train to Denali

After the busy summer, I took a week off the week before Labor Day. Monday I had to stop in at the office for a couple of hours. Following that I went to DMV to renew my driver's license (22 minutes in and out!). Tuesday I took my car to have a lube/oil/filter job. Wednesday I went back to work, again for a few hours. Thursday I took the dog to the vet for his annual wellness check. Friday I went grocery shopping. So much for a relaxing week off!

Last weekend my friend Mae and I climbed onto Car C of the Alaska Railroad for our trip to Denali National Park. Most of the rides we've taken have had plenty of space for us to take up two seats apiece, spread our bags out and completely relax. Not so this time. The railroad had removed some of the cars, including the dining car, and it was packed.

Passengers in our car included a few locals and a tour group. That group was having a great time laughing and taking photos. The other AK RR passenger car had a group of 57 people, most of them a class of 8-year-olds from North Pole Elementary School. The train personnel made an announcement that anyone under 12 years old had to be accompanied by adult. That was very nice as frequently kids will run up and down the aisles, opening and closing the car doors. It's distracting and not at all relaxing. These kids were very well behaved.

We had a brief view of Mt. McKinley from the train, it was a lovely day and a nice ride. Upon our arrival at Denali, we caught the bus to McKinley Chalet Resort, where our room was ready for us. We decided to have lunch at the Chalet, but were terribly disappointed. We both ordered the cup of soup (seafood chowder) and a half-sandwich. The soup was ok, but not great - probably from a boxed base. The sandwich was served on dry (very dry) white bread, with extremely small tomato slices, limp lettuce and lunch meat (turkey for me, ham for Mae) that probably came from Sam's Club or something similar. My side of mayo came in a packet, as did Mae's mustard. It was nowhere worth the almost $12 we paid for it.



Their summer flowers were still in full bloom and gorgeous. We stopped to look at these on the way to our room.

By the time we checked out the gift shop (very nice) and returned to the room, our baggage was inside the room. We stretched out to rest, read and watch tv.

We called for a shuttle to the Princess and had dinner there. They have renovated the dining room since our last trip down, and it is now called "fine dining." I had a chicken breast with a wonderful berry sauce and some potatoes, with ice cream for dessert. The waiter proudly told us the ice cream is called "Hot Licks." Hot Licks is a local place that is always packed. Although their ice cream is very good, their service is not. I have sworn not to go back there until I am assured the service is better. It's now been several years since I've been there. I will, however, eat their ice cream at other places where the servers have more class.



The flowers at the Princess were gorgeous.

On our return to the room, we stopped again at the gift shop at the Chalet. We were surprised to run into Mae's boss and his wife, who had stopped in on their way to Anchorage. It's funny - I think nearly every time we go down to the park we meet someone we know somewhere along the way.

Saturday we watched a little tv before starting off the day. The view from just outside our room was beautiful. I liked the mist rising off the mountains in the early dawn light. We could hear the river rushing by below us - very peaceful and calming.

After breakfast at the Princess, we took the shuttle to Savage River and were absolutely bowled over by the vivid colors. The reds and yellows were brilliant. It was a nice day, in the low 60s and relatively clear until we were coming back to park HQs, when the clouds started rolling in.. We were lucky enough to see about 6-8 moose (a couple of bulls) and Dall sheep, though none were close enough for great photos. I was disappointed that the mountain was obscured by clouds.



We had lunch at the park's cafe, then visited the bookstore and the HQs where I purchased a senior national parks pass.  I sat on a bench outside the HQs and watched as two gray jays squawked at each other.

Then it was time to go check in at the station. They have completely changed the depot at Denali. All the seating is now outside. We did find a box and sat there for the two hours while we waited for the train. It was windy and a little cool and neither of us wanted to sit in that.



Our trip back to Fairbanks was a lot more comfortable. There were just a few people in our car and it was very quiet and peaceful. I managed to get off a few shots of Healy Canyon and the Dall sheep on the side of the mountain across the river/road as well.



riverboat, summer fun, my tomato crop

Earlier this summer my friends and I took advantage of purchasing tickets for the Riverboat Discovery, a local attraction. The 3-1/2 hour trip on the Chena River offers plenty for the visitors from all over the world. The Discovery is a sternwheeler with four decks. We sat along the rails on the third deck where we were able to see everything clearly and get lots of wonderful sun. It was 91 degrees that day, a record-breaking (1926) temperature, but there was a mild breeze to help offset the heat. The boat stops to watch a floatplane take off and land on the river, then moves downstream to a sled-dog operation. The dog yard belongs to Dave Monson, widower of Susan Butcher. The next stop is a replica of an Athabascan Indian village where young people act as tour guides. One young woman sliced up salmon and talked about the drying racks. Others conducted tours of the village (I didn't get off the boat - I've seen it several times and my back did not like climbing the steps to the third deck once, let alone twice!).

Floatplane taking off on the Chena River. An older Discovery sits in the background, this one with two decks as opposed to the four decks on our boat.

Pups swimming in the river at the Butcher-Monson dog yard

Salmon strips drying on the rack at the Native village

It was a busy day on the river. A lot of people took advantage of the weather and the water.

boaters and kayakers

jetskiers

And people weren't the only ones enjoying the river:
















I took off a day to take my granddaughter shopping for school clothes. I had a great day with Maddie and Maura (my daughter). We shopped our hearts out, then went to lunch. I compromised and agreed to MacDonald's - definitely not MY first choice! Maddie's too young to be super fussy yet, and seemed happy with everything we bought, although she did reject a few things I picked up. I guess it was a success, though, because Maura called me a couple of days later to tell me Maddie had worn her new shoes to bed two nights in a row :) She is so excited about school and can't wait to start. Although school started Aug. 18, the kindergarteners don't go until the 24th. It doesn't seem possible she's in school already. And now her mom tells me she has a loose tooth!

My cherry tomato plants have produced only about a dozen of the little things, and so far only three of them have been ready to pick. A Master Gardener I'm not :(

















I set them next to quarters for size reference. Pretty sad. We'll see how they taste. I think maybe next year I'll stick with things that grow without a lot of fuss and bother.

We're looking at train/hotel prices and considering a rail trip to Denali National Park before the snow flies. The park is gorgeous in the fall, and this is one of my favorite trips.

I'm enjoying what's left of the summer, preparing for winter and mulling options for some major changes next spring/summer here at the house.

Happy end-of-August.

Another month has gone by without a post. (So much for my goal of weekly updates!) We've been busy with an open house at work and VIP visits. On top of that, we've been working part of the summer with a reduced staff because of leaves, etc, and none of us have been idle.

My old computer finally slowed down so much that I decided it was time to replace it. After much research and pricing, I found one with right price and features. Then it was time to set it up and transfer or reinstall all the programs I use. All of the components are operating and the speed amazes me. I'm now running Windows 7 here and am much happier with this one than the Vista we're using at work. The monitor that came with it is 24" with a great display. This is considerably smaller than the older computer and takes up so much less space. The old one also had a woofer, so my desk doesn't look nearly as cluttered.

I hated the few days I spent with no computer or one only partly set up. I have a routine I follow each morning on the computer - specific order in what I do, i.e. solitaire, crosswords, news, etc - each day, and having to vary that routine threw me off. I've been accused of suffering from OCD because of that routine, but it's comfortable for me. Some of the old games are not compatible with Windows 7, so I am now building a new set of morning computer times.

As I've been doing all summer, I'm still taking the long way to work a couple of days a week. I saw this guy munching on some young growth last week.

He paid little attention except one time when he looked directly at the car. I guess he determined I was not a threat, because he went right back to his breakfast.

Last weekend my friend Mae and I made our annual trip to the Georgeson Botanical Gardens. Although the place was beautiful, as always, I thought it wasn't quite as pretty as last year. However, we did see some gorgeous blooms.

The fair started Friday and the kids go back to school Aug. 18 - both signs that summer is nearing an end. My granddaughter starts kindergarten this year and is very excited. It's hard to believe she's old enough for school already. I don't know where the time went. I've seen a few gaggles of geese flying around the city the past two weeks. I guess it's time to start thinking of the oil change for the car and preparing other things for the coming winter - bring in the hose, put up the lawn chairs, get out the shovels, etc. Although none of it needs to be done today, I don't want to wait until the snow falls.

I've tried a couple of summer recipes my sister sent, and am now looking forward to trying some hearty soups this winter. I love soup, but not when the weather is hot. I'm not particularly fond of cold soups, and really want light, cold meals in the summer. So the soups wait until the mercury drops.

Still to do before the snow flies are the annual trips to Ester and Murphy domes. We normally do those after the leaves start to turn. The colors are beautiful and the views from the tops of the domes are spectacular.

Happy August everyone.

just hangin' out in Fairbanks

A whole month sped by and I didn't post a single thing! It was a good month, though, with nice weather and not too much smoke.

I didn't do anything special at all - just kind of hung out in and around town, going to baseball games and visiting some of our favorite spots.

We drove down to the Knotty Shop, a souvenir shop on the Richardson Highway southeast of here. In addition to the touristy stuff, they also sell locally made soaps, barbecue sauces and pottery. After we get our fill of looking, we head to the counter for an ice cream cone. The place is always populated with local residents, and I think the main reason we all go there is for the ice cream. This time I had a fat-free blueberry-vanilla frozen yogurt - it was wonderful and guilt-free!

While we were eating our ice cream, I shot this photo of one of the planters outside the log building.

Of course I went out to celebrate the summer solstice at the Midnight Sun Baseball Game June 21. The game starts at 10:30 p.m. and is played entirely without artificial. They estimated about 4700 people in attendance, making me truly appreciate the fact that I buy two box seats every summer. The Alaska Goldpanners - our team - won the game in the bottom of the 15th inning. After 4 1/2 hours - at 3 a.m. - I finally got to go home. But it was a good game and a fun night.

I've been taking the long way to work lately to see what's out there. Though I haven't seen moose too often lately, the osprey are still around and the flowers have been beautiful.

And one hungry guy looking for breakfast (and finding it in the patch of wild strawberries). If you look closely you can see one in his beak.

For the 4th of July weekend, I'll do some unwinding and relaxing. I will be a judge at the BBQ competition Sunday and am looking forward to that. I LOVE BBQ - ribs, brisket, chicken - no matter. I would be a terrible vegetarian.

Happy Independence Day to all of you. I wish you a safe, enjoyable holiday weekend.

week off

I took last week off work to use up some leave and take care of some things that needed attention.

It turned out to be a somewhat productive week. I cleaned out closets and donated a good deal of clothing to the Fairbanks Resource Agency. I bought and planted my flowers for the summer. This year I decided to try cherry tomatoes instead of zucchini. We'll see how that goes.

I spent one day with my daughter and the girls. Maddy is 5 and Atheana is 9. We stopped at the Large Animal Research Station at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to see the musk oxen. Disappointingly, they were not in the close-in viewing area, but way up on the hill behind the barns.

A quick stop at the Georgeson Botanical Garden allowed them a glimpse of reindeer, including some new babies. I was excited to see a lot people with tools. It looks as though they're about to begin planting. That garden is one of my favorite trips in the summer. The flowers are spectacular. I am looking forward to our annual flower trek latter this summer.

We visited Santa Claus House in North Pole, where the girls looked at the reindeer. I think they were more eager to get inside the store than to watch any animals.

We had lunch at Little Richard's Diner (it used to be Harley's Diner). It was ok, but not somewhere I really HAVE to go again. We originally planned to eat at the Pagoda (one of my favorite places), but were too early for their lunch service and the girls were hungry.

After lunch we went back to the LARS, but the musk oxen were still off in the distance. As we drove back to their place, we saw a young moose on Goldstream Road. He was feeding along the left side of the road and I stopped to grab my camera. While I was fumbling around, he crossed in front of us and stopped along the right side of the road. There were two very excited little girls in the back seat.

All in all it was a busy week - not at all the completely relaxing time I initially planned. But I did accomplish something and I did ensure I had time to sit on my benches under the birch tree and enjoy the summer days.

green-up, moose and osprey

I love this time of year. One day there are little buds on the trees and the next - literally overnight - the leaves are open and the hills lose the dull gray-brown barren look. They are all green. It's a confirmation of renewal and life.

To celebrate green-up and enjoy the green I've been driving a little longer route to work, along the river and through the trees. This past week has been great, as I've sat in the car and watched a moose browse for breakfast and an osprey guarding the nest.

The moose is not a large one (relatively speaking), and I watched her munch on some of the young birch trees and on the brush growing low to the ground. I saw her three of the four days I drove that route last week.

The osprey have been around for several summers, and last year built their nest on a power pole. In order to prevent possible disaster to them, our utility folks constructed a special pole for them and placed some sticks on top to lure them. It seems to have worked. You can see the nest they're building.

Friday I watched a snowshoe hare running along the side of the road. I know there is at least one fox family living there too, and hope to see some of them as I enjoy an early morning spring drive to work.

Happy spring everyone. I'm so glad it's finally here.

greenhouses

My friends Mae and Cindy and I drove the greenhouse tour today. It took us to six different greenhouses in the area. Despite the rain, we had a lovely time.

Seeing the plants in different stages of growth really got me excited about the coming summer. I can't wait to go pick out my flowers and get them into the planters in my yard.

I'm still debating if I'm going to plant zucchinis again this year, or try another vegetable or simply go with flowers.

The colors were gorgeous and I am now really hyped up about my yard. Here are some of the flowers we saw today.

We noticed a lot of yellows and oranges - maybe they're the colors of the season this year. There were also a lot of purples (my favorite color) and some exceptionally pretty blues. Our first stop had a profusion of pansies.

I loved the deep purple petunias - they look like velvet. The begonias may be my favorites. I'm thinking of buying a couple of small planters and giving my granddaughters each a plant - maybe a sunflower, or a marigold - they're easy to grow.

As we approached one of the greenhouses, we were surprised by another being wanting to share the road. We gave her plenty of space. She crossed, then looked over her shoulder at us as we drove by her.

Great day. Spring is here. Life is good.