each day an adventure in alaska: overnighter to Valdez....

was packed for more. debated it briefly, but in the end i just came back home. had debated Tok and beyond but it was hot even if it wasn't smokey. it was great to get out of the smoke though and overall it was a great little adventure. take them when you can.

we packed a lot into these two days. ended up just taking my smaller tent. actually it was easy to set up and cozy with the pups inside. they were beat after a day of swimming and playing and driving, which for some reason wears them out more than me. it's just having their routine altered. dogs are used to the life they live and when you alter it, it's a bit stressful for them i think. not that they didn't have fun, but dogs are into "vacations" really. they are happy chasing their tennis ball and swimming not matter what the surrounding scenery looks like. i suppose they do enjoy the new scents though perhaps. Tusker took up the center spot on the blow up mattress. the bugs were getting me blowing it up outside so we crammed inside...it was never fully inflated and so i suspect that impacted my ability to sleep well.

better to take the time and do things right. between sleep and the drive i had/have a headache from all the knots. really need to check in with my massage therapist. she should have had her 3rd kid and be about done with maternity...she's only coming back part time i think anyway...and at a different location.

one stop was at this lake along the way, Long Lake. we always seem to stop here so the dogs can stretch and swim. with this heat this place was packed. it's just a roadside parking area but it was full. a few kids ran towards us and requested to toss the tennis ball for the dogs...i never tossed the ball for them after that..it became one kid after another. above that you see our second stop was at the Matanuska Glacier. i have never done the tour. for an Alaskan you pay $25 just for access. with the dogs i just wander around with them playing in the kettle ponds, hiking around. i stopped once we hit actual ice.

there is a trail in the front of the glacier...it has receded so much, this trail used to go to the actual front, now there is a large lake area in front as well as lots of kettle ponds. amazing how far back it has receded. so now lots of places to cruise around with dogs before you put your dog or yourself in any sketch area's. tons of tourists on the glacier too so best to avoid that. the dogs did entertain all the tourists and had their photo's taken repeatedly swimming in the ponds. Ivy did not jump on anyone...she has really slowed down on the jumping. whew!! finally!!

they settle in for naps between swim/tennis ball breaks. Ivy in precarious positions.

Tusker generally gets the front seat. we only were stopped once for road work, just before the Worthington Glacier. the girl holding the sign gushed over the dogs for the entire time we were there.

fireweed was everywhere. love fireweed...just seeing that pink line the roadway is cool. was tempted to drive the Richardson north to Fairbanks. that is always a pretty drive.

slept well last night in my own bed though i must admit.

lots of daisies as well. i love all the wildflowers in the north. there are so many varieties. soon they will be dying off and the mushrooms will enjoy their time before winter returns. hard to imagine winter with all this heat.

doesn't seem quite as smokey today here. still hot. we will head out for a walk eventually i guess. Ivy is panting just from tennis ball play in the yard though so water is a must where ever we go. above is Valdez Lake in front of Valdez Glacier. the glacier is in that valley back there...it has also receded quite a bit. with this heat the water level of the lake was up more than I've seen it and there was lots of ice out there. lots of folks kayaking and paddle boarding.

Ivy all cozy in the tent. her coat is coated in the silt so she is grey now.

as i returned there was a section between Glacier View and Sutton where i followed the rain back. it never rained on me but it did rain just ahead of me. so great to feel that coolness and smell the smells of a fresh rain.

possible rain next week here so one can hope.

add my niece to your kind thoughts and prayer list. she is having a c-section today. there have been some complications cropping up with her little baby girl...the pregnancy has been stressful and life will be a bit challenging for this wee one and her folks. hoping for the best for all of them and that the complications end with what is obvious and do not extend to more difficulties.

stopped at the top of Thompson Pass to look for flowers. the dogs just wanted to play in the water of course and there was a wee bit of snow there to play in...always great on a hot day.

haven't started looking at the photo's from the bigger camera...these are all from the phone.

should pick up a big fan for the dogs up here...they would love it...are there any fans left in Anchorage? nobody has air conditioning...who would think you would need it here. we hit 90 the other day...we rarely really get over 70's in the summers. this summer that isn't true though.

this is on the way to Glenallen. less snow on these mountains than i have seen in the past.

Keystone Canyon coming into Valdez is always so pretty. there are these huge/impressive water falls

beautiful scenery all over Alaska. actually the less pretty road scenery wise is the one from Palmer to Denali National Park. the other one that is dull is the back Alaskan Highway from Tok to Fairbanks. much prefer going to the less traveled Richardson Highway. so much prettier.

the bugs were pretty plentiful out on this trip. mostly gnats and biting flies.

below is a part of the remnants of old Valdez. they moved the town soon after the quake/tsunami of 1964. CA just had a 7.1....i know how that feels. they are dealing with all those aftershocks now. never fun. thankfully, the epicenter was pretty far from any major cities so like here not bad damage wise.

on the way home i stopped at the falls in Keystone to let the dogs get in the water to cool off.

a smokey sunset on the way back into Anchorage.

I'll have to get the hose out for the dogs when I'm done here. then perhaps i can try to work through some of the photos i took over the past few days.

Ivy is in go mode of course any time i move.

all the campgrounds were packed due to the holiday week. where i stayed there was noise all over...felt like the closest i would come to living in the projects..neighbors on top on all sides. one lady sounded like she had pneumonia or influenza she was hacking hard. been there, but it is hard to sleep through. babies crying...probably from being in hot tents and having their schedules disrupted.

Tusker must be on a short leash in camp due to his habit of bolting towards things. people to say hello, birds and rabbits to chase. if he's on a long lead i fear he will snap his neck. he tried a few times with the short leash. scares the crap out of me. too many other humans to be off leash though.

we got in and set up after 10pm though so i just set up, jumped in the tent and tried to crash.

below is the Matanuska Glacier on the way home. the rain had just happened and there was a rainbow as i pulled up...the light just looked too amazing not to stop. the rainbow faded as i jumped out of my car...still pretty though.

pups chill while i tear down camp and get ready for our day. we chilled in Valdez through the day, doing all the things i love doing there.

we hiked on the trail off of Homestead Rd to the beach, it was low tide at 11 am. then ate at the park at the harbor. then we hit the Valdez lake

after that i headed over to the hatchery and i could have stayed there hours just watching the salmon run...there were so many and there were sea lions and seals taking advantage of this easy food. i did stay for quite a while...hoping i got a few fun photo's...the dogs were in the car though and it was hot out there so i didn't stay too long. we went to the old town of Valdez for a last stretch before heading out.