Moving to Alaska: Part One

Location: Holland, Michigan to Wawa, Ontario to Thunder Bay, Ontario
Lodging: Agawa Campground in Lake Superior Provincial Park and Prince Arthur Hotel
Mileage: 764 miles
Weather: 40-70°F, sunny

The first part of our Alaskan relocation adventure began in southwest Michigan and took us through the Canadian province of Ontario.  It took us two days to reach Thunder Bay, a mid-sized city in western Ontario.  This portion of the drive was a bit of a bucket list item for me because I've always wanted to visit the northern shore of Lake Superior. It definitely lived up to my expectations.

The first day, we drove north through the very hilly and scenic part of northern Michigan, and then we crossed into Canada shortly after entering the UP. The opportunity to cruise the shore of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior both in one day was pretty special.  When we finally hit Superior it was absolutely stunning, and a big change from our views of Lake Michigan earlier in the day.

The northern shore of Lake Superior was breathtaking. There's just no other way to describe it. Huge rocky cliffs, thick forests, and expansive views of the lake dominated our drive.  I was constantly screaming, "STOP!" at Cody and making him pull over at every scenic overlook. Thankfully, the traffic was nonexistent, so no accidents were caused due to my screaming. Cody's eardrums may never be the same though.

The campground that we stayed at was the Agawa Campground in Lake Superior Provincial Park. This campground gets a five-star review from me.  It was incredibly scenic and well taken care of, with easy access to restrooms, a water source, and firewood. I could have easily spent the whole weekend (or longer!) camping in this location.

The second day of driving was equally as scenic.  There were huge stretches between towns (roughly 150km) and we had to be very careful to fill up on gas at every opportunity. We rolled into Thunder Bay in the early evening, and it definitely gave off the impression of being a highly industrialized town. The downtown was busy, but not particularly picturesque. We stayed at the Prince Arthur Hotel on the second night, and were fairly underwhelmed with it.  The room was tiny and we could barely fit our overnight bags in the room.  The TV was broken and the street noise was a little tough to sleep through.  We were in a roadside "standard" room instead of the deluxe lakeside rooms they had available, so that may have had something to do with it. All in all, it was an ok hotel, but not my favorite stop of the trip. Thankfully, the scenery made up for it!

We drove out of Thunder Bay the next morning and eventually Ontario too. On our third day of driving, our travels led us into Manitoba. Stay tuned!

Your turn...Have you ever visited Lake Superior?
Currently listening to...Great Wide Open - Tom Petty

Eight Things That Make Alaska Great

I saw this article the other day and it really spoke to me.  The author details the various reasons why he returned to Alaska.  As my long-time readers know, this is something that comes up in conversation a lot in my household.  We almost moved back at the end of last year, but one thing led to another and we committed to another year on Beaver Island.  Nostalgically, Cody and I talk about our time spent living in our little seaside apartment in the southeastern part of Alaska.  And, when I saw this article it just sparked a new longing.  I thought I'd touch on a few of the author's points from the article and shed my own spin on some of the things that make Alaska great.

1.) The Light. The light in Alaska is truly different from anywhere else in the US because it is so extreme.  In the summer, the sun never seems to set.  Darkness is equated more with dusk, and only then for a couple of hours.  Then, winter sets in, and the few hours of sunlight seem to be frozen in between sunrise and sunset, which makes for stellar skies.

Late evening in the middle of summer.

Afternoon sunset in the middle of winter. 

2.) Tundra. When we lived in Juneau we were actually living in a temperate rain forest, but when I lived solo in the Bristol Bay region I technically lived in the far southern tundra.  I've never lived in a place with only scrubby brush and truly harsh tundra climates.  It's on my bucket list though.

Spongy forest floor in Juneau.

View of the landscape in King Salmon. 

3.) Glaciers.  Yeah, this one gets me every time.  I get that there are glaciers in the lower 48, but Juneau literally has a glacier just chilling in the middle of town.  And, that's kind of the norm for Alaska.  These huge, majestic natural formations are just part of life.  Plus, Cody and I climbed into the Mendenhall Glacier Ice Caves one time and it was the most incredible adventure I've experienced, thus far.

Mendenhall Glacier in the spring. 

Standing inside of Mendenhall Glacier and looking up at the sky. 

4.) Wildlife.  You're not the top of the food chain in Alaska, which can take some getting used to.  The wildlife is so different than you can imagine without living there.  My best example of Alaskan wildlife is Romeo.  Stuff like that doesn't just happen anywhere.

A little sea star that we found on the beach. 

Giant moose throwing water with his antlers. 

5.) Aurora. At one point, I subscribed to get aurora notifications sent to my phone.  Every time the notification went off I would be scurrying outside to see if I could catch a glimpse.  Unfortunately, my cellphone pictures don't do justice to the magnificent lights, and they say that the farther north you get the more intense the light. I hope to watch the lights from north of the arctic circle once in my lifetime.

Northern lights over Juneau.  Photo courtesy of this link.

6.) Wilderness.  One visit to a big city in Alaska will have you rethinking the term "city."  Even the land right outside the city borders are true, untouched wilderness.  I once hiked and camped in Katmai National Park, which is a park that covers more than 4 million acres.  You want true wilderness?  Head to Alaska, but make sure you're prepared.

Carefully planning a hike using a maps and trail guides. 

Fish Creek in North Douglas. 

7.) Mountains.  Oh, the mountains.  We've all heard the saying, "The mountains are calling and I must go." I pretty much feel like that whenever I think of Alaska.  There is nothing like spending the day climbing a mountain (without seeing another human), sitting on the top, and overlooking the world.  The views from the top make every adventure worth it.

Wilderness warnings on the mountain tops. 

Tall mountains on a distant shore. 

8.) The People.  People from Alaska are just different.  They have different sayings and unique body language.  Their culture is alive and vibrant and unwavering.  My time spent teaching for the tribe taught me more than I could ever explain about cultural diversity.  Also, some of our best friends in the world have come from Alaska.  They are just different, in their own kooky, lovable way.

Cody and the neighbors filleting halibut. 

With our best friends at a rustic cabin.

Your turn...Have you ever visited Alaska?  If so, what was your favorite part?  If not, would you ever consider it? 
Currently listening to...Going Home - The Shins

Cabin Camping In Alaska

Camping. I love sleeping in a tent, late night bonfires, the smoky taste of campfire food, warm coffee on a chilly morning.  I love all of it.

Beach views on the hike to the cabin. 

I've been nervous about camping in Alaska ever since we moved here.  As a midwesterner, I grew up without the threat of bears.  Bears are a very real threat in all of Alaska though and it is something I have felt fearful about since moving here. That being said, I was so happy to get the opportunity to do some rustic (no plumbing, no electricity) cabin camping a few weeks ago.  It spared me my fear of bears and still allowed me to do some camping!

Hiking about 1mile from our cabin location.

Great friends and a great weekend!

Renting a USFS cabin in Juneau costs a whopping $35/night.  These cabins go QUICK so you have to be speedy to snatch one up from the Forest Service before they sell out (think 6+ months in advance).  This has been the first time we've been able to score one of these cabins.  Sooooo worth the wait.

Breakfast and coffee on the cabin stove. 

Alaskan Gothic.  Can you spot the photobomb??

Cody, myself, and two other friends (and two crazy dogs) took a short hike to a cabin in the woods near Juneau and spent a glorious weekend hiking, camping, cooking, and exploring.  It was one of the best weekends I have spent since arriving in Juneau two years ago.

View from the hike back to the car on Sunday afternoon. 

If you ever get the chance to try out a USFS cabin in the Juneau-area I highly recommend it.  The cabins are beautiful and well-maintained. Some amazing memories were made in that cabin :)

Questions:
Do you like camping? Why or why not?
Have you ever camped in a bear-heavy area?
Where is your favorite camping location?