Pictures from Italy and Chile

Here are links to pictures from my trips to Italy and Chile. I hope to get a more detailed post up sometime soon.

The trips were both fantastic. First, I was in Italy with Lea and Liz. We spent most of our time in Umbria. Then we headed up to the Dolomites and then over to the Cinque Terra.

Chile was my favorite. First Liz, Carole and I were in central Patagonia near Coihique and Ibanez. Then Carole and I headed to southern Patagonia and went backpacking in Torres del Paine. (That's where the picture at the top left was taken.)

Italy Pics

Chile Pics

Music in 2008

So apparently Google didn't like my original post on music in 2008. I'm guessing that's because it had links to other blogs' mp3s. Most of those were free/legal downloads authorized by the artists. Others weren't. In any case, the fact that Google (the "don't be evil" folks) summarily deleted my content without notice is a little bit troubling. I guess it's only a matter of time before my Angry Dance gets pulled off Youtube for (un)fair use of Mr. Idol's content.

Here's my previously deleted post (minus links). Instead of following the direct links to mp3s, just go to Hype Machine and find the tracks yourself. http://hypem.com/

2008 was a pretty good year for music. It featured a lot of new acts with a few established stars showing up as well. Below are some of my thoughts on music that came out this last year. I counted Bon Iver and M.I.A. as 2007 albums, so they aren't mentioned below (but you should get them).

Albums:

- Fleet Foxes - "Fleet Foxes" - Best album this year. Simply gorgeous songs that sound like Brian Wilson making folk music. "White Winter Hymnal" is simply gorgeous and the songs on the "Sun Giant" EP are equally worth checking out.

- Thao Nguyen - "We Brave Bee Stings and All" - Her backing band is called "The Get Down Stay Down" -- killer. A collection of incredibly sweet, short, and quirky tunes.

- Mates of State - "Re-Arrange Us" - SF husband/wife make a great album of indie pop songs ("My Only Offer" = catchiest song of the year).

- The Last Shadow Puppets - "The Age of The Understatement" - rock music that borrows from Ennio Morricone and 1960s James Bond scores. Brilliant.

- Santogold - "Santogold" - Santi White's album that tackles/borrows pretty much every genre of music. Kickass pop music.

- She & Him - "Volume 1" - M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel create an album of 60s style pop.

- Conor Oberst - "Conor Oberst" - Solo record from the Bright Eyes frontman. More excellent songwriting.

- Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "Lie Down In The Light" - One of Will Oldham's best records in years. That's saying something.

- The Wombats - Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation - guitar driven pop from Liverpool that you can't help but rock out to. (Yes, that sentence ends in a preposition -- deal.) You have to love a band that writes a killer song about dancing to Joy Division.

- We Are Scientists - "Brain Thrust Mastery" - cuz we need more albums that sound like sort of like Depeche Mode reincarnated as an indie rock band.

- Okkervil River - "The Stand Ins" - Followup to last-year's "The Stage Names" is even catchier and has some great tracks.

- Deerhunter - "Microcastles" - Kind of psychedelic indie-pop that sort of reminds me of Doves crossed with Blonde Redhead. That makes pretty much no sense, but it's the best I'm gonna do here.

Others you may already have heard about that I liked:Death Cab, Vampire Weekend, Beck, Calexico, the Black Kids, Cut Copy, The Walkmen, Girl Talk, Los Campesinos, M83, Sigur Ros, Sun Kil Moon, Wolf Parade, Bloc Party, MGMT, Kaki King, Raphael Saadiq

Day 4 - Valdez to McCarthy

My dad and I grabbed breakfast at the Totem Inn Restaurant and read the paper, which was a day old and full of news of Gov. Palin’s nomination by the GOP. We then walked over to the harbor and watched fishermen clean boats and salmon splash in the water below us.

We took some detours on our way out of town. First to the viewing area for the Valdez Glacier. The glacier was far away but a good amount of ice was stacked up in the lake by the viewing area. Next we headed out the road to the pipeline terminal. The banks of the streams and the bay were covered with dead fish and the gulls feasting on them. After reaching the end of the road (at a big “no access” sign) we turned around and headed out of town.

The drive over the pass went quickly. We stopped briefly at Horsetail Falls to take some pictures. The pass itself was clouded over, but still beautiful. Side canyons opened up to reveal brief glimpses of distant snow-covered peaks. Faster than we thought we were over the top and headed down.

Our first stop was at the Worthington Glacier. The glacier is on the mountain to the west of the pass, just as you reach the top. A group of climbers was heading up the glacier in single-file. We wandered the little paths for a bit and my dad bought a laminated folding map of Alaska to replace my copy that was about to fall into four pieces.

The rest of the drive down the pass was punctuated by numerous “oohs” and “aahs.” The hillsides were all turning yellow and the snow capped peaks had bits of blue sky poking out behind.

Our goal for the day was the (very) small town of McCarthy. The town is at the end of a 90 mile road that heads east into the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The first 30 miles to Chitina are paved. From then on you follow a rough dirt road that meanders over and along ridges and crosses rivers on old railroad bridges. The road itself is the old bed for the Copper River & North West RR that took copper ore from the town of McCarthy and the nearby mine at Kennecott out to Cordova. The Million Dollar Bridge that Lea and I visited on our trip to Cordova was part of that RR. It’s hard to imagine building that railroad back in the early 1900s.


My dad drove on the way in and loved dodging potholes and easing around gullies. The sun was out and shining and I had the window down for most of the drive. We made frequent stops to take pictures. We didn’t see much wildlife other than a loan Trumpeter Swan on a lake. As we got further in there were a number of private cabins by lakes that people (apparently) fly their floatplanes in to stay at. Other people had rough dirt strips for their planes.

The McCarthy Road ends at a pedestrian bridge. You can’t drive into McCarthy and Kennecott. Instead you have to leave your car and walk across the footbridge. Then you either walk the mile into McCarthy (5 to Kennecott) or take a shuttle van that picks you up for the sum of $5.

We ditched the car at a campground a half mile from the bridge, set up our tent and then biked into town on mountain bikes (getting some exercise and saving $10). The only place still open was the McCarthy Lodge. We grabbed a pint at the New Golden Saloon and sat on the deck chatting with other visitors. Most were also in from Anchorage checking out the town. This is the right time to visit the town because the hordes of RV-riding tourists have disappeared south (where we will also end up).

Once dinner was being served we popped inside to grab some buffalo burgers. Very tasty. The bar itself was well appointed and folks were friendly. My dad commented that the bartender looked vaguely reminiscent of Maggie O’Connell from “Northern Exposure” – I think it was the short hair and Alaskan surroundings.

Outside we chatted with a man who had retired to McCarthy about three years earlier. He gave us some insight on life in the town and we chatted about life in other parts of Alaska and the drive down the AlCan. The locals then headed to a party at the hardware store.

We biked back to our campsite and chatted the night away. Once my dad went to sleep I took an amble back up the road to town. A passing hiker mentioned that he thought he’d seen a black bear wandering along the side of the road. I was glad I had my bear mace with me.

That night it started raining as soon as I was in the tent. A wind blew up, but our tent was well anchored and we slept dry and warm.

Day 3 - Homer to Valdez

We awoke in Homer to a rainy day. The Bay was covered over with clouds and fog. We definitely lucked out with our weather the day before.

For breakfast we dropped by the Two Sister’s Bakery again and grabbed some ham & cheese savories (like a thinner croissant) to go.

After gassing up the truck we headed out of town back to Anchorage. The drive up was rainy. Sometimes we were hit with big, fat drops that reminded us that we needed to get new windshield wipers. The road back up the Kenai peninsula was as beautiful as ever. The coastal bluff gave way to the flats east of Soldotna before we climbed back into the Kenai Mountains. The road past Cooper Landing was very familiar to me from many trips down to the peninsula. I will definitely miss that area a lot. The snow covered peaks and river lined valleys are just gorgeous.

Once we were back over Turnagain Pass and onto the Arm, the drive went quickly.

Back in Anchorage we first made a stop by Costco for some “cheap” gas and snacks for the road. Properly provisioned we swung by an auto parts store and got new wiper blades. They were a great improvement over the old ones that had endured the rigors of the Alaskan winter.

From there we headed downtown to grab lunch and say bye to some folks. First we hit Snow City Café one last time. Snow City was easily one of my favorite places to stop for lunch in Anchorage and I had to go one last time. I had the 4th Ave. Special, a turkey and bacon on marbled rye with a side bowl of tomato soup. My dad had the special – a pulled pork sandwich.

From Snow City we headed to Sidestreet Café, my favorite coffee shop in town. George and Deb run the place and they are incredibly welcoming and friendly. My friend Kelly and I used to head there for morning coffee most days of the week. George was in and I introduced him to my dad and explained that I was taking off. George insisted on making me one last drink.

Our last stop was the courthouse. I went in through the main entrance and the metal detectors for only my second time ever. The first time was my first day of work. Once in we went up to the third floor and stopped by my judge’s chambers. Ann, our Judicial Assistant, buzzed us in and we chatted with her for a while. The judge was on the bench, but she messaged him that I was there and he took a break to say bye. He was one of the best bosses that I’ve ever had. Fun to work with, taught me a lot, and gave me a lot of responsibility. I will miss working for him.

Once we were out the door we headed out of Anchorage on 6th Avenue and the Glenn Highway. The construction at Bragaw was still slowing things up, but we were quickly out of the city and on our way.

Our plan was fluid. Because we were making good time, we decided to head all the way to Valdez for that night. We headed through Eagle River, Chugiak, Palmer and Chickaloon; all places that I have very fond memories from the times I spent in them. We passed Sheep Mountain, where I had stayed in a cabin with friends during the winter and started the Fireweed 400 ride with James and Gene during the summer.

We ate a forgettable dinner in Glennallen at the Caribou Hotel. I’d avoid it next time and press on.

At the junction we headed south towards Valdez. As the sun set we marveled at the fall colors springing out around us. Whole hillsides were sheathed in yellow and green with red tundra above. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline was visible at many points. It’s funny to think that it snakes its way all the way south to Valdez from Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean.

The light was fading fast as we headed over Thompson Pass. The glaciers on the peaks around us reflected down extra light and we had the road to ourselves. It was definitely easier to drive over this pass. The last time I headed over was on my bike.

Once we crested the top we immediately entered a cloud. We descended from the pass and drove through Keystone Canyon. The Canyon’s walls were black against the sky light reflected off the waterfalls that were cascading down the cliffs. Eventually the canyon opened up onto a large braided river and the final 10 miles out to Valdez.

The new town is a few miles further down the road from the old town-site that was destroyed by the ’64 quake. We pulled into the Totem Inn for the night. I took an amble around the waterfront and then headed to bed.

Day 2 - Around Homer and Hiking in Kachemak Bay State Park

My dad and I awoke without a real plan on how to spend the day. After soliciting recommendations from the hotel staff, we settled on having breakfast at the Fresh Sourdough Express. The food was good and we read the paper and chatted. Outside, we paused to try to fix a bit of the mudwall on the front left tire that had come loose. The owner of the restaurant wandered over to talk and we chatted amicably about Palin’s nomination as the VP candidate for the GOP. (This is not a politics blog, but you can figure out what I think by my aforementioned stop at the Obama Campaign Headquarters.)

After breakfast we headed out to the Spit to find our adventure for the day. Both of the fishing charter places we went into were in the process of closing down. But the second suggested we head to Mako Water Taxi. We walked across the street and explained that we were looking for something to do. The woman suggested a water taxi ride across Kachemak Bay to a 4-mile hike. We jumped and signed up.

We spent the time before our departure by heading back into town to poke around. First we headed to the Pratt Museum, which turned out to be delightful. The museum featured historical exhibits, a wonderful collection of contemporary pictures of local Native Peoples, and natural history. Outside was a botanical garden and a homestead cabin.

Next we grabbed a set of rain pants for my dad and then headed out to find some lunch. We were more than happy with our meal at Two Sisters Bakery. Our sandwiches were very tasty and the bakery itself is in a beautiful setting about 200 yards from the beach. We sat on the back deck and watched children play.

Our water taxi left at 1:30pm. The boat picked us and four other people up at the small boat harbor on the spit and immediately headed out across the bay. The taxi was a small catamaran with two Honda motors and a cabin that could seat six. It also had a large aft open area and a rail around to the front. The ride across took about 20 minutes and the bay was glassy smooth.
We pulled up at the pebbly beach and jumped off the front of the water taxi (with the aid of a ladder). The trailhead was just down the beach and all 6 of us set off. My dad and I were the first on the trail and we were sure to make a lot of noise to alert any local bears to our presence. The undergrowth was thick with ferns and devil’s club and bear sign (scat) was often about.

The hike itself was over flat ground, but there were many roots, cobble sized stones and fallen branches to provide a challenge. We saw some Spruce Grouse and a whole lot of mushrooms. Moose and bear sign were everywhere, but we never spotted any in the flesh.

The trail soon left the woods and made its way across a more open, rocky plain that was the top of another glacial moraine. The leaves on some trees were already turning towards yellow.

Once we made it to the lake, the temperature dropped and we sat around to look at the icebergs that had been blown across the lake from the distant glacier. Gerwick Glacier empties into a large lake, across which we were looking. The glacier itself flows down from the Harding Icefield, a large expanse of ice that fills the mountains between Kachemak Bay and Seward. Peaks stood stark on either side of the glacier, with horns of rock rearing up from inside the ice’s path. (The Materhorn in Switzerland is a glacial horn that was formed when a glacier flowed around all sides of it. That’s was we were looking at here.) We also collected some glacier ice in my water bottle for a special “ceremony” later.

After eating our snacks, we decided to head to the end of our hike. The path went over a saddle of land. The forest closed in again, and we grabbed a few handfuls of wild blueberries. The climb wasn’t too bad, but the descent proved to be a bit tricky with slick mud underfoot. But we made it down and met up with the other couple that was also being picked up by the taxi.

The boat arrived right on time and we jumped aboard. The sun began to peak out on our ride back and we had fantastic views of the inlets and mountains. A number of cabins dotted the shoreline, and I envied the owners their daily view.

Our pilot made a sudden turn and told us that he wanted to show us a rare bird. He then handed my dad a fishing net. It turned out that the “rare bird” was actually a duck decoy that had washed out into the bay. We picked it up and headed on our way.

Once back at the Spit, we headed into town. We took the recommendation of the woman at the water taxi company and had dinner at Wasabi, a restaurant 5 miles east out of town.
The drive out was gorgeous. Home is situated along a hillside that rolls down to the bay. Many of the houses have fields out front and the scene was very bucolic. The restaurant was situated by the road and overlooked a hay field with the bay and the mountains in the background. The food was also good.

We finished the evening at the pub across the street from the hotel. It was suggested to us to collect the previously mentioned glacial ice to put in a nice glass of Scotch. The barkeep was very law abiding and immediately insisted that I take my water bottle outside. I explained our plan and she finally (after more coaxing that I thought should be necessary) assented to allow us to use the ice, but I then had to immediately take the water container outside. The glacial ice was very clear and tasted great. The scotch was pretty good too.

Day 1 - Anchorage to Homer

My last day in Anchorage. I started off the morning by having blueberry pancakes with Lea and working on the NY Times Sunday crossword. Unfortunately she had to get to work, so we didn’t have too much time to linger.

After picking up my truck from downtown, I headed to Snow City to pick up a t-shirt. Then I stopped by the Obama Campaign headquarters to try to score a bumper sticker (they were out) and say bye to Kat (she was in). I next headed to the post-office to mail off my books. My final real errand of the morning was to head by REI to pick up a roof rack and roof box to make some extra room in the truck for my dad’s gear. That done, I headed by Lea’s to grab the last of my stuff. The tuck packed, all that was left was to swing by Rob and Katy’s to pick up their bikes. They were about to fly down to Olympia and I had offered to drive their bikes down (two-empty spaces on my bike rack) the AlCan.

My dad, who was to be making the drive with me, flew into town at 3pm. I picked him up at the airport and we headed south out of town down the Seward Highway. The weather was rainy with patches of sun peaking through. Our eventual destination was Homer. We planned on getting in a little side trip before beginning the long drive south to CA.

The road down as far as Cooper Landing is quite familiar to me. However, once we passed Cooper Landing I was in new territory. Not far past Cooper Landing the mountains fall away and the land becomes rolling hills with spruce and bogs to either side. We passed through Soldotna and ended up paralleling the Cook Inlet as we headed south. The road itself reminded me a lot of Highway 1 in far Northern California.

You arrive in Homer after rounding Anchor Point. The view opens up to reveal the town of Homer sitting before you with Kachemak Bay beyond. Across the bay are the mountains of the Kenai Peninsula and the glaciers flowing down from the Harding Ice Field. It’s quite spectacular.

My dad and I consulted our many books and decided to try the Driftwood Inn. The Inn is a block from the Bay and full of nautical decorations. The pops insisted on separate rooms so that I wouldn’t be bothered by his snoring. After dropping off our gear we headed out to explore and get some dinner.

We first made our way out to the end of the Homer Spit. The Spit is a long (4 miles?), narrow projection of land with a road atop it that juts out into Kachemak Bay. It’s the remnant of a huge glacial moraine that was formed back when the entire bay was filled with a glacier.

None of the restaurants on the spit called to us, so we returned to town and went to the Five Cups restaurant. The front of the restaurant is very cute and decorated with five cups (go figure). The inside is dark and cozy and very comfortable. The food proved to be fantastic. We started with mushrooms stuffed with sausage. My dad had the scallops and I had the seafood fettucine. It was awesome.

Road Trip to California

My dad and I have begun our road trip south to CA. I will try to post updates from the road when internet access is available. I'll post two day's worth of descriptions today with pictures to follow. (The connection here isn't quite fast enough to make me want to deal with pics quite yet.)

Aspen Flats

My “two weeks of fun with visiting friends” continued with a three-day backpacking trip on the Kenai. Glen, Jenica, Kelly, Eric, Callie, Kyra and I headed down to Cooper Landing. We planned to spend two nights at the Aspen Flats cabin on the Russian River.

The trailhead is in one of the more touristed state parks and the area was lousy with RVs and people up from the lower 48. We parked and loaded up our gear. Glen brought along three extra fishing rods and we looked forward to getting in some fishing.

The rangers had posted several warnings about bears at the trail head. We checked that we had our bear spray at the ready and set out.

The first mile was a wide track that headed for the falls. There were a lot of people. But as soon as we turned off to follow the trail back up the valley, the track narrowed and we didn’t see anyone else the rest of the day.

A few miles in Kelly spotted a black bear in the bushes about a quarter mile below us. Only its head, and then only its ears, were visible. Soon it ambled out of view.

We kept hiking and we soon forgot about the bears (as much as was possible) because the mosquitoes were the worst I have ever seen in my life. We all put on as much bug juice as we could (who cares that deet might be a carcinogen) and donned our rain coats to get as much protection as we could. You could actually see them swarming around the person in front of you. Swinging your arm quickly could net you at least 5-10 swats.

Needless to say, this was not the leisurely hike with lots of stops for food and viewing that we’d planned. Instead we just kept moving and hoped the cabin had nice, tight windows and screens.

As bad as the mosquitoes got, bears returned to our top worry. We began to see lots of bear scat on the trail and their footprints began to appear in muddy sections. However, there were seven of us (and one large Husky) making a lot of noise and all set with pepper spray. Most likely the bears would avoid us.

We spotted several bald eagles as we hiked – one even was startled as it sat in a tree above the trail and took off right above us. The sound of its wings beating was amazingly loud.

Eventually we reached the cabin. It was nicely situated near the Russian River in a relatively open area about a quarter mile off the main trail. We piled in and quickly shut the door. Luck was with us and the cabin was well sealed against the squadrons of mosquitoes outside.

We took a few moments to savor a mosquito-free atmosphere and eat some food; then we decided to explore our surroundings. Glen, Eric and I searched for a good fly-fishing spot. There weren’t too many good spots because the trees were thick right near the bank, giving nowhere from which to cast.

Callie took charge of filtering some water and dug out her mosquito net. As much as I’ve mocked people who wear nets (they do look kinda dorky) I could see the immediate appeal as she merrily pumped without having to swat the clouds of mosquitoes around her. (See photo)

Glen and I also found some downed wood for a fire. We sawed the logs into manageable chunks and then split them. Most of the wood was green, so we piled it next to the cabin to season so that another party could use it. It was our way of trying to build some good karma. (Which is always helpful when you are going to be fishing.)

We cooked up our dinner and hung out in the cabin.

Glen then set up some of our rods and he, Eric and I set about trying our luck. We didn’t have a whole lot of success. The Russian River runs pretty straight and fast past the cabin and there isn’t a lot of habitat for fish to hang out – or at least that’s my excuse for why we got skunked.

As the sun set we spotted a bald eagle flying from tree to tree in our area. Then a moose cow wandered past the cabin. We stayed at a safe distance and watched her munch on the willows before heading to sleep.

The next morning we had pancakes filled with dried fruit and chocolate chips. You gotta love the gourmet backpacking.

Callie had to leave and head back to Anchorage to meet her brother, so she armed herself with two cans of bear spray and hiked out with Kyra. She was quite worried about bears, but made it back to the trailhead safely.

Glen, Eric and I decided to hike to Upper Russian Lake to do some fishing. We loaded up on food, water, our gear, bug spray and bear spray. Kelly and Jenica elected to stay in the cabin and enjoy a relatively bug-free day.

We set out on the several mile hike and immediately saw lots of bear sign. The trail mostly followed the river, but sometimes left the river to cross meadows where the cow parsnip and devil’s club grew almost above our heads. We made lots of noise to warn any bears in the area that three skinny and not-so-tasty guys were coming their way.

About half-way to the lake we stopped on a stretch of the trail that was right next to the river to toss in our lures. We fished for about 20 minutes with no luck and decided to press on up to the lake.

Once we reached the lake, we turned off and made our way down to a campsite that is right by the mouth of the lake. We ate our sandwiches and played around on some logs that had fallen out into the water. Luckily the mosquitoes were not as bad at this spot so we were able to relax in relative comfort.

After we’d scoped out a few fishing spots, we made a more concerted effort to land a fish or two. Glen worked his way out onto a rock where the lake began to flow into the river. Eric and I clambered out onto a large tree that had fallen into the river about 40 yards downstream from Glen.

It was a gorgeous day with bright sunshine. Eric fished from one side while I worked another. We could see a few salmon lazily swimming below us and one large trout that steadfastly refused to try to take the hooks that we dangled in front of him.

I was in the middle of talking to Eric, who was sitting on a smaller branch, when I turned around at the sound of a splash further downstream. I was greeted by the sight of a large female grizzly and her cub walking up the river towards us.

My first reaction was to alert Eric to the bears’ approach with the eloquent phrase, “Dude, bear!” The bears were about 50 yards away, hadn’t noticed us, and were moving closer. I didn’t want them to get too close without knowing we were there, so I moved along the tree to let them know something was there. The mom immediately stopped and woofed. When a bear woofs, it’s not like a dog’s woof. It’s definitely a bear’s woof. The cub went scampering back to the opposite bank and the mom took a few bounding strides towards us to (a) get a better look at whatever it was we were and (b) scare the bejeebers out of whatever it was that was near her cub. Both objectives were accomplished.

Luckily the grizzly only took a bounds and the cub scrambled up the far bank and into the trees. The mom then relaxed and wandered across the river, up onto a small island and then down through the brush to another side channel out of sight.

We were more than a little excited.

Eric and I pocketed our bear-spray, slung our cameras, grabbed our fishing rods, and got off that log and away up the bank. Glen met us and we talked things over. The bear was on the other side of the river and so we decided to stay at a safe distance, stick together and see if she would show herself again. We got lucky and the mom and cub wandered back up onto the island after fishing for a bit.

Content with our sighting and glad it hadn’t gone badly we headed out of the area and back down the trail. We spotted a porcupine on the trail who was annoyed that we were walking behind him.

We decided to give the fishing one more try at the spot we had scoped out that morning and tossed in our lines. About 10 minutes in Glen pointed at a particular spot and said, “There’s probably a trout hanging out right under that spot in the bank.” I immediately floated my dry-fly right past that spot within a second had a trout on the line. After tiring the fish out and not letting it wrap the line around a fallen log I finished reeling it in. We had landed a rainbow that was near the size limit. (You have to toss back anything over 14 inches.)

Glen gutted the fish there. We decided that even with bears in the area, it was safer to gut the fish by the trail and quickly move on rather than do it back at camp and possibly attract bears to that spot.

We hiked back in a fantastic mood. Mostly we were happy that we were returning to camp with fish in hand and a bear story to boot.

Back at camp we related our adventures and took a dip in the river. It was cold. Very cold. But we all appreciated getting a chance to wash a bit of dirt and accumulated deet off ourselves. The women-folk made a number of less than charitable comments about our level of intelligence, but we had a good time nonetheless.

Glen and I then set about grilling the fish. We built a wood fire and rigged a grill out of some wire mesh that was left in the cabin. I salted the fish and we stuffed it with lime and herbs. It smelled delicious. (So much for our plan to not attract bears with fish smell.)

That night we had burritos with slices of avocado and fresh caught trout. Not too bad for a backpacking trip! Everyone ate their fill and we lounged in the cabin, safe from the mosquitoes.

Glen, Eric and I then gave the remains of the fish a pseudo-Viking funeral by floating them off down the river on a log. It was a touching moment.

After that we made smores and sat around the fire. The smoke kept a good number of the skeeters at bay.

I was a bit restless that night because the next day was going to be a busy one.

We woke early and packed up our gear. I had to be back in Anchorage by the early afternoon to prepare for my next days’ adventure: the Fireweed 400. (See next post.)

Forewarned by our experience on the way in we prepared as best we could for the mosquitoes on the way out. We made sure our bear spray was accessible, put on lots of bug spray, and put on our rain shells to provide some physical protection.

The hike out went quickly. We played various games and continued our running string of “Office” references. Once back on the wide trail near the cars we ran into some park rangers who asked us whether we’d encountered any bears. We related our experience at the lake and mentioned all the bear sign on the trail.

About a half-mile from the car we ran into a group of my fellow clerks who were hiking in to spend the night at the cabin that we had just left. Rob, Katy, Merrill, Sam and a group of their visitors were planning to spend a few days there doing just what we’d done. We warned them about the bears and mosquitoes and wished them luck.

Back at my truck I found the note Rob had left me on my windshield, “Go back to CA chardonnay boy!” My dad’s “VINOTRK” plates always make an impression on people.

We drove back to Anchorage and unloaded our gear.

PICTURES: http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.r.mckenna/AspenFlats

Fourth of July

Summer of 2008 in Anchorage has been the coldest summer on record. But we got lucky for the Fourth and had one of the nicest days of the year; the temperature cracked 70 degrees for the first time in ’08.

Our house was incredibly full and boisterous that weekend due to all of our visitors. First, my friends Adam and Crystal were up from SF for a quick weekend. They wisely elected to skip the full house and get a hotel. Second, my friends Kelly, Eric, Jenica and Glen were also up visiting and they crashed with us. Finally, Callie’s brother and his girlfriend were also visiting. Everyone arrived the night of the 3rd.

The Fourth started with a huge family-style breakfast. Adam made a run for more food and I cooked up scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, and as much coffee as people could handle. Callie and Jeff took turns spelling me on the cooking as we all crowded around our table, which groaned under the weight of all the food. (Lila had left late the night before to go clam digging on the Kenai Peninsula.) We also had to appropriate every chair in the house and a few of us ended up sitting on side tables that got dragged over to act as benches. It was probably the best breakfast we’d had there all year.

After the eats, Adam and Crystal took off for Seward. They were going to check out the town and then go to Homer and bear watching out in Katmai National Park.

The rest of us headed out for some quick activities before our afternoon BBQ. Kelly, Eric, Jenica, Glen and I went for a quick hike out in Campbell Park. The park takes up a sizeable part of central and eastern Anchorage and connects with Chugach State Park. Because Campbell Creek runs through it with a rather sizeable salmon population, the park is home to a number of Grizzlies. We made sure we carried our bear spray and made lots of noise.

It was actually hot as we hiked and a bit humid. Not conditions that I was used to in Alaska. We finished our hike without bear-related incident and headed back to the house to start party preparations.

I began setting up, getting the keg on ice and getting snacks out while the rest of the gang made last-minute runs for more party supplies and grabbed food for their planned trip to Denali National Park. Callie and her brother got back and soon the place was all set.

The BBQ ended up being quite a success. I manned the grill and cooked up burgers, salmon burgers (the ones from Costco were pretty tasty), veggie burgers, and hotdogs. Judge Wolverton showed up on his mountain bike and introduced us to the “AK Surf and Turf” which was a burger made of one beef patty and one salmon patty. Very tasty.

It was nice to really be able to use our house’s backyard. It was a perfect size for a large BBQ and people made the most of the nice weather. A good number of our friends and friends of friends showed up, Kelly brought her parents and people from the neighborhood stopped by our place.

As the party began to wind down, we moved the party to Mike Baylous’s place down near Ship Creek. The group of us that got there first organized an impromptu football game using a water bottle. As others arrived we got the bonfire started. Rob and Katy showed up with a table pedestal that they found in the “free wood pile” down near the creek. It wasn’t until late that night that everyone decided to head home.

Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.r.mckenna/FourthOfJuly#

Reed Lakes Hike

This weekend Mary Katherine, Liz, Mike and I headed out for a hike in the Talkeetna Mountains north of Anchorage. We headed up the road to Hatcher Pass and turned off towards the Reed Lakes trail.

The day was warm in the valley and the sun almost peaked out. The trail started off flat and easy. Soon we arrived at an abandoned cabin amongst the bushes and boulders. The area had been mined for gold early in the century, and the area still sported a few old shacks and some abandoned equipment.



The area has some of only decent rock for climbing in south central Alaska and many of the boulders looked like they would be a lot of fun. A face of granite that we began to switchback up next to even had a few bolts in it.

Once we started to climb the steep wall at the end of the valley, the trail crossed a boulder strewn slope where the creek from the valley above came down.

The vegetation changed markedly once we were up into the hanging valley. The tall bushes from the lower valley gave way to a more tundra-like and low scrub environment. The stream meandered through a meadow and made a number of small lakelets.



We stopped for a snack and to let the dogs swim around. Jackson, MK’s dog, lives for swimming (as well as running and playing the stick game). Agloo, Paul Twardock’s dog, was also with us. Liz gave Mike a quick lesson in reading topographic maps.

Soon we pressed on up the trail, climbing steadily. The trail followed the stream (although it would be a river in CA) up the valley, past more lakes and several pretty decently sized waterfalls.

As we climbed the temperature dropped. When we reached the upper part of the valley, the ground began to be covered with more and more snow. It was like we were hiking backwards in time, each step sending us further back from summer into early spring.

When we reached Upper Reed Lake, we found it completely covered in ice. The clouds had come in and it started to snow. If you ever needed a reminder that when you leave for a hike in Alaska you should bring layers for all conditions, this was it. We ate our lunch on a rock and marveled at the view around us. Small ice fields and glaciers covered the cloud-shrouded peaks around us.





We headed back down the trail and returned to spring and summer (such as it is). The lower valley still had a bit of sun and we were quickly back at the car.

PICTURES: http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.r.mckenna/ReedLakes

McHugh Creek

Wednesday after work Kelly, James and I headed out to McHugh Creek for a hike. The trail winds up through a forest and then emerges onto the open hillside. It then heads back up the valley that McHugh Creek flows out of and up to McHugh Lake.

We settled on the hike because Kelly's last name is McHugh and it only seemed natural to explore the area.


The weather was mixed, and quite windy down by Turnagain Arm. Once we were in the trees the wind died down and we were surrounded by a sea of green dotted with the occasional swaths of wildflowers.

We came across several moose on our hike. The first was a female. The second was a young male with his antlers still covered in velvet. The final bull was back at the parking lot. All of them munched contentedly on the ample greenery while James and I snapped pictures.

Dall sheep were spotted way up on a hillside near patches of snow. They looked like little spots of white on the rock.

All in all, it was fantastic to be able to leave work and get out into a truly wild place for a hike.


PICTURES: http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.r.mckenna/McHughCreekHike

Solstice Sunset

I biked out to the coastal trail to watch the sunset tonight. It was gorgeous. The sun slipped below the horizon as the clock hit midnight. Even though the sun dipped below the horizon, it's not really going to get dark tonight.

People were out all along the bike path watching the sunset. A group had built a bonfire just by the train tracks on the tidal flats.

Denali and Mt. Foraker were clearly outlined by the setting sun. Their silhouettes were lit up in red.

As I biked back, a beaver paddled its way along the shore in Westchester Lagoon. It's moments like these that remind me how magical a place this is to live.

Softball

It's been a long standing tradition for the clerks to organize a softball team each year. I took on the managerial duties this year. The league is pretty well organized; we've got uniforms (with numbers), rosters, lineups, and rules. The rule book is ridiculously big. But we manage to have a good time nonetheless. Most teams are out there for the same reason: to have fun.

There are two other teams of former clerks and associated friends. One team is called The Deciders and the other is Ninjustice. We are the Bench Warmers. A clever name, if I do say so myself. Our jerseys were designed by Mike Russell (a fellow clerk) and they are pretty darn kickass.

We play at the parkstrip near downtown. The field is pretty nice and we have a great time.

Currently we are 3 and 3. There are six teams in our league and we'll play each a number of times. Now we're starting to replay the same teams. Time to move up in the standings!

Coaching has been a decent amount of work. We have a huge team of 27 players. I've made it a priority to get everyone into every game, so we have some pretty large roster changes during each game.

Callie got some great pictures at our last game:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.r.mckenna/Softball

Symphony Lake Backpacking

Last weekend (the 13th to the 15th), a group of us went backpacking along the South Fork of the Eagle River in Chugach State Park. We left Anchorage on Friday after work and grabbed pizza in Eagle River to eat at the trail head.

The weather on that Friday had started promising enough: blue skies with decorative clouds in the distance. But as the day progressed, the clouds closed in. By the time we were eating our pizza in the trailhead parking lot a light rain had begun to fall.



Our group was composed of Callie, Jeff Kim, Ryan Ferch, James Ferguson, and Elizabeth and Caroline Outten. The plan was to hike in Friday night, set up a base camp and then spend Saturday trying to get to the top of Triangle Peak or up to the Symphony Tarns. Of course, all that was very weather dependent. Here is a Google Terrain Map of the area.

The hike in was pleasantly flat with views up the valley. The skies remained overcast and we walked through intermittent showers. Eventually we left the side of the valley we were up on, crossed the river at a bridge and then continued east up the valley on the north side.

We lucked out and found a good campsite before we got to Eagle Lake. The area looks flat, but on closer inspection is actually quite boggy and bumpy. We happened upon a spot of relatively flat bunch grass. All in all it made a great spot to sleep because the grass was so soft. I also set up a tarp using some trekking poles to make a shelter under which to cook and chat.

It was still quite light at 12:30 when we turned in with hopes of blue skies in the morning.


We were not in luck. The next day dawned with the clouds even lower than the night before. James, Elizabeth and Caroline decided to hike out after breakfast. Callie, Jeff, Ryan and I headed the valley to see where we could go and wait out the weather.


After reaching the head of Eagle Lake, the trail crossed the river and wound over a boulder field that was actually a huge glacial moraine. The boulders were covered in moss and lichen with small bits of grass and flowers in the cracks. Because scenic vistas were out of the picture due to the cloud cover, I instead focused on the beauty of the local flora. Alaska is beautiful at any scale.

We were hoping to see more in the way of fauna on the trip. All of us carried bear spray and we were vigilant in our watch for moose or bear. Unfortunately the only wildlife we saw was a couple of gulls chasing a bald eagle.

Above Eagle Lake is Symphony Lake. We chatted with some fishermen who raved about the spot. We decided to head up the valley behind Symphony Lake to Mirror Lake.



Beavers had made an impressive lodge and dam at the upper end of the lake where a glacial fed stream filled the lake.


Above the notch where the stream poured between two arms of rock the valley south of Symphony Lake opened up. We avoided boggy patches and eventually started making our way over remnants of the winter's snow. As we got up into the clouds, it was like walking a few months back in time. Wind came down off the surrounding snow covered slopes and dropped the temperature. The snow and cold made it feel like March.

Lunch was up by where we thought Mirror Lake was. At this time of the year the lake hadn't melted yet, so all there was was a large patch of snow where the topo map said the lake should be. We hung out under some amazing boulders and enjoyed the feeling of being up in the mountains.

Our descent went quickly. Jeff, Callie and I glissaded a few patches of snow.

Once back at camp we made a dinner of burritos. High cuisine in the backcountry is the way to go.

Sunday morning was also grey, so we hiked out instead of exploring a side valley. Despite the weather, it was really great to get out camping again.

PICTURES:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.r.mckenna/SymphonyLakeBackpacking