exploring our new home

On Monday Winslow, Noah and I took a day trip to Skagway Alaska, which is about a 2 hrs drive from Whitehorse.

I had heard from other people that the drive there was just amazing, that the scenery was unlike anything I’d see and it was true, it was just beautiful.

For two hours we drove past beautiful turquoise lakes, spectacular mountains and rugged rocky terrain. It was truly breath taking. While looking out the window at the landscape passing by, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. The grandness of all the wilderness before me made me feel small yet at peace. Surrounded by the endless trees and mountains, my thoughts that we had made the right decision to leave all the craziness of the big city were re-ensured.

Once we got to the town of Skagway we made our way around the little touristy parts of the town. We found a cafe to have lunch. I had a BLT and salad, Noah had a grilled cheese and blueberries (from home) and Winslow had a burger and onion rings. We then walked around snapping pictures everywhere we turned and picked up a cute pair of pjs for Noah as a souvenier.

We then decided to walk the lesser travelled back streets of the town, looking at the sweet little cottage like homes and gardens that lined the streets. I was especially excited to find out what the people of Skagway grew in the gardens and what types of trees grew around town. I think I identified a crabapple tree? We also made a little trip into the town grocery store to pick up American chocolate bars...I have a thing for chocolate bars that we can’t get here in Canada.

After walking around in the chilly wind we stopped by Starbucks to warm up a chai latte and a piece of carrot cake...it was the perfect way to end our day.

For some reason, even though we’ve been doing quite a bit of travelling lately, I think that this day trip was probably the most exciting and relaxing trip of them all. The fact that it was near by probably helped, but I think the real reason why it was successful was because at the end of it we had a place called home to go back to. On several occasions I kept catching myself think, wow, I can’t believe that this is now home (although Alaska isn’t home, it is very close to the Yukon). The fact that we are able to now settle down and plant our roots is very appealing to me...it’s been a while since I’ve felt settled. But to add to the appeal of settling down is the fact that this place that we now call home is absolutely beautiful. It starting to sink in that where we now live is truly grand and I feel very blessed that we have been given this opportunity to do this. These little adventures are now more than just visits, we are now exploring our new home and for me these little day trips take on more meaning.