Mom Versus Wild » One woman's search for domestic bliss in the wild state of Alaska.

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Amy, and I live in Alaska. My family and I moved here in 2003, not long after my husband said something like, “Hey, let’s move to Alaska!” At first, I said no. I wanted to live in Indiana, where he and I grew up, where we both went to high school, and where most of our family lived. But then, I started watching everything I could find on TV about Alaska. I stumbled upon a show called “North to Alaska” and watched Larry Csonka catch a super-giant halibut. I asked my husband if I would be able to catch super-giant halibut if we moved to Alaska. He said, sure, as long as I understood what was involved in catching a super-giant halibut, he would see what he could do. Hey, I watched the show. I knew what was involved. So, I enthusiastically agreed to move to the most remote state in the nation.

We made our big move in June, so the sun did not set on our first night in Alaska. Giddy with an excess of serotonin, I knew I would love living here. I still haven’t caught my very own super-giant halibut, but I have gone four-wheeling (see photo), snow machining, camping, rafting, boating and hiking. I regularly see moose and black bear in my yard, and I’ve become a self-proclaimed expert on staying warm in January (hint: it involves staying inside, near my fireplace. Also, long underwear is awesome).

I hope you enjoy this website, where I write about life in Alaska, and photography (my favorite hobby), and anything else that pops into my head. Sometimes I write book reviews (lots of reading time in the winter!) and occassionally I'll share a recipe. I also write about the many outdoor adventures I have with my husband and son, and with my daughter when she happens to come home from college. And if I ever do catch a super-giant halibut, I promise, you’ll be the first to know about it!

Unless otherwise noted, all photographs on this site were taken by me. Please don't use them without my permission.

Spring Riding

Saturday, March 13, 2010 Posted in Snowmachining

After almost a week of snowy, cold, blizzardy conditions, the sun came out, and we took off to Big Lake for some spring riding. Since we had Kelly with us, Larry got to do his favorite thing: load up four snowmachines in his trailer to drive up to the cabin.

Here they are, all four of them, unloaded and ready to go.

About a foot (maybe more) of new snow covered the lake, which, combined with the sunshine, made for a perfect day. This is our view from the cabin, and out on the lake are two random guys on their snowmachines. They stopped for a little while and just sat there, probably working out some life issues while they soaked up some sun. We made up lots of conversations that we thought they might be having, but I won’t write them here, because most of them were “inappropriate.”

Kelly and I like to make up conversations we think complete strangers might be having. Our favorite is when we see two people in a restaurant who we think are having a first date. We love to make up conversations for them. Here’s an example:

Girl: So … did you just say you live with your mom?

Boy: Yeah.

Girl: Okay, bye.

Stuff like that. Our conversation for these guys was a little different, because we didn’t think they were on a first date. We figured they were just contemplating the vastness of Big Lake, and the awesomeness of their snowmachines. And maybe swearing.

I think this picture captures the day pretty well. Boy + snowmachine + sunshine = best day of his life so far. After I raced him across the lake and totally dusted him with my freakish speed, he got off his machine and yelled, “THAT was AWESOME!” Which was good, because I thought he was going to be mad that his mom just totally beat him in a snowmachine race. Nope. He just loves going fast. Also, it’s entirely possible that he let me win.

While the rest of the country is starting to thaw out, up here in Alaska, we are enjoying the best snowmachining of the year. Spring is always the best time, because it warms up a little, we’re still getting snow, and we get some gorgeous, sunny days. If the weather keeps up, we’ll have several more opportunities to get out and ride before breakup. *Fingers crossed*

by Amy