Today was one of the days to explore Anchorage. According to Roger, temperatures were unseasonably warm, and snow levels were decidedly lower given the mild winter. If there is one thing I didn’t expect to see in early April, it was a motorcycle. This wasn’t the only motorcycle I saw throughout the trip. Alaskans are definitely a hearty bunch for sure!

We soon exited the freeway and began to wander the backcountry, where Alaska starts to open up. In contrast, about eight years ago, my family took an Alaskan cruise out of Vancouver. What I didn’t understand about cruises at the time is that the boat is a significant part of the vacation (even more so than the area you’re visiting). As soon as you step off the ship, you’re always watching the clock to make sure you get back on the ship rather than being left at the port of call. Interfaces are clearly defined. Activities are structured and measured. While the cruise was a great way to get a survey of Alaska, but this place has called me ever since.

Roger pointed his car towards the wilderness, and Alaska began to show his full color.

Pioneer Mountain was the focus of today. He is big. He is bold. He dominates this portion of the southern frontier. This version of early April dictated low snow levels, and most of the plant life is still dormant during its long winter’s nap. The landscape felt very gestalt, mixing clear elements of boldness and barrenness in the same moment.

Roger routed us to the old bridge before the freeway came through. Life is hard here with temperature swings and months of bitter cold – materials definitely wear out here. I’m generally not one for graffiti, but the phrase “love over war” definitely caught my eye, especially with the old Chevy driving on the highway.

Alaska is a weird place mixing political lefts and rights in the same place, with geography giving everybody room to coexist. We’re in a season of political warring here in the States. We live in our echo chambers, exacerbated by social media, and do far less bridge-building and learning than we did even 20 years ago.

Learning and experiencing different people and places is one of the things I love most about travel. In just three days, I’ll be down in Southern California, which couldn’t be more different than my moment right now in Anchorage. While I’m not perfect, I try to learn from everyone as I grow my own worldview that guides my own path. And I take this maxim forward: love over war.

Photographing the aurora required a wide-angle lens. I don’t want to purchase a lens just for the stars. I’m trying to use the wide-angle in other types of photographs. It seemed to capture the clouds in the river as primary subjects while subduing the mountains, but not necessarily removing their prominence. I like the effect!

These next couple of photos capture the pause in the landscape. The snow is receding; the foliage still sits dormant; and the animals are still in hiding. It’s a season of waiting for when life will bloom here, as the midnight sun will soon return.

Roger was super excited to take me up to Hatcher Pass Lodge up in the Talkeetna Mountains. Situated at about 3000 feet above sea level, winter had truly returned. I also found it curious that while we were only 3000 feet above sea level, there were no trees to be seen. The tree line is that low this far north, whereas back home in Northern California, the tree line is at least 9000 feet.

Looking back over Anchorage, the wisps at the base of the mountain are actually dust. The fine gritty soil easily gets picked up by the wind and spread all over the landscape. Wow.

As we were returning to Anchorage from Hatcher Pass, I asked Roger to stop to capture the waning winter. A front blew in while we were atop the mountain. That front was trying to assert winter’s dominance with some snow flurries but the fading snow in the river begged to differ, LOL!

Roger, his partner, and I joked quite a bit about the rivalry between Anchorage and Wasilla. Rolling into town, both Wasilla and Pioneer Mountain looked fantastic!

That night we headed out to the Four Corners Lounge (a.k.a. Spurs) for a little bit of fun on the town. It is a watering hole unlike anything found in the Bay Area. It was awesome to have a beer, listen to some country music, and hope that the Aurora was going to come out tonight.

There’s a pace of life here that is decidedly different than the Bay Area and one that tugs at my heartstrings during the time that I’m here. I’m still not sure about that whole winter thing, but spring is looking quite good across this beverage.

#lifeIsGood.