Friday, November 30, 2012

A Drive on Douglas

Today we woke up with every intention of getting out and doing something fun, but just couldn't manage to get out from under the warm covers. Sleeping in felt SO good. Dustin was up before me, and I think I finally rolled out of bed around noon. After some breakfast we set out to run some errands, and ended up driving out the road on Douglas to snap a few photos since it was such a beautiful day.

Tomorrow is opening day at Eaglecrest! So excited! Even though only the Porcupine lift will be open, we'll still have fun. I can't wait for the whole mountain to open. I love hiking up to ride, and it makes the ride down seem much more meaningful, but I can't wait to finally ride a lift to the top so I can make way more than just one run a day.

Here are the pics I took earlier!

 I would LOVE to just slash down that face... looks like so much fun!


This guy made an appearance several times, but I couldn't manage to get a good photo :(

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Power to the Powder

Today we hiked up Eaglecrest and got some turns in again. This time, on actual POWDER boards. Dustin was on a Capita Charlie Slasher 158 and I was on the same board but in a 154. Thanks to Spenser for letting us borrow these boards, we got some amazing turns in! 

We hiked to the top of the ridge and the view was more than amazing. Snow covered mountain ranges in all directions, and birds eye view of the Inside Passage around us, not to mention a few ravens that kept making an appearance. Although the sun wasn't completely out, we could see that strange ball of energy through the overcast and a lovely 'halo' was surrounding it. I've seen this several times back home, but being on top of a mountain with these views, deep snow, and a sun halo to top it off was just epic. 

The hike was pretty tiring. It snowed a significant amount since the last time we hiked up, and without snowshoes or splits, it was quite a workout. Not that I'm complaining... it's well worth the sweat and burning legs to get to the top of that ridge and see what we saw today. 

Oh yeah, the ride down was pretty fun too! The snow was still nice and fluffy from the past snowfall and since we were on bigger boards, staying afloat and making awesome turns was effortless. I'm still a little weary of attempting any significant drop since I'm not used to riding actual powder, plus being on a board I wasn't really used to riding. I certainly don't want to attempt a drop with my Smokin' board, mainly because it's just too damn short for that kind of riding. Park boards and powder drops don't mix very well :)

Next time I'm going to give my Burton Feelgood a try. It's only a 149, but it's a bit stiffer and has more of a nose so hopefully it will be powder friendly. After today, I've decided I want to stick around a 154 or slightly smaller for my next board purchase... and hopefully that purchase will be a split! 

Here are a few photos (and a video!)

Looking up towards the top of Black Bear chair


The sun halo was so beautiful


Looking back on Douglas and a view of part of Juneau through the valley


Awesome trees :)


Once we got closer to the top, we were easily sinking knee deep


Looking towards Admiralty Island 


Mountains, snow, water... what could be more beautiful?!


Note: This video was still 'processing' when I posted this, so if it's still not ready to view, please check back later! :)

Monday, November 26, 2012

Aquarium Additions

We have been debating on getting a couple angle fish for a while now. We've had our tank set up for a few weeks, and have some black skirt tetras and a few ghost shrimp. We figured no time is better than the present, so off we went to the fish store to find some new friends. We got three more ghost shrimp since a few of the smaller ones didn't make it. Once we get them acclimated and in the tank, we noticed one has eggs under her belly!


Then came time to release the angle fish. They seems to be getting along just fine with the shrimp and the tetras. 

One big happy fishy family! 



EUROTIC

Ok, all I have to say about this one is WATCH the damn movie!

If you like snowboarding, you will LOVE this movie. Without a doubt. 
And I'm talking to you dudes too. 
Just because this is an all-chick flick shouldn't even be in the question of 'should I watch this'. 

Just watch. And be amazed.

Some of my favorite riders, and a few I've never heard of. These girls killed it. KILLED IT! 

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Oh, Alaska, How You Continue To Amaze Me

So today we went on a hike and ride mission. 

What an EPIC day it was! 
I got my first taste of REAL powder. Finally. I know there will be lots more where that came from, but it is still blowing my mind as I type. The snow is just so different than back home. Different, in an AMAZING way. I love Alaska. I mean, I freaking LOVE Alaska! I could ride what I rode today all winter and be the happiest girl in the world. Thanks to our friend Spenser, we got to explore a lot more terrain than what we have previously seen and ridden. I still can't get over how awesome the snow was. For me, that amount of snow is way more than the best pow day I've ever experienced. If you've ever seen me super excited after a run down some amazing Southern Star snow drifts at Beech, then multiply that by a bazillion. That's how stoked I am right now. 

I knew Alaska would be amazing. But if it's this amazing already, and the resort hasn't even OPENED yet, then I can't even imagine on how even more in love with these beautiful mountains I will be after the winter is over. 

I'm wondering why the hell didn't we decide to move up here sooner! 

Here are a few shots from today.



























^Nope, of course that's not me on my ass haha.
Photo Credit: Spenser Johnson


^Haha sorry Dustin, I had to post this one :)


^LOVE this photo of us!
Photo Credit: Spenser Johnson


^This guy (or gal?) was chillin in a tree as we rode by. 
Porcupines are so cute!

Friday, November 23, 2012

A Tasty Turkey and Moonlit Mountains

I meant to post the Thanksgiving photos last night, but since I was in a turkey coma that didn't happen. Dustin was in charge of the turkey, and I cooked everything else. I was definitely impressed by how good and juicy the turkey turned out. It was one of the best Thanksgiving turkeys I've ever had! 

Besides the bird, I cooked sweet potato mash, green bean casserole, bread stuffing, spaghetti squash, turkey gravy, and a homemade pumpkin pie for dessert (I even made the pie crust from scratch!). Oh my goodness what a tasty meal! Since it was just the two of us eating this huge meal, we now have leftovers that will last us a month. Winter is helping out with the turkey though :)

After a good meal and a glass of wine (or several), we were out. O.U.T. We both fell asleep and napped pretty much the rest of the evening. It sucks we couldn't spend the day with our families, but it was relaxing to just to cook, eat, then not worry about a single thing for the rest of the day.


Dustin injecting a spicy marinade he created.


After several injections and a spicy rub down.


Fresh out of the oven! 


Dustin carving the bird.



My sweet potato mash in the making, and spaghetti squash about to go in the oven.


Winter was gazing out the window but of course turned her head 
as soon as I tried to take a photo. (Oh yeah, it was snowing all day!)


But she couldn't escape my cuddle attack!


The wind was howling something fierce outside. Dustin snapped this
photo of the rough waters in the channel. 




 Today, I had planned to be productive and do something outside since we spent yesterday stuffing our faces, but that didn't happen. We were both super lazy this morning and just decided to sleep in. We took advantage of some of the Black Friday sales at Sequence. No way in hell was I getting in the chaotic crowd of crazies for the early sales at other places. There was nothing I needed THAT bad! I ended up getting some new Burton mitts, a Neff beanie and a Coal beanie. Dustin got a Grenade beanie with hopes of finding a backpack as well, but he didn't find one that he really liked. 

We heard the aurora was supposed to be highly active tonight but it was too overcast to see anything. Also, it was completely the wrong time to be looking for the lights. I've heard the wee hours of the morning is the best time. I keep looking out the window every hour hoping to see stars, but no luck. If the clouds do clear, you better believe that I'll be hopping in the car and driving somewhere away from the lights. Seeing the aurora borealis has been one of my dreams for as long as I can remember. 
It will happen.
It WILL!
Soon... very soon.

On our way home, we pulled over so I could play with the night settings on my camera. The lights in the photos are kinda blurry, but the wind was howling and it was shaking the tripod slightly. I wasn't going to post these two photos but the mountains illuminated by the slight moonlight is just too pretty to keep to myself.


Looking at downtown Juneau from Douglas Island


Looking at downtown Juneau from Douglas Island. 
This one was actually taken in the parking lot of our apartment building.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have a lot to be thankful for today. And a lot to think about. 
I'm so thankful for the experiences I've had, the lifelong friends I've made, the wonderful family that stands behind me in everything I do, and a wonderful man in my life that shares the same passions as I do. If I had to list everything I'm thankful for, I would be writing for the rest of my life. 

I'm thankful to be eating an almost entirely organic Thanksgiving dinner today... everything is organic except for the turkey... no way I will pay $80+ on a 10lb organic turkey. That's a bit ridiculous in my opinion. At least I found an 'all natural, no hormones, yada yada yada' but like that really means anything according to the FDA 'natural' labeling standards. At least the majority of my meal will be anti-Monsanto! Probably should've just said no to turkey all together, but no turkey on Thanksgiving? That's just wrong. Also, I'm thankful for being able to even HAVE turkey on a plate today... I know unfortunately a lot of people are going hungry today. Be thankful for what you have EVERYDAY because you never know when it could all be gone. 

We also need to remember our history. Not long ago, the natives roamed this land, living off of nature and truly appreciating all this earth has to offer. Of course there were wars and fighting among tribes, but the majority of Native Americans were peaceful souls. Then we came along and ruined it all for them. Although I am thankful for the life I have today, I am also saddened by how it had to occur. It hurts my heart to imagine what these people had to go through. The unknown 'white man' appearing out of nowhere, claiming peace, and then taking everything, slaughtering, and spreading disease that eventually took out so many beautiful people. 

Many people choose to ignore this dark side of Thanksgiving, but I think to TRULY be thankful, we need to realize that this is the reason we are even here today, eating turkey, pumpkin pie, drinking beer, and watching football with our families.



Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Fish Creek Hike & Sea Creatures!

Well we sat around contemplating on how we're gonna cook our Thanksgiving turkey tomorrow and then decided to go on a hike! Since we didn't have much daylight left, maybe 3 hours, we decided on a shorter hike and to explore the Fish Creek area a bit more. We hiked for a little over an hour, then decided to head back so we could make it to the car before it got dark.

Fish Creek Trail is a beautiful trail. It winds through the woods following Fish Creek for what seems to be quite the distance. I have to idea how far the trail goes, and one day when we get an early start I would like to hike the entire trail. It wasn't too cold... mid-20s maybe. I got a few good pics along the way. 

We got back sooner than expected and still had some light left, so we drove on up the road to soak in the amazing views from North Douglas. We pulled over at a spot by the water (not sure what this place is called either). Followed the shoreline a bit, splashed through the water, checked out some tide pools, snapped a few more pics, then called it a day.

Fish Creek


Fish Creek


Ice circles?


Fish Creek


Fish Creek


Fish Creek


Fish Creek


FIsh Creek


Fish Creek... Dustin's slushy footprint


Snow on a baby tree :)


Our sea friends that made an appearance


Mountains on Admiralty Island


Frozen waterfall by the road


Birds...



Row of anemones in a tide pool


Cool looking little sea creatures...