Juneau

So, our new baby may not be flesh and blood but rather nuts and bolts. Regardless, the "birth" was well thought out, quick, and costly....although it will hopefully not take us 18 years to pay off like most children do (at least I have been told)

Yes, we have officially crossed over. From a Honda Foreman all terrain vehicle to a more comfortable and heated ride, a subaru outback. Some may say into liberal / hippy territory as well (Dave Dean) but really, it is extremely well suited for Alaska (everyone drives a subi!) and for our new lifestyle: off roading and bike trails....yeah!

And, thanks to Ian we even negotiated two bike rakes (yet to come).  However, I am still hoping to ride my bike to work as much as possible as our new apartment is only 3.8 miles away. In attempts to be more green and just to enjoy the beauty of Juneau I am going to venture into the daily drizzle and get my wheels on!

Most of you may know that we moved to Juneau in October.  It was a rather quick and unexpected move for us, but a good one nevertheless. Our time in the bush was wonderful, I would do it again, but the universe has opened up another possibility (and thankfully a much healthier one) for us and so we have welcomed it with expectations and love.

View from Apartment

I am definitely going to miss aspects of Aniak, mostly the people. We have established many close friends and I still think of them often. Living in such close proximity has its way of creating family that bypasses bloodlines (although almost everyone native to Aniak is related somehow).  Our dear friend, Randy, is closer to finishing his cabin so hopefully we can make it back next year and see him.

But, as Ian says, we are not saying goodbye. For somehow in this space-time continuum (or lack thereof) I know that I will see them again. It may possibly be at a large banquet table where we can all share the journey we took to get there.

Downtown Juneau

So, I blazed the trail into Juneau 1 wk ahead of Ian to establish our home and find a car. Not to down play his part. He basically packed, cleaned, and settled everything in Aniak, and I am extremely grateful for his job well done! I know it was a TON of work and will reward him with many yummy gluten free / vegan dishes when he comes home.

Our new apartment is downtown above some shops. It is VERY cute and actually quite fun coming from rural Alaska. I haven't been in a store for a while (except for the 4-6 hour visits to Joann Fabric every couple of months) and it is right across the street from the public library. Ian is going to be in a pseudo-heaven with so many books so close to his home!

Ian in the Library, his second home. 

Our Apartment

I know it seems rather ironic that a 25 year vegetarian (now gluten free vegan) would live above a fur gallery....It is rather strange for me as well. Maybe I can do some PETA activism when the tourist season picks up?

But it does overlooks the harbor / ocean and behind us are large mountains and waterfalls, yes, waterfalls thanks to all the drizzle Juneau gets. The other day I was driving around and there was a huge rainbow coming across the snow capped mountains and what appeared to be out of the waterfall. It was so pretty!

Perhaps the best part besides the view / location is that it came furnished so we could just move right in. Due to the cost of moving in Alaska, and our desire to live more simply, (how does one always seem to acquire so many  things anyway?) we sold everything except some clothes, books (of course), and my favorite Jane Austen DVDs. So, having a furnished apartment was a total find.

On the first night, though, we had an unexpected guest. As a matter of fact, he or she enjoyed our garbage so much that they kept coming back. Just after we walked up the steps to our new apartment, Ian looked out the window and a large black bear was rummaging through our trash! We couldn't believe it! After all of our time in Aniak we only saw 1 bear about 200 yards away. First night in Juneau,  a bear so close that you could smell him!

Bear Eating Our Trash

Bear on top of dumpster

Stange enough, though, we did not see him while we walked up the stairs? How could we miss him? Thankfully, our encounter was from a window, and so was the next nights encounter, and the next. He has been coming back every night and leaving us with a lovely surprise in the morning.

Though the pictures are not very good, you get the point.

In addition, there are many hiking / bike trails and ski trails available so we will have plenty to do. Oh and did I mention that there are TWO fabric stores in town?!?!?

So, here is our new place. As more comes we will update the blog with posts.  They may not be as rugged as before, but hopefully interesting still.

And just a final thought, there is a wonderful Alaskan cruise that takes you to Juneau should any of you be interested.  If you haven't quite gotten into your bikini in several years, or if you have and are not sure why it has shrunk so much, you can clothe yourself in your favorite corduroys and turtleneck to take in the last frontier with us. Of course if you come in the summer months, you could still ditch the bikini for a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a raincoat; often much more flattering for the like.

Our open door policy still stands, RSVP is still recommended though!

Blessings,
Sarah