Alaska Travel
Permanent Fund Checks are in the Mail
Every October, every qualified Alaskan resident receives a check from the Alaska Permanent Dividend Fund. This year each check will be for $1106.96.
In 1976, as the Trans-alaskan Pipeline was near completion, Alaska voted in a constitutional amendment to establish a dedicated fund: The Alaska Permanent Fund. This constitutional amendment and its dupporting statutes set aside at least 25% of certain mineral revenues paid to the state of Alaska for deposit into a public savings account to be invested for the benefit of the current and all future generations of Alaskans.
Everyone has their check, and they are determined to spend it. For some rural Alaskans, this may be the only time of year they come to town. Just try to find a parking spot at the mall. Snow machines, toys for the kids... it's better than Christmas!
They're back!
October 5th
The moose are back! We saw twins yesterday.
They've spent the summer months in the high country, moving down to lower areas for mating season. The "rut" is coming to an end now. Moose breed in the fall with the peak of the rut activities coming in late September and early October. Adult males joust during the rut by bring their antlers together and pushing. The winner of this pushing ritual gets the girls.
Only males have antlers. Antlers are shed every year from November to January. Males will begin to grow new antlers in the spring. Trophy-sized antlers normally come with moose that are 10 to 12 years old. Moose in the wild rarely live past 16.
Cow moose generlly breed at a little over two years old, often resulting in twins, and once in a while there are triplets. When they are born, calves weigh anywhere from 28 to 35 pounds. Cow moose are quite dangerous as they tend to be a little paranoid about protecting their calves--it's common for calves to end up as dinner for wolves and bears. She will nurture her young until they are about a year old, then she will chase them off to fend for themselves.
The twins stick together for a few months while they figure out how to survive on their own. Willow Birch, and Aspen twigs, are a favorite food. Gardens and lawns make great places to bed down and take a nap if you happen to be a moose. Adult females can weigh in at 1,300 pounds, males at 1,600 pounds. Disturbing them, or chasing them away usually isn't an option, they'll move when they're good and ready.
This time of year is my favorite time, autmun leaves, baked goodies, warm sweaters, and moose.
Where'd that come from?
Alaska is a quirky kind of place, people don’t care much for rules, home-owners’ associations, or “fitting-in.” This attitude gives Alaska its flavor, that ambiance of living on the wild side, being your own person. In some ways, it is a nice change from the Lower 48 and the “keeping up with the Jones” syndrome.
Autumn is when I notice this phenomenon the most. The summer foliage is thick and lush in Alaska. Driving along our two-lane roads is almost like driving in a tunnel of greens with a blue sky above. It is difficult to see much more than a few mailboxes next to the road. Then one day, there is a chill in the air, and almost overnight the leaves turn from greens to yellows. The afternoons are crisp with a warm sun and a slight breeze. The surrounding mountains have a light blanket of snow.
As the leaves turn to a darker gold, the wind picks up and they begin to fall. That’s when you notice the house across the way—was it always there? More leaves fall and driving down the road you see several cars tucked away from the road about 25 yards. They’ve been there for a long time, the Birch trees growing in front and behind them are almost mature…
The trees are nearly bare now, the curtain of leaves lifted to expose the yard art, the thriftiness of those who hang on to things that might come in handy later, and neighbors you never knew you had.
Do it now—it won’t be there when you come back.
Palmer, Alaska started out as an experiment in the 1930s, sponsored by President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal relief agency. The Depression, the dust bowl, and mass unemployment left many families destitute all across the nation. In 1935 The Matanuska Valley Colony was established as one of several “colonies” within the United States (the others were established in Florida, Arkansas, and Georgia).
President Roosevelt offered 203 families from the hardest-hit areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan a chance to start over in Alaska. These states were chosen for the project because it was felt they most closely resembled the climate in Alaska, and they had some of the highest percentages of people on assistance programs.
These chosen families were given 40 acres, a small house, a barn and a second chance at life. Many of them failed and returned to the Lower 48. Many of the barns and the farm houses have survived.
There are several old barns that I like. One of them sets on a hill over looking Palmer and the Knik River, it’s pained white and has a blue tin roof. Another barn is now home to dozens of dairy cattle. It has undergone several additions and expansions—the cows I’m sure love it.
My favorite barn, however, is now a pile of rotten timbers, weathered with age and neglect. I first spotted it driving home last winter. The hay field in front of it was covered in snow, trees, used as a windbreak, lead my eye towards the hill and this magnificent old barn. It was grey, leaning precariously towards the field, its doors ajar. What a great photo! But I was in a hurry to get home.
Spring arrived, the hay field became a brilliant green, a perfect photo opportunity for color contrasts. “I’ll have to remember to bring my camera the next time I head into town.”
Spring turned to summer, and summer was busy. Yesterday on my way into town I looked to my left before the stop sign, and it was gone!
Today, it made the front page of the paper, “Tumble-down barn.” This barn withstood winds that howled down from the glacier, gale-force winds, for nearly 70 years. She housed livestock and hay; she protected new-born calves and chickens. Her demise was probably because she had one layer too many of tar paper on her roof instead of a lighter weight tin roof. She was just too tired to stand anymore.
I’m sorry I missed the shot, and I’m lucky my husband Jim is willing to stop and take the shot that I missed.
The days are shorter
September 26, 2006
Sunrise 7:52 a.m. Sunset 7:47 p.m.
It's official. The days are now shorter than the nights.
The beauty of autumn is nearly over, it was a beautiful fall this year, the leaves turn golden with a hint of orange, the Spruce trees were a nice contrast in dark green, and the low bush cranberries were a deep red on the ground. When the sun shone, the sky was turquoise, and in the last few weeks the mountains were yellows, greens and browns topped with the brightest white of snow.
Our lawn is still green, the birch trees are all but naked, their pretty yellow leaves scattered over the grass. The black asphalt of the driveway makes a dramatic canvas for the few gold leaves attached to it with rainwater.
My flower garden looks worn now. The few flowers that are left look a bit soggy. The California Poppies are still in bloom—they really like it up here. The wild flowers in a can were quite a surprise. I wasn’t expecting much, I scattered them over a mostly rocky surface, very little soil, next to the road. Little white flowers appeared first, then little pink flowers. Bright orange California poppies dotted the flowerbed followed closely by dark blue Batchelor’s Buttons. Pale pink poppies came up next and this week blood red poppies are blooming. The Fireweed, a natural flower up here, lasted just a few weeks, fuchsia blooms that begin at the base of a tall stalk, opening one by one until the entire stalk is a burst of color, then it all turns to cottony seeds that blow away.
I’m afraid my prediction may come true. The gladiolas that I planted in late spring will probably bloom about the time it snows. They all have shoots with flower pods now, but it isn’t getting warm enough during the day, and the garden is in the shade most of the day, with the sun moving to the southern skies. Next year I’ll have to plant a little earlier.
Leaving for War
Our neighbor, Liam, left for Iraq last night. Liam isn’t married. His parents were here helping him get his house ready for winter. They brought his dog up from New Hampshire to see him. His mom left brownies and other goodies to pack and take with him. She left little sticky notes in the kitchen for his house sitter—little reminders of how to take care of her son’s things until he returns. He’s on a commercial plane—a twenty-hour flight. He’s asked us to watch his house while he’s gone. The plan is to be there for a year, but that will probably be extended by six months, so he’s told his troops to plan to be there for 18 months. Hopefully, everyone will be surprised when they get to come home early.
Our other neighbor, Bill, will be leaving for Iraq in the next couple of weeks. He has a family—a wife, two sons and a daughter. His oldest son will graduate from high school this spring. His dad will be in Iraq during the ceremony.
Thank you both for answering the call to duty, serving our country. We will take care of those you hold dear while you are away. We look forward to having you back in our neighborhood again, enjoying all that Alaska has to offer, and knowing that you are safe, sound, and with your loved ones.
Quilt Pink Day
September 30, 2006
Saturday
Palmer, Alaska
32° at 6:30 a.m.
ground fog, sunny afternoon
11 hours, 32 minutes, 1 second of sunlight
- 5 minutes, 41 seconds
Sunrise 8:02 a.m. Sunset 7:34 p.m.
Quilt Pink Day, for Breast Cancer Awareness.
Women from all over the Mat-Su (Matanuska Susitna) Valley took part in Quilt Pink Day today. We gathered at the local quilt shops and cut up pink and white fabrics into squares and triangles. Sewing machines hummed and pink quilt blocks were pieced together. These quilt blocks well be stitched together with other blocks from around the country and sent as a finished quilt to “American Patchwork & Quilting®” magazine for an online auction in Spring 2007. Net proceeds will benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at the age of 36. Today, the Foundation is an international organization with a network of more than 75,000 volunteers working through local Affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the Cure® to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. A global leader in the fight against breast cancer, the Foundation fulfills its mission through support of innovative breast cancer research grants, meritorious awards and educational, scientific and community outreach programs around the world. Through fiscal year 2005, the Komen Foundation, together with its Affiliate Network, corporate partners and generous donors, has invested $630 million in breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment programs.
For questions about breast health or breast cancer, visit the Komen Foundation's Web site at www.komen.org or call the Komen Foundation's National Toll-Free Breast Care Helpline at 1.800.I'M AWARE® (1.800.462.9273).
Bear Photo from Brooks Falls
Brooks Falls, Alaska 
Alaska Brown Bear catching salmon at Brooks Falls, Alaska.
I finally have been able to organize a few of my images from my trip to Brooks Camp, Alaska this summer. After seven days I felt that I was pretty good at capturing the type of bear photos I wanted. The key seemed to be patience, timing, and cooperation from the weather.
Most of the images I consider to be quite good, were made during the afternoon to early evening when most people had given up on photography or were eating dinner. Many also came while I was waiting for a "bear jam" to clear and I would have the opportunity to capture a unique expression from a bear or cub while they contemplated what they would do next.
I hope to have a slide show up of my bear photographs from Brooks and McNeil later next month.
Quilting in Alaska
The newest addition to the web site is a complete online directory of the quilting shops, groups, guilds, artists, and long arm shops. To access this section of our site go to
Alaska Directory of Quilting it has current information on quilting in Alaska.
New Update for www.MyAlaskan.com
The Alaska travel site for independent and adventure travel, www.MyAlaskan.com has just undergone a major redesign and rewrite. We are rapidly pushing up stories and photos from our 2005 filed season. Some of the changes we are incorporating include maps for all towns and places you might want to visit in Alaska; Alaska book recommendation; and something new for this year are slide shows from our image library. We try to keep the page size small for faster loading, but many people planning a trip to Alaska want to see as many photographs as possible when deciding on the trip. Rather than stuff the pages with lots of images we are adding an optional slide show.
To get started we are going to work with a Flash 8 slide show. We will change the technical aspects of these slide shows based on viewer input. Right now I am thinking about 10 slides.
Well I need to get back at working on the site, I have Iditarod Dog Handling training tomorrow in Eagle River, so welcome to the first blog entry for www.MyAalskan.com.
