Before I moved to Alaska, my only previous adventure up here was a vacation I took over 7 days in 2006.  I flew into Anchorage, rented an RV, then proceeded to drive in the great loop of the Alaskan Road System.  I spent two nights in Denali National Park.  Had a single day stupid run of 600 miles from Denali, to a brief stay in Fairbanks, then down the Richardson Highway to Valdez.  Two nights in Valdez then the return trip to Anchorage.  All in All, I drove 1300 miles in a gas guzzling pick-up with a camper thrown on the back and the worst shocks ever for Alaskan roads.

Since that time, I have driven many of the same roads – heading up to Denali, heading to Valdez, etc.  I’ve seen many of the same glaciers, mountains, lakes, forests.  It’s many times over the beauty of Alaskan countryside I grew to love since I moved up here.

But while I have seen glimpses of it, only in the last few days has there been something that was truly reminiscent of that week in 2006.

The Toad Choking Downpour of Cold Wet Rain!

I showed up in 2006 with sweatshirts and warm clothing; but not at all anything rain resistant.  By mid week I was paying way too much money for a raincoat capable of keeping high sea fishermen dry, and even that was in a fight for it’s life.  Anchorage averages about an inch of rain during the month of August, and when I arrived on August 7th they had a half of inch already, by the time I left, they were nearing two inches – and major roads were closing down due to flooding.

The weather here has been kind some days recently, but down right a pain other days.  Currently, our July Rainfall has nearly doubled what the average should be for the month.  For this time of the month, we should be around 1.68 inches — last Friday & Saturday alone we had 1.3 inches.  Yesterday it only rained for about two hours, and most of it was a light shower — except for about 20 minutes of a downpour.  That would be a half inch of rain downpour.

Truth is a comment I made about all that rain in 2006 sticks in my head when I want to complain about all this rain.  Sure it really put a damper on the vacation, but I came back with the message: “The rain was just God telling me I needed to come back.”  That, simply enough, is why I am here.