Autumn in Alaska

Well autumn has arrived in Alaska... and left!  We had our first snowfall this past Saturday, September 28th.  It melted in a few hours, but fall is definitely over.  This morning it was a brisk 23 degrees outside at the house.  Our few weeks of autumn have definitely gone by quickly.  That is one downside of Alaska, the shortness of my favorite season.  It was a great fall while it lasted.  We keep chugging along with our classes, and Andrew started a new job  as Flight Operations Coordinator at UAA.  The view from his new desk is great - Merrill Field!  He of course loves being closer to and working around planes again.

We've had some breaks from the rain this month and I was able to get out and take some pictures around the Chugiak/Eagle River area, some of my favorites are below...

View from the parking lot on Mount Baldy in Eagle River

View from the parking lot on Mount Baldy in Eagle River

Mt. Susitna "Sleeping Lady" from the parking lot on Mount Baldy in Eagle River

Down the road from the Eagle River Nature Center

Down the road from the Eagle River Nature Center

Down the road from the Eagle River Nature Center

Hiland Mountain in Eagle River

Bear Mountain at Mirror Lake in Chugiak

Mirror Lake in Chugiak

Bear Mountain at Mirror Lake in Chugiak

Mount Baldy and Paragliders

This summer has been notably wet and not very warm in Southcentral Alaska.  However, we have had a few spots of sunshine throughout the summer, and last week was one of them.  Thursday after work, Andrew and I headed up to the trailhead and parking lot of Mount Baldy, in Eagle River to take some pictures.  It was in the mid-70s and we could see Denali (Mount McKinley from the highway)!  By the time we got to the parking lot, it became quite hazy, and we could not see the mountain anymore, however we still had a great view!  There were also about five or six paragliders launching from the top of the mountain that passed us as we were taking pictures.  

Andrew photographing a paraglider

Paragliding into the sun

Heading down to Eagle River

A hazy view of Mt. Susitna a.k.a. "Sleeping Lady"

Alaskan fireweed

Trying out this blog-thing...

So I've never been much of a journaler (is that even a word?) - but I've had this urge to write a blog for awhile now.  I have always found recording memories important as I've moved around and gone through all sorts of life changes.  My fondness for photography and scrapbooking has always fulfilled that need, but it never quite seemed enough.  For the past few trips we've made "Outside" (outside of Alaska, for you non-Alaskans) I've kept a travel journal of places we've gone, basics of what we've done, the weather, where we ate, etc., and by the middle of the trip, it becomes a chore.  Additionally, I have many friends and family who are non-Facebook users, so I thought this would be a great way to share what is going on in our lives!
So I plan to use this blog as a way to record the happenings in our lives (and many travels and adventures) for friends and family, and myself as well!

We'll see if the photo above attached correctly - it is from last summer, but it is Andrew & I at the top of Mount Baldy on a sunny June day.