Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

The past week has ebbed and flowed with both activity and pure laziness. I find myself settling into the slower pace of autumn, and trying to mentally prepare for the onset of winter.

The trees in my yard are now totally bare, and the ground is covered with dull brown leaves. Gone are the beautiful golden canopies which shaded the yard from the sun. My world is becoming “plain” again, with muted colors of brown, tan, and gray.

A few days ago, my outside thermometer read 29F. I didn’t see any frost on my deck plants, and my sunflowers were still doing OK, although the leaves seemed to be drooping. I knew that it wouldn’t be long before the cold came and killed off all the flowers. That cold came last night.

I woke to a sugar coating of frost on my deck plants, my sunflowers, and the ground. I almost lost my footing when I went out to take photos of my flowers; the deck was slippery too.  You’d never know that the morning was so chilly, as the sun is shining brightly now and it feels like a typical autumn day.  As I type this, it’s 44F, but it feels much warmer with the sun shining. I just wish the trees still had their leaves. Then I could pretend it was still early fall, and we had several weeks ahead of us before the first snow falls.

Here are a few photos I took this morning:

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Hello friends! I can’t even begin to tell you how perfect Saturday was, for a drive into Denali Park! Thank you, thank you, thank you to JOHN for making it possible for Steve and I to have such a spectacular adventure!!!!

We dropped Sedona off at the kennel at noon on Friday. Since we would be sleeping in the bed of the truck, there’d be no room for Sedona. There was also the chance of rain, and wet dog and close quarters do not make for a nice roadtrip.

This is the first time that Steve and I have “roughed it” since just before moving to AK in 2003. In the old days, we tented - both alone and with our boys when they were younger. Somehow, I’ve blocked out of my mind just how uncomfortable and cold tent-camping could be.

Steve built a platform from plywood that fit snugly over his wheel wells in the back of the truck (we have a cap on the truck). We used a feather bed, several thick quilts and well-padded sleeping bags on the hard wood base. Let me tell you… we were both wishing for our comfortable memory foam mattress this weekend!  But other than achy hips and sore backs, it was good to discover that we still had it in us to travel so sparsely. Now there’s nothing to keep us from driving up to the North Slope next summer.

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Another glorious day, the air as delicious to the lungs as nectar to the tongue. ~John Muir

Steve and I spent yesterday on a Stan Stephens catamaran (a very large catamaran), cruising out to Columbia and Meares glaciers, and enjoying the many sights along the way. It was a perfect day for cruising, with abundant sunshine, encounters with wildlife, and spectacular scenery.

The day before the cruise (Sunday) was a wet one, with rain falling from the time we woke, until later in the afternoon. But when the clouds finally cleared, and the rain stopped falling, we did as so many others - we went out for a nice walk around town.

Some of the shops were closed because it was Sunday. That was surprising, as I assumed that since it was the tourist season, they’d be open. Remember the days when nothing was open on Sunday?

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Yesterday, we woke to sunshine again, but it didn’t last all day unfortunately. Around 4pm, the rain came. And it came in buckets. The temperature dropped too, and we had to kick on the heat in the camper.

Steve went fishing yesterday morning (again, plenty of pinks but no silvers). When he got back, we leashed up Sedona and went for a walk on the Dock Point Trail. It’s less than a mile, but has a steep climb at the beginning. My glutes were burning, that’s for sure.

The Dock Point Trail winds through some pretty vegetation, and there are two overlooks with views of Valdez Bay. The last time I was on this trail, was when I learned that my mom had passed. Those memories came flooding back strongly. Hard to believe she’ll be gone two years on Sept 1st.

Here are photos I took from the Dock Point Trail:

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We have been having the most splendid weather here in Valdez! Sunshine has been abundant, and yesterday we passed 60F. We are both loving it, after so many days of rain in Fairbanks.

I finally resized the photos I took both on the drive down, and yesterday on our adventure around town.  What’s been a little strange is actually having darkness at night. We don’t have to plug up the skylight in the camper to sleep. While the days are still fairly long (dark comes around 10pm), seeing the night sky reminds me that in a month or two, we’ll be seeing A LOT of the night sky.

When the sun surprised us by peeking out between the clouds, we did as most everyone in town did - we went out to enjoy it! Our walk took us down to the marina, where we watched fishermen unload and clean their catch. We meandered along for almost two hours before coming back to the camper for the evening and much needed sleep.

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As you’ve guessed, we’ve got WiFi here at the campground. This makes me so happy! We always stay here at Bayside RV Park, and I guess they finally had wireless internet put in. The last time I was here, I managed to piggy back on the Totem Inn’s WiFi, but it was slow as molasses. This connection is quite good.

We left Fairbanks under dreary skies. By the time we hit Delta Junction - and stopped for a bite to eat at Buffalo Diner - the rain was really coming down hard. We expected that we’d be vacationing under rainy skies, so we were prepared for it with raingear, warm clothes, etc.

The scenery, even under dismal grey skies, was beautiful as always. We only made a couple of stops along the way for photos and to stretch our legs. We really couldn’t wait to get to Valdez and set up the camper and just relax.

Rain was falling as we set up camp, and a chill settled into our bones. The first thing we did, after getting out of our wet clothes, was turn on the heat.

We opted for sandwiches for dinner. It was already past 6pm, and neither of us wanted to cook. As we were eating, a glow came in the window. Could it be? Was the SUN actually out?!

We quickly finished our sandwiches, leashed up Sedona and took off walking towards the marina. Everyone had the same idea, and the marina area was crowded with both fisherman and visitors to Valdez. We watched a few anglers clean their catch, as hundreds of gulls circled overhead waiting for the *guts* to be dumped.

The sunshine colored the tops of the mountains a brilliant green where the light bounced off the lush bushes and trees. The sky was full of fluffy clouds; white cottonballs in a sea of blue. It was a beautiful evening.

While out, we stopped at the Stan Stephens office and booked a wildlife/glacier cruise for Monday. We’re doing the long tour that goes to Columbia and Meares Glacier. I will be thrilled if the sun shines that day, but I’m not getting my hopes up.

We came back to the camper at 9pm. The sun was just dipping behind the mountains, and the sky was growing darker.  By the time we went to bed at 11pm, the skies looked black. It’s been months since I’ve seen a dark night sky. We didn’t even have to plug up the skylight with cardboard to sleep.

Steve slept in this morning, but I was up at 7am.  We’re going fishing in a few minutes (actually he’s going fishing, and I’m going to keep him company). After he gets some fishing out of his system, we’re going to drive the Mineral Creek Trail. Steve will go back out fishing tonight, while I work on photos I’ll take today.

I have a lot of photos to post in my next entry - both of our drive down, and photos from today.

Right now the sun is shining and we’re not going to waste it!

Later…

What an awesome “almost” month it’s been for us! We covered a lot of miles (and put a lot of gas in the tank), but it was worth the expense, to spend so much time exploring our beloved state! The summer’s not over yet, and we have a couple more adventures ahead of us. But for now, we’re home. And, despite the fun of traveling, it’s always good to get home.

The last time I wrote, we were leaving Homer and making our way back to Palmer for the night, before driving across the Glenn Highway to the Chitina area. As always, we stopped at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage to stock up on food and fuel. Gas was $4.29/gallon on base - a bargain when compared to the $4.40-something we’re being gouged here in Fairbanks. And groceries are always so much less expensive at the commissary; we’re glad to have shopping privileges.

We woke to rain in Palmer, and were slow in breaking camp and getting on the road. A quick glance at the local newspaper showed clearer skies in the Glennallen part of the state, as well as warmer temps. We ran into some road work along the Glenn Hwy - but this is customary. The pilot cars were most efficient, and the wait times weren’t too terrible. (more…)

(Written on Sunday, July 6th) The drive from Fairbanks to Palmer (again we stayed at the Homestead RV Park) was uneventful. The trip passed by very quickly for both of us, as I read to Steve the entire time we were on the road. I mentioned the book Walking my Dog Jane, by Ned Rozell, in a prior journal entry, and wrote of how much I enjoyed the book. My friends Gip and Carmen loaned it to me to read, and I hung onto it specifically for this trip. I knew it would be the perfect book to bring along and share with Steve. Reading to Steve while he drives is something we’ve been doing for a long time. According to Steve, it’s much better than “books on tape”.

I only took one photograph between Fairbanks and Homer - and that was at the Turnagain Pass rest stop. The last time we stopped there - in mid June - the only “flowers” blooming were dandelions and some small alpine flowers. This time, the lupine I started seeing when Michele and Maddie were visiting, were blooming - and they lent a lovely foreground color of bluish-purple to the lush green landscape.

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Michele and Maddie arrived on time last Tuesday, and with only carry-on baggage, so there was no delay in getting out of the airport. We immediately drove to our hotel in downtown Anchorage, checked in, and then went for a walk around the downtown area.

We wandered in and out of gift shops, and then stopped to sit outside a Starbucks and enjoy a latte, while we played ‘catch up’ with each other. The weather was lovely: sunny and low 60s.

On the recommendation of several friends, we chose to have dinner at the Snow Goose Restaurant. I can’t really give a review, since I am the pickiest eater alive and chose to have a salad. In fact, don’t ever rely on me to give any restaurant reviews - unless I’m reviewing burgers, breakfast foods, or grilled cheese sandwiches.

Michele and Maddie were still on east coast time, so we went back to the room to just relax and talk some more. I think we stayed up well past 10pm (2am their time). The bed was super comfortable (Anchorage Hilton), and I slept well. (more…)

I received a phone call from Michele, letting me know she got to the Minneapolis AP early enough to be put on an earlier flight. Now she’ll get to AK at 2:30pm rather than 5:30pm. This is excellent news, but means I need to hurry up and get myself ready to leave here in 3 hours!

I won’t be online for the next week, while I’m giving Michele the whirlwind tour of Alaska.  There will be much to write about and many photos to share when the week is over.

SQUEEEEEE! I’m so very excited about seeing my childhood friend again, after so many years!

Send us good vibes that the weather is beautiful while she’s visiting.

And one more IMPORTANT thing to share: STEVE CAUGHT A KING SALMON THIS MORNING!!! He called to tell me the good news, and it’s so good to hear the happiness in his voice.  It’s going to be a great day.

Until next time…