Cherishing These Days

These days are awfully busy on our little slice of island.  We are officially 6 weeks from our Beaver Island moving date (June 18th) and 10 weeks from our Alaska moving date (July 18th), which means that our days are being spent making lists, purging our clothes, selling furniture, booking plane tickets, and a million other little tasks.  My to-do list seems to be a mile long and no matter how many items I try to cross off it never gets any shorter.

With all the busyness we are trying to cherish the things that we love about the island, while we still can.  There are definitely things about island living that we will miss.  One of the big things is all of the outdoorsy activities.  We hike almost every weekend, and we often find ourselves at one of the amazing beaches to watch sunsets or climb the dunes. There's no shortage of nature to enjoy.

Last weekend, we took a spin around the island in our beat-up car (also one of our favorite island activities) and got out at lots of beaches and trails to walk around and play in the woods.  The footbridge is one of my favorite stops because it leads through the woods and out onto a big, deserted beach. It also just looks incredibly cool because it leads into some pretty thick forest and passes over a gorgeous creek.

We've never seen another human out at the footbridge beach, and it's far from town or any type of recognizable civilization.  There are a few beach houses in the distance, but nobody ever seems to be home. It's about 15 miles from our front door to the footbridge, which is a 30ish minute drive on the rough, unpaved roads on the island.  We spend most of the time bumping along, emphasis on bumping, at 20mph to get there.  The dogs are always anxious to get out of the car and run around on the beaches, undisturbed by other animals or people. They can really cut loose in places like this.

There are so many little gems like this one on the island.  Places where you can relax and be totally undisturbed.  Places where nature seems mostly untouched and you're just a visitor, not an invader. It's definitely something I am going to miss.

Your turn...What are some of your favorite local gems in your town/area?
Currently listening to...Closing Time - Semisonic 

Rosy Mound Natural Area

Rosy Mound is a park in Ottawa County that is comprised of huge dunes, heavily forested areas, and long stretches of pristine Lake Michigan beach. The walk is moderately strenuous due to 1,000+ feet of stairs and dunes that you have to climb and meander along as you hike.  It is only .7miles from the parking lot to the beach access (one way), but if you want a little more length to your hike you can do the 3 mile loop instead.

We chose to do the 3 mile loop with a few stops thrown into the mix. Lake Michigan was the warmest I've felt it all year, which meant my toes needed to be submerged as much as possible.  The hike was very fun and we (luckily) caught it on a slow day.  It was overcast and not too hot, so most people weren't doing a ton of swimming.  You can hike Rosy Mound and set up your beach stuff for the day on one of the two beach access points.  The beach was nice and clean here, so it would probably be a great place to spend the day.  Plus, there were two very nicely maintained public restrooms, which is always a positive.

Overall,  we really like this scenic hike and I would recommend it to others looking for a fun way to spend the day. The views are spectacular and the hike is actually decently strenuous due to all of the ups and downs the dunes cause. The only negative to hiking here is that the county collects a parking fee of $7/day (only during peak season).  I'm still used to Alaska where all of the parks and hiking trails are free.  Plus, $7 to complete an hour long hike seems a little steep, in my opinion. I think I'll mostly stick to hiking there in the October-April season.  I've heard it's absolutely beautiful there in the fall when the colors are changing.  Maybe we'll head back in October and get some new pics!

Your turn…How do you feel about paying to hike? 
Currently listening to…October-Tunng

North Douglas Beaches

Miraculously…..

It's been sunny this week! I feel like I've been writing that a lot this year.  Juneau typically gets more than 300 cloudy/rainy/snowy days per year (aka NO SUN).  This year it feels like we've had a ton of beautiful, warm, and glorious sun.  I'm never going to complain about that kind of a miracle.  

This week we took the dog out for a hike and a little sunbathing by the ocean.  It was actually warm enough (upper 30's) to hike without full winter gear.  The sun helped us out too.  We ended up lounging on some rocks for what felt like all day.  I got some great pictures.  Cody just about fell asleep on a rock.  Specks, the dog, chased enough birds to last him all week.  So warm.  So sunny. So relaxing. 

Perfection :) 

Questions:

Where is your favorite beach?

Tell me about your perfect winter day? 

Family Adventures: Part One

This week was absolutely amazing.  My dad and my stepmom flew in from Michigan to spend the week in Juneau. I hadn't seen them in almost a year so it was quite the reunion! Looking back, I can't believe how fast the week with my family flew by.  It couldn't have been more amazing and beautiful, we were very lucky :)

I have (probably) hundreds of pictures from the last week so I have decided to scale them down a bit and break it up into two different posts.  One post will focus on beach-y adventures and the other on hiking adventures.  Then, I plan to somehow sprinkle in some pictures from our times relaxing at home….like this one!

The weather this week was completely out of this world.  It was in the upper 70's and lower 80's almost all week (one day of cloudy and 60's) and we didn't see rain once! My dad and stepmom packed mostly jeans and sweaters because I had forewarned them about the rainy and cool weather we had been having.  Boy was I wrong!

We visited a few different beaches over the course of the week, each more incredible than the last.  We saw wildlife at every turn! Whales swam by us while we sat on the rocks, sea otters played around, and we even caught a few starfish! It was so amazing to spend the week in/on the water.  It is very unusual to have that much sun in SE Alaska so we reveled in every moment of it!

After our days at the beach we cooked out and sat outside until the sun decided to set, which in Alaska at this time of the year basically means it hides behind the mountains but it stays light outside.  It was a truly beautiful vacation.  I enjoyed the week of fun and adventure with my family so much!

Do Vegetarians Go Fishing?

Today's post is about my adventures fishing in Alaska.  Before I start though, I thought I should address that fact that I AM a vegetarian.  Let's rewind…my veggie beliefs began at an early age.  I began refusing meat when my parents first tried giving it to me in my toddler years.  They were supportive of the no-meat attitude I had somehow developed by the age of two.  So, I just never ate meat and I was always actively against it.  As I grew older I was mainly against factory farming and big business controlling our food (I hate Monsanto too but that's a conversation for another day). I marched in parades to support vegetarian/vegan lifestyles, I handed out pamphlets, and generally supported my fellow veg-lovers and animals!

Activism, 2006. 

Then, I moved to Alaska in 2010 and saw the lack of resources.  It was impossible for me to be a vegetarian living in the Bush.  There was no milk of any kind (powdered-only), no vegetables, no fruit, and generally not a whole lot to choose from.  It took up 4-6 weeks for mail to arrive so ordering fresh food online wasn't even an option.  If food wasn't at the general store (and it almost never was), I didn't eat it.  So, while living in the Bush I ate fish, but only fish that I, or another villager, caught.  I chose to only eat locally caught fish by people that I knew because it allowed me to know who/what/when/where and that the person respected the animal.

Catching Dinner, 2010. 

So, while I am still not a meat-eater, my views have evolved after living in such a remote area of the world.  I learned that my lifestyle is actually impossible in some corners of the world (at least I found no other alternative).  In Juneau the vegetarian options are readily available (thankfully).  But, I still believe that Alaskans as a whole are a subsistence people who rely on hunting, fishing, and trapping to sustain themselves throughout the year.  They respect animals, they recognize that they are not the top of the food chain, and they hunt for survival.  This is simply their way of life and I respect them so much for this.

The Dolly that I caught under JD Bridge. 

Do vegetarians go fishing? This one did! I decided that I would try it out as long as we wasted none of the meat…and that is exactly what we did.  Cody plans to catch enough fish and other game to sustain himself this winter without store bought meat.  If I can contribute to the decline of factory farming through this route than I have decided that I will try it.  So, here are some pictures of my fishing adventures (as a vegetarian).  Enjoy:)

Fish Creek. 

Juneau-Douglas Bridge. 

Questions:
Are you a vegetarian? Why or why not? 
What choice would you have made in my position?
Do you enjoy fishing, hunting, trapping, or gathering? 

The Views

Juneau is home to some of my favorite scenic views.  And, I fancy myself a professional photographer (just kidding) so I have tons of pictures that only I ever see.  This post is just going to show off some of the amazing views that are in my backyard each and every day.  Enjoy :)

Eagle Beach…

Eagle Beach Trail…

Mendenhall Wetlands...

Downtown Juneau (as seen from the Juneau-Douglas Bridge)…

Douglas Island (as seen from the Juneau-Douglas Bridge)...

Downtown Juneau/ Mt. Roberts…

North Douglas…

Finally, the view from my front porch on a misty morning.

I hope to do another one of these posts in the future.  I love sharing the beauty of Southeast Alaska with others.  It truly is a beautiful place to live.

**Stay tuned tomorrow for a post about a BIG decision in Cody and I's lives :)

Questions: 
Do you love where you live?
If so, what are some of the things you love about it? 

Hiking Eagle Beach

Hiking is one of my favorite activities, especially in incredibly beautiful weather.  I knew when I saw the forecast for Saturday (highs in the 80's) that I needed to plan a hiking expedition.  So, we made it a girls day and I hit the trails with two of my friends and our pups for a 3-hour hike.

Beginning of the trail. 

We started on a trail Out The Road (where the road in Juneau ends) that leads to a great beach, aptly called Eagle Beach. The sign at the beginning of the trail simply read, "Primitive Trail."  And, they weren't kidding.  While parts of it were maintained, like the picture above, other times we were tromping through weeds that reached my waist. We ended up getting a little off-trail and walking along the beach for a period of time.  We sat in the sand and took a rest after about 1.5 hours to refuel and water the dogs.  Perfect!

 Lavender plants that we had to tromp through to reach the beach. 

Snow-capped peaks in the summer. 

Specks & I stopped for a rest on the beach. 

All in all, the hike was beautiful and I couldn't have asked for more perfect weather.  We've really been having perfect summer weather the last three weeks.  Temperatures in the 70's and ample sun.  It has been perfect for physical activity outdoors.  I will typically hike no matter the weather (sun, rain, snow, wind, etc) but this near-perfect stuff we have been getting has given me a new appreciation for Alaska Summers and the hiking season.

We made it! 

I hope all of you are getting out and hiking, biking, kayaking, or any other physical activity while we have this amazing weather.  Even you Lower-48ers should be getting out and enjoying your summer weather (despite the heat).  Enjoy it while we have it!


Questions: 
Do you like to hike? 
If so, where are your favorite places to go? 
Are you enjoying your summer weather? 

The End Of The Road

This weekend Cody and I did something that we have been meaning to do since the first day that we arrived in Juneau…we drove to where the road ends!

The mountains at low-tide. 

The road actually ends in Juneau at two different spots, North Douglas and "Out the Road".  We have driven to where the road ends on Douglas Island (our home base) a ton of times because it is only a ten minute drive from our house.  But, the area of Juneau actually known as "Out The Road" goes quite a bit further into the wilderness and is where they intend to connect Juneau to other parts of Alaska by road in the future.  This area goes about 30extra miles to be exact (ish) and in the complete opposite direction of Douglas Island.  The drive took about 60minutes (each way) from our house so it was a bit of a trek by Juneau standards. There wasn't any indication that the road was ending (imagine my surprise).  But, after skidding my car down a narrow dirt road and realizing I was no longer on a "road" and indeed headed into the unknown I decided to backtrack a bit and park about 1/2 mile back at an outlook.  We hiked the rest of the way down to see what there was to see where the road to civilization ended.

Strolling on the beach with my pup.  

This was the perfect end to our weekend.  It was beautiful, relaxing, and we still got a little exercise worked into our daily routine (for both us and the doggy).  We live in such a beautiful place.  It never ceases to amaze me that I can walk out my front door and stick my feet in waters from the Gulf of Alaska or climb a mountain that is part of the Alaska Boundary Range.  Realizing how luck we are to have the opportunity to live in such an amazing place for a few years has really made me appreciate life and all of its adventures :)

Questions: 
Do you live somewhere that allows you to go on hiking expeditions? 
Would you ever consider living in Alaska? Why or why not? 
If so, where would you want to live? 

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think :)

Memorial Weekend

Happy Memorial Day (Weekend)!! Cody and I had a ton of fun this holiday weekend.  We were jam-packed with activities over the weekend, but no complaints about that! It was serious summer weather here in Juneau.  We had temps in the sixties and non-stop sunlight (about 18hours of it a day).  It was the perfect weekend for outdoor activities!

Saturday we went out to eat at one of Juneau's awesome restaurants, Hangar On The Wharf.  It is right on the Gastineau Channel and has the best views.  Cody had a shrimp basket and I went for this Brown Rice & Spinach Salad served with a side of GF bread.  Yum!!

Then, we spent the evening prepping some more tasty treats for a big cookout that we were part of on Saturday evening.  I made roasted asparagus, veggie kabobs, and orzo. My fellow veggie-lovers made some feta-stuffed tomatoes and homemade guacamole.  The meat-eaters cooked up some salmon, chicken, and meat kabobs.  I LOVED all of the veggie foods and ended up royally stuffing myself. I was obviously too busy eating and socializing to snap photos.

Sunday we had a little bit more of a lazy day.  We spent most of the day as a little family (the two of us and the dog).  We went for a hike on Sandy Beach here on Douglas Island.  It is the only sand beach in the Juneau-area.  We did about an hour of strolling on the beach (serious workout in the sand) and then explored this natural amphitheater-type hole on the trail.  It was a beautiful trip!

The lovely Sandy Beach. 

Cody at the "amphitheater."

Abandoned pump house, part of Treadwell Mines. 

We tucked into one of our favorite meals for  Sunday dinner, CALZONES! We seriously love these.  Mine was a veggie version (obviously) and Cody ate one with ham stuffed into it. We enjoyed them while watching the new season of Dexter (our favorite show).

Finally, we wrapped up our long weekend on Monday by enjoying some coffee and breakfast together.  We waited until low-tide, found our favorite boulder, and tucked into our meal.  Soooo relaxing and beautiful.

Then, we purged our house in an attempt to "minimize."  Cody and I have decided to try to be more minimalist (more on this later).  We took all of our extras to local places to donate them.  Goodbye books and clothes!

We wrapped up the day with an evening jog and some hula hooping (ok, only I did the hula hooping).
Hooping is one of my favorite ways to work-out and it was great to have weather nice enough to do it outside!

**Special Note:  Thanks to all those who serve in the military!  And, a special thanks to my wonderful brother in-law, who is currently serving his fourth tour overseas.  We love and miss you Ross!!

Questions: 
How did you spend your holiday weekend? 
Have you ever tried living more minimalist?