Hot Coffee and Cool Flakes

Update from the Kendesnii Campground.

It had rained most of the night and in the early hours of morning, when we thought it had just stopped raining something else was happening out of doors. We woke to a sight that made us strangely giddy, snow.

We still wonder why in the world in the middle of June, on a camping adventure, we would be so giddy to wake up to snow. Perhaps that is the true meaning of adventure, enjoying each moment along the way especially the completely unpredicted ones.

We took our time drinking coffee, cooking breakfast, and taking photos of the snow covered world. Enjoying each moment of the quiet that surrounded us. By the time we had the camper packed up and were ready to break camp there was only one other vehicle left in the campground. Everyone else must have had somewhere else to be in a timely manner.

Once we reached the Tok Cutoff Road the snow was quickly turning to slush, everything was wet. The trees were heavily burdened with snow.

It rained. 

It snowed. 

It was grey, and it was beautiful.

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Alaska Wildflowers

Happy Monday my friends, here are a few photos of the wildflowers around the Kendesnii campground. 

Have an absolutely wonderful, perfect day!

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Road to Nabesna

Mile 60 on the Tok Cutoff Road, Alaska Route 2, from the Richardson Highway take the right hand turn that will lead you to Slana and Nabesna. Nabesna is at the end of this 46 mile road with the road weaving into the north side of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve.

At mile 12, the road surface changes from asphalt to chip seal, the road narrows, and the driving slows down, which is a perfect way to enjoy the journey into this beautiful country. At mile 15, the road turns to gravel, narrows a bit more, and the view of the mountains on either side of the road are pleasant to the eye.

At mile 27.8, we pass by the Kendesnii campground. Two and a half miles farther down the road, we encountered a small washout creek that crosses our path. We were able to traverse over this patch of road with ease because of our vehicle size and height off the ground but in another quarter mile, the road was consumed by a rather deep fast running creek. We decided that this would be our turn around point and we return to the Kendesnii Campground for the night. Reaching Nabesna will have to wait for another time.

There are 10 campsites at the Kendesnii campground, and we were the fourth folks there with two other folks/vehicles showing up after us.

It was a quiet peaceful evening spent in front of the fire pit watching the flames dance, listening to the birds, and the trees sway in the breeze. There were dark clouds gathering towards the west, that after our fire time and supper turned into a steady rain. We fell asleep to the rhythm of the rain on the camper top.

Wildlife count for the day: two moose, and one meandering lives-in-the-area-near-Kendesnii-scruffy-matted-friendly-does-not-have-a-care-in-the-world d-o-g.

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Showy Jacob's Ladder + Holiday Rescued

Showy Jacob's Ladder along the Glenn Highway

Today we had two goals; one was to find a way to charge my camera batteries. I pulled a brain-dead maneuver and forgot to charge my camera backup batteries before we left Anchor-town. Our second goal of the day was to reach Nabesna.

Nabesna is an old mining village founded by the Nabesna Mining company sometime before 1909. It is located on the north side of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The mine closed in 1947, and the census from 2010 shows only five residents.

The drive from Lake Louise to Glennallen afforded us sweet views of the wildflowers along the roadside; Showy Jacob's Ladder and Lupine. Happy spots of purple that would brighten your day. In addition, Mt. Drum was in view directly in our path to Glennallen. When they first forged the Glenn Highway east, they surely used Mt. Drum as a direction marker.

A stop at the Glennallen True Value Hardware store, and the assistance from the nice True Value employee and the trip was saved. They had a 120-volt AC inverter to charge my camera batteries using the (cigarette) plugs in the cab of Elvira. The holiday was back on track. We made another pit stop for petro in the camper rig, and a stop in the pouring rain at the IGA (the local grocery store) for water, and we were off down the road to find a dryer place to have lunch.

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Lake Louise

Yes... this is moose poop

As we headed towards Lake Louise, east on the Glenn Highway, Alaska Route 1, we were greeted by heavy rain just past Eureka lodge. Eureka summit is the highest point along the Glenn Highway with an elevation of about 3,322. The landscape is wide-open rolling Boreal Forest made up of barren-rock, sand, and clay that is beautiful in its vastness. There are glorious views of the Chugach Mountains to the south and the farther you travel down the road, Mt. Drum to the east.

As we near mile 139 and Nelchina the sun appears behind us as a sucker hole. These are the small clearings in the storm clouds that can trick an inexperienced pilot into thinking they have found a safe passage through the weather. Mile 159.5 we make the turn onto Lake Louise Road. If you read the DNR website about the campground at Lake Louise do not be fooled, it will tell you the turn is at mile marker 158, when in fact it's 159.5. Perhaps their website has not updated after some road construction changed the mile marker or on the other hand, it could just be faulty directions.

Upon making this turn onto Lake Louise Road you will see a sign that says road damage ahead. The sign DOES NOT tell a lie and miles 10 through 17 were especially rough. We would recommend you drive 20 miles per hour or less plus adding in some extra driving time to your itinerary would be a wise choice. It is worth noting that my photo (above) of the road does not do true justice to the words road damage.

Just past mile 17 take the right hand turn to the Lake Louise State Recreation Area. We found a lovely camp spot, number 26, cooked an excellent supper, and took a walk to the lake as the sun was setting.

Wildlife count for the day: two moose, two swans, one arctic hare, and two loons.

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Matanuska Glacier

We set out on our Alaska road trip 2018 adventure in a rental camper rig from GoNorth named Elvira. This was an excellent choice, we highly recommend them for RV and vehicle/camper rentals that can be taken off the beaten path across Alaska's many gravel roads. GoNorth are pleasant folks to work with and provide good service.

We headed north out of Anchor-town via the Glenn Highway, and made our first stop as tourists at a viewpoint where we could see Matanuska Glacier. From this vantage point, the glacier looks small in the distance but do not let this photo fool you, this is a rather impressive glacier up close.

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Denali Highway Maclaren Summit

Denali Highway near Maclaren summit looking northwest.

We have returned from our Alaska road trip 2018 with plenty of photos and tons of grand memories. Here is a sneak peek at our view on the second days voyage along the Denali Highway ~ Alaska Route 8.  This photo was taken just before we experienced our first and only flat tire of the journey, which is a good story in itself that I will share in a few days.

Happy Monday back to work at the salt mines day.   Have an enjoyable day.

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Summers Long Light

Summers long light is shining brilliantly in our east window, and as the new rhythm of life in Anchor-town settles into our daily lives, we are making plans to set out on an Alaska adventure. We will be unplugged with our attention wholly engaged on the marvels of the 49th star.

There will be some time and space between posts on Mistletoe & Juniper, and if you want to receive email reminders when I am posting again please feel free to sign up to receive updates. Follow by Email is a newly added feature on the blog and it can be found on the right hand side bar.

Happy summer my friends. Drive safe and remember to water the flowers.

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Thick Skin

“They tell you to develop a thick skin so things don’t get to you. What they don’t tell you is that your thick skin will keep everything from getting out, too. Love, intimacy, vulnerability.

"I don’t want that. Thick skin doesn’t work anymore. I want to be transparent and translucent. For that to work, I won’t own other people’s shortcomings and criticisms. I won’t put what you say about me on my load.”

Courage and Power from Pain: An Interview with Viola Davis, May 9, 2018 by B. Brown

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Soul Fever

We do not fight, my husband and I, not in the typical way that people think of when they hear that two people ‘had a fight’. We do not raise our voices. Loud harsh words, spoken in anger, cause us to both disengage and retreat from the conversation. If there is a door that gets slammed in our house it is because the wind from an open window got carried in on a strong breeze.

We work hard, in our relationship as a couple, to foster kindness and understanding with each other. We also understand that each day is not perfect. We are not perfect. Life is not perfect. The picture of perfection is subject to the viewers eye, and for us we have built an image of what we feel is perfection for our relationship.

When life is not perfect and something in our thoughts begins to overrule our normal calm, it can create times when a person gets moody, inconsolable, edgy, and cranky. Those times when an adult seems to be on the verge of a temper tantrum befitting a two year old, those are the times in our relationship that I could never quite put a description to, until now; it's a soul fever.

 A term that Simplicity Parenting is owed all due credit and one that adequately describes those imperfect moments when our feelings and emotions are trying to run away with our ideals of good behavior.

Even as adults we do not always understand our own feelings, sometimes we just need a little time. Just like when we were two years old and no one could quite understand why we were in the throes of a temper tantrum nor could anyone magically help us resolve what was bothering us, sometimes we just needed a little time.

A little time, a lot of solace, and a huge dose of quiet understanding can soothe these flawed moments, these soul fevers.

A soul fever can happen at any age, at any given moment in a person’s life. Sometimes the heat from a fever is quickly quenched, and sometimes it can last a few days. The best thing we can do for each other is to understand that there probably is not one cause for the fever and there most likely is not a magic cure. The best remedy for a soul fever is compassion towards each other with a side dose of quiet understanding.

When the fever breaks, life can again look more like a perfect day.

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Inspired by Design for Mankind ASimple Book.  

Quiet Space

Our wired world and the false sense of urgency that technology has created leaves little space for the quiet to breathe. That quiet that we all crave in the depths of our inner core.

Allow yourself the freedom to breathe in the quiet and give it a larger room in your life.

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One Day

One day we'll get there. 

We are not there yet but we're getting there.

Stop getting there and be there.

No more ginger footing around. 

No more mulling the situation over, it is time to be where you want to be. 

Live it. 

Breathe it. 

Own it.

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Spring is the Truthsayer

There has been a lot of chatter recently in the local newspaper about why one person or another are planning to leave Alaska. Letters to the editor addressed to “Dear Alaska” stating all the reasons why they are breaking up with this state and leaving for the prospects of a better relationship with another state in our union. Another state that might treat them better. Show them more. More of everything they feel they are missing. For some it is the need for a warmer sun, for some it is for a shorter winter, one that does not drag on for miles. And for others they have not found the promise of higher wages to be fulfilled. The cost of living through an Alaska winter can put a person sour with the relationship.

These are typical feelings for most Alaskans when springtime rolls around. We are tired of the dark and long for the coming extended days of endless daylight.

Some people see this break in the darkness as a window with which to make their escape. Spring brings renewed hope and for some this means the energy to gather moving boxes and make a plan to get out now while the getting is good. If they wait too long the window will close and the winter darkness will again begin to envelope the landscape with its icy cloak.

If they wait, it will be too late. Escape will have to wait another year.

Therefore, those that are bemoaning their relationship with Alaska find every cause to justify their departure as winter shows signs of relenting. Spring is the truthsayer. It will always weed out those who only thought they loved Alaska when in truth their commitment lies elsewhere.

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High Five Friday for Friday

High five Friday for the last Friday of the semester.  It has been a decent academic year and I am looking forward to the small breather before summer sessions starts.  Have a great weekend my friends, keep it on the sunny side, and be mindful to stay out of the way of the local wildlife.

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Waiting for a Favorable Wind

If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable. 

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

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Broad Pass in May

Because taking photos while driving through Broad Pass never gets old.

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Box filled with Stars

It is said that people grow as big as the box you put them in. May your box always be as big as all the stars in the heavens.

Congratulation Colleen ~ our pride runs deep!

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Languishing in Limbo

Waiting!
I have never been good at waiting.
Waiting for the clock to chime the time.
Waiting to leave.
Waiting to arrive.
Waiting for the bus or the coffee to drip.
Waiting for the call, the message, or the hour to top out.
Waiting in limbo for next.
What's next?
Who's next?
How can I be next?
Next in line for change.
Next to have my due paid in full.
Next to move forward.
When will limbo turn into the next best thing?

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Fading Light

The fading light of springs long shadow stretches its gaze across my sight bringing promises of summer and endless days of no night.

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