August 2016

Nice view from Jeff's union picnic dinner

Another nice view - this one from the Gulkana Fish Camp - near where the Jeep had been dumped after being stolen...

Just another trip to Anchorage (near Sheep Mountain)

...and the return trip home, shortly before Gunsight Mountain.

Checked on the fishwheel for one of Jeff's co-workers.
Took another of his co-workers, and his family, with.
They've not yet been here a year so they can't harvest from a fishwheel yet.
The fishwheel is on a island, and you have to ferry across a slow area of the Copper River to get to it.

The goat trail to the parking area for the fishwheel.

The sun came out shortly after we got there.

And I caught Jeff admiring a rainbow.

This is one of the two fish that were in the fishwheel.  We sent the fillets home with the other family.

And we took home the salmon eggs from the one fish that had them.
I gave them to my boss who then made "stink eggs".
I did not request to try them...

One night we decided to head up to the overlook and try to photograph the AlpenGlow.
Mother Nature did not disappoint.
August 30, 2016  9:57PM  near Glennallen, AK

Best Nine

I've seen a lot of #2016BestNine on Instagram lately.  And I decided I had to jump on the bandwagon.

What's funny is that if I run it again (using https://2016bestnine.com/), this #2016BestNine compilation will be on it...

And while I was at it, I decided to make my 2015 Best Nine:

Have you found your 2016 Best Nine?

February 2016

*sharing photos from earlier this year, basically for my own benefit*

Mt. Sanford & Mt. Drum, February 2, 2016, 4:34PM

spent time in the "wife chair" at Cabela's
#livingroomgoals

bought this happy set of bowls!

went to the eye doctor; they have a sense of humor!

buying a new set of nice pots & pans made Jeff & I feel like legit grown-ups

new glasses!

facing East, you can just barely see the top of Mt. Drum
February 23, 2016 7:54AM

Jeff really got into try to capture the Northern Lights.
We need to buy a really sturdy tripod now that he's figured out the right settings...

8-28-2015: the Copper River

Took Mom & Dad out driving the first weekend they were here.  It was great weather with some excellent mountain views...

the Copper River

Mt. Drum

Mt. Sanford

Mt. Drum

08-02-2015: Willow Lake

Meet the mountains:

Mt. Drum; Mt. Sanford

Mt. Drum 12,011'

Mt. Blackburn 16,391'

Mt. Sanford 16,237'

Mt. Wrangell 14,163'

All photos are from August 2, 2015, around 9:30PM, from the Richardson Highway pull-off at Willow Lake.

Your weather is better than our weather

I was well aware back in November when I said that our weather was better than your weather, that the tables would turn.  And boy, they have!

I've seen the outside temps as low as -34.  That's Fahrenheit...

This is the window in the kitchen, the only one we didn't put plastic over.
When it's this cold, you just can't stop this from happening.
I mean, it's nearly 100 degrees different from inside to out!

Luckily, it's not windy!  There have been some days with a light breeze, but nothing like the wind in the MidWest.  We lived in a condo on a hill, and every time I would go around the corner to go to the garage, the wind would take my breath away!  Not here.  Here I only have to cover my mouth so it doesn't freeze, not because I can't breath...

Today when I went out to head to town, it didn't feel too cold, but with every breath my nose hairs froze up, so you really can't fool yourself for too long.

When it's this cold out, there aren't any clouds.  Sure, there is the "smoke" or "steam" from exhausts, furnaces, fires, and where there is open water, but the mountains are out.

view from near the airport.
Mt. Sanford & Mt. Drum.

Notice the exhaust coming off the building to the right.

view from the Tok Cutoff.
Mt. Sanford & Mt. Drum, with the Copper River in the foreground.
You can barely see the steam coming off of the open water.

This photo was taken around 1:30PM.
It better shows the steam coming off the river where it's open.
The water is probably 60 degrees warmer than the air.