Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Land of the Midnight Sun


Happy Summer Solstice everyone!  Today is the looongest day of the year.  To most of us here in the lower 48 (a.k.a. the continental United States) that really does not mean a whole lot.  We all know the sun sets in the summer sometime between 8 & 9, maybe a little later the further north you go.  But in Alaska (where I lived for 5 years) Summer Solstice is always a day to be celebrated!  This past weekend in Anchorage there was the mayor’s midnight sun marathon & half marathon, in Fairbanks tonight, there will be the Midnight Sun Baseball Classic where the first pitch is at 10:30pm and no lights on the field will be used, plus you can go hiking, flight seeing or fishing at whatever time you want… it won’t get dark!! 
Today in Anchorage there will 19 hours and 22 minutes of daylight.  If you look outside your window this afternoon that is how light it will be in Anchorage at midnight.  No I am not joking, not even a little bit.
I use to love the daylight throughout the summers and always felt like I had so much energy.  I would even sleep with the blinds in my bedroom open because I loved how it was light all the time.  Hope all my friends in Alaska are enjoying the day!
Thinking about Alaska makes me miss it, so I was looking through my pictures and figured I would share some of them with you all...
Downtown Anchorage
Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America (20,320ft.)
Talkeetna, the coolest little town I ever lived in!
Spot on G - log cabin I lived in my first summer in Alaska
Flight seeing in the Alaska Range
Salmon fishing.  I am ok reeling them in, but don't want
to touch the fish... too slimey!
Mt Susitna - a.k.a. The Sleeping Lady
Amazing beer & the amazing
Turnagain Arm in the background!
Picturesque scenery everywhere
Native culture & history
Glaciers!
Need to give a shout out to the cruise industry, without
which I would have never gone to Alaska in the first place
Good friends!

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