around ketchikan...

so i thought i would put in a few more pictures from ketchikan that i scanned. above is mufasa...before he became thin and old. poor cat. he sure was a handsome cat...still is. he weighed over 18 pounds at one point and carried it well as he is very tall, now he's more like 10 pounds.

next is the required fishing picture. okay so this is me a few years younger. that is a cod on the line.

ward lake is above. great little hike around the lake and the place for ice skating in the winter. there are a few picnic huts too. below is just another lovely sunset.

creek street above. that is the picture that everyone who stops in ketchikan on thier cruise probably takes. these little places used to house the hookers in the day. always a pretty place though. now lots of little shops. my favorite was a nice opal store. i love opals. opals, diamonds and emeralds. those are my favorite gems. ketchikan is a port town and there are tons of gem stores. most of which close in the winter months and the owners and jewels head to the carribean to sell the stuff.

just pictures from various hikes and rambles...

the trails around ketchikan are often boardwalk. there is a great deal of delicate muskeg...i guess that is what it is called. it's very spongy and when it gets stomped on it just becomes a muddy mess. the boardwalks protect the fauna of the region.

perseverence lake was always a favorite hike of mine. it was all boardwalk to this lake below. i think there were over 1300 steps on the trail so a good work out. the lake on at the end was a beautiful site. as i was leaving they were continuing the trail on up to a great vista. i used to bushwhack my way to the mountain above the lake now you can take the trail. i really need to get back and visit my old trails again.

i lived on the water for several of the years i lived in ketchikan, which was wonderful. i woke up to the sound of eagles chittering away and looked out to the ocean. doesn't get much better than that. i loved to watch the various boats pass by. this is a barge. this is how many of the supplies arrive in alaska. those boxes are called containers and each one is really large. they set boats, cars and rv's on top of the boxes to give you an idea of how big these things are. occasionally you hear of a container just dropping off in rough weather.

happy solstice and happy fathers day. we just returned from a walk up blueberry hill. it's a great place to look out over anchorage. it's where you grab the trail to flat top which is the trail one must hit if you live here. it's well traveled. a bit windy up there today so i just did the blueberry hill loop. solstice is great as you can start a hike at 9:30 pm as i did tonight and have total daylight.

earlier i took the dogs to the dog park. i woke up late and it was a bit cloudy and dank out. the mama and her baby moose were there. i took some trails behind the park. not sure exactly where they go, i was a bit lost. i think they are connected to the pacific university and are used in the winter for skiing. cross country is huge here.

i also went to rei and bought a yakima car top storage thingee. now if i can just keep from slamming it in some parking garage or something...hehe.

good night...