skagway, AK

Skagway! Pictures really don't do it justice. Clouds so low they seem to be falling into the water, mountains surrounded by fields of blooming wildflowers, not to mention we hiked through a forest with trees so tall you couldn't see the tops.

And yes, we kayaked to the face of that glacier. There are few days where my hair ending up in a giant knot is wholly worth it, but this was definitely one of them. And if you're wondering, if all boys in Alaska have beards and are cute, the answer is yes. And yes, they drink beer.

tracy arm fjord

Begin June-July trip/cruise to Alaska, all aboard the Carnival Spirit. The endeavour was a trip that my parents planned to commemorate the fact that I had finally graduated and gotten a job lined up. Granted it's taken me almost 6 months to finally post these photos, but I hope it's well worth the wait.

Alaska is a beautiful place, and another harder-to-hit state crossed off my list in the US. The only real habitable areas are the small slivers of land between the coast and the point where the jagged peaks begin.

These were taken the first day/night of the cruise, and consist of icebergs and waterfalls at the same time, which still blows my mind. We started spotting humpback whales and bald eagles by the end of the first day.

I'm also considering making a post for the photos I took of food aboard the cruise, which would probably be sanctioned by some of my foodie friends + sister. Seriously, there were days I took photos of nothing but food. I'm not even joking. ps. having a balcony suite kind of rocks. So does having a loft bed that descends from the ceiling. It's like sleeping in a treehouse.

the highs but not the lows, rainier

Mt Rainier, different yet the same every time. This was after getting off a 7-day cruise and the last thing I wanted to be was on a boat any longer, or awake for that matter. Note how exhausted I look. Also notice that the colder the weather, the more punk rock I tend to dress. This was early July, so the snow hadn't melted off the top of Rainier, and it actually was still snowing while we were up there.

I didn't know it was possible to have so many earthly shades of green at the same time, but then of course I don't know how permafrost works either.

Beautiful nonetheless.

seattle mini photo diary

It's hard to sum up my favorite city in the world in a few pictures, but here are some of my favorite things. Mountains not included-- that's for later ;)