...hot chocolate hike

It was snowing when the hot chocolate hike began.

The Hufford girls enjoy hot chocolate under the pavilion in Discovery Campground at Captain Cook State Park.

Emily just loves hot chocolate!

Laura enjoys a sip of hot chocolate.

We took a nice hike this afternoon around the Discovery Campground loop in Captain Cook State Park. It snowed lightly as we walked and we decided to stop for hot chocolate under the pavilion in the campground. We all enjoyed the chocolatey (yeah, I know, 'chocolatey' is not a real word--but, I kind of like it) warmth as we watched the snow fall. It was a great to end the Thanksgiving weekend and it's always fun to go on a...hot chocolate hike.

...Arctic Char

Catch of the day! A nice Arctic Char.

Mrs. Huffy jigs through the ice.

Ice fishing in Alaska.

We spent another afternoon fishing on the ice and caught a nice mixture of trout and arctic char. It was overcast and windy, but that didn't matter since we had a couple of ice fishing tents with heaters in them. Everyone was warm and toasty as they reeled in fish after fish. One arctic char was particularly impressive and beautifully colored. It was hooked by one of the younger members of our group and the level of excitement skyrockted when we saw how big it was.

We enjoyed the afternoon and after several hours walked back home for a dinner of Thanksgiving leftovers. We were all thankful today for an...Arctic Char.

...ice fishing

The Hufford's hanging out in the Quickfish 3.

Emily peers out the door of the Quickfish 3.

Mrs. Huffy jigs for rainbow trout and arctic char through the ice of Island Lake.

Laura and Emily are all smiles after catching a few fish.

This afternoon the Hufford family took to the ice in search of fish. We loaded the sled with our ice fishing gear and hauled it out near the tip of the island in Island Lake. We popped up the Quckfish 3 for shelter and drilled some holes in the ice. We all had a rods in the water for about an hour before Emily hooked the first rainbow trout. She caught it on her pink Barbie fishing rod which she bought last weekend with her own money. It wasn't much longer before she reeled in a lunker 15 inch rainbow. I offered to buy her rod and even said I would pay double what she had paid for it, but she wasn't about to budge. She knows when a fishing rod has good karma. Laura hooked up next and pulled in a arctic char. It got dark not long after that and we decided to head back to the house for dinner. We fried one of the trout in a pan for an appetizer and it was delicious.

Emily must have been very tired after reeling in those trout because she fell asleep on the couch long before her bed time. Even those of us who didn't catch anything are tired, and we all had a great day...ice fishing.

...kitchen window coyote

If you look very closely at this photo you will see a coyote near the center of the frame. It was crossing the ice on our lake just moments ago and we happened to notice it. Liz spotted it and grabbed the binoculars while I ran for the camera. It is the first coyote we have seen in several years and just another example of how great it is to live here. After all, how many other people will take a photo of a coyote from their kitchen window this evening?

...Russian River Cranberries

Reddish fingers following a cranberry picking session at Russian River Campground.

Laura holds a bag of cranberries. The fruits of their labor.

Red, tart, and tiny--a cranberry about to be picked.

Emily picks some cranberries.

The Hufford girls took a berry picking excursion yesterday in order to procure cranberries for Thanksgiving dinner. Known as low bush cranberries the girls made a haul--over six cups worth were picked one berry at a time! The timing has to be perfect. The berries are best picked after a frost and before they are covered by snow.

The day started off for them with breakfast at Louie's before making the drive to Russian River Campground. When they arrived, "berries were everywhere," and they picked them all within sight of the car. When I got home from work the entire kitchen counter was covered with cranberries in the drying stage. Moments later they were bagged and in the freezer. They will be great with our Thanksgiving turkey and the Hufford girls will have fond memories of...Russian River Cranberries.

...termination dust

Termination dust on the mountain above Tern Lake.

Tern Lake again.

The view from a pull-out near Seward, Alaska. Looks like someone sprinkled powdered sugar on the top of this mountain.

Here are a few pictures I took on our way home from the soccer game in Seward yesterday. As you can see there is termination dust on top of the mountains. It has been there for the past 7-10 days. It means summer has ended. No more warm temperatures, no more extra long day light, no more lots of stuff. Winter isn't far off. It will be here before we know it. But, in the mean time we can watch the Colorado Rockies and the Denver Broncos on TV and prep the house and yard for snow. Because we know it is over and we've seen the...termination dust.

...soccer in Seward

Making a dash for the ball.

Laura throws the ball into play after it was kicked out of bounds.

Laura (#16) goes for the ball.

Laura gets ready to kick the ball down the field.

The Nikiski Middle School girls soccer team took a road trip to Seward today where they played against the Seward Middle School girls. It was spectacularly sunny and both teams played hard. I enjoyed the drive over and was able to get a few pictures from the sidelines. On the way back to Nikiski we stopped to find a geocache and visit some friends at Watson Lake Campground. All in all, it was just a great day for...soccer in Seward.

...campfire photos

The gang around the fire pit. This was a shorter exposure. The people are somewhat in focus but not very well lit.

The same shot as above with a longer exposure. The people are lit better but blurry due to natural movement.

Campfire sparks leave trails in the dark.

This weekend we went camping at Captain Cook State Park. Saturday was our 31st camping night of the summer (we like to camp). The sky was clear and packed full of stars. We spent the evening around the campfire with some of our friends and I thought it would be fun to take some photos. I hadn't done this for a long time so it took some experimenting with exposure times to get things just right.

It was a good evening with good friends and it was tremendous fun taking...campfire photos.

...a hike in early fall

Mrs. Hufford and Emily pose at the trailhead sign.

A splash of red along the trail.

Emily poses at the trail terminus. That's Skilak Lake and the Kenai Mountains in the background.

We just returned from a wonderful afternoon hike on Burney's Trail near Hidden Lake Campground. The weather was beautiful and the colors are becoming more spectacular with each passing day. The trail is almost a mile long (it's been extended since the trailhead sign was put up) and ends at a knoll which provides a nice panoramic view of the area. Emily ran most of the way back so I had a difficult time trying to take pictures and keep up with her. Still, it was a great walk and a perfect...hike in early fall.

...caribou burger

Here is a picture of the Alaska version of a Quarter Pounder with cheese. It's wholesome. Nutritious. Delicious. And, it's made of caribou.

Just add a bun, lettuce, onion, and dollop each of catsup and mustard, and you're good to go. It's a great meal but you won't find it at a drive-thru. Not even in Alaska. Nope, because they would look at you funny if you ordered a quarter pound...caribou burger.

...Winner Creek Trail

The gang poses in front of the sign at the trailhead before we start hiking. Mrs. Hufford stops to examine the direction marker at a fork in the trail.

Lori, Laura, and Alex ride the Hand Tram.

Here is a photo that shows how mountain bikes can be transported across the gorge. Just place them on the hooks located on the side of the Hand Tram.

Mitch and Alex come in for a landing.

When you are camping at Williwaw Campground in the Portage Valley the hiking opportunities are boundless. The Trail of Blue Ice passes through the campground and Portage Pass Trail is just a short drive away. Of course, if you motor a short way down Turnagain Arm you will pass numerous trailheads which lead up the valleys and into the mountains. All of them are perfect places to explore when the weather is beautiful and you have the benefit of a long Labor Day weekend.

After much discussion and debate we finally settled on Winner Creek Trail. We had wanted to hike this trail for a long time but just never got around to it. We didn't know what we were missing!

The trailhead is located near the tram behind the Alyeska Prince Hotel. But, once you are several hundred feet into the woods the hustle and bustle of the hotel parking lot melts away as the woods become tranquil and serene. We walked along watching the kids bound down the trail ahead of us. Then they would stop to look at something or pick a berry and eat it before bouncing off again. The trail was in great condition and the forest was beautiful, but at mile 2.5 we saw what we were looking for--the Hand Tram across Winner Creek.

The Hand Tram is something we have heard about for a long time. It was recently renovated and in perfect condition. We took turns climbing into the small cage and pulling the rope to transport us across the gorge while glacier water rumbled in the stream below. Other hikers arrived and some mountain bike riders even put their bikes on the hooks on the side of the tram to continue their ride on the other side of the river. We rode across the gorge and back before returning down the path we had come in on.

When we got back to the trailhead we had hiked five miles round trip and it was worth every step just to ride the Hand Tram. We stopped at the Ice Cream Shop on our way out of Girdwood and then returned to Williwaw Campground for dinner. It was a great day and we truly enjoyed the Hand Tram on...Winner Creek Trail.

...the Alaska State Fair 2009

Tika had her face painted and her hair done.

Liz and Emily pose in front of the new World Record Cabbage.

Lumberjacks climb to the top of tall poles during the lumberjack show.

Danni and Emily ride the Silver Streak.

Members of the band ShaeLaurel perform on stage.

The Alaska State Fair always involves a big weekend of travel, eating, crowds, concerts, wild rides, face painting, hair fixing, lumberjack jokes, and huge vegetables. And, that's the exactly the way things went down this past weekend. We left for the fair on Friday evening and camped out at Williwaw Campground along the way. We left camp on Saturday morning and drove to Palmer along the Glenn Highway with at least 80 million other fair goers. We took a deep breath and walked through the entrance and began taking in all the fair events. We ate corn on the cob, barbecued ribs, turkey drumsticks, Kettle Korn, candied apples, and snow cones. Junk food for sure.

Emily and Danni spent a couple of hours waiting in lines and riding on rides which they enjoyed immensely. Laura went with another family for a while to play the games and ride the Astro. Then it was time for a concert by ShaeLaurel. They are a family band that plays high energy Irish music and they are at the fair almost every year so we make it a point to see them. Emily and Danni danced throughout the concert and were even recognized as the "ShaeLaurel Dancers" by the leader of the band. After the concert we went to the Lumberjack Show, which was the highlight of the fair for me. The jokes are corny and pretty much the same year after year, but it is lots of fun to watch them saw logs. climb poles, spin on logs in the water, and throw axes at a big round target. The final event of the evening involved finding and taking pictures of the World Record Cabbage which was 120 something pounds. It was huge and would make a lot of cole slaw.

After seven hours of fair time we had to leave. As we walked out the gate the music, noise, smells, and crowds faded into the background. We got in the truck where Laura and Emily quickly fell asleep as we drove back to Williwaw. Everyone went directly to bed when we got back to the campground as we were worn out following a big day at...the Alaska State Fair 2009.

...pot roast perfection

A perfectly prepared plate of pot roast.
Mrs. Hufford post pot roast dinner.

You may recall that Mrs. Hufford retired from teaching at the end of the last school year. So, for most of the summer I would tease her that she wouldn't have anything to do this year except cook pot roast. This morning she awoke, took Laura to Middle school, and then volunteered at the elementary school, helping students make it to class on their first day after summer vacation. Once everyone was in their place she came home and cooked pot roast! When the rest of us came home from work/school we could detect the aroma of Mrs. Hufford's dinner and we knew what it was right away. It may have started as a joke but it was great and we all appreciated her...pot roast perfection.

...sockeye salmon

I just returned from a great day on the river. I went with my buddy Henry Anderson, a retired teacher, and we floated in his raft from the confluence of the Kenai and Russian Rivers to the take-out at Jim's Landing. The weather was spectacular and the river was loaded with red salmon. We also saw five bears! Unfortunately they either ran away too fast or were too far away for photos.

We caught several Dolly Varden but got blanked on the rainbow trout. We'll try for those again someday. And, as you can see, the salmon fishing was very good. It was a good day with a good friend and it was lots of fun to catch some...sockeye salmon.

...Montana deer

There are lots of deer in Montana. Lots of them. And, if you get up early and take a drive on Duck Creek Road, which winds its way up a small canyon, you are apt to see some. I did. There is a good mix of mule and whitetail deer which adds interest to each encounter. You might also spot some wild turkeys and other critters as the morning progresses. And, if your camera is fast you could get a picture of a pheasant in flight. Mine wasn't that fast. But, I did get plenty of photos of...Montana deer.

...Montana Time

(Note to readers: I just returned from a trip to Montana where I was visiting family and friends. This is the first of several entries I plan to make in efforts to report our adventures. Check back regularly for future updates)

Here is a picture of Laura taken on our way to Yellowstone. If you look closely you can see the switchbacks of Beartooth Pass where it begins down in the valley.

Here's Laura with some buffalo behind her. We saw several hundred buffalo. They were everywhere in the Lamar Valley.

We were close enough to hear these buffalo as they made groaning and grunting sounds.

Laura poses near one of the Artist's Paint Pots.

The obligatory Yellowstone National Park entrance sign photo.

We got up bright and early for our trip through Yellowstone National Park. I was looking forward to the drive over Beartooth Pass through Cooke City and into the park. The weather was sunny and warm so off we went on a grand adventure!

After stopping at the Beartooth Market in Red Lodge, Montana, for some picnic supplies we started up Beartooth Pass. We stopped at a scenic overlook and warmed up the cameras with several photos of the vista near the top of the pass. It was a beautiful drive and it took us about three hours to get to the northeast entrance of the park at Cooke City, Montana. We drove into the park through the Lamar Valley which was filled with massive herds of buffalo. We stopped several times for photos and then made our way to the summit of Dunraven Pass where we ate lunch. On our way down the pass we noticed people were frantically stopping their cars and jumping out with their cameras and binoculars. We inched through the commotion and finally saw what was causing all the excitement--a grizzly bear was foraging on the side of the hill! We were amidst one of Yellowstone's infamous bear jams! We got a good view of the bear as we slowly drove past the congestion and made our way to Canyon Village where we bought gas and cold drinks. Then we were on our way to see the Artist's Paint Pots.

At the Artist's Paint Pots Laura and I walked around the boardwalk from one steaming and blurping mud pot to the next. They were really great as they plopped mud and steam into the air. Laura took several videos of them as did other tourists. Everyone laughed and oohed when mud globules flew skyward.

We got back in the car and drove to Fisherman's Bridge. Stopping at one of the park stores we bought some more cold drinks for the drive home and then motored out the East entrance of the park toward Cody, Wyoming, then on to Billings, Montana. It was a big day which I enjoyed very much and it was all on...Montana time.