Sunday in Shorts.

There's no better way to spend Sunday than in shorts.

Especially when your Sunday is the sensational sunny sort that leaves one feeling stupendous.   

This is what summer is really about.

We don't often get to wear shorts here in Alaska and while it's not textbook warm (low seventies), there's something uniquely special about Alaskan sunshine. Maybe it's because we're more north than the rest of the states, closer to the sun, or perhaps it's just the natural landscape surrounding. Whatever it may be, it merits attention, and one cannot make the decision to stay indoors on a day like today!

While I worked most of the morning, I did have time later in the day to lay out in the sun, and I even went over to help Dad stock wood in the woodpile. If I'm living here a little while, I should help out as much as I can! 

Truly, there's no other place in the world I would rather spend my summer in than here at home in Alaska. And apparently, the same goes to the hundreds of thousands of tourists!

 

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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.

 

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