drive to Denali and back...

 i was undecided about actually going all the way to Denali yesterday. it's a 5 hour drive each way.  i do enjoy the spring drive north though. the Denali road is open to all up to mile 30...and extra 15 miles of access.  it's fun to see what is out.

 at first i just headed to Reflections Lake with the dogs.  we did a loop and as you can see from the first photo is was beautiful out.  the dogs behaved pretty well. they are supposed to be on leash, but for this pair leashes are often a frustrating and tiresome event.  they behave much better off leash because of their obsession with the tennis ball.

 then we headed to Talkeetna.  the town was fairly busy with locals it seems mostly and dogs, lots of dogs.  we headed to the trail system they have there that i have discovered recently.  it's for cross country skiing in the winter but summers are great as well.  so we did the Otter loop.

 lots of swimming for the pups in addition to the walking. 

 because i meandered and got a late start, we didn't actually arrive at Denali until around 7pm.  so i made it home around 2:30 am. 

 strange day today of mixed sleep.  woke too early with not enough rest, crashed again and re-woke at around 3pm. 

 at that point i discovered the system i'd set up to keep Covi Cat in the yard had failed. called in back ups...so thanks to JS and LS for assistance in cat proofing the back yard.  staples, zip ties....it was a team effort.  we shall see. the rain gutters have been installed as well now, upside down on the tops of the fences.

 a few photos from the week. 

 had to get some Covi Kitten time in on the blog.  he's so cute. today he came in coated with those little sticky pods the leaves pop out of.  what a mess!  not a fan of the cottonwood trees for this reason.

 i do need to go close the run for the night.  still doing that.  not sure when i'll stop and just see what happens. i do leave the yard open to Covi when i'm sleeping after a shift.  so far, knock on wood, he hasn't left the yard.  supposed to rain a bit the next day or two. 

 i did get a bag of raspberry twigs collected.  those things can  be tasty but they can be a menace as they just grow like crazy.  so i got some trimming done.  so today wasn't a total waste of time.

 the sights along the way to/from Denali were beautiful.  overall, i'm very happy i made the long drive.

 i knew i'd kick myself if i didn't.  too pretty not to just keep driving.

 i'm nearly ready to crash again.  hopefully, i'll get back to my more abnormal, normal schedule

 the critters continue to do well together.  the covi kitten continues to grow. he's long and tall, taller than Miss Breezy already

 he's out in the rain right now.  silly kitten. so i'm trying to get him inside so i can close up the run for the night.

 when i got home last night there was a moose cruising down my street as i unloaded.  thankfully, i'd already gotten the pups inside.

 saw quite a few moose coming and going to Denali.  a few inside the park. 

 mostly saw caribou scattered about on the drive in and out of the park.  a larger group right on the road as i left.  also saw a few hares and a porcupine and a grizzly bear. 

 not tons of traffic out there but enough. 

 it was a pretty chill day.  i knew the rain was coming so i just didn't want to waste the day.

 this below was taken in Willow around 1 am.  always so odd to look north this time of year and see the light continue.  they should be in total light about now.

 no walk today for the dogs.  just never got to it.  they did get lots of tennis ball time in the yard as i did my chores, so don't feel too badly for them.

 off of my masks that i ordered have now arrived. our numbers are still low again today.  so i'm happy with that.

 not sure where that kitten is at.  didn't see him under the deck but it's not like i can see everything down there. he's gonna break my heart one day.  disappear.  that is the worst.  not knowing

 i listened to several episodes of the podcast, "stuff you should know" they always inform and entertain. 

 the furs all gathered on the bed.

 it was a nice low tide for Reflections Lake.  there were quite a few folks out.  people have really been enjoying their Ak time this spring. 

 you can see some stickers in his tail.  he's a bit of a mess at times.  he has it good here so i do hope he's with us for many years.  some cats are just more prone to become escape artists.  Miss Breezy just has never really shown any interest in escaping.  she seems to know how good she has it.  hopefully, he figures it out soon.

 Denali as seen from our  walk in Talkeetna.

 puffy clouds always add to the views.

 lots of burned trees in the Willow area getting cleared it seems.  hoping we do not have another bad year for fires. last year was awful.  i drove through the Hatchers Pass road across to Willow and there is so much dead stuff out there and bark beetle kill.  if a fire starts there it will have loads of fuel.  sad to drive down to the Kenai and see the remains of that fire from last summer.

 swim time for the pups out here oceanside at the Reflections Lake trail.  this is a side trail from the main loop

 skimming some old papers.  it's all the old stuff. amazing how quickly news is old of late. so many crazy things that this iitoo and administration does. they aren't working towards helping those who have lost jobs or those who are impacted by this virus, instead they continue to  plug away at their agenda of filling courts with crazy conservatives and funneling money to the rich at every chance they find.

 Covi just turned up.  dry so he must have a new place to snuggle in for naps. so run is shut for the night.  he does have his little spots.

 the area north of Talkeetna still has quite a bit of snow and a few frozen lakes, thawing but still frozen. 

 the place is greening up down here.  just barely getting started up north though.  once it happens things move super fast.  it's amazing to watch the daily changes.  if i made the drive to Denali again next week i'd find it greatly changed.  that happens every week through the summer.  different plants and flowers bloom. 

 i can walk the same trails over and over and still have different experiences.  it's always amazing to me. then mid to late August the reverse happens as things disappear and die in preparation for the upcoming winter.

 winter is just a variety of ice and snow.  still pretty amazing to see what nature throws at us up here.

 Trump has announced that we have prevailed over the Covid Virus...sounds a bit like when Bush said we had won the war in Iraq or was it Afghanistan...either way...both are messes we are still mixed up with. we didn't really win anything and we certainly haven't beaten Covid. 

 one caribou in Denali.  actually saw quite a few.  always fun seeing the wildlife. 

 down here we are greening up.  i tossed more grass seeds out there. perhaps this little bit of rain will help green up my lawn. 

 there is a good reason it's called Reflections Lake.  so beautiful out there.

 lots of folks there, hardly any on the trails in Talkeetna, which was nice.  good to get out of Anchorage bowl for a hike. 

 cooking is a game.  use what you have.  stir fry today.  thaw chicken, add frozen veggies and noodles. 

 the cupboards aren't bare but it can be a bit more of a game determining dinner.  didn't eat out that much before really.  better crash...after paying a bill that is due. oops. easy to get lazy and miss stuff.

thankful for A.  friends who can help out when i need them. thanks guys!!  :-)  B. long drives to beautiful places.  C. my furs...wouldn't want to know how this would all be without them.