North to Alaska!

Jenna: We got up bright and early on Wednesday for our long haul from Denver to Las Vegas. We saw some of the most beautiful scenery of the trip, from the huge jagged peaks of the Rockies to the beautiful desert of Southern Utah. It was hard not to stop every mile to take pictures. We decided to make a pit stop in Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah. It was definitely worth the extra 100+ miles of driving - some of the most gorgeous landscapes I've ever seen. Pictures just don't do it justice. The drawback... it was hot as hades. Over 100 degrees with no clouds and little shade. We did a 2 mile hike up to one of best arches - Landscape Arch - and I was not in good shape. Rob strapped on his big backpack for exercise and did fine. I was huffing and puffing and close to fainting just carrying the camera and a water bottle. The heat is not for me!

After about four hours at the park we were back on the road to Vegas. Again, the scenery was just spectacular. We saw a beautiful sunset across a canyon with two separate rises of mountains in the background. Unfortunately, the picture didn't turn out and we still had to finish the last six hours of the drive in the dark. We arrived at my parent's new house in Vegas after 2am.

After a five hour nap we were up again for a visit with my Grandma Louise at the Veteran's Home in Boulder City. She looked good and made a strong argument to come with us. Sorry Grandma! Then it was back to the house to finish packing for Alaska. The plane ride was uneventful. We landed in Anchorage at 12:30am and my sister, Tracy, drove us the final 150 miles to Soldotna. Unfortunately, we were driving during the few hours of darkness in an Alaskan summer so Rob didn't get to see much of the scenery, but we'll be back. We get to stay in the little cabin behind my parents house for the next five weeks.

On Friday Tracy and I got much-needed pedicures then we met up with a crew of Alaskan hooligans for the annual 5K. There is no running involved. Everyone piles on a school bus that drives to five different bars in Kasilof. This was the 5th year, but my first time doing it. It was a lot of fun and I got to catch up with people I hadn't seen in years. Welcome to Alaska!