home sweet home.

I'm finally back in Juneau, Alaska! Hallelujah! It's been a long 2 weeks. It feels so refreshing to be back in this place that stole a piece of my heart last summer. The trip up here was an incredible journey, but I'm glad to have a home again. Living like a vagabond was fun for awhile, but I can't tell how great it felt to sleep in a bed I could call "mine" last night. Yesterday was long. My ferry arrived in Juneau at about 5:30am and I spend most of yesterday moving in, and turning my house into a home.

The last three days were probably the longest days of my entire trip. Mostly because I was stuck on a boat that my stomach did not care for. Dramamine became my best friend during that time at sea. I had brought so many books I looked forward to reading during all that down time, but I spent most of it sleeping. Reading only made me more nauseous. The whole ferry experience was just outrageous. Joe and I sat in my car in Bellingham, WA for FOUR hours before we even boarded the boat. We were told to have our car ready in line by 3pm, and the ferry didn't take off until about 7:30pm. Ridiculous. Juneau was one of the last stops, so it was nice to get off the boat from time to time at other ports. We spent a good few hours in Ketchikan. Didn't do a whole lot, because there was not a whole lot to do. We got breakfast and wondered the town. The coolest thing we found in Ketchikan was Totem Row. By this time I was so antsy to be in Juneau. I think the ferry would have been much more enjoyable if I hadn't just drove 3,000 miles and if my stomach was cooperating.

Before all the ferry fiasco, though, I did enjoy a good few days exploring Washington. I got to spend a lot of time with Krista. She showed me around Tacoma a bit when we wasn't working. Got to see a really neat glass museum, downtown, and Stadium High School. Stadium High School was where 10 Things I Hate About You was filmed. This is probably lame to most of you, but it has always been one of my favorite movies and Heath Ledger once walked those halls. Personally, I was pretty stoked. Not to mention, it's a really cool building. Looks like a castle. I liked Tacoma, but I fell in love with Seattle. I feel like I got a good sense of the town and the people, and I could definitely see myself there at some point. I even stopped by the University of Washington and took my own little campus tour before we had to drive to Bellingham to catch the ferry. Beautiful Campus. Something I need to look into a bit more, though. I saw a lot of other college campuses throughout my drive up here. Keeping my options open at this point.

Juneau feels great right now. 60 degrees and sunny. I'm sitting at my favorite coffee shop downtown, which just to happens to be right down the street from my house this year. Extremely convenient, but also dangerous for me. I've had a lot of fun reunions and also have met several new faces I'll be working alongside throughout the summer. Great people. I can't wait for the whole staff to be here. Especially my roommates. I got that big house to myself for awhile, but they will arrive in a few short weeks. It's going to be a memorable summer, I'm sure. I start work on the 1st. For now, I'm taking advantage of these last few days of April to rejuvenate and relax. Sleep, run, hike, clean, unpack, facebook. You know, the good stuff. Anyways, I miss you all back home. I'll update again soon.

<3 Al

so many faces. so little time.

Thus far, my road trip has been filled with many, many highs and few lows. The most rewarding part of it all is getting to see so many wonderful friends along the way. I left Colorado on Friday morning for Utah. This was one of my longest days of driving. It was already a long distance from estes park to Logan, but winding through the mountains slows you down. Also, I was beginning to feel ill. I was slightly worried how my body would adjust to the altitude, but I don't even think it was specifically that single thing that bothered me. However, my ears were constantly popping throughout that entire drive. No bueno. By this point I was just so exhausted and lacking sleep, driving was not the best medicine for that. period. Once I got right outside Logan, though, I got to drive through Bear Lake, Utah which is one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. I was so mesmerized by the snow and pretty water, I forgot all about my sore throat and pounding head. I met up with Jeff Parker in Logan. Jeff worked with me last summer in Juneau and previously before that in Ketchikan for ACA. He showed me a bit around the Utah State campus and I got to meet several of his friends at a bonfire that night. The next day we hit up a newly opened coffee shop and went on a very short hike before I had to take off.

The night before I left Utah, I was contemplating a detour to Yellowstone National Park. I had plenty of time to spare and I've always wanted to see it, but I really wasn't feeling well at this point. Not to mention it would have been another night in a hotel instead of a friends couch. So, on Saturday I decided to skip Yellowstone and drive straight to Boise, Idaho. Another guide, Nate, that I worked with last year in Juneau lives in Boise. Nate is actually my boss's little brother. He left mid-season last year, but I will be working for his brother, Chris, again this summer. I didn't see much of Boise besides the inside of a Borders cafe, but it actually reminded me a bit of home in Olathe. Nice homes, new buildings, shopping areas, ect.

The next morning I left for Portland, Oregon. A visit that I had been anxiously awaiting my entire trip. A lot of the boys from last summer were from Portland, and they just raved about that place. I could not wait to see what all the fuss was about. First off, the drive into Portland from Idaho was just breathtaking. Once I arrived in Portland, I met April Scott at her house. She goes to school in Portland and I will be living/working with her all this summer. We have several mutual friends through ACA, but we had never actually met until Monday. She did a great job of just showing me around Portland the best she could in one short night. I really just wanted to get a good sense of what the people and town were like. It's unlike anything I'm used to, but I'm very intrigued. I can see how that place can grow on someone very quickly. April and I had some great conversations that night and I'm so stoked about my housing situation this year in Juneau. It's April, myself, and 4 other wonderful girls living in what we refer to as the 'Bath House' in downtown Juneau. What a phenomenal summer ahead of us.

I crashed at April's house that night and the next morning met up with Joe who I was originally planning on picking up in Portland. Joe is yet another guide, and he is taking the ferry with me from Bellingham, Washington on Friday evening. I arrived in Portland much earlier than I anticipated, so he still had things he needed to get done at home. I collected some of his things into my car and continued on by myself to Tacoma where he will meet me here by train on Thursday night. I'm currently at our friend Krista's home in Tacoma. Krista was my roommate and best gal pal from last summer. It was a happy reunion yesterday. I plan on crashing here for my remaining time in the lower 48. I'm excited to stay in one place for more than 24 hours. It was really starting to take a toll on my health. I have mostly all of the driving out of the way. No more 10 hour days in the car. Hallelujah! It's a fantastic feeling. Now, I'm just anxious to explore Washington over the next few days. Unfortunately Krista can't show me around because she's a hard-working business girl now, but that is okay. I'll manage on my own, and she left me a detailed list of all the places she wants me to see. So, today I'm about to go wonder aimlessly around some parks and museums in Tacoma. Tomorrow, I'm going to wake up early and drive to Seattle just for the day. It's going to be a good time. It feels so great here! I've really lucked out with the weather my entire trip. Mostly sunshine and 65 degrees. It's amazing.

I'll catch up with y'all soon. Adios. <3 Al.

Side note: Kansans/Texans...it is ILLEGAL to pump your own gas in the state of Oregon. Lesson learned the hard way.

THE END.

on the open road...

Hello dear friends! I have been anxious to get my Alaska blog up and running again. I really have just been anticipating my trip back up there for months now, but it's here! Finally. Dallas was a nice change of pace for a short while, but I can't tell you how refreshing it feels to be back in the mountains. Rocky Mountains, that is. I'm not quite to Alaska yet. I'm roughly under halfway through my road trip. I left Dallas on Monday morning and I'm currently sitting in a cafe called 'Kind Coffee' in Estes Park, Colorado. Which, p.s., is freakin' awesome. I wish I could spend more time here, but it's back onto the open road once I finish this blog post.

Thus far my solo road trip has been exhilarating, yet peaceful and freeing. Day 1 I drove the Dallas to Kansas City stretch. A drive that would normally take 8 hours took me 15. I stopped two places in Oklahoma. First stop in Edmond to see friends from last summer that attend Oklahoma Christian, and then a short stop in Stillwater to see an old kamp friend. So, I didn't roll into KC until about 2:00am the next morning. It was a long day. I spent another full day at home hanging out with my sisters and some beautiful life-long friends. It's always wonderful reuniting with those girls. You really learn who your real friends are when you move away and you can come home exactly to where you left off. We have all grown up a lot and are doing our own thing, but our relationships we have spent a lifetime building with one another is the single thing that remains consistent. It's a comforting feeling to know I will always have those friendships.


I was originally going to drive to Colorado on Wednesday, but I decided to stop in Kearney, Nebraska to see Miss Vanessa Leeper. One of my best and probably longest-term Kanakuk friend. Apparently we have known each other since we were about 8, but did not realize this until we looked back at old-school photos to find both of us in the same cabin. Crazy. Obviously the Lord really wanted this girl in my life, which I fully support His decision. She had gone out of her way to visit me in the past, and I was long overdue to go visit her. She plays basketball at the University of Nebraksa in Kearney. She's the most athletic, hard-core, competitive girl I know. She was always the last person standing in kamp dodge ball competitions with full-on war paint. Baller. We are very different people, but that's what makes our friendship click. She showed me around her campus, and Kearney. It's a very small city in the middle of nowhere. Calm and peaceful for a college town. I enjoyed it.

Yesterday I was originally planning on driving to Colorado Springs because I've always wanted to see that place, but with my Kearney detour, it would have been too far south out of the way. I wanted to stop at least one night in Colorado though, so Vanessa recommended I stop in Estes Park, and I'm so glad she did. It's a pretty touristy town because there's a ski resort here, but it is beautiful. Also, the slopes are obviously closed by now, so there are not that many visitors. It's fun just hanging out in this small cafe with the locals. The drive into the Rockies was incredible. I haven't been in these mountains since about 5th grade, so I am just obsessed with this place right now. The drive through Nebraksa was nothing special, though, I did see some gnarly storms rolling by. I was slightly terrified when I remembered it's tornado season, but I made it through the Midwest with no tornadoes. I wish I could have seen more thunderstorms before I left, though.

Yesterday I explored Estes Park. I grabbed a latte at starbucks and wondered aimlessly downtown. I asked some locals where the best hiking trails were and one woman recommenced Lumpy Ridge Trail. I hiked that for a good few hours. I probably only hiked about 3 miles, but I paused a lot to take pictures, and stopped near the top to journal. I could have stayed up there all day, but the sun was starting to set, so I hiked back down which only took about 25 minutes. Yes, I stayed in a hotel last night. I wasn't going to stay in Estes because I figured all the hotels here would be outrageously priced, but the manager at the Comfort Inn gave me a good bargain. I already checked out of my hotel a couple hours ago, and I'm just trying to enjoy a morning outside of my car before my 8 hour drive to Logan, Utah. I'm getting closer with every day back to Juneau! Excited to be back in that place, but I'm really enjoying my current travels. I've already gotten to see some gorgeous places and many faces of people i've loved and missed. Life is so good right now. Hope all is well where you are. I appreciate all your thoughts and encouraging words.

Much love, Al. <3

and of course it wouldn't be my blog without several photos...