Anchorage

After doing a full day of work yesterday, covering roughly 50 miles of the Kenai Penninsula, we left that miserable hole and traversed back up to Anchorage for the remaining days of this trip. The road up was treacherous. We had nice, dry conditions in Kenai, but once we got into the mountain pass, shit got real. It started to rain, then sleet, then rain, then the snow came, and the snow continued. It was snowing at a rate where it probably was a stupid idea to be driving, but there was no way we were staying behind. None. So we plowed through the snow and dealt with the sleet and rain, moving slower than we wanted, but quick enough to leave some of our team miles behind.

We did the 150ish miles in about 3 hours. It was literally all highway driving, but Seward Highway is dark as hell, and with the weather coming in like it was, I think we made pretty good time. It's too bad we weren't able to do that drive in the daytime. I'm sure the mountains, bay, canyon, and everything else on that road is a sight to behold. I guess a Google image search will have to be a next best option.

So around 8 at night we roll into the hotel in Anchorage. What an improvement. Holy crap. This place is like a palace compared to the King Salmon. The beds are soft, the bathrooms are nice, with a shower that doesn't hate you, the wi-fi actually WORKS. I have a buddy here from back home, so I had some fun, probably too much, with him after checking in and getting settled. There are several places to eat and drink within walking distance of the hotel. The continental breakfast here is far superior to the shitty diner food in Soldotna, even if the options are limited.

So I assimilated to the new group of people last night, had a few beers, and then we decided to go out. Unfortunately, everything was closed around the hotel, so we decided to go to a liquor store. It was midnight. I am not used to these places being open that late on Sunday, even the last couple of weeks, the closest place to buy beer on Sunday closed at 8. So we went to a Korean convenience store that sold beer. At midnight. Oh, you're damn right it was in the middle of the ghetto. Super sketchy. I was not prepared for this. I thought there would be an actual liquor store, with, you know, good lighting, and no candy. But this shady (in more than one way) store was full of beer and M&M's. It was a weird place.

So I stayed up too late drinking, which made for a grumpy morning. But I got through it. We got our assignments and almost peed it was so easy. Instead of one route being 14, 16, up to 30 miles per route, we got maybe 14 total miles over 5 routes. All in the same area. It was amazing. It went by absurdly fast, as we got used to hustling and working our asses off sans lunch break. We couldn't take the time off before, as we were hindered by the lack of daylight and had to finish our assignments. Today, it was so easy that we finished with hours to spare.

Tomorrow is the last day here. I wish I had been up here for the entire time, and apparently, people were campaigning for me to be in Anchorage. I don't regret coming here, and if it weren't for some bad luck, I might think about coming back to this place. Not now, though. I really hated it the last couple weeks, and a sour taste will be left from Soldotna and Kenai. But only have one day of work left, and then a party featuring an open bar. Then the long flight back home.

But now, there is a Giants game on, and I'll be damned if I'm not watching it.

SD