Travel – Page 3 – Dust Bunnies and Dog Toys

A Day Trip to Kenai

Published on July 25, 2017 by JennaLeave a comment

Over the weekend the Hubs and I made a quick trip down to Kenai to visit family who come up from Arizona each year to fish for salmon. This year we were blessed with fantastic weather and a few extra familiar faces as additional family friends were in the area too.

The fishing was quite slow the day we were there, but it made time for conversation between those fishing and those of us watching from the walkway above. The Hubs caught up with his uncle and cousins as they cast.

I enjoyed the sunshine and the view of the river which was full of others fishing on the opposite bank and boats making their way up and down the river.

It was quite calming to watch them all cast and reel repeatedly with patience as they joked about prior visits to the river, shared old stories from their childhood days together and caught up on each other’s lives.

Eventually the fish did start to bite and it was a team effort to make sure they were reeled in successfully. It’s a great example of why we love Alaska – its a place where others willingly stop what they are doing to help you out, knowing that you’ll do the same for them when the tables turn.

The Hub’s cousin seemed to have the best luck with the fish, although several played hard to get. One even jumped back out of the net after being scooped up – prompting some interesting net wielding!

Several fish teased the anglers by brushing by their legs in the water. Another decided to give the cousin a good splash when he was running the net for someone else, but that he didn’t complain too much and quickly got back to helping out.

There were a few surprise catches too, including this rainbow trout that we all thought was a dolly at first.

During one of the lulls I spotted this dog napping on a boat drifting down the river. A little while later they were heading upstream and the same dog was standing at the bow, tail wagging like it was the best day ever. 🙂

I took a break to relax in the sun on a nearby bench which was apparently the good luck charm for the group, because that’s when the fish finally started biting. Although they still played jokes on the guys, swimming into their stringer of other fish or along the shoreline that was covered in tree branches and sticks, making it likely to tear the nets. But with every fish that was caught the smiles got bigger and bigger.

And every time I sat back to relax I’d hear “Fish On!” and jump up to see who had a taunt line.

As the day wore on the other fishermen in the area left to go home for dinner so we soon had the area to ourselves and it was just our group in the water.

Another friend of the cousins’ stopped by to chat and ended up running the net for them several times.

It seemed their luck had turned and they were all happy to show off their handiwork as a team.

The Hubs and I had to head out to make the 4+ hour drive back home for the work-week, but we left the guys to fish under Alaska’s midnight sun and share more stories – or create new ones. Several of them will head back to the lower 48 this week, but we’ll see them again next year when they return.

The Hubs will head back down this weekend to join those still here in the river and catch fish of our own, so hopefully soon our freezer will be well stocked for the colder months to come. 🙂

4-Wheel Adventures & An Alaskan Spa Treatment

Published on July 21, 2017July 21, 2017 by JennaLeave a comment

While my sister was visiting we made arrangements to borrow a couple of extra 4-wheelers and hit the trails, which is one of our favorite things to do during the summer. The dogs are quite accustomed to riding in our side-by-side and quickly jump in the rig to go. Apparently, Stoli thought he was driving this time!

Since we went on a weekday there were only a handful of other people out on the trails so we had the area pretty much to ourselves. It had rained quite a bit the week prior to our outing so there were several areas of standing water to navigate. The trail from the parking lot is fairly wooded until it opens up near the river.

This particular location has a variety of trails that criss-cross each other so we had many to choose from. We let the Hubs lead with the goal of getting as close to the glacier as possible.

As we approached the sandy area along the river, Stoli decided that he didn’t want to ride and since we didn’t let him drive, he hopped out and led the caravan at a run.

Along the river the trail opens up to a wide sandy shoreline and vegetated sand dunes off to the left.

There were some larger vehicles up on the dunes, so we opted to stay along the river heading toward the glacier, which we could see in the distance.

My sister got a pretty good shot of her hubby on the 4-wheeler with the glacier in the background when we paused to consider the trails we could take from this point.

We decided to hang out on the shore and let the dogs play a bit before continuing so they could get some energy out, while my sister walked the beach looking for good shots.

Stoli led the way when we decided to head out along the river bank as far as we could go before heading up into the tree line.

You’re probably wondering where the spa treatment part of the title for this post comes in by now. Well I’m about to tell you. The trails got pretty muddy once we headed into the trees and we soon realized the river was too high to cross so we started exploring the wooded trails.

While fording a larger puddle my brother-in-law had a little mishap and ended up tipping his rig over right in the deepest part of the puddle, coating his entire right side in silty muddy water. Once we made sure that both he and the rig were ok, we all enjoyed a good laugh about the moment and I teased him that women pay big money to be shipped glacier mud for facials and he just coated almost his entire body for free! 🙂

My sister was apparently too stunned to get a shot of him in said puddle before we pulled him out, but I’m sure you can imagine the sight.

Once we got the rig running again we made a b-line for the truck so we could get him warmed up and dried out. We didn’t make it to the glacier but it was a fun outing regardless. While they didn’t get to take their picture on the glacier I did get some shots of my sister along the beautiful river that’s just minutes from our house in Hatcher Pass.

I tried to take her up to the historic Independence Mine at the top of the pass that day, but the fog had rolled in, hiding the mine. We made it as far as the red cabins at the main parking lot before calling it and heading back down the river.

I’m glad they both got to experience a bit of the local sights and outdoor adventures this area of Alaska offers. Plus they went home with several fun stories to share – which is always the sign of a great trip!

4th of July in Glacier View

Published on July 19, 2017July 19, 2017 by JennaLeave a comment

Is this week been a blur to anyone else? We’ve been busy getting back into the normal routine after my sister and brother-in-law headed home and catching up on things that fell to the wayside while they were here. We’re also making progress on the new deck out back and the cedar soaking tub that will go on it! I’ll be sharing all of that once we get closer to the finish line.

In the meantime I’ve got a couple of things we did while my sister was here to share. Today that’s our visit to Glacier View for their annual 4th of July celebration which includes launching cars off a cliff! It’s definitely a unique way to mark the occasion, but when you live in the land of midnight sun fireworks don’t quite have the same effect so this is a good way to get some oooohhh’s and aaahhh’s from a crowd instead. All of the vehicles used are donated and typically on their last legs so this is their last hoorah before they head to the scrap pile. I guess it’s a unique form of combining recycling and entertainment!

The event takes place on private property owned by a guiding company which does have a view of the glacier, although from the spot along the river we claimed for the show it’s only a small view. I’m sure it’s much more impressive from the top of the cliff where the cars launched from. But it was pretty along the river, so my sister and I explored a bit while we waited for the show to start.

There were lots of big pieces of driftwood along the banks, showing just how powerful the river can be. In fact this same river has claimed several houses down river after swelling from spring rains and snow thaw.

We found a few interesting items tangled up in the driftwood like this paddle, likely lost from one of the many rafting tours that go down this stretch of the river.

My sister was in awe of the scenery and took numerous photos so I took of few of her in action. 🙂 We also spotted these strange flowers growing near the river. I’ve never seen anything like them before. They look like something right out of a Dr. Seuss story!

When the show was about to start the organizers started to move the vehicles that would be launched off the cliff toward to top. This snow machine was a last minute entry and the first they’d ever had. Since there was no snow to be had at this time of year, they strapped it to the top of a side-by-side for it’s journey to the cliff side.

As they got the cars ready up top we watched a few more folks take a trip down the zip line that spans over the area where the crowd had gathered. My sister and I considered trying it out but we ran out of time after the show as we had to pick up some 4-wheelers we were borrowing from friends for another adventure. I’ll share about that tomorrow!

Finally we were ready for the main event and it didn’t disappoint. First up was a little Subaru painted like Lighting McQueen. It got pretty good air off the cliff and landed on target near a pond at the bottom.

Next up was the snow machine, which gave a stunning launch with a dust trail as it left the cliff. It flipped after impact giving a unique perspective. It was a great first entry in the ‘lightweight’ division as they called it!

The third vehicle was another coup which had apparently been named Felica according to the roof’s paint job…

That was followed by a star spangled van, which turned out to be a dud. It konked out before it had enough steam to make it off the ramp and rolled back into the trees. They got it running again later and did launch it but forgot to warn the crowd so we could watch and I missed seeing it land.

There was also a full-size truck in the line-up that gave a pretty good performance with high air and a decent soar before it nose-dived and flipped on landing.

My favorite of the day was the old police patrol car. It looked like a scene right out of Dukes of Hazard and I kept hearing “Just some good ‘ole boys…” play in my head as I watched it descend. It gave a magnificent belly-flop at the end just as if it was Boss Hog himself driving!

I applaud the organizers and the community for a great down-home event. We were told that it’s grown every year since it began and this year was the biggest they’ve ever had. In fact they had sold out of food tickets when we arrived at lunch time so we hit the food truck and managed to get the last few slices of pizza they had! We had a great time watching the show and plan to return next year now that we know what to expect and what to bring. If you’d like to see more photos and videos of the action visit the event’s Facebook page here.

A Fur Rendezvous Birthday

Published on March 7, 2017March 8, 2017 by Jenna2 Comments

The Hub’s birthday was this past Saturday and although we hadn’t planned to celebrate since we bought concert tickets for later in the year as our joint birthday/Christmas/anniversary gifts I had a last minute work obligation come up that required I help with an event at the annual Fur Rendezvous the same day so we made a mini celebration of it. Locally known as Fur Rondy, this 2-week long festival centers around everything winter and Alaskan with dogsled races, snow sculptures and other unique activities. The ceremonial start of the world famous Iditarod is also held during this time and we were able to catch several of the mushers starting the course as we arrived and made our way to lunch before my work event.

Although I’ve here for 4 years now, this is the first time I’ve been able to attend the ceremonial start so it was a fun experience for me to watch the teams go by and cheer them on. The first musher we saw was #61, Michael Baker. Each musher has an Iditarider on their sled during this portion of the race. These passengers bid in an auction to win these unique perspectives which come with traditions of their own.

The ceremonial course is 11 miles on Anchorage streets and park trails – and most of it is lined with crowds. It’s a very different scene than the rest of the race. The second musher we saw was #62, Nathan Schroeder. As you can see the trail on the city streets is well prepared and maintained during the event with trail workers along the entire route ready to remove debris and other hazards.

We walked down along the course and eventually had to cross over to the other side of the street. Here’s how the trail looks to those going down it.

Jason Mackey, #64 was the next musher to come down the trail after we crossed over to this side. He was a good example of how the musher also has to be athletic and use his body to control the sled.

2011 Champion John Baker, #65 came by next. Although I had a good vantage point from the sidewalk I was sure jealous of the guy crouched down along the snow berm with his camera. He was part of the official Iditarod crew which is why he was allowed to be so close to the action. I’m going to have to research how I might join that crew!

The last musher we saw was Anna Berrington – one of a handful of female mushers in the male dominated field.

We couldn’t stick around to watch the remaining seven mushers because we had a lunch reservation at Club Paris around the corner. This was another first for me, although the Hubs has been here many times during his Alaskan tours. I chose the Alaskan Cordon Blue sandwich which was a Cordon Blue made with halibut instead of chicken. It was prepared just right, keeping the halibut moist and flaky. The Hubs had teriyaki Tri-Tips, which I sampled and deemed to be even better than my choice. We ended the meal with creme brulee for desert. I added strawberry puree to mine while the Hubs enjoyed his plain.

After lunch I headed over to my work event while the Hubs went to the fur auction. I don’t have any photos from the fur auction, but you can probably imagine how the scene looked – auctioneers, bidders yelling and furs being shown off. Although not the same kind of fur, I spotted this beautiful bear statue with amazing painted on northern light colored fur as I made my way to my event.

The event I was assisting with was called Running with the Critters. It’s a new event this year and gives children a chance to experience something similar to the Running of the Reindeer. Mascots from all over Alaska came out to play the ‘critters’ and while some ran with the crowd, most lined up down the street to cheer on the runners and give them high-fives as they ran past. There were several really cute critters, including an otter and our own Peri Winkle the purple moose!

After the run Peri met part of the Fur Rondy Royalty just out side of the new Hard Rock Cafe. He was a big hit with tourists and locals and had to pause numerous times to oblige the photo requests.

Once Peri was done with his event I stuck around to watch the Running of the Reindeer. Similar to Spain’s running with the bulls – but with an Alaskan twist – the event raises money for Toys for Tots. The reindeer were led from their holding pen at the end of the track up to the starting line.

Several stayed behind in the pen, both to encourage the other reindeer to come back to the herd and to wait their turn for the second heat.

Several of the reindeer sported sponsors coats. I think a few of the reindeer got their sizes mixed up because a few were more snug than the others. 🙂

This reindeer had apparently already been pretty rowdy and was missing one of it’s antlers, which gave it a lopsided appearance.

And some just wanted to show off for the crowd even while waiting in the pen. Isn’t he just beautiful?!

As you can see there was quite a large crowd, so I wasn’t able to get up close to the barricade when the race started but I did spot the runners as they made their way down the street.

The reindeer tend to run in small groups so the runners have to be on the lookout for them to make sure they stay out of the way of their antlers, which are sharp and pointed this time of year.

It was a bit of a scramble when they did get back to the pen as the handlers had to get their lead ropes back on and most of the reindeer were not much interested in that.

It’s become tradition to create funny costumes for the event and some get a bit outlandish. I’m pretty sure the reindeer don’t much care about what the runners wear and are more interested in getting back to their herd mates. This year someone ran as T-Rex, which was pretty hysterical to watch because apparently he’s not used to that much action and had to take a breather at the end of the course!

Another runner decided the finish line was a good spot for a snow angel. Mario and the nearby clown didn’t seem much impressed.

About that time one of the reindeer went rogue and decided to make a break for freedom. He seemed more interested in searching for something to nibble on, which is good for him because one of the runners turned back to catch a close up of the reindeer in a fur-speedo. Thank goodness there were additional layers along with that choice of attire!

The rebel reindeer eluded capture for several minutes as the handlers tried to herd him back to the pen, so finally one decided to follow the old adage of grabbing him by the horns and wrestling him down until they could get him back on a lead. The reindeer wasn’t hurt, just a bit disgruntled at no longer being free to roam the street.

It had been a long day and we still had a long drive home so we called it quits and headed for the truck. On the way we saw the carnival area which was in full swing on this clear and chilly day.

It was a fun day with lots of fun things to see. The Hubs enjoyed celebrating his birthday with a bit of Alaskan flair, so we might just have to consider doing something similar again next year!

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Talkeetna in the Winter

Published on February 22, 2017February 22, 2017 by Jenna2 Comments

My photography MeetUp group recently got together to explore Talkeetna, AK. Although I’d been past the turn off for this little town many times on our trips to Denali, I hadn’t yet stopped in to check it out so this was the perfect opportunity to do just that. We met up at the Roadhouse for breakfast and socializing first. It was in the negative temps outside so the warm interior with yummy handmade specialties was a great way to start the visit. There was a small bakery selection in the display cases and a variety of specialty syrups and sauces above.

The staff pulled out several of the trays so I could get a better look at the massive options from specialty cinnamon rolls, to meat pies and unique Alaskan items such as “Rudy in a Parka” – which was an oversized version of a pig in a blanket but with reindeer sausage. That’s what I chose to try and was very satisfied with it.

As we sat and ate one of the group members who comes to Talkeetna a lot told us about the history of the area and how the Roadhouse becomes a gateway for visitors from around the globe who have come to summit Denali. During the summer months she said it’s not uncommon to have a variety of nationalities in this small room swapping tales, creating music and interacting. Around the room there are flags for teams who have successfully summited the mountain and photos of some as well.

In one corner monies from around the world have been posted, sandwiched between terrain maps, team flags and more photos of successful climbers.
And on the far wall was this interesting cuckoo clock. I wasn’t able to get the history on the piece but imagine it arrived as a gift from a foreign visitor many years ago.
With a full belly for warmth I bundled up and headed out in to the frigid temps to capture a few more of Talkeetna’s quirks. I loved the textures of the old building and signs next to the smooth icicles hanging from the roof line.

Across the street was a pizza place with eclectic artwork. I can easily envision this place in the summer with dread headed servers taking patrons orders on the patio. A few more steps down the street was the beer garden of Denali Brewing which I’m sure is also another hot spot during the summer tourist season.

In the center of town – which was literally right next door to the brewing building on the main street – was the Fairview Inn. It seems to be the major hotel in town. I didn’t venture inside but the rules sign out front did make me smile because it’s definitely not something you’d see many other places.

Across from the Fairview Inn was Nagley’s Store, which looked like it had been pulled right out of a scene from Northern Exposure. This is the towns general store for all your basic goods. While the sign on the front of the building seemed relatively new, the two on the side of the building quickly reminded you that this place has been around for a long, long time.

Next door to the general store was this little stand. I’m assuming it’s a vendor booth during the tourist season but during the winter it’s a collection of local wildlife bones and antlers.There were several signs around town describing early pioneer life and how Talkeetna was settled as a trading post.

There were also some interesting art displays including this one that was above a house with several salmon inspired designs. I got the sense that there’s a strong artist community here, which makes sense because the surrounding scenery is quite inspiring.

There were also a handful of historic cabins and homes that were preserved with signage describing how they were significant to the history of the town.Due to the extreme cold I didn’t stick around to read all the signs or investigate any of the sights in depth. Instead I wandered the side street just off the main road taking in the sights and identifying spots I’d like to come back to check out in the warmer months. But the snow and ice did have a special beauty to it as it clung to the buildings.

At the end of the main road I spotted this establishment, which I assumed was another brewery type vendor. I just loved the Alaskan signage and door handle. Next door was another historic cabin in need of a bit of restoration.

I stopped back into the Roadhouse to warm up since I could no longer feel my fingers and learned that the group planned to head over to the park at the end of the main road to see where the rivers met and the landscape opened up to views of the mountains. This was obviously the main snow machine trail in town and access to nearby hunting areas.

As we reached the riverbed I heard the train whistle nearby so I hurried down the trail and caught the train just as it made it’s way across one of the trestle bridges.As I returned to the group who had set up to photograph the mountains I saw that one of the members had ventured out into the snow drifts where her shoe had gotten stuck and frozen in place! Like most photographers, her primary concern was handing over her camera for safekeeping, then the group leader helped dig her out.
Once she was safely in the vehicle warming back up I got a few shots of the mountains, including Denali, which graced us with a fairly clear vantage. The clear day made the panoramic view amazing.

I had to get back to town for an appointment that afternoon so I bid farewell to the group and headed back toward the highway. Along the way I remembered to stop at a viewpoint I’d spotted on my way into town which gave another great view of the range and The Great One.

I’m pretty sure the Hubs and I will be back this spring or summer to explore a bit more when everything is open and I’d like to try the zipline through the trees at the edge of town. I’ll be sure to share that adventure here when I do! 🙂Save

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Junkin’ in Portland

Published on February 7, 2017February 7, 2017 by Jenna2 Comments

Our last trip to Portland was planned around attending a large junk show similar to the one we’d gone to the previous year farther north. This one was called Junk Bonanza. Several of the same vendors were at this show so they were on the top of my list to check out first. We paid a little extra for the early bird tickets so we got in before the general crowd, which means we also had first dibs on items.

The Hubs had told me that if I found something large that I wanted we could store it at my mother-in-law’s house until he could make a trip down the Alcan to pick it up in the spring. Knowing that I had that option in the near future, I made a bee-line for B’Aase Repurposed‘s booth. I had missed out on their super cute upcycled planters last time and was hopeful they’d have some more. Although they didn’t have planters this time they did have this awesome bell made from a gas canister cylinder. I knew right away it was meant to be in my yard. We also found some cool metal fishing floats at their booth that will be used on rain chains to the rain barrels this year.

I took a peek at several other booths as I made my way to the next group on my priority list. I really liked the large burlap webbing ottoman I spotted at this booth and may attempt to make one or two for the new deck we plan to build this summer.

Grange Industrial was my next priority stop. I had researched them online from the vendor list and really liked their style. They had several large pieces I pondered over, including some adorable repurposed wheelbarrow planters, but I knew I had a budget to work within and not having a spot I knew I’d use each item in I decided to pass on them.

Although it wasn’t on my priority list because they didn’t have an online site I could research them at beforehand, I just couldn’t pass the JBRO booth without browsing before the crowds arrived. It was a wise choice because I found a garden trellis, a rake head and velvet pumpkins – just in time for fall decorating.

By now the general admission had started and things got a little more crowded. I started browsing the vendors row by row and fell in love with UberChicHome‘s large display. I was originally drawn to their grain sack pillows but the Hubs pointed out a vintage wooden cart on the corner of their booth. The vendor said the item was on hold for another 5 minutes for someone who said they would be back for it. We decided it was worth the wait to hang out and see if we could get it if the other person didn’t show up. 5 minute later, there was no returning customer and it was ours. And about 2 minutes later someone else was asking to buy it as the vendor swiped my card! The one we got is very similar to the one in the lower right corner of the photo below but nicer. You’ll see it in a bit when I share my haul.

While we were waiting for the no-show customer I poked around the booth right across the aisle. Rusty Glamour definitely had my vibe – rustic with a touch of industrial and farm house. She had several cool pieces like those pendant lights made from old theater spot lights you see right out at the front and a vintage wheel chair.

What I loved most at her booth were these awesome sea bag pillows. They were large and I knew they’d be durable based on the material. When I pointed them out to the hubs he reminded me that we still had his sea bag and his dad’s. So we decided to make our own using those. I’m hoping to get to that project in the next few months and will share it here when we do.

Once we had the cart paid for I ventured on to other nearby booths, including All My Favorite Things, where I found an awesome rustic bench. I actually pondered on the bench for a few minutes because it was a great price (based on my Alaska comparisons), but I wasn’t sure if I’d use it on the deck or front porch. Another lady heard me talking about it with the vendor and told me that if I didn’t buy it she would. Knowing I had two possible spots to use it off the top of my head I couldn’t pass up the deal. I also contemplated those rustic stools you see in their booth below but I didn’t have a specific spot in mind for them so I decided to let them find another home. I found a large stoneware crock at this booth for a great price as well.

Now that I had several bigger pieces paid and on hold around the show I wandered booth to booth to see what struck my interest. One of my favorite set-ups was this farmhouse style booth, although didn’t find any treasures that had to come home with me from there.

To give you an idea of just how big the show was, here’s a panoramic shot I took from one corner of the exhibit hall! Good thing I wore comfortable sneakers!

I’ll show my haul from the show in just a moment, but I also wanted to share some of my favorite booths and items I spotted when we visited the Monticello Antique Marketplace in Portland during the same trip. This was our first visit to the store and it didn’t disappoint.

There was something about this particular booth that drew me in. It had a perfect blend of rustic, farm house and western. Another booth had these cool metal coil lights. We have a couple of these in my materials stash so I may give it a try!

We came in through the side entrance where there was a little cafe, so I really enjoyed finding the main entrance with this awesome garden style display.

A little alcove near the entrance was decorated for Halloween – can you tell I’ve been meaning to do this post for a while?! LOL. I loved the large undertakers sign on the back wall and may just make something similar for our mantel come this October. 😉

Ok – it’s finally time to share my haul from the Junk Bonanza show. I didn’t get a shot of the smaller items since it was threatening to rain, here are the big items that await our return in the spring! I can’t wait to bring them home and put them to use around the house and yard!

I love that the crock has a Portland stamp. It will be a fun reminder of our many trips here. And I find it interesting that it’s also a “6” like some of our others, including the one in our master bedroom.

Here’s a closer shot of the little wooden cart we scored! This one is much nicer than the one you saw in the picture before. It’s got removable panels for the tray of the cart and an old school reflector on the back – which is my favorite detail! I’ve decided it’s going to live on our front porch where it will be protected from the elements but can be filled with plants or seasonal decor. It will probably also be used for photo shoots, which should be absolutely adorable.

Since the Hubs is already planning to make a trip back with the truck in the coming months, I’m planning to hit several antique shops in downtown Camas, WA while we’re there as I’ve got a few things on my wish list that I’m sure will be better priced in that area. I’d love to hear what you think of the treasures we found and ideas on how you would use them!

Denali Road Lottery

Published on December 1, 2016December 1, 2016 by JennaLeave a comment

So apparently tomorrow turned into a week – but that’s how life happens around here. Soon the projects that are pulling my attention in 200 directions will be complete and I can refocus on celebrating the holidays.

Ironically, I was feeling about the same way when we took our quick trip to Denali several weeks back. Too much going on and not enough hours to get it done, but in desperate need of a break to recharge. Fortunately winning the Denali Road Lottery gave us just that opportunity. If you haven’t heard about the lottery here’s a quick recap – the general public pay to enter the lottery for a chance to purchase a day-long permit on one of four selected dates. You can get the full details on the program here. Both the Hubs and I entered this year and I won for a date in late September. In that area of Alaska, September could still be fall but often, it’s the beginning of winter weather so we knew we could experience either.

The scenery was definitely fallish on the way to Denali from the Mat-Su valley. The views reminded me of Colorado, but on a much grander scale.

We went up the day before our permit so we could make the most of the trip. We stayed at the McKinley Chalet just outside of Denali. As we entered the lobby to check in I spotted this statue of Balto the famous sled dog from the Iditarod.

Once we were checked in and had dropped our stuff off at the room, we made our way over to the welcome center at the park to purchase our permit pass for the next day. While standing in line I heard someone call my name and turned around to see a lady who had retired from the company I work for in line behind me. We’ve run into each other on adventures like this a few times since she’s retired, so we had a good chuckle over it.

I had been to the welcome center once before but hadn’t had time to wander and explore, so I enjoyed checking out the many displays they had, including this large exhibit that had lots of information about the wildlife and local ecosystem.

Of course we had to take a selfie with the giant moose, since you can’t do that in real life! Other interesting animals were the adult and baby mountain goats, marmot and pika, which I’d never heard of before.

This display of the different types of volcanic rock in the park reminded me of similar exhibits we saw in Hawaii.

It was nice to see the local plants on display since most of them were now gone for the season outside.

flora2 flora Other displays explained how researchers track the movements of predatory birds in the region and monitor the fault lines that formed the landscapes surrounding the park.

We headed back to the hotel to get dinner and enjoyed the view from the dining room as we leisurely ate and chatted about the sights.After our bellies were full we wandered out to the lookout on hotel property where a vintage tour vehicle was on display. It was nice to see the time and effort the preservation groups had put into rescuing a piece of the park’s history so future generations could appreciate it.

Next, we hit the tourist shops where we tried out several crazy items like this mountain man hat that hid half the Hubs face when he tried to photo bomb me!

There were also plenty of Alaskan puns on everything from T-Shirts to wall decor. Here were a few of our favorites.

After we had our fill of shopping we went back to the hotel where we decided to spend the rest of the evening at the new Denali square. We browsed the artist gallery and the small shops around the amphitheater before snagging a spot at one of the many fire pit tables with a view of the mountains.

We sat enjoying the crisp air and the view as sunset faded. Eventually we ordered a few drinks and some very yummy beignts with caramel sauce as dessert to our earlier dinner. In fact they were so good, we had to order a second round!

We stayed well after dark to chat with a group of tourists from the east coast of the US who joined our table. We had lots of laughs as we shared the difference between real life in Alaska and what they see on TV.

The next morning we met up with friends we’d invited to join us on the road lottery and had breakfast together at the hotel before heading into the park. Not far past the welcome center we spotted this big guy in the brush.

As did several other park visitors. He was apparently quite used to this chaos and wandered across the road right between the groups of cars before heading on out into the next field.

A little further up the road we spotted a flock of ptarmigan who were already switching to their winter camouflage, which made them stand out against the colorful vegetation.

Soon the snow that had been forecasted made it’s appearance with a dusting over the low brush. While not the look we were hoping to see, it was pretty in it’s own right.

Now that there was snow on the ground we spotted these tracks on a hillside and all pondered what animal might have made them.

We soon discovered the answer and watched as this ptarmigan darted up the hillside.

It paused at the ridge to look back and before we knew it one had become many!

The weather made wildlife sighting quite difficult so we continued on to the Eielson Visitor center where there were several antler displays around the building. The first was a caribou set that would have overlooked the view of Denali if it had been a clear day. The most impressive was the two bull moose antlers that were locked together after their rutting battle led to them getting tangled. Unable to pull free of each other, the encounter eventually led to both o their deaths.

The weather was cold and wet so we turned around to head back toward the park entrance. Along the way we spotted a group of moose we’d seen on the way in and decided to sit for a bit to see if they’d come any closer. All we could see of the bull was the very tips of his paddles above the brush, just visible through the misty snow.

The cow on the other side of the same knoll was easier to spot. She was very aware of the bull’s proximity and was keeping a close eye on her two yearling calves nearby.

Eventually the bull decided to come out of hiding and show off his enormous rack. The distance made his size a bit deceiving, but as the men in our vehicle noted very vocally you could sit a full grown man in his paddles and still have room to stretch!

We left the moose to woo his cow and headed down the road were we spotted a bear crossing the road in front of several cars on the hillside above us. By the time we got to the same spot he was more interested in foraging in the brush, so all we could see was the top of his back.

We came back through the lottery check point and were amazed at the difference in climate from one area to the other as we looked back across the landscape at this pull off.

There were several more wildlife sightings before we left the park including this strutting male grouse who caused another slowdown in traffic and a small herd of caribou, including a few who had radio transmitters like the ones described in the exhibit at the welcome center.

A bit further, we encountered a massive traffic jam which meant there had to be something big nearby that was causing everyone to stop on the road. I hopped out to investigate while the Hubs navigated the congestion. A few steps from the truck I spotted antlers in the brush. At first I thought they were a shed from a bull last season, but then I saw them move and realized they were still very much attached.

I rounded the bend to see this cow standing nearby and a few more steps brought the bull into full view.

He was absolutely stunning there in the colorful grasses. He didn’t seem to interested in his crowd of admirers and neither did his female companion. So when the Hubs had finished making his way through the congestion I bid them farewell and hopped back into the truck.

We headed back to the hotel so our friends could pick up their vehicle and head home for a final exam the next day. While we were in the parking lot with them we noticed just how dirty the truck had gotten on the back-country roads.

The mud was so caked on that you couldn’t even read the magnet sign for my photography business on the tailgate! I took the rare opportunity to leave a message for other highway travelers as we headed home, much to the Hub’s dismay.

Although our friends had to head out, we decided to enjoy one more meal with the view. Since the Hubs was driving, I ordered my new favorite liquid libation. Made with an Alaskan wine, this drink is a very simple sangria mixture which is probably why I like it so much. In fact we bought a bottle of the wine used so I can have them at home occasionally and will know what to buy when this one runs out!

It was the perfect ending to our little get away. And thanks to the very nice ranger at the welcome center who pointed out that we could buy an annual pass for the same price we expected to pay for the per head pass this time we can come back to enjoy the park again through next September! Although we won’t be able to access the entire road system, it would be nice to see the park in the other seasons and compare the differences. There just might be a few more weekend getaways coming up next year to this destination! 😉

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A Visit to the Glacier

Published on April 28, 2016April 28, 2016 by JennaLeave a comment

Last weekend the hubs and I joined a group of off-roaders for a ride out to the Knik Glacier. Although we’ve gone out on this trail many times – including once for a senior photo shoot I did! – we’d never gone all the way out to the glacier itself so we were pretty excited to see it and spend some time outside now that spring has arrived.

We loaded up the dogs in the back of our side-by-side and hit the trail with a group of guys the hubs knew from work who were also part of the ride. We followed a friend’s jeep most of the way since he could test the depth of any water on the trail more safely than we could thanks to the height of his rig. Because the trail is along the river, the scenery and conditions are always changing. Most of the trail was pretty dusty due to the recent lack of rain, but other areas had large mud puddles from melted snow that hasn’t leeched back into the ground.

And there were several spots that had become giant mud pits, which always enticed someone to try their luck. Sometimes they were able to make it through but other times someone would have to winch them out and back onto the dry trail.

There were several scenic spots along the trail where we stopped and enjoyed the view while grabbing snacks from the coolers.

I’d taken my ‘backup’ DSLR camera since I had customer sessions scheduled the next day and didn’t want to chance anything happening to the money maker. Unfortunately, once out on the trail I realized I hadn’t put the extra memory cards back in it after our trip to Hawaii! So all I have are cell phone pictures, which are ok except for when we spotted mountain goats on the hillside above the trail. If you look closely you’ll see white dots on the right side of the photo.

The dogs enjoyed the ride and all the attention they got from others on the trail. We still swear the side-by-side was the best (and most expensive!) dog toy we ever bought!

All the dust on the trail had our rig looking pretty dirty. There was even a layer of dust on the inside of the windshield and across our faces! Below is a selfie of my Alaskan off-road spa treatment half way to the glacier!

We crossed a large gravel plain and realized we were almost there. After we rounded the bend and climbed a small ridge we were treated to a large lake of ice chunks just below the glacier.

Although there was beauty all around, my facial was looking pretty gritty at this point! We cleaned up with some wet wipes and joined our group to eat lunch. Some grilled hot dogs while others pulled sandwiches from their coolers. And there was plenty of sharing, including caribou jerky, which was mighty tasty!

After we ate I did a little exploring along the edge of the glacial lake. It was absolutely stunning and when you listen closely you can hear the pieces of ice shifting against each other and rocks. I was able to get the dogs to stand on one of the big chunks next to the bank for a few seconds and get a shot of them too!

When we left the glacier we stopped on another portion of the ridge to get this cool pano shot showing the whole valley of the gravel plain and the glacier.

Just a short distance down the trail we came across a large group of rigs stopped. Normally we wouldn’t be too concerned as folks often stop to grab snacks or shift loads that have moved, but having just left the lunch stop and seeing a large crowd gathered around one of the rigs we knew something was up. It was a broken axle – 15 miles from the road system. That’s kind of a big deal, especially when the owners of said rig were out with small kiddos that day. But in true Alaskan fashion everyone worked together to figure out a solution. Someone grabbed tools, several of the men acted as human jacks lifting one side of the rig so work could be done and others loaned straps so the broken rig could be hitched to our friend’s jeep and towed back to the trail head.

During all this I hung back and kept the dogs out of the fray. They apparently thought that meant it was their turn to drive and quickly moved up front. I think they were actually trying to stay out of the wind which was very chilly coming off the glacier and blowing right across the open plain we were on. Eventually Stoli made himself right at home in my seat. It’s a rough life being our fur baby! 😉

Once the broken rig was strapped up we started the long, slow journey back to the trail head. It didn’t look too bad from one side, but from the other you could see the damage and the tilt that eventually required someone ride on the front corner as a counter-balance. But the entire group who had stopped to help, stayed together to make sure this family made it back safely even though many of us didn’t know each other. We followed behind the jeep keeping an eye on things in case anything shifted, which it did several times. Each time the whole group would stop, assess and come up with a new plan to get the job done.

There were several tricky spots that had to be navigated on the way back, including all those large mud puddles we’d enjoyed on the way out. Luckily having such a large group we were able to send the smaller rigs out scouting to find the path of least resistance for the towing jeep.

It took several additional hours to complete the trip back and by the time we got to the trailhead it was after 8:30 pm and many stuck around to help get the damaged rig loaded on a trailer which included a group of those same burly, but now tired men who acted as jacks on the trail keeping it from rolling off when it went askew! Although you never want to see someone’s rig broken it really made the trip perfect because it created a sense of community as we all worked together to accomplish a task and help a stranger. We called in an order for pizza, loaded up our own rig and headed home where we ate, showered and literally fell into bed.

You can’t beat a day spent in the beautiful outdoors where you share laughs, enjoy lunch next to a glacier, get dirty and help tackle a very big obstacle. I look forward to doing it again many times this summer!

Traveling Momma

Published on April 14, 2016 by JennaLeave a comment

I’ve been traveling most of this week for events in three cities across Alaska. That means there hasn’t been much time to do things at home or blog, but I wanted to share a few images from my overnight trip down to Juneau. I’ve been to Juneau several times now for work, including a visit where the hubs got to join me and we stayed a few extra days to see the sights like this, this and this then toured downtown and visited the famous Red Dog Saloon. This trip was all work, but I did catch a pretty sunset just after take off on the way down and a quick view of the mountains along the way.

Since we arrived late at night I quickly settled into my room and hit the sack, but in the morning I awoke to a lovely view of the channel and the Coast Guard boats. Luckily our event was happening right next door so I got to check out the view as I walked over too.

Once the event was done I considered stopping in at the Alaskan Fudge Company to get some of their cranberry white chocolate bark, but I didn’t have a rental car and had several heavy bags to carry on the 6 block walk from the convention center which would put me another 5 blocks downhill from our local office. It was about that time that the wind and rain that had been forecasted decided to make an appearance so I opted to lug my gear and aching feet straight to our office instead and get some work done. It is no-spend April after all and skipping the calories is probably a good thing anyway.

I’ve got one more event tomorrow and then things will be back to the normal schedule. After all this work I’m certainly looking forward to the massage I have scheduled on Saturday, which is also a freebie thanks to a trade I did with an in-home masseuse a few months back!

The hubs has been working on a big project while I’ve been gone so I’ll be sharing that next week and check back tomorrow for a big announcement! 😉

8 Tips for Visiting Hawaii on a Budget

Published on March 9, 2016March 9, 2016 by JennaLeave a comment

Now that I’ve finished sharing all of our fun adventures in Hawaii I thought I’d do a quick round up of tips for those who might be planning a trip to this great destination.

1. Book early or late for the best rates, but also shop around.
The hubs did most of the planning for this trip and scored some great rates on both the hotel and rental car because we reserved them several months in advance. It wasn’t until after the reservations were made that we realized the weekend we were in Honolulu coincided with the ProBowl, which significantly increased prices due to demand but because we had our reservation in so early the hotel hadn’t yet adjusted the rate and we got a better deal than most of the folks staying there during the same days. The hubs also found an awesome deal on the rental car by going with a lesser known brand and searching the travel search sites for the lowest price.

2. Research and read reviews to prioritize what you want to see and do.
We did a lot of research ahead of time to make sure we hit all the things we really wanted to. I started with a list of things in each area that sounded interesting and ranked them to decide which made the must-do list and which were “if we have time” items. Online travel reviews were a huge help in weeding out the tourist traps and finding lesser known but more interesting places or activities.

3. Decide what’s worth paying for and where you can save.
Although we’re always on the hunt for a bargain, sometimes its worth paying for an experience. Don’t skip the once in a lifetime option just because it’s pricey. Swimming with the rays and the submarine tour were expensive compared to other activities, but both are something we couldn’t do anywhere else we were traveling, so it made the price reasonable. To balance those costs we opted to enjoy the hotel’s free entertainment options like fireworks on the beach and the garden tour. Choosing the hotel’s luau saved us additional admission and parking fees required at some of the other local luau shows. We also found free activities around town such as hiking to the ruins, enjoying public beaches on the North Shore and on the big island, strolling the Swap Meet and the Chinese New Year celebrations – although the last two did lead to a couple of additional well-priced purchases. 😉 And getting up early got us free tickets to the USS Arizona Memorial. While on the big island we made the most of our minimal park admission fee visiting the lava tunnels, driving the park’s scenic roads, touring the art gallery and museum, attending a volcano presentation and a couple nights of volcano watching.

4. Don’t over schedule.
Thanks to our research, we were able to plan out what activities we wanted to do each day, but we only planned one or two things for each day so we didn’t feel rushed or stressed to maintain the schedule. We also had a couple of “no plans” days in case weather didn’t cooperate or we just didn’t feel like doing what we’d planned that day which gave us flexibility to be spontaneous. Having a flexible plan allowed us to be relaxed but still see everything we wanted to.

5. Plan for traffic.
This is a critical tip if you want to make the most of your time in Hawaii. Honolulu traffic can be intense and we weren’t interested in spending any of our vacation stuck in traffic so we opted to schedule our plans opposite of the traffic patterns. Since we stayed downtown we would be heading out of town as the morning rush hour wrapped up and timed our trip back to the hotel to be opposite of the afternoon exodus from Honolulu. While we still encountered traffic in both directions it was nothing compared to what we saw heading the other direction!

6. Shop around for souvenirs.
We all end up buying some type of souvenirs on vacation, but you don’t want to pay more than you need to. We found great deals on some of the same items we’d seen in shops around town at the Swap Meet and the Exchange (PX) at the joint military base had the same food gifts for a third of what the Dole Plantation was charging. However, that doesn’t mean they have the best price on everything. The Exchange had the same shirt the hubs bought at a hotel shop for twice what he paid! So take your time and don’t feel like you have to buy something right away.

7. Eat where the locals eat.
Restaurants in the trendy shipping districts are considerably more expensive than some of the local favorites that might be off the beaten path. While we enjoyed Buho, the rooftop Mexican cantina we found in downtown Waikiki, they were definitely priced for tourists visiting the high-end retailers nearby. In comparison, our visits to Nico’s, Teddy’s Bigger Burger and Fatboy’s were just as pleasing to our bellies but did less damage to our wallets. Each of these eateries were in areas where the locals live and work so we had to seek them out but it was worth the little bit of effort.

8. Bring home Costco pineapples.
One of the best parts of visiting Hawaii is bringing home a fresh pineapple. We originally planned to purchase some at the Dole Plantation but their prices seemed excessive so we started searching online to see if there was a cheaper choice. The hubs was concerned that dealing with agricultural customs at the airport would be difficult and wanted to buy pineapples once we got through security (where they check carry on agriculture items) but we heard they were just as expensive there as they were at Dole. Several online sources said the inspection was minimal and as long as your items were free of bugs or rotten spots there shouldn’t be an issue. So we bought 4 pineapples with Dole tags at Costco for less than what we would have paid for 2 at Dole, put them in the branded boxes we bought at Dole for a few bucks each and hand carried them on the plane. At the airport the boxes went through the x-ray machines without issue and even when I asked the agriculture inspectors if they wanted us to open the boxes they said there was no need. Making that stop at Costco saved us more than $60 and gave us a convenient opportunity to fill up the rental car’s gas tank at another discount while we were there so it was well worth the little bit of extra effort.

I hope these tips help you plan a fun and budget-friendly trip to the Aloha state!