn...Do you have any great video suggestions about where you live or your profession? 
Currently listening to...Heavy Feet - Local Natives 

A Holiday Celebration

As of 4:00pm on Tuesday Pilot Point School is officially on vacation for the next two weeks! Leading up to the vacation, which was much needed, we had to get ready for our annual Holiday Potluck. Potlucks are a big part of village life and in Pilot Point we typically have one every month. The Holiday Potluck is probably our biggest of the year because the students also perform at it and Santa comes to pass out presents. Even Cody had to get in on the Santa action - haha.

This year, the performance part of our event was titled "An Alaskan Christmas." We performed the play "The Sourdough Man" which is based on the classic story "The Gingerbread Man." Our play
was much more Alaskan-based. The story took place on the tundra and the animals were all Alaskan animals - musk ox, arctic hare, ptarmigan, etc. The kids did a wonderful job performing.

After wrapping up the play, we performed a song called "The Alaskan 12 Days of Christmas." It was a fun little version of the classic song with Alaskan animals substituted for the traditional lyrics.

The kids worked really hard to practice and get ready for their performance. They were happily rewarded with heaping piles of goodies on the tables for the potluck portion of the evening. It was a fun evening and everything went smoothly. It was also an exhausting day though - full of set-up, baking, performing, and cleaning. As fun as the event was, it was also nice to come home at the end of the night and put my feet up. Luckily, I now have two full weeks of putting my feet up and relaxing.

Your turn...What are some of the Christmas traditions where you live? 
Currently listening to...Joy to the World - Nat King Cole 

October

October was a busy month, which I'm sure all of you could have figured out by my lengthy blog silence. On top of our state of almost constant motion in the school, I was also suffering through some tough pregnancy symptoms. Throwing up became a constant annoyance in my life. By the time October ended I was actually 15 lbs lighter than I was at the start of my pregnancy, which didn't thrill my doctor since I am already a fairly small person. Fortunately, by the time I hit 16 weeks the doctor had prescribed me some wonderful medications and I was able to start to return to a more normal state of being. Unfortunately, I had to go all the way to Anchorage to be prescribed anything worthwhile. The views on my travels from Pilot Point to Anchorage were spectacular, but the need for a barf bag was not. 

After I returned from my little journey to Anchorage, things only seemed to get busier. Our all-staff inservice was in middle of October and I had to travel to King Salmon for four days of meetings and trainings. Thankfully, I did get to spend quality time hanging out with a few of my favorite teachers and I made another pair of beaver fur mittens (this pair I gifted to Cody since I made myself a pair last year). 

Towards the end of the month we hosted our annual school Halloween Party. It was a blast, as always, but also a ton of work. In the bush, the school is the center of all of the action in town, so the turnout for these kinds of events is pretty large. Amber (the MS/HS teacher), Cody, the parent committee, and myself put a ton of effort into cooking food, decorating the school, making games for the kids to play, and organizing the event. It was all worth it though to see how much fun the kiddos had at the party. 

As the month ended, we said goodbye to our nice, beautiful weather. October actually gave us some rare sunny days and I got the opportunity to get out and do a little hiking and adventuring before the weather turned. It was a wonderful break, especially after September gave us nothing but rain and wind. 

Now that it is November, we have transitioned into winter pretty firmly. Snow has fallen on multiple occasions, the wind is at an almost constant roar, and the temperatures are sitting firmly below freezing. I'm sure I'll be posting pictures of a winter wonderland here before too long, and I really don't mind the weather changing because it just means we are onto another season of adventures and one step closer to our biggest adventure - parenthood. 

Your turn...How was your October? 

Currently listening to...Zombie - The Cranberries 

Baby Middleton, Coming April 2018!

Cody and I have some big news to share, and we are very excited that we can finally say...

we're expecting! Baby Middleton - coming April 2018!

That's right, I am working on growing our little adventure babe as I type this post. Today I entered my second trimester and baby is growing right on track. Being pregnant in rural Alaska has definitely already been an interesting experience, as it is truly not like being pregnant anywhere else in the US. Typically, when you're expecting, you take a nice little drive to your OB once a month. When you live in a rural village though, the nearest OB is very far away.

Since August I've already taken two solo trips to Anchorage for appointments, which has been an expensive endeavor. It costs $800-$1,000 to fly from Pilot Point to Anchorage roundtrip and insurance will only reimburse me for two roundtrip flights (and one of those flights has to be my trip to give birth). As long as all looks well with Baby M, I'll probably only be going to the doctor every 6-8 weeks until I am farther along. Once I make it to the 36-37 week mark (March) I will have to relocate to Anchorage for the remainder of my pregnancy. Cody and I are currently looking at renting an apartment from the middle of March until early May.

The last couple of months have been a complete whirlwind for us. We're so incredibly excited and thankful. I can't wait to see how the next year changes our little family for the better.

Your turn...Any suggestions for a first time mom?
Currently listening to...I Don't Mind - Defeater 

We're Back!

Cody, the dogs, and I landed in Pilot Point in mid-August. We spent the days before flying back to the village in Anchorage buying enough groceries to last us a couple of months, going to doctor's appointments, and enjoying our last days in civilization. Anchorage is always hectic though, so when we finally took off it was so nice to fly low over the tundra and see the little village from above. After our busy summer and week in Anchorage, I was excited to get back to the slower pace of life in the village. I was also incredibly touched by our decorated truck waiting for us at the airport. The people in Pilot Point truly are the best.

The slower pace didn't last for long though, which is why it's been so long since I've posted. The school year seemed to begin at a breakneck speed this year. We had a handful of new students join our school this year and a new teacher too. Our school year schedule is also much different this year because our district petitioned the state to do a test run with a "Subsistence Calendar." The Subsistence Calendar is something we are trying, which involves operating a shortened school year from the beginning of September to the beginning of May.  The district is choosing to run it this way because many of our students are out participating in subsistence activities with their families from June - August and attendance tends to be poor. Also, by running a shortened school year we were able to save our budget and avoid cutting essential services and positions. You can read more about it here and here.

Somehow, in the midst of all of the insanity of the beginning of the school year, we've also been trying to make time for our own subsistence activities. We've been fishing, collecting plants, picking berries, and Cody has been taking advantage of the bird migrations and has been hunting geese and ducks. Our at-home time seems to be minimal, but that will shift a bit as the weather changes. It's already fall here on the Alaska peninsula and the winter weather is undoubtedly not far away. We had our first snowstorm in mid-October last year.

As the weather changes, I suspect some of the insanity that the first weeks of school have brought will die down too. I usually love the slow pace of fall and winter, so I can't wait to get into that part of the year. The time of laying on the couch and reading good books while drinking cocoa, or watching movies while eating freshly popped popcorn. I'm definitely looking forward to those days in the very near future.

Your turn...Is fall starting to settle in where you live? 
Currently listening to...Ends of the Earth - Lord Huron 

July Travels

July was another whirlwind month of travel. Cody and I were apart while he visited family in Illinois and Florida. During that time, I was road-tripping back from Virginia to Illinois and enjoying a week of rest and relaxation at my mom's house. While back in Illinois at my mom's house, we still managed to get into some shenanigans. Early in July we hosted a 4th of July party at her house, and we convinced the dogs to pose for adorable photos in their patriotic outfits. Then, later in that same week we drove to Milwaukee for Summerfest. At Summerfest, we got to see Tom Petty, Christ Stapleton, and a bunch of other awesome musicians perform.

About mid-month I headed up to Michigan to stay with my dad and his family. The first week that we were there my dad and I took a spontaneous trip up to Beaver Island. Cody and I lived in Beaver Island for a couple of years and I taught at the school there, so it was a blast to spend time visiting friends and former students. The gorgeous, Bahama-like beaches and weather didn't hurt either.

After our trip to Beaver Island, dad and I headed back to SW Michigan (where he lives), and Cody flew into Grand Rapids the next day. Reunited with Cody, we both then had a blast spending a few weeks in Michigan. My dad's house is on the beach, so we swam every single day. We also hiked Mt.Baldhead, watched sunset at Oval Beach, enjoyed a visit from my college bestie, and a million other fun things. I was sad when July came to a close and Cody and I had to leave.

Now that we are officially into August the countdown to heading back to Alaska has begun. We leave to go back to our village in less than a week. While we are both super excited, it is also bittersweet. This summer has been such a blast. We've spent so much quality time with family, and we've also had non-stop adventures. This school year should bring about some big changes for our family though, which I am pretty excited about, so I will be happy to get settled back in at our little village home.

Your turn...What fun things did you do in July?
Currently listening to... Tennessee Whiskey - Chris Stapleton 

Books for Teachers in Bush Alaska

Book: The Kids From Nowhere by George Guthridge
Summary: The author, George Guthridge, accepts a teaching job and moves his family to an island in the Bering Sea. The job comes with many issues: racism towards his family, lack of resources in the school, awful/unhelpful coworkers, and a million other little things. Despite all of his issues outside the classroom, Guthridge ends up creating a strong connection with his students. Eventually, he ends up successfully leading his students to win a national education competition.
Why I suggest this book: There aren't a lot of "modern" books that deal with teaching in rural Alaska. This book, while written in the '80's, deals with a lot of current issues that bush teachers face. The island that Guthridge teaches on has some particularly extreme issues, but it is still very relevant. The author also does a good job of speaking about the importance of culture in the school system, and he immerses himself in his communities cultural events, which I believe is important for all teachers in the Bush to do.

Book: Blessing's Bead by Debby Dahl Edwardson
Summary: This story jumps through the generations of an Inupiaq family who reside on a small island off of the coast of Alaska. The story opens with Nutaaq, a girl living in the early 1900's, and her family as they attend a trade fair in a neighboring village. Nutaaq's sister is married off to a Siberian man and taken back to Russia. Nutaaq remains behind with her family, but soon tragedy strikes when a plague comes to their village. After this, the story jumps forward and follows Blessing, a young female descendant of Nutaaq, who is living in Anchorage in the 1980's. Blessing is taken from her mother and placed in her grandmother's care. Her grandmother lives in the same village that Nutaaq once called home. The story then follows Blessing and her connection to her culture and ancestry.
Why I suggest this book: This book does a beautiful job at addressing the generational changes that have taken place within society. The book deals with issues that are extremely specific to Alaskan villages, and it is written by a woman who has lived her life above the Arctic Circle. The author does a great job of showing the Inupiaq culture in extremely rich detail. This book is beautifully written and I believe is a must-read for all teachers coming into schools in rural Alaska.

Book: 90 Below: Or, What Bush Alaska Taught Me About Drink, Destruction, and Survival by Eric Mack
Summary: This short story was written by an NPR contributor who moved to Alaska to start a career in radio. Mack's story opens with him at the bar and he recalls various events that transpire in his short time living in Galena, Alaska. The author details rough parties, local suicides,  and domestic violence. He also talks about the great friends he makes along the way and the ways that they have aided the direction his life took after leaving Galena.
Why I suggest this book: This book depicts bush living in a frank way, and does not shy away from   what life can be like in isolated places, particularly as an outsider looking in. I also think that it is important to note that Mack didn't stay long in Galena, which is often typical of bush teachers too, so I think that makes it an interesting insight. We often get stories from the successful teachers/people who loved bush life, Mack's story is kind of the opposite.

Book: One Man's Wilderness by Sam Keith
Summary: This book is essentially a compilation of the journals of Richard Proenneke, who built a cabin (by hand!) in Twin Lakes, which is an incredibly isolated wilderness area about a 30 minute flight from Port Alsworth, Alaska (Note: Port Alsworth is the location of one of my district's schools). Proenneke's journals detail his first 16 months off living in his remote cabin, totally isolated except for the rare visits by local pilot Babe Alsworth. Proenneke talks about building the cabin, providing his own food, handling dangerous wildlife situations, and many other unique Alaskan wilderness experiences.
Why I suggest this book: While this book may not seem like an obvious suggestion, it is a fantastic read. In fact, it is one of my favorite books of all time. I also think it gives a cool look at local history, flora, weather, and wildlife in this region of Alaska. Proenneke's descritptions paint a vivid picture of bush living, and also of the intense isolation of living alone in the wilderness.

Books about teaching/living in Alaska that are still on my to-read list:
Winds of the Skilak by Bonnie Rose Ward
The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
My Name is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson
Shadows on the Koyukuk by Jim Rearden

Other notable/similar books that I've read and recommend: 
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Your turn...What are some of your favorite books about where you live?
Currently listening to...Wooly Mammoth - Local Natives

June Travels

The month of June was hectic and fun for the Middleton family. We arrived back in the lower 48 during the last few days of May, and tried to get a little bit of r&r at my mom's house in Illinois before we started traveling all over. However, the "rest" part of our trip didn't last long, mostly because my mom and I started getting wild ideas to go places about two days after Cody and I landed in the state. We ended up hiking two different state parks in the first week of being there. We first went to Kankakee River State Park, which is only 30ish minutes from my mom's house, so we packed up the dogs and took them on a nice hike around the river. The second state park was a little further, but also super cool. We spent a day hiking at Starved Rock State Park, which I hadn't been to since I was a kid. It was gorgeous!

The next week I drove Cody down to his hometown in southern Illinois and I stayed there to visit for a few days. I actually went to college close to where Cody grew up, so it was a blast to drive around campus and check out some of my old favorite hangouts. It was also really nice to see Cody's family because I hadn't seen them in a year and a half.

From there, I headed back to my mom's for a few days (and finally got some of that much needed r&r) before jetting off to my dad's house in Michigan. I spent Father's Day in Michigan and my grandfather, who is 84, drove up to MI and spent the weekend with us too. It  was so special to get to spend a long weekend with two of my favorite guys. We spent a wonderful weekend living the lake life - floating, swimming, watching sunset from the boat. It was great.

My dad and I took a road trip to Virginia after Father's Day, where he then left me at my sister's house for 10 days. My sister and her family live near DC, and I really love going to visit them. She has three girls (17, 9, and 5), so we had a BLAST playing and hanging out all week. We did a ton of fun stuff, but my two favorite adventures were hiking in Shenandoah National Park and spending a beach day at Lake Anna State Park. The Blue Ridge Mountains were amazing. I fell instantly in love and stood in awe of them as we hiked.  It was a truly incredible trip!

At the end of my 10 days in Virginia I headed back to Illinois, which is where I am now. It's been a crazy, adventure-filled trip, so far. The adventure is far from over though. I still have a trip to Milwaukee for a concert this week, my oldest sister's wedding this weekend, a weekend trip to Beaver Island (where Cody and I used to live) next week, another trip to SW Michigan, and an end-of-summer cookout with my Illinois family. Somehow, I am going to pack all of that in before August 15th. Wish me luck!

Your turn...How is your summer going?
Currently listening to...Hurray for the Riff Raff - Blue Ridge Mountains