Like Real Alaskans Do.

Did you know that our small town of Soldotna becomes the most populated city in the state during the month of July?

Lower forty-eighters, other fellow Alaskans, and the irritated locals all crowd this small town. A small town that was not built for 300,000 people.

We decided that the best way to avoid all of this harrowing traffic and influx of tourists was to get outdoors, into the real essence of the Alaskan wilderness that draws so many here.

So Alyeska, her boyfriend Braeden and I decided to drive up to Girdwood and visit the lovely Winner Creek Trail.

Just outside of the Alyeska Prince Hotel, it used to be a gem known to only those who knew of its existence. In fact, we first stumbled upon the trail years ago by accident, not knowing that at the end, a wonderful hand tram over a beautiful gorge awaited our crossing.

Unfortunately, it's caught the attention of visitors and is no longer a hidden gem.

Sad face.

On the bright side, when the clock hit just past seven in the evening, my dad took us all out on the river boat and we motored downriver to get our rightful haul of red salmons via dip-netting.

Not my preferred method of fishing, you basically stick a gigantic net in the water and wait for fish to swim in it. So while it's not exactly considered "sport", the good things are that yes, you do catch fish, and secondly, only Alaskan residents are allowed to fish this way! Bye bye tourists.

It sure is swell to be an Alaskan.

Homeland.

Paper towels. Iced coffee. Home cooked meals. Driving on the right side of the road.

Those are just a few of my favorite things that I came to miss when traveling abroad.

It's always when I leave the comfort and familiarity of home that I notice all that I took for granted, but that's a wondrous part of traveling.

That, plus drinking like real people do, trying new foods (still don't like black pudding though, sorry Britain), immersing myself in another country, and looking at the world from a different perspective all come together into making a trip something memorable and impactful.

See, I recently returned from a holiday abroad and I have to say, it's good to be home.

Don't get me wrong- I adored my time overseas! I loved my late night pub crawls, my dining splurges, and many purchases at Ted Baker. But there's something so incredibly refreshing about coming back home, with eyes widened and my thoughts more open-minded.

Traveling isn't about finding what you know (Starbs), and trying to alter the new area around you to fit your pre-existing routine. It's about foregoing what you normally do and having new experiences.

And all those new experiences make the normalcy of being home even more extraoridinary. And who knows, maybe I can make a habit of having that Irish Coffee every afternoon, thinking about those memories and anticipating my next adventure...