Alaska Bound!

I cannot express how excited I am about this trip! I am heading to Alaska today with my good friend and fellow athlete and Industrial Engineer from Georgia Tech, Alana! Alana was born and raised in Alaska, and her family continues to live in Fairbanks. Alana is heading home for two weeks of vacation and invited me to join her. I am so pumped!


But first, I took my last flight as a Delta kid this morning to Seattle. I lose my standby privileges on Friday when I turn 23... sad times. It was a beautiful and smooth flight though. We flew into Seattle over the snow-covered Northern Rocky Mountains and you could see the tall snow-covered Mount Rainier looming in the distance. Because Mount Rainier is so tall, it is usually covered by clouds. It was the same case today, but since we were flying above the clouds, we got an awesome view of the summit!


I had a 12-hour layover  in Seattle though before meeting up with Alana and flying to Alaska. Having never been to Washington state before, I took the metro from the airport to the Seattle city center and spent the afternoon seeing the sights. I went to Pike's Place Market per Mom's recommendation, and it was awesome! There were fisher's markets, fruit stands, cafes, bars, delis, bakeries, restaurants, smoothie stands, ice cream huts, nut stands, and artisans selling their handmade jewelry, leather goods, and paintings. There were free samples and amazing smells everywhere! Within one block I sampled cheddar potato soup, chocolate fudge, mangos, golden raspberries, orange glazed pecans, and the best... smoked salmon! I also bought a big package of freshly-made granola mix for the Alaska trip.


After spending time in the markets, I walked along the waterfront, through the Olympic Structures Park (of course), and then up to the Science and Technology park and the famous Space Needle. I really liked Seattle. I had no idea that it was right on the water. There are so many inlets and larks and green space around the city. The people were incredibly friendly too. 

Now back to Alaska... so far on the agenda- flying into Anchorage, driving to Ninilchik, going Halibut fishing and shrimping, doing some hiking and camping. It's all so incredible, and I feel so blessed to be joining Alana and her family in Alaska. I can't wait, especially for the mountains, the wildlife, and the cool weather (it's been beastly hot and humid in Atlanta this summer). 

I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post updates. I'll probably get more writing time since there's 24-hr sun there in the summertime. But who knows, I'll probably be so tired by the end of the "day" that I won't have time to write... that's kind of the goal. 

Catch ya' later! ALASKA BOUND!