Oh my goodness-- where did February and March go!?!? I can't believe it is almost April--- Happy Spring!
We
have moved on to spring and have accepted that we will have to wait
until next winter to HOPEFULLY get some snow! We have had bright
sun-shining days with temps in the high 40s! I can't keep coats on my
preschoolers during our outside time!
The
last blog post was in January so some of these photos are over a month
old. We had a couple weekends away and Adam's mom, Jeanette, visited us
for Spring Break! The first section are my cell phone photos and then
camera pics so it doesn't go in an exact sequence. But if you are like
me, you just want to see the pics! If you are like Adam, you will have
to wait for him to post again for a detailed story. :) Here we
go............
A nice mountain run with my best friend one night after work. We are LOVING the daylight hours we are gaining!
On this hike- the back side of Baldy- Adam sat down for a breather and Tundy sat right next to him! We didn't pose him at all!
This
is also the back side of Baldy. I wonder how many times we have been
up Baldy -!?!? For those of you who haven't visited, it is a trailed
mountain in Eagle River. You will hear more about it later, it is also
the best spot for Northern Lights!
Tundy
with one of his girlfriends. We spent the weekend in Hatcher's Pass
for our friend, Shawn's birthday. We had a great time with Shawn, Erin,
Chena (their pup who has been on our blog 100s of times) and Ellie
their 20month old girl.
Snuggle bugs!
Hatcher's
Pass was not open to snow machines due to lack of snow and conditions
were awful for snowboarding. However, the boys did go for a run on
their boards anyway and we went for a cross-country ski. We also took
Ellie sledding, but I'm not sure who enjoyed the sledding more- Ellie or
the adults. :)
Another
weekend we went in to Byer's lake with our friends Brittany and Kevin
and their pups Duke and Riley. Tundy and Riley were watching out the
window for Adam and Kevin to come back.
Tundra found a new spot in the windowsill.
It
was actually open to snowmachines. Poor Kevin had trouble with his
machine and wasn't able to ride it the one chance he had this year.
Adam towed him back to the trailer and they had to ride back together.
Hehehee--- too funny!
We
took Jeanette downtown for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod and the
reindeer run.(more pics to come) We stopped in at McGinleys where she
introduced me to this lovely green drink- hot cocoa and creme de minte.
yuuuuuum!
A hike out to the next point past Baldy for a view and possible spot for watching and taking pics of the northern lights.
Jeanette looking over and up at Baldy.
Tundra liked the fish tank at Cabelas!!
We were scoping out other spots for northern light viewing and caught a beautiful sunset over the Knik river.
SUN DOGS on our drive to the trailhead of Crosswinds Lake!
Just sunbathing in -30 degree temps! The sun sure felt good!
The view from our lil cabin
The
ice was SO thick that Adam had to put an extender on the auger. It's
almost as tall as him! Look for a picture further down of the auger in
action!
Jeanette breaking the ice that froze over the hole in a beautiful sunset
Ice hut snacks- compliments of my daddy! Deer sausage, cheese, and crackers!
Ice hut selfie!!! Nice and cozy inside!
And now for pictures from my camera--- and a few from Jeanette..............
This
is the view from the top of the sledding "hill" at Hatcher's pass!
Those dots below are the cabins and lodge. The adults had races- Shawn
was 1st place winner, I got 2nd, Erin 3rd, and Adam was last!
Taking a baby burbot out of the hole at Byers Lake
Adam's burb
A nice lake trout
another burbot
The inside of our cabin at Byers lake
Outside view
Our set up at Byers Lake along with tip-up lines
frozen line in the hole!
Close up of the ice crystals/frost on the line
The
big event in March is the Fur Rondy (Rondevous) festival downtown.
This is when the ceremonial start of the Iditarod takes place, the
reindeer run (like the running of the bulls but much less intense!),
fireworks, ski/snowboard jump contest, outdoor carnival with rides, fur
auction, snowshoe softball, and much, much more! There are A LOT of
furs walking around- including this lynx hat!
They
had to bring in snow for the mushers---so pathetic for March in
ALASKA! It is fun to see how excited the dogs are and to cheer on the
mushers.
A little peak of the fur auction- this black wolf went for over $500 dollars
Sled dogs taking a rest!
The running of the reindeer= people dressing up in crazy costumes and running down the street with reindeer running past them!
This fella had PLENTY to drink before the event and was pretty hilarious to watch in his bear fur
Here they come!
A little sneak peak of the northern lights from Baldy.
Tundra looking out over Kincaid beach. Jeanette liked seeing it in the winter.
Big ice chunks waiting for the tide or to eventually melt.
Sleeping lady in all her beauty.
Let
the show begin! Adam and his mom took well over 1,000 pictures of the
lights that week. Seeing the lights was on Jeanette's bucket list and a
priority for her visit. She sure got a show--- weather and the aurora
couldn't have been better! She saw the lights almost every night!
Off Baldy- looking over Eagle River, Knik Inlet, and Wasilla in the distance
Dancing with some color
Watching
the northern lights is an experience that is very difficult to explain
and of course- the pictures don't do it justice. It should be on
everyone's bucket list!
Another double sun dog on our drive to Crosswinds Lake
A nice lake trout Adam pulled out of Crosswinds
Jeanette's big burbot! And it was snooooooooooowing!
Another burbot
Taking Tundy and his Grandma for a ride up to the cabin!
Adam shoveling snow to clear a spot for our ice hut.
Our burbot for the weekend, not as many as last year, but just about the perfect amount for our Easter fish fry in our culdesac!
Our home sweet home for the weekend
Inside
view. This is not a public use cabin, but privately owned. This cabin
had a diesel heater and propane stove/light. Also mattresses on the
bunks (even though they're nasty, they still provide padding for the
sleeping bags!) and an outhouse outside.
Tundra
ready for the chilly ride across the 8 mile wide lake! Those are his
"doggles", he doesn't like them at all but tolerates them and seems to
understand they help. The ride from the cabin to the parking lots is 25
miles. He lets us know when he wants to ride the machine or run beside
by his body language and barking-- such a good pup!
Baldy
again- except this time Adam went with our friend Kevin (after his mom
had returned to Iowa) and they hiked up to a different spot.
Gorgeous colors!
Jeanette's pictures of the lights over Crosswinds Lake. She was a trooper in that -30 degree temp!
Some colors dancing
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Adam and I with our headlights on, breaking the ice in the holes and under the lights!
Adam and I under our favorite kind of rainbow!
Again-Adam and I checking holes with our headlamps, under the stars!
Our hot drinks sure were steaming in the ice hut!
Off for a joy ride!-- only one of the season!
Jeanettey's laker! Woot woot!
We
are currently waiting on the early "break-up" of ice and snow which
leaves a mess of the trails. We will be puppy-sitting for the next two
weeks, getting stuff crossed off our "to-do" list on the weekends, and
playing volleyball on Sundays. So it will be awhile before we have more
adventures.
Happy April and Happy Spring!
