Tender Mercies

Merry Christmas Eve!! 3600 miles so far, and we have yet to make it to our new home. 1500 miles to go. But that's okay because we are spending the holidays with family in Henderson and Mesa. This is a nice break. I've been really surprised at how smooth our road trip of 7 days in the car went. No flat tires. No accidents. Wonderful scenery. Big Skies. Wildlife. I am so grateful for the chance we have had to drive the Alaskan Highway. Below I have written a rough sketch of our journey. British Columbia is truly beautiful. This doesn't even capture it. Tuesday: Departed Fairbanks at 1:45 PM and drove to Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory by about 9 PM (PST). We stayed the night at 1202 Motor Inn. Wednesday: Woke up without an alarm clock at 7 AM and drove 12 hours to Watson Creek, Yukon Territory and stayed at the Big Horn Hotel. I took a lot of cat naps this day, and I soon came to realize how much these cat naps saved my sanity during the week.  Highlights o...

As I sit here in my hotel room in Yukon, Canada, my heart is full of gratitude and peace about the past two and a half years, though I feel like part of my heart has been ripped out and left in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was such a wonderful life, my first home with my husband. A final picture in front of our cabin in Fairbanks as we were driving out. I will miss it dearly. And for the record, it was 9:45 AM at the time the photo was taken. I will miss that too. It was in Fairbanks that I grew up, got to know my husband, improved my relationship with Christ, and learned to truly love the outdoors. I also had opportunities coaching skating that I would not have been able to have if the skating program were larger.  During the good-bye/appreciation dinner the skating club put together this past weekend for my colleague and I, I realized how incredibly lucky I was to have been able to coach SO many amazing skaters and work with great parents. I have to admit that there were times whe...

Hello again! The final countdown has begun until we drive out of Alaska onto our new adventure. I coached at UAF for the last time this morning. It was surreal. One thing I am going to miss about my town is the continual winter wonderland. I'm also going to miss the short winter days, although I know that sounds surprising. There is just something magical about it. It has been very important for me to get out every day during lunch time to get some sun, even if the sun isn't directly overhead. I've heard a study that explained how a rainy day in Seattle provides far more lumens--the amount of visible light given off by an object--than a bright TV studio.  Wow! So, I use this as a reason for me to get out in the winter, no matter how cold it may be. In order to accomplish this, I have chosen to walk to the rink instead of drive. I've counted myself lucky that it has been a warm winter so far, staying above 0 °  F most days, so all it takes is some proper bundling u...

"So do you think you will have as many adventures when you move to Kansas?" asked my friend and colleague at dinner the other night. Hmm. That's a good question! While I know we will be having our own Kansas adventures, I am pretty sure they won't be looking like this: Per our anniversary tradition on Black Friday, we began the morning at the Anchorage LDS Temple for a session and then had a lovely lunch at Sack's Cafe  (seriously a great spot for foodies and families alike!) I have a difficult time sitting all day, so I suggested that we go on an "easy-ish" hike, something we could see great views of the city and surrounding mountains. We chose to hike the popular Flattop Trail , a 3.4 mile round-trip hike with a 1300 feet elevation gain. Doesn't sound too bad for a fun afternoon with your hubby does it? Though I am so glad I completed this hike (which would have been impossible without Marshall), it was the most difficult hike I have ever don...

We are closing in on the final pages of the Alaska chapter of our life.  It has been a marvelous chapter, one that I am sad to be finishing. Yes, I am excited for the next chapter and its adventures, but this one has been so good to us. I can count the number of weeks we have left in my new favorite state on one hand. And yet, there are still enough weeks for some last-minute adventures! Hiking the Mount Healy Overlook Trail was one of them. When my dad came to visit us a couple of weeks ago, we took a drive down to Denali National Park to hike around a bit and show him the fantastic scenery of interior Alaska. We hiked the Mt. Healy Overlook Trail because it was only about 4.5 miles roundtrip but had spectacular views we could enjoy at the top.  It was pretty chilly when we started our hike at 2:30pm, Here I am, sporting my Arctic Winter Games gear! The trail was 2.3 miles uphill, with a 25% grade. It wasn't long until we ditched our overcoats on the side of the tr...

It is now safe to say that summer is officially over. The temperatures have cooled down to below freezing at night, there is now less sunlight than night, and we picked up our final share of farm-fresh veggies last week from our CSA farm. What is a CSA you ask? It stands for Community Shared Agrilculture , which is a program where you have a direct relationship with the farmer and where your veggies grow. We payed $365 at the beginning of the season and picked up our fresh veggies every Monday from June through September.  There are a handful of CSA farms in and around Fairbanks, but I am glad we picked Calypso Farm ( click for link ). I had the opportunity to go to the farm a couple of times to help out with farm, talk with the wonderful farmers, Susan, Christie, and the other farm hands, and get my hands dirty! I was able to help out with some thinning of the carrot plants in the early season, and then in August I was able to help with their compost pile. The season official...

Have you ever had a week where it seemed like the world was testing you for everything you really really wanted? That was my week last week. When Saturday came, it was time to escape and find some peace and refuge from the clamors of the world.  With limited time left in Alaska, we set off on a new hike we've been wanting to do for quite some time: Angel Rocks to Chena Hot Springs. Because we weren't up for doing 17.4 miles in one day, we drove to Chena Hot Springs, rode our bikes 7 miles down to the trail head for Angel Rocks, and then hiked the 8.7 miles back to the hot springs.  What a beautiful day it was! This was from the summit at mile 3. After we passed the summit, we were alone. I felt so much peace and calm while walking along the ridge top. I did not want to leave. It was 360 degrees of beauty and nature. No planes, no people, no roads, no buildings. Just the hills, clouds, birds, and sunshine. This was what my body needed. It was a lovely afterno...

I hope that these pictures will tantalize you into wanting to come and visit us...you have about 4.5 months left...clock is ticking. Anyways, on Monday I received an email from my dad, asking me when he would be able to see pictures of our cabin. I know, I know, we've been living here for two weeks already and I still haven't posted. Well here it is! It has been two solid weeks of adventures here in the Adams' cabin and in the surrounding playground we call Alaska, and we have yet to spend a weekend home. But now, I finally feel like we are moved in. Now let's get on with the tour! I hope you enjoy the quirks as much as we do :). As you drive onto our road, you may pass a flock of geese, some dogs in neighbors' yards, or maybe even a cute piglet just oinking around his owner's driveway. Seriously the cutest thing ever. Up our driveway you turn... ...Until you reach our lovely home!  Our cabin is two separate buildings, combined with a cov...