TRIP TO VALDEZ

It’s a distance of 364 miles between Fairbanks and Valdez. We usually leave Fairbanks sometime around noon and stop for the evening at Willow Lake, mile 90 of the Richardson Highway. There is a pull off with a very nice view of the Wrangle Mountains. The view from our RV’s dinette window, though seldom as spectacular as seen below, is usually just as stunning. For the traveler looking for over night accommodations, Willow Lake B & B , is highly recommended. http://willowlakebb.com/

In the morning, after breakfast, we continue on to Valdez. It’s a ninety-mile drive, takes us past the Worthington Glacier, and over Thompson Pass (elevation 2805). During the last 20 miles of our trip we visit Bridal Veil and Horse Tail Falls. It’s always refreshing to stop and "taste" the water there.

In Valdez, if we decide not to "dry camp" at Allison Point, across the bay, we stay at Bear Paw RV Park, located across from the Valdez Marina. Bear Paw also has a smaller park on the water edge a couple of blocks from down town. I’ve always considered the smaller park a "Seniors" park, as it’s always a bit quieter. However, the marina Bear Paw is our choice on this trip. We are here to celebrate my birthday. For the occasion, I chartered a day of halibut fishing with Captain Mike McDoneld, Shark Tooth Charters. "WHAT A DAY IT WAS!!"

Not wanting to sound immodest, I cannot reveal the number and size of the one’s I caught, ADFG might be logged on, but if you start at the third fish on right and count left to five…..

COMING SOON

By popular request, I will be making further posts to this blogspot. We have been busy with our Golf Lessons most of the time since returning home. Did take time out for a trip to Valdez where I celebrated my birthday, June 18th, fishing for Halibut. You can definitely expect a small post on that. Please stay tuned in!

"A SNAPSHOT OF VISITORS"

HERE COMES SANTA...

My recently installed Home Surveillance System has proven to be a worthwhile investment. This morning I thought I heard a noise of some thing, or someone, on the roof. It was early and still very chilly outside, so I didn’t bother to investigate. Later, after enjoying my morning coffee, I reviewed the system videos. We did indeed have a visitor, Santa! He must have been checking out the chimney. His early visit is certainly unusual considering all he has to do, understand he appeared before Congress seeking a Bailout.

Remember Pearl Harbor

My Father was in the US Navy and stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. I was a young boy of seven. Our small family; Mother, Father, and I lived in the Naval Housing, just a few blocks from the Harbor and Navy Base. Hickam Field, the Army Air Force Base was visible from my upstairs bedroom window. Even after all these years, my memory of that long ago Sunday morning is still quite vivid. The black smoke rising from the destruction of our ships and facilities is always most prevalent. The radio emitted a constant appeal, "All military personnel report to your duty stations". I can still see my father running down the road in his dungarees to answer the call. Dive-Bombers, with a curious red ball painted on the side, are still visible in many of the slides imprinted in my memory. My family was fortunate, my father suffered the loss of some friends and shipmates, but we were unharmed.

A friend, perhaps because he knew I was there, recently sent me an e-mail containing some pictures taken that day. I have used those pictures to create a slide show to commemorate "A date which will live in Infamy".

GIVING THANKS...

We have a lot to be thankful for. We arrived in Arizona without mishap. The Weather has been warm with lots of sunshine, and the nights cool. Most of our clean up work has been completed, making some progress in the "honey do" department; I’m ready to hit the Links.

The Golf Course is in really great shape this year, and is fully functional. The back nine was opened on Monday. We have a new groundkeeper this year and he seems to have a real knack on the greens, they are lush and fast. I serve as a Marshal on Friday afternoons, if you see me out there, I hope you will say hello.

Palm Creek does not offer a discounted price with LA Fitness this year, but if you signed with them last year, LA Fitness will honor your 2008 membership. The monthly rate is $30. They have a nice swimming pool, if you are a lap swimmer there is always a lane, or two, in the early mornings.

We have a table reserved for the Annual Palm Creek Thanksgiving Day Dinner. Looking forward to the traditional dinner. Maybe we will see you there, have a happy day!

Dining with Friends.

Yesterday evening we enjoyed a beautiful dining experience at the Phoenix "Rustler's Rooste". Arizona’s Legendary Cowboy Steakhouse, "Rustler’s Rooste" serves the finest steaks, ribs, chicken and the freshest seafood. For an appetizer you might want to try the tasty rattlesnake, we did, and it was good. Stroll over the indoor waterfall and take the slide into the dining room, for the faint of heart, there is a staircase. Better go hungry! Dinner is served family style. "Rustler’s Rooste" also has live country western music 7 nights a week. Accompanying us were our long time good friends Johnnie and Wanda Johnson. Johnnie and Wanda are part time RV'ers, and are from Ava, Missouri.

HOME, AWAY FROM HOME!

We arrived in Casa Grande, Arizona, early on Tuesday morning, November 3rd. It was a relatively short and comfortable trip, but not without some interesting diversions. At the luggage carousel in Phoenix, we were the only passengers still standing when the plane’s cargo had been totally off loaded. Seems that our two bags were sent to Portland, we went to Seattle, and there they remained. Normally this would have been no "grande" problem, except Lesley’s case contained twenty pounds of frozen, moderately insulated, Halibut. The amount of insulation was calculated using a time factor of only 12 to 14 hours. When Alaska Airlines was informed of the possible and pending environmental problem, I am sure alarm bells could be heard in heated cargo holds from Phoenix to Portland. Our two wayward bags were hand delivered, by an uniformed official, at 11:30 AM, the same day. And, we received an award of 5000 Alaska Airline Miles for our trouble. The fish, still frozen, had not even worked up a sweat.

A short slideshow describing "Our Winter Home", here in Casa Grande, was posted on this Site September 26, 2009. Please have a look; I’m sure you will enjoy.

Snow at last, Snow at last...

Can’t you see them prancing, Rudolph with his red nose, so bright; On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen, on Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen. Snow at last, Snow at last! Fairbanks is now covered with a beautiful carpet of white snow. A snow cover that will surely last until our return in late April. I’m so convinced it will last awhile, I plan to disconnect the rain gutters today and store them away for the winter. And, I’ll leave the snow shovels in a conspicuous spot, so my neighbors can find them, Cuzz, Santa Claus is coming to Town….

P.S. Two hours after posting this, a pizza delivery person walked away with my snow shovel. Oh Well, won't need it in Arizona anyway. Smile!

Is "Global Warming" really that Bad?

Renowned Physicist Freeman J. Dyson might just be on to something when he speaks of the pluses associated with Global Warming. I see evidence of it right here in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Fairbanks, my home for the last 56 years, is located just two degrees south of the Arctic Circle, or approximately 120 miles. It’s claimed that Santa Claus lives just 12 miles south of here, in North Pole, Alaska. Well, let me to tell you, if things don’t change, he’s going to have a very hard time getting around this year! We haven’t had any snow, and as I speak it’s +50 degrees Fahrenheit (+10 C) outside. The sun is shining and except for the absence of the leaves in the trees, it looks and feels like spring. For the last several years, It has been our custom to go south each winter, to the warmer climes. “Weatherwise”, if what is currently occurring in the “lower 48” will be considered the norm, maybe it would be better to stay at home!

Christmas 2004