Wednesday, April 11th - A Spring Trip to Chena Hot Springs

The weather is so incredibly beautiful. You can almost see the snow melting. Each morning, we wake up and there is less snow in the yard, and on the roads. Of course, there's mud beneath it all, and that leads to its own problems. Namely - muddy footprints on the wood floors. Sedona is now accustomed to having her feet wiped before she comes back into the house. I'll be glad when we're through with this part of the season, but even the mud can't stifle my joy over the arrival of spring.

Yesterday, I originally had plans to have lunch with my friend Dawn. And then, before I went to bed the night before, I decided I wanted to take a drive to Chena Hot Springs. I asked her if she wanted to go with me, and she was thrilled for the invite, as she had never been to the springs.

My hope was to see some moose along the way, but we didn't even see one! We did see some thawing streams and ponds, and the blue skies and warm weather were a perfect backdrop for the drive. In fact, I drove a good ten miles under the speed limit, just so I could enjoy the scenery and savor the sunshine and open road.

When we arrived at the resort, the first thing we did was grab a bite to eat in the restaurant. I love the ambience in the restaurant. The logs, the lighting, and the Alaska memorabilia are warm and inviting. There's a bell at the bar and a sign posted over it that says something along the lines of "if you ring the bell, you have to buy a round of drinks for everyone at the bar". When Dawn and I were seated, we were the only people in the place, and we joked about ringing the bell since it wouldn't hurt our pocketbooks too terribly. We refrained.

I had turkey breast, bacon, and lettuce wrapped in a delicious spinach tortilla, while Dawn opted for a cheeseburger. We both enjoyed our meal, and agreed that the french fries were the best part. They were fresh out of the fryer, and perfectly crisp on the outside, while soft on the inside. Our arteries may have complained, but our palate was quite happy!

After enjoying lunch, we took a walk around the property. I pointed out things to Dawn, but really didn't need to as she had seen photographs of the resort in some of my previous journal entries. There is still snow on the ground in places, but not anywhere as deep as it was during the winter. Gone is the hoarfrost which adorned the trees and shrubs a few months ago. Now the limbs are bare and brown, without nary a bud to be found. (Soon!)

We took our time both driving to and from Chena Hot Springs. The drive is always a beautiful one, and I have my favorite places to stop and enjoy the surroundings. The parking lots at some of the campgrounds were treacherous, with slippery ice and crusted over snow. We had to do the 'penguin shuffle' to keep from losing our footing. Some photos from the trip:

I love the outhouses (but not to use one!)	This is a photo of some portions of a mural in the activity center.	(Dawn is standing under the exit arch)	I liked the clouds and blue skies

Again, I have been enjoying Airborne's antics as she looks out on the activity outside in our yard. The birds are still coming to the tray of seeds, and recently we've seen some small moths and even a butterfly. In fact, the other day, a tiny little moth was flitting around the back door. It kept banging into the glass door, as if it were trying to get inside. Airborne spotted it and sat mesmerized for several moments before she made the move to try and get it. I love how long her body looks when she S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-S herself out! It almost looks like she's trying to reach the door handle so she can let herself out of the house!

Above right, is another photo I took of Airborne and a chickadee. Only a pane of glass separates them. Watching the bird activity can keep Airborne mesmerized for hours! Sometimes she's content to just sit and watch; other times she jumps against the window with both paws in an attempt to pounce on the birds. Crazy cat!

As we get closer to being able to plant in the yard and garden, I've taken the first step. Today, I sowed a flat of pansies. I've never attempted to grow plants from seeds to bloom, so I'm considering this an experiment at this point. I purchased a Jiffy Peat Pellet Greenhouse and two packages of Denali Swiss Giant Pansy Mix seeds.As soon as it warms up (and we figure out how we're going to lay out our garden), I'll be transplanting whatever survives this experiment in the garden.

When we lived in post housing, the pansies were the only flowers that came back year after year. They were there when I moved into the house. Reading up on them, I discovered that they were well-acclimated to colder temperatures, as long as they're mulched over in winter. We'll see what happens. Wish me luck!

If this works, who knows what my future garden projects will be! I might even ask Steve to build me a greenhouse.

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