Alyeska Ski Resort

Saturday March 14, 2009 (posted 03-26-09)

Today I bit the bullet and got my Alaska driver licence and vehicle plates. I really wasn't ready to do either of these things because it felt like I was cutting the Seattle apron strings before I was ready. I went ahead with it because I thought it might be necessary to prove residency when I register to rent a community garden. I will be able to register on April 1.

After making the above mentioned changes I headed out to the town of Girdwood, about 30 miles southeast of Anchorage. Girdwood is home of the Alyska Ski Resort. My plan was to ride the tram up to the restaurant area, sit in a sunny spot in the cafe sipping coffee as I watched people and did a little writing.

I did the tram part but up at the top there is really not a good place to sit around and it was so cloudy that it was very difficult to actually see people through the cloud cover. At the resort, the tram is used by skiers and snowboarders and I was the only one without some sort of transport to strap to my feet so I could get back down the mountain. Needless to say, I felt out of place (hmm...par for the course for me!) but enjoyed the ride up. I'd hoped for some great pictures but conditions were not favorable.

Before riding the tram back down the mountain, I visited the Round House Museum and learned a bit about the history of the resort and the area where Girdwood is located. I also ate a very good lunch at the Seven Glaciers restaurant. When the bill came I'd been reimbursed my tram fare so my lunch of salmon bisque and pear, cranberry, endive salad was only $5 and that included a very good tip!

The road to Girdwood is along part of Cook Inlet called Turnagain Arm. Weather along that stretch is usually colder and much more windy than in Anchorage and the tides that occur in the area are extreme. They're called bore tides. I'll do some more research and tell you what I learn when I actually witness one and get some good video footage.

Until that time you'll have to do with this picture of the ice that forms in the mudflats of Turnagain Arm. There has been a bit of melting so the ice is not as thick as it can get. Even without a bore tide, the current is pretty fast. I think I might head out that way to go cross country skiing this weekend so hope to catch some good viewing.

Moose and Caribou for Lunch

Tuesday March 24, 2008: I ate moose and caribou for lunch today.

My boss, Tom, brought some moose and caribou meat that he'd prepared for a conference we were to have this week until Mt. Redoubt Volcano erupted Sunday night. Anchorage was spared any ash fall and as of this writing the threat level has been changed back to orange after being red since the first major eruption Sunday night.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory website is a good place to find the most up-to-date information about the volcano. http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Redoubt.php. There are some good pictures on the site.

Enough of volcanoes, let's talk about moose.

Tom and his wife Shirley (she doesn't hunt) prepare moose and caribou with the exact same recipe so the sampling I had was a great taste test. Moose meat is lighter in color than caribou and is milder in flavor. Caribou is more the color of beef but with a little tint of red to it and I detected a very, very slight beef liver taste to it. I preferred the moose.

Here's a picture of Tom with the moose. It was the first one he ever shot and says it will probably be the last...hunting moose is a lot of hard work because of the terrain (muddy, lot and lots of walking...).


Tom did not hunt the caribou I sampled, it was from a friend of his. When I was here last summer I had wonderful sourdough pancakes and caribou sausage at Gwenie's. Now, that was good caribou. Very low fat and very flavorful. I might have to take my caribou in sausage form from now on.

It’s “For Real” This Time

It feels as if my move to Alaska has finally occurred “for real”. Even before the initial move I knew I’d be going back to Seattle within a few weeks to train my replacement at work. I looked forward to the trip because I had plans to see a few folks one-on-one that I felt I’d missed or just not gotten enough of before I left at the beginning of February.

It was good to see folks at F22 and ABL and I am glad to have been able to spend time with AK, CK, KMK, KWK, RK, JE, EC, MH, DW, JD, BT, BR and MFR.

In addition to visiting people Kyla and I went cross-country skiing, took Ryan with us to see Manhattan Transfer at Jazz Alley and Candis and I went sledding “in the Cascades”.


Check out the videos of the sledding excursion. Candis had a flippin’ good time!

TTFN, Seattle. See you in July!

Denali in the Winter

Oh, my goodness, Denali in the winter is Beautiful!

After getting my house all set up after the move and taking one full weekend to do nothing but sleep (Feb 14) I decided it was time for a road trip. I had studded tires put on my car and headed out of town on Feb 21. The plan was to go to Talkeetna, about 2 hours northeast of Anchorage out Hwy 3, the Park Highway. Because the roads were clear, I was almost to Talkeetna before I knew it. There was still so much of the day left that I decided to continue on to Denali National Park http://www.nps.gov/dena/ to take in the Winter Celebration.

The drive was beautiful and I felt, for the first time, how it is that people who move here for a short time would want to stay for much longer. I continued adding to my mental list of things I want to make sure I do while I'm here. There were a lot of snowmobile riders along the road, a few bald eagles but mostly quiet. I didn't listen to the radio or my ipod, just enjoyed the silence and the sound of my cars studded tires on the snow.

One of the great things about doing this adventure to Alaska alone is that I don't have to consult with anyone about my plans or get buy-in. As I got closer to Denali I realized that I wouldn't have time to explore the park unless I stayed overnight somewhere so I found a little roadside motel in Healy, just 12 miles past the national park entrance. More about that later.

After entering the park I followed the signs for the Winter Celebration. It was a small event. The Murie Science and Learning Center was open as was a reception area where visitors could have food and hot chocolate. The science center is adjacent to the area where Austin and other park concessionaire employees live during the tourist season and, as things would have it, the reception area was the cafeteria where he and I had our meals during my stay with him last summer. It still smelled like a cafeteria but it brought a smile to my face and proud mom tears to my eyes remembering my time with Austin last summer. My kids have led me to some great adventures and I am so glad that Austin led me to Alaska!

After looking around the science center, I decided to visit the sled dog kennels. After getting out of my car and walking up a road "fer a piece" I heard the dogs in the distance barking a bit. Before I knew what was happening the barks became howling that slowly built up from one or two dogs to what had to have been the entire group joining in. I started fumbling my near frozen hands in my pocket to retrieve my cell phone. I wanted Ryan to hear what I was hearing. February 21 is his birthday and I thought it would be wonderful to tell him during the call, of the beauty I was experiencing and attempting to share with him. By the time I was able to get the phone and make my fingers dial (without dropping the phone in the snow), the dogs were almost finished with their song. During our conversation, Kyla and Kelley called and Ryan conferenced us all together. It was good. Kelley had ridden one of his KLRs (Austin had the other) to Alaska last summer to ride back home with Austin after the tourist season was over. That makes 3 of us having been to Alaska. Now we've got to get Kyla, Alena and Ryan up here.

The dog houses are set down into the snow about 2 feet or so. Notice how they sit on top of their houses like sentries.

After visiting the dogs there was really not much else to do because I'd not really prepared for the trip (and it was getting dark) so I went to my motel room. The town of Healy was having a winter celebration of their own which included a chili feed and art show. As small town things may go, the art show was quite small but I spent a good amount of time talking with a photographer who has been in Alaska for 20 years. She moved from New Zealand and during the summer drives a tour bus. The chili feed was small and there were a lot of people there so I made the mistake of eating at the diner that was adjacent to the motel. It was true diner food and sat very heavy in my stomach throughout the night.

One of the reasons I'd decided to stay overnight near the park was so I could possibly see the Northern Lights. I'd read that the the best time to catch them is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. so before I fell asleep I set my alarm for 11 p.m.

I woke up when the alarm went off and looked out the window for a while. Nothing. I set my alarm for 1 a.m. I woke up when the alarm went off and looked out the window for a while. After a very short time, through the leafless trees, I saw what I can only describe as a fan of light starting from the horizon line and going up into the sky. I caught my breath...could this be it!

It was really cold and very windy outside so I wanted to be sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing before I got all bundled up and went outside so I intently watched the sky through the trees. Ahh, it happened again! I scrambled to get dressed and bundled up. Boots, coat, hat, scarf, gloves, room key, then out the door I went. I decided it was nuts to stand out in below 10 degree weather with the wind howling so I sat in my car. What a smart lady I am...my car has a sunroof!

I sat in my car for 20 minutes and nothing more happened except that the wind kept howling and the snow kept swirling around. I'd not started the car because I didn't want to disturb people so after a while went back to my room. Once inside I went to the window to watch from the warmth of my room and I saw the fan of light again!! Every time I move my head there was a fan of light! What's going on, I wondered.

Well, didn't I feel silly and laugh out loud when I realized that the "fan of light" was caused somehow by the window itself. The snow whirling around might have added to the illusion but I certainly got a good laugh out of the whole thing. Those of you who know me won't be surprised by this event.

If I'd known, I might have prepared a little by visiting the Northern Lights forecast website: http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/. This is someone elses picture of what I didn't see:

Anyway, the next morning, just before sunrise, I left to go home. As before, the drive and scenery were wonderful.

The picture here was taken close to the Denali Park entrance. The river looks like it is frozen clean through.

The town picture is that of the boarded up shops of what is a bustling business area during the tourist season. When the season is over the street lights are turned off and the town is boarded up. There was a bit of construction going on though.

Also on the way home, several miles beyond the park entrance, I saw a couple small herds of caribou pawing in the snow for food, crossing the road and leaping through the snow. Before I realized they were caribou I was whisper narrating video on my camera saying "OK, I'm looking at a herd of moose...they're trying to find something to eat under the snow...". After I realized the animals were caribou, I felt quite stupid and didn't want anyone to ever see the video so I erased it, which was a shame because it was great footage, and decided to tell you all about it instead!

I was pulled over for close to 20 minutes, watching them.

It was a near-perfect first road trip.

I've enjoyed sharing with you!