MATI, Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry (where we are working and living) has special events take place on their property throughout the summer on weekends.  At first, I wasn’t sure about hanging around for the 4×4 competition, but once I saw the first vehicle get stuck in the mud, I was hooked…LOL  The design on some of them was ingenious.  One in particular had a small cab with a bed a bit shorter that swiveled at least 90* to accommodate the course requirements.  WOW!  It was soooo cool!  Only 2 of maybe 15 vehicles made it throughRead More

  The Palmer Lion’s Club offered a complimentary breakfast buffet on Saturday morning before the parade.  We got there just in time to feast on pancakes, 2 types of eggs, biscuits, gravy, sausage, sweet buns, coffee, juice, etc.  Yummy!!!  The street was getting filled when we left the hall, so we moseyed around until we found a clear enough spot for someone SHORT to be able to see…LOL  It was a proud “small town” event if I ever saw one.  Local everything!  It was cool. Too cute! This dog was so cool! The rain stopped just in time for theRead More

  Colony Days in Alaska are a celebration of when the upper Midwest families came here to make a new life.  Most of the fun happens in the city of Palmer.  Streets are blocked off for food and craft tents, competitions, entertainment, and good ‘ole socializing! Bed races…too funny The guys won all 3 races! Reindeer hot dogs were actually an option    One of the bands, The Carhartt Brothers, played contemporary Bluegrass and Country and they were great!  We saw bed races!  I had my hair sprayed several colors to support the local high school girls’ softball team!  ANDRead More

 Sherry, the curator of the museum where we are volunteering this summer arranged a complimentary farm tour for us.  What a delightful experience it was!  The tour began at the Palmer Art Museum and Historical Center where a spectacular garden is tended by a selfless group of volunteers…2 of which taught us a lot about the soil and what it takes to maintain healthy plants in the area. How cool is this?! Alaska’s Matanuska Valley is known for its giant veggies, especially cabbage! A bee having a little snack!   Our tour guide for the day and owner of The AlaskaRead More

  One of the local spots that we visited was the Dorothy Page Museum.  The focus is on the history of Wasilla.  There is so much history here.  Wasilla was a supply base for gold miners during WWII as well as serving fur trappers.  It was the starting point for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from 1973-2002 until the weather got too warm.  It out-populated Palmer, the previous leading city in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, once the George Parks Hwy was constructed around 1970.  The hwy became the major thoroughfare and railroad transportation corridor linking southcentral Alaska to interior Alaska.Read More

  Of course, I am always in search of waterfalls.  This one had a nice 1 mile hike  on the way to the viewing platform.  The walk was great…the falls were pretty cool…too far away to get a really good experience…nonetheless, a running falls!  The walk there proved to be very beautiful! Wild animal prints Butterfly inside an animal print On our way to the falls Check out this crazy sign… visually descriptive Thunderbird Falls This log looks like a long lizard-like animal with legs out the side and a bad hair-do out the top…LOL   A plaque at oneRead More

FINALLY – Postings will be in real time!  That is once I get caught up from our first 3 weeks here…LOL  The first 10 days here were very calm and relaxing.  We ventured out a couple times to get a feel for the ‘lay of the land.’ Discovered a really nice small park Soooo cute! This park had a stand with child-sized life jackets for public use…a sign stated “Children don’t float!” Wild and wonderful ‘wishies’ Snow covered mountain view There are basically only a few main roads that take you everywhere!  That’s great for me as navigation is notRead More

  This post will be the final “catch up” post…henceforth will be ‘current’….meaning life in Alaska!!! The Yukon Territory is the westernmost and smallest of Canada’s 3 federal territories.  It is home to Mount Logan, the 2nd tallest mountain in North America at a little over 19,500 feet…second only to Denali, here in Alaska reaching a summit of over 20,300 feet!!!  We are talking HIGH…WAY up there!!!  Just as a frame of reference…Pikes Peak in the American Rockies stands at a smidge over 14,000 feet.    Truth be told, our main interest in the Yukon at this point in theRead More

   After all the brake drama, we decided we needed to stay in a nice RV Park for a few days.  Not many were open yet, but we did find one and WOW what a nice surprise it was.  Never before had either of us seen an RV Resort of any kind!  It was like a city!  Paved roads, street light, street signs and names, hedges, adult recreation area with salt pool hot tub, sauna and community room!  It was amazing.  It was called Holiday Park! Our yard for 3 days…lol This is pretty cool…see bear statue The artwork wasRead More

   Morning has broken!  The mechanic said the repairs would take all day…for us to come back around 5:00.  Ok, then!  We took the car into the small town and hung out a the Dragonfly Cafe for a few hours, chatting, snacking, coffee, chai, phone and laptop fun, etc. Dragonfly Cafe  Then we got wind of a waterfall within 30 miles.  Waterfall….oh, yeah!  It was a beautiful day…clear skies, a light breeze…just perfect!  We arrived at Cottonwood Falls Park in Nelson, BC just after lunchtime.  It was a great park with a small yet lovely Japanese Garden and lots ofRead More