Records are..records are..records are..records are..scree records are meant to be broken. So I broke mine. On our way back from Mineral Mountain we saw Torval, the Russian circus bear, then today, on tour, we saw another bear. So I am at 105 and still trying to count more.
What? Oh. Torval is short for Tormented Valley where this particular black bear has been seen. I have seen him no less than six times in the same general area. What? Oh. Torval sounds like a Russian name so I just think of him as the Russian circus bear. What's so strange about that? You know the whole reason we name rivers and mountains and so on is so we know which one we are talking about, right? So I name bears. And I make up past lives for them, but just as a mnemonic device. I am not weird. Ask Peggie why one of the bears is named Kobe. (Oh never mind. It's cause he lives at Black Lake...so he is a black Laker.
I don't know why I write to you people.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
We have a playdate!
Yes, we played yesterday. We drove up to Mineral Mountain. The day was beautiful--blue skies and lots of sunshine! It was enough to make us homesick for blue skies and sunshine! Now, if I could just have all-the-time temperatures in the high 60's...
Today dawned crisp, cold and bright! Yes, we have sunshine again! I walked across the street for my appointment with the chiropractor; the boardwalks were slippery so I had more evidence that it was cold! I went outside later and saw the "clouds" forming off the top of the jeep and some of the buildings so I grabbed my camera and put together a quick album for your viewing enjoyment!
Now...we have to go play! The sun is shining!
Today dawned crisp, cold and bright! Yes, we have sunshine again! I walked across the street for my appointment with the chiropractor; the boardwalks were slippery so I had more evidence that it was cold! I went outside later and saw the "clouds" forming off the top of the jeep and some of the buildings so I grabbed my camera and put together a quick album for your viewing enjoyment!
Now...we have to go play! The sun is shining!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Changing my tours
The latest edition of the Skagway News came out yesterday. In the days from Aug 22 to Sep 4 our little town police department was very busy. There were 6 calls to help people locked out of their cars and ....get this...24 reports of bears in town. Twenty four reports of bears in town. How many do you suppose went unreported because they came in the night. During that same period of time, I saw only four bears on my tours. Since bear sightings prompt better tipping, I have decided to run my tours thru the town's alleys with particular attention to trash cans and only at night.
Now if I can just get those cruise ships to adjust their port times.....
Now if I can just get those cruise ships to adjust their port times.....
Thursday, September 8, 2011
How can this be!?
It's like "all done but the hem"! And the hem must be hand stitched.
We leave on the 26th. That's 18 days, but I only have 10 more days of tours. The reality sets in. Now there is WORK to be done to get ready to go. We have to pack to ship some stuff. We have to pack what we will take with us. There is no space in our tiny apartment to blue tape off a Jeep-sized area. Auugh! What will fit? Somebody aquired a 200 lb. ROCK. Where does it go? Somebody else acquired a five foot wooden box. Will it even fit? We will abandon the small, inexpensive propane grill. We will abandon our lovable, comfortable, but old and breaking-down folding lawn chairs. The folding drying rack? Give it up. It is bulky and easily replaced. But we have these lovely glass balls that we created ourselves. We have some commemorative cups. Too fragile to mail? Aside from mounting it on the roof or hood like a redneck Texan, where do you put a caribou antler? We have a freezer half full of frozen fish to eat. We have bottles of wine and booze we have to drink. Itch a durrdee jhob, buut shumbuddy haz to doo it :}
I took today off to get the car serviced in Whitehorse. It was a beautiful day for the drive. Fall colors are nearly at peak. On the way home I took a detour by staying on the Alaska Hiway to Jake's Corner, then to Carcross via the Tagish cutoff. It added some variation to the drive. The Tagish cutoff is the longest unstraightened portion of the Alcan that is still in daily use. And I got to cross the Yukon River again on the old steel girder bridge. Haven't been on that one since '95. The only animals I saw were some mountain goats. I am now tied with last year's 103 for black bear sightings. I will beat that in the coming days.
Oh, I almost forgot the big news: it is finally raining! We had a nearly 12 hour drought while the sun brutally teased us around some fast moving clouds. The boardwalks were barely damp and many of the puddles were almost dry. I had to turn off the windshield wipers for most of the drive. I only hope they haven't dried out.
We leave on the 26th. That's 18 days, but I only have 10 more days of tours. The reality sets in. Now there is WORK to be done to get ready to go. We have to pack to ship some stuff. We have to pack what we will take with us. There is no space in our tiny apartment to blue tape off a Jeep-sized area. Auugh! What will fit? Somebody aquired a 200 lb. ROCK. Where does it go? Somebody else acquired a five foot wooden box. Will it even fit? We will abandon the small, inexpensive propane grill. We will abandon our lovable, comfortable, but old and breaking-down folding lawn chairs. The folding drying rack? Give it up. It is bulky and easily replaced. But we have these lovely glass balls that we created ourselves. We have some commemorative cups. Too fragile to mail? Aside from mounting it on the roof or hood like a redneck Texan, where do you put a caribou antler? We have a freezer half full of frozen fish to eat. We have bottles of wine and booze we have to drink. Itch a durrdee jhob, buut shumbuddy haz to doo it :}
I took today off to get the car serviced in Whitehorse. It was a beautiful day for the drive. Fall colors are nearly at peak. On the way home I took a detour by staying on the Alaska Hiway to Jake's Corner, then to Carcross via the Tagish cutoff. It added some variation to the drive. The Tagish cutoff is the longest unstraightened portion of the Alcan that is still in daily use. And I got to cross the Yukon River again on the old steel girder bridge. Haven't been on that one since '95. The only animals I saw were some mountain goats. I am now tied with last year's 103 for black bear sightings. I will beat that in the coming days.
Oh, I almost forgot the big news: it is finally raining! We had a nearly 12 hour drought while the sun brutally teased us around some fast moving clouds. The boardwalks were barely damp and many of the puddles were almost dry. I had to turn off the windshield wipers for most of the drive. I only hope they haven't dried out.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Just a sneak peek--we went out to see beauty yesterday!
We're just enjoying a typical balmy afternoon, eh?
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Smalltown, AK....or anywhere else.
It's September. That statement fills a room here. It is an excuse for strange behavior. It is an explanation for an attitude. It means rain and cold. It is a cry for help.
College students have left to return to their studies. Employers are short-handed. Their response? Close up for the season, or go to winter hours. Either way, a major inconvenience for those of us who are still working full days and hours. One example: last Friday I got a call from the girl who works at the gas station/laundromat saying that they were going to start closing at 5 instead of 7 beginning right now. Problem: we do our laundry after work (5 o'clock) on Friday. Problem: I return from my tour at 5:30 and need to gas up for the next day.
Sign on our door a few weeks ago---"Outsiders have been using our dumpster."
It goes on to explain that a lock has been placed on the dumpster and gives us the combination. But that first sentence reads like the tag-line on a Stephen King novel. Beware those despicable "outsiders." Makes us glad to be one of "us."
But last night was the flip side. The good contained in a small, tight community. A local musician needs a hip replacement. So a local bar (which will close next week since most employees are gone) held a benefit auction. The items were all donated by people and businesses (which are really just the people who own them) so a great deal of value in labor and lost income has already been put in the pot. Then those same people bid on each other's items. A homemade apple pie went for $1300.00, and as two people were bidding, the decision was made to bake two pies for $1300 each!
A helicopter ride into the mountains, an all day salmon fishing charter, several dinners at restaurants, a party train up the White Pass for 40 of your best friends. On and on. My estimate for the money raised is well over $15,000. Value of the donated items probably more than that.
During the silent auction that preceded the callout auction, I made the last bid on a piece of amethyst that is the size of a large bathroom sink. It weighs about 200 lbs. It will make a fine occasional table with a piece of glass on it. Value? $1000 to $1500. My bid? $175 SCORE!!
But, remember it's September. That post Peggie made about sunshine is history. And a brief history it was. Rain is falling. And even Maria has to agree that this is actually rain. By now, I think we have had rain for three straight years.
It's September.
College students have left to return to their studies. Employers are short-handed. Their response? Close up for the season, or go to winter hours. Either way, a major inconvenience for those of us who are still working full days and hours. One example: last Friday I got a call from the girl who works at the gas station/laundromat saying that they were going to start closing at 5 instead of 7 beginning right now. Problem: we do our laundry after work (5 o'clock) on Friday. Problem: I return from my tour at 5:30 and need to gas up for the next day.
Sign on our door a few weeks ago---"Outsiders have been using our dumpster."
It goes on to explain that a lock has been placed on the dumpster and gives us the combination. But that first sentence reads like the tag-line on a Stephen King novel. Beware those despicable "outsiders." Makes us glad to be one of "us."
But last night was the flip side. The good contained in a small, tight community. A local musician needs a hip replacement. So a local bar (which will close next week since most employees are gone) held a benefit auction. The items were all donated by people and businesses (which are really just the people who own them) so a great deal of value in labor and lost income has already been put in the pot. Then those same people bid on each other's items. A homemade apple pie went for $1300.00, and as two people were bidding, the decision was made to bake two pies for $1300 each!
A helicopter ride into the mountains, an all day salmon fishing charter, several dinners at restaurants, a party train up the White Pass for 40 of your best friends. On and on. My estimate for the money raised is well over $15,000. Value of the donated items probably more than that.
During the silent auction that preceded the callout auction, I made the last bid on a piece of amethyst that is the size of a large bathroom sink. It weighs about 200 lbs. It will make a fine occasional table with a piece of glass on it. Value? $1000 to $1500. My bid? $175 SCORE!!
But, remember it's September. That post Peggie made about sunshine is history. And a brief history it was. Rain is falling. And even Maria has to agree that this is actually rain. By now, I think we have had rain for three straight years.
It's September.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Sunshine!
Is that sunshine streaming in my windows?
I believe it is!
Yep!
It's been a beautiful day. It was raining when we went to bed last night and we woke up to termination dust on the mountains this morning. Bill has been seeing it up on the summit but this is the first dusting for Skagway. It is September 1, after all.
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