Fairbanks and vicinity general subjects' photos (Kodiak, Salcha: park, pictures, floods)

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by cjs123

Nice!

I enjoyed the brunch at Pike's this morning and went to the UAF Museum in the afternoon; good to see it again. I heard about the doings on 2nd Ave but decided to just hang out over on this side of town.

Now I am at the airport waiting for my flight to Anchorage. My lovely hosts gave me some home-made blueberry jelly, which was confiscated by security because the jar (while small) was oversized. Darn it. They also gave me some smoked salmon which I was allowed to take since it wasn't liquid, so hopefully I'll get it through Anchorage and all the way home. I understand the rules; it's just aggravating sometimes. I didn't even think of the size of the jar. Of course the most important thing is the wings stay on the plane and everyone arrives home safely.

Have about a 5.5-hour stopover in Anchorage and plan to head to the Spenard Roadhouse; I like the Beartooth Grill but they close a bit earlier and I'd like to be able to just hang somewhere for a couple of hours and maybe get a snack (I couldn't eat the snack I bought at FAI--barf) before beginning the 5.5-hour flight home.

Just got informed we will be leaving here a little late but obviously with my connecting flight leaving around 2:00 a.m., it's no big deal. Hopefully the slight delay won't affect anyone else, either.

Can't believe how warm it was today; this is the first time I've seen the water on the river. Saw someone show-machining on the water, though it is probably called something different in the water vs. on land. Looked fun!

Yes, some people take the "snow machines" to the water and back to the ice. It can also be dangerous, as sometimes the machines sink in the water.

There is another big even that should take place soon, I believe, and that's "The Arctic Man." A whole bunch of people from all over Alaska and even lower-48 spend three or four days around Summit lake having snow machine races, camping on the ice, and things like that.

Then the Chatanika Outhouse race should also be coming up. Outhouses with skis are used on this race instead of snow machines. They just ski the outhouses with a driver at the wheel-sitting on a toilet, of course-down a hill after being pushed by a few participants. It can be quite entertaining

Another from last week (when I found the wallet). And please enjoy the trip. Hopefully you will be able to come back to visit next winter.

[cjs123]

Gorgeous!

I am now at Anchorage Airport whiling away the time. Had a gorgeous flight--watched the red, red sunset almost the entire way.

I have seen videos of the outhouse races; those look hilarious. I wondered about the guy snow-machining on the water; I was thinking if he tipped over in that cold, cold, cold...yikes.

I don't foresee another trip in the near future, but I hope to get back before too very long and I still haven't ruled out a future relocation; time will tell.

In the meantime, I count myself most fortunate to have seen the northern lights as many times as I have over the past four years, in addition to seeing other wonderful sights and just having great experiences all around with people and places.

For now, I need to turn my attention back to life in Arizona (which I do like) and enjoying what is left of our beautiful springtime before gearing up for another loooooong summer.

Keep posting those great photos, and I've enjoyed chatting with you during my vacation.

[RayinAK]

Last year the Tanana River by Salcha flooded a couple of areas by the highway's shoulder, and lots of sea and other birds spent several days by the puddles by the Boondox. While these aren't seabirds, they too were all over the place along the rest:

[RayinAK]

Backyard wildlife

[RayinAK]

[RayinAK]

September during moose season (that's the moon ahead, not a moose)

[RayinAK]

From the 2014 Yukon Quest:


Below, from the 2012 Yukon Quest:

[1stimestar]

Since tonight was probably the last aurora show we'll get for the season, I made a video.

Auroras April 2014 - YouTube

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by 1stimestar

Since tonight was probably the last aurora show we'll get for the season, I made a video.

Auroras April 2014 - YouTube

Very nice video, 1stimestar


Was out there last night, but was too sleepy to stay long enough to take photos. I guess that was my last try this winter. At least I took a couple of naps in my car where it was nice and warm

[1stimestar]

Thanks Ray. My pics are still not as smooth as yours though so I just don't know what else to do. I finally got my stars to not look like marshmallows though so am pretty happy about that. Here are a couple of the individual pictures.