No, I didn't leave the yellow Datsun in a ditch in the desert.

Small update right now. Spent the week packing.

I'm going to have to pay extra for a bag that weighs over 50 pounds - there's just no way around it.

The big black bag houses my backpacking backpack and all the associated outdoor gear, plus some heavy clothing I'll need when I first get up there while it's still cold. It's highs of 50's and lows of 30's right now, but that's on average. I've learned that Alaska and Texas are nearly identical: everyone owns a gun, the state is enormous, and the weather is ridiculously, inhumanely volatile. So, I'm bringing jackets.

Oh, and since I fly back to Dallas two days before I start classes at Rice again for the fall, I had to semi-pack for the fall semester. So basically everything I own is packed away right now.

Then there are my alarms for tomorrow morning:

...it's going to be a long day. My first of three flights takes off at 8:30am CDT, and my last one lands at 5:30pm AKDT (Alaska time; 8:30pm CDT). Then my boss picks me up from the airport and takes me to the house where I'm going to be living this summer. Copious pictures to come upon landing!