Girdwood in the Rain

Dearest darling Mumsie and Popsicle got in last night. After settling in and a not so restful night's sleep (they arent used to all the light), we planned an easy day to Girdwood. My roommate drove us about a 40 miles south of town to the local ski resort and hippie haven. We found wildflowers about everywhere we went, which was pretty cool.

First stop: The Alaska Candle Company.
- super cute hand made candles (various Alaskan wildlife)
- quick stop
- Feautured in Northern Lights coupon book
- recycling at its best: old shoes used as planters (I dont know that they were ever functional shoes, they were just really cute)
- samples of how candles look through the dipping process
- seal oil apparently allows for longer burning
- wish there were more color options (there were only white and brown)
- Located: left side of the road when driving up toward Alyeska

Next up: Kobuk Valley Jade
- Big selection of pretty jade and other pieces to look at
- Huge jade boulder that they are in the process of cutting through (will take them weeks to cut once)
- Local artifacts (sleds, snowshoes, baleen, etc.)
- I bought a new ring
- Dad bought a box of rocks :) Pieces of unpolished jade
- Located: take a left at the big Alyeska resort sign. It will be on the right after that.

Lunch time: The Bake Shop
- Soup of the day: Barley Beef and Veggie
- Alaska's famous sourdough bread
- Ginormous cinnamon rolls
- various sandwich offers
- really crowded, but hit the spot on a cold rainy day

After lunch, we drove down to the main building of the Alyeska resort. Because of the bad weather, we decided to skip the tram ride to the top. On a good day, its supposed to be a great ride. We headed back to town, and stopped at the Indian Valley Gold Mine. They offered a demonstration of gold mining, and a giftshop with more Alaskan wares. Amongst other things, dad bought a bucket of dirt (with Gold and other minerals in it).

Once we got back into town, we went to Wild Berry, a anchorage based chocolate factory, complete with a huge chocolate fountain. They let us sample some different pieces of chocolate, and we walked away with a big box of Wild Berry jelly filled chocolates. I highly recommend it for finding Alaskan gifts, even if they are a bit more aimed at tourists. There are several local companies represented in their wares.