November Already?

And in October what did we do?  Other than the usual school and work routines, not a whole lot.  During our clear and cold spell, Bryant and I went on an evening hike to the top of the Butte, which is an short steep hike with lots of rewards.  The moon was almost full and rising, while the sun was setting.  

Bryant built a woodshed earlier this fall, which gave us the mission to fill it.  For several weekends, we went to the property to bring back some wood. Slowly the empty space is disappearing. 



 Even though the snow is holding off, the cold has definitely crept in. One thing we know for certain up here is that it won't be too much longer before we are shoveling the entryway and plowing the drive. 

Guardian of the River and Road

There is about 15 feet between Knik River Road and the Knik River. Much of this riverbank area is lined with cottonwoods and alder bushes.  Friday, I noticed a bald eagle near the top of a cottonwood tree unconcerned with both the traffic and the rain; every so often its head would rotate back and forth between the river and the road.  Fast forward two days. There I am running down Knik River Road and in the same spot is a bald eagle, oblivious to the traffic and the rain rotating its head back and forth. Seems like the fall drizzles has put a damper on its spirits as well. 

Last Days of September

  Pioneer Peak Viewed from front deck at the house

 We woke up Saturday to the snow level at about 500 feet.  Thankfully it didn't take long for the sun to melt it all away.  After dealing with a few house chores, Bryant and I decided to head to the property.  He built a woodshed at the house; all we needed was wood to fill it up.  

King Fisher Lake

It turned out to be a nice weekend.  We enjoyed an evening canoeing on King Fisher Lake, which is about 100 feet from our property line on Mat-Su Borough land and an evening fire with an almost full moon.  Although the frost was heavy in the morning, that eventually melted away and we brought back a truckload of wood to the house.  Now, all that is left is the fun part:  splitting and stacking! 

Fall Reflections

Rain, Flooding, and More Fall Colors

Driving into Palmer Friday morning, we noticed flashing lights along the Old Glenn Highway in the Butte (the small community between our house and Palmer and also where I teach).  Although it was dark, we could see water where it shouldn't be.  After dropping the kids off and getting in my morning run, I made my way over there to take some pictures.  There has been a lot of rain lately and the braided, unpredictable Matanuska River has been eating away at the bank.  The course of the river is shifting and unfortunately a couple houses have been taking the hit.    

 

Old Glenn Highway House

 A little cabin on this property was already lost to the river a few weeks ago and the house itself is now in danger. Once the river jumped the bank, water started flowing in all kinds of places water hasn't been in the last 40 years.

The bike path from the Butte to Palmer

After school, I walked the river trail behind our house to see what was going on with the Knik River. While it is running higher than normal, it is still contained in its banks.   

Knik River viewed from the River Trail

Even though it has been windy and rainy this fall, it hasn't been cold.  There has only been one day of frost, and I think that is why the fall colors seem to be hanging on a little longer than normal. 

A nearby pond

Shadows and Snow on the Mountains

Mostly Cloudy with the Flavor of Fall



Cottonwood Trees by Man-Made

Lake, Knik River, Alaska

Dark mornings, the color on the trees, frost on the windshield, and moose and caribou antlers sticking up in the back of pick-up trucks passing by are all indicators that the season is changing.  Alaska's short lived fall season has arrived.  Now it's a matter of squeezing in a few more outdoor activities between the raindrops before the snow arrives.    



Sunny in Seward

Sailboats in the Seward Harbor

 Every fall, Sailing Inc. in Seward puts on a boat show.  People have the opportunity to walk through different boats and afterward there is a BBQ.  Two years ago we went and enjoyed seeing the different layouts of the various boats.  When we saw that this year's show came with a couple of forecasted days of sunshine, we decided to make our way down there. 

Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska

It turned out to be a nice weekend.  We camped on the beach, walked through some boats, enjoyed some good food, met people in the sailing community, and now it is off to another busy week of work. 

Observing Details in Nature

I was walking around on the sphagnum moss near the pond at our property and a slight movement caught my eye.  At first I thought it was a spider.  When I moved a few plants around, I saw this wood frog that was about the size of a quarter. 

The wood frog is the only amphibian in Southcentral Alaska, and it isn't very often that I run across them. Maybe most of them don't like 7 months of winter and stay as far south as they can. 

While we were hauling wood and clearing brush, I saw this arrangement of mushrooms on a standing birch tree.  I'm not sure what kind of mushroom it is, but I thought it looked pretty cool. Maybe since there wasn't anything big to take pictures of like bear or moose, I had to look at the little details in nature that were worthy of a picture or two. 

August is over . . .

 . . . in about an hour and I haven't made a single post. If I hurry, I can get in a few sentences and I-phone pictures that wrap up the month. Bryant and I continued with our "Summer of the Bike" by camping in Cooper Landing, riding the Resurrection Pass Trail down Devil's Pass and returning back. It turned to be a 56 mile ride and more hours and miles than I had ever put on a mountain bike.    

Bryant eating lunch before fixing my flat tire!

We pulled our usual crack of noon departure, but because of our longer daylight hours in the summer it didn't matter.  We still made it back with a couple hours to spare.  It was nice to be able to complete this trail system this summer as it had been on the list for awhile. 

"The Ribbon Trail" just outside of Grand Junction, CO

 The first week of August, we went to Grand Junction, Colorado to visit Bryant's parents and put a few more miles on the bike. There we had to change our schedule and get up with the sun to avoid the hottest part of the day. 

The "401 Trail" in Crested Butte

After Grand Junction, we headed to Crested Butte to do some more riding and touristing. We rode bikes 5 of the 7 days we were down there. Overall, a nice way to wrap up my summer vacation.

Touristing: A free lift ride to the top of Mt. Crested Butte.

The day after I returned, I dove back into school. The kids started on August 16th.

 A couple of weeks later, I think we are finally getting into a routine even if they aren't as chipper to start school as they were back in 2004. 

Wyatt is still in Jazz band in the mornings and they both decided to join swimming after school. It is good to see them busy doing something. They were both gimping around so much after the first few days of practice I felt bad assigning them lawn duty, so I didn't, and I attacked it an hour at a time after school.

I suspect my next posts will be about autumn colors.  Seeing as August is over, the leaves are turning yellow and it will only be about a week or before they start to peak.  And I usually can't resist pulling over on the way home from work to get some fall photos.   

For More Colorado Pictures:   https://picasaweb.google.com/jillcaho/Colorado2012

Pioneer Peak Trail Day Hike

Pioneer Peak seen from the east side at about 4000ft.

Often it is those places in our backyard that we never see or visit.  So was the case with Pioneer Peak Ridge Trail and me! The trailhead is less than 1 mile from our house and while I've been up the trail to just past the first picnic table, I never hiked any further.  Getting up to the ridge was on my list of things to do, but it always seemed to find its way to the bottom each summer. Yesterday, the weather was nice and I had all afternoon and evening, so I decided I was going to hike up Pioneer Peak Ridge Trail.  The top of the ridge is 4 1/2 miles with an elevation gain of 5300'. To get to the South Peak Summit it is at least another mile and 1000' more in elevation. Given the time of day I was leaving and that I was solo, I knew I wasn't going to summit the South Peak, but in back of my head I kept thinking that the ridge was attainable.  Along the way, I stopped at the first picnic table for a quick break and a little while later for snacks and to take some pictures.  But mostly, I became a woman with a mission, quickly putting one foot in front of the other, panting like a dog and sweating like a pig.  

Time to turn around!

Eventually, I reached the knifeblade edge of the ridgeline that leads to the South Peak summit and figured it was time to take a break, turn around, and then head down.  Downhill has its own set of problems. The grade is fairly steep in many places and controlling the decent had a way of zapping whatever leg strength I had left. When I reached the 1st picnic table, the grade became more gradual, the path is dirt and with a few roots, and I knew the end was in sight, so I was able to jog down to the parking lot at a fun comfortable gait.  The whole trip took me about 5 1/2 hours. 

Knik Glacier and Knik River

Overall, I'm not big into lone ranger activities, but I did enjoy my day of hiking at my own pace on Pioneer Ridge Trail. 

Pioneer Peak taken in Spring 2005 from Jim's Creek.
Pioneer Peak Ridge Trail climbs up on the left hand side
and snakes in on the backside.

Kayaking on Eklutna Lake

In the past few days, I took advantage of a sunny weather window by sanding and staining our front deck.  I got tired of looking at the mildew stains and worn boards.  When I saw the forecast, I knew I needed to act quickly to get the job done.  After putting on the final coat of stain this morning, I talked Wyatt into a kayak trip to Eklutna Lake.  It is a state park that is 3 miles as the crow flies from our house but 30 minutes of driving.  I've been up there hiking, biking, and skiing in the past, but never kayaking.  I keep debating whether or not I like kayaking enough to buy one.   

Fortunately, Lifetime Adventures rents kayaks on site.  We decided on a two hour rental.  At first, we were a little out of sync and zigzagged a lot more than necessary, but eventually we were able to complete a loop around the front part of the this glacier fed lake without tipping over.  At one point, we stopped to snack, readjust the rudder pedals, and take pictures.  I was a little disappointed to have the clouds move in as these beautiful mountains always look better against a blue bird sky, but this is Alaska and I can't complain with the temperatures in the mid 60's, no rain, and Eklutna Lake as flat as a pancake. 

Hopeful in Alaska

Some Alaskans say that summer begins when the first blooms blossom on fireweed and ends when the ones at the top blossom.  Given our cooler than normal temperatures this summer, we can always hope summer will begin and where else but Hope, Alaska can one find more hope.  This past weekend, Bryant and I made our way to this off the beaten path old mining town to bike some of the trails and camp out at the Seaview RV and Tent Park.  

We waited until the 11th hour to go because the weather forecast was iffy and neither of us wanted to spend the weekend camping or biking in the rain.  We hoped for the best and finally made the decision to go.  Under grey skies, we biked to the Ressurection Pass trail to the intersection of Devil's Pass and then turned around. The trail continues to Cooper Landing, but we didn't want to worry about shuttling a vehicle so we came back.   

On Sunday, we biked the Gull Rock trail located a mile north of Hope. Along the way, I did my fair share of hoping.  I was hoping my trailside chain fix held, that the trail would improve as we rode on to the turnaround point, and that the scree slope was stable as I made my way across.  My 42 hours in Hope, AK must have refilled the hope bucket because all my hopes came true.

When we made our way back to Hope, the sun was even peaking through the clouds.  There is hope after all that it is summer here.  







 For more pictures:  I'm working on a Picasa Album

Happy 4th of July

Bryant and I were sitting around this evening trying to remember if we've ever been home on the 4th of July.  Usually we are out doing something taking advantage of the long weekend, but then he said, "I wonder if we've ever had a 4th of July on a Wednesday since we've been together."   Although we've been together for 10 years, there was that possibility given leap year and all.  Thanks to the Internet, I figured out the last 4th of July on a Wednesday was in 2007 and I was flying back to Michigan to visit family and greet my high school classmates who I hadn't seen in 20 years. 

Me:  Grilling steak and veggies sporting the red, white, and blue.

This was our first 4th of July on a Wednesday together under the same roof so we had to figure out what to do.  Seeing as we didn't have any big trips planned, Bryant spent the first half the day just taking care of things around the house and I decided to wake up early and participate in Willow, AK - Freedom 4 Mile Fun Run.  I hadn't raced since October and felt like I needed a dipstick of how I was doing in the real world of running. I had to run in my my red, white, and blue tye dye, which didn't make me run faster, but helped contribute to the 4th of July spirit of the event. It was extremely refreshing to attend a race that only allowed day of race registration, had none of the fancy timing chips, and was priced reasonable.  Given that there were about 50 participants instead of 500 made the experience even more enjoyable.   I managed to squeak into 4th place for the women with a time of 31:03 and I wasn't feeling too bad about that as I had hoped to finish before 32 minutes and wouldn't have cared too much had it been before 35 minutes given the route was a combination of pavement, dirt road and trail.  Later in the afternoon, we went on a bike ride up the mountain near our house.  

Gus decided to participate in a parade with one of his friends whose family owns a landscaping and excavating equipment business and Wyatt practically lives down the road at his friends house, so I'm not really sure how he spent his day. Earlier in the week, I did catch them both using their computers back to back in the house and it was reminiscent of a time a year or so back when I caught them doing the same thing on a regular basis.  See blog:   http://jillcaho.blogspot.com/2011/02/christmas-new-years-and-january.html .  I realized they've grown up a bit since then.   

Last weekend, Bryant and I took to the bike again.  We decided to bike to the cabin in Big Lake and then return the next morning, about 100 miles round trip.  In May, we had stashed some food and water anticipating this trip. The weather held out for us, meaning it didn't rain.  On Saturday, there was some sunshine later in the ride, but on Sunday the temperature hovered around 55 degrees with low grey clouds. Even though our route back was little longer it was much better than the route over, as we were able to avoid a lot of the rock thrown bike paths, due to 4-wheelers and dirt bikes in and around the Wasilla area. A lot of people like to call Big Lake and Butte the redneck central of Alaska, but the bike paths in both these areas were wonderful compared to what we experienced around Wasilla.

Bryant at the cabin

I ended up with a flat tire just past Wasilla on the way over to the cabin and that led to a multitude of delays, but eventually we pulled into the driveway with our bikes, ate dinner, and had a campfire until all hours of the morning.  Only to wake up and return back home the next morning/early afternoon. 

That pretty much rounds up what we've been up to that is half way interesting the last week.  

Summer of the Bike

 Just like the Chinese calendar has "The year of the dragon, rabbit, horse, rooster. . . ,"  I have officially named 2012 - The Summer of the Bike. I've always biked, sometimes more and sometimes less, but I decided today when Bryant and I were looping around trails at Kepler Bradley that so far I've biked more in April, May, and June than I have in past whole summers.  Bryant picked up a road bike in April and he replaced parts on my road bike from the college days last summer.  So now, road biking or mountain biking are choices that we now have to motivate each other into action.    

Top of Hatcher's Pass

In Alaska, we always fight the weather when it comes to outdoor activities, and biking in the rain is a lot less comfortable than running in the rain.  On Saturday we lucked out; we biked to the top of Hatcher's Pass and it was 76 degrees.  I'm not sure if all my sweat came from the unusual heat or the elevation climb of 3,900 feet and 65 miles that we did that day.  I do like wearing shorts and a T-shirt all day and not getting cold. 

Palmer to Moose Creek Old Railroad Grade

Unlike last weekend where I'm only smiling in this picture because it was before the thunderstorm and where I climbed a big steep cliff carrying a bike to the highway to ride the last 6 miles back to the car in a downpour.

We decided to explore a new trail: Palmer to Moose Creek Railroad Trail.  The write up said it was an easy to moderate trail with a few mud slide washouts. Had we turned around at Mile 5 that would have been true, but when the write-up says its 6 miles, we figured we needed to do it at least once to ride it to the end.  We carried bikes over several more washouts and beaver felled trees only to find a swamp and sketchy trails. The GPS on the I-Phone gave us a general direction to the road because returning on the old railroad trail was no longer an option; it was that bad!  About the time we heard the first clap of thunder, we saw a faint trail heading uphill. 

Whether it be a mountain bike or a road bike, weather plays a role.  And I can always hope that "The Summer of the Bike" gets its fair share of rain free days.  All the wishing in the world for sun filled days, won't make it happen, so I'll just go with rain free!

Picasa Web Album - Mexico; June 2012

I tried to sort through all the pictures and find the ones that tell the story best from our Mexico trip. I keep thinking I'll take the time to write up more details about these trips to the Baja, but I've started to accept the fact I'm better at documenting a trip with pictures than recapturing all the events in words. 

Here is the link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/jillcaho/MexicoJune2012   

Taming the Jungle

I spent a significant amount of time outside yesterday trying to tame the jungle that invaded our yard during our 17 day absence.  That drippy rain I came home to makes every tree, bush, weed, and blade of grass grow until it feels like it will wrap you around the neck and strangle you to death.  It really is amazing how fast and tall some of the flowers and weeds grow around here especially given the 3 1/2 months of frost free days. 

Wild Rose

We, meaning the boys and I, managed to attack half of the lawn with what the boys called the worst lawn mower ever.  They whined plenty while it was their turn to push it around.  Gus asked if I even knew they made lawn mowers with wheels that pushed themselves and then mentioned that Grandpa Aho has a lawn mower he can sit on.  I said when he turns 74 he can get one of those too, but in the meantime keep pushing and quit complaining.  Although even I need to admit that given the length and thickness of the grass and weeds in the lawn, our mower wasn't what we needed for the job, but it was what we had and we made it work.  Amongst the jungle I did find a few of the early season wildflowers growing and flowers are one of my favorite things to take pictures of. 

Bluebell

Keeping watch while we're away!

We got in late last night and I woke up this morning to rain, clouds, and 46 degrees.  I looked out the kitchen window and saw the moose relaxing in the middle of my overgrown lawn keeping an eye on everything. Yep, welcome home!

I LOVE the sunsets in La Paz

Here are few pictures from our 2 1/2 week trip down to Baja Sur.  We spent some time on the boat in La Paz and car camping in Todos Santos, Los Cobos, and Cabo Pulmo.  

Sea Lions on Los Islotes

Surfing at Playa Los Cerritos near Todos Santos

Exploring the beaches near Cabo Pulmo

One of the many beaches on Espiritu Santo

Eventually, I'll put together a Picasa Album with more pictures.