myumyumyu

Yesterday was a fun day at work. At lunch, I walked out to get a reindeer hot dog from the most famous stand in Anchorage:

Delicious reindeer dog from M.A.'s

In the afternoon, we got to go on a tour of the Anchorage Regional Landfill, which has recently started capturing the energy from the methane released from decomposing trash. It was pretty awesome. I also saw a bald eagle, since apparently the dump is the best place to see them.

Anchorage Regional Landfill

We got to tour the electrical control centers too, with hard hats, ear plugs, and all.

Oisin and me in front of one of the gas engines at the landfill

Later that night, Charlie and I went on a quest for Korean food. After about an hour of walking and not finding the places that we Google-mapped, we finally stumbled upon Jin Mi Restaurant, a small place curiously located within a small, sketchy-looking inn. But once we walked in, we knew that this was the place we had been seeking all along: all the signs were in Korean, and only Korean could be heard inside. IT WAS SO GOOD.

반찬

순두부찌개

And then we went to Tap Root to watch live music. It was bluegrass, and we concluded that Alaska is basically Texas. We people-watched and were especially intrigued and impressed by Lang, one of the interns at ACEP and a previous REAP intern. He danced with five different girls, twirling them around and around. It pays off to know how to dance ;)

Fiddlers who were actually from the south

Everyone came out to dance to this band

We walked home around midnight, and it was still bright outside.

Westchester Lagoon, 12:14am

Today, Oisin, Charlie, and I got some Vietnamese food for lunch and then went to hike Near Point Trail in Chugach State Park. It was about 8 miles long and really pretty. Lesson of the day: we are tiny compared to Alaska.

Charlie drinking the water that may be giardia-infected

Along the trail

I got mud-soaked halfway up my calves--fun times in Alaska! The top of the mountain was beautiful, and we stopped to eat some yummy dried mangoes, trail mix, and other snacks that we brought along. Yum!

Charlie, me, Oisin at the top

There was a nice cooling rain as we headed down the mountain. Back in the parking lot, we saw another fun license plate!

Ba-Ba-Ba-Batman!

Back at home after the fun day, we relaxed on the back porch and looked out at the scenic water and mountains. Here is where this post was written:

Post-hike