Tuesday, December 28, 2010

As many folks do, we headed south for the holidays this winter. When I say this, you may be thinking south as in Margaritaville. Remember where we live; south is just about anywhere away from the Arctic Ocean. We find ourselves in Palmer, AK as the guests of one sister-in-law and brother-in-law. Ironically, we did not journey to warmer weather. In fact, for the first several days in Palmer, the temps were decidedly colder than Barrow (however, the wind was quite calm). We've had an eventful visit with dogs in tow. Even my sister from California joined us. And even though we are miles from our current home in Barrow and our former home in Juneau, Husband still ran into people he knew! First there were the folks at Christmas Eve service who originally hail from this area but lived in Juneau for about 20 years. On Christmas Day we joined several folks at the Community Dinner in Wasilla (mostly to see Husband play in Tuba Christmas). 'Lo and behold, he's sitting next to the father of a fellow musician from Juneau! This is why we always say Alaska is a small town.
Also at the event we spied Bunny boots. Haven't seen these in awhile. Actually, we noted several pair. Thought you'd be interested in them. They are mostly worn these days by oil workers on the North Slope as they are really, really warm when you're standing around. Once you start walking, there is some issue with breathability, so your feet become a bit soggy. Also, there is the fashion conundrum...can you really wear white after Labor Day?
Me and Sister

We've really been out and about the past few days. Yesterday, Husband and Sister and I drove north toward Glennallen, where I lived for a few years in the '90s. We went as far as Eureka summit where we stopped to have lunch. The Eureka Roadhouse was the first roadhouse on the Glenn Highway (according to their sign).  The most memorable point of that venture was the Christmas tree they had in which they had hung antlers...caribou and moose antlers. Don't think I would have thought of that even if I did have a few spares hanging around the house. On our way back to Palmer, we stopped at Long Rifle Lodge for coffee and pie.

At Long Rifle Lodge
Roadhouses, in my experience have the most fabulous pie and/or cinnamon rolls. Since it was the afternoon, there were no rolls, but the pie was all that I expected. Who needs a famous bakery when one can pop into a roadhouse on the highway (provided you are near the highway)?

You know, we don't drive much in Barrow. Really, every place we need to go is no more than about 7 minutes away. So, it's been fun taking long drives. Today we headed toward Mt. McKinley (or Denali as it is known by Alaskans). We had heard the Mountain was "out." We stopped at the Talkeetna Lodge for lunch (another Roadhouse). Husband had the special, "Clog Your Arteries" biscuits and gravy, while I had quiche and sister had a salmon pasty, which was tasty! 
 
Tip of the Mountain to the left.
If you've spent much time in the area, you know that the Mountain is often covered in clouds. You rarely get a full view of it. Today was an exceptional viewing day. We stopped a few times before noon and got some great pictures. But by 2:00 p.m., the clouds were closing in and the top of the Mountain slowly disappeared. 

 Lastly, I threw this picture in because I took it into the sun at midday. I've been told that is the exact wrong direction to shoot, but I seem to get some amazing results when I go "against the grain." It is just this mindset that epitomizes the spirit of those of us who have adopted Alaska as our home.

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