"Massive Nights When the Sun Was Right"

I've made it to the North Pole and back. Or just about. I've completed my six days in the Great North, aka Alaska, and I would have been satisfied if I could have stayed for another 600 days. If they were summer days.

I like Alaska a lot a lot, but I'm not so sure I could live there. I loved how the sun set at midnight only to rise again at 3:30 am (and even in those short hours of darkness it was still quite light out), but it was dang cold, and this is June. Plus, the amount of darkness now becomes the amount of light in December. That's depressing to the max. No wonder they have the highest suicide rate of any state.

I loved everything about Alaska, but way above everything else, I loved being able to see Shannon, hang out with her, and to meet and hang out with all the people I'd heard so much about, especially the elusive boyfriend. Shannon and I enjoyed doing the same ridiculous things that we do in Portland such as going to Fred Meyer and Michael's multiple times in the same day doing things like looking for kiddie barrettes.

We hung out with the Alaskan friends quite a bit, and it was kind of funny for me to realize that Shannon really does live another life that I'm not a part of, just as I live a life in Roseburg that she's not a part of. For six days, these lives came together, and it was bliss.

I experienced and did things that I've never done before, such as almost being blown off of a mountain, doing a cartwheel on a glacier, walking through snow in June, watching Phil fall into a glaciar crevasse, camping and sitting by a campfire for 15 hours (of daylight!), as well as other exciting things that I choose not to mention through this medium.

We had some massive nights, according to the Hold Steady, but I think that song could definitely sum up my trip. We did not see any tangerine speedos, but we danced to the song in the back of Shannon's truck Bradley. The dashboard melted but we still had the radio (I neeeeeed the new Modest Mouse cd!).

I saw a moose, a black bear, and a porcupine, and I also witnessed Mt. McKinley (largest mountain in the Americas) from Anchorage, which is hundreds of miles away.

Alaska rocks. Shannon rocks. I miss Shannon so much. I want to go back tomorrow. No, tonight. I think I had some unfinished business there that I'd like to complete as well.

Roseburg life is so incredibly dull compared to the last week. This last week I was always with one of my very best friends in the whole world, and we were usually hanging out with her boyfriend and possibly his sister as well as some other friends, and when we were at Shannon's house, her brother was usually there with other friends over, too. In other words, I was surrounded by people my age. Now, I'm the only one in my house awake. Life is dull here. I hope things work out.

Explanation of pictures: First is from the last night I was there when we had fun until 4 am, thus we saw the sun set at midnight then rise a little after 3 am. There's one of Shannon jumping when we were at Earthquake Park from us being ridiculous (what else is new?). Another is of me, Shannon, the boyfriend Phil, and his sister Corinne at Byron Glacier, and then there's me and Shannon and Henry posing with the Cook Inlet and the mountains in the background.

LB

Currently listening to: The Hold Steady--I have three songs by them, and I've been listening to them on repeat for two days now. If anyone who reads this (which I'm not sure is anyone) has any music by them and would be willing to share, I would greatly appreciate.