Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

I’m going to play ‘catch up’, and include photos I’ve taken over the past two weeks. This is a long entry with a lot of photos.

AURORA BOREALIS

On the early morning of the 11th - the day before I left Fairbanks for Madison - the aurora made an appearance. It was a surprise to see them, as the forecast wasn’t calling for much activity at all.  It was one of those “stay up all night” episodes, and while getting ready for bed, I glanced out the window and saw green bands in the sky.

It was very cold, and I scrambled to pull on layers of clothing over my pajamas. I decided to set up my camera on the back deck and shoot the sky over the yard. I’m glad I made that decision, as I had to run inside and warm up my hands periodically. I think the temperature was at the -38F mark.

The bedroom light was on, and I like the way you can see the bedroom window aglow in this photo, with the lights overhead:

The third photo below, was taken through the sliding glass doors. I was so cold, I came inside and thought I’d try shooting through the back door. (You can see the imprint of bird feathers on the left top side of the glass from a recent crash. Don’t worry, the bird is OK)

This morning, I woke up as Steve was leaving for work just before 4am. I was sipping some coffee and warm in bed watching mindless TV, when the phone rang. It was Steve alerting me to an aurora display. He could see them brightly in the sky as he drove into work.

I jumped out of bed, threw on my coat and gloves (again over my pjs) and decided again to shoot the lights from the back deck so I could come in and warm up if I needed to.  This time, the lights painted a large swath of green across the sky. I shot about 20 frames and went back up to my warm bed.

A little while later, Sedona needed to go out. Once again, I pulled on my coat and made my way into the cold. I got all the way to the bottom of the driveway with her, when I noticed the lights were still out. I ran back to the house for my camera and stood out there for about 10 minutes. They died down soon after.

The first photo below, was taken from my back deck. The other two were taken from my driveway.

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WINTER HAFLA

A couple of days before I left for Madison, I attended a belly dance Hafla (Middle Eastern Dance Party) with my friends Lori and Stella. You may remember Stella as the beautiful bride I photographed back in September.  Stella has returned to AK, and I thought she’d enjoy getting out with us - especially on a Sunday (football day for the guys in our lives).  She had a good time, and I think she might even be considering taking some belly dance lessons herself.

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MADISON

It’s hard to believe that my trip to Madison is over already. I was so excited to get there, and so happy to be there spending time with my kids - and now it’s over. I wish the time wouldn’t have gone by so quickly, but I’m glad I was able to spend a full 8 days with them this time.

As I wrote two entries ago, I had the opportunity to meet up with an online friend (Yvonne) on Thursday morning and was planning a shopping day with Becky on Friday, as well as a meet up with dear friends from my youth.

On Friday morning, after I made breakfast for everyone, Becky and I headed out on our shopping excursion. It was nice to be able to go into some of the stores we don’t have here in Fairbanks, and also nice to see less expensive prices too.

Our first stop was Burlington Coat Factory. There’s a Burlington Coat Factory in Anchorage, but it’s a 7-hour drive, and also isn’t the nicest store from what I remember. The one in Madison is much cleaner and more organized. Unfortunately, the only thing I bought there was a pair of ornate earrings with orange gemstones, for my dance recital in May. We then went to the West Towne Mall, and I felt like I was at a smorgasbord of shopping. Although I didn’t buy very much, it was nice to window shop with Becky.

I realized that I’m just not a shopper anymore.  I remember when we lived in the Lower 48, with abundant shopping opportunities, and I would go shopping all the time. Most of the time I didn’t buy very much, but it was a great way to spend an afternoon out of the house.  Now, it just doesn’t do anything for me. Don’t get me wrong - there are definitely days when I feel the intense urge to participate in “retail therapy”, and generally a trip to the local Fred Meyer or Old Navy fulfills that urge. But gone are the days when I would spend hours wandering around malls spending money on things I really don’t need. Nevertheless, the time spent with Becky was the most important part of the afternoon.

That evening - Friday - we drove to McFarland (about 30 minutes from Madison) to meet up with the Sutton Family. We met at “little” David’s house, who is not so little anymore (he’s in his 30s now). His sister Danyel drove up from Rockford for the reunion, and Dave and Denise were there spending the weekend. We also got to meet David’s wife Diane and their daughter Jamie.

We had such a fabulous time seeing everyone again! I love “forever” friends; those friends you have for a lifetime. Those friends who know just about everything there is to know about you, and love you just the same! *grin* Friends who were there to share all the happy times and the not so happy times.

Denise is like a sister I never had. There isn’t much she doesn’t know about me. We met as teenagers. We “grew up” together, had our families together, bought our first homes together. Even as miles separate us, and phone calls aren’t as frequent, we always seem to pick up where we left off.  It is such a precious friendship that has stood the test of time and distance.  I have been blessed to have both Denise and Dave in my life over the last 34 years.

On Friday night, we had so much fun!  I don’t know why I even bothered wearing mascara, because tears of laughter had taken it all off by the end of the night.  We reminisced and caught up with each other, and before I knew it, the night was coming to an end and it was time to leave.  I hated saying goodbye, and I hope that so much time won’t pass before we see each other again.

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On Saturday morning, I was up early for my meet-up with my online friends, Kerry and Joan. Kerry lives in Waunakee, which is about a 15 minute drive from Madison. Once the highway leaves the city, it becomes two lanes and winds through beautiful countryside with large expanses of farmland and gorgeous barns and farm houses. We decided to meet at 9:30am.

It was wonderful to see Kerry again, and to finally meet Joan in person. We chatted for a couple of hours before heading out to Mt Horeb to have lunch at the Grumpy Troll.

From the Mount Horeb Chamber of Commerce website (abridged):

The village of Mount Horeb was given its name by an Englishman, not by the Norwegians, as some “Norsk” people think. George Wright was born in England in 1824. A few months after his marriage in 1848, he was licensed as a lay minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In that same year the Wrights emigrated to America. In 1858, they moved to Blue Mounds Township to a farm home, way out on the prairie.

Mr. Wright became active in Blue Mounds Township as it grew, serving as town treasurer and filling a term in the legislature. He was assistant provost Marshall during the Civic War. This activity led to his appointment as postmaster of the new post office, which was to serve settlers in the eastern part of the township. In 1861, the office was located in his farm home and it was his privilege to give it a name. After searching scriptures, he selected the name “Mount Horeb.” He chose it from the many references to the “mounts” because of the high elevation of his land and the beauty of the surrounding area.

Today Mount Horeb, with a population of 6,000 and growing, is rich with history and has maintained its link to the past with the preservation of its many cultural celebrations, historic buildings and homes. Residents and visitors alike enjoy a small-town atmosphere which brings with it a spirit of community and neighborliness.

The Trollway:

The Mount Horeb area was first settled by people of English, German, Irish, Norwegian, Scottish and Swiss descent, yet in the late 1800’s more than 75% of the community was Norwegian.

Trolls originated from early Scandinavian folklore. They are usually smaller beings, similar in size to dwarves or elves. Trolls tend to dwell in mounds or near the sea-in our case-”mounds” (nearby Blue Mound)-and are known to have developed semi-magical powers such as prophecy and shape-shifting.

According to ancient Norwegian legend, trolls have long, crooked noses; only four fingers and toes; and a long, bushy tail. Trolls live to be hundreds of years old.

Most trolls are shaggy and look a bit frightening, but are mostly good-natured and naive. It is advised to maintain a good relationship with trolls as they are often known to be guarding treasures of gold or gemstones-in our case, they guard the friendly people and wonderful attractions of our community!

Our trolls are known to relax outside watering flowers, tending chickens, playing music or just plain ol’ hamming it up for your viewing pleasure!

In approximately 1976, the owners of a Scandinavian gift shop called Open House Imports started placing trolls they had imported from Norway out on their lawn to entice visitors into their shop.

The trolls caught not only the visitor’s attention, but that of passing truckers. In the late 1970’s, truckers would denote their location to trucker buddies on CB radio by saying ” I just passed your mother-in-law on 18/151″-referring to the trolls they had just passed.

Troll Theme

Currently, Open House Imports and many other businesses and shops are located on Business Hwy 18/151, which used to be the main highway between Madison and Dubuque.

In the mid 1980’s, the WI Department of Transportation decided to create an 18/151 bypass around Mount Horeb. Village businesses were very concerned about the negative economic impact the bypass might cause. Memories of the troll spotting truckers sparked an idea, and the Trollway theme emerged.

The early theme of “Take the Trollway Through Mount Horeb” involved mostly signage and other marketing campaigns and many people wondered ” if this is the Trollway, where are all the trolls?”

Luckily, Mount Horeb is blessed with resident woodcarver, Michael Feeney, AKA, the Troll Carver of Mount Horeb. Originally he was asked to create a folk art project, but when village officials saw his work, the Trollway and the trolls had a life and a home!

The Chicken Thief, one of Mike’s first trolls, was erected on Main St next to Olson’s Christmas House, and The Accordian Player can be found near Mount Horeb Telephone Company, a few doors away.

The latter once captured the attention of a busload of Norwegian tourists who also happened to be accordian players. According to Mike, the bus unloaded, the passengers disembarked with their accordians- and much to the delight of onlookers- proceeded to serenade the troll for at least 20 minutes!

Mike has created more than 15 life-sized ,whimsical trolls along our historic Main St. Check out his work at www.woodenchicken.com.

Mount Horeb also has our very own live troll, Jorgen, who can be found at many events throughout the year!

After lunch - and more than an hour of lingering at the restaurant - Kerry, Joan, and I took a short walk on the main road to look for trolls. However, it was a blustery day, and before too long we were back in Kerry’s car where it was warm.  We decided to take a drive to the Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac, with hopes to take a tour of the winery and do some wine tasting.

We just missed the last tour, but were still able to enjoy some wine tasting. I tried three different reds, and thoroughly enjoyed the Domaine du Sac. I just had to buy a couple of bottles to take back to the kids’ place, as they aren’t red wine drinkers.

Kerry showed us around Waunakee and the surrounding area, before returning to her house.  A little while later, her husband Chris started dinner for us. (We all love a man who cooks!) He fired up the grill and prepared thick pork chops, sweet potatoes, and green beans. It was delicious! I’ve never been a fan of sweet potatoes, but the way he made them was so good that if I can make them the same way, I’ll forever give up white potatoes in favor of them. (He parboiled them first, then cut them in wedges, coated them with olive oil and seasoning, and then grilled them. They were yummy!)

After dinner, the three of us took photos. I set my camera up with the timer so we could all be in the photos. It’s nearly impossible to get a photo of three women, in which they ALL like the way they look. Taking the photos resulted in a lot of laughter, but finally I got one or two that we could all agree were acceptable.

We said our goodbyes around 9pm, and I drove back to Madison and the kids. It was a fun day!

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On Sunday, we woke to hoarfrost coating everything, and thick fog for as far as the eye could see. Rather than take to the roads, we decided to spend the day indoors watching movies and enjoying each others company. I made cheesesteaks for dinner (using Steakums, which isn’t anywhere near as good as Philly steaks), but they hit the spot nicely.

Later that evening, I suggested that we go for a drive on Monday since I had the rental car at our disposal.  We decided that we’d go back to Mt Horeb to look for the trolls.  I hoped that the weather would be nicer.

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On Monday morning, hoarfrost covered everything again, but the sun was shining and the skies were blue. By the time we ate breakfast and got ready to go out, the hoarfrost had melted and the wind had died down. It was a gorgeous winter day.

Brandon opted out of the drive because he had things he needed to tend to at home, but Chris, Becky and I were excited about doing a little sightseeing.

We drove to Mt Horeb first, so that I could show Becky the trolls. While we didn’t get out and walk, I was able to get some photos from the car. We decided to turn off onto a side road in search of a park I saw on the map, but that took us out of our way and we ended up passing by Tyrol Basin ski hill, and Little Norway. While there were skiers on the hill at Tyrol Basin, Little Norway was closed for the season. That was disappointing, as I would have liked to have checked it out.

While trying to figure out where we were, we saw a sign for Cave of the Mounds. It was only a few miles down the road, so we thought we’d check it out. After parking, we entered the gift shop and discovered that we were just in time for the last tour of the day ($15/pp).

From the website (edited):

Cave of the Mounds takes its name from the Blue Mounds, two large hills which have long been Wisconsin landmark features. The West Mound, at 1716 feet, is the highest point in Southern Wisconsin; the East Mound reaches 1489 feet. Cave of the Mounds lies under the southern slope of the East Mound.

This area was settled by Ebenezer Brigham, a successful lead miner who became Dane County’s first permanent white settler in 1828. The West Mound is now a Wisconsin state park; part of the East Mound still belongs to the Brigham family. Brigham County Park lies along the wooded northern edge of this East Mound. Both parks afford magnificent vistas of southern Wisconsin.

Cave of the Mounds was accidentally discovered on August 4, 1939. Workers, who were removing high quality limestone from a quarry on the Brigham Farm, blasted into the Cave. The blast tore the face off the quarry and revealed a great underground cavern. All quarrying stopped and never resumed. The dynamite blast revealed a limestone cave more than twenty feet high opening into other rooms and galleries, all containing numerous mineral formations.

The excitement of the discovery brought so many curiosity seekers that the Cave had to be closed in order to preserve it. Soon, lights and wooden walkways were installed. And, in May 1940, Cave of the Mounds was opened to visitors.

A guided tour of the Cave takes you past a varied collection of colorful stalactites, stalagmites, columns and other formations. The main cavern began forming over a million years ago as acidic water dissolved the limestone bedrock far below the surface. As Cave of the Mounds staff like to point out, geologic time is mind-boggling. It is difficult to imagine the time it took for the large caverns to be dissolved within rock that is itself believed to be over 400 million years old!

A lower meandering portion of the Cave was formed by the rushing water of an underground stream. The contrast between the chemical and mechanical processes of cave formation is one of the geologic lessons illustrated on The Cave Tour.

Here are photos I took throughout the day:

I just love the barns and farms all over Wisconsin!

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Tuesday was my last full day to have my rental car, and I wanted to take advantage of it. Brandon and Becky had things to do, so Chris and I took to the road. This time, we drove up to the Dells area and then stopped at Devils Lake on the way back.

The Wisconsin Dells area is so commercial, I didn’t find it enjoyable at all. I can’t believe how many hotels and waterparks and amusement parks there are. I can only imagine how congested and busy it is in the summer months, when tourists from all over converge on the area.

When Steve and I were in this area last (May 2003 on the way to AK), we camped in Baraboo and drove down to Madison to pick up Chris for a few days. I remember that we took a river tour on a “DUCK”, and were able to see some of the beautiful canyons of colored sandstone walls.  It’s disappointing that you can’t see these beautiful views on your own, from a riverside park or rest area.  I’m sure a lot of people miss out on this natural beauty because they either can’t, or won’t, pay some business for the opportunity.

In Sauk City, we were able to find a place to park near the banks of the Wisconsin River for some photos. The reflections of the frosted trees in the water was beautiful.

Again, I was thrilled by all the beautiful farms and barns and farmhouses. I love the rolling hills and wide open spaces, once you leave the bigger cities behind. I snapped a lot of photos out the car window.

After our very quick drive through the Wisconsin Dells area, Chris and I made our way to Devils Lake State Park. There were only a few people at Devils Lake, and most were ice fishing. When we were here in May 2003, we all hiked one of the trails in the park that took us to beautiful overlooks of the lake below. I don’t know if those trails are open in the winter, but even if they are, we weren’t prepared to do any hiking. Instead, we drove where we could, and stopped so I could take some photographs.

Here are photos I took while out with Chris:

Later that evening, we all drove into town to see the Capitol Building.  The last time I visited the kids, I didn’t get the chance to go downtown and wanted to do it this time. We waited until 8pm to go, so that traffic would be less busy, and the streets downtown would be nearly deserted.

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On Wednesday, I was up early enough to run over to the Mall one last time before I had to take my rental car back to Hertz. I didn’t buy anything, but it was nice to do a lap through the mall when it wasn’t quite as busy as it was the day I went with Becky.

Brandon followed me to Hertz with his car, and after dropping it off we stopped at a local grocery store to pick up a bag of cheese curds for my friend Lori. I’ve eaten cheese curds in the past, but didn’t buy any for myself this time. I do love all things cheese (except for Bleu Cheese), but I’ll pass on the curds. She’s planning to come by today and pick them up. I hope they’re fresh enough for her that they *squeak*.

I couldn’t believe my visit was coming to an end. I told the kids that the only thing I wanted to take care of on my last day in town, was to get some photos of them all. They were agreeable (good thing!), so after dinner, we went out on their balcony and took a few photos.  I also took photos of their furkids (Pandora the boxer, and Jiji the spoiled cat).

I packed my suitcase, to include my new mp3 player. I purchased it online and had it shipped to the kids’ place a month or so ago, so that Chris could load it with music. I had plenty to listen to on my long flight home, which made the time pass much faster.  Brandon also gave me his Nintendo DS handheld game with Brain Age to take on the plane with me.  You can play Sudoku on the Nintendo, which I enjoy.

Other than that, we had a very relaxing Wednesday, enjoying each others company and watching some TV.

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5am came mighty early the next morning.  My flight out was at 9am, but we had to deal with rush hour traffic, so I wanted to be up early so I could have a leisurely cup of coffee before going to the airport.  Since the boys’ cars aren’t the most dependable, they borrowed their dad’s car. He came by at 7am and we dropped him off at work before heading to the airport.

The flight from Madison to Minneapolis is short, but we flew on a small plane so it was full. When I got to Minneapolis, I discovered that my flight to Anchorage was delayed more than an hour.  I didn’t have any hopes of making my flight from ANC to Fairbanks with this delay, which made me sad. I couldn’t wait to get home and see Steve and the furkids.

As luck would have it, the delay was shortened to only 40 minutes. I was hopeful that if I ran once we landed in ANC, I’d be able to make my scheduled flight, rather than having to wait for a later flight.  The pilot and crew on the Minneapolis to Anchorage flight were awesome - rushing to load us, so that we could take off quickly.  We actually got into ANC on time!

The sun was going down as we taxied to the runway. I was thrilled for my window seat, and took my camera out of my bag.

The view as we flew over Turnagain Arm, with the sun shining orange on the icy water below, was quite peaceful. I flew all the way back to Fairbanks (40 minutes), with my face pressed to the window, and my camera frequently at my eye.

It’s not easy to take photographs from a plane, especially when the light is dimming and the plane is rumbling and shaking with turbulence, but I managed to capture several images of beautiful Alaska from above.

It was good to be HOME.

Pink Skies and Snow-Covered Mountains

Pink Skies and Fog Rolls over the Mountains

	There’s no place like home!

Until next time…