Trip to Nenana & Campground Pot Luck

This past week has been really busy for us.  We took a little trip North to visit our friends Jeannie and Dean Theel and Mary Olson in Nenana.  Roger and Dean made 70 lbs of moose sausage and Jeannie, Mary and I made caribou pasties. 

Dean checking his sausage recipe

Roger checking out the "stuffer"

Millie & Roger "resting"

The following day, we all went 4 wheeling along Dean's trap line trail, the power line with views of Minto Flats, and checked out some moose hunting spots for Dean.  We even came across a hay field in the middle of the bush.

Dean & Jeannie at hay field

Riding along the trap line trail

Mary Olson on trail

Think this is really that many volts?

View of the Minto Flats from the trail

Low Bush Cranberries

Jeannie in a High Bush Cranberry patch

After our ride we went back to Jeannie and Dean's sons cabin where he has a nice stone fire pit and a Finnish Sauna.  We bar-b-qued caribou hamburgers and potato/vegetable packets, had a little of Dean's raspberry wine and s'mores for dessert.  We sat around the fire pit after dinner and then we fired up the Finnish Sauna and took a sauna.  What a way to finish out the day!

Mary, Jeannie & Dean enjoying the fire pit

Roger and Sue around the fire pit

On 9-11 we had a nice pot luck picnic at the Cantwell RV Park with friends and neighbors that we've met while here.   Jim and Eileen supplied the hamburgers & hot dogs along with fresh salmon that Jim caught.  He fixed the salmon several different ways; traditional with tmaple omato and lemon, jalapeno; and maple/brown sugar.  We cooked up some of the moose sausage links that Roger and Dean made and I made some caribou pasties to share.  Others brought lima beans and ham; chicken soup; sausage, cheese & crackers; potato salad; many desserts and watermelon.  What a feast - as always!

Some of the friends and neighbors to the Cantwell RV Park

What a nice looking group of people!

Workkampers Dennis & Marilyn Delo; Sue & Roger Harju in front of the office

We're on our last week here at the campground.  We head for the lower 48 by the end of this week.  We are going to try to see the Aurora Borealis tonight, we'll see if we can view them or not.  Until our next adventure.....

Fall at Denali National Park

Roger and I went for a ride through Denali National Park to look at the beautiful colors for what we think will be our last trip into the Park.  We leave Cantwell in 10 days and will begin our trip toward Minnesota.  The colors in the Park are like nothing I've ever experienced before.  I hope that you enjoy these pictures as much as we do.

Denali National Park 9-5-11

Denali National Park 9-5-11

Denali National Park, Savage River area

Denali National Park 9-5-11

 

Denali National Park 9-5-11

 

Denali National Park 9-5-11

 

Denali National Park 9-5-11

 

Denali National Park 9-5-11

 

Denali National Park 9-5-11

 

Denali National Park 9-5-11

 

Nenana River off the Parks Highway

Denali National Park 9-5-11

 

Good-bye Denali National Park, we've been so fortunate to be only 27 miles south of the Park entrance.  It's been so nice to be able to drive over to the park and see it change over the past 4 months.

Alaska State Fair

The Alaska State Fair is going on now in Palmer.  I made a trip to Wassilla to visit with my cousin, Denny Teal, to celebrate our birthdays together and we decided to make a day trip to check out the fair.  Palmer is only about 15 miles from Wassilla so it's an easy day trip to make.  Before I got to Denny's place I stopped at the store picked up a nice looking rib eye steak, a pound of Alaskan King Crab, a salad, a loaf of sourdough, and some pre-mixed margarita's.  It's time to celebrate our birthdays since we haven't been able to celebrate together in about 35 years!

After consuming our feast and downing a couple of drinks, we decided to call brother/cousin Paul and his wife Dottie in Juneau.  It's been about 30 years since I've spoken to him and we had a lot of catching up to do.  Dottie is a great woman and it was wonderful to speak to Paul,what a great time we had!

The next morning we lazily got ready to head to the fair.   The Alaska State Fair is not anything like the Minnesota State Fair; but it is very nice and much bigger than I expected it to be.  They don't have all of the different food on a stick like they do in Minnesota; but they have great food like halibut taco's, salmon chowder, ice cream, and reindeer sausage.  The booths are much more interesting and contain more items that are made in state.  I was able to pick up some Fireweed Honey, a native Alaskan Kuspick, and some birch syrup.

They also have some nice buildings that contain items that have been made and entered into the fair for judging such as the largest produce, prize animals and homemade items such as bakery, jams, clothing and wood working.  These items were really fun to admire; but I do have to say I missed the butter sculptures that are done in Minnesota of the Dairy Princesses.

Denny in front of the prize pumpkin

That's a lot of coleslaw!

Denny in the horticulture gardens

Denny and Alaska's most famous bear

I don't know of too many state fairs that have this kind of view

I don't think I'll ever take these mountain views for granted!

After munching our way through the fair, we headed home for the evening and relaxed.  The next morning I headed back to Cantwell.  I always hate saying good-bye, but Denny and I hope to be able to connect once more before Roger and I head back to the lower 48.

On my way home, I couldn't help but stop and take a couple of pictures of Hurricane Gulch and of the colors changing in the Alaska Tundra.  Both areas are just beautiful this time of year, we are so lucky to be able to be in Alaska and see the changing of the seasons.  The seasons change here so fast and are so different than in the lower 48.

Hurricane Gulch bridge

Hurricane Gulch - Wow, it's high on top of this bridge!

The Alaskan Tundra near Cantwell what beautiful color!

More of the colorful fall Alaskan Tundra

It's Fall in Cantwell

The colors are changing rapidly here in Cantwell, Alaska.  We drove to Denali National Park and out the Denali Highway and it is absolutely beautiful.  Now I know why the words "purple mountains majesty" are included in the song "Oh Beautiful".  The Aspens first turn a bright yellow and then a few days later turn a brilliant orange.  The High Bush Cranberries are turning bright red and the Black and White Spruce keep  their vivid forest green.  The blueberries are still plentiful and haven't turned mushy yet, so Eileen and I are still trying to get out as often as we can to pick.  I even made Roger a home made blueberry pie.  As most of you know, I don't eat cooked fruit; so I'll have to take his word for it that it was good (that and the fact that he ate the whole thing). 

Denali National Park Tundra, Fall (August) 2011

Savage River Valley; Denali National Park; August (Fall) 2011

Denali Tundra, Fall (August) 2011

Roger and I have met a woman who grew up here in Cantwell and who has authored a book about her family homestead.  Alicia and her husband Ron come to the RV park to take showers and do laundry while they are staying at the homestead for the summer.  They spend their winters in Wyoming.  Alicia invited several of the local women; including me; to her annual Fall Tea.  The tea was held at her mothers' cabin not far from Alicia and Ron's.  The family homestead is still in tact and consumes many many acres of land which encompasses a lake, a beautiful creek, and spectacular views of Reindeer Mountain, Mt. McKinley and the tundra.

Alicia's mothers' cabin

Some of the local guests attending the Annual Fall Tea with Alicia (far right)

Alicia checking on the tea

Eileen McGurk in front of Alicia & Ron's cabin (just down the driveway from Alicia's mother's)

 

The original family homestead cache

View from Alicia & Ron's cabin

I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but; our refrigerator went out just before Lindsay and Tom came to visit us.  We had to buy a 4 cubic foot college size one to get us by until the part for ours came in.  Well, the repair shop called and the part finally came in.  So on our days off this week, we headed for Fairbanks to get the fridge fixed and run errands.  We arrived the night before our appointment and spent it relaxing at our favorite campground next the Chena River  Bright and early the next morning we had the motor home into the shop and off we went knowing that it would take the better part of  the day to get repaired.

It was my birthday Thursday and we had plans that night to have dinner with our friends, Dean and Jeannie Theel, at the Clear Sky Lodge.  The lodge, which is located about 35 miles south of Theel's,  is supposed to have the best steaks in Alaska.  By late afternoon the RV repair shop called and told us that they wanted to keep the motor home overnight to make sure the refrigerator was operating correctly.  We called Jeannie and Dean to ask if it would be OK if we spent the night with them, went over to the motor home to gather some overnight items and off we went to Jeannie and Deans.  They are only about 40 miles south of Fairbanks (which is close by Alaska standards) so we were able to visit, have a little birthday cake that Jeannie was kind enough to make, and open my presents. 

Clear Sky Lodge is not kidding when they say that they have the best steaks in Alaska.  We all ordered the 14 oz. Rib Eye.  Well, I would have to say that not only were they much bigger than 14 oz's; but they had to be the most flavorful pieces of meat I've ever had.  I took the majority of mine home and even Roger had left overs.  After dinner, Mary; another friend of ours and the Theel's, who came with us got the whole bar/restaurant to sing happy birthday to me.  Too bad I won't be here to do the same for her when it's her birthday!

On the way back; Dean stopped at a spot where he knows of some trumpeter swans have made their home.  We were able to "get up close and personal" with them.  What a great way to end my birthday!

Trumpeter Swans 8-25-11

The evening ended with Jeannie, Mary and I playing a few games of Banana Gram.  I, of course, didn't win, but we had a great time anyway. 

It's Blueberry Season

This morning Eileen McGurk, Eileen's dog Molly, a friend of Eileen's who lives in Cantwell, and I climbed Reindeer Mountain to get to a special blueberry patch that Eileen found.  Reindeer Mountain is off the Denali Highway and has a spectacular view of Mt. McKinley and the town of Cantwell.  If for no other reason, it was worth the climb just for the view.  The blueberries are large, plentiful, juicy and very sweet.  It didn't take long to get a nice quart or more each.

Cynthia & Eileen hunting for their berries

Eileen with her container of precious berries - Molly is so envious!

Molly with her pick - a Moose bone!

My "stash" of blueberries - Yum!

I think that we'll be having blueberry pancakes soon.  Or, should I make a blueberry dessert; maybe both and I'll just have to go out and pick some more on Wednesday.  Oh, it's too hard to decide, maybe I'll just eat them right out of the container.  Yum!!