hunting for moose in rut

 my day didn't start so hot with some stomach issues, but i did eventually get a chance to venture out to powerline pass at glen alps trailhead in search of moose.  this time of year they gather out in this area looking for love.  match.moose as it were.  had better photo ops last year, it's day by day and year by year.  the trail was good this time though and the sun was out.  going earlier in the day would afford me more sunshine as the surrounding mountains cause a shadow as the afternoon comes on.  if you click on above picture and make it larger you will spot a few more than the more obvious 2 moose.  saw probably at least 10 moose on my walk to the little bridge and back.  it's about 2miles to bridge i think.

 rio came along, she did great, a bit slow, but i wasn't in any hurry.  blossom chased her tennis ball.  i kept watch for moose near the trail.  wouldn't want to be chased by one of those bad boys.  they are quite large and can be a bit annoyed by the intrusion.  still, last year i got pretty close to several of them.  fun to watch them spar.  for closer pictures you can go back to last october and look at more moose rut pictures.  my main goal is walking so i was happy.  we haven't had a blue bird day like this for awhile.  it was lovely!

 had my biometric screen at work yesterday.  my weight keeps creeping up.  that is note pleasing me.  i'd rather avoid losing weight the way my body seemed determined to do this morning.  i did put a new rule in place.  if i sit in front of the tv for an hour, i owe the stepper a minimum of 10 minutes during the show.  i also put the free weights out where i can do a few sets of some basics every day.  other than that i will just cut back on portion sizes i think and as i said, get more dedicated to my exercise routine.  i paid the stepper at least 10 minutes time today and yesterday.  will have to  build up and then hopefully, i'll just be stepping as i watch the program.  good bye butt i hope.

 i did pass my biometric screening though, which is always good.  my blood sugar was 87 and that was after i'd had a soda and chips in my computer class before the bio screen so that makes me happy. my mom had diabetes and i'd love to avoid that one.  i probably should have fasted the 8 hours before the finger poke for the cholesterol but my hdl's are good and the ration thing was spot on. blood pressure check.

 the guy in charge was pretty serious about his job.  i was a walk in as were most of the people there.  i got there a few minutes before they opened.  the official "line" didn't start until he arrived.  people who had been there less time than me were ahead of me.  i really didn't care, i knew i'd be out of there.  i wasn't in any hurry for the thing, i tend to  be pretty chill about stuff like this.  a lady that slipped in before me was anything but calm.  she was clearly one of those nurses that you have to pull off the ceiling and calm down when the shit hits the fan.  a girl behind me in line and i actually laughed at her as she was getting all worked up...the guy in charge told her, "i'm an expert, i've been doing this for 5 weeks".  of course, this really made me laugh.  really, an expert!!  wow if my doctor or airplane pilot told me they were experts after only 5 weeks i'd be terrified.  i certainly wasn't an expert in nursing in 5 weeks.  just funny to think of a job where you are considered an expert after such a short time.

 as it turns out the expert messed up the order of the sheets and my name was called before the anxiety ridden, hyper chick.  i loved that.  the little passive/aggressive person inside was enjoying that she was no doubt stewing about me going before her even though she was in line first. (despite the fact that i was actually waiting outside longer).  hehe! it's rare that i get to go to the head of the class, but i enjoyed my little moment!

 not tons of photo ops out there since the moose were a bit further out.  too much blue sky, not enough clouds...makes for flat photography.  not to mention the shadow over the valley.  besides it's the powerline pass so often your photo's will have the powerlines in them.  powerlines are not easy to disguise in a grand landscape shot.  i just enjoyed the blue skies and sunshine though.  nothing was going to make my day grey today!

 always love the juniper type trees, maybe they are junipers.  they have such cool, twisted trunks.

 there is the powerline.

 our walrus are headed to the east coast i think.  sounded like either today or next wednesday.  hope they are treated well in their new homes. one will be going to brooklyn, new york to an aquarium there and the other to a zoo in indianapolis.  if you live near there please go say hello and support them.  poor guys.  too bad they can't go together, but at least they will be with other walrus.  wonder what getting a walrus costs.  the paper did say that it costs $10,000-$15,000 just to ship them each.  sounds like they are doing well at the sealife center and i was happy to read that indianapolis had sent some folks up to begin the bonding process and learn the walrus's routine.  will make the transition much easier.

 a few big boys out there.  watched one head over towards a few females.

 not tons of action out there today. probably picked up later in the afternoon.

 got a bit written each night on the book so all good there.  will eventually be able to totally seperate it all out and put it together in whatever order.  my brother, tom, has already showed interest in helping with editing...he may not know what he's getting himself into.  haha

 everything is brown out there and waiting for snow.  ran into some lady who said after that snow late september they were all out there skiing, there was enough snow.  sounded like everyone had fun.   we are kinda  a crazy bunch up here.  we actually like snow for the most part.  i mean how many people get excited about snow after having just a few months without it.  we are nuts i guess...but happy.  alaska is a place you either love or leave.  if you love it, it gets into your soul and there is always a yearning to return if you do leave.

 since the moose photography wasn't stellar i did some random shots with water flow.  the first one was just my art shot....if you just take the water that works.  a tripod would probably be helpful, but i don't see myself ever dragging a tripod on a hike.

 this one was a bit nicer.  we headed a bit past the bridge, but it got pretty muddy and mucky.  i felt for rio and turned around.  i didn't mind skipping the mud either.  if i'd seen a few moose close to the trail like we did last year, i'm sure i would have pressed on.

 more moose.

 this guy is pretty handsome looking.

 just scenery.

 and of course, the big mountain was in view.  that would be denali! ( or mckinley if you are from the lower 48 or someplace other than alaska, denali is what we call it, the native name for it)

 gotta start back to work tomorrow.  that probably means the weather is about to improve.  seems like that has been the way it's been.  actually, it's just been raining a lot.

maybe i'll get back to see these guys before they move out, maybe not.  hopefully, next summer/fall i will have more opportunities to get some longer hikes in.  this year bit that way.  have a great day.