The World According to Laura

The small world of Juneau.

1. Most importantly, it's pronounced like the goddess Juno, but spelled Juneau. Maybe it's French or something. 
2. Though it's the capital of Alaska, it's very isolated; there are no roads going in or out.
3. Because just about everything has to be imported, it's really expensive. This includes things you would expect to be cheap, like salmon. Because they're sent to the mainland to be processed. Because that makes sense. 
4. Alaska is really, really big. So Anchorage, the biggest city, is about 800 miles away. It may as well be in a different country. 
5. It's not that cold here. The weather is similar to Seattle, which means...
6. It rains all. the. time. But we did get some snow this winter.
7. It's kind of fascinating to watch the snow start at the top of the mountains and creep down to the ground.
8. We do not fall into permanent darkness in the winter. On the shorter days, we probably got 5 or 6 hours of sunlight. But it still completely throws you off when it's pitch black and 4 in the afternoon. 
9. The darkness and dreariness makes you lazy. It starts to feel like a chore to get up and do things.
10. Let's go back to the mountains...they make for some really good hiking (as I've mentioned in other posts) along with the rain forests and beaches.
11. Hiking on the mountains can give you a little bit of vertigo. It's a long way down.
12. Juneau has amazing hiking trails that are kept up really well. 
13. They (whoever "they" are) have also done a really good job of keeping wildlife protected from people and vice versa. Mostly bears. 
14. I have seen a disappointingly small number of bears. And by that I mean I've seen 1/2 of a bear.



15. There are porcupines, which are really big. I got charged by one the other day. Well, that might be a big exaggerated but he was waddling quite fiercely at me. I may or may not have instigated it by trying to take pictures of him. It was still a little scary.                     




<------The offender



16. There are eagles all over the place. 
17. They do not sound majestic: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlq2kcYQcLc
18. I know I've said it before, but the people are ridiculously nice.
19. Most of them aren't from Juneau, and it's fun to find out where people came from and what got them here.
20. There's a surprisingly large first-generation Asian population. 
21. This is definitely not a fashion capital; people really don't dress up much.

22. There's an obsession with Xtra Tuffs, which are basically ugly brown rain boots.                              I don't understand it:


23. I think you either have to be a little crazy to live here, or living here makes you a little bit crazy. Maybe both. 
24. I'll say it again: there are things about this place that suck, but there are also things about it that are really cool. 
25. I keep reminding myself that we're having an adventure.