Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow . . .



 And I'm only agreeing to the snow, because it could be 45 degrees and raining or -25 and impossible to do anything other than hole up inside.  If it has to be winter, this kind of winter is the best:  5 - 15 degree temperature range and a daily light snow to keep everything pretty and white. 

A Very Merry Christmas Weekend!

   On Friday, Gus, Autumn and I made our way to Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood.  We all found Santa hats and red jackets so we could ski and snowboard for free.  I have a hard time passing up a free lift ticket, and it wasn't too hard to convince Gus and Autumn to come along.  We arrived home that evening to learn that Jonathon and Jess were joining us for the weekend.  On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we had a flurry of activities around the house, which included snowmachine rides, outdoor fire, friends stopping by, board games, eating lots of good food and sweets, and just some plain old visiting time with the family all together. 

    After passing gifts, we got everyone together for a picture. Unfortunately, the camera wasn't liking the lighting situation, so the quality of the photos are pretty bad, but it does document the weekend. Jess's mom caught the crocheting bug and sent Jess a bunch of hats to pass out to people. We each found one that suited us best and I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Maybe we should have stood by
the "Hippies Use Backdoor" sign
that hangs by our front door?

And we couldn't resist silly . . .

Merry Christmas!

Back in the Blogging Business

Or at least I'll try to be a little bit better . . . . And I will start by writing about something exciting like the weather!

Looking west at Pioneer Peak from our house.

 So far this winter we've had a little of everything again.  The first snow that stuck was just before Halloween and for the next month a couple inches at a time snow started to accumulate. Right after Thanksgiving, a low pressure system moved through and we got our usual wind, rain, and inevitable ice.  For a couple of weeks the temperatures were quite warm 30 - 40's. Today I woke up to about an inch of snow so maybe we are back to the other weather pattern, snow and cold. 

This fall I took a Spanish class.  I figured it would take paying for 4 credits at the university, attending class two evenings a week, and homework to keep me properly motivated. While it kept me extremely busy, it did work. I am not so good at speaking Spanish or understanding what people say when they talk too fast.  However, I did learn the structure of the language and how to write and read some Spanish. Obviously my vocabulary is limited at this stage. My goal is to spend the next year working through Spanish tutorial audio books and then take another class a year from now. Bryant has done very well at learning the language through different audio programs while driving to work, so I'm hoping that between a few trips to the Baja visiting the boat and Bryant speaking it around the house here and there that I remain interested.  I can also use the university credits toward my teaching recertification and to move up on the pay scale, so that also helps. 


Wyatt's new pet

 Gus's Christmas concert

The boys are doing well. Wyatt celebrated his 16th birthday in November.  His friends gave him a tarantula and in his usual nature he's busy learning the in's and out's of a tarantula anatomy and physiology.  Gus decided he wanted to join the Valley Ski and Snowboard club that charter's buses to Alyeska Ski Resort every other Saturday.  I gladly said, "Happy Birthday" early and signed him up.

Now they are just plain happy not waking up at 5:50 for the daily grind and for that matter, so am I!

Fall Colors

It is that time of year again . . . and we had a few days of sunshine, so I needed to take advantage of them and get a few pictures. 

Man-Made Lake on the Knik River Road

Knik River from Mile 8 on the Old Glenn Highway

Because Alaska doesn't have any trees that turn red, I find myself drawn to the underbrush for some color variety. 



Fireweed

Highbush Cranberries

Cabin

We spent Labor Day weekend at the cabin, painting and putting up the outside trim. I was so happy to have the red windows gone! 

Fall 2011 - Almost Done!

I looked through my Picasa Album of the cabin and was reminded of the many weekends we spent putting this together.   After the Fall of 2009, we quit working on it and just used it in its "almost done" state.  This past spring, we decided to dive into the details and get it done.  And we are very, very close to that point now as we head into winter. 

We started the cabin in Fall of 2008



Fall 2008 - Peeling logs for the entry way



Winter 2009

Fall 2009

For more pictures:  https://picasaweb.google.com/jillcaho/Shabin

Mexico and Michigan Revisited

Punta San Telmo

 I've finally put some pictures together from our Baja, Mexico trip from Loreto to La Paz in June. 
Here is the link:  https://picasaweb.google.com/jillcaho/LoretoToLaPaz

Little Traverse Bay, Upper Peninsula of Michigan

I always say that the trips back to Michigan are all about critters, cousins, and swimming, and this year was no different.  Link to more pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/jillcaho/Michigan2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCMme-fTEvcb3AQ

Silvers are In!

Bryant fishing for Silvers at Jim's Creek

 I may have caught the first salmon, but Bryant caught more, so he gets to clean the fish!

And the one with the most fish . . . gets to clean them!

Doing Something . . . .

 I told the kids on Sunday that we were going to do something on Monday.  I wasn't sure what or where but I wanted to give them the heads up that they were following me somewhere to do some type of outdoor adventure.  Even though there was mist in the air, rain in the forecast, and the Talkeetna Mountains were barely visible from our kitchen window late Monday morning, I decided to go ahead with my plan and load the kids into the truck for a trip to Independence Mine in Hatcher's Pass.  They were there 10 years ago, but of course they don't remember and it is one of those historical landmarks in their backyard that are easily overlooked and never visited by the local population. 

Gus at an abandoned mine shaft.

Wyatt grabbed a friend to come along, and they lead me around the mining ruins.  Like true Alaskan kids none of them complained about the drippy weather, but when I suggested another trail to check out, they suggested we "save" that one for another day.  I guess the key to keeping it fun is to wrap it up, before the whining begins, so I agreed and we headed back into Palmer for a late pizza lunch. 

Wyatt and Braiden walking toward Independence Mine
Located in Hatcher's Pass, Talkeetna Mountains

Gold was mined here in the 1930's - 1940's.

Officially a Sourdough Triathlon Finisher!

I made it to the finish line with a time of 5:48.   

Finishing the 1/2 Half Ironman Sourdough Triathlon

 The first two laps of the swim weren't much fun as everyone was kicking and scrapping to get into their spot, but eventually I fell into a nice comfortable pace through the rest of the swim and through the bike (no flat tires - thankfully!). At mile 8 of the run, I started really feeling the pain, but forced myself into mentally thinking of it as just another morning run in the middle of winter in Palmer, Alaska, and carried on in my own way of dealing with difficult situations.

Our Campsite on the Steese Highway
at the Triathlon Starting Area

 The night before Bryant and I were sitting around in the camp chairs and he was telling about some recent footage he had seen on ESPN about an Ironman triathlete. Bryant jokingly said, "If you're not puking, bleeding, or soiling yourself at the end of this race, obviously your not trying hard enough." We laughed about that situation for awhile and I said that if I reach Mile 11 without those symptoms, I will kick it in to the next level. Mile 11 did come around in my race and I wasn't experiencing any of those symptoms, so I felt obligated to make a conscience effort to pick up the pace to the next level.  Luckily, I made it to the finish line before I reached that point.  I guess that gives me something to shoot for in the future! 

I ended up 2nd place in the Master's Division.

Loreto to La Paz

Sol Searching anchored near Los Gatos

I few pictures from our recent trip to the Baja travelling from Loreto to La Paz and back.  I haven't had time to upload a Picasa album, but here are some I like.

Sunset at anchor near La Paz

Isla San Francisco view from the top

Us - Enjoying a sunset on San Francisco



Am I a Sourdough?

Back when the gold miners were pouring into Alaska in the 1900's those who lived in the state long enough to toughen themselves to its remote location, wilderness, and inclement weather considered themselves Sourdoughs.  It was sort of a status symbol among Old Timers to be called a Sourdough as opposed to a measly, know nothing Cheechako, a newcomer to the Last Frontier.  Even today, especially in politics, you'll hear people flaunt "a lifetime Alaskan" or "lived in Alaska for 35 years" like that in itself will swing the vote in their direction.

Even though I've lived up here for 18 1/2 years skiing, snowmachining, boating, fishing, biking, camping, hiking, building cabins, etc., I've never spent a lot of energy concerning myself as to whether I was a Sourdough or a Cheeckako, until this past winter. Seeing as I was whipping myself into decent shape, I decided to do a Half Ironman triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) and after exploring options, I concluded the amply named Sourdough Triathlon in Fairbanks, AK was the race that worked.  It was a cheap entry fee, convenient as it the only one of this length in the state, and I liked the name, Sourdough Triathlon.  Little did I realize its name would haunt me.  About a month ago, I ended up with two flat tires in the pouring rain because I crossed the road and hit a pothole, while avoiding some dogs that I was afraid off.   As I was sitting under a big cottonwood changing out my tires and whining about the rain, cold, big mean dogs, I couldn't help but ask myself, "Am I a Sourdough?"

I went over to a friend's house to practice swimming
in a cold lake and taking the wetsuit off.

Whether I'm a Sourdough Triathlete, I guess I'll find that out on Saturday and in the meantime, I'm crossing my fingers for no mean dogs or flat tires!

Another trip up the Butte!

I was lucky enough to have family visit me! My Uncle Ed and Aunt Bonnie drove their motorhome up from Phoenix, AZ, toured Alaska, and then spent the weekend in our neck of the woods before they headed back down to their cabin in Ely, MN.  My cousin, Jay, who I haven't seen since he's was twelve, joined them for a week.  Gus and I took them to our local hotspot hike, the Butte.

Jay, Ed, Star, Angel, and Gus on top the Butte

Pretty tiny flowers - not sure of the name

Full Circle

We've come full circle. In 2005, Bryant set up his river raft with a motor and floor board to use on the ocean for fishing and exploring. We went to Homer caught a few halibut and . . . . . .



2005 - The first halibut caught from the raft.

. . . the desire for a bigger boat was born.   A cuddy cabin on an 18' bayrunner aluminum skiff caught our attention.  We soon became proud owners of the Predato(r) (the r was missing and we adopted the name Pre-da-to.) 

For 2 1/2 summers, we used the Predato.

After spending about 70 nights in the cramped hard cabin of the Predato, I willingly agreed with Bryant when he said we needed a bigger boat. That is when we bought Sol Searching.

Sol Searching in Seldovia Harbor - Summer 2008

In November of 2009, Sol Searching was trailered to the Sea of Cortez and now we are back to where we started from, camping on spit and fishing from the river raft.  Only this time, we are missing the motor. 

Memorial Weekend 2011 - Bryant rowing to our fishing hole.

The first day out, I caught the bigger fish.  

These halibut weigh about 20 - 25 pounds. 

I took some pictures of my favorite Homer scenes. 

Bald Eagle in the weeds

Immature Bald Eagle looking at fish carcasses

Homer Spit beach



Good Morning - coffee time!

Then on our last day out, with one more fish needed to limit, and two bits of bait left to use . . . Bryant hooks a big one.  After gaffing it, we managed to finagle the fish aboard and subdue it with a piece of driftwood and a borrowed fish club from the nearby dingy.  Bryant used an NRS rafting strap to tie it to the raft floorboard and other than an occasional tail flop on the row in, the big fish didn't have any opportunity to give us any grief . . . although it did allow us the opportunity tell a good fish story! 

This halibut measured 4'6" and weighed about 80 lbs.

Autumn Graduates!

Bryant went down to Arkansas for a quick trip to watch his daughter, Autumn, graduate from high school.   She lives in Monticello, Arkansas and graduated from Drew High School. Congrads Autumn!

From chainsaws to pocket knives . . .

Last weekend we were out at the property finishing up those last few interior details.  I had to chuckle when Bryant pulled out the leatherman to trim a little more off the door frame, and I said to him, "This is the shabin (shack/cabin combo) that was built with everything from chainsaws to pocket knives."  Two and a half years ago, he used a chain saw to cut the holes out for the windows (October 2008 post:  http://jillcaho.blogspot.com/2008/11/another-14-and-ill-have-it.html ).

The door trim gave him trouble because we used wood slabs to trim the corner.  A few years ago, we bought a whole trailer full of slabs for $30 so Bryant could make log furniture for the house.  I found a few extras in the bundle that were really nice pieces of wood, cleaned them up, and put them in our shed at our house thinking that some day we might find some use for them.  As we were contemplating what to use for that corner trim in the cabin, I was reminded of those slabs with the cool burl sticking out and interesting knots.  They did the trick and after finishing the other loft railing, we are ready to call it quits with the interior. 

Still Recovering from "The Ride"

"The Ride" took place on Sunday, and I thought by taking Monday off and only swimming on Tuesday that I ought to feel pretty good with a pair of running shoes on my feet on Wednesday morning.  It wasn't the case, but I trudged on with lead laden legs thinking it could possibly be the overcast skies or my not so uplifting audiobook I was listening to about chemists experimenting on mice to find cures for bacterial infections in the 1900's.  Then today at school, I needed to head upstairs to get some art supplies from our workroom only to find I didn't feel my usual bounce heading up or the skippy slip step on the way down.  Maybe it's the tail end of this sinus cold, I told myself. 

While the cold may be contributing, I decided I needed to face reality . . . "The Ride" wiped me out!  "The Ride" pushed me to the next level.  Even though I managed to survive the ride and not slow the speedster Bryant down too much, I didn't yet have what it takes to continue exercise at my usual pace after a day like Sunday.  My legs needed recovery time, which means swimming and working my fingers on the keyboard to catch up on a blog entry. 

Last Friday, I purposely ran a double (a.m. and p.m. runs) figuring Bryant would want to bike over the weekend.  My seat time has been limited, so I eagerly agreed to a 18 mile ride on Saturday.  When our neighbor saw us returning, she jokingly asked us how the trip was to Hatcher's Pass.  We laughed accordingly and peddled on home.  Earlier I had mentioned  to her that we planned on biking up there sometime, but I assumed it would be a ride for much later in the summer.  So when Bryant suggested we bike up to the Hatcher's Pass intersection on Sunday, I was taken back by his desire to want to go this early in the season. Not wanting to be the party pooper, I asked a few details about the mileage and convinced myself that I would make it. 

I say biking "up there" because Hatcher's Pass is a 3,000 foot elevation climb.  Luckily the first 20 miles are mostly flat and the next 7 are a steady incline in the 7-9 mph range, but the last 5 are "my goal is to stay out of granny gear as much as possible" speed. That's right the barely moving, heart pounding, legs aching, how far until this flattens? speed.  When I finally reached our destination (32.5 miles from our house) at the Intersection to Willow, AK by the Hatcher's Pass Lodge, I was beat!  We did enjoy beautiful views, snacks, and sunshine, but only after I laid my body down on the pavement to rest for awhile. Eventually, I did find enough energy to make my way back home, another 32.5 miles.

And it looks like that was all the energy I did have as I've been recovering from "The Ride" now for the last 4 days  This is not the case with Bryant as he's been making a hobby of climbing Arctic Valley Road after work, which is an 7 mile ascent gaining 2,300 feet of elevation.