November in Alaska

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry I've been negligent lately. Let's see where did I leave off. We took a couple trips. One day we tried to get onto the hillside but couldn't find anything but houses and a couple parks. The trip we took to the other side of Knik Bay was fun.

We started early and drove up to Wasilla and then south on a road that followed the other side of the Knik Arm. It was hard to tell but we were on high cliffs most of the way. We discovered farms and a prison. No animals except birds. We ended up almost straight across from Anchorage. I'd say 10 miles. We stood on one cliff and discovered they used the area for target practice. There must have been 1000 shotgun shells on the ground.

One day after work John picked me up and took me back over to his office where sitting on the ground next to the building was1 Moose and 2 standing there eating on the trees. Two had antlers that spread a good 5 feet. I took a picture on the phone.

We finally got some snow that stayed. It started a week ago and we got about 3 inches. Then it snowed again on Wednesday before Thanksgiving, another 5 inches and it snowed on Thanksgiving day and the day after. We probably have a good 10 inches.

We went to TGI Fridays for Thanksgiving Dinner. Then on Friday I went to the Mall for the sales at 8AM, No since getting up too early. I got the things I planned on, got my hair cut that to was cheaper, John joined me and we walked the Mall for another 25 minutes. We came home and prepared our Turkey dinner and ate about 5pm. It was so much easier than rushing on Thursday. One of the Guys from John's office was going to come for Thursday but when he bailed we decided it wasn't worth the hurry.

We have two Christmas parties to go to. I brought the little black dress that everyone seems to wear with me so I'm all set. Just have to consider the snow when we get out of the car, Heels or boots? Hope all is well with everyone. Miss you !!

No snow yet!!

We finally got some snow, but it didn't stick. The mountains got snow again and it'sbeen snowing a lot these past few days in the mountains. The temperature is going down though. Some of the people now can't wait for the snow to get here to get out on their snow machines. One lady told me her family goes camping and fishing all summer and in the winter they go to a cabin that can only be reached by plane, boat or snow machine. The lakes are starting to freeze but not solid yet so they can't get there right now.

I took a hike last weekend with some friends while John was in Birmingham for his mom. She was pretty bad and they thought it was the end. The Dr's. decided to take her leg off just above the knee and she is recovering very well.

I went to Hatcher's pass and took a hike we'd not taken yet. It was pretty straight and still pretty warm, the foliage was brown. We saw a beaver dam that was pretty large. I had hoped to see lakes with reflections but most of them were already starting to freeze.

With John home we are back to our regular work routine. Hopefully with the weather being sunny this weekend we can get a hike in. Till then...

Got Snow!

Yes it has snowed in Alaska. On Sept 21 overnite it snowed in the higher elevations, 2000 ft & up. Now all the mountains surrounding Anchorage have snow on the tops and will probably not melt again until May. It apparently snowed flurried at the airport too. But our temperatures at night are still hovering slightly above 32. We've had rain most of this week. Just thought you might be curious. I'm still editing pictures from the last two trips.

Life around Anchorage

Well everyday is something else. Some days we see the mountains that are standing out from the sky, other days they blend into them. And then we have days where they are virtually unseen because of clouds covering them up. Today we walked in the mall like we do most every Monday. I don't know if this is a fad there or not but the guys here wear circles in their earlobs that they keep enlarging. The hole gets repeatedly bigger. I saw one guy that looked like he had a hole the size of a silver silverdollar. Tatatoos are plentiful. One guy I work with has red lips on his neck and several girls I've seen have colorful tatatoos up and down their arms and neck. The other thing we see a lot is multi colored hair, one color on top and another on the bottom, black with blond or red with brown and blue sometimes and this summer a lot of the daughters that were teens of friends here had purple streaks in their hair. Guess each generation has to have their own rite of passage.

The flower baskets are almost all gone. There's snow on some of the peaks and the temperature is starting to drop. We are having rain this week but there is a difference in the temps we can tell. They have what they call a termination time. It means the change of season. Usually a cold wind comes and blows away all the leaves and brings the first snow fall. Then winter begins. We are glad that we took our laborday trip. Parts of where we traveled just two weeks ago have had some snow. We still try to get a tennis match in when we can. It's dark by 8:30pm now and still dark when we get up a 6:45. We don't need the blackout drapes anymore but plan to still use them for extra warmth....

Labor Day weekend 09

We started early when there wasn't any traffic on the road to speak of. Our goal was to mosey up the road and by nightfall be in Fairbanks. Night fall being around 10 pm. The mountains were starting to be lit by sunbeams rising from the tops of the mountains spreading out over the tundra as it was beginning to turn colors of gold and red. Although we had headed north many times it's always more beautiful than the last time. We stopped in Wasilla to look one more time at the Campers. We concluded that they hadn't lowered their prices and their stock was getting very low. So on we went up the Parks Highway.

We had been told to take the side trip of Petersville road and we would see some beautiful views of Mt McKinley. So we did and yes we took more pictures. The road up toward Mt McKinley is just one photo op after another.. When we got to within 40 miles the view started to be blocked by the other mountains. We noticed that the colors were changing more up this way than around Anchorage. We passed through Cantwell and got to the Nenana Canyon which is the entrance to the Denali National Park. It was a flurry of vacationers. But on we went stopping occasionally for more pictures looking back at Mt McKinley. The terrain was much different up this side of of the park. It got flatter and the trees were shorter. We passed through the very small towns of Healy, Ferry, Anderson, Nenana and Ester. Then we were in Fairbanks. The area around it was low and marshy.

Fairbanks is a city of 31,000 and 358 miles from Anchorage. It's also the official end of the Alaska Highway which connects Alaska with the lower 48 through Canada. It's mostly a town of supply and service for the interior and Artic industrial activities. With several military bases in the area. The elevation here is 434 ft. Average Jan temperature is 18 degrees to -22 degrees. The lowest Dec temp was -66 back in 1961 but we noticed that last year it got to -70 in February. But the summers are much warmer even more than Anchorage. The average temps are 62-99 degrees. It was in the low 80's while we were there. Fairbanks is surrounded on the north, east and west by low rolling hills of birch and white spruce which reminded us of the Blue ridge parkway. And to the south is the Alaska Range where there is a wide spance of Glaciers. The Steese and Elliott highways lead north to the White Mountains.

We traveled around the city for a while and then down to the North Pole, not much but commercial, and then to a gold mine that we had planned to see but were told it had merged with the El Dorado so we missed the lunch and gold panning. Guess it wasn't our day to strike it rich. There are Hot Springs but they were also farther out than we had planned to go. We went back to rest at the hotel and got up late to drive north in hopes of seeing the northern lights. Again no such luck. We took the Steese and Elliott highways north for about 40 miles. Our trip started late in the day so we decided not to go all the way to the Artic Circle but we reached the halfway point from Fairbanks before we turned around. The trees were golden with reds mixed in. It was definitely fall up here. I think we must have hit the right week for this trip. The road was like a roller coaster and at times bumpy and we met several big trucks coming back we supposed from the North Slope.

We left Fairbanks early the next morning and headed south on the Richardson highway. It was a pleasant drive down to Delta Junction where the road (RT2)takes off to TOK on its way into Canada and Alaska Highway. We took several distant pictures knowing we would soon be in those very mountains. We continued on (Rt4) the Richardson hwy. All down through here we saw the Trans Alaska Pipline. Sometimes it was in the distance and other times it was almost alongside the road. In the areas where the Carabo and the Moose roam they built it high enough to allow the animals to pass under. We went through some the most beautiful mountains. Rainbow Ridge had varicolored talus slopes, while Glaciers and lakes were everywhere. We could see Mt Hays. The Gulkana Glacier is 8000 foot icefall peak feeds streams the drain into Prince William Sound and the Yukon River.

At Paxson a road goes across to Denali Park 134 miles. The road is closed during the winter and only opens in June. We traveled the 18 miles down to Glenallen where we planned to spend the night. There is another road that goes east and north back to TOK. We stayed at a campground about 16 miles west on the Glenn highway from Glenallen. It was a quiet place where we were able to walk around and stretch our legs before we called it a night. Again we had made up the jeep but this time we made more padding for the bed. The campground was cut out from the pines and in a small valley back off the main road. A stream was at the back of our site that we could hear flowing all night long. And no we didn't fear it rising. There was a clearing so we set the alarm for 3:30 am, so if the northern lights were out we wanted to see them. Again no such luck.

We slept in a little and got on our way about 8am. The last time we were on this road it was winter, so again it was nice to see what was under all that snow. The valley which was made up of stubby evergreen trees went on for another 50 miles. Then we started seeing the Matanuska Glacier. Our last trip here we couldn't see where the snow stopped and the glacier began. I'll try to put some comparison pictures into the blog for you to see the difference. After we stopped and took lots of pictures of this we headed back to Anchorage. We got home early so we had a nice relaxing day. We got most of the laundry done so we started our week refreshed and ready to go.

We took 495 pictures on this trip, I'm going to be a while editing them. They told John we are here til the first of April. So again we'll keep the blog going. We have more hikes and places we have yet to see...

Exit Glacier

As we drive out of Anchorage we go through a mist of clouds. Not really fog, like when your in an airplane and the clouds are like cotton candy and stringy. The tide was out and we could see the mud flats. As we traveled down Turnagain Arm we noticed the fireweed was going to seed. This looks like cotton that is pulled away from the stem, again stringy. This area is much different without the snow but lusher than our last trip down this way. We were on our way to Seward. Our plan was to see the town and Exit glacier.

As we looked for animals along the way we only saw beautiful scenery. The once snowed mountains were deep green with hues of brown and reds. As we passed the familiar Turnagain Arm we see the in the distance Portage Glacier, Skookum Glacier and Spencer Glacier. Then, as we rounded Turnagain Arm we head south into the Kenai Peninsula where we can view Twenty-mile Glacier. The first area we pass through is called Turnagain Pass there are trail heads everywhere with parking areas available to hikers. We continue on through Johnson pass and cross six-mile Creek. This creek was part of the Gold rush until gold was discovered in the Klondike. Now its a great spot to go rafting. We passed the Hope highway exit and went on toward the Sterling hwy and Seward hwy intersection which was another 20 miles. Once before, we went west toward Soldotna but this time we were headed on South to Seward. Passing lakes with mountains reflecting into them and trails heading every which way we journeyed on through Moose Pass with a stop or two to take pictures. We chose to drive through Seward first to get a feeling for what we wanted to do since it was only 11am. There were RV spaces all along the water line of Resurrection Bay and a large Marina with shops and restaurants. There is actually a small town here. But it reminded us of a small beach community in the Carolina's. We decided to drive as far as the road would take us and ended up on Lowell Point. That was as far south as we could go on this side of Kenai Peninsula. So then on to lunch. We ate with a view of the marina and watched the Glacier and Whale cruises heading out and in.

The Exit Glacier was next on our list. The road was on the north side of Seward but just about a mile. We traveled along a valley with the Resurrection River flowing along side the road for about 8 miles. We both said WOW. We went to the visitor center first. And were able to see the history and the movement of the glacier over time. Then we started our hike. We were able to get up close and could see the blue ice. It was amazing. The Exit Glacier is 3 miles long and descends 2500 ft. The ice was on top of a range of mountains it was called the Harding Ice Flow and most of the valleys or curves of the mountains had ice flows coming down them. Surprisingly it wasn't cold. We took a trail that took us down to the Resurrection River. It was really running fast. We then went back to Seward and visited a few shops but decided it was way to early to just stop. So we decided to go back north a ways and find a campground and hike or just stay the night.

We had made up the car for sleeping and decided all we really needed was a bathroom. It was only 40 miles back to the road to Hope and we decided that would be our destination. Hope sits on the other side of Turnagain Arm as we travel south from Anchorage. We drove 17 miles along the six-mile creek and to a state campground. However, there was a motorcycle club camped in every spot. So we backtracked to the Town of Hope which sits along the Turnigan arm. Hope was also a mining town back in the day. When the 1964 earthquake hit, this side of the bay was also hit. Hope lost half of it's town. It now has a population of 147. They have 1 bar, 2 restaurants, a social hall, a gift store and a small campground. It was now 5pm so we got something to drink and rented a space. The guy told us that the tide comes in at 10pm and we might get a little water on our campsite but not to worry. Well ok. Then we went to one of the restaurants and had a nice dinner and went back to the bar to listen to music and just relax. I think most of the 147 people were there.

We took a walk on our way back to the car and watched kids fishing, birds flying and could see the tide rising slowly. It was still daylight and we both had something to read so we got ready for bed and laid down in our little car bedroom. Beside us was a tenter and next to him a motor home. At about 9:30pm I decided to go the restroom one last time. When I got back I noticed that about an inch of water was just starting to touch the back tires of the Jeep. We read some more for about half-hour and heard several voices rather excited. So we got up and looked out to see the water had risen about 6 inches and was surrounding our car and the tent beside us was under water and the motor home who was trying to grill their dinner was moving. We watched for a long time but it only got 6 inches and in an hour it was starting to recede. The little groundhog like animals that live under ground were swimming all over the place, zig-zagging looking for a place that was high ground. Guess we can brag that we spent part of the night IN the Turnagain Arm.

We started the night reasonably comfortable but we both noticed that we tossed a lot. My hip bothered me and John just couldn't find a good spot. So we woke each other up about every two hours. That night though the temperature dropped and we really got cold. When we woke at 6:30am we both said that's enough. We wiggled around in the car enough to move the things we had put into the front back to the back and got into the front seats and drove up to the bathroom. We chattered our teeth and did our business and got back to the car and drove back to Anchorage. We were home by 8am. Our garage has shopping carts for use by the tenants so we put our stuff in one and took it up stairs. We both showered and laid back down for a while. We got up and went to late church but the rest of the day we just rested.

Knik Glacier and The Butte.

We follow the book 'The Milepost' on most of our trips. This time we didn't quite get what they were saying. We turned off to go to Knik Glacier and found ourselves instead of 3.2 miles but 11 miles and still no glacier. Turns out that the glacier along with 10 smaller others were still farther and only accessible by boat. So instead of getting there we drove to places where we could get at good look and took pictures from afar.

Then we traveled back a few miles to a water fall. We hiked only a few hundred feet back toward Pioneer Peak to get a closer look. And of course we took pictures. Then on we went to where we could cross the Knik River and headed for The Butte. It's a shorter mountain but very much an upward climb. Took about an hour and views were gorgeous. We were able to see back to Pioneer Peak where we had just seen the waterfall. Down at the bottom was a Reindeer farm. There were about 75 in various ages. These are the same reindeer that were used in the Run with the Reindeer during the FurRondey last March. I like taking pictures of all the flowers and meadows we come to.

Later in the week we went to Beluga Point to see whales but didn't but we saw moose mom and 2 babies. They really can run fast and when they are young their ears are floppy. They eat mostly leaves off trees. Just last week there were two here at the apartment building eating the little trees they planted in the Spring.

Artic Valley, birthdays,

Sorry I haven't written very much lately. We have taken some hikes and trips though. Two weeks ago we took a hike in Artic Valley. It's an area that winds back between the mountains. When we got out there, there were a lot of people picking blueberries. So naturally we used the empty tennis ball container and a target bag. We ended up with about 2 quarts. They grew very low to the ground, so we had to pick up the branches to see them. That was fun for a while then we put them in the Jeep and started our hike. This one was mostly easy and long. Our goal was to wind our way through a valley and to get to Rendezous Peak. The area used to be, back in 1945, a military ski area that they closed down for artillery and missile shooting. When we had walked about a mile and a half we came upon the real Artic Valley. Wow we were so high overlooking the back side of the town of Eagle River . This valley meanders for miles all the way down to Girdwood, a ski town down by Turnagain Arm.

This week is our birthday week. We went shopping a couple times to catch some sales for pants mostly. On Friday we went out to a very nice restaurant called Simon & Seaforth for my birthday. I had steak and John had Halibut. For his birthday we went to a all you can eat Buffet, you guessed it, Seafood.

Enjoying our adventure

Anchorage is so different than any other place we've been. I am so amazed every time we go out. We drive down a street and we see the mountains. The last couple of weeks we have seen haze from the forest fires but now its clear. We hadn't had rain for several weeks. We got some on July 19th & 20th . That helped clear the air. The mountains are quite green now but when the sun hits them they have many shadows. Different depending on the hour.

Last weekend we went to Wasilla to look at travel trailers. Now that John has been told he will work 32 hrs a week we know we'll be here longer. We just want to be prepared for when we go home. We are expecting by spring to be on our way and we want to drive and take a long time and sightsee so we thought we'd get a small trailer.

We took a walk in Kincaid park last weekend too. It was quite Foresty. Some narrow paths as well as wider ones but not paved or well manicured. You know the neatest thing is all these weeds and they all bloom so beautiful. All the road ways, open fields or lots are all full of blooms and the fragrances are sometimes overpowering.

My cousins are in town and I am so happy to have some family here...

A holiday and we both are off & get paid for it

We had a great weekend. On Friday we were able to sleep in and we cleaned house all morning and did the laundry. We walked to the pizza place we like instead of driving. Last week John replaced the steering wheel with one that has a cruise control and I guess something didn't connect right so we are not driving it too much. But we try to walk as much as we can anyway.

Our Saturday was nice. We walked to the park that was holding the festival for the fourth of July. We met up with a friend and his family and watched the parade. Alaska has it's own style for everything. They had many floats that were very Alaska. An Uncle Sam that had a king salmon face, A group that sported guns of all kinds, the reading of the Declaration of Independence, booths of Cajun food or sea food and Kite flying contests along with many types of music stages. We tried to hoola hoop, watched as kids got their face painted and walked back home. It was lots of fun.

Sunday was church and out to eat but spent the rest of the day taking it easy. On Tuesday evening we met a group and walked a trail out by flat top. We walked about 3 miles through a valley. It was so neat with fields of wild flowers, part of the trail was narrow and the weeds were shoulder high. We had a dog along that had a bell on his collar to let any bears know that we were there. Unfortunately we didn't see any animals.

The mountains are in a haze. There have been some wild fires of late. What I really like is all the huge flowers everywhere. I guess its partly because of the long daylight hours. Anchorage puts up baskets all over town and the people here also have baskets. They grown humongous. The people drive anyway they want, bums stand on corners and try to collect money, and everyone goes to the lakes, ocean or mountains to hike or camp every weekend.

Our jobs are doing fine, John is working 32 hours a week right now but I have to work 40. We have a few planned time off this summer. We take picture every chance we get...

We're still here and enjoying it.

This is sometimes a strange place. One day last week it looked like it was snowing but no it was those dandelion white fuzzy balls floating so thick it looked like snow. On Saturday our church was doing a work day. We volunteered to weed the gardens around a nursing home. We did that for about 3 hours in the morning. Then we went to the Statehood celebration downtown: 50years. There were beer tents, Skateboard competition, music stages, local crafts, demonstrations of making pottery(they have some clay beds around here) and a children area where there was entertainment shows and stilted people and jugglers and hoola hoopers. But the best was a competition between different groups, like army, navy, police, firemen, national guard and so forth. They had contests-riding tricycles, eating donuts and such.

There is also a market every Sat & Sunday with lots to eat and booths of cloths, souvenirs , almost like a flee market but Alaskan style. They sell fur hats, paintings, photos, smoked salmon and knives. John had a salmon quesadia.

We have been playing tennis and walking during the week. We've decided on some hikes to take. When I looked at some of our pictures I found some where there is a lake and the reflection of the mountain is in the water. I hope to take more like that.

My job is coming along well. I'm learning the HRIS system pretty well. John is slowing down some but there should be a contract signed soon to allow them to go to the next stage. We have been looking a campers. We thought that when we do go home we could drive and take the slow and easy trip back and see the country as we go. There's a lot of places I'd like to go back to that I haven't seen for a long time and John hasn't seen very much of the country.

We saw a moose in town. It was near my office, there was a baby one too. So cute...

Today we climbed a mountain called Flat Top. We traveled by car til 2200 ft and parked. Then we started walking 10:30am. For a while the path was easy, like taking a leisurely walk. We rounded this one mound and I could see we weren't in Kansas any more. Railroad ties helped form a staircase of sorts that went upward. Then we got to a flat area and no this wasn't it. It was still up and I mean up. This part was switch backs that ended up at the bottom of a pile of rocks which still had to be climbed. Men and women with kids passed us and we were determined to make it to the top. We kept going even though the path took many different directions on it's way up. We stopped many times just to let our breathing slow down and to take pictures and enjoy the view. But the last 200 feet was the straightest up over rocks and boulders. The top was like walking on the moon. Someone had piled up rocks and I expected to see and American flag there. I guess later in the day there were going to be a bunch of campers go up there and spend the night for the solstice. We could see a very long way, but at 3800 ft we were glad it wasn't raining or snow packed. We did pass some snow patches on the way up. On one side the wind was very strong but on the other it was calm. From this height we were able to see Anchorage and a lot of Cooks Inlet, Resurrection Bay, which is the area just in front of Anchorage as well as the beginning of Turnagain Arm. The tide was out so we could see the mud flats reached a long way out into the bay. We could see many peaks from this vantage point. There's still snow on many of them.

The trip down began slowly, we had to go backwards some of the time. We stepped carefully because there was a lot of loose rock. It was slow going as we passed several people on their way up. We didn't get as winded on the way down. We got back to the car at 2:45pm. When we got home we took a nap...

Eklutna by canoe

I have to admit, I felt a bit of a panic attack. I climbed into the canoe after a fellow worker of John's, Victor had crawled into the front of the canoe. I didn't feel comfortable about this at all. Then I settled on the seat and looked up at John and my fears calmed down. He knew what he was doing. We started off with them paddling and me in the middle. After a few minutes they suggested that I sit on the bottom of the boat. This was much better. I enjoyed the ride as we skirted the shore. We saw many birds including ducks. I took pictures of the mountains from a new angle. We ended up paddling about 3 miles and the wind had came up so we turned around. The lake is about 10 miles long and ends at the Glacier. Sometime we'll make it to the end. The getting out was fun. John got out into the water to hold the canoe. He said the water was cool. Victor was shaky getting out, I just sat and waited for my turn. No trouble....

Eklutna Lake and Glacier walk

Sunday was a beautiful day. We drove up to Eklutna to walk the lake trail. Turns out it was 10 miles and there was no way we could do that so we walked a little over 2 miles and turned around. This trail was mostly flat with the occasional small hill. We walked the edge of the lake mostly. We walked toward the glacier. The trail kept dividing so the bikers/hikers and 4 wheelers could be separated. There was a slight breeze but a very pleasant walk. On the way back we think we saw a bear on the other side of the lake. There were signs up at the campground to be sure and keep food put away because of bear sightings. We took some nice pictures. When I get them downloaded I'll put some on the blog...

South to Seldotna

We were going to get up early on Saturday to go to Soldotna but this trip got put off because of rain. We did manage a hike just south of Anchorage on Sunday. A waterfall was falling along side the road and a trail led us back and up a mountain. We traveled along the flowing and rushing water about a mile. As the trail led away from the water it got very steep. We stopped on a level area and decided that was enough. We are always amazed about the tides in Turnagain Arm. There's no ice now. We see the mud flats one time we pass then the next, water flowing either in or out.

Monday we took off at 8am south from Anchorage to get to the other side of Turnagain Arm, which the Russians called Return. The Peninsula of Kenai was our destination. To get there we passed Portage Glacier. We saw a bear off in a field, then a moose along the road as we traveled south on the Seward highway. We saw a car stopped and we slowed down to see what they were looking at and it was an eagle in a tree so we stopped and took pictures. He was a very fat one compared to the last one we saw. The last time we made this trip we passed this turnoff and went on toward Seward but stopped at Moose Pass because a bridge was out. The mountains were all snow, last time. Now as the snow melts brown turns to green. Of course the glaciers never seem to melt.

We turned west on Sterling Highway. We stopped at Cooper Landing a small village of 500 to get a pop and they told us that just outside of town was a place to pan for gold. However, we didn't take the time this trip. There was a loop road that went for 19 miles through the Wild Life Refuse but was gravel and dirt, we decided that we may get lucky and see some animals if we took it but no such luck other than a few rabbits. We did see some beautiful lakes. As we got back onto the Sterling hwy we were still in the area they say the animals use as a path but still no animals. We went on to Soldotna and was surprised that it was a fairly large town, kind of like many of the beach towns we see (as they say here) in the lower 48. We took a loop that allowed us to see Cooks inlet. On the other side we could see the volcano's; Mt Redoubt, as well as Mt Lliamna and Mt Spurr. The beach's were brown sand and rather grainy. On the way back as we traveled along the part of Sterling highway that went through the Wildlife Refuge we missed we still didn't see any animals. Back where we had seen the bear by Portage we saw two this time. Traffic was heavy on the way back so we didn't get a chance to stop and try to get a picture....

Just some details

Anchorage has 283,938 people in the Municipality. Anchorage got it's name because when it became a port the ships were anchored in the harbor and was referred to as Anchorage. The climate resembles the Rocky Mountains tempered by the Pacific Ocean. Winter snowfalls averages 69 inches per year. The snow stays on the ground October thru April. The average temp in January is 14 degrees, However this year there was almost a month of -18 degrees; in the summer, July is usually 58 degrees. So far this year they are having a great start to the summer with some temps as much as 70 degrees. There is approx. 19 hrs. 22 min of sunlight in the summer and 5 hrs 25 min in the winter. Right now it's still light at 12 am., then it gets dark, but getting light again by 5am. We bought some blackout drape panels for the bedroom. It really works.

Of the native people here, those that have been here for generations, some would like to go back to before they were a state, but most are happy with it. We see a lot of bums here, they stand on corners and ask for money. A lot of people come up here for work and stay. Those that live here full time have only two seasons, hot and cold. In the cold they use snow machines (snow mobiles), fish, hunt, ski, snow board. As the weather gets better, it turns into four wheelers, motor cycles, campers & motor homes and boats, and more fishing. They have many airplanes here. It's big business flying people to remote places to hike or fish or just to sight see. There is also the boat business, charters for fishing or whale watching. We hope to see and do as much as we can...

Crawfish Boil and Mother's day

Friday nite we went shopping for vegetables to go into the pot for a craw fish boil on Saturday. The purpose for this was to convert a Filipino, an indian, and anyone else into a Cajun. Cajun music filled the air in the 1970's subdivision. The pot of water began to boil and packets of spices were added along with stalks of celery, chunks of onions, cloves of garlic. This was cooked for about 20 minutes. Then potatoes and small corn on the cobs were added and cooked for about 15 minutes. Spicy smells fill the air as the eager crowd awaited the craw fish being put into the pot. Me I get my vegatable before the craw fish go in.

Several coworkers from John's work came to enjoy the feast. One guy brought his daughters, 2 & 4 . I got to play with the girls as everyone else talked shop and cooked. While on our cruise in February I had purchased a bottle of nail polish in order to get a free tote bag from the Del Sole shop. The polish changes colors just like everything else they sell. Anyway I put the polish on the little girls and they thought it was fun.

Mother's day was nice, we went to church and went out for dinner. It was very relaxing. All the boys checked in, that was nice.

We have had trouble with the computer this week (5-11-09 thru 5-14-09)but with the help of Philip and Scott we are up and running again. I went to work a week and half ago for ACS, a telecommunications company here and am learning all about HR Employee records. I have done this all before but I have to learn their system and all their procedures. I applied for the job, if we are going to be here I might as well have a permanent job so I can have a 401K. Well hopefully we will take a trip over Memorial day weekend...

Hatcher Pass, Musk-OX and Earthquake Park

What a beautiful day for a ride. The sky was so blue, hardly a cloud at all. We headed north toward the Wasilla/Palmer turnoff. Just outside of Palmer we took the fishhook Rd (I love the names of some of these roads). We only had to go 17.2 miles. With the snow melting we got to see rushing rivers along the roadway, trees budding out and mountains fast losing their snow and exposing the layers of rock and trees we couldn't see just a month ago. This state isn't just for the sense of sight it also has wonderful smells and sounds. When I was taking a picture of the river flowing along side the road, I could hear the water rushing over the rocks as it traveled down the river. The trees are producing fragrant smells and I can just imagine how sweet the flowers will be once they start to bloom. The lower elevations was in the 70's today but as we got higher we noticed a slightly cooler temperatures. I put on my ear muffs when I got out to take a picture.

Hatcher Pass is home to Old Independence Mine. It remained active until 1941. You can actually pan for gold & we want too, just for the fun of it. Every thing is closed right now but it all opens in June. We weren't able to get to the summit but we will next time. One of the sights we saw was a waterfall up on the side of a mountain., it was gushing out from under ice piled thick. And the only animal we saw was either a prairie dog or a tailless squirrel.

Our next adventure took us to the MuskOx Farm. These are miniature Buffalo-like animals with long wooly fur. This fur is used by the natives as income from making knitted hats and scarfs. They are very expensive. This animal was almost extinct until a trapper collected many and put them on a farm.

After church we decided on a walk in Earthquake park. The temperatures have been touching the 70's this weekend so many people were out walking or riding their bikes. Earthquake park has paved trails so it's easy walking. It's also lighted. Today we had clear Sky's and very little signs of ice or snow. They set a record high here of 66 for this day.

I'm going to be temping for the next 2 months in an HR Dept at the biggest Multi Media Communications Company up here. I'm excited to be getting the chance to be working in HR again. The other interview I went on this week I turned down because of a safety issue-to far off the bus route in an industrial area...

Their Back

Yes that's what the Alaskans are saying, the Sea Gulls have returned. I was wondering why, with all the water I hadn't seen any. Guess they migrate. Now those Ravens will have to share the garbage. We passed a Marsh down by Turnagain Arm that had hundreds of them sitting in the grasses. Maybe they are laying eggs. So many questions.

Well John has found a choir to sing with. He's very excited. I'm going on an interview tomorrow for a Full Charge Bookkeeper position, we'll see. I have several apps out. This new agency has me taking tests, ick. We have reached the mid to upper 50's and the 60's are coming over the weekend. Looks like we made it to May and everyone is hopeful for a good spring and summer...

Moose Pass

Legend has it that the mail carrier who drove a team of dogs back in 1903 was confronted by a Moose for the right of way. Leading to the name Moose Pass. It was supposed to rain on Sunday but when we got up it was clear so we took off south toward Seward. As we passed the Turnagain Arm we noticed that the big ice chunks were not visible until we got almost to the end of the inlet; but it was high tide. We could see flowing water all the way across. It wasn't raining but it was windy. John really had to hold on to the wheel. Most of the snow was off the mountains near the road but was still there up high. It was a good thing we took our trip to Whittier when we did, they had a rock slide and they closed the road shortly after that. We passed Portage, the farthest we had been and continued on south. This area was surrounded by mountains on both sides. The waterfalls we saw were now starting to flow not all ice, the lakes were still partially frozen, and there were tire tracks on the ice where vehicles had been driving on it.

As we headed toward Seward we saw signs that the road was closed at Falls Creek, after looking at the map we discovered it was about 29 miles north of Seward and that we could go as far as Moose Pass. We stopped there and had lunch at an Inn before we turned around and headed back. There were lots of pull overs so we took a lot of pictures. When gold was discovered in Alaska, Seward was one of the areas that many miners started there journey. The water is deep there so the Cruise ships dock there. We did see a moose this trip, it was laying on the side of the road and as we got close it got up and walked into the forest. We also saw an eagle flying overhead.

On the way back we walked a short distance to see Bird Ridge, it was a bridge over a river that flowed into Turnagain Arm. The tide was out and we saw the ice chunks again. The wind was not blowing as hard on the way home. We stopped again to fill some water jugs from the water coming out of the mountain along the road. We took note of some areas for hikes that we plan to go back to when the weather is better. We'll make it to Seward on another trip, There's a lot to see and I'll tell you all about it as we continue our adventures...

Thunderbird Falls; Ekultna Lake and Glacier

We decided on a hike this week. Thunderbird Falls is not very far, 25 miles on the Glenn Hwy then 1/2 mile. This mountain range is on the east side of Anchorage and winds up Northeast toward Wasilla/Palmer. The snow is almost gone in Anchorage but is still in the mountains. We wore our spikes so we didn't slip. The trail started uphill then leveled off. But we could tell we were walking slightly up hill as we rounded the cliffs. The trail was a mile back to the waterfall. The falls were still frozen partway. The water fell into a creek that was flowing in some spots. We could see rocks on the bottom where the snow had parted. There was another trail that went down to the creek and we managed to walk down the hill. John was the photographer today so he walked along the creek side to under the waterfall and took some pictures. Spring is coming I guess ,we saw buds on some of the trees.

We walked on back to the Jeep and decided to go to Ekutna Lake since it was only 10 miles. At the end of the road was a frozen lake and on the other side was the Glacier. So much of Alaska is made up of glaciers. It is evident in the blue ice we see all over the place. This area was surrounded by rocky peaks, some sharp and others covered in snow...

Easter weekend 2009

Well this weekend has been quiet. No eruptions and no rain or snow. Friday we just relaxed, read, sewed, and watched some TV. Saturday we took a walk downtown. It's about 8 blocks. The snow is melting and so there's a lot of water on the roads. The drains are still frozen so the water doesn't have anywhere to go. We went to an evening service at Faith Christian Community Church., it's small compared to Brookwood but the music is really good and the message is very good. Then we went out to dinner. We tried a restaurant called the Cattle Company. Our steaks were excellent. Many ask if the prices are high here. Well, groceries are maybe a little higher and gas is now $2.30, down this week. They have many of the same restaurants, TGIF, Applebees, Romanos Italian, Pizza Hut, McDonald's and Denny's. They also have many that are just this area, Sea Galley, Glacier House, Simon & Seafort's Saloon & Grill and many oriental varieties.

I don't believe I've told you about the birds here. Instead of black birds and crows there are Raven's. Large ones, they are everywhere. We also see a bird that is black and white a little bigger than a Blue Jay, looks like it has on a tux. There is also one like it that has green tail feathers and a blue strip on its wings. May be male and female I'll have to investigate that.

Every time we go somewhere we are amazed when we look east. The mountains are so beautiful with there peaks and snow and brown shadowing of trees, they meet the sky sometimes that is white with clouds and other times blue. When the sun sets the pink or orange glow falls on them, wow so beautiful.

Sunday afternoon we took a drive just east of Anchorage. There's an area called Flat Top we want to hike when the weather gets better, right now it's still snow packed. We found ourselves looking down on Anchorage and Cooks Inlet and Turnagain Arm. From there it looked very small in comparison to looking up at the mountains from Anchorage. There were many homes on the hillside, some very large and modern with lots of windows mostly we see 50, 60, & 70's style houses. John took this opportunity while I was out taking pictures to do donuts in the empty parking lot. He's just having too much fun...

Sightseeing, Pipline, Moose

This weekend was wonderful. We had plans to go south to Seward but the volcano erupted , so we headed north. There's only two ways out of Anchorage. We drove to the Wasilla/Palmer turn off and headed east toward Palmer. We had been about 10 miles east of Palmer on a previous trip. We headed to the town of Glennallen, weren't sure what was there but hey it's an adventure. There are great sights along this route: Pinnacle Mtn, Matanuska Glacier, Matanuska River, and a wide Valley with various transition zones of vegetation. The road was mostly good but there were occasional frost heaves. Well Glennallen turned out to be a very small town of 525. At that point we decided to go south on the Richardson Hwy toward Valdez.

The sign said 117 miles. The beginning of the road was still the valley we had been traveling through to get to Glennallen. Now we were following the Copper River and the Wrangell-ST Elias Mountain Range. We could see Mount Sanford, Mount Drum and Mount Wrangell. Also following this Hwy is the Pipeline. Several times we could see it from the road. We pulled off at one of the Alyeska Pipeline terminals.

This Hwy took us through the Thompson Pass. I have to say we saw some of the most beautiful scenery. There were deep valley's winding between the mountains, waterfalls that were frozen and Blue, the strong wind was blowing snow across the roadway, and just breathtaking views. We traveled on toward Valdez but even though we saw several signs that said to watch out for Moose, or Caribou we didn't. But we did see 2 bears down in a valley and 2 eagles in flight. We didn't get any pictures because sometimes there just isn't any shoulder on the road to stop on. Old Valdez was destroyed in the 1964 earthquake. So they built a new town 4 miles down the road. Prince William Sound comes up to Valdez and the Pipeline terminal is on the south side of the inlet. We drove over there and now John has seen the beginning and the end of the pipeline.

I got to drive some of the way back, I didn't do too bad. My shifting is getting better. As we turned onto our street about 5 blocks up we stopped at a lite and there on the cornor by the grave yard was 3 moose just ambling along the sidewalk. We drive 600 miles in 11 hours and we get home and see the moose...

On Sunday after church we took a walk in Earthquake Park. We walked for about 30 minutes and all of sudden in the brush along the trail was a moose. I snapped a few pictures and then he rose and climbed out onto the trail facing us. We backed up slowly then he advanced and stopped to eat some branches. I put the camera on Movie and took some pictures and then he stopped and started to walk toward us. John thought we should walk the other way. We did and he stopped. Guess that was close to a Close Encounter...

New week, new snow

Yeah, snow. We got up to about an inch so far. The average temp now seems to be 30. Yesterday we stayed in most of the day because of the ash that could still be in the air. The white snow was a dull grey. But not anymore. The volcano vented at 11pm Sunday nite, but the wind took the ash northwest.
I spent last week waiting for the temp agency to call me back for a reluctant client to decide they needed someone so this week I plan to be pro active. I'm trying other agencies as well as actual jobs. Who knows how long we will be here....John may go up to the slope on Wed. we hope he'll be able to get back the same day but with this volcano it's anybodies guess. He'll pack extra cloths..

Volcano erupted again

Well guys we finally are in the path of the ash. Today Saturday, the volcano erupted 3 times. 2pm, 5pm and 7pm. The wind changed direction and as we were going to dinner at some friends house we noticed the clouds seems abnormal. They were an odd color. The snow that had been falling seemd to change to a darker color. Yeah it was ash. When we got to their house everything was a grayish color. We had put our handkerchiefs over our noses before we got there and when we got out of the car we could tell the smell of the air was different. We stayed 4 hours and when we left we used our handkerchief's but the wind had blown it away from Anchorage. When we got home there was a slight dust on everything. I had cleaned today and well I guess I'll do it again tomorrow...

Moose sighting

At 9:30 this morning I looked out of the window to see how much snow was left since it's been warm. I was so surprised to see across the street 3 moose just standing there. One sat down and the others were looking for their place in the snow to sit. I took pictures from the balcony then went down street level and walked within 30 feet of them and took more pictures. They've been there for almost 3 hours. I'll keep watch and try to get a picture of them when they stand back up.
Update: they got up and moved, they crossed the street, stopped cars, and walked down the sidewalk to the next cornor and crossed to the other side, stopped and ate off the trees. Wow if this place isn't cool.

Drive to Whittier

John got off early on Friday so we got all our heavy layers gathered up and in the car as well as water, camera and snack bars. We set off South this time toward the glaciers. It is just so beautiful here, everywhere you turn there are mountains and frozen water. As we drove south from Anchorage along the Seward Hwy (Turnagain Arm) was on on right. The tides come in and out twice a day (25ft) so the water is frozen but not solid. There are huge globs of ice all over. Some actually are attached to the bottom. Today the tide was out so we saw large clumps. In May when the water is running we will see Beluga whales.

We drove down to Portage (26miles)and turned off the road (east)toward the Portage Glacier. This road took us winding thru the valley. On both sides were mountains, we could see blue ice on the mountains on the south side. We went thru one tunnel and about a mile then found ourselves facing a mountain right in front of us. This one had a toll. So we paid it and waited our turn to pass thru the mountain. It's one way and also has a train track running thru it. When our time came we drove 2.5 miles to the other side and the road opened up to the beginning of Prince William Sound and the town of Whittier. There wasn't much there in the winter but in the summer it is a busy place. This was a secret military base in WWII. The tunnel was constructed to get supplies in and out .

We didn't stay long but returned the way we had come. On the way back we stopped to take pictures. At mile marker 109 John stopped to fill a jug with fresh mountain water coming out of the rocks. We got to see the sun set over Cooks Inlet. On Saturday John went to work. It started snowing in the afternoon. We went out to eat at a pizza place and then went grocery shopping. By the time we got up on Sunday we had 5-6 inches. It had been warming up last week and snow was starting to melt, but it's back. Next week it is supposed to warm up again.

As many of you have heard Mt Redoubt has started to erupt. The wind is blowing it away from Anchorage at this time, but with more eruptions due and the wind could change we don't know anything. But we are prepared...

Saturday drive from under the clouds

We decided to get up and out today. We weren't sure whether the day would go north or south. With a check of the weather we headed north. The sun was shining on the mountains but we didn't stop to take a picture, we wanted to get as far north as we could. It took about an hour and we passed Wasilla heading toward Denali National Park. We could see the clouds getting thinner. Then WaLa, just blue sky. This was the closest we had been able to get since we got here in January. As we went north we passed Willow the starting point of the Iditarod Race. By the way Lance Mackey the winner for the past two years seems to be in the lead. One woman rolled her sled and lost one of her dogs. If they are not held onto they run. They are not like pets who come when you call.

The roadway was clear of ice and snow and the sun was shinning bright but the air was cold and getting colder as we went north. We watched as Mt McKinley came into view, larger and larger. We stopped along the way and took many pictures. When we had gotten to the point where the park started we were still 40 or 50 miles away. The park is closed this time of year. We plan to go back when the spring comes which is still maybe 1-2 months away. They call the time when the snow melts the 'break-up'. We traveled on for another 25 miles or so and turned around because Mt McKinley had fallen behind some other peaks. On the way back we were able to see some moose and an eagle. John is very good at spotting the moose, where I can't see them until we are on them.

I drove part of the way back, getting some experience with the shifting. 6 speeds and shifting down to stop is different than automatic that's for sure. It sure is breathtaking up here. The mountains loom all around you. We can't wait for spring to see them come alive with green and flowers. We lunched in a town called Telkeetna. It's a blend of old Alaska town and tourist. It has a few shops, lodges and restraunts. It's the stopping off point for hikers to Mt Mckinley. We both agreed that we don't need to go back.

We took a walk in Kincaid park on Tuesday evening. We hoped to spot a moose but no. We caught some of the sunset though. Anchorage has many large parks. Kincaid runs along the airport and has miles of lighted trails. We've been making a list of the things we hope to do and see, we'll keep you informed as we do them...

Iditarod 2009

Well again on Friday night the trucks were dumping snow and forming it into the same lanes as last week. This Iditarod is the 37th one. They have a ceremonial start in Anchorage but the race actually starts in a town called Willow north of Anchorage.

We had some new friends come by and we watched the race for a while from our apartment then went down stairs to see it from the street. We walked to different location to see it from different views. Then we walked uptown to see the sculptures and the carnival as well as the fur auction. The temps were in the mid twenties and no snow. The dogs in the races were larger and stronger dogs. They are for endurance. The race is 1,049 miles across Alaska to Nome. 72 dogsleds and Mushers signed up for the race. There has been so much snow this year in the interior that the trail has had trouble staying formed. The stations keeps us updated on the progress. I can see how the Alaskans look forward to this every year.

Fur Rondy February 27-March 1 2009

We had a very good time this weekend. It started Thursday nite with dump trucks dumping piles of snow down the middle of our street. Then road graders and bobcats shaped it into a lane of snow with sides. On each side was a snow less lane where cars could drive. We both went to work on Friday but learned that a dogsled race had taken place on Friday morning. So again on Friday nite the graders went to work and shaped the lane for Saturday. See, this is the time of year when the fur trappers would come to town to sell their furs. So in 1935 they decided to make it a winter carnival. Over the years many events have taken shape. One of the events is a three day dogsled race with the best overall time the winner.

On Saturday we watched from our balcony as the dogsleds raced below us. We eventually went down to the street and saw them up close. The dogs were small and sleek I understand now, that's for speed. After this race we walked uptown. The temps were in the low twenties and the snow was coming down. We only had to walk about 10 blocks to the center of the activities. They had corded off all of 4th street. People were dressed in costumes of the early days and others as various characters. A carnival was set up on 3rd street. Displays of furs, food stands where you could get reindeer sausage, or chili and an old gold strike area as well as musical groups. Some of the events were snow shoe softball, Ice Bowling, an Outhouse race and ice and snow sculptures.

On Sunday the dog races started over. After seeing them from our apartment we walked up town again but this time it wasn't snowing. The main event we wanted to see today was Running with the Reindeer. They brought in about 8 or 10 reindeer and led them down the street and turned them loose to run back to their fenced area where a female reindeer was. There was several groups to run, celebrities, men, women, all of whom took their turn running with the reindeer. Mind you these reindeer had racks and didn't just run straight, one turned around and went the other way. The handlers chased him and got him turned around but not before one handler was knocked to the ground and run over. What was so funny was the way the people were dressed. Some in Alaskan wear, fur hats and boots, others in costumes. We saw the Geico cave man, Santa, Easter bunny, men in too too's, various sports wear, a real astronaut, radio and TV commutators...it was just too funny. We can't wait for next weekend...

Kaua'i and O'ahu

Day Five, Kaua'i, Today we got a green wrangler for our travels. Our first stop after leaving Lihu'e was the Wiamea Canyon. They call this The Grand Canyon of the Pacific. The canyon is about 3-4000 ft deep, a mile wide and 12 miles long. Having seen the one in Arizona I can see the similarity. Although this one seemed to have more green on it. We saw a water fall seemingly coming right out of the rock. Not only was this area red the whole island seemed to have red dirt much like Georgia. We went on to Koke'e forest where we were able to see to the Na Pali Coast.

We went back thru Lihu'e and stopped at Opaeka'a Falls. Then on to Wailua Falls. Both of these were surrounded by very lush vegetation. As we drove up the coast we saw a range of mountains they call Sleeping Giant. The coast was spectacular, with waves crashing against the rocks and cliffs The water color as with all the islands was various shades of blues and green. Near the north side of the island we stopped to view a light house. The traffic was getting heavy as they only have one road going north that we decided to head back to the boat to beat the rush.

Day Six, John and I wanted to do different things on this last day. He spent most of it reading, walking and relaxing. Now me I wanted to shop. I caught the free shuttles to the plaza's. I picked up a few things, used my coupons and got a free tote bag, and Pink Pearl. When I got back to the ship I selected another oyster and got a white pearl and had them both set, one in a ring and the other in a necklace. John and I met at 12:30 and had lunch aboard ship and took a walk. The ship left port at 2pm and we went back to our room to pack up our bags. At 5 pm they announced we were passing the Na Pali Coast. You can really see this from the water. We stood on the 13th deck and took pictures. The coast looks like hundreds of cones of various sizes sitting up against each other, with water falls coming out every once in a while. There was a lot of vegetation and rock cliffs. And we saw the lighthouse again from the water and another whale.

We arrived back in Honolulu the next morning. Christropher, Amy and Eve picked us up and we went to Hanauma Bay where they snorkeled and we relaxed because we were just done. We had a wonderful lunch with my nephew Ben. Then we went to a Botanical Garden, it was quite beautiful and had a waterfall at the end of it. We enjoyed the stroll. The last day Christropher was able to join us so we went to a beach where they snorkeled and we relaxed. Eve and I played in the water and in the sand.

We went to the airport that evening. We left and it was 75 degrees, we arrived home back in Alaska at 5am the next morning and it was 10 degrees....

On with the Cruise

On the second day on Maui we decided to go down the middle of the island to see Haleakla Crater. The road made switchbacks, only this time long ones. As we went higher we could see the road we had just been on. the vegatation became more sparce as we went up. From this vantage point we could see the whole top half of the island. We had to stop once to let the cows meander across the road. It's open range. The summit was at 10,023 ft. the landscape by this time looked like the moon. We got to see down into the crater. There were holes that had erupted and left behind mounds of ash and rock. The guide pointed out a rock that had recently rolled down the hill. It appeared to be about the size of a bowling ball but was in fact the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. The depth perception was amazing. Along the top were many observatories.
We went on to see the Ioa Valley, this was an area between some mountains. There were waterfalls, gardens and what they called the Iao needle. This was a 2,250 ft stone pinnacle.

The Big Island, Hawaii. We made two different ports on this island. Third Day. Again we rented a car, this time we could only get a Ford Expedition. We decided that we had enough time to drive all the way around the island. We started in Hilo on the eastern side and journeyed south. Our first stop was Volcanos National Park to see Ki'lauea, 4,091 ft. the road was lush with vegetation at the beginning. We went to the rim and took a short hike. From this vantage point we could see Mauna Loa ,13,677 ft and Mauna Kea, 13,796. Ki'lauea is an active volcano. we couldn't drive all the way around because it was spurring smoke and the sulphur smell was strong. We also saw many observatories.

Going along the coast we were able to see the waves and beaches. This area though became more desert like. We saw large clumps of Cactus, old lava flows of black rock that stretched to the ocean, and the temperature on the south and west was warmer. We past large groves of Macadamia nuts. The western side where Kona is was flat up to a range of small mountains. We drove along the rim and could see Honaunau Bay. The North side was much like the southwest, mostly Texas. This was cattle country. Then on to the eastern side where we traveled along the coast where there were many lookouts to see the beautiful coastline. We stopped at Akala Falls, the falls were 400 ft, surrounded by ferns, mist, and canopies of bamboo.

The next port was Kona., Fourth Day. We decided to take a catamaran adventure. As we left the dock and headed out into Honaunau Bay we stopped to watch the dolphins. They were swimming in groups or herds. As we went on out into the Bay we stopped again only this time to see the Whales. They would blow, then in a few seconds they would rise up and go back under and then their tails would plop. We weighed anchor in an inlet where we got off and went snorkeling. They gave us inner tubes to hold us up because you couldn't touch the bottom. They also didn't want us to stand on the coral, so it wouldn't get broken. We snorkeled for an hour and got to see many fish and turtles and had lunch on the boat. We sailed back along the coast. As we entered the bay we observed more whales and dolphins. We made a short shopping trip and went back to the boat to get ready for the next day...

Cruisin the islands

Cruising is fun. You unpack once and get to see lots of places without ever moving the bags. We had a lot of fun on the ship. There's a Spa, workout room, track, card room, as well the pools, lounges, stores, restaurants, and areas you just go to relax in a chair.
They put on a lot of shows, Hula dancing (also a class), Jimmy Buffet, Beatles, Jazz, Magic, and Comedy. Also they tell you where you can shop(Coupons are a must, lots of free stuff) and what to see on the next island. We like NCL because it doesn't demand to set times or tell you where to eat. It's Freestyle..

Our first Island was Maui. We spent 2 full days there. We rented a car (Red Mustang Convertible) and started off on our own tour. We took the Hana Highway. It's a long and winding road that goes down the eastern side of the island. Along the way were lookouts where you could stop and see breathtaking scenes of beaches of very colorful water, waves crashing against rocks and the coastline. Every time we came to a curve and there were lots of them there seemed to be another waterfall and the road was always a single lane bridge. We passed on thru Hana and on to see Seven Scared Pools. It was a series of water falls that landed in what appeared to be pools one right after another. After lunch in Hana we went to see Blue Angle Falls. However, a very large Hawaiian Man with a machete informed us that it was on private land and we needed to turn around. Seems that some Hawaiians don't like us. We went on and enjoyed the sites on our way back to the ship. We made an early nite of it and began again early the next day...

Our trip to Hawaii

I think I'll tell you about our trip to Hawaii first. We went to Hawaii on Feb 11. We took an afternoon flight and were met by Eve and Amy. They brought us a traditional Lay. We had left Anchorage in a snow storm. So 70's was great.

Our adventure began with a tour of part of O'ahu. Christropher drove us around the island so we got to see the flowers and the mountains as well as the city and beaches. We got to see sunset beach and the pipeline, that's a big surfer beach. Eve stayed home from school and that was a delight.As we drove around the island we played a game called Yellow Car.(Being the first to call it). We saw areas like ChinaMans hat, the H2,3. and Trucks sitting on the side of the road that sold shrimp dinners. Christropher lives near the North Shore. He has a beach practally out his back door.

On Friday the 13th we lazed around most of the day. We had sent our cloths for our vacation and summer in Alaska, to Hawaii ahead of time, so I repacked our suitcases for the cruise. In the evening John prepared a Shrimp Boil for Chris and Amy. On Saturday Amy and Eve dropped us off at the Cruise ship to begin our tour of the islands. More on that...

goodbye warm hello cold again

Well we are back. I got over my cold just in time to go to Hawaii. Beautiful place. We visited with my son Christropher and family and went on a cruise of the islands. We also got to see our nephew Ben who was training for a triathlon.

This week it took me two days to unpack and rest up. I have to go to work on Friday, Monday and Tuesday. I like temping, it gives me the chance to learn and try different jobs.

This weekend is called the FURRONDY. It's when the fur trappers came down to sell their pelts. It's a big event leading up to the IDITAROD. (Dog Sled Races) We will see the start of the race and then they have another start out of town the next day. But the race goes down our street, so we can sit on our balcony and watch. I hope to get some great pictures.

I'll write more about Hawaii and the Ak adventure after the weekend is over. So stay tuned..

Bye cold Hello Warm

Being sick is a bummer, but knowing that in 2 days I'll be in sunny Hawaii and seeing my wonderful son and family is enough to keep me healing. On Saturday we got out in the afternoon and wow did we see something spectacular. We drove down by the bay and as we looked across at the mountains where the volcano is located only further south it was like a sheet of sheer chiffon was draped over the mountains. I wish I'd had the camera but we were headed to eat and shop. But the site was wow.

On Sunday on our way to church just 4 blocks from home standing along the road chewing on a tree was two Moose, they are sure big. In the afternoon we took a walk in Earthquake park. It was very beautiful. We walked about 30 minutes before we started to feel cold and headed back. We did have the camera then though. No sighting of Moose.

I've spent today Monday working on our itinerary for Hawaii. We plan to visit my son for a few days and then take a cruise around the islands for 7 days. We have a car on each island. So we plan to see as much as we can and at our pace. Then back to Honolulu for more visit and then back to Anchorage. John thinks he may have to go up to the North slope again. My hope is to get to work wearing my new tan.

My oldest son Kevin is now a Lt. Col. in the Army. I am so proud.

Down for the count

Sorry I've been so silent. But I felt a cold coming on Thursday and by Saturday I was flat out down. It's Tuesday and I'm starting to recover slowly. So far John is ok, he's a good nurse. I did a temp job at a law firm on Friday, I just answered the phone but my voice kept getting softer as the day wore on. We got about 6 inches of snow during the day. It was really pretty. Because the roads were bad and my cold we opted not to go to a dance we had planned on Friday night. The temps are in the single digits and minus at night right now but the sun is shinning and its bright. Well from 9am to 5pm, it's daylight. We get about 5 minutes a day more light each day.

There's a volcano about a hundred miles away that is threathening to blow. They have issued warnings and instructions if it does. Depending on the wind we could get a blanket of ash and small rock. This week we are planning our shore excursions for our trip to Hawaii.

Gloria makes it from first to second

On Friday nite we went to eat with a couple from John's work. We ate at a Brew House where they make their own Beer. Guess there are several up here. Then we went back to their house and played Hearts. It was nice to meet some people that we may spend more time with.

Well guys, Guess how we got woke up on Saturday morning? With an earthquake. It was about 9am and there was a rocking to the bed, I opened my eyes and the building was rocking very slowly, I touched John and he realized what it was too, an earthquake. It slowed then began again only gentler this time. There were about 3 times then it was over. We had heard that it's very common. In 1964 they had a bad one that litterly dropped 2 full blocks off the city.

We started out on Saturday on our way south but the snow started and so our plans changed. We stopped at the parking lot to John's work and I had my first attempt at driving the stick. I was surprised but I did alright. It's been years for me. I'm not yet ready to drive in town and esp on the icy roads. So we ended up walking one mall that has an ice rink in it, then Cosco, and we found Target. The snow was very heavy at times then it just stopped, the temp was 22.

Sunday we decided on another church to try. We both felt it wasn't exactly what we wanted. After church we went on a short ride to see earthquake park. It's a series of trails that follow the water (Tarnagain Arm). It's posted that there are moose there. All we saw was an eagle flying. We plan to go back on a weekend and hike.

The evening was spent with another of Johns fellow workers and wife. This time we went to a nice restaurant. John is enjoying all the fish and seafood he can get. I find enough on the menu to eat. They had a vinaigrette that was flavored with Maple. That was really good. Well I'll write more as soon as I can..

Alaska We Are Here

Hi to everyone, There are a lot of firsts going on. John & I have made the long trek up to Alaska for him to work and me, well, we'll see what I do. We arrived on January 7th about 12:05am. We stayed in a hotel the rest of the night and John went to work about 9am. He returned about 12:30pm and we went to our apartment to get settled in. While John went back to work I commenced to cleaning and unpacking. About 2 days later I was satisfied that the apartment was ok. This was our first extended trip together.
We went car shopping on the weekend but didn't turn up a good deal. The temperature was only -18. We dressed in layers but it was still cold on our faces. We find the grocery stores only a little higher than home. They are Carrs (safeway) and Fred Myers (Kroger). There are 3 malls here. Two are large buildings connected with shops in them. Not that great. But one is in a 4 story building downtown, It also has Penny's and across the street (connected)is Norstrom's. That one is nice. On the north side of Anchorage is a plaza with Target, Kohl's, Old Navy and more. I haven't been there yet but give me time.
On our second weekend we went out to get a car, Temps were in the 30's. We had done a lot of research and intended to buy a used Jeep but when we got there they had a great deal on the 08's that were still new. So we purchased a 2008 Jeep Liberty Sport, Silver with black accents. It's a manual and I have yet to drive it but I can. Our First Purchase of a car together. On Sunday we found a church to attend. But we are going to check out 4 more and see which one suits us best. Next weekend, 30th, we plan to attend a dance being held at a church. Oh yeah, we saw an eagle flying around out our apartment window. John has seen a moose in the parking lot at work. We will take pictures. and as soon as I figure out how to post them on this blog I will.
Last Sunday (18th), we drove our new Jeep up to Wasilla. It was a beautiful drive. We were in a valley most of the time. We took the scenic route and passed thru the mountains for about 10 miles. The rivers were flowing but has massive chunks of ice on them. We passed thru avalanche areas. We took a lot of pictures.
This week I have ventured out on the bus system. It was a little scary at first, the schedules looked like greek to me, but once I was on them and got a book of schedules and routes it got easier. I've found how to get to places I didn't know existed. This was my first outing alone in Anchorage.
This weekend we will go adventuring again. Stay tuned...