A little taste of Denali...

Rafting the Talkeetna River

 I finally broke down and tried the patty melt pastie (Reindeer, carmelized onion, and swiss cheese) from the Roadhouse and it was awesome!! 

After canceling our raft trip on Saturday due to rain, we hit the Talkeetna Sunday afternoon.  We stayed in between ominous rain clouds all day and soaked up the sun showers!  I even got a chance to get on the oars.  Enjoy the scenery!

First day in town

With the day off my only goal was to explore my new little town!  I was first taught how to use bear spray by the intern.  A word of advice, DO NOT stand downwind of someone with a can of bear spray.  Fully armed, I walked over to the ranger station to get a map and say hello to the rangers.  Next, I went down to the Talkeetna River, crossed the train trestle, and hiked along the rivers edge for a bit. 

 

After getting a library card, I popped into the famed Roadhouse for a loaf of bread.  It took all of my self-restraint not to buy everything in the place.  They had pasties (bottom right in photo below), which reminded me of Jamaican patties (Jamaica post coming soon), filled with meats of all kind.  The most enticing was the "patty melt" pastie filled with reindeer meat, carmelized onions, and swiss cheese.  YUM!  Something to look forward to.  I love my new town.

 

End of the line...

The inspiration for my blog comes from my Master's project.  I studied freshwater mussels which reveal their age through growth lines similarly to trees.  Personally, I am nearing the end of a long growth line (graduate school) and I am ready for new experiences, people, and places.  The intention of my blog is to share my new growth lines.  I recently returned from Jamaica and I move to Alaska from North Carolina in mere weeks, so stay tuned for some photo heavy posts!  I would like to leave you with a poem I found while packing up my desk.

live with intention.
walk to the edge.
practice wellness.
play with abandon.
laugh.
choose with no regret.
continue to learn.
appreciate your friends.
do what you love.
live as if this is all there is.

        -mary anne radmacher