Time Flies...When You're Having Fun!

Sunrise 3:46 a.m.   Sunset  11:48 p.m.

Howdy!  Well, when I was talking to Dad tonight he informed me that he was waiting, none-so-patiently for me to update the blog.  He's right, I haven't updated in quite a while, so I'll hit the highlights.

Mom and Dad came to visit!!!  They arrived on June 17 and stayed until June 27.  We wanted to show them everything that we loved to do.  Unfortunately the weather, and time constraints, and JET LAG rained on our party.  Just a little tiny bit.  But all-in-all, we found a little time for fun. 

We decided that splitting up and hitting the highlights for each parent was the best way to go about things.  Easiest, and more fun for all of us.  Dad and Brent hit the not-so-dusty trail seeing Coal Mine Road, Ken's Pond and a little bit of neighborhood the first couple days.  Mom and I headed for North Pole and Fairbanks.  We stopped and browsed and snacked on ice cream at The Knotty Shop.  We listened to others tell Santa where they hailed from at the Santa Claus shop, and we hit up all kinds of little shops in downtown Fairbanks.  

Mom and Dad celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary while staying with us.  What a treat!  Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!! Here's to many, many more years!!

On the Sunday following their arrival we headed bright and way too early, to Valdez.  It was Father's Day and to celebrate we decided to take our time getting to Valdez, site seeing along the way.  Above is a photo of Mom and Dad at Thompson's Pass.  It's lovely and green this time of year, but I'm not so anxious to take the same photo 6 months from now.  

The drive to Valdez is lovely.  We cruised off the beaten path to check out some historic sites.   Along the way we stopped at a couple of the many waterfalls that greet visitors along the road.  This is Brent and I are Horsetail Falls.  We hiked up to take a photo with the water, me in flip flops, none-the-less.

Once we arrived in Valdez we headed straight to the Totem Restaurant for some breakfast. After we had finished our delicious grub we headed to the pier to check out the fishing reports.  We were ecstatic to learn that Brent and Dad's charter had brought in the largest halibut for the week.    After checking with the locals the guys learned that their charter was one of, or the best, charter in Valdez.

Oh, if only.  If only they hadn't risen so early to make it to the pier on time.  If only they hadn't spent so many hours on a boat, if only it was called catching instead of fishing, as my husband reminded me.  If only they hadn't gotten SKUNKED.  Skunked.  You heard me.  Not one flippin' halibut.  PFFFFFFFFFFFFT.  They said that they captain worked hard, kept them out a couple hours late in attempt to get them some big fish.  But nothing.  Not. A. Fish.  I dare say I was extremely disappointed and relieved that I hadn't joined them on the charter.  

While the boys were off fishing, Mom and I caroused the town of Valdez.  While it's a nice little town, there isn't a lot of shopping to be had, and we were hard pressed for good wholesome entertainment.  We managed to find a few laughs, dodging the maids, trying to stay awake during some horrible Lifetime movie.

While we were waiting, freezing-our-buns-off waiting for the guys to return from their "fishing" trip, we met a nice couple from Hilton Head, SC.  They, and their young son, were traveling the US in an RV.  They spent some time in Alaska last summer and couldn't resist so they came back to end their year long adventure in the wilds of Alaska.  We thoroughly enjoyed talking to them, spending our time, trying to capture the eagles.  That was the draw for all of us.  Magnificent bald eagles.  I managed to capture this guy, as he flew in to grab some halibut leftovers (in his talons) through a flock of seagulls. 

When we got the guys back, and had enough of Valdez we headed for home.  We were all exhausted from the jet lag, the fresh sea air, the late nights, early mornings and well, we were exhausted.  It was nice to have a little time at home.  For all of us.  Brent and I had to go back to work for a couple days, so Mom and Dad putzed around the house, oh, who am I kidding, they washed my windows, mowed my lawn, cleaned my house, did my laundry, all while they were on vacation.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it didn't seem fair to me.

After a couple days rest, we threw in some drives, exploration, more fishing, more fishing, more fishing, and flower capturing.  Mom picked me a lovely bouquet of irises, we listened to the glorious, and eerie call of the Loon.  My first Loon experience here in Alaska.  Mom and I snuck in a little more shopping, and to end it all. WE PARTIED!

Because our house is small, we tend to party in the summer, when we have outdoor space.  Well, the weather wasn't quite as cooperative as we would have liked, but we partied anyway.  Rain or shine, nothing scares these Alaskans (and two Minnesotans).  LOL.  We invited friends whom we share our time with here in Alaska to meet the parents, and just spend a little time getting to know others.  I think a fine time was had by all.  We're looking forward to doing it again.

This is Tara guarding her bird nest, which her brother demolished later.  And her new friend, Charlie.  Charlie is new to Delta Junction, and moved her from Alabama.  Oh, and she brought along her mom and dad too. LOL.  

The meal wasn't fancy, but it seemed to suit the bill.  We had tacos.  Why not, right?  And even turned some non-fish taco eaters into fish taco eaters.  We did it up right with beef, chicken and fish tacos.  We were hoping to have halibut tacos, but we substituted some mighty fine tilapia instead.  Better luck next time boys!

When the evening was over we cleaned up, quickly and headed to bed.  Dad and Mom had a 3:30 a.m. wake up call, and I lucked out at plopping a hat on and running at 4:20 a.m.   We drove the windy road to Fairbanks and were greeted by loads of wildlife.  What a send off!  5 moose, a fox (we think) and Mom saw a wolf.  Lucky lady!

Their visit was lovely, but too short.  We're looking forward to their trip next summer.  Right, Dad?!?! LOL.  We'll see...but we are looking forward to their return.  

What have we been doing since they left?  Sleeping.  Ha!  Just kidding...I'll be back with later! Happy Summer!!!

Back At It

The view from Tenderfoot Trail

Where to begin? It's been a while. A lot has happened in the past few weeks, and I guess, truly it's been over a month. Uff da. Well, let's see if I can catch you up to speed.

The first thing that happened is that my poor little Mini crashed. Hard drive kaput. Which is why I've had the blogging hiatus. We attempted to fix the little booger, then got busy, and well, it's still in the closet waiting to be fixed while I'm typing away on my new bigger, better, faster laptop.

While the computer was crashed we packed up and moved our meager belongings to our little house in the woods. It's wonderful. Peaceful, serene and more than just a little bit freaky. But we all love it. And I'm getting used to the howling dogs, the pitch blackness, and the presence of animals in the woods. I'm a fraidy cat. Haven't you figured that out by now? Hmph.

After we moved and got slightly settled we hit the trails in search of playtime. What a wonderful place we live in. There are new places to explore for years to come. Friends of ours were anxious to ride the Tenderfoot trail, so we decided to go along. I was reluctant, but willing to ride about anywhere. If I had only known, I would have been loaded up and ready to go hours in advance.

Tenderfoot is a nice leisurely trail. It has some straight ups which inevitably lead to some straight downs, but it's fantastic. We found the resting spot below where we stopped to stretch our legs, let the pooches run and be free, and watched a bald eagle swoop and perch on the tips of the trees.

After we left our part-way-there resting spot we continued upwards and onwards. We came to a grassy knoll on the side of the mountain that was perfect, and as far on the path as we were going to go. We parked and perched to eat our ham salad sandwiches, and munch on freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies, as we took in a view that was more phenomenal than the last.

Being warmed by the afternoon sun, we laid on the knoll and napped, visited and some of us even picked a few late season blueberries. It was a nice relaxing afternoon ride. When the berries were picked, and the sleep was rubbed from the guys' eyes we continued back down for some exploration and sight seeing.

On the way down we stopped at an old cabin. It was really just a shell of a cabin, most likely an old trappers cabin, or so I've been told. It has some beautiful tin work in it, but it was seriously lacking. It lacked a roof, and chinking, and windows, and a floor, unless you count the heavily weeded forest floor. I really don't think it was the place for us.

As we continued along, we stumbled upon an old mine site. From what we hear it's not that old at all, but the abandoned equipment says that it's been around for a long time. We came across this crane, and an old trailer home. I cannot even imagine living up in the wilds of Alaska in a trailer. These people are tough cookies up here! But it seems they lived happily and heartily until a few years ago.

When we reached the bottom we found our way back to a friends place near the trail. When we stopped to park the ATV's, now trailered and ready to hit for home, we stumbled upon these beauties. Aren't they magnificent? And surreal? They look like they're straight out of Alice in Wonderland. There were about a half dozen of them, in various shades of orange, some in the perfect domed shape, and others that had flattened themselves out like an over-extended umbrella.

The following weekend we headed off to Valdez, Alaska to do a little salmon fishing. Silver salmon to be exact. It was a cool and misty morning, not to mention dark, as headed off to the south in search of fish, fish and more fish.

As the sun came up we caught the above view of Summit Lake. This is the first time we've been by it without ice on it. It is a huge lake that seems to go on forever, especially when you're hurling yourself through the mist and darkness around the curves and dips and winding roads that follow along the banks, most often without guard rails. Another example of how Alaskans are much tougher than I!

This was our first trip to Valdez. If I had only known, I likely would have taken a week off of work to just explore. I've heard, from the natives, that you'll either love it or hate it. I, for one, LOVED IT. The entire day it dripped or misted, and moisture hung in the air. It was wonderful. You could smell the salt in the air. The views were magnificent, my only wish is that I had had more time.

We started the day with breakfast at the Totem Inn. They have a wonderful atmosphere, keeping true to their Alaskan ways. We were fortunate to be seated closest to a huge black bear, dead and under glass, of course. We enjoyed a tasty, and inexpensive breakfast of eggs, american fries, and reindeer sausage.

When we were full we headed to the parking lot to check out the produce truck that was advertising fresh peaches. Since produce in Alaska, especially Central Alaska, can be tempermental, I was eager to see what this produce aisle on wheels had in store for me. We bought delicious Anaheim and Jalapeno peppers, a huge Acorn squash and a bundle of those previously advertised peaches. They were juicy and sweet, and they're in my freezer waiting for just the right day to be made into a sweet, flaky peach pie.

Since we had time to kill before our boat would leave, we explored the city of Valdez. We bought tickets for the salmon derby. You can buy a ticket to be entered, in the instance that you catch a monster halibut, or in our case, salmon. We shopped, and wandered the piers, just taking in the marina, the sights, the sounds and the smells.

At promptly 1 p.m. we boarded the English Maiden and set out to catch silvers. We trolled and trolled and trolled, and trolled some more. We didn't have a single nibble for about the first two hours.

We paced the entire length of the Sound, or so it seemed, and even caught a glimpse of this pretty little creature. She was trolling for fish as well. She put on quite the show, swimming, diving and surfacing amongst the boats that were vying for the salmon that she so desired.



Once the games began, we pulled in fish after fish. The mist came heavier and we hooked the fish quicker and quicker. It was fun, and messy, but most important of all, fun.

Here is the catch of the day! 19 Silver Salmon with the largest weighing in at just over 15 pounds. Our limit, for the 4 of us, was 24, so we didn't come up too short on the day. In the end we walked away with 42 pounds of salmon per family. Not too shabby. Next time I'm hoping to stay and play more. But it was a beautiful trip and I am anxious to do it again, next summer.

Autumn has most definitely come to Central Alaska. With each season I solemnly vow that it is my favorite season in the Last Frontier. Winter is bone-chilling cold, but crisp and serene. Everything covered in angel dust and the sky that shifts and moves with the Aurora's. Spring is messy, muddy and alive. The trees are budding, the grass greens, seemingly over night, and the days grow longer in leaps and bounds. Summer brings wildflowers in every hue of the rainbow. There are baby animals and the sun never sleeps. It is hot and dry, with cool summer breezes to take the heat away. And then there's autumn. It is a riot of color. Everywhere you look there are shades of yellows, reds and greens. You can smell the leaves turning, the fireweed fuzzes out and fills the air with wisps of white cottony seeds. Autumn in Alaska is magnificent.

These blueberry bushes have born their fruit and their leaves have turned a crimson shade. They coat the forest floor, and the contrast of the red against the blue-green of the spruce trees is beautiful.

Anywhere and everywhere the plants grow, they also change. This rock is covered in maroon and gold, and reminds to cheer on our home state team...GO GOLDEN GOPHERS!!!

Prairie grasses in shades of red and orange. Against the crispy white mountain backdrop, it is hard to imagine a more wonderful sight.

It's hunting season in Alaska. And despite the threat to his health this brazen bull took a walk on the wild side hear Meadows Road. Isn't he magnificent? Brent told me I couldn't give his exact location, as he'll be on the hunt for Mr. Bull next year. He is not hunting moose this year as we are still on non-resident status. I have to say that I am disappointed. We recently had our first taste of moose, and it's delicious. This from the squeamish, not-so-fond-of-venison, picky eater. I am really looking forward to next year, and having moose in our freezer.

This is a view of Donnelly Dome in autumn. Since I have a photo of the Dome in every other season I had to get a picture of it in it's pre-winter glory.

Here is another beautiful beast! This guy is slightly smarter, and he technically lives in town. When his head was down and he was munching you couldn't even spot him amongst the grasses. As soon as he raised his head, his antlers gleamed in the fading sunlight. We just stopped and watched, and he was in no hurry to leave his buffet.

Darkness has come back to Alaska. I let Chessa girl out to pee before bedtime the other night and caught this view. I stood and looked at it for a while, wondering what on earth that light was. I didn't hear a helicopter, and it took me a minute before I realized it was the moon! It's been a while since I've seen the man in the moon.

We have been enjoying our peace and solitude. The last summer, early autumn, has been good to us, and we're trying to enjoy every last minute of it. These are the colorful poppies that grow along the long driveway that leads to our house.

This is our new home. The front windows let wonderful light into the living room. There is an entry door on either side of the house, and the kitchen is at the back. Once we get settled, completely settled, I'll give you a photo tour of the inside.

In between a very demanding work schedule, and an equally demanding play schedule, we (mostly Brent) have been busy cutting, cutting and cutting firewood for the long winter ahead. I highly doubt we'll feel even the slightest bit of cold this winter! I am fortunate in many ways. Fortunate that we live in such a beautiful place, blessed that we both have jobs that we love, and lucky to be married to a very hard-working man.

Phew, well, that gets us a little more current. I'll be back soon with more photos from this weekend. I'm sleepy... Have a happy day!