Chemistry

was always one of my favorite subjects which may explain why I used the title "kinetic energy" twice in the short life of this blog. But I really think that the energy given off by the people here in Alaska contributed to my choice of titles.  It is almost as if there is a direct correlation between the amount of sunlight and activity.  So many conversations I have overheard have centered on activity.  It is almost like the sunlight acts on the population the same way that heat acts on molecules - makes them move faster and faster.  And now that the weather is getting colder, and darker, the activity is slowing down.

Last weekend, we drove up towards Hatchers Pass. The same place I went to when Mom and Sue and the rest of the family were here.  Surprisingly, the road to the gold mine was all ready closed for the season.  Think about that.  It is the middle of September and roads are being closed.  The seasonal road was still open, and will be until the rest of the month.  We didn't take it.  I'm not sure where it goes - not that that matters.  Actually, I find it more inviting because I don't know where it goes.  But I think we will save it for nicer weather. Maybe come back with the jeep and if we're lucky we can put the top down and enjoy the drive through the mountain pass....  But the closed road didn't stop us from enjoying a beautiful fall day.  And I do mean fall.  The calendar may indicate that the first day of fall is tomorrow, but my reality is that fall is all ready here.  And about half-way over.

Just as a reminder - this is the same stream less than a month ago

This is the abandoned gold mine we walked around a few weeks ago

Riley running down the mountain

I know this mountain stream was cold.  Riley promptly laid down in it.

Jake and I with Rosey and Riley

You can just make out a glacier in the break between the clouds

So this beautiful fall day was on Sunday and by Tuesday we were waking up to more termination dust

The mountaintop peaking over town on my drive into work

A little more snow yesterday.  Someone told me that once the snow gets to the front mountain peaks, it is only about 2 weeks until the snow hits the ground in town

The temperatures have been ranging in the 40's and 50's.  Yesterday it got up to about 54 and sunny.  But I don't think it made a difference to the snow.

But I don't want to think about the snow quite yet.  I still have summer memories to enjoy....

The man in the black suit is Garrison Keillor at the Alaska State Fair

The fairgrounds are watched over by snow peaked mountains and glaciers

Sand Lake - just as summer is turning in fall.  In early August.

Ok - this was actually last weekend, not this past summer.  Steve and I went to the NAACP annual meeting and listened to Judge Hatcher.  I don't know why Steve always looks like he is taking a mug shot.

back to the Alaska State Fair

The most scenic parking lot I have ever seen.

Yo Yo - my new bff

Mr. Keillor - the man with a face for radio

 As I think about chemistry, I think about some of the changes that are taking place within our own family.  We have a traditional nuclear family with our children circling around us like wild little electrons.  They are charged and when they meet another electron, they might pop off and create another compound. Some compounds are stable, and they have their own little electrons circling around their nucleus. Some aren't stable and they break apart, and the electrons go looking for another compound to join.  Maybe they go back to their original state.  Where ever they go, they are looking for stability.  And maybe a little love.

I think we have made the decision to actually make this a permanent move.  I guess that sounds a little funny since Steve has been here for almost 2 years and I am coming to the close of my first year.  Although that sounds like a simple decision, we have a whole life in WI that we need to close out and consolidate.  And a couple of loose electrons that need to find their way back to the original nuclear compound so they can have some stability again.  

Until next time!

We spent the last night sleeping

in what amounted to nothing more than an abandoned campground. This is the one spot where I really worried about bears. And it was cold that night. And wet. Every time my knit hat would slip off of my head I would wake up to put it back on. It is also the night that I slept with my car keys in my hand and the jeep parked directly in front of the tent just in case we needed to make a quick escape. Thankfully, we didn't have any unwanted visitors during the night, we just woke up with frozen fingers and toes.




As I mentioned, that abandoned campground was run by a French Canadian couple. I don't know if the food was really as good as it smelled, but we were hungry and cold. The wood stove was crackling, and the kitchen had wonderful bakery smells emanating from it. There were fresh cinnamon buns along with several types of cookies in the glass display case. And fresh baked loaves of bread.....




It is also the only restaurant I have ever been to where there was only one restroom. The restroom had two stalls, one for ladies and one for men. I'm not sure why they even bothered to label the stalls.




Anyway, as Jake and I were eating our fresh crepes (full of ham, eggs and peppers) and fresh hot coffee, an older couple came in for breakfast. We started chatting and they said, "Oh yes, we saw a big grizzly just about 5 miles up the road". Words cannot express the relief I felt that we had made it through the night without incident and we were packed up and ready to go.




And so we went. It was about 400 miles to home and only about 50 miles to the border. It was much easier to get into the US then it was to get into Canada. Jake was very disappointed that we did not get any stamps on our passports. As soon as we crossed back into the states the quality of the road changed for the better. There was fresh pavement, and visibly lines on the road. And no more frost heave. At least not for the first 50 miles. Once again, the road was primarily straight, and easy drive in the rain.









I know there are mountains somewhere behind those clouds












And so we drove.




It was really an uneventful and slightly boring drive. But every so often, the sun would come out and I could glimpse some mountains in the distance. About 100 miles away from home the sun came out and those mountains came into full view.


























This is the Matanuska Glacier. My understanding is you can drive pretty close to this one, and I think there are trails you can walk on out to it. For me, it was a delightful find. How cool is it to have this beautiful piece of nature so close to home?




Jake and I only enjoyed the view for a short time. At this point we were both antsy to get back home. Back into the car it was and much to my surprise, the easy drive turned back into a twisting turning maze of a mountain-hugging road. This was not what I expected or needed after all the driving I had done. Retrospectively, it was a short drive, but you know how you get when you are coming home after traveling? You just can't think of anything but getting home, and that's the zone that I was in mentally.




About 45 minutes after we passed the glacier, we stopped for gas one last time and finally turned onto a road where I could look around and say "hey - I know where I am". Another 45 minutes and we were pulling into our driveway. Unfortunately, I forgot to change our clock to Alaska time once we crossed the border. This was a problem because Steve was going to have pizza ready for dinner for us. He kept asking, "what time will you be home", and I said 7:30. Which was right if I was still in the Yukon, but I wasn't. That explains why I stepped into the house at 6:30 and surprised the heck out of Steve who had been waiting to make dinner.




It was a wonderful trip. I'd do it again. And if I do, I'll share the experience with you.




What do you think? Would you want to come with?