Sweet Home Alaska!

Well, Alaska isn't really my home, but it has taken on the feeling of a second home, as I have just spent my 6th week in a row in Anchorage, Alaska.



Anchorage, AK skyline at dusk

 
The company I work for sent me out to help out on a project that is located in Nikiski, AK in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, but working from the Anchorage office. My company has offices in nearly every major city in the world, so many employees (lucky ones like me!) get an opportunity to visit many cool places all over the globe!

I am based in our Spartanburg, SC office, which is the city that I was born and raised in. I have been quite blessed to work in my hometown and be close to my family, my friends, and my church throughout my career. But when duty calls, especially in a global company, temporary duty assignments are nearly inevitable. It's not usually a bad thing, because travel can be exciting and visiting new cities offer opportunities to explore territories that one may have never thought of going to before, or had the opportunity to visit otherwise.

To make my visit even more memorable is the fact that Alaska's largest city is experiencing the largest snowfall on record since the winter of 1954-55 of 132.6 inches. As I write this post, Anchorage is 3.3" from breaking that nearly 60 year old record! It is incredible, to say the least, and especially to drive the streets. Everywhere I go there are 6 to 8 foot high walls of snow on either side of the roads, with sidewalks cleared off as well, creating corridors of snow walls on every street in the area.





The view driving from the airport, February 4, 2012

 Another memorable event that I have gotten to enjoy was the 40th Ceremonial Start of the Iditarod Trail 1,000 mile Dog Sled Race which begins on 4th Avenue in Downtown Anchorage and ends in Homer, Alaska. The race takes between 8 to 32 days and is an ultimate test on man and dogs, running through the most brutally cold temperatures known to man, or between -40 and -60 degrees Fahrenheit! It was quite a spectacle to see the proud mushers and their excited sled dogs race down the street and off into the wilderness!

 



The official ceremonial start on 4th Avenue, Downtown Anchorage

 


And they're off!!!


 Being a snowboarder has made me a lover of snow, so I feel right at home in Anchorage! And the mountain range of the Chugach is breathtaking! You see it from every place you walk or drive, and every view of it just blows you away! I'm also a lover of mountains, and the mountains in Alaska are ahhmazing! I still love my Blue Ridge Mountains more, because they are my home and they are so beautiful, but the mountains in Alaska are very different. There are many more sharp, pointed peaks and covered in snow. It is definitely a winter wonderland everywher you look! I mean, Alaska is where Santa Claus lives, for goodness sake!





This is the scenery, everywhere you go in Anchorage!

 Only a few miles outside the city gates is like entering a whole other planet, whether you drive north, south, east or west. Taking Hwy 1 (Seward Hwy) to the south is a drive that everyone has to do when in Anchorage. It follows an inlet of water from the Bering Sea and the Cook Inlet called The Turnagain Arm. On the right side you have the water and giant mountains rising up out of the water, and on the left you have giant mountains rising up from the shoulder of the road! No matter where you roam in Alaska, the views are incredible!



The Turnagain Arm, AK Seward Hwy 1 South

About 35 miles south on the Seward Hwy takes you to a small village called Girdwood. It is home to Alaska's premier ski resort, Alyeska. This ski area was established in 1954, and continues to grow and opens new terrain every year. I got to snowboard there last weekend, and it was ovewhelming! The air is so clean and fresh, and the mountain ranges were awe inspiring!


 

The view from the top of Chair 6, looking down on the Turnagain Arm!

 After a full day of snow riding, it's nice to relax and indulge in some aprés ski activity in the Sitzmark Bar and Grill, located at the base of Mt Alyeska near the bottom of Chair 1. Being by myself here, and never meeting a stranger, I make friends with everyone who pulls up beside me at the bar, exchanging names and sharing stories, and leaving as friends to keep in touch with!

 


The Sitzmark & The Bake Shop, buried in snow!

    


The Sitzmark Bar & Grill at Alyeska Ski Resort

 
 I've been having a blast here in Alaska, met some really cool people, and made some new friends! As long as there is plenty of work here, but not so much in Spartanburg, SC, I will remain here. I was certainly made for this environment, and I thrive in such an adventurous land! There has been talk around the office about the company wanting me to stay on and even move here once the project is done. I do love Alaska, but I love my home in Western North Carolina more... But if work doesn't pick up in my SC office, I may have to stay out here to keep my job. And then again, what a great place to have to relocate to!
 


The view walking out of The Sitzmark to my truck!

  Keep a wary eye out for more posts on Alaska to follow this one, as I continue to share more cool stories of work, play, and my stay here in Anchorage, Alaska!

Until then, y'all try and stay cool down south, while I try and keep warm in the artic tundra!

 

Mike D on Chair 6, Mt Alyeska Ski Area



So long! 

Mountain Winter

As the colder air moves in and the winds pick up here on Melrose Mountain, stripping the remaining Fall leaves from the trees and turning the mountains from bright orange to a dull grey, we're beginning to prepare ourselves for winter in the mountains!

My Friday Afternoon Delight in Saluda, NC

After a full week of hard work in Spartanburg, I like to take Friday and sleep in a bit (usually til 8 or 8:30 a.m.), mull about the mountain house, complete some chores, make some lunch, then get out for a ride in the mountains!
Living in Western North Carolina, I am surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.  Also being a motorcycle enthusiast, our roads provide some of the best riding in the world to boot.

This is the road I live on. My house is just ahead on the right!

FALL 2011 in Tryon, Gem of The First Peaks

FALL 2011 has taken off in spectacular fashion!

The Western North Carolina (WNC) hills have been alive with color during the month of October, beginning in the highest elevations during the first week. The mid elevations' color began around halfway through the second week of October, and the lower elevations are still holding on to a lot of greens, even now in the first week of November!

Exploring the Mountain *Gems* - Tryon, NC

As an extension to my previous post, WNC Mountain Road Trip!, this one discusses some of my personal favorite mountain towns.  If you're planning a day or weekend trip to our Blue Ridge Mountains, this will be a great start for places to explore.  Because this subject could go on and on, I will have to make multiple posts to cover WNC.  Please keep checking back in for updates to this theme!
In the next several posts, I plan to get into waterfalls, historic points of interest, mountain overlooks, great hikes, mountain bike trails, camping, horseback riding, rock climbing, fishing, boating, motorcycling, shopping, dining, B&B's, and scenic drives.  Whew...
To keep with good blogging etiquette, I can't get too long winded in each article, so just as I said in my previous post, I encourage you to do a little online investigation for yourself!  Doing this will help you to learn more about the places you want to visit and experience, and will ultimately lead you into many more adventures!  Here I want to highlight some of my personal favorite mountain towns, some attractions in each one, and some of what to look for along the way!

WNC Mountain Road Trip!

Even before I became a WNC (Western North Carolina) transplant, I have been an expert on the Blue Ridge Mountains (BRMs) and their alluring mystical ambiance. I have spent the past 20 years visiting every small town that I could get to in a weekend day trip, sometimes taking the whole weekend to explore!

I was born and raised in Spartanburg County, SC, which is less than 20 minutes from the base of the BRMs. Spartanburg is defined as the Upstate of SC, the Piedmont region of the state.

The Right One - Part II

I felt like that last post needed some clarification, because I received a few private comments through Facebook where some thought that my "list" sounded demanding.
On the contrary! Those are not demands. Those are qualifiers.
Remember - I don't want a "steady."  I want multiple friendships.  Platonic, if you prefer that term.  No ties.  No expectations.  No deep personal divulgence to have to maintain...  Just friendship!