summer run of the Denali Highway..

 this had been on my list for this revised summer...so without much of a plan we took off

 i wasn't sure what i was doing or for how long.  as it turns out i ended up just doing an overnight.  a lot of driving and not much sleeping.

 weather forecast wasn't the greatest.  today is beautiful and so was yesterday afternoon.  still...no matter the weather there is always amazing scenery out there.

 no big animal sightings and after this bridge crossing the road and weather started to get dicey. 

 it was getting late, i was getting tired, the road was crappy, we were in the clouds with poor visibility.  i found a place to pull over but the dogs did not grant approval and kept barking so after a mini rest i moved on to another spot. there were other cars at the next spot which i think afforded me some sense of safety.  it was a wayside with an outhouse for the morning. sleeping in the element is never totally comfortable but at this point it was pouring and setting up a tent sounded less than fun.

 so after a fitful rest we woke early and got started.  it rained off and on the rest of the Denali Highway section but cleared as the day went on..though there were still sections of rain.

 most of the road wasn't too bad, the usual  Denali highway pot holes, washboard and rocks.

 not as many wildflowers out as i had hoped. i didn't do the big walks i usually do and mostly we just stopped for short walks and tennis ball tossing time.  i got to stretch my legs as did the dogs

 these are a combo of other walks in town and the trip

 i had debated an additional night in Valdez but opted to try for that my next stretch off.  sleeping in my car tends to drive me home early...makes me yearn for a truck/camper situation. i think i would make good use of that in this place.

 i love my element for many reasons but the life of the car is hitting it's max.  i totally trash my cars.  it is getting time. the electrical was starting to funky stuff and i'm getting a bit less confident on trips that there won't be an issue. of course, i tried to kill it on the last section as i was so tired heading home after the Matanuska walk that i left the parking brake engaged the rest of the way home.  a stupid thing to do.  i apologized profusely to the car and thanked it for getting me home safe yet again.  it's been a great car despite my abuse. 

 as the Matanuska came into view on the drive out of Glenallen the rain started pouring and i sadly started to think the Matanuska stop was not going to happen...but it cleared up as we approached the glacier access point and was beautiful in the end.

 i like to stop at these fire trucks. old trucks/cars are great....these are on the Richardson highway as the Tok cut off comes in.

 there were many wildflowers on the sides of the road and i stopped often to enjoy.  for me it's the journey.  i ponder a trailer but it's just not practical for me.  i'm more about the drive. i love to randomly pull over for stuff, which is not practical at all for a trailer. i would love a more comfortable place to crash at strange hours...as i'm not always near a campground or hotel when i decide to stop exploring for the night.  with long light i find i just want to keep moving and see more.

 you never know if the weather will be worse the next day really.

 the bugs were out. many biting flies...someone forgot to bring their bug nets...partly why we did not do the walks.  i am a wimp when it comes to bugs...another reason a camper would be great. what truck to get...?  that is the next question. how to pay for it?  i hate having car payments!! 

 Covi Kitten was not happy when the dog run gate closed and was thrilled when we returned and the gate re-opened.  he's been out...already killed a shrew. i do prefer these over the birds though. just do not want him to bring any of them back inside through the dog door. 

 nice to see the scenery green...i generally do this trek in the fall.  it was a good time to summer it though as there weren't really any tourists out there. i mostly had the road to myself.  also a bit of rain is good here as on hot, sunny days the dust is bad out on that road, or any dirt road.

 little pops of color from the flowers.

 i love these purple flowers

 a friend had told me about this lake in Talkeetna.  i think it gets busy on a sunny day and not really a walk so i'll probably stick to the other Comcast trailhead and the xyz lakes.  can get a better walk in...i could have still done it but between the rain/bugs and time factors i headed on the road after play time.

 did catch the sunset out there on the road.

 i did finally fall asleep in the car..probably only got 3-4 hours though.  last night i crashed pretty early...by 9 i'm guessing.  i'd thought i'd just take a little nap and then get some stuff done, but i woke up super early after crashing hard.

 bite wound? is he meeting the neighbor cats?  i really do not like that he wants to be out doors but i have found over the years that some cats are not going to be tamed.  they will get outside no matter what you try...so i will have to accept whatever fate life brings him.  it may not be as long, he may disappear.  i suspect if someone tries to rehome him, he will escape them too. i am feeding him generously in hopes being overweight curtails his wandering ways.

 the dogs are great company as usual.  it was kind of a whirlwind of a trip. 

 it was nice to be on the Denali Highway, it felt like a world clean of Covid.  a place untouched by the virus.

 you do counts, at least i do.  how many days since the boat trip, how many days since i worked ER....days post any high risk activities. up to 14 days post exposure for symptoms so i always carry a thermometer and pulse ox with me on my travels now...something i would have never done previously.

 Ivy is no longer white she is grey.  silt.  she is still coated in it.  Tusker lets her do the lions share of the swimming out there.  we haven't left a tennis ball behind yet.

 i just snacked out there. no big meals.  i didn't bother with meal prep...another reason the truck/camper thing would be nice.  much easier to actually eat.  as we get older we do appreciate creature comforts more.

 always great to get to real roads again.  the dirt road drags on. it's better i think going Cantwell to Paxson as there is more pavement on the Paxson side. when you go the other way you start to go nuts waiting for the pavement, which really only shows up right before Cantwell. 

 supposed to have a teeth cleaning today. sounds a bit high risk..mostly for them than for me.  i'm sure they will have all the ppe on, including a face shield.  you have to chose the risks. 

 it is a bit disheartening that i work with this and get stressed by this and i have family who believe it's fake news, a hoax, a plot, no big deal.  it feels personal. 

 i always love these old log cabins with grass and flowers on top.  to live in such a tiny place in the middle of winter years ago, but many did and actually there are still folks up here living a pretty simple life.  off the grid is a real thing up here.  keeps them safe from covid mostly too i imagine.

 the glacier has receded a lot, it's interesting to return year after year and see the changes. new kettle ponds form, new growth of plants on areas that are freshly exposed.  nature just adapts to the constant change. 

 Ivy was cracking me up on the drive home.  she never wants to miss out ( FOMO) big time.  she was sitting up and trying to stay awake but she was so tired she kept drifting off and then she'd lean into the window, out...a bump and her eyes would open again and it would start over

 it was a valiant effort but she failed more than she succeeded.  Tusker eventually just heads to the back, where he can stretch out and get good rest.  probably why he was awake and ready to play again when we got home and i tried to just play with the cats.  that and he doesn't seem to have the hip issues she is getting

 tons of forget me nots at the dog park these days.  they seem to like life on the waters edge

 the statue at work in the morning. i stepped out when i worked the door.

 another of the sunset along the Denali Highway and below is some of the many flowers along the roadside on the road from Glenallen.

 that is eskimo potato in front of the glacier. 

 i have wanted to get an old canoe/kayak and do this in my front yard.  i watch for one.  i love old boats.

 there are glaciers out there on the Denali Highway, i did not see much of them on this run as the clouds were often pretty low

 just a quick entry. i will head back to bed and try for a bit more sleep again.  Ivy seems fine with that idea

 another uncomfortable nap for Ivy.  she'd just finally won front seat rights.  Tusker tends to stay there and sleep as much as he can.  she comes and sits on top of him until he gives up and grants her the rights.

 such a great pair of traveling pups.

thankful for A.  a car that survives and thrives despite my abuse  B. the best traveling dogs a girl can ask for C.  another safe and fun trip, exploring this great place.

day trek to Seward.

 so these are a smathering from yesterday and today.  i stopped at multiple places both days.  better short walks.  still a wee bit tired and the digestive tract is not quite 100% though doing much better.  takes a few days to get back to normal i think.

 yesterday i was testing the waters...so first we did a loop around the dog park locally....next i headed back to hatchers. i actually had the car packed with the thought that i may head to Valdez.  in the end i opted to come back home. 

 we walked the road up to Independence mine and wandered a bit...there is still tons of snow on the trails so a slush fest.  it was supposed to be raining in Valdez anyway.  my heart just wasn't up for the drive.  i did feel guilty and compelled to do it. 

 that is summer in Alaska.  with such long days you tend to feel obligated to use every minute of light and guilty if you don't.  it's why as the days get shorter i start to relax and feel less guilty about doing nothing at all.

 on the way back i decided to stop at Reflections Lake and see what the wild flowers were up to. 

 there are a lot less Iris out in those parts than the old days.  SG suspects the wild iris have been pilfered over the years...i think she's right.  the flowers do all seem a bit behind schedule too though.  the wild lupine is just now getting up to bloom.  seems late to me.

 this is the road, closed for the season i think due to covid, up to Independence mine.  the sign said dogs on leash. i really take that to mean once you are at the mine...though my dogs were the only ones off leash. i pulled them aside to allow everyone else out there to pass. they were leashed once we got up to the mine and for the walk back down.  figure off leash training and wear them out uphill, on leash training down hill.  the two of them still tend to pull.

 ever since i was taken on a flight by these two i suspect i lost some faith in the leash walking.

 i really should just get a gentle lead for Tusker. i think once he's doing it she will be fine...she's actually much better on leash than he is.  she is so wanting to please me.  so sweet.  i feel badly for her as she is starting to show some signs of hip issues.  limps post walks on her right back. too much jumping.....

 today's multi stop adventure...started in Girdwood for a walk in the woods.  looked wet down Portage way which was my first thought so i stopped in Girdwood instead.

 had to get the dogs stretched out before we headed to Seward for some beach time. they love beach time.

 once in Seward we first stopped at the beach off of Nash rd.  it was low tide, not a huge low tide, but low enough.  the Nash road beach was crowded with fisher folks.  they were at the waters edge so the dogs were not a bother at all to them.  we never got that far out.  the wind was blowing pretty strong. 

 next we headed to the area at the base of their tiny airstrip.  still windy so i figured there wouldn't be too much plane activity.  we wandered around down on those trails a bit...again the lupine are just barely starting to pop out.  lots of iris and chocolate lillies seen though.

 as the pups were now coated in a mud from the boggy waters in that area...we headed out to Lowell Point for more beach time and a dip for cleaning pups.

 they both slept the whole way home basically.  Ivy hasn't made it upstairs.  just started her on some glucosamine. i see a vet trip in our future.

 so flowers are a bit late i think but on the verge of popping out like crazy. 

 will have to wander back down to Seward in a week or so and see if those lupine have come out full force.  lots of plants getting started at the end of the runway.  that place is usually crazy with lupine. also a pull out at mile 12 before getting to Seward seemed to have no lupine yet. 

 i stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center after Girdwood.  always clean bathrooms and i can have a glance at the animals and what they are up to.

 all the bears were out close.  these were almost fake looking i think.

 i was actually super excited as the wild Iris are all over in the wood bison area close to where you check in.  the lupine there was also getting going.

 wild iris below.

 always love the old buildings at the mine. 

 we had a big post Memorial Day weekend day the other day...29 new + cases i think...the last two days have been under 15...not back to the 0-5 we were getting but at least a lower number. sounds like cases are increasing in many towns in the lower 48. many had increasing + cases when they opted to just re-open.  the politics of the pandemic mean that many just will not do the distancing or masking.

 so the fool is planning for his first big rally since this all happened.  the big toddler has always thrived on the attention of these rallies.  he signed up for re-election on the day of his inauguration for the purpose of being able to collect money for his re-election and to be able to hold these rallies where he could control who was allowed to be there.

 his cult followers are signing a waiver to attend...along with paying a handsome fee no doubt.  the waiver protects trump and his re-election office from any lawsuits if these followers get covid or die from covid as a result of attending his rally....a rally where he will lie to them about how bad the virus is and encourage them to just get back to normal...everything is fine.  it's not worse than the flu...blah, blah, blah.

 they like to say the positive results numbers are increasing because testing is increasing.  sadly, the truth is the percentage of positive cases has increased as well.  so basically...if 2 months ago there were 5 positive tests in 100 tests, now there may be 20 positive tests in 100 tests run. those are not exact numbers just gives you an idea of how they are twisting facts in order to calm their followers. 

 if you run a hell of a lot more tests you should have a lower percentage of positive results...but that is not how it's working out in reality.  other nations have had to clamp down as their case numbers rise for the next wave...we never got out of our first wave. our curve flattened briefly but seems to be on the rise again in many places.

 i baked some break the other day...i am my mothers daughter...i was bummed i had not saved some dough aside for snacking on later.  i love the dough.  that was my mom's favorite thing.  next time i shall...

 the ice cream i made this week turned out fair.  still need to learn what i'm doing there. seems like it should have thickened up more. 

 watched a few netflix movies.  first was called, "the up side".  an ex-con ends up getting roped into a job working for a wealthy guy who has become a quad.  they end up good friends.  i guess it was based on a true story.  i enjoyed that one.

 next night i watched a documentary that followed a litter of guide dog pups through those first few years.  only two in the litter ended up being guide dogs.  another went back to a guy who had been helping raise the dog.  he was a veteran with some ptsd it seems.  so even though Patriot, the dog, didn't make the cut for guide dogs he seems to be living as the unofficial ptsd dog for this gentlemen.  another dog ended up getting placed in a regular home.  i was a little sad that one sweet girl was kept as a  breeder.  she needed to be in a home not a kennel.  the system works and i'm sure she was well cared for but it was just sad.

 you can see a few of the fishermen out there below.

 Reflection lake is well named.  can be quite beautiful.

 i take the side trail to the waters edge. check the tides but the wildflowers are great in that area.

 the mosquitoes were also plentiful.  it's Alaska in the summer, of course, there will be bugs.  of course the wind was blowing hard enough in Seward today that bugs were not an issue.

 handsome bear.

 chocolate lily below.  they are plentiful out there right now.  not great smelling.

 you can sort of get an idea of the wildflowers below.

 these are all the pink ones.  always super cool looking flowers i think.

 shooting stars.

 not sure what my plans are for tomorrow...last full day off before heading back to work.

 see how Ivy's hips are feeling by morning. generally by morning she is just fine.  she actually shows no signs of discomfort until we get home. 

 these little wild cotton ball things are always a favorite of mine as well.

 so a mixture of photo's.  summer flies fast. there is just so much to see out there.  it's nuts.

 these iris below were at the conservation center today.

 as was this moose.

 this silly dog was playing in the snow yesterday. 

 it's after midnight.  i better head to bed for the night.  looks like it was an amazing sunset tonight.  if i wasn't beat i would have gone out chasing it.  :-)  night.

thankful for A.  all the pretty wild flowers.  the earth has so much diversity.  B. my furry companions that make a day trip so much more fun.  C.  kitties that were so happy to have us return.