Riley Alaska State Convention

This has been an amazing week! During April 18th through 27th I traveled to Alaska. I flew into Fairbanks, then Mr. Werner, the State Executive Secretary, and I drove all the way down to Palmer. The drive was beautiful and I was able to see much of the Alaskan countryside.

After arriving in Palmer I was graciously welcomed into the home of a good friend Isaac. You may have seen Isaac before. He is an amazing performer and performed during the second general session of the 81st National FFA Convention as a part of National FFA Talent.

Over the next two days Isaac and I went to school, climbed "The Butte," ate Reindeer Sausage, and played some video games! It was an awesome time to relax and enjoy time in Alaska. Climbing "The Butte" was my favorite part. Here is the view from the top!

Tuesday I check into a hotel in Wasilla, and prepared for the convention. The convention kicked off with the Envirothon. It is a time for FFA members to compete in different CDE's. During the Envirothon, some of the state officers took me out to walk on a frozen lake! I was pretty nervous at first, but once we got out there it was really cool. We didn't go too far out, but it was still far enough!

After the convention got started I had a blast hanging out with the 60 or so members that attended the convention. It was such a great time hanging out with everyone from the Palmer, Kodiak, Homer, Fairbanks, and Delta Chapters.

The convention was filled with general sessions, workshops, CDE's, and a lot of time playing games! we were also joined by Ben, on of the Washington State Officers, and Ms. Jodie, the Washington FFA Executive Secretary. It was great to meet and get to know them.

After the convention was over I had a few days left before I had to fly back to the "Lower 48!" Some of the state officers, and Mr. Werner too Ben, Ms. Jodie, and I sightseeing around Anchorage. We went to see a Wildlife preserve, a Glacier, and the coastline. My favorite part was the grizzly bear exhibit of the wildlife preserve. We drove up to their pen, and there were no bears, but as we were getting back into the cars, here came a bear walking out of the woods. He walked right up to the fence beside us! He was HUGE! It was so cool to see a grizzly bear from up close.

On Sunday, the day before I left Alaska, Isaac, his mother, brothers and sister-in-law picked me up for a visit to the zoo! We got to see many more animals native to Alaska, and some that are not native. It was such a fun day, and for dinner we had Moose Soup. It was so good! I didn't really know what to expect but it was amazing!

As I look back on my time in Alaska I have fond memories, and many new friends. If you ever get a chance to visit Alaska I recommend it! It is such a wonderful place filled with really nice people.