Day 1

Yesterday was kind of surreal. I started the day off by waking up around 6. I got everything organized and said goodbye to Lola. She is Laura's roommates dog, however was given to Laura in a barter/exchange deal. 

What was the exchange do you ask? 

Well, it was a blender. A blender for a dog. I think Laura came out the winner in that trade.

Anyways, on my drive out to the airport I quietly observed all the chaos and commotion taking place throughout San Francisco. Everyone in a constant rush around the city trying to get to an unknown destination as quickly as humanly possible. An endless flow of people, motorcycles, cars, bikes, trains, and trucks snaking throughout the city. I'm not to upset leaving that constant barrage of noise and chaos. I love the city very dearly, but sometimes it can be just a little bit to much. I relish the fact that I'm going to a place completely surrounded by nature. Juneau as most cities in Southeast Alaska, have roads that do not connect to the mainland. If you want to get out, you either take an expensive plane ride or ferry. Your otherwise trapped. 

Engulfed by giant snow capped mountains rocketing out of the ocean. Green predominates the landscape and the blueish/green salt water channels zigzag across the landscape. It's a pretty amazing place to be isolated.

My flight was hellish. I was in the very last row, stuck in the middle seat between a nervous, overweight Italian guy from New York and a snoring Russian girl who looked like a Ivana Trump admirer. Both were entertainers on a cruise ship which says a lot. The flight I got is what they call the "mail train." This named developed due to the numerous stops the plane makes on its way to Juneau. It stops in Ketchikan, Sitka, and then Juneau. The flight in between each city takes 10 minutes, however add on another hour to de/re board all the people. On the Sitka flight, a guy who sat in front of me, proceeded to do his stand up routine. Right then and there I really wished I had a tranquilizer gun. I learned, that five hours on a plane is way to long to be stuck in the middle. 

What really bugged me was the realization that I wasn't going to see Laura for a long time. I've been around her almost everyday for the last year and half. I enjoy every moment we spend together and to realize I won't see her until the middle of August. I get really sad just thinking about it, so I'll stop now.

On my final flight from Sitka, I looked out the window and got really, really excited. Not a cloud in the sky and an endless horizon of snow capped peaks. I'm happy to be up here again for the summer and feel lucky to be able to make it up here again. 

Stepping off the plane, the weather is absurdly nice (85 degrees out) and upon arriving in town, people seem ecstatic at the marvelous weather. After a dinner of fresh, salted black cod and rice at my friend/coworker Henry's, I walked back home to the captains house. It was still warm out, eleven o clock at night, the sun was just beginning to fade. As I'm walking up to the gate, I come inches from stepping on a giant porcupine. An interesting end to my slightly surreal day.