Sunday, July 25, 2010

time to unwind...headed towards Anchorage today

Woke up to a rainy day. That kinda gentle rain that you don't really get wet in if your out a short time. 
What to do today...hummm...I had planned on staking an running my newly purchase florescent rope with the no trespassing signs the length of our property line that the idjit neighbor has encroached on....
Decided I should wait and talk with the Borough Office and a lawyer first though.
Really has pissed me off when someone thinks they can just steal property by placing a structure and junk on it and clear cutting it.
Time to legally seriously kick some idjit arrogant Alaskan butt...he has pissed off Momma Bear! 
So instead of sitting around getting angrier I decided to drive. Drive baby drive, grabbed the camera gear, cranked the tunes an off "lil" Blue and I go....
Decided to head north Anchorage way. 
Long drive just to get off the Kenai.
As there is only one road to get off the Peninsula, some of these shots are areas you've seen before but it changes constantly. 
The fireweed is in bloom now so it adds some nice color to the photo's.
But oh the traffic!


Yup...the one and only road to get over to the connecting road to go to either Seward or Anchorage


This is the "major" intersection! hahaha...go right to go to Seward and left to head to Anchorage....see all the traffic backed up??? 

So I decided to pull over in the turn off area and take some pictures hoping the traffic would thin out a bit.
 this trip over the fireweed is out! Makes the locals grumble though as it is a sign that summer is coming to an end.
Sure wish you were here on the trip with me Dan!

the above and below are looking back towards the "one and only" road...pulling over was great for taking photo's but took me a long time to get back onto the road. The pull off is so close to the intersection and it was backed up with cars, motorhomes, camper etc...see all the ones coming?? Finally someone let me in the line.

 I go left towards Anchorage...this is about a 3 hour drive on a good day with no traffic but I am in prime vacation time. Older people driving 40ft motor home who have no clue should be required to have a special license! Especially the ones towing a 20ft boat behind the rolling home on wheels!




This looked interesting for a longer stop to stretch my legs than previous stops for photo's. 
I have lots more photo's of the trip....I drove for a little over 9 hours round trip...lots of photos.
As it takes time to download, then upload into the pro. program, time to render 1.1, then sort and process....another 6 min each photo to download onto this site for the blog....highspeed DSL my butt!...I will share the trip photo's over the next few days.
Tomorrow is a very busy day....first thing is the Borough Office regarding the encroachment...then the Lawyers office....
I am going to go back an check out a builder who builds small cabins and houses down on Bridge Access Rd...Saw a great little house sitting there today but he was off fishing!
I can picture snooky and I living in one of these houses....plans keep changing with what we are doing.
The lake and property are beautiful but  having to live next door to an idjit was not in the plan.
Well it is late and before I fall asleep on my keyboard I will sign off....impression of keyboard keys on the forehead or cheek from the laptop are not pretty in the morning!!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Set the alarm for 4:30 a.m. so I could get things done...lots to do! Was on the phone with snooky early this morning! yayyyy!
Don't even want to think about the land crappola as that is what I dealt with all day.
Every day there is this eagle who is trying to snatch the baby ducks or the baby loon. 
Today was no exception, the loons sound totally different when protecting their little one.
In turn the ducks head for cover under the brush on the banking's of the lake.
Finally got one shot of him.


Last night we went visiting and heard stories of how the bears trashed the fish camp over in Egegik. Tons of laundry to do, replace windows, wash everything down....I didn't know that bears lick and drool all over everything and that ends up being the texture of fruit roll up very hard to get off of stuff. Plus they pee'd on everything!
Well on the way over to visit, we stopped and checked out Bishops Creek...tons of red salmon running up, so thick you couldn't see the bottom of the stream! 
The sound in the culvert under the road that they were swimming through was unbelievably loud splashing. 
Too dim a light to take any good pictures so I went back today.
Just finished feeling out the neighbor who has done encroached improvement of our property. Needed to let the conversation "marinade" in the mind a bit so I went and watched the salmon running for an hour or so.....dang the misquotes were bad! Left eye is about swollen shut and itches for being bit! Reminder: take netting hat next trip.

See the blueish white splash....in each picture that is a salmon coming up stream, click or double click on pictures to enlarge.




they finally make it into calmer water on the other side of the culvert


An of course momma moose and baby

Will go back and take more of the salmon as it is such a spectacular sight to see.
Hoping to see some bears. 
The people we visited have been in Alaska since 1948 an living in this spot way, way, way, out past the Crick of salmon. 
They see grizzly, brown bears and eagle feeding out of this crick all the time they tell me most every day! 
Just gotta be there.... soooo one day soon I'll take "V" with me loaded with Backpacker specials and hike out a bit up the crick and set up the tripod/camera. 
There are usually some "fishermen" up the crick too. The two legged kind.
Well it's late here so off I go. 
Hope the loons sing tonight. Some nights they do but not often. Usually every morning I wake to the loons talking with each other. 
Beautiful music to my soul!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

I hopped outta bed and quickly made coffee...chugged one down and headed out the door to go call my hubby. New time is 7:30 a.m. my time....11:30 a.m. his time. 
I have to drive abut 2 miles to get cell phone reception. 
Just as I crest the hill...Mt Redoubt was out in glory...sun shinning brightly with a brilliant blue sky all around. 
Did I grab my camera...NOoooo! Not enough coffee! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
I know C.C. slacker....as I am dialing Dan I realized that the white on top of Mt. Redoubt is not a cloud cloud it is volcanic activity!!
So after I finish talking with snooky I head back to the cabin to grab the cameras.
By now the mountain is clouded in...so off I go to meet with one of the contractor's regarding building the house for us.
By the time I got down to a good spot to take pictures the clouds had separated so that the mountain could be seen again. 
Here are quite a few shots of Mt Redoubt puff'n away.

 




This is what the mountain looked like earlier in the day.


So that's what Mt Redoubt looks like today puff'n away. will take the camera tomorrow morning an see if there is more volcanic activity.
Miss you hon...wish you were here to be hiking around and traveling with me but this will have to do....photo's of what I'm seeing.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

More pictures from the weekend

Morning is overcast and sprinkling. So I will add the other pictures from my weekend adventure for all of you.

 overlooking Homer

 Looking back across from the causeway heading into Homer

Lots of eagles on the beach in Homer as the tide was going out
Don't know what glacier this is but it is across Kachemak Bay heading our East End Rd in Homer. Stunning view. I stood for a long time as the clouds shifted, settled, raised...amazing how it changes in just a few minutes.
The same glacier about 10 minutes after the above photo was shot! An you guys think New England weather changes every few minutes!! ahhahha
Eagles was just floating around over Kachemak Bay

 Deep Creek (Crik as everyone else is pronouncing it!) where I got "lil Blue stuck
Sign a ways out of Home headed home. It is about 120 miles to Nikiski from Homer
You see this a lot up here...banks of mail boxes side the roads...this was on Funny River Rd.


This was the next day! The guy returned with the keys to the skidders and the fishermen and their boats where lined up thicker that flies on a pile of you know what. The operator zip those skidders around in high speed. 
The whole stretch of beach where people could walk the day before you didn't dare as they zipped up and down, backing into the water as boats zipped in to be hauled out onto their trailers. Amazing..I wish I had a video camera!
The salt water must do a number on these skidders as I don't see the hosing them down at the end of the day with fresh water.


 Just thought this was a cool looking building in Homer 
Like the grass growing on the roof!

 
Homer is all sand...you can see how the hilltops are eroding and exposing the sand.
Had to stop as it was a Moose Jam! People just stop! anywhere...they don't even pull off to the side of the road. So I figured I might as well take her picture too as there was no getting around the motorhomes, campers, cars and trucks...geeezzz. At least no idjit got really close to the moose.

Well that all for now...Hope you are all well, life is good. Hope your enjoying the photos, but they do not do justice to what one sees with their eyes up here!