Whole New World...

GOOD NEWS PEOPLE... I have Wi-Fi. I now can bless/curse you all with my words whenever I damn well please. Now buckle up because I have a lot to say... or skim it, I won't be offended. Well, I have reached the end of my first full day here at Sea Otter Sound Lodge. It took two cars, three planes, and a boat to get me here, but I got here at like 4:00 PM (which felt like 5:00 because I am an hour behind Spokane here). When I reached Ketchikan, AK I thought I had arrived in the smallest airport in existence. The top floor looked like a small cafeteria and the actual airport was in the basement and only one 737 can fit on the runway at a time. From Ketchikan I was going to be flying to Klawock. We got on this tiny airplane because Klawock is more of a village than an actual town and they have less airport than Ketchikan does. I am not afraid of flying, in fact, I quite enjoy it. But this flight was in a dingy little plane in a mass of clouds and rain. Usually, even that wouldn't bother me, except that the pilot texted the entire flight. That was a new one for me. I don't know what I would have preferred him to look at as the plane was completely enveloped by clouds. I felt like I was ascending into the heavens and momentarily worried that my plane had crashed and I'd died and gone to Heaven (which I wasn't 100% sure I'd even get into in the first place).

Finally, my flight arrived in Kalwock and that was when I realized that I was officially in the smallest airport in existence. It was more like a giant shed with a really long driveway than it was an airport. From there we were picked up in a truck that took us to a boat that took us to the lodge. The boat ride was insane. It was so pretty and there were sea otters and whales all over the place. The whole first night felt kind of unreal, it hadn't quite sunk in yet that I was in Alaska for the next three months. We unpacked, had dinner, and just hung out until bed. At breakfast the next morning we were told we got the next two days off which apparently is a huge thing because everyone's faces broke into these huge grins. Everyone took the opportunity to spend the entire day on the water. After returning to the lodge for our forgotten bait we only came in for meals. I caught a 17 lb. King Salmon and I get to bring all the meat home so salmon bake at my place when I get home. We went back out after dinner and had no luck, but we abandoned our fish search when we saw a whale, because really who cares about a salmon when you can chase a whale through the water. We followed Wilfred (the Whale) for a solid 20 minutes and Matthew, who has been here for over three years, said he had never seen a whale that active before. So basically, we all went home awestruck by Wilfred and windburned from the countless hours spent on the boat. I keep getting asked if Alaska is meeting my expectations, but I honestly had no expectations coming up here because I had no idea what I was about to do. So far, I've seen an eagle swoop down next to my boat, a whale getting his fitness on, and so many jellyfish that I've lost count. It's only day three, but so far so good. 

The Final Frontier...

...no wait. That's Space. The Last Frontier... that's Alaska. Which is where I'm going. Tomorrow actually, and it's going to be different. Everyone keeps asking me if I'm excited. It's like the inescapable "What are you doing next year?" when you graduate from high school. t's a rite of passage, and I thought I'd already made it safely through that rite, yet here I am again. "Are you excited for Alaska?" Generally, I answer noncommittally because I have very little idea what I'm about to get myself into and therefore no idea what I should expect.

Here's what I do know:

1. I'm very excited to see Alaska. Supposedly it's very beautiful up there. I picture it as an even more nature-y Pacific Northwest, sort of like the Olympic Peninsula.  
2. I want to see the stars. We get pretty good night skies here in the Spokane area, but up in Alaska the sky will be even cooler as there will be little to no light pollution. (And yes, it does get dark where I am. The sun does rise at 4:15 every morning though).
3. It's definitely going to be an experience. This is something that is vastly different from anything I've ever done before. I've spent many a summer at Camp Reed, but only for a week or two at a time. 
4. I think it's going to be cool to live on the ocean. Literally, I'm living on a floating dock in the ocean. It's going to be weird, but hey, at least we know I'm safe from bear attacks.
5. If I don't see at least one whale up close I will be filing a formal complain with the state of Alaska expressing my utter disappointment in their lack of whales.

So, in conclusion, I have no idea if I'm excited, but I'm sure I'll know soon and I'll be sure to let you all know when/if I have any access to the internet. This is roughing it people.... limited phone, internet, tv, and Instagram for 3 whole months. My inner white girl is curled up in the fetal position weeping. But I'll adjust. Though, I may not be sure how excited I am, I do welcome the change (mostly) and look forward to the many adventures I'm sure to have. And no mom, I'm not depressed so stop worrying.