Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

We had a marvelous time while Steve’s sister Julie was visiting. I can’t believe how quickly time passed. We stayed very busy and I hope she had as much fun as we did. We’re so glad she was able to make the trip.

Julie arrived late on Monday the 8th. She was concerned about the late flight until we explained to her that we Fairbanksans don’t bat an eye at very early or very late arrivals. Because flights in and out of Fairbanks aren’t very numerous, and the trip is a long one no matter where you come from, most of our guests don’t arrive until late in the evening. But we’re totally fine with that. We’re always thrilled to have visitors!

Steve had to go to work the next morning, so we didn’t stay up very late. I had reservations for Julie and I to take the Riverboat Discovery tour at 2pm, so we had time in the morning to visit the LARS (Large Animal Research Station) if we were up early enough. They offer a tour/talk three times a day at 10am, 12pm, and 2pm. We decided to shoot for noon.

The LARS tour wasn’t what I expected. While I found it quite interesting to learn about musk ox, caribou and reindeer, I assumed that we’d be touring the facility. Instead, we spent about 20-30 minutes at the musk ox pen, and another 20-30 minutes at the reindeer/caribou pen, while we learned about the history and biology of the animals. The young lady who gave us the “tour” was quite knowledgeable and personable and was very helpful in answering our questions, but I was hoping we’d get to see the animals with the access ports in their side (for checking stomach contents), and see inside some of the buildings.

I’ve come to the facility on “Free Day” and while we don’t always get a formal talk or presentation, we do get to see so much more. That’s the tour I hoped to share with Julie. It was raining (which is why I don’t have a lot of photos), and they provided nice big umbrellas for guests, which was nice.

We had just enough time to get to the Riverboat Discovery. When we pulled into the parking lot, there were at least a dozen tour buses parked. It’s not that I don’t like our tourists - I LOVE that so many people spend a bunch of money and time to visit our state. But as I’ve gotten older, I don’t tolerate large crowds very well, and Steamboat Landing is packed tightly with racks of souvenirs and other items for sale.

There were a few new things going on inside, that I didn’t remember from my last time going on the riverboat. There’s a room set at 40 below for tourists to try out. It’s free to go inside, but a whopping $25 or so for a photograph of you and your group standing in the room. Julie and I ran in so she could get an idea of the cold we have in winter. When we came out, her glasses instantly fogged up.

Also, Lance Mackey is there on a regular basis (a couple of hours a day, I think) to sign his book, sign autographs, and pose for photos. The line to see him was long, and we didn’t have time. If you take a Riverboat tour, get there a little early (or stay later) if you’d like to meet him. He’s a real down to earth guy.

The Riverboat tour itself is entertaining as well as informative, and gives a really nice overview of life in the Interior. It’s more than 3 hours long and you get to see things such as a float plane taking off and landing on the river, Susan Butcher’s dogs pulling a four-wheeler, and you stop at the Chena Indian Village where you learn a little bit about the culture of Alaska’s Native people. I’d highly recommend this tour, and if you’re an AK resident take advantage of the huge discount pre-season and buy your tickets then. You can save about 40%, and the tickets can be used anytime that season.

	There are 29 muskoxen in the herd. Four calves were born this spring.

(more…)

Today is our 19th wedding anniversary. I can’t believe that we met 20 years ago, and were married a year later. There are some who thought I was crazy to leave behind the only life I had ever known, to spend my life with a man who I only knew through hand-written letters, phone calls, and periodic visits. (If you’re new to my journal, you can click here to read our story).  Sure, I was a little scared that perhaps I was being impulsive, but at the same time I knew that I didn’t want to go through life without Steve at my side.  I just knew we were meant to be.  I’m not a risk taker by nature, but following my heart was the greatest decision I ever made.

Happy Anniversary, Steve. Thank you for loving me. You are part of me; the best part of me. I love you with all that I have to give, and all that I am - in the only way I know how - completely and forever.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It is overcast today, for the first time in a week. Until today, the skies have been blue or dotted with fluffy clouds, and the sun has shone brightly.  Snow is falling all around us, but so far we’re not seeing any. Perhaps there is a protective bubble over Fairbanks and North Pole. One can dream, eh? April snow isn’t unusual, but it’s not exactly something we jump up and down about.

A few days ago, I took Raven for a walk at Chena Lakes Rec Area. It was warm - high 30s - and I craved the peace and quiet of the outdoors. The peacefulness only lasted for a moment. As soon as we drove past the guard shack, Raven saw a squirrel on the road and tried to break through my car window while yapping loudly in my ear. Why do dogs hate squirrels so much?! I’m glad I didn’t have the window down, or she would have jumped from the car.

I parked at the end of the access road, and we walked to the top of the levee. Moose have been spotted down in the flood plain, but I didn’t see any that day.

In the first photo, the trees are growing in permafrost, which is why they are stunted. These trees could be 30, 40, or 50 years old, but are only a few feet tall in some cases. Their roots are not as developed as those of other trees and often grow laterally across the upper parts of the soil because they cannot burrow down into the dirt. Therefore, trees growing in these areas are smaller and less robust.  Black spruce tends to be the tree that grows the most in areas with permafrost.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

NORTHERN LIGHTS

It figures that the day after Chris left Alaska, the northern lights decided to make an appearance. Not only did they come out that night, but they came out for several nights in a row. So much so that I was finding myself staying up late and glancing out the window every chance I got. I was so exhausted that I was thankful for overcast skies over the last two nights so I could actually go to sleep at a decent hour!

The first night, they were very low on the horizon, and I didn’t plan on going any further than my back yard to view them. In the photo below, the red light you see through the trees is the light on top of an FAA tower that is near our property:

Lights over my road:

The next night, I decided to take a drive to the boat launch on Nordale Road for a change of scenery. In this photo, you can see the blue star Sirius (also known as the Dog Star) shining brightly:

Do you see the two satellite trails in this photo? One looks like it’s coming out of Sirius, and the other is coming in from the top of the photo and going towards Sirius (not as bright as the first one). In fact, that’s the direction they were traveling, as I could see in subsequent photos.

Some pretty green and magenta light pillars showed up for a short while:

Another shot from the frozen river:

I didn’t stay out there too long. I was cold, Raven was in the back of the car getting antsy, and I was running low on gas. As soon as I got home, I put on my pjs and settled in for the night. Around 3am, I headed up to bed and took one last look out the bedroom window before turning in. Wouldn’t you know it - the skies were alive with light! Not willing to brave the cold again, I took my tripod upstairs and set it up in the office window to capture these photos:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Steve and I are heading out to dinner in a little while. He made reservations at Lavelle’s Bistro. The food there is yummy and the wine list is quite impressive. I’m looking forward to a romantic meal with my favorite guy.

Until next time…

(Long entry with a lot of photos and some videos too)

Chris is now sitting in the Seattle Airport waiting for his connecting flight to Chicago - where he will catch a *puddle jumper* to Madison.  I miss him so much, and I couldn’t help but cry when I said goodbye to him last night. It was so nice having him here, and I wish he could come visit more often. Even better, I wish he’d move up here. Maybe someday.

We stayed fairly busy while he was in town. There were events going on around town, and even on days where nothing was on the calendar, we took walks with Raven at Creamers Field and Chena Lakes. It was lovely to get out in the sunshine, and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. In fact, much of the time, it was warmer here than it was in Madison.

One day, we drove down to Chena Lakes to take Raven for a walk. Raven took to Chris immediately, and we referred to her as his sister from day one. (Airborne was also happy to see Chris again, and spent many hours cuddled up next to him on the sofa.)

After going for the walk, we ran a few errands and then stopped at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor Center for a look around. I set my timer to get this photo of both of us standing under the antler arch behind the center:

While Chris was here, we received a package from Brandon and Becky. When we visited them in December, Becky was knitting me a scarf but she didn’t finish it in time for me to bring it home with me. Steve was able to bring his home though. I totally forgot about the scarf, until the box arrived. Not only was the scarf included, but so was a cute I Love Lucy coffee mug and Season Nine of the Little House on the Prairie series (they gave me Seasons 1-8 when we visited). I became a huge fan of Little House after watching that very first episode, which aired when I was 14.

Here I am modeling the gorgeous scarf Becky made me. It’s thick and warm, and long! I can wrap it around my neck 4 or 5 times, which is just perfect. The day Chris took this photo, it was warm (43F!), which is why I’m wearing a cotton t-shirt with the scarf.

(more…)