summer solstice moose pass

sockeye run on the kenai

Copper River Red w/ a homeless man:










One fish two fish red fish blue fish:










Polish Fish:









The Ride:










Fish On:








Dinner:

Overland to the Dutch Hills

This last weekend was different. Something about my breakfast made me feel happy.


I loaded up Maggie and went north to Trapper Creek and Petersville.





More flowers are blooming:




Wild Geranium(Geranium erianthum):










Wild Rose:(Rosa rugosa)






Nannerpuss says "I smell a bear foot print".










Miner Shanty:







Dutch Hills:






We made a stop at Talkeetna for a beerewski a the West Rib. Downtown was swarming with mosquitoes and tourists. One train and eight tour buses unloaded the folks with no agenda.


They were just walking around in a travel coma. I bet they were on a boat a.k.a. "$h!t barge" for a week and then offloaded onto a bus or train and shipped up to Talkeetna before they paused at Denali for a night. There were a few people picking guitars, mandos and banjos in the pavilion that looked like seasonal locals. I had to get out of downtown quick. Next stop the old graveyard:











Walking the back roads I found this old chunk of steel from Michigan's hay day:


Then it was back to Girdwood where the resort keeps most of the people couped up. home Sweet Home.

Whats blooming at the Ham Tram.

This weekend I tried to go birding "but dem' buggers move too fast". So I took a lot of pictures of the wild flowers that are blooming. Kristen at the Wildlife Center gave me the heads up that stuff was starting to happen. So the pooch and I hit Winner Creek snaping shots of all the flora.
Dwarf Dogwood aka bunch berry (Cornus canadensis)

Blue Berries (Vaccinium Spp.)



Alaskan Violet (Viola langsdorffii)

Iris


Salmon Berry (Rubus spectabilis)like the raspberry but orange/pink and not as sweet.


Yellow Anemone (Anemone richardsonii)
Moss Heather (Cassiope mertensiana)

star flower (Trientalis borealis)

Look this tree looks like a Butt!

BBG needs to rest. She does this at home all the time and this is the first time I've seen her sit on a chair in public.



I could not get Maggie onto the Handtram.

Not going to happen.

BBG says "I'll show him it is too hot for the Ham Tram."

wet sluff and strawberries makes you say uncle

On Tuesday I had my first June ski for this year. I met up with Ryan from the Wildlife Center and one of the VerMonster kids that just moved up here and two folks from Anchorage at the Tincan pull off around 6:30pm. This was after we all worked a full day at our various jobby jobs. The alder bash was still not too bad, but Kimbro took her time picking up the trash that was melting out of the snow. Big thanks once again. We made it up into the alpine and soon begin the billy goat on the ridge to the top of Todd's Run. There were sluffs that were running off the boot pack that grew to an uncomfortable level. I knew the snow was soft from baking in the sun all day. I almost turned around twice. At the top we took it all in and discussed our route down and safety zones. Ryan made the first ski cut and it slid, growing as it ran out. We sat at the top listening to the rushing snow. It lasted almost 20 minutes for it to stop. We all made it down safe but I was worked from the wet snow and it was 11:30 by the time we hit the cars.

Wild Strawberry (Fragaria Spp.)
I gave Magpie a quick walk before bed and I noticed that the strawberries are blooming.Maggie gives me a look like she knew I was playing in the snow without her.



On Thursday June 4th I got a text with pictures from my brother. I'm an Uncle. I hope the stogies were lit up all over Wisco last night celebrating the birth of Minnow Abigail Catherine Kidder.