FLN Goes to the Great White North

Well, we went to California and Alaska, anyway. And, It. Was. COLD. Cold for our thin, Mexican blood. We did see 90-degrees (F) in Los Altos at the beginning of July, but a lot of the time in Anchorage we were in pants, hoodies, and socks (and mosquito repellent). It was poor preparation for Thailand (except for the mosquito repellent), where it will be hot and rainy and sticky and buggy. But all of this is beside the point. The point is, we’ve had an absolute blast in the month leading up to our month in Thailand, but we’re woefully behind on blogging. So, this post, similar to several others before it, will be quick and dirty and flooded with photos (the vids will have to come later in a separate post).

Here goes: As previously posted, we left our floating home in La Paz and headed to San Diego for a few days, where we spent most of our time preparing for travel to Alaska, San Francisco, and Thailand by going shopping at REI and getting immunizations (ouch) for various tropical diseases. In SD, we did manage to squeeze in a few visits with new friends and folks we’d missed during our last couple of trips home. Of course, we still have others to see on the back end of the trip. Mostly, we ate lots of food.

One of the main reasons we went north (at the beginning of tropical storm season, no less) was to go to Anchorage for Annie and Vanessa’s wedding reception, scheduled for June 16. This was the culmination of their various marriage celebrations, which began in February at a courthouse in their hometown, followed by a beautiful ceremony in March on a beach in Mexico, then, finally, a big party at the Writer’s Block Bookstore in Anchorage, with music by Annie’s favorite local band, the Hope Social Club. It was a fabulous time, especially since Jerry, Courtney, Spencer, Leanne, and Stacy all made the trip. Here are just a few photos from the party (click here to see the complete wedding album on my FB page) – enjoy!

On the days (about 14 of ’em) surrounding party day, A LOT of fun stuff happened. For example, Pride Day; strolling on the Coastal Trail; day trips to Whittier and the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center on Portage Lake; Hatcher Pass, Girdwood, and Eklutna Lake; outings to the Anchorage Museum and Live After Five; watching a friend’s cute 6-yr-old kid play soccer and watching the more physical, but often less mature, FIFA World Cup; a glorious side-trip to Denali State Park and the NP visitor center; lots of hiking despite the rain and mosquitoes; and finally, packrafting down the Portage River despite the wind and rain. Of course, there were trips to Double Shovel, King Street, Palmer City Alehouse, 49th State, Glacier Brewhouse, Denali Brewing Company, and other lovely eating establishments. Yes, a lot of beer was ingested and a lot of food was eaten (and pounds gained). How’s that for a summation of two weeks in June? Now for the photos. Good luck getting through them!

Jumping for joy in the Denali State Park at the top of the Curry Ridge Trail. Notice, not one really good, synchronized jump – haha!

Time flew while we were in SD and Alaska, but we had one more stop to make before Thailand – San Francisco. It was yet another whirlwind, but so worth it to catch up with our family and buddies – but, again, bummed to miss a few. There was watching more World Cup footy, hiking, mountain biking, and bocce ball – and, of course, eating. Now we’re off to Thailand with the crews of S/Vs Adventurer and Danika. At the top of the things-to-do list is — wait for it — eating. Haha!