Wrapping this up almost a month after our trip now....

We finally recovered from our endless hike by Friday and decided to go explore a glacier near their house.

Michael brought his 'nocs everywhere! Always on the lookout for something to hunt - bears, goats, etc.

 Katie and I led the crew because we're just so adventurous.

The boys were whimps and stayed up top. (Not really, but it started that way.)

 Katie and Adam both fell in the exact same spot - one on the way out and one on the way in.

 It was stunning!

After the glacier, we all relaxed and then headed out to see Michael's boat - the USS Sycamore.

After the hike, we headed up to Ski Hill for the annual Salmon Jam!

 The Salmon Jam is Cordova's annual festival - a full three tents worth! But it really was fun. They had awesome jam music.

 This picture was at 10:30pm... don't mind the sun.

After the festival, Katie, Adam and I all went out to the few bars. Jeff and Maggie were running the next morning so couldn't partake in the festivities. 

Katie and I took this picture at the Reluctant Fisherman Inn around 12:30/1:00am. Gorgeous!

The next morning, Jeff and Katie ran the Salmon Jam half marathon! I forgot my fancy camera, so ran back to the house to grab it. OF COURSE I made it back right after they crossed the finish line. Who knew they would both be so fast! 13.1 miles in 2:07.

After the run, Maggie had to work the Fish Print station at the Salmon Jam, so we all went out to support her. (Yes, that's a real SALMON that we covered in paint and printed.) Michael was definitely the most creative!

Our last night in Cordova and second night of Salmon Jam! We really lucked out, it didn't rain our entire visit until the last day.

The boys helped Michael load up his four-wheeler before we headed out to the airport the next day. So sad!

Adios, Cordova! We miss you already!

We all had pretty long layovers (Adam and I win - 12 hours), so we headed into Anchorage to the much-talked about Moose's Tooth Pub. It was fine... nothing to write home about. Then again, Anchorage itself isn't much to write home about.

And just like that, our trip was over! Thank you, Maggie and Michael, for being such amazing hosts! We wish we could come back every summer, but look forward to y'all being back in the Continental US in the next couple years.

Alaska 2014 - Part II

Moving right along... Following our hike on Monday, we decided to take a breather on Tuesday and explore Cordova. In all seriousness, you don't even need a car in Cordova. It takes 10 minutes to walk from one side to the other, and there are no roads out of town (only an airport).

The boys needed fishing licenses, so we headed over to a littler general store where they sold this bad boy... Salmon Flavored Vodka. I would have bought it as a joke, but as is the case with all things in Cordova it was expensive. This (and all vodkas this size) was $42. A little different than the typical $18.99 I pay at home!

We headed over to Baja Taco for lunch - they're said to have the best fish tacos north of San Diego. Adam and I downed our tacos and agree with the review - but some of the others didn't have the same experience.

After lunch, Maggie and I picked salmon berries in their backyard. I felt so outdoorsy! It actually was fun and relaxing. Afterward, Maggie used the berries to make a salmon berry cobbler - so cute!

How cool is Michael's truck? Adam is obsessed.

 The boys heading out to fish.

 Jeff sent me this picture of Adam and his fish and I thought he was the big winner of the trip! Turns out these are chum salmon and are basically about to die and not good to eat. Good catch anyway, honey!

While the boys were fishing, us girls drank some wine, did a little Zumba (ha!) and went to hang out with some of Maggie's "Coastie Wife" friends. I just find that life so interesting! If you're pregnant, the Coast Guard flys you to Anchorage (or wherever you want) a month before your due date because there is no hospital in Cordova - and no way to get out except the 1-2 planes a day that go back to Anchorage. Pretty nuts! At least they pay for your month long hotel stay... that has to get boring.

The next day was our big fishing adventure! Katie, Jeff, Adam and I chartered a half-day fishing excursion with the best captain EVER, Boris. The very first thing he did was let Katie and I pick out our own lures - turns out this was just a ploy to keep us distracted and out of the way while the guys got the boat ready. Nice move, Boris.

Once we drove (boated?) out a ways, it was time to fish!

Adam with the first catch of the day - a rockfish.

We're basically pros at this point.

Mastering the Boris Bait Weave.

Boris put me in the "lucky" position of the boat, and said that because I'm a girl I would definitely catch the most fish. WRONG. We were out there a good two hours and everyone was just reeling in the fish and I had nothing. Regardless, I was still having a good time checking my bait every 5 minutes to make sure it hadn't fallen off.

Then... BOOM. I caught this sucker! I reeled this 20lb halibut in from 125+ feet all by myself!

Katie was the next (and final) one to catch a halibut - girl power!

Oh, wait... Can't forget about the Skate that Jeff caught. Oops!

After a successful day on the boat, we passed Michael's Coast Guard ship and some adorable sea otters on the way in.

Naturally, after catching a delicious fish you have to clean it. Michael is the master at this and gave me a quick tutorial (he was actually an awesome teacher!).

Check out those filets!

From the ocean to my plate in just a few hours - incredible.

In addition to the halibut, Michael also made us some homemade sushi. Yes, he makes his own sushi. I eat a lot of sushi, and this was definitely the best! He's so talented.

Ok, let's leave it with this amazing picture of sushi! Final post coming soon...

Alaska 2014 - Part I

The last time I wrote, we were prepping for our trip to Alaska. Now I'm super sad because it's OVER. It was one of the most fun trips, and now we all want to live there. So without further ado...our trip to Alaska!

We left Atlanta on Saturday, July 12 and arrived in Anchorage 5pm local time (5 hour flight to Seattle followed by a 3.5 hour flight to Anchorage). Katie and Jeff arrived about 20 minutes after us, so we waited for them at their gate so we could be the first to officially welcome Jeff to his 50th state. Yes, we got to witness history - as of July 12, 2014 Jeff Duncan has been to all 50 states. Amazing!

After cabbing to the hotel, we decided to go explore Anchorage. Jeff heard from a friend (of course!) about a little pub called F Street Station, so we headed there for dinner. Hungry before your food gets there? No need to fret - there's a huge slab of cheddar cheese on the bar!

Our next stop was the Gaslight Lounge where Katie and I decided to partake in a little bull riding. These pictures don't even do it justice - Jeff has the full videos. The man in charge of the bull clearly has some anger issues he needs to work out.

On our way back to the hotel, we decided to stop at Hotel Captain Cook because we saw some sort of top floor restaurant/bar. Turns out the Crows Nest is kind of fancy pants and we were kicked out because we looked so rough. We all just about died though - the hostess told Adam he could wear their "loaner pants" if we really wanted to stay. Hilarious!

At this point it was 9:45pm and still as sunny as can be (something I still find fascinating). It's seriously light out all day during the summer. The darkest hours are 2-4am, but even then it's not that dark.

We had the next morning/early afternoon to continue to explore Anchorage before our flight left for Cordova, so we headed over to Humpy's Alehouse to watch the World Cup Final. (Highly recommend the fish and chips!).

And then it was time to depart for our 40 minute flight to Cordova. (Hi, Katie and Jeff!)

When we landed, I kept looking around for the airport. Turns out this is it. The entire airport is smaller than our house - which is small, people.

I always think it's so fun when you get to exit a plane on the tarmac. The little things!

"Baggage claim" was just this open area where one guy (probably the pilot) just threw all the bags.

And in case you (for some strange reason) fly into Cordova without transportation, you can rent a 1994 Explorer or creepy white van from Cordova Auto Rentals! Not sure how prosperous an Enterprise would be here.

Michael picked us up, and after a quick drive we made it to the Hafertepes! Jeff and I's cousin, Michael, is stationed in Cordova with the Coast Guard - which was the whole point of the trip. His wife Maggie is so awesome, and we were so excited to have the opportunity to spend some time with them in such an awesome place! How cute is their house?

After getting settled in the house, we headed for a tour around Cordova (lasted a whole 10 minutes) before heading to dinner at the Reluctant Fisherman. This meal really set the tone for the whole trip - all of the food was amazing! We grabbed a drink on their patio after dinner and got to listen to a really cool group of people that were some sort of band (including a cello/bass thing!).

Tractor party! It was 10:30pm when this was taken, by the way.

On Monday, the weather was perfect and Michael & Maggie planned for us to go on a hike. I was prepared for this to be an active vacation, but this 6 hour/9.5 mile hike was a little more than I expected!  We still had a great time and got to witness some incredible views.

The top of Ski Hill. Silly me, I thought we were almost done. This was mile 1 of 9.5.

The gang's all here!

Ski hill by winter, hiking trail by summer.

We came over a hill and saw a man with a briefcase get into this helicopter and fly away. I'm 99% sure it was James Bond. And then we waved goodbye. Like idiots.

Cartwheels! Why not?

 A hiking we will go...

 ... a hiking we will go.

 Michael and Maggie... and the treacherous rope bridge.

Our navigators.

 We finally made it to Crater Lake!

Bear cub print.

The views were so worth it.

Katie and I finishing strong! So happy to feel pavement! (Also, it was in the mid 60s and there were kids swimming in the lake across the street. Guess that's Alaska for you!)

Showers for everyone, then it was time for dinner. Michael is an amazing cook, and all of our meals at their house consisted of fresh fish he caught.

To ensure we had meals the rest of the week, Michael gave the guys a quick fly fishing tutorial.

Well, this post is much longer than I anticipated already! Guess we're going to break this trip into a few. Part II coming soon!