Sedona And Finally To Anchorage

Well, on Wednesday we rented a car and drove up to Sedona (Red Rock Country). We hiked around Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte, Cathedral Rock, and down into Boynton Canyon. It was a long day that ended with watching the sunset up on Airport Mesa (with about 50 other people, I think it was spring break). The hikes were very nice and it was the perfect time of year to go as the temperature only reached the mid 70s.

On Thursday we were finally able to fly out of Phoenix. Thanks again to Ben, Vicki, and Margie for helping us out while we were there. The flight left at around 8 and after a layover in Portland for fuel (in case the Volcano erupted again and we had to go back) we finally arrived in Anchorage at about 3:30 am local time. It was a long flight, made even longer by the small child behind me who cried and kicked my seat for 8 hours straight (why is it always the parents who put their child on leashes who have children that can't behave?).

For the past few days we have been shopping and getting everything organized. We picked out an Apartment that we are renting from one of my co-workers and I bought a new car. We have also bought a bunch of furniture (2 leather recliners, 1 leather love seat, two bar stools, one coffee table, 2 dressers, and 2 bookshelves all for $350 from a family moving to a 56 foot sailboat) and made about 17 trips each to Walmart and Fred Meyer (kind of like a Super Target). Everything is finally getting organized and in it's place, although we are still sleeping on a blow-up mattress since we can't afford a real bed.

What we have seen of Alaska has been very nice, with gorgeous views of mountains and the bay. We even have a view of the mountains from the porch of our apartment! Today the temperature got up to the scorching hot temperature of 43 degrees (I actually wore shorts). My one key takeaway so far is how the roads and parking lots are just in awful condition from all the ice and snow (which is why I am glad I got an AWD vehicle with some ground clearance).

Next time we will post pictures of our apartment and of Anchorage. Hope everyone is doing well and is booking their flights to come visit!

Steven