Tuesday, June 29, 1999

What a GORGEOUS day this has been!  When you try to figure out what could have made it better you just come up DRY!!!  This is just exactly what I was hoping to see and do while I was in ALASKA!!

  

Beth and Stacey are planting some new bedding plants Beth got the other day. She's filling in a few little spots through the beds.  Stacey was chief watering can person!  It is amazing how fast stuff grows here with all the daylight.  There are a couple of plants we're watching closely.  I hope to see them blooming before we pull out next weekend.

Stacey slept in this morning so we really got a little later start on the day than we intended but all went well.  Poor Beth was at work but Ted took a day off once again.  This kind of day should be made illegal for working when weather is like this up here! 

 

The four of us headed out in Ted's truck... basically heading east I think.  We drove out about 50 miles to the trail head at Angel Loop.  We had planned to walk the 3.5 mile loop.  The trail wasn't really marked and we never found a alternate way home so just did an out and back.  We hiked to the highest point (more than once).  We'd think that was it and around the bend would be another.

The middle picture on the row above is just a classic beaver dam.  We didn't actually see the beaver here but it's work was art!  This particular area - low, near the river was full of Alaskan State Birds - MOSQUITOES!!!  If you ever stopped and then looked - you were in a CLOUD of them!!  Thank goodness that got better.

Not long after the beaver dam we saw frozen snow!!  What a surprise.  It didn't seem like we were high enough.... we really weren't.  It's just still frozen over the little stream coming down the mountain.  Now, tell me how COLD is that water??

This was a REAL hike for Stacey.... one she should always remember! I don't think she sees that kind of terrain much.  The views were beautiful and once again pretty much unmarked by roads and buildings.  There were many photo opportunities as you can see.

Ted made a great guide.  I heard him mutter once, "I could be at a desk today."  Made me enjoy even more.  I hadn't given that a thought at that point!

 

We stopped at Tacks on the way back.  It was a combination country store, garden center and restaurant.  It was great fun wandering through all the different "theme" rooms.  The pies were kind of picked over so we skipped that.  The flowering pots here and hanging baskets were first prize winners here.  I'd have had to get one if I'd had wheels.  I'm sure they wouldn't like our temperatures much however.  

The house you see below is one of many on a full street.  They are rent houses with sod roofs.  Each has a set of horns over the door.  It was a pretty surprising site when you came around the bend.

This was a "five moose" day!!  We spotted five lone females at different spots coming and going.  I think we were just very lucky.  It's always so much fun to catch them in their own habitat.  

 

We had to get busy on our return.  Today was Beth's birthday so Rusty got started mowing the lawn while Ted cranked up the grill for the boneless ribs.  Stacey and I worked on the salad and she did all the decorating and song composing.  It's the 30 minutes of pleasant conversation (Ms. Bishop's rule - a story Beth shared with us) after dinner that challenges her. Beth's cake was decorated like a garden and was quite colorful. All enjoyed.  We spared her the candle routine. Beth got a pile of gifts.  The one she didn't quite believe was the "NEW" pitchfork for the compost pile.  Ted and Rus had put a new handle on it and painted the tines.  It looked absolutely new.

The dog below lives up the hill from Beth and Ted.  Her name is Arrow and she's a sweetheart.  We dubbed her the "rock hound".  Ted will throw a common ordinary rock off the pavement for her and she will hunt and fetch.  She comes back so PROUD of her job!  She's hold her rock in her mouth and enjoy her success for awhile.  She's panting and resting.  Next thing you knows she's brought it back to you and wants to do it again.  Her tail is working 90 miles an hour while she hunts. 

   

We made an after dinner trip to the botanical garden at the University of Alaska.  We wandered all through it enjoying the flowers. I'm fascinated by the cold weather blossoms!  Beth's garden is amazing.  She has such a talent and interest in it.  I just love the "no moose allowed" symbol hung on the fence.

 

What a wonderful Alaskan day!  We all turned in knowing we would sleep well!