els suburban or city-esque, both of which i expected at least a little, considering it's the alaskan capital and all. but no, it's just like a national park. alaska isn't fucking around. so yeah, i died and am now living in heaven.the goal for the morning was to go to the nearby "mall" in town to get a bus pass from the library. but i couldn't really stop taking pictures and missed the bus, which only comes by every hour. oh well, i just took more pictures, all the while trying to hide the camera with my half-finger mittens so as to not look like a completely clueless tourist who got confused and decided to vacation in alaska in january.
when i finally made it to the library, the librarian turned out to be a michigan grad (2003, english major). ironically, he didn't seem all that excited to be meeting another ex-wolverine, (unlike the graduation speech given by the dean), but was helpful enough and said that there are many people from the midwest here. who would have thought?
on the way back, i decided to walk the 3 miles back home (aka more picture-taking). so, here's what was on the side of the road, you know, no big deal or anything :P


if i had a car, i would park it right about here:

the lake by my house (auke lake):

currently wondering: how normal/safe is it for drivers here to stop and ask if you need a ride? does the answer change if the driver is extremely attractive? again, if liz gilbert ("eat pray love") can stay single in rome, i can do it here. it's difficult to imagine that alaskan men can be more irresistible than italian men, but you know, i could be wrong.
Holy Cow! You gotta be kidding me, the pictures are stunning! I am so jealous, you're so lucky you can breathe clean Alaskan air, I'm stuck with the Bay Area air. Maybe this is the stuff thats making Palin go cuckoo...
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting when natural beauty is highlighted by comparing it to man-made recreations of natural beauty.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. The more rural you get the more normal it becomes for drivers to stop and ask if you need a ride. Also the more rural you get the more likely that person is a serial killer. HAHA! Please be safe.
ReplyDeleteWow! That's amazing. I'm jealous :P As for men... sometimes in the hidden corners of the world there are gems who just prefer to be closer to nature. I would still avoid rides from strangers though, just to be on the safe side.
ReplyDeleteNilam, come visit! i signed paperwork today, and don't get any vacation days or anything, but i could always just take unpaid days. march or april is a good time to visit since it'll be warmer, but the bears would still mostly be hybernating so hikers wouldn't have to worry about it.
ReplyDeleteCYW, what do you mean by "man-made recreations of natural beauty?"
Andrei, so is there a rule that says, "the more rural you get, the cuter the men?" :P
kahiti, gems in the "hidden corners of the world" LOL
I love the pictures! Alaska is so beautiful. :)
ReplyDelete