Bear Fight

Well, we made it! I am sitting down to write this post in hopes that it will help me to digest the massive halibut fish taco and beers I just consumed at Humpy's in downtown Anchorage.

Ahh so where to start...well, my Dad and I began our trip with a three hour delay in the airport, followed by one of the longest, most boring flights I've ever experienced (from Chicago to Anchorage). Highlights included nothing and...nothing.

We arrived in the airport at 10:30 p.m. AK time, to a sky that was still well-lit even at the late hour. I'm told that it gets dark around 11 this time of year, and that it will soon be light all day! After grabbing our bags we made our way to the enterprise kiosk, where the rental car guy hooked us up with a decked out Buick Enclave (back up camera, heated leather seats, and so on) for the price of a Corolla. We were psyched at his hospitality, and were feeling great ,albeit tired,as we drove to our hotel in downtown Anchorage( only after the obligatory cheeseball photo by the stuffed grizzly bear). For the record, I rescind my pledge to punch the first grizzly I see in the chest, as they're a tad bit larger than I expected.



7:30 a.m.- Quick 3-mile run per the "Fraley Family Reunion Marathon Training Program for Guaranteed Race Mastery " followed by a huge breakfast (reindeer sausage was on the menu, but I felt bad about eating it, as the reindeer were already forced to live their lives in some freaky 24/7 365 X-Mas fairly-tale land full of effeminate elves..being eaten would just add insult to injury, I think). Afterward Dad and I rented bikes and rode 13 miles on Anchorage's Coastal trail, which offered beautiful views of the Chugach Range behind downtown Anchorage. We had a great time and were ready to eat as we made our way to Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse for some fish tacos and well-deserved beers.The food was excellent, and the wait-staff continued a trend that we've noticed all day long...people in Alaska seem really friendly. I'm talking "best conversation you've ever had with some random person who noticed that you looked lost and complimented you on your nice haircut" friendly. That didn't actually happen to either of us, though I am fairly certain that ,had the topic of hair come up in a conversation today, someone would have complimented me on mine.



Tomorrow we are heading toward Seward, where I will be living all summer. We're planning on hiking the Turnagain Arm Trail enroute, before heading off to Moose Pass for some car camping, smores snacking, and bear wrestling. I'll post pictures and a brief trip report ASAP.

Cheers from Alaska,
Mike