Big News

Meet Quin

On Friday, August 10 we added Quin to our family. The local breeder that we were going to get a puppy from called and asked if we would like to adopt one of their male labradors that she had decided that she wouldn't use as a stud dog. We asked to spend some time with him and they brought him over with the idea that we might keep him for the weekend to see how he fit in. Needless to say he stayed and he's melted his way into our hearts. He's 18 months old and very well trained. We have been slowly introducing him to the fun things in life. He had his first trail run with Greg this morning. They had an encounter with beavers in their pond and got to wade in the Little Susitna river. 

Here's a smattering of photos that we've taken over the past week.

Self portrait. 

A Spring Peek at Hatcher Pass - 5/2/09

We have had unseasonably warm weather this past week. Sunny and warm, no rain. Temperatures in the low - mid 60s during the day. It is tempting to get started on the garden beds, but experienced gardeners know that it's best to wait. The chances are good that the cold weather is not over yet. Our official "go" date for gardening is May 31. Memorial Day weekend. The tulips aren't waiting though, Greg took the leaves off the flower beds so the soil would warm up and we see little tulip shoots coming up already. The snow has all melted from our property, very different from the previous photos. It was such a beautiful day today we decided to drive up to the Hatcher Pass Recreation Area to see what it looked like up there. I took some photos to share in my ongoing series of photos from up there. It's so pretty. 

At the top looking back at the Hatcher Pass Lodge and the Matanuska Valley...

the sign up there...

the Independence Mine (a State Park)... 

beautiful mountains...

Hatcher Pass Lodge and Independence Mine...

more beautiful Talkeetna mountains.

If you noticed a dirty hue to the mountains and the snow. We noticed it too and are pretty sure it wasn't there last year, in fact, if we were to hazard a guess it would be a layer of ash from Mount Redoubt the volcano that erupted a couple times in March. 

Mindi & Scott's Short But SWEET Visit

Mindi and Scott arrived on the 1st, we picked them up after work and whisked them into town for a meal at the Moose's Tooth. Not so much to impress them with the pizza as it's been a while for us as well! The next day was a busy day in Anchorage with appointments, and birthday shopping and more eating out at favorite restaurants (Snow City Cafe). These pictures were taken when we got home that afternoon and Greg took Mindi up to Hatcher Pass for a run. He was pleased to have someone to run with and they are perfectly suited in pace and stamina.

The weather turned sour and we ended up enjoying our first snow fall though it did not stick. The next set of pictures were taken on a much more adventurous outing for Bob the dog and myself... both of us feeling it afterwards. Scott took some great pictures while Greg and Mindi were running and the rest of us waited (and swam) at the ice covered Beaver pond. 

The last adventure before we said goodbye was to drive down to Girdwood and poke around. We kept an eye out for Beluga whales and Doll sheep along the highway, but no luck this time. We stopped at The Bake Shop for the requisite cinnamon rolls in Girdwood proper. We noticed that just that far south the leaves are still changing and have not quite made the full transition. It's warmer and rainier there, noted by the much larger evergreen trees - Sitka Spruce that we do not have just 50 + miles to the north. A cute little ski town and home to the famous Alyeska ski resort. 

Greg's Mountain Biking Adventures

Greg accomplished one of his early morning bike rides and took these pictures. It seems the light and atmosphere is different every time he rides.

Adventure - Eklutna Lake

We've been meaning to visit this particular Chugach State Park visitor destination, Eklutna Lake, for a long time. It's about half way between where we live and Anchorage. It's more of a destination for those that live in Anchorage than for us. We have a great outdoor paradise just up the road from us, Hatcher's Pass. But, there is a 12 mile easy wide gravel trail that follows Eklutna Lake that we've always thought might afford me the opportunity to bike or wheel along. Here's the link to the online site - AK, DNR, Parks, Chugach, Eklutna.

Greg's Outdoor Adventures

Greg has been biking and running consistently every weekend up in the Hatcher Pass area and I don't go with him. It's beautiful this time of year so I asked him to take some pictures and he has obliged! The first two are from this morning, he ran up "no name ridge" and brought me back the most beautiful little blue wildflower. The last one is from yesterday when he went biking up Archangel Road. Enjoy your Independence Day festivities!

Same Early Morning Run as before...

You will note from a previous post how much darker it was when Greg took the same picture at the same location. I asked him if it was the same time of morning and he said this time it was just a little bit earlier. What a difference two weeks makes in Alaska in terms of light. I was still using the headlamp to read the newspaper on the morning commute this week, but I think by the end of next week I will be able to turn it off by the time we reach Anchorage. It's a one hour (approx. 35 mile) commute and by the time we get there now the sun is bursting over the Chugach Mountains and blinding Greg in the rear-view mirror. We welcome the sun! 

Early Morning Run

Greg decided to switch it up a little and run up in the Hatcher Pass area rather than in the neighborhood this morning. He tells me he was alone with the peace and quiet that only snow covered ground can provide. The road he ran on is closed to vehicle traffic, it is groomed for skiers and snowmachines and it was easy going and pleasant. 

Aborted Adventure

Well, we thought we would drive the Hatcher Pass road over the summit to Willow this weekend for an adventure. We didn't get very far. It was mid-afternoon and the snow was really slick on the road, having partially melted. We have 4-wheel drive in the truck and the tires started spinning, and we started sliding backwards even with the brakes crammed much to our horror. I pulled the emergency brake just as we slid into the snow bank on the cliff side of the road. A group of young people in a pickup truck were coming up behind us and stopped when they realized what had happened to us. The picture of Greg standing in the road watching the kid slide backward down the road is telling. We ended up emptying the sand bags in the back of the pickup we use for ballast and locking the rear differential for the first time ever (and hopefully the last unless we mean to). It was beautiful up there, there were crowds of young people hiking up the ridges in the pictures to go snowboarding down the mountains. It's the first of the season. So, long story short, we inched our way back down the road to where we could turn around and go home. Oh well, we should have driven the road before the snow hit.

Adrenaline rushes

I don't know what came over Jill, but she got up early and wanted to go barreling down the mountain. Greg was surprised but decided this is a very occasional incident to exploit, who knows when Jill will roll out of bed before 9AM again on a Saturday?! We drove up to the top and disembarked at the parking lot of the Independence Mine. Jill got going really fast in the first steep section, Greg following in the truck clocked her at 40 MPH, she subsequently slowed down, a tad bit nerve-wracking. Greg pulled ahead and took some pictures that he could with Jill blazing past. After Jill's ride was over at the bottom of the canyon, Greg wanted to get his rush for the morning and so drove part way back up the valley, so that he could test out his skateboarding techniques - he has a beautiful longboard. At a certain speed the ride gets wobbly, he managed not to fly head first into the bushes, but he did have to leap off and sustained minor injuries to the knees and ankles from the impact. Here are some of the pictures documenting this rare and entirely excellent adventure from this morning!!

The start - top of Hatcher Pass area.

The Little Susitna river where the canyon narrows and where the adventure for Jill ended this morning. Very pretty!

Greg starts down the hill on his skateboard

Greg retrieves the skateboard from the bushes after he goes one way and the board goes another way...

Feeling gimpy, but what a ride!

Greg had an active day... 7/7/07

Greg rode his mountain bike up Archangel Rd to the top, I drove the truck up and waited on him. I got some great scenery pictures along the way and at the top. Up there we were socked in with clouds and it did start raining by the time he arrived. He put the bike on the truck and ran back down the valley. The picture of him running in the side mirror of the truck was a quick 'snap' which I did not think would come out. As agreed upon I waited for him just beyond the beaver ponds in case he wanted to quit, but he was feeling great and I continued to the parking area at the entrance. He had picked a wildflower for me that are in bloom right now, I have not looked them up yet, so cannot share the name. I'm sure it will be obvious. When we got home I road my bike, but there are no pictures of that, not quite as interesting! As usual, I have it set up so that you can blow up the pictures by just clicking on them... much easier to see details that way.