Alaska with Greg and Phyllis

Fall hike

2018-09-30T22:49:00.000-08:00

Today my friends and I went for a hike on this gorgeous fall day.

We decided to tackle the West Butte Trail out in Palmer.

The trails begins through the forest allowing some nice views.

Then you have to climb a zillion steps! Well, it was more like 440 or so. Pretty rough climbing for me.

There are eight switchbacks along the trail as you trek toward the top.

However, the views from the top were definitely worth it.

You can see the Knik Glacier in the distance.

Pioneer Peak was looking pretty awesome in the fall sunlight.

The Talkeetna Mountain Range towers over the valley.

There is a gain of 880 feet in elevation from the beginning of the trail to this viewpoint.

I can understand why this is the most popular hike in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

This is the view from the top of the 880 foot tall Butte.

This trail is about 3 miles roundtrip and well worth the time and effort to make it to the summit.

Denali Trip

2018-07-10T21:38:00.001-08:00

We packed up our bags and headed north to visit Denali National Park. This family can now consider themselves members of the 30% club as we were able to see Denali on the drive up. This mountain is so massive that it creates its own weather systems!

Thus, only about 30% of visitors to the area get to see the mountain. In fact, we pulled over and snapped these pics at the north viewpoint and by the time we had driven about another 30 miles, the mountain was fully shrouded behind the clouds again.

The next day was quite cooler and windy. We took a bus ride into the park to look for animals and enjoy the scenery.

This bear put on quite a show for us. He walked along the bus for a bit and then crossed the road right in front of us.

He crossed two creeks and then stood up on his hind legs and scratched his back on a tree! I wasn't quick enough to get a pic of that but others captured it on their phones.

Nearby, a mom and her cubs were grazing on the mountainside. We also saw a few moose, Dall sheep, and caribou along the route.

Hope they had a good time! They should be home in a few hours enjoying the heat and humidity of the South.

Trip to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

2018-07-05T00:35:00.001-08:00

Hope everyone had a happy Fourth of July! We enjoyed our day by traveling down the Seward Highway and taking in a few sights. Our first stop was Beluga Point.

If you look closely in these pictures you can see the Godwins out on the rocks in the Inlet.

As usual, it was a bit windy but the views were awesome.

We pulled over one more time to see a Dall sheep and her baby up on the mountainside.

The Wildlife Conservation Center was our next stop. These animals certainly know the sounds of the food wagon.

As soon as the worker drove in with their meal, these reindeer immediately began to follow her!

These antlers that Chris is modeling are quite heavy. Velvet was still on the antlers of the reindeer, moose and elk that we saw today. It will remain on the antlers for a few more months. Many of the animals were resting in shelters or under trees. It has been very warm for us here these last few days.

Hoping it stays sunny and warm because the family will be out on the water for a boat tour tomorrow.

We made it home and ate some yummy grilled food that Greg cooked for us. Competition was tough during the few games of croquet we played. Melinda and I hold on to our Championship Titles for the summer! We took the bikes over to my school to ride for a bit.

Don't think the sound of those fireworks is going to keep me awake tonight. Kinda tired and we've got a busy day tomorrow.

Friends visiting Alaska

2018-07-03T23:50:00.001-08:00

I returned home from Tennessee on July 1. Early this morning, the Griswolds, also known as the Godwins, arrived in Anchorage! We got out and enjoyed this quite warm but beautiful day. Even as tired as they were, they were really good sports and got out and walked all around downtown.

We walked around Ship Creek hoping to see some fish.

The kiddos just had to test the water and see how cold it was.

They also met a few new friends in front of the giftshop.

We walked on the Coastal Trail to the Westchester Lagoon area.

Here's an action shot of them playing on the equipment.

After walking several miles today, I'm sure we will all sleep well tonight. Gonna travel down the Seward Highway tomorrow for some more outdoor adventures.

Last week of school!

2018-05-21T22:31:00.003-08:00

On Sunday morning my friend and I went for our walk on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.

This eleven mile trail often offers up some excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. During this time of year you need to be extra vigilant for moose and their newborn calves. Luckily, we didn't meet up with any aggressive moose moms but we did see some large birds out on the mud flats.

There were some Sandhill cranes enjoying their Sunday morning brunch and paying us no mind whatsoever.

They seem to be enjoying our slightly warmer weather. Daytime temps have finally climbed into the mid 50s.

As you can see from this photo, these cranes are excellently camouflaged against the old vegetation.

We left them to eat and continued on our walk. I had to get back home because Greg and I wanted to get the garden planted today. We did get two raised beds planted with lettuce, kale, spinach, carrots, and radishes. Can't wait to harvest those yummy veggies!

Here is a view back toward downtown Anchorage with the mountains forming a beautiful backdrop. I will miss seeing these mountains for a month as I am headed to visit family next week. I will be back home in Alaska at the first of July. That snow will look mighty refreshing after sweltering in the southern heat!

Walk around the Lake

2018-04-22T22:27:00.001-08:00

Well, it has warmed up a bit since our last post. Our temps have been climbing to the mid 40s each day. Some days have made it to 50 degrees! The majority of snow is gone from our yard.

Greg did manage to fire the grill up last weekend. Hopefully in the next few weeks we will be able to get our raised beds ready for planting.

Today I took a walk with two friends around Lake Hood. This is a base for many of the seaplanes here in Anchorage.

It didn't appear to be a lot of activity because the lake is still frozen. In a couple of months this lake will be a hub of activity. Planes will be waiting in line to take off from the water.

Someone took the floats off their plane. Maybe the plane is getting serviced and ready for summer action.

The lake has a picturesque setting with the mountains as a background.
You do have to share the road with aircraft. There is a runway right across the road! You can see quite a bit of snow piled up behind the fence in this photo.

This field of planes looks ready for takeoff! Dirt runways are very common here in Alaska.

End of winter?

2018-04-08T22:37:00.003-08:00

Finally, the first days have come since last fall that our temperatures are not going to fall below freezing overnight! Well, that is what they have in the forecast. We'll see. Either way, the sun and the warm temperature of 50 degrees today felt fantastic!

This morning a friend and I took our weekly walk. The lakes and streams are still frozen.

The parkstrip has lots of snow remaining on the ground.

As we walked along the coastal trail, we could see a boat headed toward the port.

Here is Mount Susitna, also known as Sleeping Lady. You can see how it got this nickname from this view.

That boat looks kinda small next to those big mountains!

Another view across the frozen mud flats of Sleeping Lady.

Here is the trail we walked upon. I am still wearing my hiking boots while walking. Maybe I will be able to switch over to my tennis shoes for our walks soon.

Hopefully the forecast will come true and we will be able to dig the grill out for next weekend. The sizzle of burgers and hot dogs will be the official start of spring for Greg!

Valentine's Day Eagle and Snow

2018-02-19T21:49:00.003-09:00

Greg and I were able to just relax around the house today on this Presidents' Day holiday. Sure is nice to have extra days off from work. Last week on Valentine's Day, it began to snow really hard with these large fluffy snowflakes.

I sure enjoy watching it snow!

Driving on the other hand can be a bit dicey.

As I turned slowly onto our street, I could see that the local eagle was sitting atop a light pole.

He looked so majestic as he scanned the streets and skies from his perch.

When Greg got home, I begged him to go take some pictures of the eagle.

It wasn't snowing as hard by then but coming down at a pretty good pace.

He managed to get close enough to take a few photos before trudging back through the nearly six inches of fresh snow.

Hope Greg enjoyed today's holiday off because he doesn't get another until the end of May!

I, on the other hand, leave two weeks from today for Spring Break in the South!

School Snow Day!

2018-02-12T20:28:00.006-09:00

Today our schools were closed due to some really nasty road conditions. We got about four inches of snow Saturday night. Greg was not pleased to see more snow but he was able to get the drive and sidewalks shoveled yesterday afternoon. It was light and fluffy snow which made shoveling a bit easier. Our temperature warmed up a bit overnight and produced some freezing rain. It continued to get warmer during the daytime which led to a mix of snow and rain this afternoon.
These temperatures are quite a bit different from last week where our lows were 0 and below.

We also experienced several days of freezing fog.

When this happens, it makes for a wintry wonderland.

The trees look beautiful.

If you are driving or walking in freezing fog, it looks like it is raining diamonds or glitter.

One afternoon I was lucky enough to catch the sun shining on some trees in our front yard.

With the gorgeous clear blue sky as a background, I snapped a few pictures.

This fluffy accumulation from the freezing fog doesn't last too long as just a bit of wind will send it floating away.

If it is really cold and there are no breezes, it will sometimes stick around for a day or so.

As I look out the window, I see that the mix has changed over to just snow.
Should make for interesting driving and walking tomorrow!

Home in Alaska January 2018

2018-01-07T18:38:00.002-09:00

We spent the Christmas holiday break with our families and friends in Tennessee. It was great to see everyone again. It was also nice to see the sun for a change! The temps were quite cool the whole time we were there. Most of the trip the temps in Memphis were colder than Anchorage!

Greg flew back home on December 30th and enjoyed a few days of not shoveling snow.

However, that didn't last long. I flew home on January 3rd and was greeted with steady snow and treacherous roads.

As you can tell from this pic of the wooden fence, the sun never gets direct or warm enough to melt the snow.

The fresh snow did brighten things back up. Greg did not enjoy shoveling the sidewalks and driveway!

Even with the new six or so inches of snow, we still have had less than half of our normal snowfall for the season. In fact, there is no more snow in the forecast until next weekend. Guess those poor folks in the lower states are getting our share.

It had also been forecast that this would be a colder than usual winter for us. That has also not happened as our temps have been quite tolerable thus far, but in Alaska you never know!

Winter is back!

2017-10-22T21:23:00.005-08:00

Well, we knew it was coming. We just weren't quite ready. At least it did wait until Saturday, October 21st, for our first official snowfall of the season. It has been cold the last few days with lows in the upper teens. Thankfully, we had picked the last of the lettuce and carrots last weekend.

These tomatoes, along with over a hundred cherry tomatoes, just ran out of time to ripen. We didn't get enough warm days this summer for our tomatoes or squash to have much of a chance to succeed.

The apple trees suffered the same fate. They got red but remained hard as a rock.

The strawberry bed is ready for a rest.

There's always next year!

One thing that we have in abundance, bordering on overabundance, are these little pansies that we didn't even plant. They just seem to spring up everywhere.

This one looked okay early yesterday afternoon but today it was frozen to the ground. We've grilled out twice this weekend.

Greg had to brave the snowflakes to finish dinner last night. This picture captures his reaction to seeing the first snowfall.

End of Summer

2017-09-15T21:12:00.004-08:00

It is hard to admit it but summer is over for us.

We are enjoying the last of the garden harvests.

This colorful Stellar's Jay was eating some of the final cherries on the trees.

It is a treat to see and hear these beautiful birds. Of course, they drive Purry crazy when they are outside the windows.

We have also been treated to the sound of these chatty young squirrels.

There were 5 of them on the wire but by the time Greg got the camera only 3 remained for the photo op.

It is probably not a good idea for them to be out in the open because magpies will occasionally eat them.

It wasn't an awesome garden year for us but Greg was able to grow one awesome cherry tomato plant in a container.

The apple trees are loaded with fruit again this year. Unfortunately, they are not that big due to the short and mild summer.

Some of the cherry tomatoes are still trying to grow and ripen. I don't think they will have time to mature since our nights are already down in the mid 40s. Next week the nightly temps will dip into the upper 30s.

These smiling flowers come in such unique colors. They were our most successful garden item and we didn't even plant them.

I just let them take over part of the veggie bed because the onions had given up!

Here is a testament to the rainy summer. Mushrooms pop up seemingly overnight sometimes.

This is cherry tomato that we planted in the garden bed. Looks like it may produce a few more tomatoes before the cold sets in.

Our birch trees' leaves have begun to change into the fall colors. We will try to get out and enjoy these few weeks of fall before winter arrives.

Denali Bus Trip

2017-07-23T23:06:00.003-08:00

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day. Got on the bus at 2:00 pm for our eight hour bus trip exploring Denali National Park. We were able to get a glimpse of Denali. It was faint but you could see the entire mountain. That is a pretty rare treat. We had hoped that we could get a better picture from Eielson Visitor Center, but the clouds had moved in by then and blocked the view. We did manage to see some caribou within the first hour of the trip. This one is still shedding his long winter hair. The hair comes in quite handy in the spring and early summer as it protects them from those pesky mosquitoes!

Here's Greg at the Toklat River stop. He wasn't sure if anyone on the bus had a sense of humor or if they had never watched The Andy Griffith Show because no one commented on his shirt!

Upon leaving Toklat, we soon managed to see a grizzly bear and a caribou in close proximity to each other. Although grizzlies are incredibly fast, it would have been unlikely that he could have chased down this healthy caribou. The bear seemed content to dig for grubs and roots.

We journeyed on toward Eielson Visitor Center. Here Mom and I enjoyed the beautiful landscape. Pictures do not do this place justice. It is awe inspiring just to stand and soak up your surroundings.

Soon after Eielson, we happened upon another grizzly. This one was feasting on a dead caribou in the river! In the nearly 20 times we have visited the park, we had never seen a bear on its kill before. Although we are not sure if the bear killed this caribou or just happened upon a recently deceased caribou, he took advantage of the time to eat some meat.

We thought this plaque matched our sentiments. You gotta keep exploring!

This picture seemed to capture the beauty and reality of Denali National Park. You have the tremendous beauty and vastness of the park as well as the struggle the animals endure just to live here.

Near the end of the bus ride back, we managed to see a cow moose with her two calves right on the edge of the road. Our wildlife count for the day: three grizzly bears, several caribou, a golden eagle, a short eared owl, loads of snowshoe hares, three Dall sheep dancing on the mountain, and three moose. It was a nearly perfect day!

Got up the next morning and headed home to Anchorage. We made a quick stop to show Mom the old Igloo gas station near Cantwell. I bet this was really something to see when it was still open and operating.

As it turns out, Mom wouldn't have had to go up to Denali to see a bear. We had a black bear right in our front yard Saturday afternoon! It looked around and then took off up the road. He was too quick for a photo.

Mom and I leave Tuesday morning for her return trip to Tennessee. Greg and I both have enjoyed having her stay with us and explore this great state. The time has flown by! She had a great time and thinks everyone should see the state. Maybe we can talk her into staying the entire summer next year!

Mom's Trip to Denali

2017-07-21T22:33:00.003-08:00

I'm sure Mom's new friends will miss her while we are gone on a trip! However, you can't come all the way to Alaska without going to see Denali. So we got up Sunday and headed north to Denali.

After a pleasant drive on this overcast day, we arrived at our destination in the late afternoon. We dropped off our luggage at our hotel room and took a drive on the park road. We stopped at the Wilderness Access Center and got our bus tickets for the next day's ride into the park.

Didn't see any wildlife on this run, except for snowshoe hares, so we decided to drive to Healy and fill up the car with gas. We also took a drive down Stampede Road. Snowshoe hares seemed to be all over the place here also! After eating way too much at the Salmon Bake, we drove back into the park around 10 pm. This time we managed to see a cow moose with twins!

They were just munching away on vegetation close to the edge of the roadside.

We drove as far as Savage River and didn't see any other large wildlife.

A beautiful rainbow bid us good night as we were leaving the park. We took that as a good sign and made our way back to room to rest and get ready for the bus adventure.

Homer and Seward

2017-07-15T20:31:00.002-08:00

What a view we had from our room in Homer! It was so relaxing to sit on the balcony and watch the ships go out on their fishing trips.

Mom and I decided to get out and do some sightseeing around the city. We took a trip up to Skyline Drive and looked out across the spit. The Homer Spit is about 4.5 miles long. It is a really narrow strip of land, really mostly sand and gravel. Our hotel is at the very end of it, hence the name Lands' End.

You can also see several of the glaciers that are found in the mountain ranges that surround Kachemak Bay.

Up the highway a bit more, we turned and traveled down some really curvy roads to the village of Nikolaevsk. The community is inhabited by Russian Old Believers. This is their Russian Orthodox church.

The next morning, we headed out for a trip to Seward. Our first stop was in the Kenai Fjords National Park. Here is Mom reading about the beautiful surrounding forests and glaciers.

Exit Glacier is peeking into the valley from the Harding Icefield. This Icefield has approximately 40 glaciers extending out from it.

Luckily, you can see this glorious glacier from the road. Some of its magnificent blue ice was visible even on this overcast day. We did bit of shopping in Seward, stopping for candy and quilt fabric before heading home. Tomorrow morning we will leave for our adventure in Denali National Park!

Homer

2017-07-14T21:46:00.002-08:00

Mom and I took off for a trip down to Homer and Seward. We stopped along the way to eat lunch near Kenai Lake. The water is so wonderfully blue here! Several people were out in rafts and kayaks enjoying the water.

Farther down the highway, we stopped at the Holy Transfiguration Russian Orthodox Church near Ninilchik.

There were some awesome views of the beach and the distant volcano from the bluff of the church

property.

We also pulled over to take a look at the three volcanoes you can see from the highway. This is Mount Redoubt. Its last known eruption was in 2009. We didn't see any smoke coming from the top, so we felt safe enough to continue on down the road!

We rolled into our home for the next few nights at Land's End Resort on the end of the Homer Spit.

Well, this was not exactly a comforting sight to see upon getting into our room! I did read it in case the sirens went off.

Mom went out onto the balcony to enjoy the gorgeous views. We both fell asleep to the soothing sounds of the waves crashing onto the beach.

Strange things of summer

2017-07-10T20:13:00.001-08:00

I took this picture right before retiring for the night at Sheep Mountain Lodge. You can just make out the moon rising above the mountains.

After a restful night, we awoke to this interesting cloud just hovering above the road in front of the lodge. We got a bite to eat and then began our journey home. This proved to be great timing on our part. A huge mudslide happened right beside the lodge a few hours later. Luckily, no one was injured but it did cause quite a bit of damage. It was a pretty large and powerful mudslide, sweeping several cars along with the mud and debris.

While you can also see the Tazlina Glacier in this area, there really isn't a good place to stop and get a photo. The Matanuska Glacier, however, is quite visible from the roadway with several good spots to stop and take a pic.

There is even a school located right off the highway named Glacier View School. It is easy to see how it got its name when you look right behind the playground. You most definitely can view the glacier from this school!

As the road meandered beside the Matanuska River, we happened to see a most disturbing sight in the water. A house was floating in the swift current of the river!

The river has been threatening several homes here near Sutton. Thankfully, the family that owns the home had already moved out. The water finally eroded enough of the ground under the house to cause it to slip into the roaring water.

We arrived home, safe and sound. Greg went out later that night to enjoy some time in his hammock. He came back in quickly and told me there was a strange fat bird in the backyard.

It had the most unusual colors on its feathers.

It is a pigeon, but we had never seen one with such different colors.

Mom and I head out again tomorrow for a trip to Seward and Homer.

Matanuska Glacier

2017-07-06T16:45:00.000-08:00

Mom and I took off for an overnight road trip up the Glenn Highway.

We stopped along the way for some pics of the rivers flowing near the highway.

This lake is so beautiful with the mountains on all sides.

Mom was intrigued by the mountains here.

Some of the mountains are green with trees and vegetation to nearly the top. Other mountains right next to them are covered in snow.

You can see the Matanuska Glacier in the distance behind Mom in this photo.

This is a gorgeous drive along this valley.

The glacier began to get closer as we traveled north.

This glacier is massive. It's hard to capture it in the pictures. Just for reference, look at the spruce trees in the foreground of this picture. Now look at the spruce trees near the front of the glacier. It makes them look tiny!

It was a really nice drive but we were ready to stop for the night.

Eklutna Lake and Historical Village

2017-06-28T19:55:00.002-08:00

Greg got to work from home today so Mom and I got out and took a short trip up the highway. Our first stop was a visit to Eklutna Lake in the beautiful Chugach State Park.

Many trails traverse the area around this lake.

There were several people getting ready to kayak here. Hope they don't take a dip because the water in the lake comes from nearby Eklutna Glacier. Might be a bit cold.

We journeyed on to Eklutna Historical Village nearby.

The village has both Russian Orthodox and Native Alaska influences. The Athabascan people have lived in this area for centuries.

This is the inside of the white church located in the village.

Our guide gave us a quite informative tour of the two churches located here. Only the white church is still used for services. We were then allowed to go on a self-guided walk around the cemetery.

The grounds are filled with spirit houses which are quite beautiful. The colors are significant to certain families from the area. Many spirit houses are quite elaborate and detailed.

I had always wondered about the onion tops found on many Russian Orthodox churches. The priest explained the shape was modeled after a candle's flame pointing toward heaven.

A few miles up the road we saw several people out fishing in a local river. The parking lot had several cars in it and most everyone was catching quite a few fish. We rode on home making it there just in time for dinner.

Mom Comes to Alaska

2017-06-25T13:41:00.001-08:00

I have been down visiting family and friends in the South. Just returned to Alaska last week and my Mom came to stay with us for part of the summer! We've been asking her to visit for years and she finally agreed to the trip. This is quite a change in temps for her as we left the heat of the 90s for the coolness of the 50s upon our arrival in Alaska. The first few days were overcast and a bit chilly for this time of year. By Friday afternoon, temps rebounded and we have enjoyed a very nice weekend.

Mom enjoys sitting out in the sun without the humidity or mosquitoes she has at home!

We worked on arranging furniture and hanging pictures on the days when it was cloudy and cool. Sure was nice to get outside and work in the gardens yesterday.

The Sitka rose has almost finished blooming for this year.

Iris are beginning to wind down their season. We have a few of the beautiful purple blooms left.

This bloom is exciting for Greg because it is on one of his tomato plants! We enjoyed a salad from the garden last night made with two types of lettuce and spinach. Greg grilled up some chicken, hot dogs, and bratwurst to complete the meal.

The ferns are looking good in the space between the greenhouse and fence. A big ole spruce tree provides the shade in which they thrive.
Mom and I got out and went for a short drive down the Seward Highway this morning. She got to see a Dall sheep on the mountainside along the inlet. Hopefully, she will get to see much more wildlife this week as we set off on some adventures.

End of Ketchikan trip

2017-04-21T20:33:00.001-08:00

I enjoyed a tour of the Totem Heritage Center one afternoon in Ketchikan.

This museum hosts one of the largest collections of 19th century totem poles in the world.

They also have many artifacts from some of the Tlingit villages around the area.

Our group was treated to a special educational tour of the vaults below the museum.

Here are just some of the unrestored poles that are kept in the climate controlled storage.

After the tour, I got back out and walked around downtown. There are modern totem poles everywhere!

This is the infamous Creek Street district. This place was kicking in the 1920s.

During that time, it was a Red Light District. There were over 20 houses of ill repute in operation then.

This was also the time of Prohibition, so smugglers used the fact that this district was built right on top of the water to sneak in the booze. They would wait for high tide and paddle right under the houses. Many had trap doors to allow them to get the liquor up into the houses.

I continued to walk along the creek and saw this huge salmon sculpture near an overlook. Salmon flood this creek in the summer.

This made me laugh so much! This is an actual trail that lead from the top of the mountain down to the Creek Street. Yep, married men would sneak down this trail to visit the ladies of the night. It was also a way to get back home if the police came to raid the brothels.

This was a gorgeous grouping of totem poles near the center where our convention was held.

This huge eagle was carved by Nathan Jackson. He was the interesting carver we met on the trip to Saxman.

I took a pic on the 13 minute flight from Ketchikan to Wrangell or maybe it was Wrangell to Petersburg. I don't know. You didn't get very high in the sky before landing on a strip about the length of your driveway! Well, maybe not that short but they were tiny!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the city of Ketchikan. It was so interesting and informative.

Saxman

2017-03-27T22:07:00.003-08:00

Here are more pics from my day of touring the totem poles near Ketchikan. The afternoon was spent visiting the area known as Saxman.

Here we met master carver Nathan Jackson.

He showed us the pole he was currently working on that would honor William Seward.

He explained about different styles and methods used to carve poles.

He was a wealth of information and very entertaining.

This man has dozens of totem poles displayed all over the world! Fascinating.

After we visited Mr. Jackson in the carving shed, you were able to get outside and just wander around in Saxman Totem Park.

This park is the home to the largest number of standing totem poles.

The clan house was gorgeous.

There were many poles lining the streets and walkways.

What a view! Got the mountains, the water, and impressive totem poles.

I bet this one has a good story. It made me laugh to see the one figure's hand being held in the character's mouth on the totem pole. Might need to research this one.

They were all so beautiful. It was interesting to try to pick out the different animals depicted on them.

This short carving was pointing at you. Lots of detail on the hat.

It appeared to be Abraham Lincoln on the top of one of the poles here.

This was a wonderful way to spend a day. You could wander for hours looking at the totem poles just in Saxman and Totem Bight Parks. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Totem Bight State Park

2017-03-05T20:18:00.004-09:00

Here are a few more pictures of the incredible totem poles found in Totem Bight State Park.

Myths and legends from both the Tlingit and Haida tribes can be found on these poles.

Our ranger said that characters on the Haida poles usually interconnect and overlap.

The Tlingit poles have characters that are farther apart and appear more rounded.

I could have studied them all day and never been able to discern the difference.

All I know is that they were awesome!

The colors on these were quite interesting.

Totems of long ago were painted with natural pigments found in salmon eggs, clam shells, lichen, and minerals found nearby.

Looks like some of them have paint on them.

No, that is not a carved eagle atop this totem. It seems that spot offered the eagle a perfect place to search for food in the nearby waters.

There are 14 totem poles to view here.

Many of these poles had been repaired or recreated around 1938 when the U.S. Forest Service used Civilian Conservation Corps funds to hire Native carvers to bring these works back to their glory.

Thankfully, they salvaged them and created this wonderful park that we can all appreciate.

This place was already getting green and lush.

It will be a shock to return to all that snow still on the ground at home!

Arrival in Ketchikan

2017-02-28T22:22:00.000-09:00

I arrived in Ketchikan Wednesday night after taking the milk-run plane ride. You take off from Anchorage, stop in Juneau, stop in Wrangell, stop in Petersburg, and finally make it to Ketchikan! These planes really do deliver groceries and supplies to these small towns, hence the nickname of the milk-run. Got up early Thursday morning to explore the island of Revillagigedo on which Ketchikan is located. In fact,the airport is located on another small island and you have to get on a ferry to make it across the passage to the town. Ketchikan is one of the first stops most people experience when traveling up the Inside Passage from the lower 48.

This historic town is home to the largest collection of totem poles in the world.

Today's pictures were taken at the Totem Bight State Historical Park

Ketchikan is also in the middle of the most northern temperate rainforest in the world, the Tongass.

I was so excited to see grass instead of snow covering the ground!
It rains an average of 152 inches each year. They also get about 37 inches of snow each year. With rain falling about 228 days of the year, most totem poles don't stand longer than 75 years.
A lot of craftsmanship and work goes into making one of these poles.
Tradition dictates that fallen totems are not to be lifted but allowed to decay.

As I walked in the park I tried to identify the common characters found on many poles such as an eagle, frogs, the mystical thunderbird, raven, bears, orca, beavers, and a watchman.

Here is the clan house.

After making it through the small wooden opening,

you are greeted inside by more beautifully carved totems.

The clan house was very important to the tribe. It must have been a safe place also. You have to kind of duck and lean over when coming through the opening head first. If you were an intruder, they could smack you on the head as you entered!

This is such a beautiful area!

Guess What? It's Still Snowing!

2017-02-20T22:28:00.004-09:00

It's been snowing off and on since Thursday night. So much for the "less than one inch of snow" that was in the forecast. We have received at least 8 inches, if not more, of new snow. These pictures are actually from earlier in the week.

So I guess you will just have to use your imagination and visualize even more snow on top of this! Seriously, add about 10 more inches to these mounds of snow.

Greg dug a path for the mail carrier. We like to make sure all those heating bills can get to us.

Our little greenhouse roof is laden with beautiful layers.

We try to clear the sidewalk in front of our home.

Snow doesn't slow you down much here.

You just keep on taking your walks, going to work, and heading to school.

One afternoon, several raucous ravens perched in a tree across the street.

They stayed at this end of the road because the two eagles hang out at the other end of the road. These loud ravens definitely got Purry Mason's attention.

I'm headed to Ketchikan for the rest of the week. I will be attending my first Alaska Library Conference! Hope to have some nice pics to share next week.