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.

 a good trip though...short and sweet. 

 always more you can do, more places to see.  being home is always nice too...doing nothing.  :-)  i do lazy well.

 may try for a few nights in Homer next week...hopefully the fires are a bit more under control. 

 driving time naps for the puppies. 

 off to play in the hose with the dogs.  can't go wrong there!! 

grateful for:  A. safe travels and beautiful scenery  B.  dog companions  C. a few days out of the smoke

back from the road...

 terribly behind on photo's.  gotta finish May and June and start July!!  August is beginning though.  i did indeed head off on a road trip.  lots of driving.  really no animals sighted...literally one moose and a smattering of birds!  altered the plan as i went.  for me some times just driving is so relaxing, see what you can see. above is in Fairbanks, down town

 this next one is from night two in Hunter Cabin at K'seugi Campground. this was after the walk i believe so the pups were tired.  KR and i did the Curry Ridge walk.  the paper says it is 6 miles round trip, we also did the extra down to the lake.  i don't think their numbers are really right on that.  perhaps they meant direct without switch backs?  my fit bit had me down for 25, 400 steps so like 10.9 miles...now, i did throw some tennis balls in the morning, but i suspect the trail we did was more like 8 miles round trip.

 we were both a bit beat as it was super hot out....yes, it's Alaska and so super hot is relative...but there is research that hot can feel hotter in AK.  we also did not have near enough water so we came back and power hydrated after the hike.  was thankful for the lake to hike to.  the dogs were pretty toasty and panting pretty heavy so it felt great to be able to get them in swimming for a bit.

 lots of fireweed on the Denali side of the trip.  on the other side, the Tok side the wildflowers were already near the tip.  the fireweed near Fairbanks was done in many places with some trees already making a move at turning. may be an early winter!

 though i had the back of the car set up to accommodate the dogs in comfort much of the trip they opted to share the front seat.  it was a game of sit on your sibling in hopes they move.  or at times they would just snuggle in like hot dogs and sleep. silly puppies.

 they are for sure improving on their behavior skills out there.  maybe the heat slowed them down.  in Fairbanks though we wandered downtown and there were loads of tourists and homeless folks out.  they didn't go as crazy as they had just a year or so ago.  there is progress to be seen. i calved and rented a hotel in Fairbanks. I've stayed there before with them but they were again really well behaved.

 they are still pretty beat for yesterdays hike.  the weather was pretty great.  too hot but as you can see below it was cloudy as we left the matsu area.  then it was sunny really until this morning at Hunter cabin when it was raining.  i was ready to head home anyway, so i think i welcomed the rain.  made it easy to pack and go.

 mostly listened to podcasts on the way.  my new favorite thing to do on roadtrips.  as long as i start it when I'm near a community it will play for awhile.  i can use the music between.  stuff you should know.  there was one about a group of cross country skiers on a big adventure.  i think it was in Eastern Europe and they sounded like Russians?  I'm not good with details. oddly, they all died out there. it was super cold but they were mostly found in their underwear.  it appeared they had slashed their way out of their tents from the inside?  a few were found to have many internal injuries but no external marks. one female had her tongue cut out.  nobody knows what happened. strange lights? aliens?  some military raid? interesting mystery.

 also listened to some Moth stories and another favorite is Ted Talks.

 Ivy sitting on Tusker

 beautiful lake views on the way to Tok. 

 town, village i believe between Tok and Fairbanks....nothing much on that section between Tok and Fairbanks.  really a dull drive. debated going south at the cut off or north...i went north.

 i have wanted to get to Chicken...not sure why. i just like to say i went to chicken when people ask me what I've been up to.  it was hot as hell there and with hot temps i really couldn't leave the dogs in the car unattended.  took some fun selfies though. we stopped at any and all good water options to let the dogs drench themselves and chase tennis balls.

 saw these cool old fire trucks...i think near the Tok cutoff

 i spent that first night at a campground I'd been to years ago with Blossom  and Rio maybe. i think i had my big tent by then.  I'd kind of wondered where it was though.  it's a great little campground though.  the owners are nice and they have a big white dog wandering around. this one was named, "Sweetums". the last time i was there the big white dog was named,"lambie"  i rented one of their little lake front cabins.  pretty basic.  but nice to be inside and not have to set up the tent.  it's called Grizzly Lake Campground.

 had a great sunset/sunrise view. 

 chicken is just a silly town.  some tourists on motorcycle were asking me where the town is...i was all, this is it, this is chicken. post office below.

 super hot though...just wanted to get back in the car and have the wind blowing.  we stopped at Mosquito creek for some tennis ball tossing and then we headed out of there.

 pups cuddle as we go. 

 they are both sleeping now, but i know tomorrow they will be back to their normal level of activity needs. 

 this is sunset on Grizzly Lake.

 Denali from our hike out Curry yesterday.  we thought that was all we would see but the mountain came out nearly completely while we were up there on the ridge, in the late afternoon/evening she went back in hiding so no great sunsets like last year. 

 this beautiful creek was another water stop on the way to Chicken. 

 called up to Fairbanks and they had a room.  really didn't feel like sleeping in the tent in the heat.  i spoiled us all with a room for the night.

 campground fire...KR and JT both beat me there and the fire was going when i arrived!  how sweet is that!!

 sorry these are just phone pics so they always load all strange.  just a quick story of the weekend.  i haven't even began to look at photo's yet.  below is the pups in the Chena River in Fairbanks. i found a place they could swim where the water wasn't moving too fast.

 we also walked some of the cross country ski trails while there...and down town.

 Ivy sits on Tusker again.

 doing laundry and still unpacking a bit.  amazing what a mess a car trip can leave in it's wake.

 skipped a stop over in Denali, thought there might finally be something to see there but apparently, the 20 or so cars i saw was not an accident or a bear, it was a female moose.  oh well.  missed her.  i laughed thinking that if moose caused this much of a traffic jam in Anchorage, our streets would be a mess!!

 lingered in Fairbanks for several hours the next day before heading south again towards Hunter Cabin.  i also stopped in Nenana.  ended up chatting with a super nice photographer, resident of the area.  she was running the little gallery just as you come in.  seems Nenana has got new council and fresh ideas. her cute kids were running a lemonade stand.  we just started chatting and i think i could have stayed there chatting for quite a while more. a bus came in as i left town.

 i stopped there to let the dogs run around in a park i know of.  while i was tossing the tennis ball, this little girl showed up.  she ended up throwing the tennis ball for quite some time.  Ivy went to give her a high 5 but scratched her knee.  tears and drama.  happy to report the tears stopped and she was actually able to walk again despite her being sure she couldn't.  haha.  i stayed longer there as well because the kid was cute and she and the dogs were having fun. 

 stopped at Nenana pond as i headed out of town and let the dogs cool off yet again.  Ivy was so hot that time she didn't even shake after her last water dip and loaded into the car dripping with cold water. my element will be expired before it's time with the wear and tear it gets.

 more from the sunset in Grizzly Lake.

 would actually be a nice place to just chill a few days at. 

 the road to Chicken.  repairs seem to be made using materials more in the area so it looks like a patchwork quilt at this point.

 there was a fire not too far off out of Tok, the whole place seemed pretty dry, could go up at any time.  the fire signs all said risk was very high. 

 back to Hunter Cabin. 

 I'd made homemade chocolate chip cookies, JT heated up a marshmallow and made a unique s'more out of it.

 they have put a cage around the spiral staircase.  thankfully as last year i think i bonked my head several times...i suspect several did. 

 home sweet home for a few nights.

 back in Fairbanks.  the pups got their photo taken many times over by a group of tourists.  i know i was in several of those as well.  suddenly there were phones pointed at us and people snapping photo after photo.  one gentleman came up after a bit with his phone where he must have googled labradoodle and was asking if this is what my dogs were, if he had heard me right.  he seemed quite happy with  himself for locating the correct name.  it was pretty cute. 

 the homeless population of downtown Fairbanks also seemed enamoured of the dogs so i met many homeless and tourists. 

 the terminus of the Alaska Highway...i can assure you there is not much reason to take this stretch of road to Delta Junction.  so the only bummer is if I'd gone straight up the Richardson it would no doubt have been much more scenic.  so not my best choice but you go where you go and you meet who you meet.  take the road less traveled and enjoy the ride no matter where it takes you.

 too tired to rant about politics...I'm sure you are all thrilled by that.  i shall finish up here, look at some of the pictures and the go finish a book I've been reading at night.  "A Man Named Ove".  often the people you meet along the way become the family you create. 

 Tusker rests at the cabin.

 thanks to KR for a few photo's of me with the pups below.  these are at the Curry Ridge trail.  so beautiful up there!

 my handy man comes tomorrow to take out the window.  says it will take a few days.  the city workers look to have come to the yard while i was away. no sink hole so i guess that went well.

 that is the trail..views pretty much the entire way up...and it is up, but not horrible...just longer than they say it was  i think.

 another with the pups. i took some of the ashes and left them on the cairn at the top.  Blossom, RIo and Huey would have enjoyed this place. 

thankful for : A safe travels B.  podcasts to entertain and instruct  C.  sweet and adorable travel companions (the dogs) and good friends to share the cabin with.