more gold, more cranes and moose

I had to travel with another woman from the office to Delta Junction Wednesday. We left about 8 a.m. with mostly sunny skies and some clouds. As we headed down the Richardson Highway, the gold colors on the trees were vibrant and seemed almost fluid.

About 30 miles or so before we reached Delta Junction, there's a turnout. It sits on top of a bluff overlooking the Tanana River with the foothills and the Alaska Range in the background. In the 30+ years I've lived here, I've traveled that road many times, but never stopped there.

Wednesday, we decided to stop for a short while to take some photos. It was worth it.

I love the different colors, the meandering Tanana and the mountains. On a clear day, the peaks stand out crisp and sharp. Some heavy clouds hung near the summits, but they weren't enough to hide the beauty of this spectacular range of mountains.

I also decided this was a good spot to try out the sweep panorama on my new camera. I'm not disappointed with that feature.

We got a briefing and a look at some of the off-road area near Delta, and managed to get in a little wildife viewing as well.

I have to admit I'm a little embarrassed by this one. I know (and I've been told MANY times) to not shoot photos through the windshield. But I did it anyway, and this one was covered with smears from insect hits. But I wanted to get a shot of this very young cow and her calf. They were near the road, and I know I can't outrun a moose, so the windshield it was. When they figured we weren't moving soon enough they moved into the trees where they watched us as we shot a few more photos before leaving. They were almost perfectly camouflaged among the spruce trees. We took a few more (got more moose's butt than anything else) photos and left them in peace.

We were talking with several of the people we met there and heard a babble overhead. I looked up to see sandhill cranes that apparently been disturbed. It seemed they wouldn't stop coming. I managed to catch a few in flight.

It's trips like this, even when I'm working, that sometimes leave me breathless with the beauty of this land and so very grateful that I live in a place where I can see the spectacular scenery and the wildlife in their habitat.

Welcome

Welcome to my first attempt at a blog. I've lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, for 30 years, an East-Coast transplant, and I'm still learning new things about this wondrous place. I've reached a point where I now complain about the snow, ice and cold of winter, but glorious summers, a terrific family of friends and a small-town atmosphere keep me here.

I'm an experienced surfer, but nearly illiterate at building websites. I'm truly a wysiwyg, drag-and-drop kind of girl. Hopefully this format will make it easier.

I'm in civil service, a few years from retirement (when the mortgage is paid in full). There are a number of things I enjoy doing, but photography, baseball (watching, not playing), travel and genealogy top the list.

I have grandchildren in Fairbanks and Washington state. One of my biggest regrets is that I don't see the Washington kids nearly as often as I'd like. The cost of air travel is nearly prohibitive these days, and it's too far to drive (and that's becoming pretty expensive as well). I'm very grateful for long-distance companies with unlimited minutes at reasonable rates.

My parents, sisters and brother all live in Pennsylvania, where I grew up. Another sister is in Arizona. I'd like to visit all of them too, but again it's an expensive undertaking. We communicate via a family website and telephone frequently. Somehow I don't feel as far away from them with the communication choices we have.

This blog will most likely consist of random thoughts, whatever enters my mind on a given day. Today as I'm playing with this site the sun is shining, there's a slight breeze and it's about 70 degrees at 11:30 a.m. I love summer! I think 60-65 degrees is nearly perfect and anything over 75 is getting too hot. A light breeze feels good and keeps the mosquitos at bay.

There are many reasons besides the summer that I love living here. The peaks of the Alaska Range in the photo above are just a small part of the spectacular scenery. Flowers abound in the summer, and in winter the snow-covered trees look like Christmas cards. I like the long hours of daylight, but by October I begin to welcome the long hours of twilight and the darkness of the nights. We go full-tilt all summer, and I look forward to taking it easier and resting during the winter.

The Georgeson Botanical Garden at the University of Alaska Fairbanks showcases numerous varieties of flowers, herbs and other plants every summer.

I hope this gives you a little idea of what I am able to experience here, and that you want to come back to see and hear more. Welcome.