Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

On Saturday, I went with my friend Kerry and her two daughters to Denali Park. Kerry booked a shuttle bus ride for us to Eielson Visitor Center at mile 66 on the park road.

There are various shuttles available to take you into the park. The shuttle to Eielson Visitor Center takes about 8 hours round trip.  If you don’t have time to go all the way to Wonder Lake (12 hours RT), at least go as far as Eielson Center. You’ll see the most stunning beauty, and (in our experience) the wildlife is much more abundant between the entrance and Eielson Center, than it is on the stretch between Eielson and Wonder Lake.

You don’t have to take a shuttle bus ride to enjoy Denali Park, if time or funds are limited.  You can drive your personal vehicle to mile 15, hike the Savage River trail, see a sled dog demonstration, and enjoy the Visitor Center - all for free. If you’ve got children, ask the ranger at the Visitor Center for a Ranger Pack. These backpacks have all sorts of interesting things in them to help keep children entertained: books, a compass, thermometer, litmus paper to test the water in the park, measuring tape, plant and animal identification guides, plaster of paris and a wolf print mold, and so much more. I was amazed at just what came with the backpack. And it’s also free, but you’ll have to sign for it and turn it back in at the end of the day.

We left North Pole under dark skies and drizzle. We pretty much knew there would be no sighting of Denali on our drive, but the rain didn’t bother us. In my experience, wildlife is much more active when it rains. Perhaps because it’s cooler. And overcast skies are perfect for photography; the colors just POP!

We made a pit stop at Sunrise Bagel for breakfast sandwiches, as this is a mandatory stop before any roadtrip! Their ham, egg, and cheese on a bagel is yummy, and their breakfast burrito gets two thumbs up too.

With the rain and the limited visibility caused by fog, the drive to the park took a little longer than usual. We only had about 30 minutes to spare before we had to be in line for our bus. The bus wasn’t full, so we were able to each have our own seat.  TIP: If the bus isn’t full, or if you’re traveling with more than two people, make sure that you grab seats on opposite sides of the bus. This way, no matter what side the wildlife is on, you can get a look out the window without having to climb over someone you don’t know!

We were thrilled to see that Autumn has definitely arrived in the park. Large swathes of scarlet tundra goes off into the distance, while pockets of brilliant yellow and gold stand in the midst of still-green birch and aspen. It won’t be long before all the trees are cloaked in gold. While the foliage is not at peak, it’s getting there quickly. I predict we’ll be well past peak by Road Lottery weekend.  It wouldn’t surprise me if snow came before then too.

And now on with the photos - and there are plenty!

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***WARNING: PHOTO HEAVY***

Steve and I spent a week in Valdez from the 12th to the 18th. We were in Valdez when we received the sad news about Sean. When I think back to that trip, it feels a little surreal. I believe the heavens were mourning with us, as sunshine and blue skies became overcast. When the rain began to fall, it seemed to time itself to my tears.

At one point, my thoughts turned to memories of another trip to Valdez: September, 2006. We were there when the news came that my mother had passed.  I remembered that I was walking the Dock Point Trail with Sedona at about the same moment my mother left this world.  It’s a beautiful walk and a great place to find peace and the opportunity for introspection.

So I leashed up Sedona and we took that walk again… alone.  And I did a lot of thinking about Sean, and my mom, and sadness, and family. But at the same time I couldn’t help but notice the immense beauty around me. Mountains, and glaciers. Lushness. Blue skies. Mist and fog.  What a juxtaposition of emotions. How is it possible to feel immense sorrow, and then joy, within seconds of each other?

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FAIRBANKS - VALDEZ

These photos were taken along the way, mostly shooting out the windshield:

Horsetail Falls, Keystone Canyon outside of Valdez:

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BIRTHDAY WISHES

Happy 29th Birthday to my beautiful daughter-in-love, Becky! I am so blessed to have her as a member of our family. I may not have carried her under my heart, but I carry her within it now.  Happy Birthday, beautiful Becky. I wish I was there to celebrate with you. Save me some ice cream cake!

GARDENING UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN

When we came home from vacation, we were thrilled to find that Steve’s tomato plants, and my sunflower plants had more than doubled in size. The tomato plants have quite a few tomatoes on them. They’re green now, and our hope is that they’ll ripen before the first killing frost comes. Last summer, they died before we could harvest any fruit from them, despite covering them at night. I think this year, we’ll bring them inside before nature takes them from us. I just hope the cat doesn’t get into them.

I don’t have any photos of the tomato plants over the weeks, but I did have a photo of my sunflower plants taken in early July. I started them from seeds I feed the birds, and everyday they’re bigger and bigger. I hope they flower soon.

WILDFIRES FLARE UP

The Willow Creek fire has been flaring and smoldering since the beginning of the summer. (I took photos of this fire from the Parks Hwy, on the way home from our Seward vacation back in June.) Rain has done a pretty good job of keeping the smoke down, but we had more than a week of hot and sunny weather, which caused it to flare back up again. Fortunately, the wind wasn’t blowing directly toward North Pole, so the smell of smoke was faint or non-existent most of the time. But those days when the wind shifted and brought it this way, it was horrible.

Because of my asthma (and the horrible smell), I had to keep all the windows closed. With the heat outside (mid 80s), the house became quite warm. Keeping the curtains drawn helped a lot, but the last thing I want to do in the summer months is sit in a dark house.

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