Sitka

I have made it to Sitka! My life as an Alaskan has officially begun. Yesterday I left Juneau at 8:00 am on the "fast" ferry. The ferry ride was absolutely gorgeous. The scenery was breathtaking; snow capped mountains, thick evergreen forests, and calm dark water. The whole trip was a bit mystical; with each mile the landscape loudly proclaimed God's glory and demanded respect. I spent the entire four hour trip in awe (I also definitely looked like someone that is "green" to the region, as I spent most of the trip running from one end of the boat to the other, gasping for breath and snapping an unhealthy amount of pictures).

When I arrived in Sitka, I was greeted by two of my new housemates, Patrick (age 26, scruffy yet sharp, and an employee of Alaska Fish and Game) and Kyle (age 21, hitchhker, owner of a really old wooden boat, and a substiture teacher at Mt. Edgecumb - a boarding school for Native Alaskens). We then stopped by the house, which is perched on top of a hill above town, and overlooks the bay, the pacific, and at least 11 snow-capped peaks. I am living in a room that they call "the closet" (it is a bedroom where their landlords keep all their stuff), but the room will work out well, as I have cleared a large enough space to lie down in and store my clothes. After a detailed house tour we went down to the docks for lunch at a "hole in the wall" burger joint called Lane 7. It was at this fine establishment that I had the best burger of my entire life, the famous "Our" Burger" (whatever that means). After lunch I was given an expansive tour of town and quickly fell in love with my new home. I will not do Sitka justice by attempting to explain it, but I plan on taking some pictures and posting them.

I bought some rainpants yesterday, I think I will put them to good use (though I will say, Alaska has been very sunny since I have arrived here). Also, there is lots and lots of snow on the ground, even though in is 35 degrees most of the time, I have discovered that because of the ground temperature the snow doesn't ever melt, no matter what the air temperature is. Weird huh?