back from Valdez

 after some last minute decision making, watching the road conditions, i called the public use cabin number who quickly granted a request for a refund over having us attempt to drive north through the fire.  we would no doubt have been stuck in traffic for hours and thick smoke attempting to get there. so i texted my friend and said, how about Valdez.  it was smoke free for the most part.  it did reek of dead salmon.  that won't drive me into an asthma attack though so a much better option.

 there was dead salmon everywhere.  we watched those poor beasts over and over in the last moments of life...gulls hovered everywhere waiting to eat out their eyeballs. haven't been able to figure out why they do this but they have been known to eat the eyeballs of baby seals and the baby walrus that was found on a dock had gulls do damage to it's eyes. 

 in some cultures eating fish eye balls is a delicacy.  they are apparently tasty and have nutritional value...said to have helped with memory.  i don't see myself trying it, but i guess it's an easy meal for the gulls.  those poor fish aren't even dead yet and their eyes are getting gouged out.  pretty brutal. 

 we decided salmon must have done something horrible in a previous life to have returned as a salmon.  those poor fish were all on their last moments of life, still frantically swimming, driving to spawn.  they were attacking each other and being attacked as they swam up river in vain at times...since they seemed to have taken a wrong route.  they are being tormented by seals, sea lions, bears, gulls, other birds, humans...one of the Koch brothers died today...perhaps he will return as a salmon...one can only hope.  do horrible people die in threes...?  i have a few names that I'd like to put in as a request for the next two. maybe we'll get lucky and he will have heirs who are not as hell bent on the conservative agenda as he was. 

 took the big tent...of course, while we were out exploring the wind picked up and one of the tent poles snapped and the tent had fallen down.  a design flaw for sure...there should be tie downs on the side poles.  i parked by our fallen tent and put the dogs on leash...as i stepped out a guy from the campground rode up in his little golf cart.  i honestly thought he was going to ask if we needed help..instead he starts going off on the dogs not pooping on the lawn.  I'm all, what could we have possibly done...the dogs had just stepped on to the lawn, i have been here several times and i have always obeyed the no poop in the tent area signs.  it just pissed me off. 

 so we worked together to put up the tent again...nobody offered to help...but finally a fellow Alaskan from site #75 did turn up to help.  thank you.  it stayed up for our next night. I'll have to see if i can get that tent pole replaced.  bummer.  it was cold at night, down in the 30'sF.  the first night i felt colder, i think i just was more prepared for it the second night. 

 we stopped by the Matanuska Glacier on the way out.  my friend had never been to Valdez or to the Glacier so it all worked out.

 some fall colors are starting up.

 we hit the homestead trail down to the beach a few times.  the dogs love it, it's easy.  the tide was nice and low.  all good. more dead fish.  every creek was full of salmon, both dead and alive.  the dogs were jumping around like crazy not sure what was bumping into them.  it was cracking me up.  at one point Tusker got across and wasn't going to cross back over again.  he decided he was done with those crazy fish.  my friend had xtra tuffs on so she waded out to lure both dogs back...Ivy had joined him to rescue the tennis ball

 the Valdez rabbits were everywhere again.  the dogs wanted to chase them but i kept them on short leashes...so they wouldn't snap their necks if they did chase them.  overall, i think we wore them out so much they just watched the rabbits.  no barking the first night at all. they barked the second night but that was only because someone set up a tent in the dark right by our tent and they had a dog.

 gave myself a break from the low carb, though i didn't go too high carb and we ate at the Fat Mermaid and the next day at the Potato...though with a name like potato I'd think they would have a better and tastier selection of potatoes. oh well.

 we wandered around the old town site a few times over the days we were there...again lots of dead fish everywhere.  dehydrated, flat dead fish at times.  kind of creepy actually.

 was called deranged by my brother today who always complains that i name call him but has no problem calling me names i guess. i suppose i have lost my sense of humor in this hell of politics.  the iitoo is not a visionary for suggesting we buy Greenland.  yes, we purchased AK and the Louisiana Purchase but those countries that owned that land were both in dire straights financially and those territories were a burden...plus it was quite awhile ago.  the humans that lived there were not really considered, i would hope we have evolved a bit, but probably not.  we are all just pawns. 

 sadly these conversations are pointless.  he simply regurgitates the right wing propaganda talking points.  i mean word for word.  I'm so sick of hearing about the "nothing burger" from people who can't be bothered to actually read the report. there are legitimate investigations being done into this administration and how it is run.  the man refused to release his taxes and is battling as hard as he can to prevent his finances from being released and yet they still want to investigate Hillary and tell the left to let it go when it comes to trump...they won't let anything go on Hillary and she has zero power.  they give him a pass because they are being convinced that he is doing everything they want.  i guess they want the deficit to be over a trillion dollars because  between his tax breaks for the rich and tariff wars our economy is going to go in the crapper. party of fiscal responsibility...my arse!

 why the secrecy?  what is in those taxes and financial documents that are worth hiding them?  why so gentile with Put?  why is he going out of his way for the Saudi's?  why are so many around him being caught in corrupt schemes?  this is not new in trump world...he's been riding the edge of legal for decades.  his money has gotten him out of trouble repeatedly. 

 still working on fixing the WARIS site.  that has been a week of frustration.  i have another step to take...at least the phone call today may have directed me to a solution.  fingers crossed. 

 hanging in the campground.

 i think it's the only place in AK without a burn ban right now. 

 with cooler temperatures I'm hopeful we will finally get some rain and some relief from the fires.

 the world is a mess.  it needs a stable leader in the US but we can not give the world that.  we can only hope we can get him out in the next election...of course, the GOP are not interested in doing anything to prevent any interference in the next election by any foreign powers because that interference will be to their benefit so they choose to ignore that any interference happened in the last one. 

 there is no reasoning at this point.  it's going to just be a matter of time...time will prove how dysfunctional this administration is.  arguing is pointless. 

 above is Valdez Lake.  there were some huge ice bergs....large calvings from this super warm summer.  no surprise i guess that 3 recently died out there.  glaciers are more risky this summer.

 the warming is pretty obvious to anyone who cares to look at the facts.  it's happening at an alarmingly rapid rate.  we, the humans, and the industrial revolution have hastened it.  i am a part of that.  i live, i use oil...none of us can prevent it as individuals, but that doesn't mean we can't try to do what we can and that we can't implore our leaders to take steps to slow the situation.  believe science not conspiracy theories, but we are being run by conspiracy theorists right now so being rational is just not an option.

 the bunnies of Valdez are not wild bred bunnies but captive bred that were released to the wild years ago and have thrived in town.  they are everywhere.  i didn't see as many earlier when i was there, but i suspect they were just tending to little babies so less out in the open.

 before i left Anchorage it was pretty smokey.  it was going to be worse heading north.

 there was a bit of smoke from time to time noted in Valdez, but overall the air was fairly clear.

 thanks MT for the firewood.  we shared it with some Chileans.  they rode motorcycles up from Chili.  that is a long road trip!! then we shared the rest with some folks who were leaving Cordova and headed to Washington. great to run into a friend unexpectedly and enjoy a fire together.

 the dogs resting by the picnic table...they really were very good.

 flat dead salmon.

 the ferry is taking a $5 million cut under our trump wanna be governor....mind boggling.  that ferry is a critical service to Southeast and the Aleutians. 

 oddly despite the Kenai being ravaged by fires...it is now also under flood watch.  not from rain, but the heat has caused a glacier lake to be released.  the natural dam of ice broken.

 this whole season has been horrible for tourism i fear.  i feel terrible for those who dreamed of an AK vacation only to be met with smoke and fires.  Valdez has benefited i think since many altered plans as we did.

 all is not lost, but i am lost.  i walk further away from my roots. detached. who are they? who am I?

 i am deeply saddened by how their thinking on various topics have evolved.  i can't find their reasoning sound.  i can't find the kindness in their logic.  i can't find any good in this leader who they defend and uphold.  he is not kind, he is not even sane most of the time.  he rambles, his ego being his biggest driver.  he hangs onto his most loyal supporters like they are the life support he craves to carry on...they are his air and they are thrilled to breath into his ever expanding ego.

 the cavern grows deeper and wider...i have no idea if we will ever be able to find a bridge home.  they do not respect my views, i am confounded by theirs.  how is it possible that such intelligent people could fall prey to this man?  what do they believe is so terrible that our nation needs to be destroyed to survive? 

 bizarre new statue dropped off while we ate.

 i may end up walking more alone that i ever was.  our nation may end up with more blood shed before this is over.  these mass shootings are nothing more than suicide bombers.  most of them are white males, most of them agree with the trump agenda. most of them are angry and opt to die killing others.

 maybe the salmon don't have it so bad.  a short burst of glory followed by death....

 i still prefer to find some hope and carry on.  hope that his supporters will awaken one day to the nightmare that is trump.

 he's not building our nation up, he's not building them up...he's tearing everything down for the benefit of a few.  he's just telling them what they want to hear, aided by a right wing conspiracy network.

 i better get on with the day. i head back to work tonight, just for two.  split to accommodate the cabin.

thankful for A.  getting out of the smoke for a few days  B. changing plans and being flexible.  C. that I'm not a salmon.

day one byers lake!

still scratching. i got some annoying bites. claire took a benedryl again last night so she was hit as well. the palfreyman blood is quite tasty to mosquito's. at least that is what i've always found. i know my brother eric is a preferred blood to them as well. what with that huge mosquito convention in town up there at byers lake....
above two are from the next days hike around the lake. we had a loon follow us which is really strange. usually i have a tough time getting any pictures cause they stay pretty far out and duck under the water as soon as you get a lens on them. this guy followed us. i know karen got some really nice shots. i got a few decent ones as well. so fun!
the rest are from night one at byers lake. the interior of alaska is generally more buggy than the south central region. good to experience the insane bugs from time to time. though i am quite happy to put that behind me. above are some mountains in the alaska range.
claire enjoys the views and chatter of the campfire.
great to have denali in view that night for several hours. they went on thier bus trip and it doesn't sound like the mountain made too much of an appearance. i've never been on the bus. sounds like they had fun, but a long day of driving. everyone slept in today.
just took them to university lake to stretch thier legs before they started thier drive south to homer. guess they got a moose and calf sighting soon after leaving byers yesterday. the mom and her two calves crossed the road in front of them. that always wakes you up. today as we arrived at university lake we were informed that a black bear had just been sighted. i think the girls were impressed as i work right over here and it's right in the city. people just don't expect to see bears and moose in town, but they are here.
i went to the grocery store for supplies for the petsitters while i'm away. i also worked on my food cache for the round island trip. i made snack bags and figured out some basic meals. pasta always works. i'll add tuna to one dish and smoked salmon to another. i think i'll pack a loaf of bread and i can make grilled cheese, top ramen and scarf off of the foods others bring as well. refrigeration will not be an option and coolers rarely work well in these remote places, at least that i've figured. some people are super imaginative with thier meals out there. i've never been one of those people.
meeting bob and tanya tonight for dinner so i'll see what they have figured out for thier meals.
also talked to ed weiss with fish and game. sounds like he's headed out there and will cross over with us. he said we can just pay the $10 for the day pass out there. also, it sounds like terry will pick up the group before us the day he drops us early so it shouldn't be too crowded. ed's flying with tikchik air as well so sounds like they've been making the runs. will try again tomorrow morning to touch base with them. let them know we are seven not eight. if not, i'm sure ed will mention it when he gets there on friday. he said we'll get dropped at a place called eagle lake and have to haul stuff about 100 yards or so.
blossom enjoyed her time at the lake. she loves that there is water readily available to play in. she gets a bit anxious as she feels obligated to keep watch on everyone.
rio is happy to be home and away from the mosquito's. she is a dog that is happy in her routine. good to change it up from time to time. it's exhausting for her though.
denali...

karen happy to see the mountain is out as well.
i think she's working this stretch. i have wed/thurs/fri nights to work. then mad packing and take off. still details to work out. the folks next door will help out with the cats and stuff like bringing in the papers and mail and stuff. will have to write notes and get all that organized for the various pet/house sitters. i even bought the temporary tatoo's for this years trip...it was kinda fun last year so why not!
claire and her friend seem to be having a great time which i'm totally happy about. they've seen and done some great stuff up here already and now are off to homer to spend a night in a yurt with a friend down there.
blossom ready for bed.
i'm probably returning from the outhouse, but i liked the scene with everyone at the campfire. blossom keeps watch over all.
rio was happy laying on her bed inside as long as the door stayed open. at times the bugs thinned at least briefly and i was willing to do this for a bit.
it was a beautiful night out there that first night. the second night was a wee bit more buggy and more cloudy. we had hopes on the mountain coming out but it eluded us on night 2.
always love reflections.
bought a few memory cards for out there on round island. have been charging batteries. so many little details to get sorted out.
should have sent those black boxes of wine with them today. i feel totally ready for a nap already. figure i'll stop by rei and then meet a few friends for dinner downtown.
loved this picture.
smoke follows beauty....with a campfire there is always the smoke. the mosquito's don't like the smoke much so probably good. we made the usual s'mores out there on night one. night two alicia brought in the reecees bars. i'd mentioned that you can make s'mores with them. she liked that idea. it was a hit!
liked the mosquito in the shot. they make thier way into many photo's.
the dogs enjoy the sunshine.
s'mores and wine.
miss breezy chatterbug has been hiding the whole week. she did finally make an appearance today at breakfast for a bit. silly kitten, not sure why she is so shy. she was such a love bug when i first got her. she is snuggled up with rio now. she has turned out to be a dogs cat not a humans cat. luckily i have pogi still, who likes human contact.
i was the fire builder for the week. will be a bummer not having campfires out on round island. no firepit, no wood.
claire gets the opportunity to use the new pocketknife she brought out for the trip.
we had two tabletop bbq's going both nights. we cooked steaks, halibut and salmon. we also made potatoes/carrots and corn on the cob. the second night we made fish taco's. everyone seemed happy with the food selection.
will try to do day 2 tomorrow before work. will probably take me through august to get the round island shots in. such an amazing place. so excited for everyone to go. it's fun to see alaska through others eyes. so great to have visitors like emily and claire to make me appreciate the beauty of this place.
dinner!
claire tries to keep the mosquito count down inside the cabin.
next time i think i should pack in windex. those windows were a bit bloody when we left. we all were a bit bloody as well though.
we found some old oven mitts in the cabin and made use of them. not totally fire resistant at this point.
claire, emily and karen took the loft. due to my don sheldon height issues i thought it best to sleep downstairs. i was a bit worried about all the dead mosquito's falling on me all night.
settling in.
i still need to bring that dang grill in from the car. i think most everything else is out. should figure out how we are getting to/from the airport. wonder if we can cram into one car and park it at sandra's place. hmm... cab from there. that could work. we leave pretty early on the sunday.
another beautiful shot of byers lake.
blossom enjoys her lake time.
i got a late start, 12:30, but that got me there at 3:30, still before everyone else. karen and katie arrived next and i could tell katie was a bit beat down by those mosquito's...she was happy to have the mosquito jacket/headnet for her next run to the car. they do make all the difference. it's hot though under that hood.
this one is the best view of the 3 cabins.
my wagonload. one of four!
my first view of the lake!
so much lupine on the drive out to byers...so beautiful!
just a few pictures from the glacier brewhouse the night before. tucker gets lap time from everyone. such a cute baby!
melissa arrives late and a bit frazzled, but we still got a few smiles out of her.
amy sadly wonders where the guest of honor is?
we all had fun and a tasty meal out though anyway. karen, katie, sandra and tiffany.
emily, claire and i.
kristin and her boyfriend stopped by for a bit. they are in town from oregon. ran into another friend today at the lake, always fun.
karen, katie and sandra.
well, that is it for today. i better get back to packing and prepping...or take a nap. so many choices!!