Just a couple of photos from the Glen Highway

We went to Anchorage last weekend, and had the luck to do one of Jeff's co-workers a favor by bringing his truck back with us.  But on the drive to Anchorage, I was the passenger, and therefore able to take a few pictures while Jeff was driving.

I got a new phone in December.  It's an LG G3, and the camera on it is way better than my last phone.  I really haven't carried another camera since I got this phone.

While the photos I took while we were going 65 MPH over frost heaves aren't the best, they look really cool after I edited them in Google Photos.

I think they look a bit like paintings...

The snow was really swirly twirly on the high mountaintops.  So much so that we saw an upside down rainbow (which we weren't able to photograph).  That swirly snow gave a very cool effect to the far away mountains.

Today was a beautiful day

Today was a beautiful day.
Clear blue skies.
Not a cloud to be seen.

Mt. Drum and Mt. Wrangell, with the Copper River in meandering in front.

So I knew that this day warranted a stop at the scenic overlook.
I parked the car and walked out there.
I wanted to get closer to the edge, but it was less traveled of a path, and I fell in a couple times.
So, on more picture, and I left.

panoramic view

On my way back to the car, I saw that somebunny, or somebunnies, had been there before me.  

Can't say I blame them.

When I got home, FedEx had delivered a package, but not for us.  Hmmm...  After some sluething, I found the phone number of the intended recipient, called her up, and found out she was just two doors down.  I put my shoes back one and off I went.

I was glad I had because I found out who a dog was that I see around all. the. time.  She runs the neighborhood.

This is Sophie.  When I asked for her photo she came up within 1 foot of me and posed.  And when I tried to move to get a better shot, she moved to.  So, you get this from-above photo.  Her people live just across the street from us.  That makes sense, cuz I had seen her there once.

When Jeff came home, Sophie was here.  He used the "T" word in front of her, so we had to make good on that.  In fact, we had nothing else, so we ended up opening a new pack of lunch meat, so Jeff could give her the promised treat.

Some firsts

We went to Anchorage this weekend.  It was the longest we'd gone between trips to "town."*  A friend asked Jeff to pick up and bring his truck back with him, which was supremely helpful to us, because it allowed us to get everything we needed!  Not just groceries, but also softener salt and a filing cabinet.  We never could have gotten everything home without that second vehicle for the trip home.

So, two vehicles for the trip from Anchorage to Glennallen, that means...
I drove the Glen Highway!  Like 180 miles of it!  Or something like that.  My very first time driving in those mountains!  I had been dreading my first solo trip to Anchorage.  Luckily I was able to follow Jeff, I had been on the route quite a few times already, we had decent (but windy) weather, and it was light out.  All things resulted in a safe and easy drive home.

Another first for me....  I'm sick.  My first time being sick in Alaska.  Head cold, or some such nonsense... It's ridiculous and I think being sick should be outlawed.  Hopefully I will feel better and go to work tomorrow.  I definitely feel better now that I have all day.  Perhaps that's a good sign.



*It had been 6 weeks since we'd been to Anchorage.  While we are very happy that we have a grocery store here in our town**, the prices and variety are just so much better that we do the bulk of our shopping there.  We mostly get dairy, fresh veg, and fresh meat, oh, and Jeff picks up lunch too, from the grocery store in town.  For the last week or 2 before we got back to Anchorage, I was really having a hard time figuring out what I wanted to make for dinner.  So we ended up with gyros more frequently than normal, and I actually willingly cooked with Velveeta.  Shocking, I know...


**If you don't live in Alaska, you may not know that the really nice, new grocery store in Bethel closed.  This blog here by a couple of teachers who live on the West side of the state shows more about the store - it even has a movie theater.
Bad news for us is that the same company owns the grocery store in our little town.  Everything we've heard right now might be rumor.  But it sounds like that company declared bankruptcy, so that's why they had to close the store in Bethel, and ours and at least one more as well.  Jeff heard that our store was purchased.  He also heard that it's closing this week, and we have no idea when (or if) a new store will open up in its place.
If it is true and the store does close, that will suck.  Silver lining is that there are other places that carry milk and basic (but expensive) groceries.  And I guess we will be running to the valley/Anchorage more often, too.
Fingers crossed that we continue to have a nice little grocery store, even if it is new owners!

Mt. Drum

These are from November 4, 2014:

And from February 27, 2015:

(not panoramic, just cropped)

Hmmm, perspective makes all the difference, doesn't it?  The top photos were taken (from the side of the road!) in Glennallen.  The bottom photo was taken slightly closer and slightly further south, on the Richardson.  But since the bottom one has nothing in front of the mountains, there is nothing to gauge size on.  And considering that only about half of Mt. Drum is visible in the middle picture, it makes a huge difference!

I love seeing these mountains, but haven't been too lucky lately.  I sure was glad to see them on Friday!

Matanuska Glacier

There is a nice pull-off East of the Caribou Creek on the Glenn Highway.  It's a decent size parking lot with an excellent view of the Matanuska Glacier.  Since it was such a beautiful day the last time we headed to Anchorage, we pulled in for a view.

Do you see the glacier?  It's between the mountains, and goes much further back. 

Most glacier views are "advertised" from east of it.  This, however, is my favorite view.

panoramic view