back from Byers...packing away summer.

 need to look at those pictures so these are from my run down from Fairbanks.  a few fall colors.  above is Mt Drum i think...pretty sure. just loved the light that was hitting the top as dusk fell.

 it was kind of a windy run down from Fairbanks for a bit so tough to get pictures of leaves that weren't blurred from the action. beautiful drive though.  always love and try to chase the fall colors.

 i am so far behind on summer photo's.  hopefully i will slowly catch up.  not much planned this month except mandatory classes for work...you know how much i love those.  supposed to study beforehand....hopefully i don't fail this TNCC class. tomorrow i have a class on the time cards.

 thought this below came out really beautiful with that one stand of orange trees and the glacier.

 just Libs and I out at Byers cabin.  we got out of Anchorage at a reasonable good time.  the weather, well i had expected it to be rainy and cloudy but for day one we had a beautiful day.

 nice views of Denali and a little campfire for the night.  a few trips back and forth with the wagon hauling gear.  then i forgot dog bowls so i had to return, then L thought she didn't have her sleeping bag so we returned for my spare one... it's over 1/2 mile each way i think so that is 4 miles with the back and forth..before we left i had met up with LS for a 3 mile walk to wear pups out pre drive.

 they were pretty excited to be at another cabin.  they would really love to have their own lake one day.  haha.  not sure i can make that happen for them.  they may have to survive with visits to local lakes and summer outings such as Byers Lake.

 a pingo below

 took some time to get the pups settled.  Tusker was particularly concerned about sights and sounds in the woods.  a group was supposedly staying in the other cabin and stopped by to ask if there was anyway to drive down to the cabin, also seemed to believe there was electrical outlets in these cabins.  we are pretty sure they opted to find a hotel as they seemed pretty ill prepared for a cabin with zero amenities.

 starting next year Alaskans no longer have an extra month on those out of state  visitors to rent these cabins.  kind of a bummer really.  especially if folks like this, who really have no awareness of what these cabins have available, will be taking spots.

 Tusker was shaking a few times with nerves, finally just led him to the bed and snuggled with him until he relaxed.

 the pipeline in the fall foliage.  even that looks pretty in a way.

 got up several times to check for lights outside.  none seen. seemed like a good day for Northern lights.  i never went out though as i figured it would just get the dogs riled up.

 next day was cloudy, but a high ceiling so we went for a walk around Byers Lake.  it's about 5 miles and we added the side trail over to the falls.  we could see Denali from the other shore, but that was the last we would see the big mountain on this trip.  soon after we got back to the cabin it began to rain...rain and wind all night.  the pups were more tired i think and they settled in that second night a bit easier.

 we had a good fire in the cabin to keep it toasty warm.  we also had new neighbors who had not had the luck we did.  they appeared to have walked quite a while in the rain.  they were soaked and cold.  they had accents, not sure where they were from actually, but they had backpacks, no wood.  he came over asking if we had any wood he could buy.  they had apparently parked a ways north of Byers and hiked/hitchhiked.  so more less than prepared.  we had spare wood but we would take any money for it.  we saw them hiking out in the rain again in the morning.  they had been able to at least get warm.

 we had a break in the rain for our first load out and then a building rain for the second run.  L through the tennis ball for the kids while i loaded all the gear in the car....it's a delicate packing routine with the wagon and various bungee cords.

 i had tossed the toy earlier as she swept out the cabin.  wrote our note and headed out.

 we stopped in Talkeetna for a bit, eat lunch, wander a few stores.  still buses of tourists and trains of tourists stopping through.  not in the numbers as the peak of summer, but still more and more tourists come earlier in Spring and stay later in Fall.  I'd go for the fall end...these colors are always amazing.

 had debated heading north a bit and driving a bit of the Denali Highway...but the lousy weather made it more attractive to just head home.  so i guess I'll have to skip a year of that drive and be happy with what i experienced.  perhaps I'll head to the Kenai for their fall color changes.

 these are at a pull out....with the pups i always stop every few hours at least just so they can romp and stretch their legs, chase the tennis ball.

 even Ivy is wiped out tonight.

 must have been some winds here while i was away.  my deck chair and taken out my deck table.  the glass top is shattered.  I'll have to deal more with that tomorrow.  i swept up the glass that had fallen, so now I'll have to put something down and break out the rest of the glass.  the deck umbrella also seems to have busted.  bummer.

 the rain on the second night forces relaxation, which was nice.  reading, napping, jenga and solitaire were on the docket.

 the honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Stubbs the cat, passed away not too long ago.  we stopped in Nagleys store to pay our respects today and to meet he acting new mayor, Denali.  he is a Siamese.  thankfully, he'd been acting as intern so was prepared to take over the duties of Mayor after Stubbs passing. haha.

 was surprised to note that Denali is not really a young cat.  i hope he has an intern just in case. Stubbs survived a dog attack and lived to a pretty old age.

 will be lovely to sleep in my bed tonight....then back for 3 nights of work again.

 amazing how quickly the colors do change.  could tell some differences just from last week.

 the highway would have been cool but it was nice to be home before 3 pm today and get showered, take a nap and start putting summer away.  time to stow the gear and prepare for winter.

 annoyed that this handyman has been a slacker in getting my little library built.  haven't heard from him for a few weeks and starting to think i may need to look for another and give up on this guy.  he says he has it mostly built though.  does he?  frustrating depending on others some times for stuff like this.

 really hoped to get the library out and enjoyed through the summer months, now hoping i can find a place for it before the ground freezes.

 may have to just plan on painting it this winter and get it out there in the Spring.

 so another lovely time out at Byers Lake.  hard to go wrong out there.

 saw no bear scat or tracks on the loop around the lake.

 did see some leftover salmon swimming.  Ivy saw them jumping.  there were quite a few near the tent camp sites on the other shore.  doubt she knew what was jumping but she took off swimming after them.  soon after Tusker saw a merganser and he took off swimming after that.

 the hanging bridge has been replaced, at least temporarily.  guess it didn't survive the winter.

 we didn't see a soul on the loop...at some point i decided to answer the call of nature...of course, at that point some tourists came along.  that is life i guess. we were cracking up though...i mean we had not seen a soul until i made my way into the woods to take a pee.

 just some shots from the road

 then Mount Drum.  that was seen right after i got gas in Glennallen.  after that darkness came and there were no more stops for photo's. i did see several moose on the sides of the roads so i drove it a bit slower.  no desire to ever hit a moose out there.  they are too big.

 the pups slept all the way back from Glennallen.  they did pretty well on this trip as well.  i finally used this divider thing my friend Gnat had given me.  they could still jump over it but it at least gave L a fighting chance at peace in the front seat.

 i better get some stuff done, check on the time and place of this class tomorrow.  you can imagine how thrilled i am for it.  haha.

grateful for:  A.  safe travels once again with beautiful views.  B.  health to enjoy these adventures C. living in such an amazing and inspiring place.