Fun-filled Weekend

Saturday morning started out not-so-great. Nothing major, my patience with the pups was just wearing thin. And, I was tired of being stuck in the house. When Brent got home we decided to flee this popsicle stand and get out of town to do a little hiking/exploring. Since Willie is not-so-keen on traveling via vehicle quite yet, Ches got to sit in the passenger seat, and she thought she was super special. Which she is.

This is Donnelly Dome. Brent plans to reach the top of this mountain some time this summer. It's larger than it looks, I promise. Much larger. Since there is still snow, we decided to just visit some of the foot paths at the bottom of the Dome.

We decided to check out Donnelly Creek Recreation area to see how much snow had melted, and how deep the creek was. It was nice walking but there wasn't a lot of challenge, or much to see. We did see this cute little cabin. It is just big enough for a stove and a full-size bed. I think we might put one out back for a guest house. Wanna come visit? :)

This is part of Donnelly Creek. It still has some ice, but the water was flowing pretty good in the area closest to the road. Ooh, not long now...

This is the area where we were actually walking. It was pretty easy going, except for the snow. It's patchy, but the areas that have snow are still deep in some spots. It was a nice hike, we saw a hare, lots of moose nuggets on which Willie made himself a snack, and at the end as we were leaving we spotted a very fresh dropping of bear scat. Good thing we were heading out. It was a beautiful day, the temp hovered around 46 degrees and as you can see the sun was magnificent. Ooh, spring in Alaska is nice...so far.

As we were heading back to Delta we came upon this herd of caribou. They have the goofiest run, you really have to see it to appreciate it, but it's hilarious. There were about a dozen, but these are the only animals that stuck out in the open, the rest headed for the trees. So I snapped a few pics of them. They are very pretty animals.

As you can see here Willie was beat! That was a lot of hiking for that little guy. He crashed on the floor behind the drivers seat and slept the whole way home. A very peaceful ride home.

Sunday morning we woke to another nice day. The temps were slightly lower in the low 40's. We had planned to drive to a lake outside of Delta towards Tok but since Willie kept us up most of the night, and isn't the world's best traveler we decided to head out to the same area we were on Saturday and check out a couple other paths.

We hit our first path which led to a lake that Brent was determined to see. We came upon a couple of drop offs early on and I was ready to throw in the towel, but Brent was not. So we stumbled around until we found a walkable path downward.

Just as we hit a field near the lake Brent stopped short and told me to back up slowly. I followed his orders which staring straight into the face of a big ole moose watching from a stand of trees about 65 yards from us. I backed up slowly, as Brent tried to reign in the pooches as we continued to back up the path. Finally the moose retreated and continued to watch us from a safe distance until we looked up and he was gone. Thank goodness.

With that over we decided to forego our trip to the lake, as that was the direction that Mr. Moose had headed off in. So we decided to wander around the field. As we were crossing a large patch of snow we noticed some very large, very fresh bear prints. And we high tailed it back to the car.

On our new way up the hill we let the kids root around in a couple of caribou carcasses, which Willie thought was the best thing ever. Ches was rather uninterested, and just continued to sniff the ground in hopes of a hare to chase.

After we left the first path we headed up to a nice, leisurely trail which had a lot of snow. We walked up and down the rolling hills, and the pups loved it. LOVED it. All in all a nice day. On our way home we stopped to fill on gas and pick up fixings for dinner at the IGA.

The rest of the day was spent catching up on ESPN, reading The Shell Seekers, and periodically napping. A very good day indeed.

Have a happy day!

Longer Days

Well, as you can see my little Buddie was back last week. She was having a hay day stocking up on yummy seeds that BRENT sprinkled in the backyard for the grouse. Since he attracted her I told him he couldn't shoot her. And he happily obliged. Yes, she is sitting on the logs of the house, but she retreats to her trees, so for now she's safe. And full. Ha!

Brent, Ches and I walked out by the pasture on Friday evening. It was beautiful so we took a nice walk around the farm, just enjoying the longer days. This is the sunset, it was just too beautiful to pass up. We also noticed coyote and moose tracks, so I have been on the lookout. But have yet to see either one. It's just through the woods, and without the underbrush we can see straight through the trees to where the moose has been hanging out. The coyote I don't suppose we'll see. I think he's hunting rabbits under the logs out back. I suggest he stay away from the chicken coop or he could be in big trouble.

Friday afternoon Brent spoiled himself and bought a new gun. It's a Mossberg Maverick 88 and it's solely for protection. This is his reaction after shooting it for the first time and learning that it had a little more kick than he thought it might. Too funny. His shoulder was still smarting today, which I think is really quite funny. Directly after this photo was taken (on Sunday a.m.) he tried to get me to shoot it. Um, no. Do I have stupid written across my forehead? Silly boy. But it was fun to watch him try to sneak a little rub in, like I wasn't going to catch him! Really.

Sunday we decided to get out and go for a little drive despite the 180 mph winds. Okay, so that may be an exaggeration, but seriously, it was ridiculously windy. And then, like idiots we drove SOUTH of Delta, which is notorious for being windier than where we live. We drove slow to capture the Alaska Range (above) and Donnelly Dome (below). But sometimes it was really difficult to even stay on the road.

We stopped at Donnelly Creek Recreation area. The creek was open so we stopped to see what we could see. It was really shallow, so there was nothing in the way of fish. But we did come upon some buffalo droppings. I think we might think about camping there sometime this summer. Depending on what we find in other areas.

I am guessing that spring is on it's way here. We have a huge increase in little birds around. I have yet to get close enough to get a picture so that I can look them up. But they are here. In droves. We have heard that the bear are indeed starting to come out of hibernation but we have yet to see sign. The days are getting long. With the sky beginning to lighten around 6 a.m. and dusk lasting until 9 p.m. or later.

I will be busy this week. I have agreed to puppysit a 9 week old black lab pup named Willy while his parents go to Africa. He is rambunctious and I'm not quite sure how Ches will like having him here. He's temporary and I'm sure she'll adjust in time.

I have yet to hear on the job that I applied for, but there is another opening that I will be applying for. I have no idea what my chances are, but hopefully in time I'll find something. I was convinced that I would work from home, and I may still, but I am craving interaction with other humans, so for now I'm just keeping my eyes open.

Hoping you are warm, safe and dry! Have a happy day!