Life on the Mountain

Spring Has Sprung! (AKA Mud Season)

Although you can't tell that it's mud season by looking at this picture, let me tell you....it is. Actually, with the winds that just came roaring in, it may be semi-mud season since it will probably help dry up the roads somewhat.   It's typical of spring in the mountains that you wake up to a white-out blizzard on Sunday morning, and then by Wednesday evening, very little snow is in sight.  This week's daily highs will average around the low 60's and should be above freezing at night....that's spring!  

This area averages about 200+" of cold, frozen, white stuff over about 6 months of the year... we're right about average at this time.   As I sit and type this, the winds have just started swooshing around out there, and I am sure that will help dry up what's left of the mucky roads.  Four days ago we were worried about making it down and up our driveway in about 8" of new snow ---  today, the roads are almost dried out.  This wind will take care of what's left of the muck.  But we have to remember, we have gotten snow as late as June since we have been up here full time....when it falls at that time of year, it may only hang around a day or two, but the possibility of snow showers is still there. 

I have a major case of Spring Fever, so get on with it, Mother Nature!  I am ready to be outside, dig in the dirt, get some gardening done and landscaping projects finished from last fall.   

Bring it on! 

Fall has fallen!

In just a few days, we've gone from summer to fall...the color is really starting to show on the mountains, and the temps are gradually dropping, too.  Click on the link below to see one of my favorite sites up here in northern New Mexico! 

http://www.rozgarland.com/.a/6a010536e7ee8d970b015435c916e7970c-pi

Sent from Roz Garland's iPhone!

Catching up...

Wow!  It's already FALL....

Have I been lazy or what?  I obviously haven't posted anything since we got back from Alaska in June. Sorry about that...this summer has FLOWN by.  Let me see if I can give you a quick synopsis: 

GARLAND CAMP:   We flew Kate, Sara Paige and Jenna out here for a week of fun in the mountains, and we certainly had that!  The girls did really well (Never once said "I want my mommy!") and we stayed really busy fishing, swinging, playing, riding ATV's, sliding, making s'mores, seeing alpacas and more.  Jenna was a huge help in keeping up with them and we had a blast!

MIMI IN McKINNEY:  I flew back with them to Dallas and spent a week at THEIR house in McKinney! I managed to squeeze in visiting with family and friends and catching up on shopping! Fun trip! 

SHOOT AGAIN:  Henry and I spent some time shooting sporting clays, prairie dogs and targets in my effort to become a marks-woman (?) in several different firearms.  We've made a couple of trips out to the NRA Whittington Center near Raton, NM and enjoyed the heck out of it! 

 

GARDENING:  We have been inundated with tomatoes ripening faster than we can eat them (from the greenhouse).  Went through all the onions (Texas 1015's) pretty fast, have lots of herbs, and a few peppers.  Gardening at this altitude (9400 ft) and this climate (dry, wet, cold, hot) has been challenging...but we've had pretty flowers on the decks, and lots of veggies in the greenhouse. 

Here's my little flower cart (done HDR style, which I am learning) that sits in front of the greenhouse:

We've also stayed busy doing things with friends, playing CSI:Taos Pines (turning in poachers and suspicious vehicles), hauling slash and cleaning up the lot, doing Chipper Days, and trying to be outside as much as possible to enjoy the great summer weather! 

Here's a picture at Eagle Nest Lake:

And the most recent news and the saddest, is we lost our awesome boxer Allie yesterday.  She had been sick for a while and the vet was amazed that she lasted as long as she did, but she went to doggie heaven yesterday.  She was a great friend and companion, and really---a family member.  It won't be the same around here without her.  We love and will miss you, Allie!  We'll go snowshoeing on clouds one day! 

End of the Road Trip

I am so happy to report that we were able to coordinate meeting up in Valdez with my cousin Carole and her husband Daniel.  They took about a 7 hr motorcycle trip to come all the way to the coast to meet up with us.  As best we can figure, it has been well over 25 years since we last connected.  I enjoyed getting caught up with family news, and getting updated on what has happened since we were last in the same room.   Carole was sweet enough to bring me a pair of handcrafted earrings that she made...VERY cool!  After reminiscing for a while, we went to dinner and then they got back on the road to go spend the night at Ten Mile with family.   Thanks so much, Carole, for going to the trouble to do that!  I really appreciate it and really enjoyed the visit!

We drove back to Glennallen, and then on to Wasilla. The drive was spectacular, and we made it back to Wasilla in record time.   We spent the last night in Alaska with Sharon and Ralph, and went out for a nice dinner with them.    Later on, Henry started feeling not great, so he hit the sack really early.... next morning, we visited with Courtney and the kids once more time and then hit the road for Anchorage and the airport.  

We were booked on the red-eye flight, but were fairly early. After stopping at Fred Meyers for medicine for Henry, we made it to the airport in the midst of rush-hour traffic.  Turned in the rental car, and had to wait around to be able to check our bags.  Once that was done, Henry crashed on a couple of chairs and napped, hoping to feel better before getting on the long flight.   We finally boarded and flew to L.A. --- short 45 minute layover, and then we got on an America West flight to ABQ.   That broke up the trip a bit, and made it seem not so bad.  Henry finally started feeling better after we got back to ABQ, and ran a few errands in town.  Headed for Angel Fire around 5:00 p.m., and noticed the smoke billowing north of Santa Fe in the forest....oh, and the heat in ABQ that day was over 100 degrees.   A bit browner and drier than Alaska, that's for sure!  

So, we were back in Angel Fire by about 8:00 p.m. that evening....GREAT to be home!  We had an amazing trip to Alaska, and want to go back again in the future....Thanks to the Kilbournes for putting up with us, and thanks to the Johnsons for making the trip even more fun!  It was wonderful and we love that state!   

Here's a few random shots from Alaska, just to wrap things up!

The Garlands and Johnsons in Valdez:

Henry and Roz at "The Fat Mermaid" in Valdez:

Statue by Peter Toth

And just for fun, once again:

THE END!!! 

 

Fairbanks, Glennallen and Valdez

We had a nice drive to Fairbanks on Friday, and met up with JM and Diana Johnson downtown. They had been there since the previous evening, and were on a quest to see how many museums they could go through in one day!  We found them at the "Dog-Mushing Museum" and picked them up!  Had a nice dinner overlooking the river at the Pump House Restaurant in Fairbanks.  

Next morning, we got a fairly early start and drove 57 miles out of town to Chena Hot Springs, where we changed into our lovely swimsuits and spent a hour or so basking in the warm (105 degrees) waters of the Rock Pond.  No photos of this are in existance, due to death threats, but it was nice and we then headed back to town for more adventures.  

The next adventure was totally JM's idea...we decided to go on a tour of old downtown Fairbanks on a SEGWAY!  It was great fun!  After about 20 minutes of instruction, we followed our guide down the streets and through the parks and over the river several times to hear about the history of Fairbanks.  Actually, Henry was chomping at the bit to just fly around on that thing, and could have cared less about the history lesson.  So, at the end of the tour (which, by the way, they spent about twice as much time with us than we paid for) they turned us loose in the park.  You should have seen JM and Diana zipping around with no problems!  I was doing great going downhills...it was the uphill that was a killer....my Segway started beeping at me, and bouncing a little, and so I stepped off like I thought I was supposed to, only to be run over by the dang thing! At least it was on grass.  And I as looked up to see what damage had been inflicted on me by the thing, I saw Henry crashing head first downhill across the park!  I ended up with bruises and scrapes on my arms and legs, and he got a good bump to his nose and face.  But, it was GREAT fun, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!  Needless to say, JM (84 yrs old) and Diana had NO problems and ran circles around us! 

We also managed to hit Pioneer Park, a Fred Meyer's store, the Yukon Quest store, a few museums, a coffee shop, and ate dinner downtown at an Italian place on the rooftop...it was a really fun day! 

Next morning, we packed up and headed to the Midnight Sun Festival downtown Fairbanks, where there were tons of arts/crafts/food vendors and found a few goodies to purchase.  After leaving town, we stopped at North Pole Alaska to see the giant Santa, the caribou, and the Christmas store!

Diana and JM had not seen a moose as of yet, so we ordered up one for the road...it wasn't long before we actually saw a monster of a moose, standing knee-deep in a pond and eating the mossy plants from the bottom.  He actually stared at us for a second and didn't mind a bit that we were saying "Moose! Moose!" over and over!  

The rest of the trip was kind of rainy and fairly uneventful as we made our way to Glennallen.  We spent the night at the Caribou Hotel -- an old place, but pretty nice--nothing to write home about.  Next morning, we headed for Valdez...scenery improved dramatically as we traveled along side rocky peaks and mountains full of snow and glaciers.  Coming across Thompson pass, the visibility was pretty bad since we were in a cloud, and rainy too.   Stopped at a salmon spawning ground only to see a herd of them (oops, I mean a SCHOOL of them) all treading water in relatively one spot.  And no bears in sight.  

The scenery was breathtaking as we went along on the way to Valdez, and we passed some spectacular waterfalls and snow-topped mountains. 

We finally made it to Valdez and were struck by the calmness of the water in the sound, and how the mountains just go almost right to the water's edge all around.  Found the airport and checked on the Johnson's flight scheduled for tomorrow, and then made the rounds of town.  Of special interest was the Pipeline holding tanks, so we traveled around to the opposite side of the bay to see them.  Along the way, we were lucky enough to see a young grizzly bear, casually munching the salt grass next to the highway.  He totally ignored all the stopped cars and people photographing him.  So cute!

So we explored more of Valdez, and ended up back at the hotel for dinner.  Here's a few more photos of the small boat harbor, and of Valdez from across the bay.   The Johnsons will fly out tomorrow for Anchorage and will be joining a travel group there...Henry and I will spend one more day in Valdez and hope to meet up with my long lost cousin Carole Morrison, who has lived in Alaska for most of her life.  Haven't seen her in probably 25 years, so we are hoping to coordinate a meeting. 

After that, we will be driving back to Glennallen, then to Palmer and Wasilla, where we will spend a last night with Sharon and Ralph Kilbourne.  Then Anchorage and back to ABQ and home.  

There is not room here to post all the photos I have taken, so if you are interested and want to see more, please check my Flickr site.   Will write more before this trip ends, so please check back! 

Valez Small Boat Harbor:

Kayaks:

Alaska Pipeline from underneath:

TTYL!

Denali National Park

Winding up our stay in Denali:

The main attraction to riding the bus into the park is to see the views and the wildlife.  Well, we saw several moose in Wasilla, and caught sight of several other animals on the ride in, so because the weather basically improved each day, we decided we would jump on the Kantishna Air Taxi (small plane) and FLY back to the entrance of the park.  30 minutes flying vs 6 hrs back on the bus...no brainer, right?  Even though I had never ridden in a small plane, I decided to "face my fear" and jump on board.  Since the weather was great that day, clear blue skies with few clouds, Henry decided that we needed to upgrade to a little flightseeing.  We loaded our luggage onto the bus which left at 6:00 a.m., and waited to catch our plane until about 10:30 a.m.   

The next thing I know, we are climbing aboard with Connie (a veteran bush pilot of 30-something years) and taking off.  The views were spectacular...you could see towards the west that there was nothing but tundra for hundreds of miles.  Gradually, he turned us towards the Alaskan Range and it took my breath away!  Literally!  There in front of us was Denali (Mt. McKinley) in all it's glory! 

Mount McKinley or Denali (Koyukon Athabaskan for "The High One" is the highest mountain peak in North America and the United States, with a summit elevation of 20,320 feet (6,194 m) above sea level. It is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.

We flew straight at the north wall and I swear, it was so massive it seemed as though we were standing still.  I felt like I could reach out and touch it, and I literally teared up thinking about what an artist God is and what wondrous things He has created for us to appreciate.  Connie took his time doing the fly-by, and filled us in on history, the names of the peaks and glaciers, and answered our questions.  We didn't have time to fly completely around the mountain, and the area that the mountain climbers attempt is on the south side.  We saw the entire northern and eastern side of Denali.   It's rare to have clear weather around the mountain because it does create it's own weather, and is not "out" that often.  And for my first flight, it was so smooth it was unreal.  Beat the American Airline flight from Dallas to Anchorage hands down!  It's just hard to describe how special and majestic and awe inspiring seeing Denali that close proved to be.  I still can't believe we did that! 

I was snapping photos like crazy, and don't have room to include them all here.  If you want to see them all, go to my Flickr site.  It was definitely the trip of a lifetime, and I am so blessed to have had the opportunity and to have shared that with Henry.  Here's a few of my favorites:

Denali - North Face

The photo below is of the  north (right) and south (left) peaks...the left one is actually several hundred feet taller and is the summit the climbers aspire to.  We were at a weird angle and I took this as we passed by at about 10,200 feet.  (We were only about halfway up the height of the mountain.)

Part of the Alaska Range:

The Polychrome Mountain Range:

The plane we flew in:

And....just for fun....here's a Momma Moose and her twins that we saw on the way to Fairbanks!

Check back later...we spent all day today having a great time in Fairbanks...will post that adventure tomorrow!  

 

Wasilla, Alaska

After a short trip from Anchorage, we met up with the Kilbournes in Wasilla, and got to meet our niece Courtney's two beautiful little girls. They actually live in Knik on Knik Lake, which is not far out of Wasilla. We figured out that it has been 10 years since we were there last...what changes!  Sharon and Ralph graciously offered to let us stay with them for a couple of nights, and managed to pull almost all the family members together for a salmon cookout.  Their place is more beautiful than I remembered! 

And here's Henry and Sharon...

On Tuesday, we left Wasilla and headed for Denali National Park.  It was raining most of the way there and quite a bit colder than in Wasilla.  At Denali Cabins, we parked the rental car, loaded our one bag each on a bus and took a 7 hour ride into Denali National Park and Reserve.  The bus stopped periodically for rest stops, and the bus driver/guide told us a lot about the history of the Park, and we kept our eyes peeled for wildlife --- not GAME, as Henry calls it.  He saw the butt end of a grizzly, a few Dall sheep, several caribou, some ducks etc. but no moose....We had seen 5 in our drive around Knik, so that wasn't a big deal.  The further into the Park we got, the more it rained and the colder it got.  We arrived at the BackCountry Lodge around 7:30 p.m. and were served a nice dinner in the dining room.   Here's a picture of the main lodge: 

We took a couple of hikes through the tundra (it's like walking on a squishy, wet feather bed) and Henry also hiked up to Eagle Ridge.  We napped, ate, napped, hiked, ate, napped, and mostly had severe withdrawals from having no TV, no phone, no internet, NOTHING for 3 days.  Oh well, I actually sat down and read part of my Alaska book!  Met some interesting people there, also.   We were literally at the end of the 92 mile park road that ends in Kantishna. No connecting roads for hundreds of miles west of there, either. 

Ok-- enough for tonight...I am still a day behind on this blog, but will catch up tomorrow.... stay tuned in for the biggest and best activity yet....we did something I NEVER imagined we would get to do....amazing sights....check back tomorrow.  I need to go to bed, even though the sun is still shining brightly at 10:30 p.m. here in Fairbanks!  More tomorrow! 

Alaska Trip - Part 1

The Alaska Trek:

After spending 2 days in hot and humid Dallas, and enjoying the HECK out of spending time with Jenna/Robert, Brad/Jenny/Kate/Sara Paige/Harper... we headed for Alaska on Saturday, June 11th. 

Flew American directly from DFW to Anchorage and was in shock after we checked in bags for $25 a piece, paid for our own snacks, and would have had to pay for headphones had we not had our own!  Crazy!  There's a good reason why we always try to fly Southwest Airlines!  Seven hours later and after an extremely bumpy ride for at least half of the flight, we flew over spectacular, snow-covered mountain ranges and into Anchorage.  I was really glad to be on the ground! 

Spent the first night near the airport at the Coast International Hotel...nothing fancy, but a nice clean room with a great bed...after a late dinner at Piper's Restaurant and bar, we hit the sack and tried to adjust to the 3 hr time difference.  That meant staying up as late as possible before crashing. 

Next day, Henry got up early and went to the airport to get our rental vehicle....Have to say, it will be perfect for sightseeing with 4 people (after we meet up with the Johnsons in Fairbanks) and I doubt that we will be able to lose it easily in any parking lot....color is a little bright, but it's a brand new van with 175 miles on it, so it's NICEEEEE!!! 

We drove to downtown Anchorage and had some nice breakfast in a local cafe, then headed for the Farmer's Market....more crafts and gifts than edibles, but it was interesting!  The TV show we watch called "Mounted in Alaska" had a booth set up and one of the guys was there handing out photos to people and shaking hands....so we did that, and realized he's just a nice, regular guy like anyone else.  We saw some interesting native-made crafts, but decided to not "invest" (at least, that's what I call it) and walked over to a big touristy gift shop where we found a gigantic mounted grizzly.  He was a little intimidating, except fairly dead, so we weren't "skeered". 

Here's a photo of some of the scenery between Anchorage and Wasilla....breath-taking!!!

We'll be leaving here in the morning for Denali and may not have internet for a few days.  Staying at the Back-Country Lodge in Denali National Park.  It's at the end of a 92-mile road which they have to bus you in to, (no cars allowed), and fairly primitive, so I will try and post more when we get to Fairbanks on Friday.  Check my Flickr account later for photos of the Kilbourne's place.  Thanks to Sharon and Ralph for putting up with us for a couple of nights, and feeding us so well!  We had a great time, and loved seeing the family! 

Will post when I can....we LOVE Alaska!!!  

Roz & Henry

 

Alaska...HERE WE COME!!!

So excited to be making another trip to Alaska.  This time we will be going NORTH.....TO ALASKA....(LOL)  and seeing parts of the state we have never experienced before.  We'll be in Wasilla with family a couple of days, and then head to Denali National Park, staying in a lodge inside the park.  Then off to Fairbanks for a couple of days, and it's also where we will meet up with some NM friends.  Traveling down to Valdez and then back to Anchorage.  Then back to ABQ and Angel Fire by end of month.  

I'll be uploading pictures and blog posts from the road, so follow me!  Should be fun!  And you'll get to see a lot of Henry doing thumbs-up poses!  

See ya!

Roz

Been lazy...Distracted...Side-Tracked

Sorry I haven't been great about posting regularly.  This winter has proved to be a little unpredictable and although my intentions are good, I don't always seem to get a chance to follow through.  

Today is the first day of March, 2011.  It's been a weak winter this year, at best....we have gotten about 75% of the normal snowpack.  There's been a couple of good storms, and then a couple of weeks of warmer than normal days -- like in the 50's!  So the snow has come and gone, melted a bit, gotten slushy, and then a new storm brings a little more powder.   Been a little strange.  

Have spent some fun time snowshoeing, shoveling, Zumba-ing with my friend Terri and Diana, traveling and more.  I am guessing Spring is upon us bringing lots of mud on the roads...just look at our vehicles!  More brown than gray!   We're hoping to get in a little more snowshoeing and maybe some skiing, if the resort can make it that long!  

Spending a lot of time in my greenhouse...Henry has done an amazing job, and I am already having fun growing herbs and some veggies.  Can't wait to get more stuff planted and growing!  I managed to kill off about 15 expensive goldfish, but oh well, I ditched the water tank and put a raised bed there instead!  

Guess we shall see!  Oh, and if you haven't tried snowshoeing or XC skiing at The Enchanted Forest near Bobcat Pass.....you should. It's a great place to spend a few hours!!!