Saturday, April 28th - Boreal Forest Trail at Creamers Field

On Tuesday, Sedona and I visited Creamers Field again. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Boreal Forest Trail was finally complete - with boardwalks in place and cedar chips defining the path. Despite the boggy areas, there weren't any annoying mosquitoes (perhaps because it was still early in the day). It's a gorgeous 2-mile walk through tall birch, spruce and cottonwood trees, and over tiny streams and ponds that reflect the trees in the morning sunshine. The trees are still bare, as spring buds have not appeared yet, but once they do, the forest will be lush and green and look entirely different. I'll return for more photos then.

Some information about Boreal Forests (found online):

Interior Alaska is part of a boreal forest ecosystem that also stretches across Russia, Canada, Scandinavia, and parts of the Korean Peninsula, China, Mongolia and Japan. Boreal forests represent the single largest terrestrial ecosystem on earth, making up one third of the world's forests.

The trees here are small and hardy, able to withstand winter temperatures that sometimes drop to -50 degrees or colder. Common species include white spruce, black spruce, birch, aspen, and balsam poplar (cottonwood).

Alaska's boreal forest is an important part of the state's character and heritage. Subsistence hunting and gathering are important examples of how people depend on forests for more than timber. Healthy forests support a diverse ecology. Interior Alaska is home to healthy fish populations, including fall chum salmon, as well as populations of moose, black bear, grizzly bear, lynx, wolf, and many smaller mammals and birds. Blueberries, cranberries, and other wild berries are abundant in the late summer and fall. Conservation of boreal forests is important for wildlife, human uses, and the mitigating effects these forests play in global climate change.

On Wednesday morning, I walked 3 miles with my friend Karen. I love to get my day started early and with exercise. It makes the day seem so much longer, and really wakes me up. Yes, my muscles feel a bit stiff, and even slightly sore at times, but 'no pain - no gain', right? Later in the afternoon, I met Karen and her DIL and her friend at Gambardellas for lunch. I had the chicken wrap which was so yummy that I cleaned my plate. I usually bring home half my meal for enjoyment the next day, but not this time!

Steve talked to people from Alyeska and Flint Hills early this week. Alyeska offered him a job on the spot. The problem is that it's not exactly a desirable job for us and involves two weeks on/two weeks off and him working down in Delta Junction. The pay is good, but we're not keen on the separation. At least his informal interviews made him feel much more confident about his skills and marketability for the local job market. Maybe he'll stop stressing so much now.

On Thursday, Steve and I drove my car to the auto crafts center on post and we swapped out my studded tires for my regular ones. They don't have to come off until May 15th this year; usually May 1st, but the season was extended. The weather has been so nice, and the snow is gone so we figured we'd get a jump on the mad rush. It gets crazy as the deadline gets closer, and local tire places take advantage of the last minute folks by charging enormous fees to swap out tires (sometimes more than $100!).

Friday, Steve and I went to Lowe's and bought a "Mosquito Magnet". We have found that many people use this contraption here in Alaska and swear to its effectiveness. We'll try anything to keep down the population of these biting buggers! I want to be able to sit in the yard when the weather's warm, and enjoy a morning cup of coffee and the paper.

I also picked up a few more jiffy peat pots and mini-greenhouses, as well as some perennial seeds. I'm going to try my hand at Shasta Daisies, Johnny Jump-Ups (Violas) and Delphinium. My pansies still haven't germinated. Either I did something really wrong, or the seeds were duds. I'm going to give them another week, and if I don't see sprouts, I'm going to use those peat pots for something else. We'll be able to transplant outdoors in early June, and I want some hardy seedlings by then.

Yesterday morning, we woke to overcast skies and cold weather (30s). Around 10am, the skies opened up and heavy snow flurries fell. It was so surreal, after so many weeks of nice weather. The snow didn't stick to the streets, but it certainly wasn't a mood-lifter. Thank goodness it only lasted about an hour and then the sun came out. While we didn't reach the lovely 60s of days past, it did go up into the high 40s which was agreeable.

Steve took the camper to the RV place to be de-winterized yesterday. We'll be able to pick it up on Monday. We're going to take it out in mid-May when the salmon are running down on the peninsula. Steve wants to go to Cooper Landing, Kenai, and then onward to Homer for a few days. We'll probably be gone a week or so. Nothing's planned yet, but since it's not tourism season yet (it doesn't usually kick off until Memorial Day), we shouldn't have a problem getting a campsite. I'm not interested in fishing, so I'll take Steve where he needs to go and then go exploring by myself (or with Sedona) in Kenai and Soldotna.

While Steve was out taking care of RV stuff, I met some of my gal pals for lunch. Dawn, Abby, and Melissa met me at Food Factory. Melissa brought her friend Tristan with her. Tristan has a son, and Melissa has two daughters. After lunch, they followed me to Pioneer Park to let the kids blow off some steam. I had the urge to photograph children, and they definitely fulfilled that urge.

Today, Steve and I took care of the much-needed spring cleaning to the house. We washed windows, scrubbed floors, dusted, scoured, and all those other things that we don't particularly like to do. I even framed and hung some more of my photos in the house. I like when the house is spic and span, and I know Steve does too. We celebrated by going out to lunch. We decided to try the newest diner in town (Harley's), and enjoyed our sandwiches and the atmosphere.

Tomorrow, I'd like to do some more work in the yard. We've really made some progress on the front yard, but there's still so much more to be done. We haven't even started in the back yard yet. Once that mosquito magnet starts doing its job, I'll be more excited about working in the yards.

GO TO APRIL