September 4, 2009 ~ Friday
Haines Jct., Yukon Territory...the junction to Haines (where there are hundreds of eagles and across the canal from Skagway) or Whitehorse on the Alaska Highway. Someday...SOMEDAY...we'll go to Haines. This time it'll be the Alaska Highway, staying in Teslin tonight, then Liard Hot Springs Sunday. Of course, the phone number for reservations is hiding SOMEWHERE in this camper, plus it's a long weekend for the Canadians, resulting in possibly no camping site at Liard. There is no termination dust on these mountains and it rained most of the night...doesn't even appear that a frost has hit here yet, but 99% of the way yesterday the colors again stood out along the road and on the hillsides. Most of the day was cloudy or overcast, making it all the more brilliant to the lens.

September 3, 2009 ~ Thursday
We are on our way out...in an awesome display of color (colour in CA, eh...), leaves of berry bushes in a carpet turning different hues of red and gold with the dark green backdrop of the black spruce and lighter green of the not-yet-all-turned aspen. And when the trunks are wet from rain the leaves stand out all the more. One more night in AK, then onto the border, CA and the frostheaves to Kluane Lake...guess we'll have to decide soon which way we'll drive down, but I think it'll be on the Alaska Hwy as the Cassiar takes more alertness due to narror roads, some gravel and more wildlife. OK...now I want to go~THAT~way...SIGH! It's suppose to be sunny and in the high 60's at Talkeetna this week...hard to leave then, BUT by the time we arrive in MT we'll have a new grandbaby to meet and love!

August 29, 2009 ~ Saturday
Sunny~cloudy~rainy...at any given moment. One day Cindy and I were at the beach with sun, came home and it had poured, BUT there have been beautiful sunsets and great views of the inlet and AIR. Cindy and I have been to Homer...the Spit...Soldotna...Kenai~playing tourist, shopping, eating and rolfing.
OK...look a little closer at that last word...ROLFING. It's the deep massaging of our integrated connective tissue which relaxes the muscles, ligaments, tendons; thereby, making everything fall into place...better alignment!. It's WONDERFUL!
While on the Spit we saw paintings of wooden boats at old Ninilchik Village...ones neither one of us have seen before, BUT I went hunting today and found them...hidden in the pootschki right by the old noosnick.
On~to Talkeetna in a day or two...checking mail for the last time and finding out if any of my 'wares' have sold.

August 26, 2009 ~ Wednesday
Outside of Ninilchik at our nephew's place...raining this morning, BUT the sunset last evening was awesome! Deep orange with lighter purple...and earlier we could see all three volcanoes, called AIR for Mt. Augustine (usually can't see from this beach), Mt. Illiama, and Mt. Redoubt (spewing smoke...the one that has erupted a few times this year). No pictures...forgot the camera and, besides, the light was so soft everything would have blended. A cow moose with twins has been hanging around, but, of course, where I am no wildlife is usually found. She was probably munching outside my window during the night while I was blissfully sleeping... As far as halibut fishing...already done! Our niece was working on a fishing charter all summer and we can get however much we would like to have from her stash...which means we won't be able to hear Jack talk about chickens or monkeys this year. OK...explanation: with pain meds and sleeping meds a patch for motion sickness brings out the best in him...

August 24, 2009 ~ Monday
Found my camera…just beautiful on Saturday morning as we drove to the berry picking hill Jeff had found last year… According to another berry book, there are several different types of blueberries in AK, these the low- bush with the hillside cushion-y enough to sit (or in my case, roll since I miscalculated the level of the hill) to get those little-r than the Talkeetna berries, WHICH DID turn out to be what we have in MT…HUCKLEBERRIES. My sister will be kinda surprised when she receives those…she’d asked me to send the low bush, I’m sure! While on the hillside Jeff received a call from a truck farm who had asked him to dispose of a cow moose, with Fish and Game approval, that had been munching on over $1000 worth of vegetables a day…that she and her two 2 year old calves were again in the cabbage patch. So, in the evening Jeff ‘made like a cabbage’ and just as he was about to give up cabbage control for the night the moose appeared about 20 feet away. The steak we had for breakfast on Sunday was fork tender and tasted wonderful…as will be the ribs BBQ’ed tonight! Sunday was Janell’s and my day…going to Anchorage to do whatever we wanted~going to the open air market, talking, relaxing, shopping…at a book store, my downfall always. Tuesday the plan is traveling down to Ninilchik on the Kenai for 2-3 days…MAYBE going halibut fishing, although doubtful.

August 22, 2009 ~ Saturday
...the day after the night before. The raspberry beer imported from Belgium... The catch out of Kodiak of grilled wild king salmon and breaded, deep fried in olive oil, halibut (how many people can say they've tasted either, let alone ate both fresh out of the cold Alaskan waters!)... The rice and salad and rolls... AND, MOST OF ALL, together with friends again...what an awesome feeling! The plan for today...picking blueberries (I'm not all that sure they aren't huckleberries, but that's not what the book says) up on Hatcher Pass, an old mining district still with old tumbled down buildings. My camera! Where's my camera!!!

August 21, 2009 ~ Friday
We had a wonderful relaxing time this week...part of it was in the camper because of the rain, but when those clouds go away and the sun shines between the trees it's just wonderful...sparkling off the rain drops on the fireweed petals, or what's left of the flowers. Yup...that time of year. The Natives say when the last bloom is done it'll be 6 weeks until the first snowfall. Some are still blooming, but all that have bloomed have gone to seed...just like the cottonwood seeds flying around, except these are longer, catching in everything...screen doors, clothes, eyelashes, hair, socks, food (and with the little black bugs makes for a good meal!)... Also, picked some more blueberries and they are on their way to Vancouver, WA...in a coffee can...wrapped with duct tape. Duct tape and blue tarps...the AK way. Jack was logging...cut down a dead spruce by the road this week...and put up our address number close to the road. I'd post pictures, but I see I don't have any...probably due to the fact that I burned DVD's yesterday and didn't realize I was transferring them...that's the pits! Denali~The Mountain~yesterday and today was the clearest I've ever seen...no smoke or clouds, so, of course, I took more pictures while picking berries and then on the way into Talkeetna today. We're in Palmer now, having shopped in Wasilla and are headed to good friends for the weekend. Next week, Monday or Tuesday ~ the Kenai...