First Adventure

 We decided to start our first weekend off trying to do something adventurous. We don't have a car so it can be tricky to get around. Luckily there is "some sort" of a bus system that runs between North Pole and Fairbanks and then around Fairbanks. By "some sort" I mean the buses come on the hour or every hour and a half if you are lucky. So, a 20 minute commute to Fairbanks becomes a 2 hour plus commute some days. But we are still grateful for the bus when we need it.

The 9:20 bus got us downtown around  10:15 am. We then caught a second bus to the western side of town where we explored the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) campus. We checked out a cool modern art museum that had some displays depicting step by step the process of woodcut printing, wood carving, acid wash photography, and painting. I was enamored by the woodcut print work and want to take up a new hobby. Check out this woman to get a look at amazing woodcut prints- Sara Tabbert. Anywho I was inspired.

 Travis and I had fun taking in all the scenery around the campus because it is plopped down in the middle of a forest and has an awesome view of the valley (see above). I need a better camera to do it justice. They had a frisbee golf course that weaved throughout the campus and they had multiple trails that connected the different sections of campus. Of course they had normal side walks and it looked like any other regular campus, but it had these little hidden extras that made it unique. We enjoyed our time there.





We also checked out the local farmers market. I want to go later in the season because then they will have more fresh produce. The fresh bread sufficed for this time. It was delicious. Travis wasn't so sure about posing for the picture below, but I made him do it anyways. After the market we grabbed some lunch at a cafe I had read about in a local brochure. It was called Sam's Sourdough Cafe. "Sourdough" is not a term used lightly up here in AK. You have to be a long term resident who has stuck it out through a lot of winters. Once you have done this, you are entitled to the nick name "sourdough". The locals love it and the place was packed. We thought, "hey this is going to be one of those great hole-in-the-wall restaurant experiences." Meh not so much haha. It was still fun though. The food was just like cheap diner food should be, except more expensive. My buffalo burger and the reindeer sausage Trav got were pretty good though and we felt like locals chowing down with the crowd. The rest of the food..... not that great.

Bufallo burger and reindeer sausage above also a trail from UAF's campus.

Worlds smallest water glass from Sam's Sourdough Cafe. Literally a shot glass. Maybe it's a family diner by day and bar by night. We got a good chuckle from it.

After we said goodbye to Sam's we had to walk a ways to catch a bus to the depo or else we would be waiting another 2 hours for a bus back to North Pole. Just when I thought we weren't going to find the bus stop, I saw a nice looking red bricked building in the distance. You truly can spot any LDS institute building or church a mile away. We had stumbled upon the UAF institute building and YSA branch house! And the bus stop was right in front of the main doors. I was pretty excited and went straight to finding an open door because I wanted to go inside and feel a little bit of familiar for a minute. We found an open door and went in. I went to use the bathroom and when I came out Travis, in his usual fashion, had already made a couple of friends. They were a senior missionary couple from Sandy, UT. It was fun chatting with them and learning more about the area. After we said our goodbyes and left to catch the bus, I felt awesome knowing that wherever Travis and I go we will have friends and we will have people that are willing to help us and even take care of us if we need. The church is amazing and I am so grateful for the support we feel from it.

We caught the right bus and didn't have to wait another 2 hours to get home. We successfully navigated Fairbanks and had fun together! When I was young and naive I thought marriage was final and boring, but it isn't. I just have the coolest person to do things with all of the time now.