Going South . . . An Update!

Bryant and Myron did take off on Thursday afternoon with the truck and boat for San Carlos, Mexico.  This afternoon I talked to him and they were near Great Falls, MT. They weren’t sure if they would drive through the night or pull over for a little more sleep tonight. They stopped the truck and slept in the boat (while it was on the trailer) for 1 hour on Friday night and 4 hours on Saturday night.

So far their biggest obstacle was the 10-30 mph zone, which lasted 11 hours, where they drove only 300 miles. This happened somewhere between Whitehorse, Yukon and Fort Nelson, British Columbia.  They ended up on snowpacked washboard roads in that stretch. Even the guy sleeping in the big back seat had a hard time as they were jostled awake every 5 -10 minutes. On Saturday night, they had the luxury of getting lost in downtown Edmonton and had the pleasure of seeing what kind of nightlife is available to the local residents. Through the southern Canadian plains, they did run into some wind that blew the boat almost sideways, but apparently not sideways enough to stop them from moving on through Montana and onto Idaho.

Almost there guys, hang in there!

Full Moon

Just as I arrived home today, I saw the full moon rising above the mountains.  Wow!

November 1st, 2009

Well, the kids went trick-or-treating on dry ground.  Windy, yes . . . cold, yes. . .  full moon, yes - well at least close. .  but definately no snow.  It still hasn't snowed this season.  I'm not complaining, but I am wanting to document this fact as every year since I've lived up here there has been at least one snowfall before Halloween.  Most years it melts, but last year we were stuck with it from the first week of October.  The National Weather Service has recorded snow as early as September 22nd and as late as November 11th in Anchorage, and I suspect those dates don't differ too much for the valley weather where we live. 

All this good weather has been perfect for Bryant to finish the necessary boat preparations for the big trip down south.  He's busy winding up the last odds and ends before he leaves on Thursday.  The plan is to drive the truck pulling the boat down to San Carlos, Mexico where it will spend the winter under the sunny skies on the eastern shore of the Sea of Cortez.  I'll write more about this adventure when the boat leaves our driveway and arrives in its said destination.

Clean Porch

On Sunday, I talked Gus into going to the cabin with me so I could clean the porch.  A couple of weeks ago, Bryant and I painted the floor and left the few contents from inside, outside.  Knowing that this area wasn't completely protected from the elements, I decided to drive over there on Sunday.  I had also planned to put sealant on the front logs, but it was raining. 

Part of the reason I was able to talk Gus into going with me was I also need to swing by Walmart, which was his opportunity to pick up his Halloween paraphernalia. 

So on Monday after school, Wyatt and Gus carved pumpkins and I helped them decorate the living room.  I guess we won't be lighting any fires for the month of October. 

The Old Knik River Bridge

Driving home from work today, I happen to have my camera in the car and I couldn't resist spending a few minutes on the Old Knik River Bridge.  Amazingly, the colorful leaves still adorn the trees. 

Although we have yet to see flakes in the air, we have had a couple mornings of frost.  These mountains are about 5,000 feet high and the snow level is right around 3,000 feet.