Thought I would update this thing with what I have been up to....
In July, I headed to Seward with a neighbor and his grandson for halibut fishing. With some tourists on the boat, our search for big halibut was detoured for what we call 'chickens'. Once we caught the smaller halibut, we thought we were headed for silver salmon in the bay but again, the tourists squashed the 6-limit salmon catching and we headed for some ling cod and a 3-limit on silvers. You really shouldn't piss-off the captain....they ended up with one cod and we got a few silvers....the first salmon I ever caught (which was deemed too small and tossed back). They were fun to catch tho. The trip was entertaining, and the weather couldn't have been better. It was the first sunny day and the first day in which the fishing boats managed to get out of Resurrection Bay due to bad weather for a couple of weeks.
This summer was remarkable! Lots of sunshine and warmer temps. My garden did very well. Most of the perennials survived last winter and my veggies were excellent. I have given away lots of summer squash, zucchini and lettuce. I dug up the potatoes in early August, purple and Yukon gold. I have a beautiful tomato plant full of tomatoes. So nice in fact that someone had to steal my first ripe tomatoes. I couldn't believe someone would do that...but then again, I can. There are some pretty rude people in the world. This poor plant was then moved inside the house, to the back deck, to the side yard. Since it has gotten cooler, it is now back in the house and I'm hoping to get some ripe tomatoes. If not, I will be trying my hand at fried green tomatoes.
I finally got out and picked Alaskan blueberries. It was a steep and tough climb to the top of the mountain. Picking blueberries in Alaska is not the same as in Georgia. Bigger hike, smaller plants, and the amount berries is much smaller. But the view is better!
The weekend of September 12th, I rode in my second MS150. I completed Saturday's ride, almost 70 miles, and managed to do the ride an hour faster than last year. It was a good ride, and even tho I didn't ride the 2nd half on Sunday, I left with a positive experience and am ready to sign up for next year's ride. Here is a link to the photographer who captured the event: http://crsouser.smugmug.com/Sports/Cycling. There are some great scenic shots.
I never win anything but somehow managed to win the Denali Road Lottery this year. Maybe my luck is changing? The road lottery is a drawing in which you submit $10 for a chance to drive your personal vehicle all the way into the park.
Martin and I drove up to Denali on Friday afternoon, enjoying the fall colors along the way. Managed to find a place still open to eat dinner. We had pizza, with very limited toppings. After sitting down at the table, the server handed us a piece of paper and said, "these are the toppings we have available as we close for the winter on Sunday". The pizza was very good even with the limited topping selection. And eating something warm before settling in for a night of 'car camping' was nice.
The ride into the park at 6 a.m. was awesome. It was still dark and raining, but we were one of the first people to drive in. Getting up at 5 a.m. was a good idea and a plan well executed. It seemed as tho we had the park to ourselves. As daylight approached we came upon some dall sheep rams. Their position was perfect for photographs (although the lack of light and slow shutter speed caused some of my pics to not look so nice). We experienced a little snow with the rain at 37 degrees as well as fresh termination dust.
The furthest you can drive into Denali is 93 miles, which we did. The entire drive in and out took about 11 hours. Once we hit Eilson visitor center on the way out (around mile 53) we quickly realized that the park was no longer our own. We managed to see tons of sand-hill cranes in the air, preparing to migrate for the winter. We came upon a grizzly sow with two cubs, one I aptly named Blondie. The cubs put on quite a show as they played. As we drove closer to the entrance, we saw a few moose, both bulls and cows as it is rutting season.
After leaving we headed south to Talkeetna and stayed at a friend's house. For those of you who remember Northern Exposure, this is the little town it supposedly took place. It felt nice to sleep in a bed and have a shower.
Sunday morning was sunny and we headed toward an excursion toward Petersville. The drive was beautiful as it was clear, sunny and warmer. The fall colors were at their prime and clear views of Mt. McKinley. Can you have too many pictures of this great mountain? We drove 30 miles in, taking about two hours before finally turning around.
I've created web albums of all these events which can be viewed here: http://picasaweb.google.com/julie.saddoris or click on the link at the right.
Next up, a cousin's wedding in Ohio and then down to Atlanta to visit with friends, where the weather is much warmer. Our autumn equinox was met with termination dust on the mountain, I believe winter is fast approaching. Time to clean up the yard, put the bike away and get ready for winter. I hate to admit that I'm not as eager for snow this year as I have been the past two seasons. Maybe because summer was so nice this year.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Lake Chelatna Trip - June 2009
Hi Everyone.....
Well, it has been awhile hasn't it??? I know...I'm bad....and I promised! Now I am having to remember how to post something! Anyway, onto something interesting!
I finally had the pleasure of visiting a friend's remote cabin up at Lake Chelatna! How exciting....an hour long float-plane ride, landing in beautiful teal blue water, to a beautiful location of serene and quiet. Just my kind of thing.....ahhh.
The cabin was built in 1970 and is 'perfectly rustic'. While dreams of updates swirl around, I don't think it will loose it's charm. We flew out on Thursday and fortunately, I didn't get sick in John's plane, and arrived back on Sunday. I was in desperate need of a shower and a nap by then. We were visited by a family of porcupine, loons, beaver and jumping fish, very little sunshine and some rain. No bears, although the overturned fire pit and fresh claw marks on the cabin were a reminder that they aren't too far away. And fortunately, the bugs were not as bad as I had imagined. I think everything imaginable for keeping the mosquitoes away is in use at the cabin! You can check my web album of this trip here: http://picasaweb.google.com/julie.saddoris/LakeChelatnaJune2009#
Many of you have been wondering how the MS 150 bike ride went. Well, I can say it was one of the toughest things I have ever done. It was mentally challenging to say the least. I made it from Hope to Seward in 7 hours, that's 80 miles. The last hour or two was in the rain. I didn't ride the way back on Sunday and said I would never do this ride again, it wasn't fun. Well, of course, I am signed up to ride this thing again! It's even later in September which means a better chance of rain. Wish me luck.
Speaking of bike rides, I did get talked into riding a 120 mile ride from Houston, north to Talkeetna, and back, in early May. Only three weeks to train for this, after sitting inside all winter (and it was a long snowy winter). This ride benefited the Special Olympics and we couldn't ask for better weather, or a better view of Denali all the way up and while at the lodge. You can see pictures of this ride here: http://alaskadigitalvisions.com/photos.htm. Look for the section with Special Olympics pictures. There are a couple of me at the lodge under #16 and 17, lodge 1 and lodge 2...that is me in the light blue shirt with members of our team. Great ride....
We had an early spring, and lots of sun and warmth. But the past couple of weeks have been cooler than normal and full of clouds. While I was downloading pictures and typing this, I watched the clouds gather on top of the mountains, real dark, saw some rainbows...pretty neat. But now it is clearing and I see there is fresh snow at the peak of one mountain and a light dusting on the top of another! I hope this isn't the end of our summer....I just picked some fresh spinach from my garden!
Well, I think this will be all for now. I'll try to post more...often! :) Hope to get out more with the camera than I have been. Oh, and I finally experienced my first earthquake in Alaska...exciting...on the 3rd floor in a meeting with a client. It was a good one at 5.4 that lasted a good while.
Ciao for now!
Julie
Well, it has been awhile hasn't it??? I know...I'm bad....and I promised! Now I am having to remember how to post something! Anyway, onto something interesting!
I finally had the pleasure of visiting a friend's remote cabin up at Lake Chelatna! How exciting....an hour long float-plane ride, landing in beautiful teal blue water, to a beautiful location of serene and quiet. Just my kind of thing.....ahhh.
The cabin was built in 1970 and is 'perfectly rustic'. While dreams of updates swirl around, I don't think it will loose it's charm. We flew out on Thursday and fortunately, I didn't get sick in John's plane, and arrived back on Sunday. I was in desperate need of a shower and a nap by then. We were visited by a family of porcupine, loons, beaver and jumping fish, very little sunshine and some rain. No bears, although the overturned fire pit and fresh claw marks on the cabin were a reminder that they aren't too far away. And fortunately, the bugs were not as bad as I had imagined. I think everything imaginable for keeping the mosquitoes away is in use at the cabin! You can check my web album of this trip here: http://picasaweb.google.com/julie.saddoris/LakeChelatnaJune2009#
Many of you have been wondering how the MS 150 bike ride went. Well, I can say it was one of the toughest things I have ever done. It was mentally challenging to say the least. I made it from Hope to Seward in 7 hours, that's 80 miles. The last hour or two was in the rain. I didn't ride the way back on Sunday and said I would never do this ride again, it wasn't fun. Well, of course, I am signed up to ride this thing again! It's even later in September which means a better chance of rain. Wish me luck.
Speaking of bike rides, I did get talked into riding a 120 mile ride from Houston, north to Talkeetna, and back, in early May. Only three weeks to train for this, after sitting inside all winter (and it was a long snowy winter). This ride benefited the Special Olympics and we couldn't ask for better weather, or a better view of Denali all the way up and while at the lodge. You can see pictures of this ride here: http://alaskadigitalvisions.com/photos.htm. Look for the section with Special Olympics pictures. There are a couple of me at the lodge under #16 and 17, lodge 1 and lodge 2...that is me in the light blue shirt with members of our team. Great ride....
We had an early spring, and lots of sun and warmth. But the past couple of weeks have been cooler than normal and full of clouds. While I was downloading pictures and typing this, I watched the clouds gather on top of the mountains, real dark, saw some rainbows...pretty neat. But now it is clearing and I see there is fresh snow at the peak of one mountain and a light dusting on the top of another! I hope this isn't the end of our summer....I just picked some fresh spinach from my garden!
Well, I think this will be all for now. I'll try to post more...often! :) Hope to get out more with the camera than I have been. Oh, and I finally experienced my first earthquake in Alaska...exciting...on the 3rd floor in a meeting with a client. It was a good one at 5.4 that lasted a good while.
Ciao for now!
Julie
Monday, September 1, 2008
Labor Day Weekend
Happy Labor Day Everyone!
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted but I finally have something to share! Over the weekend, I went for a bike ride and after 15 miles of riding, met a friend for lunch….who knew someone…who was thinking of flying to McCarthy. It was such a beautiful day this last weekend of summer (literally), so why not??? Instead of riding back the 15 miles, I got a ride to the car and feeling guilty, headed home to take a flight over the Chugach Mountains to McCarthy…home of Kennecott Mine, http://www.nps.gov/archive/wrst/kennecott.htm . We left Anchorage in a 4-seater Cherokee, heading over the Chugach Mountains to McCarthy. We flew over lots of mountains, glaciers and Kennecott Mine. I hope you enjoy ‘some’ of the pictures I took. It’s nice to have friends in high places. Enjoy the flight: http://picasaweb.google.com/julie.saddoris/McCarthyFlight .
Also, some of you have been hearing about my yard ‘make-over’ and small garden. I ordered 10-yards of dirt to be delivered Memorial Day weekend but I think they brought me 20! Thankfully, I had some unplanned help arrive to get it all moved. After filling my yard with all it could take, the rest was wheeled around the neighborhood to anyone who would take it! It has been a pretty cold summer…cloudy, about 10 degrees below average…not the summer we like, or our plants for that matter. But, the plants are in and growing a bit….setting their roots for the winter (hopefully). I can’t imagine what they’ll be like next year! Maybe I planted too much??? Is that possible??? Ask any gardener…plants are my addiction! Enjoy a stroll through my garden: http://picasaweb.google.com/julie.saddoris/Yard2008 .
Well, I am off for a bike ride. Last chance to be ready for the MS 150…it’s this weekend. As fall is officially here with wind and rain, I’m hoping for just clouds for this ride. Cross your fingers! Also, I am still trying to reach my goal in donations for the MS Society. I’m close but still need some help. If you can help me out, I would be forever grateful! Here’s a link to donate: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/AKABikeEvents?JServSessionIdr012=o4d06zkbt1.app329a&px=4485404&pg=personal&fr_id=8772 . I’d like to thank those who have contributed already.
Next update…probably in a week or so, after the MS 150…if I’m still alive and can move! Till next time…
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted but I finally have something to share! Over the weekend, I went for a bike ride and after 15 miles of riding, met a friend for lunch….who knew someone…who was thinking of flying to McCarthy. It was such a beautiful day this last weekend of summer (literally), so why not??? Instead of riding back the 15 miles, I got a ride to the car and feeling guilty, headed home to take a flight over the Chugach Mountains to McCarthy…home of Kennecott Mine, http://www.nps.gov/archive/wrst/kennecott.htm . We left Anchorage in a 4-seater Cherokee, heading over the Chugach Mountains to McCarthy. We flew over lots of mountains, glaciers and Kennecott Mine. I hope you enjoy ‘some’ of the pictures I took. It’s nice to have friends in high places. Enjoy the flight: http://picasaweb.google.com/julie.saddoris/McCarthyFlight .
Also, some of you have been hearing about my yard ‘make-over’ and small garden. I ordered 10-yards of dirt to be delivered Memorial Day weekend but I think they brought me 20! Thankfully, I had some unplanned help arrive to get it all moved. After filling my yard with all it could take, the rest was wheeled around the neighborhood to anyone who would take it! It has been a pretty cold summer…cloudy, about 10 degrees below average…not the summer we like, or our plants for that matter. But, the plants are in and growing a bit….setting their roots for the winter (hopefully). I can’t imagine what they’ll be like next year! Maybe I planted too much??? Is that possible??? Ask any gardener…plants are my addiction! Enjoy a stroll through my garden: http://picasaweb.google.com/julie.saddoris/Yard2008 .
Well, I am off for a bike ride. Last chance to be ready for the MS 150…it’s this weekend. As fall is officially here with wind and rain, I’m hoping for just clouds for this ride. Cross your fingers! Also, I am still trying to reach my goal in donations for the MS Society. I’m close but still need some help. If you can help me out, I would be forever grateful! Here’s a link to donate: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/AKABikeEvents?JServSessionIdr012=o4d06zkbt1.app329a&px=4485404&pg=personal&fr_id=8772 . I’d like to thank those who have contributed already.
Next update…probably in a week or so, after the MS 150…if I’m still alive and can move! Till next time…
Saturday, July 5, 2008
MS Bike Ride
The first weekend of Sept, I will be riding in the MS Bike Ride from Hope to Seward, and back. Roughly 150 miles round trip. Your support and pledge would be greatly appreciated. Click here to show your support and help me achieve my goal!
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/juliesaddoris
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/juliesaddoris
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