Sunday, June 28, 2009

Welcome home!




After all that time away and wondering about how the garden would do, look at this! It is my Himalayan poppy which is now about three feet high with a blossom. I had two red strawberries too, but something ate them over night. Need some kind of a cover for that plant. Anyway, how does your garden grow? Pretty darned good, thank you.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Anchorage and farewell



The cousins are safely on the airplane now (I think). We spent the last day in Anchorage, went to the Native Heritage Center and then split up with Ariel and Celeste shopping and Aaron and I drove around the city looking at things I thought he would find interesting. Among them, and after driving all over the place in Alaska, we came upon a moose just eating grass by the roadside in the city. So much for wilderness experience. We looked at the place where the 1964 earthquake did so much damage and then to Potter Marsh, a wildlife sanctuary on the south end of the city. After that it was dinner at Simon & Seafort's with Ariel's mother. Then the kids went out to boogie and the old man, who had hit the wall by then, went home. They spent the night at Ariel's in the city and she was supposed to get them to the airport this morning. And so ends the great Alaska Invasion of 2009. Hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. Fare well.

PHOTO GALLERY

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Cheated death yet again


Long day on the road but we finally made it back to Palmer. Not much happened. We stopped at the waterfalls in Keystone Canyon again, took a quick look at Worthington Glacier and then drove pretty steady the rest of the way. We did come across a caribou who ran along next to the RV for a while. And home. Tomorrow (Friday) we do Anchorage.

Ariel's album

PHOTO GALLERY

Cousins


On the road back to Palmer, but here's a pic of the cousins.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

DAY 5, They survived the sea voyage


Celeste, Aaron, Ariel and Justin took a seven-hour boat tour in Prince William Sound to Columbia Glacier and back. They saw in addition to a lot of ice, bald eagles, sea lions, Dall porpoises, humpback whales, sea otters, harbor seals, surf scoters (another quiz word) oh, and puffins, and marbled murrlettes, cormorants. And then Chuck Norris showed up and things got really crazy. Picked up a recipe for Russian tea. There was a little person on the boat. A lot of chatting among all the relatives, they played some game on their iPods. Aaron played a bunch of Drop 7. All the iPod batteries ran out. Ariel and Justin who have worked on these boats for years (I did too) they could anticipate the captain's spiel much to their own amusement. More will be added later I am sure.

PHOTO GALLERY

Day 5 (it's only the beginning)




The gang is about to arrive on the boat. But in the meantime. Here are your otter pictures. OH, and the halibut, ohhhh the halibut.

Photo gallery

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Later that same day (4)

After a drive of 300 miles and Ariel joining us the intrepid travelers made it to tidewater at Valdez, arriving about 9 p.m. Justin joined us for a chinese dinner and Celeste got her sushi at last. All parties tired, but ready for the boat trip tomorrow (Wednesday) Sure to be more pictures then. Meanwhile here we are in Alaska with all of its wonders and everyone is playing with iPhones. So it goes.

A bit of explanation about the previous two days. Monday we climbed onto a jet powered river boat and rode the 12 miles up the Talkeetna River to a landing on a beach about a mile from the cabin. We hiked to the cabin and spent the night. (Whatever Aaron said about Uno is absolutely untrue.) It rained all night and when we had to hike the mile back to the riverboat, the trail had turned to mud. Celeste managed to stay upright but Aaron slipped and fell twice and I did it once, managing to plug the barrel of my rifle with mud. Good thing we didn't run into a bear then. You have to hear it to believe it -- them walking down the trail, their bear bells jingling with every step. (There is a joke in Alaska on how to tell the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat. Black bear will have berries in it; grizzly will have bells.) We got to the landing right on time with about a minute to spare and 10 minutes later the boat came around the bend to pick us up. About half an hour later we were on land again in Talkeetna and on the road to Valdez, which leads to the first paragraph of this post. For a look at the cabin there is a gallery down the right side column of this page (the one called "At the East Pole") And a few pictures in the trip gallery. The picture on the post just below this one is Aaron waiting on the river bank for the boat to pick us up.

Photo gallery

DAY FOUR


AARON WRITES -- Day Four, Spirits are high, even though pants are wet, (or split) Great slippery hike back to the pick up point. Was not expecting Bob (the Captain of our flat bottom boat) to be there yet. He was only 10 minutes late this time, so cannibalism did not become an option.
Stumbled into Sarah Palin's home town. Still can't see Russia.
Tim still claims to be the Sir World King big champion guy of Uno. Would have left him in the woods if the boat reservations weren't in his name. Plus, he could make it back before we could.
Celeste wants coffee, nothing new there.

PHOTO GALLERY

Monday, June 22, 2009

Day 2 or is it 3?





Celeste and Aaron took the shuttle bus into the park yesterday. They went 60 miles in to what is called Eielson Visitor Center. They hiked around there for a while and then rode part way out and went down a trail along the Savage River looking for the place where a friend of mine said they would find Dall Sheep, but no luck. But, then, they didn't see a bear either so it's all good. They did see caribou, sheep way off in the distance, moose, golden eagles and the state bird willow ptarmigan. Northern harrier, also. They got back about 7 and we had copper river red salmon for dinner (the picture in yesterday's post.) Today we are up and moving at 9 and heading for Talkeetna where we will take a river boat and a hike to my cabin. (Down the right hand column here is a gallery of the cabin. It's the one called "At the East Pole") Out Tuesday and off to Valdez.

Here is a link to a photo gallery of the trip

Sunday, June 21, 2009

More on day One

Aaron and Celeste rode the bus out to Eielson Visitors centeer, 60 miles into the park. They hiked around there for a while, then on the way back got off at Savage River and hiked down the canyon looking for where my friend said they could find Dall Sheep. No luck. But back at camp we had copper river red salmon for dinner and are heading for Talkeetna and the cabin tomorrow.... cabin gallery in the right hand column.

They made it





Outran the bear

Day 1


Despite the airline delays, we made it to Denali National Park by about 6:30 p.m. so over all only a couple of hours were lost. We got this behmouth settled in a camp site and figured things out and went to sleep early. For the Invaders, it was already midnight at 8 p.m. It is noon now Day 2 and they have been off in the park for six hours already and will come back with adventures to tell about, I am sure. At this time, about 2:30 in the afternoon Celeste and Aaron should be happily chasing Dall sheep down the Savage river, or a grizzly is happily chasing them UP the Savage River. Copper River red salmon on the grill for dinner.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Day Zero

The chariot is packed. The invaders made their flight and are on their way. Denali Park by midnight. That is if the creeks don't rise. Bit of rain falling but supposed to let up later today and tomorrow. And, after all, what's the fun if it's easy.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Day Zero becomes Day Zero minus One.one

Flight out of Buffalo cancelled due to thunderstorms. We have cancelations for things like earthquakes, volcanos and snow and ice, but never thunderstorms. At any rate, tomorrow is now Day Zero. The good side is the invaders arrive early enough in the day to still make our run to Denali National Park, so it's all good. First Alaska lesson: Don't fight the weather. Do what it allows.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Day Zero minus One



So, the chariot has been liberated from the city and is safely parked for loading. And, where are you? And, oh, yeah, how does the garden grow? Pretty darned good. So it goes on the Last Frontier (not counting space)

Best headlines ever

Naked pair fed LSD gummy worm to dog

Owners of a Noah's Ark replica file a lawsuit over rain damage

In Southcentral Alaska earthquake, damage originated in the ground, engineers say

A headline that could only be written in Alaska: At state cross country, Glacier Bears and Grizzlies sweep, Lynx repeat, Wolverines make history — and a black bear crosses the trail

Man kills self before shooting wife and daughter

Alabama governor candidate caught in lesbian sperm donation scandal

Sister hits moose on way to visit sister who hit moose.

Man caught driving stolen car filled with radioactive uranium, rattlesnake, whiskey

Man loses his testicles after attempting to smoke weed through a SCUBA tank

Church Mutual Insurance won't cover Church's flood damage because it's 'an act of God'

Homicide victims rarely talk to police

Meerkat Expert Attacked Monkey Handler Over Love Affair with Llama Keeper

GOP congressman opposes gun control because gay marriage leads to bestiality

Owner of killer bear chokes to death on sex toy

Support for legalizing pot hits all-time high

Give me all your money or my penguin will explode

How zombie worms have sex in whale bones

Crocodile steals zoo worker's lawn mower

Woman shot by oven while trying to cook waffles

Nude beach blowjob jet ski fight leads to wife's death

Woman stabs husband with squirrel for not buying beer Christmas Eve

GOPer files complaint against Democrat for telling the truth about Big Lie social posts

Man shot dead on Syracuse Street for 2nd time in 2 days

Alaska woman punches bear in face, saves dog

Johnny Rotten suffers flea bite on his penis after rescuing squirrel

Memorable quotations

The best way to know you are having an adventure is when you wish you were home talking about it." — a mechanic on the Alaska State Ferry System. Or as in my own case planning how I will be writing it on this blog.

"You can't promote principled anti-corruption without pissing off corrupt people." — George Kent

"If only the British had held on to the airports, the whole thing might have gone differently for us." — Mick Jagger

"You can do anything as long as you don't scare the horses." — a mother's favorite saying recalled by a friend

A poem is an egg with a horse inside” — anonymous fourth grader

“My children will likely turn my picture to the wall but what the hell, you only get old once." — Joe May

“Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.” — Ernest Hemingway

When I write, I feel like an armless, legless man with a crayon in his mouth. Kurt Vonnegut

“If you wrote something for which someone sent you a cheque, if you cashed the cheque and it didn't bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented.”Stephen King

The thing about ignorance is, you don't have to remain ignorant. — me again"

"It was like the aftermath of an orgasm with the wrong partner." – David Lagercrants “The Girl in the Spider’s Web.”

Why worry about dying, you aren't going to live to regret it.

Never debate with someone who gets ink by the barrel" — George Hayes, former Alaska Attorney General who died recently

My dear Mr. Frost: two roads never diverge in a yellow wood. Three roads meet there. — @Shakespeare on Twitter

Normal is how somebody else thinks you should act.

"The mark of a great shiphandler is never getting into situations that require great shiphandling," Adm. Ernest King, USN

Me: Does the restaurant have cute waitresses?

My friend Gail: All waitresses are cute when you're hungry.

I'm not a writer, but sometimes I push around words to see what happens. – Scott Berry

I realized today how many of my stories start out "years ago." What's next? Once upon a time?"

“The rivers of Alaska are strewn with the bones of men who made but one mistake” - Fred McGarry, a Nushagak Trapper

Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stared at walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing. – Meg Chittenden

A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity. – Franz Kafka

We are all immortal until the one day we are not. – me again

If the muse is late, start without her – Peter S. Beagle

Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain Actually you could do the same thing with the word "really" as in "really cold."

If you are looking for an experience that will temper your vanity, this is it. There's no one to impress when you're alone on the trap line. – Michael Carey quoting his father's journal

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. – Benjamin Franklin

It’s nervous work. The state you need to write in is the state that others are paying large sums of money to get rid of. – Shirley Hazzard

So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence -- Bertrand Russell

You know that I always just wanted to have a small ship to take stuff from a place that had a lot of that stuff to a place that did not have a lot of that stuff and so prosper.—Jackie Faber, “The Wake of the Lorelei Lee”

If you attack the arguer instead of the argument, you lose both

If an insurance company won’t pay for damages caused by an “act of God,” shouldn’t it then have to prove the existence of God? – I said that

I used to think getting old was about vanity—but actually it’s about losing people you love. Getting wrinkles is trivial. – Eugene O’Neill

German General to Swiss General: “You have only 500,000 men in your army; what would you do if I invaded with 1 million men?”

Swiss General: “Well, I suppose every one of my soldiers would need to fire twice.”

Writing is the only thing that when I do it, I don’t feel I should be doing something else.—Gloria Steinem

Exceed your bandwidth—sign on the wall of the maintenance shop at the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center

One thing I do know, if you keep at it, you usually wind up getting something done.—Patricia Monaghan

Do you want to know what kind of person makes the best reporter? I’ll tell you. A borderline sociopath. Someone smart, inquisitive, stubborn, disorganized, chaotic, and in a perpetual state of simmering rage at the failings of the world.—Brett Arends

It is a very simple mind that only knows how to spell a word one way.—Andrew Jackson

3:30 is too late or too early to do anything—Rene Descartes

Everything is okay when it’s 50-below as long as everything is okay. – an Alaskan in Tom Walker’s “The Seventymile Kid”

You can have your own opinion but you can’t have your own science.—commenter arguing on a story about polar bears and global warming

He looks at three ex wives as a good start—TV police drama

Talkeetna: A friendly little drinking town with a climbing problem.—a handmade bumper sticker

“You’re either into the wall or into the show”—Marco Andretti on giving it all to qualify last at the 2011 Indy 500

Makeup is not for the faint of heart—the makeup guerrilla

“I’m going to relax in a very adult manner.”—Danica Patrick after sweating it out and qualifying half an hour before Andretti

“Asking Congress to come back is like asking a mugger to come back because he forgot your wallet.”—a roundtable participant on Fox of all places

As Republicans go further back in the conception process to define when life actually begins, I am beginning to think the eventual definition will be life begins in the beer I was drinking when I met her.—me again

Hunting is a “critical element for the long-term conservation of wood bison.”—a state department of Fish and Game official explaining why the state would not go along with a federal plan to reintroduce wood bison in Alaska because the agreement did not specifically allow hunting

Each day do something that won’t compute – anon

I can’t belive I still have to protest this shit – a sign carriend by an elderly woman at an Occupy demonstration

Life should be a little nuts or else it’s just a bunch of Thursdays strung together—Kevin Costner as Beau Burroughs in “Rumor has it”

You’re just a wanker whipping up fear —Irish President Michael D. Higgins to a tea party radio announcer

Being president doesn’t change who you are; it reveals who you are—Michelle Obama

Sports malaprops

Naked pair fed LSD gummy worm to dog

Owners of a Noah's Ark replica file a lawsuit over rain damage

In Southcentral Alaska earthquake, damage originated in the ground, engineers say

A headline that could only be written in Alaska: At state cross country, Glacier Bears and Grizzlies sweep, Lynx repeat, Wolverines make history — and a black bear crosses the trail

Man kills self before shooting wife and daughter

Alabama governor candidate caught in lesbian sperm donation scandal

Sister hits moose on way to visit sister who hit moose.

Man caught driving stolen car filled with radioactive uranium, rattlesnake, whiskey

Man loses his testicles after attempting to smoke weed through a SCUBA tank

Church Mutual Insurance won't cover Church's flood damage because it's 'an act of God'

Homicide victims rarely talk to police

Meerkat Expert Attacked Monkey Handler Over Love Affair with Llama Keeper

GOP congressman opposes gun control because gay marriage leads to bestiality

Owner of killer bear chokes to death on sex toy

Support for legalizing pot hits all-time high

Give me all your money or my penguin will explode

How zombie worms have sex in whale bones

Crocodile steals zoo worker's lawn mower

Woman shot by oven while trying to cook waffles

Nude beach blowjob jet ski fight leads to wife's death

Woman stabs husband with squirrel for not buying beer Christmas Eve

GOPer files complaint against Democrat for telling the truth about Big Lie social posts

Man shot dead on Syracuse Street for 2nd time in 2 days

Alaska woman punches bear in face, saves dog

Johnny Rotten suffers flea bite on his penis after rescuing squirrel