A Day on Kakwik in Whittier, AK

We started off fairly early and made a day of it today, heading for Whittier by 9:30 am.  By the time we got through the tunnel, on the boat, and filled up the gas gussler, it was heading for noon as we headed for Blackstone Bay.

After checking the shrimp pots, (and we got about 5 lbs of shrimp!), we got ourselves a little out of the wind and stopped to grill chicken sausages for lunch.  What a beautiful day!  It was in the 70s, sunny, and except for a little wind out on the water, very warm and inviting!

After lunch we took turns in the kayaks exploring some little nooks and crannies in Shotgun Cove.  There is still snow right down to the water and tons of waterfalls pouring down the mountains!  Beautiful to be out there.  And a good place up on deck (above) for me to read David Sedaris while waiting my turn (and napping in the sun!)

Once we were underway, it was chilly enough to bundle up, but still a good place to read on the back deck of Kakwik.


Back at the dock, we finished up and stopped for a cup of chowder (which for some reason was cheaper if you bought it with beer - the special, chowder and beer!), then headed back home - 8:30 but still broad daylight - it won't get dark til about midnight now, maybe later.  Time to go back to work tomorrow - it's been such a nice weekend.  It was 76 degrees when we got home, nearly unheard of in Anchorage, and the forecast is 70s for the next 3 days - I don't think that's ever, ever happened!

Back in Anchorage -- spring and maybe even summer arrived!

We've gone from late season - unseasonable-snow to sunny, sunny skies and 60s to 70s weather in one week!  Memorial Day weekend has been spent with two good biking days so far, and today is scheduled for Whittier and taking Kakwik out on Prince William Sound.  Looking forward to a lazy day before gearing up for the next work week -- only 4 days but lots to catch up on!

Brian and Carl went out on Kakwik for the "shakedown cruise" Thursday - Friday and came back with oysters (purchased) and shrimp from our pots.

We had the oysters Friday night, and I also found scallops at the Spenard Farmer's Market after yoga Saturday morning that we had Saturday night -- boy, do we love Alaska seafood!  I loved being back at yoga after a few weeks away, and this is the first chance I've gotten for the farmer's market again - it opened last week, but I was teaching.  Not much fresh grown yet - some spring greens, sprouts, but also my favorite piroshki stand (they can't be that good for you, but they surely do taste good!)  We went for a later afternoon bike on the "Bird to Gird" trail along Turnagain Arm - the trail was in good shape except for some caution through 3 avalanche areas from this winter - some debris and water on the path.  So fun to bike along the water with the mountains right there . . . it's just gorgeous!

Sunday was an errand day initially - Brian's sister and her husband will be here on Wednesday. We also recently bought a little grill, and we got a small table and 2 more chairs for outside along with our great "CHAIRity Auction" bench that we brought to Alaska with us!  Mid-afternoon we decided to go for another bike ride, along the Coastal Trail this time toward Kincaid Park and with Mary and Lance, our landlords. 

Mary, Judy & Brian taking a break at Earthquake Park

That was a fun ride and another 2 hours, then a late afternoon/early evening glass of wine outside on our new chairs then dinner together with a very good risotto with scallops and spinach and a great salad that Mary brought up.

You've got to love holiday weekends.  Off to Kakwik early today with a stop for scones and coffee at our favorite, Fire Island Bakery.  I'm too lazy to put pictures in right now, but maybe I'll add them later -- and we'll have pictures from today! 

A Side Trip to Ojai

We couldn't be in Santa Monica without a trip up to see Judy's sister Christine and her husband Michael, Justin and Marica and their children, and Piper and James -- we drove up Monday morning, and it was only 102 degrees in Ojai!  We spent a few hours at the pool, a stop at Christine and Michael's to clean up and have a glass of wine (in the air-conditioning), and then it had cooled off enough to reconnoiter at Justin and Marica's home for dinner on their big patio that could hold "the whole family!"

Marica and Justin made a wonderful dinner, Sonia brought salad, and Christine brought a chocolate cheesecake with berries - yum!  Great food, great wine, and great company!  We stayed overnight and had breakfast at Lake Cassitas before driving back to LA.  Then it was one last lunch on the beachfront, in Venice this time, before saying goodbye to Jessica at the airport and getting back on theplane.

To add insult to injury, we got home late Wednesday night, and Friday afternoon as I sat in my office, it started snowing furiously!  We had snow all of Friday night, and it was up to 6 inches up on the hillside.  For us closer to downtown, it was all gone by today.  I had to teach a graduate social work course all day Saturday and Sunday, but it was beautiful and sunny today (still a bit cool!)
We're still waiting for summer here in Anchorage, but we have about 18 hours of daylight -- it's light til about 11:30 pm now.

Mother's Day in Santa Monica

Brian and I went to Santa Monica for a few days for Mother's Day to see Jessica, and it was lovely to be in the sun and be warm.  Santa Monica was a nice temperature but could be on the coolish side with a breeze, 68-70 degrees.  It was great to see Jess, and she has a nice apt. just a few blocks from the beach.  Saturday we rented bikes, the 3 of us (cruisers) and rode for a couple of hours on the bike trail that runs right through the beach.  We rode one way and walked out onto the Santa Monica pier, then the other til we ended in a place with fruit popsicles!

Lots of dodging other bikes and, in some places, pedestrians, but it was fun!

It's about a 5 hour flight each way but a direct flight at least!  We went to the Getty Museum on Sunday for Mother's Day and took a picnic with us - Jessica made a kale salad and a tomato & cucumber salad with mint, and we added brie cheese and a sourdough baguette - great picnic under a shade tree.  The grounds are beautiful with some very unique gardens and pretty interesting architecture too, even besides the indoor exhibits.

We came back to the beachfront and went to the Georgian Hotel, which I didn't end up with a picture of - must have been on Jessica's phone.  Wonderful little porch over looking the water with a nice ceviche and cheese tray to with my wine and their beer!

And then back to the beach in time for the sunset - we had a good one, as you can see in the picture!  Santa Monica is beautiful, and Brian commented on how many people are out walking, biking, doing yoga, generally just enjoying the outdoors.  He even said, "I could live here!"  We're not ready to give up Alaska yet though (even after it snowed when we got home and they said it was the 232nd day with snow this year!)

Too soon, it was time to go back, but first we had a trip to Ojai - next entry! 

Another weekend in Anchorage then the week of finals at UAA!

Brian has his last photography class tomorrow (and I don't care what he says, he is going for an A!), and then it's finals week -- he has a final critique of his portfolio, and I have grades to finish up.  The next two months, less than 2 months now, will go quickly as we prepare ourselves to go east for 5 weeks!  Saturday was a catch up day, not the least of which was cleaning the house . . . then a walk downtown, colder than we thought, really biting wind, so not as far as we had intended.  We stopped at Simon & Seaforts, one of our favorite late afternoon/early evening appetizer/wine kind of place that looks out over the water.  What a great afternoon, and then a walk back, settling in for the evening.  A part of me wanted to go see Silver Linings Playbook at the Bearstooth Theatre, but it was showing at 10:15, and we were nearly asleep by then.

We didn't get started as early as we would have liked this morning, but we did finally get out for another hike this afternoon.  We hiked someplace we've never gone, in the same general area along Turnagain Arm, but a trail that starts straight up from the road - pant, pant!  Much heavy breathing on my part, a surprisingly dry trail for about the first 20-30 minutes and then ice and snow that gradually deepened to probably 2 feet or more.  There was a narrow trail that had been tamped down enough with post-holing on the side if you got off-sides! 

Another beautiful afternoon and a steep enough hike that I had enough for the 2 hours that we had to spend -- we met several people on the way down that didn't seem inclined to go that far.  Another couple commented from their perch recovering from the first really steep 1/2 hour that you got to see how much weight you gained over the winter!  You'd think it would get easier! 

Brian has been working on Kakwik getting it ready for motoring on Prince William Sound, and he and Carl did a lot of work on it this winter.  It's just about ready for putting out the shrimp pots, and the lure of fresh shrimp any day now is so tempting!  We can't wait! 

Brian's sister Janet and her husband Fred are coming up to see us just after Memorial Day, and before they leave, I'll be going to a conference in Denver.  By the time I get back on June 8, we'll have less than 2 weeks before we're leaving for New York!  And, we're both flying to Santa Monica to see my daughter Jessica and my sister Christine (in Ojai) for Mother's Day weekend. 

It's light til nearly 10:30 pm now, and it's light when I get up, so we're entering that time when I don't see it dark unless I wake up really, really early!  It's pretty different to head into this time when it's light all of the time . . . and the bears are waking up -- it's official, there have been several sightings now.  We saw a park services guy today who said he saw a black bear at Rainbow, close to where we've been hiking the last two weekends, and our friends had a black bear at their house.  Grizzlies have been sighted too, but not close by that we've heard yet.  Graduation this next weekend will cut down on our hiking time . . . at least mine! 

Back into Hiking!

Two weekends of hiking . . . time goes so fast!  Last weekend we were determined to get out, and Saturday we did a familiar hike from Potter's Creek to McHugh Creek, about 6.6 miles round trip.  A bit uphill for the first 20 minutes or so and then up and down the rest of the way.  It was a combination of mud, snow and ice, and we used katoolahs part of the way. 

It was warm and sunny enough that we both unzipped the leg bottoms and went to shorts!  Only about 45 degrees but we've had amazingly sunny weather!  This hiking spot runs along Turnagain Arm, so you're looking out over Cook Inlet -- the hiking trail runs right along the inlet, so lots of great views!  It took us about 4 hours to do the whole thing, so we weren't hurrying along! 

 

The next day, Sunday, we went into the mountains from Prospect Heights and hiked toward Wolverine Mt., even though we knew that we didn't have time to go very far.  This day was a bit more overcast, but the sun came out part of the time - it was windier, and a little colder.  We just went out an hour and a half and then back, about 2 hours and 20 minutes altogether.  I love being back in the mountains where you're surrounded, wherever you look!  As we're coming down, you can see the city of Anchorage laid out below and Cook Inlet on the far side.  Then it's home and getting ready for the last week of classes at UAA! 

 



Mid-April in Anchorage

What to do on a gorgeous weekend in Anchorage?  Blue skies, 36 degrees, still snowy, but spring definitely in the air.  We threw classical skis and skating skis in the car, 4 sets of poles and took off.  Brian skied on Portage Lake over to the Portage Glacier last week, and I wanted to go there, but when we got down there it was a bit windy.  We decided to go to Girdwood and ski instead.  My neck has been bothering me again after getting rear-ended a couple of months ago, so the skate skiing was over in just a little under an hour.

We'd brought hiking boots and katoolahs too, uncertain what any conditions were going to be, so we stopped at McHugh trailhead on the Seward Highway and hiked for just under 2 hours up toward McHugh Peak.  The trail wasn't too bad, and once more, we were sharing it with . . . a moose!  

We're just about ready now to give up skiing and start hiking!  I'm always a little leery on this trail at this time of year because it's known for bear traffic, and they are waking up SOMETIME around now -- no sign of them today though, thankfully!  There was a convenient limb for stopping and having a snack on the way -- we'll have to try for the top again another day!  We were up here one day last fall, quite a bit further up, and as we started down and looked back, we could see a grizzly bear and two cubs with her.  

Sunday wrap up - back to work tomorrow.  It's 8:15 and broad daylight . . . light til about 10:00 pm now and starting to get light at 6 am -- probably not 16 hours of daylight officially yet, but it sure looks like it to me!  I have to get up earlier to have it be dark . . . and I like getting up when it's dark - it's harder for me to have it light all of the time.