Breakup Is Messy

(In the customary sense and as it refers to Alaska!)

Talkeetna, Alaska April 17-19, 2009

Spring in Alaska is known as “breakup” and Anchorage is both dusty and muddy as a result. Dusty, from the residual sand and gravel that was spread on roads and parking lots all winter, and muddy from all the melting snow that has accumulated in the thousands of pot holes throughout the city.

Muddy water is also very present in the road ridges /channels that have been formed by years of use by cars with studded tires. Rutted Seattle freeways are nothing compared to all the main thoroughfares around here. In fact, the second weekend I was here I crossed a street in a 90 degree fashion and thought I had a flat tire because my car was limping and rolling across a 4-lane street deep with channels created by studded tires.

Okay, back to the subject line discussion… Last weekend, in Talkeetna, I got up close and personal with breakup when the driver side of my car ended up in a ditch (I wish now that I’d taken a picture). In order to reach the B&B I was scheduled to stay I had to drive on an unpaved road that had, I’d say, 4-5 inches of slush and crusty layers of snow on it. While attempting to read a road sign (yes, I had my glasses on!) I ended up with one wheel off the road and the more I tried to bring it back out the further the car kept slipping until the entire driver half of the car was off the road. It was tricky getting out of the seat and climbing uphill inside the car to get out and have a look-see. A very nice lady with a Suburban pulled the car out. I guess there are limitations to how well a rabbit gets around in the snow!

After the car got stuck again, this time on the lengthy unplowed driveway of the B&B, I had a peaceful evening of reading and listening to the neighbor’s sled dogs barking (he's an Iditarod contestant) and doing a little letter and journal writing.

The next morning, because I didn’t want to get stuck in the deep slush again, I checked into a different lodging establishment (I highly recommend it: http://www.susitna-river-lodging.com/) before driving out to Denali. The road that allows private vehicles into the park had opened the previous weekend and when I heard about it, planned this trip. Personal vehicles must turn around at the 13 miles mark and the only wildlife I was able to see inside the park was the Ptarmagin with it's winter white coat still on. I did, though, get some footage of two caribou eating along the side of the road, 50 feet or so from my car.

Other than that, it was a fairly uneventful day but nice. I spend close to seven hours driving but if you know me, you know that I love to drive. It is very relaxing, therapeutic and gives me time to think and plan. An added bonus is now that Bluetooth exists I can talk to myself and anyone seeing it will assume I’m talking on the phone and think nothing of it!


The picture to the left is of the Alaska Range and was taken from a lookout area just before descending into the Talkeetna area.

The other two were are taken from my room. the first is of the frozen Susitna River (see the person on the river? It is a Denali Park shuttle bus driver having a brewski and playing his guitar and singing) the second is, what else, another Alaska sunset.
I stayed up late reading and, because I wanted the chance to see the Northern Lights and didn’t want to hear the sound of an alarm clock, decided to sleep on the couch knowing I would be uncomfortable and after a couple hours would wake up.

It worked!! The Northern Lights were faint but definite. It presented as a right arching curtain of light moving from left to right, followed by a much thinner more dense band of light. Very cool!!

I drifted off and woke up a couple more times, saw the lights and fell back asleep. By the time I got really uncomfortable it was almost morning and so, instead of messing up the untouched bed, just rolled onto the floor and slept on my sweater. Ahhh, sleeping stretched out flat on my stomach was just the ticket!

I stayed as long as I could, checking out exactly at the last moment because my room was so comfortable and peaceful. I’d talked to my sister, Alena, earlier in the morning and got close to finishing my book, Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond. Thanks for the recommendation, Candis.

I think I might come back here this time next year. Any earlier and I’d probably have to listen to snowmobiles riding on the frozen river and any later I’d be into the higher room rate season.

All in all, great weekend. I stopped in Wasilla (yeah, you’ve heard of Wasilla!) to get fresh eggs before heading into Anchorage.

My next adventure is to start working on my garden!