back from Valdez...

 again loads of pictures to work through so these are just a snippet taken with the cell phone.  i really need to clear up the space on the phone.  take it to costco and get a few cd's made of all the pics/video's so i can delete them from the phone . it keeps telling me i have no space anymore. 

 a few are from a walk to Arctic Valley with friends the day before i left for Valdez. 

 always so pretty up there with the views.  hard to imagine in that valley below one man was killed and another mauled by a bear.  it's still out there by the way.  last i heard. 

 so my plans had changed due to the costochondritis.  i had already arranged a pet sitter so i decided i may as well make some new plans and do a few things i would never do because i always have the dogs when I'm here. 

 it was a beautiful drive out of course, which always means it takes much longer since i stop everywhere and take photos.  nice without the dogs as anytime you stop, they assume they are going to get out and play...makes you just take pics from inside the car rather than really get out all the time as they just get too hyped up.  that is Matanuska Glacier above. 

 i took the time to stop there, pay the small fee and wander around.  it has receded quite a bit since last i paid that fee a few years back. fun to wander around.  i stayed in the campground i usually stay at but i stayed in one of the cute little cabins they have that are dog free.

 it looks pretty small, but it had a full bed, small kitchenette, toilet/shower and all the amenities one would want.  pretty sweet! liked the little plug in heater as it really warmed up the place.  as i headed towards Thompson pass the weather looked worse.  fog/rain.  above was shot on the glacier, Valdez Glacier

 this is pups on the Arctic Valley hike.  some lady got a major flat tire.  air was flying out of it.  that road is worse than most other roads I've driven in AK so far. 

 my first adventure the next day was a short kayak across Valdez Lake, a landing on Valdez Glacier and then a hike on the glacier, followed by the little paddle back across the lake.  we paddled slowly around all the ice on the lake, taking photos. 

 figured it would be minimally strenuous on the ribs. i did start to feel it slightly part way back to the shore so i think it was a good choice.  slight increased discomfort that night but i did not have the bad break through pain I'd had the last paddle so it must be healing....as long as i continue to not do too much.  this little excursion really looked like fun when i have seen others go out on it.  not too spendy and the guide i ended up with was super fun.  she grew up in Valdez...great as most Alaskan guides you run across are up here for the summer between college semesters.

 i was a bit anxious, not surprising, when they told us that morning we would land on the glacier and we had to be careful as it was a drop into 300 feet water at the edge of the glacier.  would our landing area collapse under us, calve?  thankfully it didn't. 

 we were also on inflatable kayaks that were sit atops.  that was new experience as well.  strange but perfect for the situation. 

 as we landed we discovered that there were steps made of ice at the lip of the glacier edge...who knows, those could have been an inch thick and buckled under our weight or 50 foot thick.  ultimately we landed and took off safely. 

 that is our landing spot.  glacier covered in shale type rocks. 

 views on the way down.  Mount Drum.

 me on the glacier.  that shale is a bit deceiving.  right below it is ice.  oddly we all did fine in our xtra tuff boots (or similar).  we did climb one hill of ice/shale and at one point i had the shale slide out under my feet, which leaves you with just ice.  not much of a way to stop your slide or get back up on the ice.  the guide took my camera and water until i could get myself back up and on top of the hill.  no crevasse rescues required that day.

 my fellow paddlers getting ready to load into kayak.  he is checking the ice step with his paddle. 

 it was cloudy but still really flat calm water.  no wind made for a sweet paddle, which was perfect for me.

 if you have never done this, i would highly recommend it.  great day out there.

 there are our boats headed back to town.

 strange to be without the pups.  they seemed to have done well though.  i was tired at the end of both days. woke way too early in excitement for the days activity

 looking up the glacier.  we could walk quite a ways.  a few sketchy bits but overall, it felt super safe. 

 cruised around the old main part of town.  after the earthquake and tsunami of '64 they moved town.  32 lives were lost in the tsunami so it seemed smart to shift where town was for future safety.

 lots of pretty flowers in the area, not much left to see of the old town. they do have photo's placed where stuff was.

 above you can see our kayaks sitting on the edge of the glacier.  if it calved and our boats fell in we'd be screwed but at least we had no concerns for the tide coming in and taking them i guess.

 lupine all over, so beautiful!

 this is me on the next days excursion.  an 8 hour boat trek past Columbia Glacier and on to this glacier, Meares.  beautiful and relaxing. i  could not have relaxed if I'd left the dogs in the car back in Valdez. 

 these are from the kayak trek.  more of some ice caves we entered and the boat on the edge of the ice.

 lupine in town at the harbor

 these are all jumbled...that is how they load from the phone. 

 on the way out to Valdez i spotted 7 moose on or near the road.  on the way home my final tally was 11 moose.  one section really ramped up the numbers. seems there are always a lot of them in that area.  i took my time.  i didn't leave Valdez last night until around 7pm and it's like a 5 hour drive back.  again i stopped when i felt like it to stretch a bit, enjoy views or take photo's. 

 i also saw a fox and a porcupine on the way back. 

 keystone canyon never disappoints.  the big waterfalls and rock formations.

 lots of wildflowers along the roadside.  i really hadn't noticed the columbine on the way in.  not sure if that was because the weather was looking more sketchy and i was tired and just booking or if they just have bloomed in the days since i arrived.  both are possible.

 i haven't even began to look at the photo's i took. still have to unpack the gear. should take off again for a few days or just do some fun day trips...maybe Seward, Talkeetna....so many things to see and do up here.  love, love, love it.

 at Meares Glacier.  nothing out there but our boat and the seals and birds.  i think the face is nearly 1/2 mile wide i think or more...can't recall.

 a little photo op spot.

 my first moose sighting on the way back from Valdez. 

 more flowers on the side of a road in old Valdez.

 the rest are from portage area and the wildlife conservation center on the way to Homer a few weeks ago or last week?  not sure.

 moose is getting his rack back.

 little grooming porcupine.

 they are really cute in their own way

 and of course, the bears.

 several baby bison which were fairly close to the road there.

 well, i better get moving.  lots to do today.  did get the yard mowed though so that was a start.  we just hit the dog park.  off to look at pictures...

grateful for:  A.  safe travels, moose on road and not on car.  B.  beautiful scenery and wildlife and those who fight to protect it for the future C.  to live here in the most beautiful place on earth....well, from what I've seen anyway.  :-) 

to all robins...bite me!!

 2 nights in the ER and now a stretch off.  can i just say, if you can't handle your weed..don't take it, but thanks for the laugh!!

 spent a large part of my awake hours trying to wear out the super dogs!  they apparently can not be worn out.  i always spend time when i get home throwing the tennis ball.

 aside from food my largest role in these eyes is that of supreme tennis ball tosser.  i think they do like me, but i could just as easily be replaced by an automated tennis ball thrower.  haha..  okay probably not.

 i slept a bit and then we headed to Campbell Airstrip for a nearly 4 mile walk and tennis ball throwing was, of course, included in the activities...required for almost the entire 4 miles.  the tennis ball was lost near the end of the walk so i got a break...though i still had the chuck it and Ivy Rose was sure i had a tennis ball. 

 don't tell, i did have a spare tennis ball, i usually do, but that late in the walk i really wasn't planning on letting on that i had it.  don't want them to start to think leaving the tennis balls in the woods will automatically mean the reward of a new tennis ball. 

 we all unwittingly teach our dogs bad habits...my friend and i one day unwittingly taught Blossom to hump Rio Catalina. by the time we figured out what we had just trained her to do, it was too late.  we would get chatting and i would forget to toss the tennis ball for Blossom.  to get our attention she one day humped Rio.  it worked, we got her off Rio and then promptly threw her tennis ball...rewarded!! oops!

 with Butch, i thought it would be a great idea to give him an old tennis shoe to chew on...dogs do not know the difference between old shoes and new shoes. they are equal opportunity chewers.

 these are a mixture of dog park the other day and Campbell Airstrip today i think.

 i stopped by Cheney Lake to check on the grebe nests.  figured the nest that had 2 eggs would have been hatched by now...

 instead there are now more like 5 eggs.

 after that i decided I'd get over to Reflections Lake to see what i could see of the wildflowers.  they tend to bloom mid June and i didn't want to totally miss it.  it sprinkled a bit but not too bad. probably enough to keep the bugs from being too nuts on me. 

 the mosquito's are building though.

 there was a spider on the wall in one of the ER rooms last night. i kept walking past him on my way out of this particular room and i knew he was there but he still scared me every time.

 i know i could have killed him off but some days i just make deals with the arachnids. you don't bother me and i won't smash you to smithereens.  not sure how to spell that and I'm not sure if spell check will get it either. (spell check did know and corrected me)

 they just look cute in the wild flowers.

 hope i can chase wildflowers around the state a bit this summer like i do with mushrooms and fall colors.

 my deck flowers are looking pretty fine. i still have one more pot i really should fill up. the yard work phase is nearly over...now it's just mow, weed whack and prep for the next winter. i do need to get more pea rock things for that area by the shed. the dogs do enjoy having a new area to chase the tennis ball.

 this is the airstrip. 

 these are a trek to the dunes with my friend and her new puppy...her older pup joined as well.  i believe she and Jake have become big fans of the dunes!! dogs do love it there!

 we'd gone a day or two before this as well.  this day was nice because it was a bit overcast so not as hot.  the dogs could go crazy and we didn't need to worry about too hot sand.

 there is a pool of water...my two headed right for it, of course.

 was just reading about the bear attack of last week again.  i was out there by myself, i often am.  it's go alone or not at all most days. often i do text a few folks and see if anyone is free, but if not i just go with the dogs.

 i carry bear spray and an air horn.  no gun.  guess that is either brave or stupid. 

 i do kind of chuckle to myself when i cross these big strong guys with a gun out there...thinking they are passing a middle aged female in the same bear country as they are in ...but sans gun.  kind of makes me feel like I'm the brave one.

 I've been up in Alaska since '95.  several close encounters and I've yet to need to use the spray. not sure I'd be able to get it out in time anyway if a bear chose to do the unthinkable. i tend to just try to live with the idea that most wild animals would rather not encounter us either.  make noise, let them know you are around...mostly they will leave you be.  there is always that random bear or random situation. 

 took a few tries but i think we got very lucky with the photo above. turned out super sweet!!  i bet that pup has grown since this was taken.  haha.  they do grow super fast.

 they look to be replacing the fencing along the motor cross track. it was mostly down anyway. 

 the dogs had my attention all day so really i must say i got nothing else accomplished. i do love being outdoors though. the flowers are beautiful

 the pups were mostly on leash out there today at Reflections.  i really need to make good on my plan to do a leash walk every day....i fail mostly because they really are just good off leash.  they totally need the training and being better on leash would open up more fun stuff to do with them.

 this is the Campbell Estuary .

 the bird chasing has been our biggest issue with leash walking.  Tusker is on the hunt at all times.  if he goes, she goes.

 the robins....they always keep just 20-30 feet ahead. just enough to make Tusker and Ivy both nuts.  flying off once we start to get close, only to stop another 30 feet off and repeat.  torture.

 here is one of the grebes on it's nest at Cheney Lake.  a dragonfly below.  those are always cool.

 Saudi women are driving finally!!  so happy for them....doesn't seem like much but it's a start towards more independence.

 wild Iris are all over

 above you can just see the little baby peeking out from under the wing.

 our guard dog at work comes in at shift change for some unmuzzled loving time.  good for all!

 both nights i worked regular Er for the first half and then morphed into holds

 the rest are from the start of Homer with the dogs. 

 need to pack and plan and then just bite the bullet and do a few days out at Valdez...sans dogs as they trial a new sitter.

 a small lake or large pond?  i often stop here to let the dogs swim, walk a bit and get the driving jitters out. the water is always a hit

 these birds were not pleased with us being there and became very dramatic and animated.

 no worries, no baby birds were seen or injured.

 the antics kept up though.

 here is one in a calmer moment.

 now that the dogs were back to swimming i guess they felt safer.

 they can be beasts though!!

thankful for:  a. the entertaining moments at work.  keep being dumb and coming to the ER people, we love it!! b.  when the screaming, annoying patient isn't my patient c. these Henry's hard soda, grape flavor...num!  i basically drink the equivalent of one beer every one or two months.  our patients generally lie about their alcohol intake.  thankful that i do not have the alcohol tendencies of others.  it can be good, but mostly i see the bad that comes from it.