natwickadventures: We Made IT!!!

There have been so many good things that have happened to us in the past two weeks, so many great experiences/adventures, it's hard to know where to begin. So, just an update on our journey, we made it to Petersburg, Alaska. The adventure began on August 2nd. We loaded our UHaul with the help of our wonderful and supportive family. We slept in our sleeping bags on our living room floor that night, and the following morning said good-bye to our home in Barnesville, MN and hit the road. The first night we made it to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and camped surrounded by a beautiful river and many of the resident bison in the park. The next day, after a drive around the park, we made it to Bozeman, MT. The next night to Coeur d'Alene, ID and the next night to Bellingham, WA. It was such a treat to stay in some of my favorite cities along I-94/90 and to travel at a relaxed pace, stopping and sight seeing when inclined or inspired to do so. Our last two nights on the "mainland" were spent with Alissa and Caleb McSherry, two of the most amazing people and hosts on the planet! We are so grateful for their hospitality, guidance and company during our time in B'ham. It's such a blessing to have such amazing people in our lives. The next leg of the journey was a 2 1/2 day ferry ride from Bellingham to Petersburg. For anyone that would ever consider a trip to visit us, I would highly encourage you to take the ferry. It was one of the most amazing traveling experiences I've ever had. For starters, the sheer beauty of the inside passage is remarkable! We saw humpback whales and orca whales, enjoyed informative talks by the naturalist on board, and made many friends. The pace was relaxed and there is no comparison to the level of stress that I often feel going through an airport. Again, there is so much to say about each place we visited, but if I am so inspired, maybe I"ll blog about each of those places later.

For now, here we are in Petersburg. This place is literally one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It's paradise. Unfortunately, it has been raining almost constantly since our arrival, with the exception of a break in the weather last evening. So, we took advantage of the clear skies, and had our first opportunity to head out on the waters of the Wrangell Narrows and do a little shrimping and crabbing. Our captain (Aaron's boss) has been living in Petersburg for 9 years and Bethel, Alaska prior to being a P-burg resident. He shared with us a few tricks of the trade to which we are eternally sworn to secrecy. There were many comments made about the "touri" as he called them, and their foolishly unsuccessful tactics in an attempt to catch the creatures of the local waters. It's good to know and be a local.