Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

Cooper Lake is reached by driving 12 miles on Snug Harbor Road, just off of the Sterling Highway. The road goes to gravel eventually, and some areas are in rutted and potholed condition, so the going can be slow.

Yesterday afternoon was overcast, with intermittent light rain, and there was definitely a chill in the air. We were in no hurry, and had no schedule, so a drive to the lake was a perfect diversion on an otherwise lazy day.

Along the way, we passed roadside hills strewn with brilliant bluish-purple lupine. I love lupine and wish it was growing wild in my own backyard. As the road climbed, we began seeing other wildflowers and plants, as well as quite a few little squirrels (babies?) who ran back and forth across the road. Twice, a male grosbeak flew across the road in front of us, but I didn’t have time to swap out my regular lens for a zoom, so I missed a photo of him.

We kept our ears open for the thundering sound of the waterfall that we remembered from our last drive to Cooper Lake back in 2004. We missed it on the drive to the lake, but I spotted it on the drive back and took some photos. I don’t know if there’s a way to get closer to the falls, but our vantage point from the road was on the precipice of a very steep drop-off to the valley below.

At the lake, there were several families that set up camp in a large group, with a screened house for dining, several covered areas for shelter from bad weather, and a collection of small campers and tents for sleeping. Another camper was perched right next to the lake - the perfect location for a serene getaway.

The water was rippled with raindrops, and fog/clouds hung low on the mountains. Steve decided to toss in a line anyway, and I walked around taking photos. I moved over to a huge gravel pile to photograph Steve fishing, and caught movement from the corner of my eye - close to the ground. When I turned around, there was nothing there. I thought I had imagined it.

Then it happened again. This time, when I swung around, I saw a tiny little head peeking out from an opening in the rock pile. I stood still, and the tiny creature came out of the hole to get a better look at me. This was definitely a new wildlife sighting for me! Over the past five years, I’ve seen just about everything on four legs (except polar bears), but this was my first sighting of a WEASEL!

He was adorable, and looked just like a ferret. He had a long, slender body with a white underbelly and brown fur. He had beady black eyes, but was cute none the less. He darted back into the rock pile, and appeared in another opening further up the pile. Then he disappeared again, and showed up again on the side of the pile. It was almost like a real life ‘whack-a-mole’ game, only it was a weasel playing hide and seek, and me with my camera trying to capture him. I did get a few photos, before he disappeared and never came back out again.

Steve didn’t catch anything, nor did he get any nibbles. Seems to be par for the course for him lately. We drove back into town and made a stop at the local liquor store for a bottle of wine and a few cigars (Steve smokes cigars when he’s on vacation, but not at any other time).

On the way back to the RV park, I asked Steve to stop at the Cooper Landing Cemetery, so I could check it out. I have always been interested in cemeteries, and try to visit the cemetery(ies) of every city/town we visit. I’ve been exploring cemeteries since I was a young girl - starting in my hometown of Philadelphia. I’ve been to cemeteries all over the US: from historical cemeteries in MA and GA, to small native burial grounds in AZ and here in AK.

I feel a sense of peace when I walk through a cemetery. I like to read the headstones, and see the dates that the departed walked on this earth. Sometimes I get teary eyed - especially when I see the grave of a baby or a very young person. Sometimes I chuckle at the witty inscriptions carved into the marble markers. Most times I wonder about what life was like when a person walked the earth - especially those who are buried in those old graveyards in the big cities of the northeast US.

The Cooper Landing Cemetery is absolutely beautiful in its simplicity. The graves are scattered throughout a treed area, with a meandering path worn into the earth between them, and up and down the hillside. There’s no set grid, nor are there formal rows. Best of all, there is no mandatory requirement regarding headstones & decorations.

From flat grave markers, to more ornate granite/marble sculptures, the individual resting places of these souls is unique and, in many cases, a reflection of the life they lived on earth. I just had to take photographs of some of the special headstones/markers.

When we got back to the camper, I cooked up some enchiladas for dinner (delicious!). They really hit the spot, and with full bellies it wasn’t long before our eyes grew heavy. It got cold last night, and we had to turn the heat on at about 4am. But the sun is shining now, and it’s another beautiful day.

I spent the morning working on photos from yesterday, and Steve is down on the Russian River trying his hand at catching some sockeye salmon. I really hope he has better luck today - not only for his sake, but for our freezer’s sake too!

Tomorrow, he’s driving back down to Soldotna for another Kenai River guided trip (third time’s the charm, I hope) and has to get up at 4am. I’ll be tracking Michele’s flight from DC to Minneapolis and then onward to Anchorage, and will be leaving here about 2pm to make my way to the ‘big city’ and my rendezvous with her and her daughter. And then MY fun begins… and it doesn’t include any fishing!

Photos from yesterday:

Until next time…