Looking Back....of moose and mushing!

This post was written 4 years ago. It was fun looking back at photos of the dogs in Anja's kennel, in the fall of 2013. Anja and her Alaskan huskies are now Swamp Dawg Kennel. In March, they will compete in dog sledding's greatest event, the Iditarod! Over the years, it's been such fun to watch from the sideline and witness the progresssion to Swamp Dawg Kennel. 

Yesterday with my girl, Stella

8/13/13

The thermometer this morning read 41 degrees, but by afternoon the temperature reached 65 degrees.  The hours of 4-7 are just glorious and then darkness settles in rapidly.  Our campfires are now appreciated for both their warmth and light. 

Road work has been happening on our road, Wolf Track, and also on Woodpecker, the road that leads out to the Spur Road.  An amazing piece of equipment called an Alaskan Rock Crusher, scrapes up the road, chews up the gravel and then spits it back out.  A grader levels it, followed by a machine called Super Pac that rolls and tamps.  This tamping machine sends out vibrations that radiate through the soil and feel like earth tremors.  We have gone from an overgrown gravel back road to an wide open smooth gravel road.  We are somewhat suspicious that the upgrades are being made to accommodate the Princess buses, now traveling down Woodpecker to access the railroad.  These buses travel in groups and resemble a giant caterpillar as they slowly crawl to the tracks.  At the end of this month, there will no longer be buses or train loads of tourists visiting Talkeetna.
read 41 degrees prompting Bucky to say the dreaded words,"I think it might have frosted last night".  This turned out to be untrue, but it was enough for me to pull the covers up tighter around my chin and avoid getting up until I heard the sound of the heater kick on.  The slow pace of the sun reaching its height makes the morning disappear.  Eating a late morning breakfast means lunch is bypassed.  Today the sun is warm 

                                                         Our corner, Woodpecker and Wolf Track
Yesterday, Carlisle and I stood talking in the yard.  Suddenly, Fisher began to bark at the end of her cable.  Barking for Fisher is highly unusual and almost certainly indicates an animal nearby.  Carlisle quickly scanned the brush near the out house and said, "moose".  I grabbed the camera and we walked behind the cabin to get a closer look.  Then, we saw a second moose, a small bull accompanying the cow that Carlisle had first seen.  My instinct, upon seeing the bull, was to retreat as it definitely had the appearance of a love connection.  Perhaps I have heard too many stories of Alaskan moose charging!  Carlisle's instinct was to see more clearly if it was legal!  Neither animal seemed bothered by our presence or that of Fisher and Lady.  We concluded that the bull was not legal and this was later confirmed by the Super Pac driver when he paraded across Woodpecker in front of him.  We saw both moose again later in the day. The bull never let the cow get far from his sight.  We were not the only ones checking the size of the bull's antlers as our neighbor soon called wondering how we were scoring the antlers.  Evidently, both moose were standing on his newly seeded lawn, ruining it with their cloven hooves.  Surely, all lawn damage would be forgotten if 600 pounds of meat could be harvested in the front yard!  Alaskan hunting regulations are complicated and strictly enforced so knowing what is a legal bull is very important.

                                                                      the lover

                                                                    the one he desires

Viewing wildlife close at hand makes Alaska a special place.  According to Carlisle, during the past winter, moose bedded in the trees next to the cabin and she was able to watch them daily from the cabin window.  Currently, many Alaskans are busy hunting or planning their moose hunts while others are thinking about mushing not moosing!

I was lucky enough to join our friend Anja on a training run of her Alaskan huskies.  Anja is a dedicated musher who provides her dogs with the best of care and love.  It's a treat to visit her dog yard and interact with her sled dogs, but also to view the level of attention these dogs are given. Anja and her husband, Pete, are exemplary mushers and a model for others who might be interested in living this life style.  It is a commitment that shouldn't be made lightly.  Anja is happy that cool weather has returned so she can begin getting her dogs in shape for the upcoming racing season.  It's too hard on the dogs to train during the heat of summer and this has been a particularly hot Alaskan summer.  A four wheeler is used for training.  The wheeler is in neutral for most of the run, but Anja assists the dogs when needed.  The dogs bark with enthusiasm when Anja enters the dog yard.  Hooking up the team is a chaotic event with the dogs howling and yipping with excitement.  Anja keeps a log of her training sessions indicating which dogs have been used and where they were positioned.  She told me that eventually, as the dogs become used to the training, it is much easier to get them hooked up.  Today, Anja needs to lead each dog from its house to the line.  I am glad that I'm assigned 35 pound Mama to lead over as she is about all I can handle!  Small but mighty is an apt description for this dynamo.  Anja says that eventually the dogs will walk on their own to the line.  Each dog has a harness appropriate for its size.  These harnesses are neatly hung and organized.  I'm asked to watch Eggs, a fine new dog with great bloodlines, but one who likes to chew his harness.  When Anja catches him in the act and reprimands him, he looks sorrowful, but soon wraps himself around Anja's leg grinning his characteristic smile.

side note.....

Wow! we just had an earthquake, here at the library.  Shelves shook, but no books down!  I always forget, that we are within the Ring of Fire.

                                                                               Iggy

                                                                      Steller

                          Anja with harnesses.  Note the xtra tuff boots, Alaskan footwear!

Waiting to leave

Steller and Micky waited patiently while the remaining dogs were hitched.  They continually turned their heads watching to see what was going on and waiting for Anja to release them.  Beautiful Stellar, seen here on the right, is a veteran and a valuable dog in lead.  He knows the routine and will help Anja's newer dogs figure things out.

                                                           I'm looking at you....

                                                               You're looking at me......

                                           

                                                         traveling at about 11 mph

Heading for home

Arti is the newest of Anja's dogs.  He was the only puppy in his litter which means he gets lots of attention.  It's hard to resist his adorable antics and his cuddly puppy body!



Mushers such as Anja keep the history of Alaska alive and make it accessible to those of us who desire to know.  Her commitment to her animals and enthusiasm for racing her dogs is amazing to witness.  Days of training in rain and mud, hundreds of pounds of dog food to haul, vet expenses, mountains of mushing gear and countless other financial and emotional commitments, rewarded by the pure joy of riding the runners pulled by your 4 legged family at -20F on a clear winter day.



Freedom Part two

Bucky and I stood on the bank with the clear turquoise water racing by, searching the Kenai River for fish. The lack of fisherman lining the banks was an immediate indication that we had missed the first run of Sockeye Salmon and were ahead of the second run.

A few fisherman traveled the shoreline on foot, but more slid silently by in drift boats and rafts. Seagulls and a lone eagle squawked while circling the remains of a previous catch. With no fishing activity, we were in no danger of seeing bears. Bucky made a futile attempt at the one Sockeye he saw. I watched a small trout make its way along the cut bank. The term fishing is used loosely when trying for migrating salmon. It's actually a snagging technique which when done successfully, places the hook in the salmon's mouth. While the hook floats downstream the fish swimming upstream bumps into it. A jerk of the rod sets the hook.....hopefully in the fish's mouth. If not hooked in the mouth, the fish has to be returned to the river. We had no worry over hook placement today.

We found this scene when we passed the river on our way down the peninsula to Homer. We should have stopped as the fishing ended during the few days we spent south.

Activity away from the water.

Homer is a destination for most Alaskan visitors. Every few years, Bucky and I join the throngs of tourists traveling to this unique town. This trip, we stopped at the fishing lagoon to see what was being caught. Here, the fish enter a man made pond/lagoon on the high tide and are held until they are either caught or can escape on the next tide.

Bucky watched for awhile and then grabbed his book and crawled onto the bed at the back of the RV. I grabbed my camera and walked a ways down the Homer Spit.

                                                       Beluga Lake, Homer's seaplane base.

Driving down the hill into Homer. The spit can be seen in the distance heading out into Katchemak Bay

Driving on the spit and looking across the bay at the Harding Ice Fields. Soon we would be on the opposite side of these glaciers in Seward. There is just no way to cross by car.

It's not all about tourists

                                                                      Oriental Blue Poppy

                                                                        Homer small boat harbor

The famous circle hook used by most anglers. It would seem impossible for a fish to get off, but all too often they do.

We found the campgrounds full on the spit and felt like we needed to leave. Some Bbq at Jaxx's as we left the spit provided us with strength to forge on. That evening we settled in at Halibut Campground, one of the several campgrounds in Anchor Point State Recreation Area. We have stayed here before and its awesome. We nestled between the spruces with lupines and fireweed providing a purple pallet streaked with pink roses.  Anchor Point is very similar to Deep Creek. Skidders are used to place boats in and out of the water. The beach is perfect for exploring and eagles are everywhere. Bucky, Fisher and I stretched our legs and enjoyed the sights.

                                                                   Mt. Augustine

                                                         Something we haven't seen before!

Heading home we swung into Ninilchik. Old Ninilchik is a fishing village which lies on the beach and is known for its much photographed Russian Orthodox Church. There is still a large Russian community on the Kenai and this church has an active congregation.

Mt Redoubt

I climbed the hill to the church and looked down at our motorhome as Bucky pulled out of Ninilchik

Our final stop was in Seward, another popular spot for tourists. On a sunny day, Seward's beauty is beyond description. On a rainy day, it is easily forgettable. It was partially sunny when we arrived. The fourth of July Mountain Marathon festivities were long past and town was somewhat quiet.

Mt Marathon, notice the trail runners take to the top....a grueling race both up and down

downtown looking toward Resurrection Bay

A few miles outside of Seward, we stopped at the Bear Creek Weir to finally see salmon. The creek was full of fish and they anxiously waited to leap the falls making their way upstream to spawn. The weir enables entrapment and fish counting. No fishing is allowed near the weir.

Our final night was spent near Turnagain Pass at Granite Creek Campground. One advantage of our age is that we stay in federal campgrounds for $7! Bucky and I were amazed at the variety of birds calling this home and we spent hours focused on a few. After numerous failed attempts, we were happy with this capture of a male Wilson's Warbler.

I titled this post Freedom because of July 4, but also because I feel travel is a luxury that Bucky and I have while many others do not. For a variety of reasons, others can not go, see or do what we are able to. Neither of us takes this for granted. We know we are lucky. My hope is that my posts are enjoyable to look at, sometimes funny to read and not seen as bragging, but rather as my sharing with you.