Visitors from Indiana!

 This past week has been such a treat for us!  I hate moving away from Alaska, but sometimes the things we hate can bring us something good out of it.  In this case, spending 19 months with our church family in Indiana has made us some new friends that we didn't know we had!  Tim and Darlyn wanted to come up here for their 40th Anniversary, so we let them stay at our free "B&B".  It was SO MUCH FUN having them here!!!!

They got here on Saturday morning.  I figured they would be too tired from traveling to do anything, but they didn't want to waste any time in exploring Alaska, so we just started them off with a short trail right up the road from our house.  Since Darlyn is more out of shape than I am, she was already huffing and puffing.  I told her that was just the appetizer.  But I knew it was also an appetizer for me too cuz I am not in very good shape either, and we had a lot more hiking in store for us before they were gonna leave.

Sunday afternoon, we took them to Hatcher Pass.  More hiking, but not too bad.

Tim & Darlyn

Darlyn brought her granddaughter's stuffed kitty with her and took photos of it everywhere she went.  Her granddaughter didn't even know that she took it.  I thought that was a really cute idea!

On Monday they left for their own little adventure at Denali National Park, and they got back on Wednesday.

So on Thursday we didn't think they'd want to go very far after that big trip, so Chuck took Tim golfing in Palmer and I took Darlyn to Anchorage.  She wanted to do some shopping so we went downtown, and then we spent some time hiking around at Earthquake Park, and then we went to Point Woronzof to gaze upon "Sleeping Lady".

Sleeping Lady

At Earthquake Park you can walk down to the swampy edge of Knik Arm (a part of Cook Inlet), and from there you get a gorgeous view of the Anchorage skyline with the mountain backdrop.

From there we walked along the stony "beach" of Knik Arm for awhile.  And then we got in the car  and went "moose hunting" by the airport.  Usually I get lucky finding moose in that area of town, but not that day!  Darlyn wanted to see a moose so bad.

I think it didn't help that our weather got "hot".  Moose generally stay deep in the woods when it's hot out.  But, we were so glad to have that turn in the weather because it's been a cold summer this year, so it was just nice to finally have some heat and sun.  But keep in mind, for us, when the temps get up in the 70's, it's "Alaska hot".  This weekend our temps actually got up to around 80, so for us that's sweltering, but at least Tim finally took his coat off!

On Friday we went to Seward.

We stopped at a potty place and this raven seemed almost tame, so Chuck was feeding him some peanuts.

As we were coasting along Turnagain Arm (another part of the Cook Inlet), we stopped to stretch our legs and soak in the view.  Then we noticed we got there just in time to see the boretide come in.

Then we noticed there were people actually surfing on the boretide!

How cool is that?

We walked around Seward for awhile to see what there was to see.  Darlyn did NOT like the smell of the fish at the docks!!

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures in Seward cuz I've been there enough times.

But on the way back, we went to Byron Glacier; somewhere I've never been.

So this one was new to all of us.

More hiking to wear us out!  (poor Darlyn)

The blue part up the mountain is the actual glacier, which would be quite the climb.  We just stayed in the bottom part and enjoyed the snow patches.

On Saturday, the original plan was to go to Matanuska Glacier, 

BUT - it turns out that they changed their policies there.  You can no longer go there and do your own exploring.  What they did is double the price and your only option now is to go on a guided tour.  

I AM SO BUMMED OUT ABOUT THIS!!!

So because of that, we tried out Byron Glacier instead.  It was a neat place to go, but I am still really disappointed that we couldn't take them ON Matanuska Glacier!!

So on Saturday, we drove them to the Matanuska lookout place.  I forget what it's called, but it's some kind of place where you can look at it from afar.  I'm glad we didn't have to pay for that cuz you can get even a better view of it just from the highway.  Going there just to look at it from afar was even worse for me cuz it was like it was saying "nanner nanner boo-boo" at me.

I cannot express enough how disappointed and bummed out I am about this change.

Anyway, here is a picture of Matanuska Glacier from afar - the glacier that I will probably never walk on again. (sniffle, sniffle!)

But on the way to the glacier, we stopped at the little town called Sutton!  We have passed it many times, but never bothered to stop.  It turns out they have a lot of little interesting historical buildings there.  Who knew that this tiny little town had so much history behind it?

On the way back home we stopped at King's River, just to stretch our legs and soak in more scenery.

"Kitty" had another photo opportunity here.  He's been posing and getting his picture taken pretty much everywhere!

Saturday seemed like a long day, but they still wanted to go to Thunderbird Falls, so that's where we went before going home.

Darlyn wasn't too thrilled about going down to this bottom path, but Tim talked her into it.  Both of us had a hard time but thankfully neither of us fell in the water.

On Sunday we knew that their time was running out, but Tim LOVES to hike, so we did some more!  This time we climbed the Butte.  It was freezing windy at the top.  Darlyn was laughing at her shirt flapping in the wind.

After we came back down we got a big laugh out of this sign because me and Darlyn are SLOW hikers compared to the guys. They often had to stop to make sure we were still behind them.   So we got our picture taken with the sign.

Monday was their last day, so guess what Tim wanted to do!  

Yup, more hiking!

So we went to Eklutna Lake.  In the past, I've been part way down the trail that runs along the lake, but climbing the Twin Peaks Trail was new to me.  I knew it was gonna be a steep climb, but I didn't realize how LONG of a climb it was gonna be.

The trail is supposedly 2.6 miles, but when it's all a steep climb, 2.6 miles feels more like 20.

When we finally made it this far, Darlyn said she didn't wanna go any further.  It was "Alaska hot" that day, so we were hot, sweaty, and TIRED.

While we were sitting there catching our breath and taking a break, Tim continued on up the path by himself a little ways.  For an "old guy", he sure has a lot of energy.  It started to rain before he came back, which cooled us off nicely.

Good view of the lake from up there though!

Eklutna Lake

Well, Darlyn never did see no moose, and she was determined to see one, one way or the other.  So before they went to the airport they stopped at the zoo to see one!  And I have no doubt that "kitty" got her picture taken with it!

Anyhoo it's been a very full week, and a very fun week!

I just love those guys!

(I miss them already!)

Weekend at Fairbanks

 Today is a cold and rainy day, so this is a good day to finally post again.  I wanted to do this sooner, but after we got back from Fairbanks, I had a lot of work to do.  This weather gives me a break from my outdoor work and gives me a chance to focus on what I've been neglecting inside the house.

We had a great time in Fairbanks.  Every now and then I love to get in the car and just go for a long drive. Maybe I'm weird, but I love road trips.

On the way up, after you get through the Denali Park, there is a little place called Healy.  We stopped there to get some coffee from this little gift shop.

Lately, Chuck has been talking about moving to Healy after he retires, but I take it in stride because he does this often and will name all kinds of remote places.  I know he just talks like that out of frustration - he just wants to get away from people in general.

We were making really good time and didn't want to get there too early cuz Steph didn't get off work until 4:00, so to kill some time, we stopped in Nanana, which is a tiny little town right off the highway.  We just drove around in there for 5 or 10 minutes, which is enough time to pass things twice - that place is so small - and it was interesting just to see how people live there.  Most places were run down and the yards full of junk and the whole place looked abandoned cuz we didn't see anyone at all outside.  Of course, Chuck made a comment about moving there when he saw that the gift shop was closed up and was also up for sale.  I just ignored him.

So we still got to Fairbanks a little early, so we went to a couple little novelty stores that Steph recommended.  And then we finally got to Steph's house.

I couldn't believe how big Pumpkin got!  She was such a tiny little thing last time I saw her.  I always said she looks like a stuffed animal.  Now she looks like a BIG stuffed animal.

Both Pumpkin and Koda know that they have to sit for their treats.

And poor poor Shadow - always just in the shadows.....

She just quietly puts up with everything.  You hardly even know she's there.  Most of the time she's a recluse and you never see her, but every once in a blue moon you get this big blob of fuzz coming out of nowhere getting cozy on your lap and kneading biscuits.

We got there on Thursday afternoon; Friday Steph had to work, so me and Chuck did some stuff for her around the house.  Chuck fixed stuff, and I tilled her garden for her, and helped Chuck with stuff when he needed help.

And I was finally able to present to Steph the quilt I made for her.  This is the one that I ended up doing Quilt-As-You-Go for the first time, and I ended up doing it all by hand!  Ugh.  Oh well, I learned a lot.  I am proud of it, but I'm glad that one's over.

On Saturday, we went to the greenhouse in North Pole and I bought more plants that I didn't need.  I can't help it.  Actually, I did "need" some of them, but I also found and bought some that I really didn't need.  And now that I'm trying to get everything in my garden beds, I sorta ran into a problem with how much room I have available.

After we got our shopping done, we went kayaking in the Chena River.  

During the first half of the day, I questioned if I would go because the day started out cold and drizzly.  But by the time we got done shopping, the weather got better - good enough for kayaking anyway.  It was still a little bit chilly, but when the sun peeked out of the clouds, it was glorious!

I hate going under the bridges cuz I know I wouldn't wanna look up.

Hoping the spiders don't dangle down far enough to reach me.

On Sunday (after church, of course!) we went hiking at Angel Rock, which is close to Chena Hot Springs, about an hour away from Fairbanks.  

Angel Rock is a really pretty place, but a very steep climb.  It's the kind of hike that tells you how out of shape you are (kind of like how the corona virus tells you how healthy you are).  Steph and Chuck had to keep stopping to wait for me to catch up.  I never wanted to be one of "those people", but this is the price I pay for being sedentary most of the time.

The trail is a couple miles long and loops back around, or you can continue on to Chena Hot Springs.  Steph said some people hike all the way to Chena Hot Springs and then hitch a ride back to their car.

(sorry I forgot to rotate that picture before I uploaded it)

We took the doggies with us, but I let Chuck and Steph hold their leashes cuz they were too excited to walk at my pace.  I couldn't keep up with their pulling, and I didn't want them to make me trip and fall.  There were lots of rocks and tree roots on the trail to watch out for, and if you're as tired as I was, you don't want or need the extra help from an excited dog to slam you down into that involuntary horizontal position.

Anyway, there was lots of gorgeous scenery to behold!

The first part of the trail follows the Chena River (or a branch of it)

At the top of the trail you come to this "cave".

Here is where we stopped to eat our sandwiches and give the doggies a drink of water.

It sure is nice to have the perfect weather for hiking!  The sun was shining, and it wasn't too hot or too cold.  Absolutely perfect!

On Monday, Steph had to go back to work, so we left early in the morning.  It was a beautiful drive home!

We stopped in Healy again for a cuppa joe.

After we got home I had a lot to do.  I had left all my plant babies under Justin's care and mercy and I was worried about them.  Before we left, I planted seeds in the garden beds for starting my beets, carrots, and peas.  I told Justin to keep them moist.  They were bone dry.  I wondered if they were toast. The other plants that I was hardening off, were completely drenched and soaking in two inches of water.  I fished them all out of their wading pools hoping they weren't sitting in water long enough to get root rot.

I spent the entire week re-watering the seeds in the garden (still hoping they would germinate) while drying out the plants that were soaked.  (What was he doing?!?)

Thankfully,  just a couple days ago, I noticed tiny little carrot leaves emerging, and my peas are coming up, and some of the beets are coming up too.  Whew!

Yesterday I spent most of the day transplanting everything into the beds, except for the pumpkins, Brussels sprouts, kale, and bean seeds.  I ran out of room for those, but Chuck is in the process of building more beds, so I just have to wait until he's done.  We're also supposed to get more dirt delivered soon.

Wood is really expensive right now, but thankfully, a guy we know had a tree that he took to the mill, and he put our name on it.  All we have to do is call them and tell them how we want it cut.  Free wood for us!  All we have to do is pay them to cut it for us.  For the garden beds, it doesn't have to be fancy; we are just using rough cut wood, but even rough cut wood is expensive right now, so we appreciate that this guy did this for us.

We had this visitor come to our yard.  I'm glad he came before I had my garden planted.  Even if my garden was already planted, nothing would've been ready for him to eat anyway, I suppose.  Maybe we'll see him again in August........

Also, we had a pretty good earthquake the other night.  We were both sitting in bed reading, about 11:00, and we heard a rumble and then everything was shaking.  We're used to getting these earthquakes, but this one was weird because it seemed to go on for a really long time.  First they said it was a 5.8, and now they're saying it was a 6.1.

Anyhoo, that's about all for now.  The rest of my summer will be spent just watering the gardens and watching my kitties enjoy the sunshine.