tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59389894524338288192012-02-16T14:12:46.230-09:00My Adventures South of AlaskaMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.comBlogger601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-36194328296177637772011-01-31T23:57:00.001-09:002011-02-02T17:56:59.747-09:00

I'm sorry that I haven't been updating this... would I start to sound like The Boy Who Cried Wolf if I said I was going to try harder to keep it relatively up-to-date? I was waiting to make an update until I had some pictures to go with it, because I know it's not very fun when I just post a wall of text... but, it turns out, I haven't had the time to go out and take awesome pictures lately! Nor

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-60756976301942166162010-12-11T20:36:00.000-09:002010-12-11T20:36:44.502-09:00

Well, it's getting a little crowded around here! And I love it. I'm making an effort to surround myself with living things. I love my apartment so much but it does get a little bit lonely sometimes, and being surrounded by plants and animals (that don't violate the 'no pets' rule) make the loneliness go away. The latest addition, to celebrate the end of finals week, are a couple of fantail

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-79764866025755294782010-11-02T19:05:00.000-08:002010-11-02T19:05:37.037-08:00

Well, we're 18 days away from our big Don't Ignore Your Back Door clean-up event and we've been running full force with this thing. We've partnered with SOLV (Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism) and Clean Forest Project, both of which are fantastic organizations. They have been phenomenal in helping us with supplies, coordination, and, well.. everything. Clean Forest Project is even able to tow

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-89830557380285860302010-11-02T18:51:00.000-08:002010-11-02T18:51:37.687-08:00

Amid midterms, papers and projects I made some time to sit down with my advisor yesterday and finalize a graduation plan for me. Wow. It's that time so soon? It doesn't seem like I've learned enough to set out in the world and do good work yet. I guess that's what the next 18 months are for... to make sure I've learned enough. I'll be graduating at the end of March 2012. That means I have just

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-80258414065656793122010-10-30T17:33:00.001-08:002010-10-30T17:33:01.234-08:00

Well, I'm all settled into my new apartment. Here's the tour, from before I moved all my things in:  It's a studio apartment, so there really isn't much of a tour. This is what you see when you first walk in (I was standing directly in front of the door when I took this shot). With the (really great) windows to your back, this is what you see. Two closets, some great built in shelves, the door (

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-15482033987354850472010-10-14T19:52:00.000-08:002010-10-14T19:52:01.706-08:00

I'm still alive! I know it's been awhile since I have posted on here... life has been busy! In a great way. I am loving life right now.  Here's what's up with me right now: I'll be moving into my apartment either on Saturday or on Tuesday! I've been staying with friends since I got here and I'm so grateful to have had a place to stay... but I am also so excited to be getting my own space. I'll

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-48273170660907934082010-09-28T14:53:00.000-08:002010-09-28T14:53:43.579-08:00

Well... I made it to Ashland. I got in yesterday A.M. with a little time to spare before my first class at 11:00. The drive went smoothly, it was long but doable in the amount of time I had. And I even let myself stop to photograph some of the beautiful fall colors along the way. (The aspens in Colorado were changing as I left, it made for some stunning views as I drove.) For now I am

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-7197067108953617232010-09-20T13:38:00.000-08:002010-09-20T13:38:47.131-08:00

It's hard for me to believe that this summer is almost over, and that it is almost time for me to start another new chapter in this fabulous journey I have been living.  Saturday will be my last day of work, and also my last day in Florissant. I can't believe my four months here has gone by so quickly.  And I can't believe how much I still have to get done before I leave. After work on Saturday

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-4591326045933068432010-09-20T13:34:00.000-08:002010-09-20T13:34:29.427-08:00

It occurred to me the other day that I didn't have any pictures of where I have been living this summer, so I got out the camera and fixed that problem. This has been a fabulous place to call home, I am truly going to miss it. It has quirks and character, and its far from perfect... but my landlords are wonderful people and make up for any flaws in my little place beneath theirs. This is the

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-16749669122744084152010-09-11T18:57:00.000-08:002010-09-11T18:57:42.383-08:00

I survived Kids Fest! And it was such a fun/crazy/exhausting/encouraging/rewarding/all-around-awesome day. There was lots of learning, lots of hands-on, lots of excitement, and lots of FUN. More later. Now, it's time for bed.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-74685842881925612182010-09-10T19:10:00.000-08:002010-09-10T19:10:49.816-08:00

I meant to get this up last night, but life has been pretty busy. I've got an early morning tomorrow to be up in Denver by 8:00 (I have to leave at 5:30, yikes) for an event called Kids Fest, hosted by Rocky Mountain PBS. I'm going up to represent Florissant Fossil Beds.... and am expecting to see around 7000 kids in only 4 hours. Wow. If I'm still alive, I'll post pictures. But just in case I

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-67412230258809991392010-09-08T16:33:00.000-08:002010-09-08T16:33:13.115-08:00

I went to a little yarn shop in Colorado Springs the other day and bought 17 ounces of unspun wool in the most beautiful colors! The shop, Table Rock Llamas, is off in an area called the Black Forest. It looks so small from the outside, but what they have is really impressive! The front building is full of beautiful yarns (I restrained myself.. with difficulty) and the back building is a large

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-3781730255405624452010-09-08T09:15:00.000-08:002010-09-08T09:15:54.217-08:00

This summer I got a chance to reconnect with people in my family whom I haven't seen since I was a kid. My cousin Holly happens to live in Denver and we were able to get together earlier this summer. Holly got married on Sunday and I was lucky enough to be able to go to her gorgeous wedding in Evergreen, CO! I got to meet her husband, Matt. A really great guy, I'm glad to call him family! And

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-78367786022550632492010-09-05T09:35:00.000-08:002010-09-05T09:35:29.201-08:00

When we got to New Zealand (way back in March, I'm really behind in getting these pictures up) we stayed with friends in Auckland for the first couple of nights. One of the first things we did was visit the Auckland Botanic Gardens just up the street from where our friends live in South Auckland. The gardens are huge (over 150 acres) and have an equally large variety of plants. There is a large

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-37646224389084163542010-08-30T14:53:00.001-08:002010-08-30T14:54:35.476-08:00

I'm in the process of trying to reorganize the photos on my computer so that it's easy for me to find the ones I'm looking for. While I was sorting through images, I ran across this group of pictures that I took in New Zealand in March. They were taken in the Queenstown Cemetery. These images make me stop and think about how I have forgotten to smile the last few weeks. I've been so caught up

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-27937054936599513592010-08-27T21:00:00.000-08:002010-08-27T21:00:13.680-08:00

Several weeks ago I drove west towards Buena Vista and the Collegiate Peaks with my friend Emily. Our goal had been to spend most of our time at the Cottonwood Hotsprings and camp in the area... but, as usual with us, we got distracted with pretty scenery and interesting places. We didn't even make it to the hot springs! One of the places we ended up spending a good chunk of time was St. Elmo.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-23829658546104073342010-08-26T14:18:00.000-08:002010-08-26T14:18:25.166-08:00

My best friend Kristi came to visit last week and we got a chance to head down to Great Sand Dunes National Park for a night of camping and a day of exploring. The sand dunes are incredible--so unexpected against a backdrop of the Sangre De Cristo mountain range. They are nestled right at the foot of the Sangres, in the San Luis Valley. When we arrived it was evening and the sun was low on the

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-85934471503535327382010-08-15T21:24:00.000-08:002010-08-15T21:24:31.789-08:00

The Florissant Valley is traditionally a very sacred place for the Ute Indians. Historically, the Ute people would make annual pilgrimages each year through the valley to visit sacred places on either side of it. Just to the East of the Florissant Valley is Pikes Peak, the tallest mountain in the region (14,110' tall). In the Ute indian creation myth, the Ute nation originated on the top of Pikes

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-91757839991112145462010-08-13T22:32:00.000-08:002010-08-13T22:32:18.621-08:00

I took a drive down to Victor the other day with my friend Emily. Victor is an old, nearly abandoned mining town that is just south of where I live (maybe 25 minutes from my house). In it's heyday, Victor earned the name "City of Mines" by having the richest mines in the West. However, the mine owners and the other wealthy people lived in it's sister city, Cripple Creek. The city of Cripple Creek

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-32757257623933057012010-08-10T17:43:00.001-08:002010-08-10T17:45:03.391-08:00

I went to the Teller County Fair to watch the rodeo on Saturday, and for once this summer I actually remembered to bring my camera to a rodeo! The fair is in Cripple Creek, CO (only about 10 minutes from where I live). Its a gorgeous spot for the fairgrounds, nestled in the hills and with a great view! In case you get bored with the rodeo (and I can't imagine you would.. but you never know!) you

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-25932542799966942412010-08-07T15:47:00.000-08:002010-08-07T15:47:59.254-08:00

I went to the Teller County Fair today... here's a preview of what was going on. I'll post more pictures in a couple days!

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-61567592755493385852010-08-04T16:00:00.001-08:002010-08-04T16:01:39.773-08:00

July 24 and 25 was Hornbek Homestead Days at the Monument. Homestead Days is a fun event that always takes place the last weekend in July (and the first weekend in December). With rangers and volunteers dressed in period costumes and the woodstove going full blast for baking fresh bread, it's always a fun time. The first Saturday in July is also Heritage Day in the town of Florissant, a fun

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-17571054290095094272010-08-01T20:06:00.000-08:002010-08-01T20:06:38.903-08:00

I am absolutely exhausted. I feel like I have been going non-stop for weeks (which I have, except for a short trip to Denver to see the King Tut exhibit on Wednesday... it was AWESOME, I highly recommend it if it's in your area!). I've been putting just about everything I've got into a project at work which will (hopefully) culminate into an awesome community event on Tuesday. I'll be sure to

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-28123241157372067802010-07-24T19:58:00.000-08:002010-07-24T19:58:00.018-08:00

In addition to large petrified Redwood stumps, Florissant is home to thousands of fossils of over 1500 different species of plants, insects, and gastropods. These fossils are all found in a delicate rock called shale. The shale was formed at the bottom of an ancient lakebed as ash from a volcano 18 miles away slowly accumulated in layers. Between the layers of volcanic ash organisms were trapped

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-43415680589166697122010-07-24T19:26:00.002-08:002010-08-04T15:23:07.984-08:00

I'll try to take some more pictures of the Monument so that you can get a better idea of where I work... until then, here are some pictures that I took (and one that was taken of me) on our park wide 'Photo Blitz' day. We are working on using social media to increase visitation to the Monument, so we have recently created a Facebook page. To kick off the page, we had a day where everyone who

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-24180481057676872772010-07-24T18:50:00.000-08:002010-07-24T18:50:18.804-08:00

I have been having so many fun adventures in Colorado that it has been hard to sit at the computer and update this blog. But it also seems like a shame not to share these adventures with the world! I'll try to be better about keeping this up to date. But, I'll apologize in advance for the inevitable (that it will be another few months before I update again!) Here are a few glimpses at life in

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-91255096544156004512010-03-19T20:36:00.000-08:002010-03-19T20:36:58.849-08:00

We spent most of today out at Alcatraz on "The Rock." I don't have much time to write about it, so I'll just give you lots of pictures to check out. So far, Alcatraz is one of my favorite things that I have done in San Francisco. The audio tour at Alcatraz was phenomenal... well worth walking around with the goofy headphones. Tomorrow: Walking the Golden Gate Bridge and whatever

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-36464026166420396152010-03-18T20:18:00.000-08:002010-03-18T20:18:56.743-08:00

Oh yes, we did. We spent today driving our (rented) mustang convertible between wineries in Amador County (in the Sierra Foothills)... great fun! Tomorrow: Alcatraz, yummy San Franciscan food, and more exploring the city.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-75783681907844128692010-03-17T22:29:00.000-08:002010-03-17T22:29:30.578-08:00

Here's proof that I'm having the time of my life in San Francisco. I'm telling you, if I were to ever live in a city... it would be this one. Matt and I have so far been able to fit a ton of awesome stuff into a very short time. Tomorrow we are headed off to wine country for the day.... and treating ourselves by renting a Mustang convertible (Mom, are you jealous yet?).

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-34574580473726799652010-03-11T15:46:00.000-09:002010-03-11T15:46:54.810-09:00

(I am apologizing in advance, there's a lot of words in this post. But I make up for it at the end with lots of pictures.) As I type this I am sitting on the floor of my room at school, surrounded by bags and boxes of everything I own (and some piles that I haven't yet packed). Tomorrow I will take my last final and be officially done with my 2nd term at SOU. Then I will meet with the RA (

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-81209466589319421992010-03-11T14:11:00.000-09:002010-03-11T14:11:35.922-09:00

Okay, this post is long overdue. But, you have to cut me a little slack... the last few weeks have been crazy. I am so lucky to have such an awesome family! My mom flew down to Oregon from Alaska to celebrate my birthday with Gram and I. We celebrated the weekend after my actual birthday, since my birthday fell on a monday this year. It was such a fun weekend with 3 generations all together!

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-57083740550937680032010-01-26T10:19:00.001-09:002010-01-26T10:20:09.596-09:00

This is what winter looks like in Ashland. The snow has just now made an appearance. The last few days there has been snow on the mountains in the mornings. Most of it melts off by noon, but the places that don't get sunlight until late in the day keep their nice, white blanket a little longer. Of course, it's nothing like all of the snow in Anchorage over Christmas break.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-33085258974001159762009-12-19T16:48:00.005-09:002009-12-19T17:18:37.264-09:00

Mom and I just weren't into dragging out all of the Christmas decorations this year... so we decided to go the nontraditional route and make a tropical tree!All three of us had been toying with the idea of using the rubber tree as our Christmas tree this year and we decided to go for it. After all, it's not the first time the rubber tree has been decked out for the holidays. (We can't agree on

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-53958991335777995352009-12-08T15:17:00.006-09:002009-12-08T16:03:53.876-09:00

...just so much fun! Mom sent me Christmas decorations (because she is the coolest mom in the entire world!) and, even though I am only going to be here for 3 more days (and 8 hours, 2 minutes, and 24...23...22...seconds) I decided to give my little room some holiday cheer!I started with the window clings...(This is the same picture but reversed... even though the words are actually readable from

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-55675067631320683432009-11-16T09:26:00.005-09:002009-11-16T10:37:08.822-09:00

I think it is safe to say that I do really well with updating the blog when a) I should be doing something else and b) the something else I should be doing is not very interesting/fun (like, studying for midterms a couple weeks ago). Well, since I last had nothing better to do... a lot has happened. It has been a really, really fun (and creative) couple of weeks!Two weekends ago I took an art

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-89990622776134199312009-11-03T17:50:00.003-09:002009-11-03T17:57:39.196-09:00

...Macbeth was awesome.And if you ever have a chance to see an Oregon Shakespeare Festival performance... do it.Also, Starbucks holiday flavors (and eggnog!) started today. Yippee! One of my favorite things ever... eggnog chai. (Yes, I rushed down to Starbucks as soon as my classes let out today.. and yes, I had a conversation with the Starbucks barista about how it is so exciting when holiday

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-89106941767420864462009-11-01T16:49:00.005-09:002009-11-02T17:49:47.900-09:00

My friend Kelsey ran a marathon today. No seriously, she did. She ran the New York City Marathon, all 26.2 miles of it. And I think that is totally, 100%, undeniably awesome. I wish I had that kind of stamina, energy, motivation, determination, self discipline and whatever else it takes to run a marathon.And so, because Kelsey is so undeniably amazing, I am dedicating an entire blog entry to her

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-45125560214472639812009-11-01T11:36:00.005-09:002009-11-01T11:44:05.768-09:00

What did you do for Halloween?(That is your cue to leave me comments... because I am beginning to doubt that you guys know how to do that...)This is what I did:-Slept in-Started knitting a hat (there are pictures below!)-Caught up on TV shows I haven't had time to watch in weeks (thanks, hulu.com!)-Two loads of laundry-Laughed and laughed and laughed at this video that Aunt Denise sent-Made my

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-2045794548019336452009-10-25T20:02:00.005-08:002009-12-08T16:11:10.142-09:00

I went to the pumpkin patch last weekend with my friend Elon and his family. It was a lot of fun... so many pumpkins to choose from.Yesterday, I took a break from studying (which was completely necessary to ensure I didn't lose my mind) and we carved our pumpkins. Here's the results (mine is the little guy):And our pumpkins in their final resting spot on Elon's porch (at least until after

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-48128492668098882932009-10-24T13:31:00.005-08:002009-10-24T13:43:03.626-08:00

The other day my roommates and I broke out some Halloween decorations and did a little bit of decorating. The result added some holiday fun to our rather sparse living room and the outside of our door. We all had a lot of fun decorating and taking a little break from school work.Window clings on our living room windows:Decorations on the outside of our door:I am going to be carving a pumpkin

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-81069611380048924402009-10-23T23:33:00.008-08:002009-10-24T15:25:19.008-08:00

(my friend Elon took this shot of me on an afternoon spent in Lithia Park in downtown Ashland)My life has been filled with getting settled, staying on top of school work, and exploring beautiful Ashland, OR.Getting moved in was the easy part, it was getting settled here that took a while. It has gotten a lot better since the first week or so, but living in town is hard to get used to. I have

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-38465866235055362342009-09-16T23:43:00.009-08:002009-09-29T08:54:21.852-08:00

It's been almost 4 months since I have posted on this and I wonder if anyone is still looking at it. Throughout the summer I learned to live a rather primitive lifestyle (well, by primitive I mean I had no internet and no TV). It was a wonderful break from the real world. But now I'm back and ready to start the next chapter of adventures. But, before I do... here's a wrap up of the summer.First,

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-6786551061599181362009-05-27T17:33:00.004-08:002009-05-27T18:13:07.623-08:00

Well, I MADE IT! After a long haul from Utah (and a very pretty drive through Rocky Mountain NP) I made it to Florissant.So much has happened since I got here, I know this post wont even cover half of it. The house that the park has rented for us is in Lake George and (very nearly) on top of a mountain. It's about a 11 mile drive for us everyday, 5 miles of which is on a dirt road up the mountain

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-3729003513765325002009-05-21T09:38:00.006-08:002009-05-21T10:29:51.542-08:00

Well, there's enough pictures here that I think they deserve their own post. These are from Cape Disappointment all the way to Park City (although I didn't do a very good job of taking pictures on the drive from Oregon to Utah, so there is only one). It was dark by the time I got the tent set up and cooked dinner (a frozen burrito with sliced avocado, yum!) at Cape Disappointment. This was a

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-77338866895336846812009-05-20T18:00:00.006-08:002009-05-20T18:31:24.160-08:00

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted. Sorry about that. I haven't been posting, not because the days have been so busy that I haven't had the time, but because the days have been so beautiful that I just couldn't make myself sit down to the computer. There won't be any pictures just yet, I'm going to try to find some wifi tomorrow sometime to get them uploaded (and I will also try to get back

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-80884903882895320222009-05-13T15:57:00.004-08:002009-05-21T09:38:25.740-08:00

I put some pictures in the last post.It's been so nice to stay in the same place for more than a few hours. I've been staying with my best friend, Kristi, in Everett, WA. Although spending more time in the car wasn't high on my priority list, we drove to Wenatchee the other day and played in the sunshine. Nice! Today we spent some time in downtown Seattle and went to one of my favorite stores,

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-3390384027131333262009-05-11T08:39:00.004-08:002009-05-21T09:37:59.172-08:00

We made it to the homeland... twice! After we left Vancouver we swung down to Point Roberts, a small piece of the US at the end of a Canadian peninsula. It was an interesting experience. We weren't expecting a huge border crossing, but there were more cameras at Pt. Roberts than at Port Alcan (which had none). It was very flashy. There are Canadian residences on the US-Canada border. Their

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-770950077200199352009-05-10T08:28:00.005-08:002009-05-10T09:11:43.334-08:00

Happy Mother's Day form Vancouver, BC! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. We've had some full days and I've just been too tired to even think about blogging.After spending some time (and money) at the casino is Prince George, we explored the city a little bit. I have to say, Prince George is one of my favorite cities on the drive down from Anchorage. We spent some time walking around Fort George

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-43045077971758506002009-05-08T08:07:00.005-08:002009-05-10T08:22:04.689-08:00

Good morning! We stayed in Prince George at the Treasure Cove Casino last night. After a great nights sleep and a filling breakfast, we are ready to go gamble away some money.Yesterday's drive was a long one, nearly 530 miles. We made a quick stop in Dawson Creek to check out Mile 0 of the AK Highway. The weather hasn't been as good, but it's not too bad. Just a few intermittent rain

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-15254617567147543612009-05-06T21:41:00.005-08:002009-05-10T08:21:51.244-08:00

What a fun day! We spent last night in a great hotel in Watson Lake, the Historic Air Force Lodge. The building is an old pilots barracks from the 1940's and has been restored by a very personable German-Canadian man. There were down-the-hall bathrooms/showers and a take your shoes off at the front door policy. It was a great place to stay.Tonight, after a long day of sightseeing and playing in

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-44936953336980377652009-05-05T21:58:00.004-08:002009-05-10T08:21:36.825-08:00

Somewhere between Beaver Creek and Burwash Landing, my bike decided to take a dive off the roof of the car. Apparently, unbeknownst to us, the front clips (that normally hold the front tire of the bike, but fit onto a skewer on the bike rack to hold it in place) had wiggled themselves loose from the rack with all of the bumps and drops in the Alaska and Yukon T. road system. Then, on an

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-31853255257790328852009-05-05T12:39:00.005-08:002009-05-05T12:49:42.433-08:00

BEWARE! Somewhere between Tok, AK and Port Alcan there is an extra large, easily spooked moose.VERY big (especially in comparison to Anchorage moose) with very dark fur. It will run at high speeds, without notice, in front of oncoming cars. Likes to run across the highway at the bottom of long, downgrades. Very frightening for drivers and passengers as the moose careens towards the car. May cause

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-52119117839714644952009-05-05T12:20:00.004-08:002009-05-05T12:50:05.053-08:00

Good afternoon from Whitehorse, YT! It's another beautiful, sunny day outside! We were fortunate to have only a few raindrops last night and this morning. We're enjoying some iced drinks outside of a great little cafe in downtown Whitehorse.We crossed the US-Canada border about 7:30 last night, AK time (that's 8:30 YT time).YT campgrounds are still closed for the season. We ended up driving

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-17413893350741413342009-05-04T17:02:00.007-08:002009-05-10T08:21:06.503-08:00

Greetings from Fast Eddy's in Tok, AK! We're sitting here, enjoying our HUGE burgers and reminiscing over the GREAT trip thus far.I'm so glad that my dad was able to come see me off. Sandra, K2 and MJ were also able to come over to say "see you later." Saying "see you later" was hard on everyone, but it's good to know I will be back in September.It's been a gorgeous, sunny day for most of the day

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-91508853684954688732009-05-04T16:55:00.005-08:002009-05-05T20:18:57.684-08:00

Here's some more pictures from hanging out with the kids on Sunday. Their dad, Don Kashevaroff, took these. Thanks Don, for capturing these special moments!(I just love this moment with me and MJ, very special.)

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-58918028398589138772009-05-03T20:43:00.006-08:002009-05-03T21:07:58.014-08:00

I'm exhausted. The car is packed and ready to go, after much rearranging. It's like a puzzle trying to get everything to fit! My neighbors, K2 and MJ, came over with their mom, Sandra, to help wash my car (it's a special activity we do together each summer).Here's some pre-carwash pictures of Sandra, the kids and me:And, some packing pictures:Right now, I'm off to bed. Hopefully I'll get a good

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-55759319855515282912009-04-26T16:06:00.006-08:002009-04-26T16:38:02.395-08:00

Check it out. My little car is ready to roll with the big boys down the highway! Over the last couple of days (well, weeks if you start counting from when I installed the crossbars) I have outfitted my car with over $1000 in top-mounting storage space. (Well, I got some of it on Craigslist, so I didn't spend that much. I spent around $800.) My car now has a fine set of Yakima Q-Towers and 48"

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-53833427211917418272009-04-21T02:19:00.012-08:002009-04-21T19:32:59.211-08:00

12. Lots and lots of snow11. Moments like these10. This drive (the Seward Hwy)9. This dog8. This hike (Arctic Valley)7. Resurrection Trail6. Projects like this one5. Hanging out with these people4. My bed3. Volcano watching (& this view from my house)2. Sleepy kitty1. Family

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-26440604653734455392009-04-21T01:38:00.004-08:002009-04-21T03:22:46.591-08:00

In two weeks my car will be packed and I will be headed up the highway to Canada. Once I get to Canada, I'll be headed back down the highway to the Lower 48. I have always found it sort of ironic that, to drive 2000+ miles south, you first have to drive 400+ miles north. I could take the ferry from Whittier, but really, where's the fun in that?It's much more fun to drive the highway. I'm looking

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938989452433828819.post-21226326142829610392009-04-14T10:20:00.000-08:002009-04-14T11:31:07.859-08:00

Ok, I'm going to blog! It's the new wave of communication, I figured I should jump onboard. Who knows, I might be twittering someday soon. This blog should be a good outlet for communicating with everyone this summer and next year. This summer, as an interpretation intern at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, I will be working with hundreds of park visitors to help spread an appreciation

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742570091469676927noreply@blogger.com0