Heading for the Hills
Matt is heading out for a week on the Juneau Icefield. I’ll be somewhere around:
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Although we may have our flight up delayed for a day, check out the weather forecast:
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| From Weather |
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At least a million dollars
We’ve gone between Haines and Haines Junction three times, and always been intrigued by Million Dollar Falls. On the way back home, we enjoyed a stop at Haines Junction (it was Canada Day, so we got cake and flags at the Yukon/National Park visitor center). We ate and (of course) biked, then went down to find more biking paths. We tried Mush Lake Road (a creek had recently washed out and put lots of rocks on the 4WD road so it wasn’t very bikable), then hiked a bit of the St. Elias Lake trail (very nice!).
We went on and camped at Million Dollar Falls–we loved it!! We couldn’t believe we hadn’t stopped here before. It was better than we imagined, and, being a Yukon Park, free firewood from the wood hut! There weren’t many people at all camping, a fantastic series of falls–and it was great biking, along with a good playground.
The top of the falls:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
The campground:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
The campers:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
And some wood chopping (for the smores!). For the best effect, go between these two pictures really quickly.
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Pick your rut..
I still remember the words from Nettie’s Phd thesis acknowledgements/introduction. “Pick your rut carefully, you’ll be in it the next 5+ years” (she said it was from a road sign in northern Maine that said `pick your rut carefully, you’ll be in it the next 5+ miles…’) Anyway (paraphrasing from the Don Johnson flick `The Hot Spot.’ “one of the top ten under appreciated movies of all time”), “I found my level and I’m living it.”
We found our level, and we’re living it! We love this camping lifestyle. After spending the night in Tok (thanks again, Peter and Sara!) we went back to the Cottonwood RV Park on Kluane Lake. We love that place!!!
Living the dream:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
The dogs know it:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Lake Kluane, and midnight, Yukon time:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Wild, wild life
If I didn’t know anything about internet etiquette, I would embed the Talking Heads’ song here.. Anyway, we did see some wildlife on our two weeks romp around Alaska.. Feast your eyes:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Matanuska Glacier
After Chuvena, we had pizza at Trapper Creek (yum!) then drove through Wassila and up the Glen Highway. We stopped at the Matanuska Glacier campground for the night, and enjoyed it–there was good scootering, nice hiking, good camping, and more smores!
First, the glacier:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Scootering + glacier:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Nice hiking with the dogs
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
To some nice views and interpretive signs
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Hangin at Chuvena
Chuvena is a fantastic and relaxing place to be! Thanks Dave, Gina, Harlow, Eli, and Rowan! What do we do there? Best of all, reconnect with friends:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
We like to hang on the dock (and have the dogs around..)
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Canoe around the lake
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Lots and lots of sauna, and running between the sauna and the lake to jump in the lake:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Inside the cabin, the food is great, it is perfect to practice rope work:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
There is a great reading library there:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
and staring out the window at the mountain is a perfect thing to do!!
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
We love Chuvena!
Heading to Chuvena
We spent three great days out at Chuvena. First, the ~2.5 mile hike in (and some trail work to remove a tree that had fallen on the trail):
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
And we arrive!
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Faster than…
Well… Faster than the camera on my phone! Hangin at the skatepark on a (finally!!) drizzly Juneau Saturday, after helping out Missy, Chip, and Adelie with their garage sale.
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| From Skate Park |
Even More Tangle Lakes
Torsten made several friends in the campground, and was happy to find other kids with bikes to ride around.
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
We also got a good little hike in at Tangle Lakes:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
(Yep, Carrie is definitely looking pregnant!! Number two is on the way…)
More Tangle Lakes
We spent three days at Tangle Lakes, and loved it. Thanks to Don and Anne for bringing the canoes and hangin’ out!!!
Girl canoe:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Boy canoe:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Don/dog hike:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
Loons:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |
What else could you want?! Oh, some fishin’ action:
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| From Interior AK Vacation, 2009 |