Byers Lake Camping

Over Labor Day weekend, I took a little roadtrip to a campground called Byers Lake. I found this campground while on a search for a place to stay with good views of Mt. McKinley. Though the weather was not so cooperative, I did take a drive up to the national park where the fall colors were stunning and I could escape the rain. I also stopped at the Denali kennels, a place I cannot remember the last time I went to. It was pretty cute visiting all the sled dogs lounging around. At Byers Lake, I was able to rent a canoe for an overnight and boy did Oliver have quite an experience in a boat for the first time. I had a good time on my few days off and it reminds me how I need to get out camping way more often than I have...

Peterson Bay Field Station

I was offered the opportunity to take a field trip to Peterson Bay Field Station which is located across Kachemak Bay from Homer. We went with McNeil Canyon Elementary School's 6th grade class to do some nature hikes, tide pools, campfires, yummy meals, and marine life discussions. Not only were the tide pooling explorations incredible, but I saw more blueberries then I ever have in my life. I got up early both mornings just to go out and pick them before the kids got up. I think the best part was seeing all the varieties of sea stars. It was definitely an awesome experience and I hope I can get back there on my own time for some more exploration, berry picking, and hiking. Oh, by the way, there was tons and tons and tons of bear poop and one of the pictures was one of the biggest piles I have ever seen in my life!

Driving to Alaska August 2011

I am having some difficulty uploading pictures so I will attempt to do that after all the text.
Next journey was my drive to Alaska to start my 10 month long internship with the Kenai Fish and Wildlife Service. I, with the help of my parents, got my cousin Jeffy to tag along (and my doggie Oliver too!) so I wouldn't be driving 5000 miles alone. We headed out on August 4th and arrived in Alaska 7 days later without a hitch.
It was a beautiful drive as we passed through Chicago, the Badlands, Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada, and then even up to Fairbanks just for the heck of it. No car trouble, decent weather, and beautiful sights made for quite a nice trip. I decided however, next time I make this journey, whenever that may be, it's going to last 3 weeks instead of one. There's just too many things we didn't have time for or just drove right by that deserve a visit.