New layout

This morning I looked at the blog only to find that my background was missing and I was hit with some marketing messages that scrolled annoyingly, with the mouse. To get rid of it all, I had to start fresh. I guess I can't complain too loudly, because the blog is free and a great way to share pictures and memories with friends and family...but UGH. Anyway, this is the news look- nothing fancy...just enough to get me back in action. Thanks for reading!

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,

There is a rapture on the lonely shore,

There is society, where none intrudes,

By the deep sea, and music in its roar:

I love not man the less, but Nature more.

~ George Gordon, Lord Byron

from 'Childe Harold's Pilgrimage'

Snoqualmie Tunnel

With short bursts of wonderful days bookmarked by rain, we took full advantage of a sunny weekend and hit the trail with the mountain bikes. Our long-time friend and amazing cyclist, Jim came along to keep us humble (we missed his wife, but she was busy taking care of the kiddos).

The Iron Horse Trail starts at Rattlesnake Lake and goes all the way to Cle Elum. We rode from Rattlesnake Lake to Snoqualmie Pass and through the dark 2-mile long railroad tunnel. It's quite an adventure as it's hard to see anything in there- even with a headlamp. It's so dark! Anyway it was a long, fun day of riding 43 miles in beautiful weather. Summer has started!

Infant Chipmunk

This infant Chipmunk was laying our driveway not moving, lethargic and covered in fleas. I picked it up and put it in a warm box. It was no bigger than the palm of my hand. The poor little thing was pretty sick, so I called the wildlife rehab who instructed me to try to feed it a puppy milk replacement through an eyedropper. The little darlin' took a bunch of milk and I was so optimistic! In the nighttime, I got up to feed her again and she didn't look good- she was weak and just wanted to sleep. By morning, things hadn't improved and she wouldn't eat, so I took her in to the wildlife rehab. Unfortunately, it has a sad ending as I called for a report and was given the worst news. Perhaps my help made this little one's end a little better and at least gave it a fighting chance. It was hard on my heart-strings, but I did everything I could. Such a beautiful little creature!

Alaska/Katmai 2011

Vil and I just returned from a week in Alaska. It was sunny and just absolutely amazing. We both felt like we'd been gone for a month, which rarely happens on vacation. It was very chilly, despite the sun- only getting into the 50's and low 60's with brrrrr wind-chill. If you haven't visited and plan to do so, dress warmly!

The highlight of the trip was to spend 3 days/3 nights in Hallo Bay at a bear camp. They feed you ridiculously well, take you out with naturalists on long walks throughout the day and help you understand the animals, their behaviors and habitats. It's hard to wrap your head around how remote this area is and how few people every explore the wild country. Mountains remain nameless and unclimbed, any trails in the area are not made by man, but by bears and the wildlife population is healthy and untouched. We saw anywhere from 10-13 bears per day. We also saw, wolves, river otter, sea otter, eagles and raven (even raven fledgelings which were adventurous, mouthy, and boisterous- as most teens are). Every day the tide goes in and out and the animals are hardwired to know the exact times. Bears wander down to tidal flats to scoop up clams, sand pipers and gulls follow the lead eating sandworms and cleaning up leftovers, and otters move further and further out to sea. Our video of the trip is just over 20 minutes long, so this is a big, warm invitation to come visit and watch it with us (uploading takes too long). In the meantime, I'll share photos and memories.

Along with Hallo Bay, we also were able to get in a couple days of halibut fishing and river fishing for Humpies (pinks). 50 pounds of halibut are sitting in our freezer- come for dinner AND the movie!!

Alaska is stuck in my heart, where it will always remain. "The Last Frontier" is not just cliche, but entirely fitting for this beautiful, wild place.

Homer airport terminal.

Flying out to Hallo Bay requires some guts and bravery. This little Cessna 206 is equipped with big round wheels to bounce along a sandy beach- also known as the landing strip.
When we arrived a couple of sub-adult males came to greet our plane. The pilot had to bang on the window to get them to back away. They were just curious and didn't like the sound of that banging. They were no problem at all.

The camp itself!

Camp food. Um...yum.

This is the galley area. It's the only place where food is allowed to be consumed. It's also the hang-out area in camp with suduku puzzles, games and good company to enjoy. A couple from Munich, Germany had our same itinerary and we all got to be fast friends.

The inside of our camp cabin.

Awwwww...those feet. Those big, wonderful, stinky bear feet.

These are juvenile bald eagles- they play and play as you would expect.

This picture is one of my favorites. Sea Otters give birth to only 1 pup every 2-3 years. After the pup is born, the mother carries it around on her belly until it's old enough to hunt on it's own. During this time, they are inseparable and the mother teaches the little one the ways of the ocean from the comfort of her warm tummy. If she needs to leave it for any reason, she'll find a shelf of kelp or piece of drift wood to leave it while she goes to find food. Sea Otters hardly ever go to land. Look closely at the picture below- see the baby? Isn't that precious?
It was a fantastic trip!