Alaskan Saturday

I had a bunch of things on the agenda for Saturday, and wasn't quite sure which ones I was going to hit. I felt a little uneasy heading out in my little car, because even though it hadn't snowed since before I arrived (Monday night), the roads were in basically the same condition. It's like there's the mindset "we're ALASKANS!!! We don't need to plow!!!!"

Well, that doesn't work very well with a Ford Fiesta and we were slip sliding around all week.

I woke up super early on Saturday and decided to go a hangar on base that has been turned into a 24 hour fitness area.

No one was there, which was pretty cool. It has a crossfit set-up.

Complete with bumper plates, so it looks like I was benching way more than I actually was.

After working out, I bundled up. 4 layers, totally normal.

Packed "stuck in the wilderness" essentials.

And hit the road North. The mountains looks AMAZING on the drive. I tried to take a picture, but after this attempt:

Determined I was too uncoordinated to multi-task and just took in the beauty.

The first stop was a town I had read about on a brochure from the airport. Talkeetna - Pioneer village!! 

Awwwww yeahhhhh!!!

It was kitschy-cute. A lot of places were closed for the winter.

Denali mountains in the distance.

As I was heading out of Talkeeta, I decided to stop at a restaurant based only on the name... "Flying Squirrel Bakery and Cafe." I am so glad that I did!!

They grow their own veggies, bake everything from scratch, and everything was SO GOOD!!!

Egg, cheese, and veggie bagel. Cafe Mocha. Hazelnut-Espresso Shortbread Cookie. Perfect 2nd breakfast.

Feeling refreshed, I felt like the next stop would be a viewpoint suggested to me by my classmates: Hatcher Pass!

My perfect day was set to be RUINED!

I knew there was a different approach to Hatcher Pass, so I decided to see if that was open. And I am so glad that I did!