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Termination Dust, Weather, Week 25 in Healy
Yesterday and today we had a dusting of snow at elevation. Summer is over! Low of 39 degrees and high of 58 (we hear Virginia is sweltering at 98). Saturday was a rare sunny day so we went into the park. Hard to believe we only have a few weeks left before we start the…
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Coho Count II
C and I caught 12 coho salmon over a 9 day outing. I caught 2 coho (both on the last day!). C caught 10 coho, releasing 2. It rained 7 of 9 days, sometimes raining very hard. Those 2 days without rain were marvelous! August 22 – half day of fishing at Sheep Creek Slough. …
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Sea Otters in Seward
This evening I watched 2 sea otters for awhile. C pointed out the first one while we were walking. Then he headed further down the beach to fish for salmon. It is drizzling, a great improvement on the driving rain we have been getting off and on the past 3 days. If it had rained…
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Sandhill Crane Festival
I spent much of the day at the Sandhill Crane Festival in Fairbanks (while C was working). First I spent several fascinating hours at the Alaska Songbird Institute’s (ASI) bird banding station during a busy morning of banding around 60 wild birds. The birds are caught in mist nets, then gently banded, measured and released.…
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Long Weekend with Coho Count
Salmon: 11 coho, 5 pink, 1 chum Rain: 6 out of 6 days (never all day) Foraging: red raspberries, highbush cranberries, sea lettuce seaweed Glaciers: Lots! (At a distance) August 10 Melissa worked in a.m. then we drove south to Montana Creek. Lots of pinks and chum, not many coho though we saw someone catch…
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Summer Washstation at our Dry Cabin
The lack of running water gets to be normal after awhile, just a bit inconvenient. I remember being frustrated trying to find practical steps on how to live without plumbing. The main tip is to use less water which with practice won’t be as hard as you think. But in the summer I can splurge…
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Wildfires, Week 21 in Healy
July 24 to 26 Alaska had thousands of ground lightening strikes which started many fires, including some just north of Healy (Anderson area) and around Fairbanks. C and his helicopter have been busy! Below are his photos showing what they did to protect some infrastructure one day. The windy conditions were lousy for a back…
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Pumpkin Berries and Ptarmigan Berries, Week 20 in Healy
Three more edible berries are ripe nearby. We have a lot of pumpkin berries (Geocaulon lividum) around the house. While they look gorgeous, edible does not equal tasty. The pumpkin berries can stay on the plant as yard decoration. Fortunately the Ptarmigan Berries (also known as alpine bearberries, black bearberries and many other names) are…
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Blueberries, Week 19 in Healy
July 23, blueberries are coming out strong. We have a few wild blueberries in sight of the house, and loads of them less than a mile away. C doesn’t like eating them, but was kind enough to pick. What a lovely hour, spending time outdoors with my favorite person, hearing birds chirping, seeing views above…
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Denali on a Clear Day, Week 18 in Healy
“That big, white mountain is Denali, this is my best view in 4 1/2 months!” While I wasn’t as verbal, I was impressed as well. This was my best view in just over 4 months, and probably my second best of all time. My lovely husband, who constantly checks the weather and visibility for his…
Me & C
Roaming: Shenandoah River to the Alaska Range
