October firsts

October brought about so many fond memories for the both of us and many firsts, too! One weekend we visited the Chena Hot Springs after a long day of fishing in a near by river. We hadn't had much luck so we decided to take the advice of a man we'd met who said his favorite fishing nook was in Delta Junction, Alaska. We hopped in the truck the next day, camping and fishing gear in tow, to a beautiful campsite a couple hours away. Camping in Alaska is much different than sleeping outside in Tennessee! I was so cold that night and my frustration grew every time I rolled over and saw  J sleeping (and sweating) comfortably in his sleeping bag. We had a good time, though.

The first snowfall of the season came in October, too. It brought about shooting lessons from two of the Army's fine veterans: Lt.s Joshua and J. I was somewhat frightened at first because of the hype of the "kick back" of some guns, but after I shot it, it seemed pretty easy. I actually hit my targets!

The days began to feel much shorter as the sun started going down much faster so Jordan and I decided to give scuba diving a try. We signed up for classes at Test the Waters Adventure Sports in North Pole, AK. This new activity was a first for both of us and we were glad to have found something that neither of us had done that we could do together. We bought all the gear we needed and jumped in the pool for lessons. Breathing under water is one of the neatest things I've ever done. Instinct is to fight it and swim to the surface, but after awhile, the regulators in our mouths became second nature. We did well in our practice dives and finished the test portion making us well on our way to being certified. We hoped to get our first dive under our belts in our upcoming trip to New Zealand.