Also from Hyder

I love buttercups.

Flower

This pic is from my 2007 visit to Hyder, AK. I miss those mountains.

All Stoved Up

Q: What happens when Kirsten drives straight from Hyder to Reno?

A: Her back gets all bunched and knotted and she can't walk.

After three days of driving, I arrived back in Reno at midnight and I couldn't stand up straight. In fact, as Skeena was jumping all over Ken, I was rolling around on the floor trying to work the kink out of my back. After a bit of finagling, I was able to stand up enough to hobble myself into the shower where I let hot water work my back so I could at least walk around without looking like a really old Japanese woman who'd been malnourished during the war and spent her lifetime doing back-breaking farming work. Today it's much better (thanks to a good night's sleep and a handful of Advil) but I'm still having twinges.

Of course, I didn't exactly drive straight through. I stopped, like, three or four times to take a few photos. I should say that I stopped three or four times yesterday to take photos and stretch out my back. I took 395 all the way through Oregon, which was a big mistake...I should have stuck to 97 and cut over to 395 in southern Oregon. 395 from Pendleton to Burns is windy and very slow in spots. I should have gone 97 to La Pine and used 31 to cut over to 395. Live and learn, eh?

However, if I hadn't gone the way that I did several things would not have happened:

1) Skeena would not have eaten grass at the rest area and puked it up (fortunately not in the car).

2) I would not have stopped at the Burger Queen in Lakeview, OR for the worst road trip burger I've ever had (a thin burnt patty topped with even thinner and equally burnt bacon).

3) I would not have been worried about driving through a fire.

I encountered falling ash and thick smoke as I headed through the Malheur National Forest towards Seneca. I figured, though, that if the road were closed there would have been cops or Forest Service people turning cars around before it got too bad.

All told, yesterday I saw smoke from three fires, and all were on the stretch in Oregon between Seneca and Lakeview. This next picture was also taken in Seneca and shows the tents of fire fighters set up in the school yard.

I saw this smoke cloud as I was driving into Burns.

And this smoke came into view as I was driving around Lake Abert. Although the narrow road didn't have a shoulder on the lake side (the side I was on), the views were phenomenal.

As the sun was going down yesterday, I couldn't resist stopping, stretching, and taking a few photos of a grouping of sunflowers.

And two other random photos: The first one is of a sign I saw somewhere in northern Washington (maybe in Brewster). I neither ate at the place nor bought gas at the gas bar. The second photo is of the first sign on 395 indicating the mileage to Reno.

Reno or Bust

The clouds have lifted, the rain has stopped, and it's a generally beautiful day in Hyder, Alaska. The 4Runner is running again, and I'm leaving for Reno tomorrow. I haven't decided my exact route, but I've decided not to head through Jasper and Banff and just head back home. Ken misses Skeena.

Deanie & Skeena this morning

Eagle at the end of the boat dock

Skeena trying to keep up with Adak

The obelisk of my childhood (this one marks the border between the US & Canada)

Fish detail on artwork hanging out in front of the Glacier Inn

This boat didn't fare too well with all the snow from this winter

Sun, Perhaps

Skeena & Deanie kicking it on the couch

Chez Dean

It’s stopped raining, mostly. That means I might be able to get the 4Runner looked at today. I still don’t really have anything to do except take pictures and sit in the bar and drink coffee. Maybe I’ll take a load of trash to the dump and see if there are any bears hanging around (so far this year I’ve seen six different bears down there).

Skeena, of course, loves it here. My dad allows her on the furniture (see above pic) and is pretty generous with the dog biscuits and belly rubs. She also seems to be getting used to the rain and is turning into a pro and getting outside, going, and running back in very quickly.

Looking down the Portland Canal this morning

Boats socked in at the Hyder dock

Skeena looking at something

Daisy Shot 1

Daisy Shot 2

Bug on Grass





Water Droplets on Fireweed

Problems with Blogger

It's still raining. Maybe all the rain is what's causing me to have problems posting pics to my blog. I'm not sure...but I'll try posting the photos again later.

Stuck in Hyder

More rain in Hyder, Alaska. The stuff is relentless. I was hoping to roll out of here tomorrow, but I can't get my vehicle looked at until the rain stops, and that is not happening today. Maybe tomorrow. Or Thursday. Hopefully by Friday. We maybe hit 55 F today (what's that...like 12C, I think). It was so chilly last night, I put on the down jacket when I went downtown. I only brought that to cover Skeena in case she got cold while we were sleeping in the car.

Another Rainy Day in Hyder

It's been one of those days....I had a run-in with a bear this morning and the 4Runner won't start. The bear incident was nothing serious. I was walking to Stewart and there was one right across the road. Skeena and I managed to get away without disturbing it, but there wasn't any traffic which meant there weren't any vehicles around to flag down. I was starting to eyeball cars parked alongside the road to see which ones were unlocked in case it came lumbering down the road after us. About a quarter-mile down the road my friend Kim came driving along so she stopped and picked us up. Yesterday a guy in Stewart was attacked by a bear inside a house he was cleaning out. He wasn't hurt, but that must have been pretty frightening nonetheless.

I've decided to leave on Wednesday. I don't really have much to do today, and because of all the bears running around, it's a drive everywhere kind of day. I was going to head over town to fill the 4Runner with gas but it won't start. It turns over but won't catch. The guy down the street is going to stop by and check it out when the rain stops (which, the way it's coming down, may not be today). Ken thinks the starter may be wet, which is possible because one does have to drive through an awful lot of mud puddles around here. I guess I'd rather have it not start here rather than on some back road. I really don't want to have to worry about it making the trip back. (This means that I may be calling the people who know a thing or two about Toyotas and asking questions.)

On the positive side the cluster of bug bites I have on the left side of my forehead and on the back of my neck seem to be abating. That might be because I've scratched them off.

Happy Saturday

Yesterday it was momentarily sunny and clear

Yesterday I cleaned out a bunch of my old junk and tossed it into the back of the truck to take it to the dump and burn it. As I got out at the dump to begin unloading it, a movement caught the corner of my eye. Two black bears were slinking around looking for trash. I decided to take my load back home. A bit later I went back and dumped everything but didn’t have a chance to light it because out of the bushes came the bears. I hopped back in the truck, backed off a bit, and took a few pics. I hate having bears at the dump. I wish they’d put in an incinerator or find some other way to keep the bears out. They’re annoying.

3 dump bears

This morning my bestest and oldest friend, Kim, and I took her kayaks out on the Portland Canal for a few hours. We saw a few sea otters (one tailed us for a bit), some porpoises that were (thankfully) distracted by boats on the other side of the watter, and a few eagles flying around. The water was smooth as glass. We went down to Jungle Jim’s, got out for a leg stretch, and then headed back into town. A great way to start the day.

A beautiful day on the canal

An eagle hanging out above the water

Kim paddling happily along

Jungle Jim's

Kim's nifty kayak wheels

Unrelated Skeena Shot: Deanie napping with the dog

Good 'Ol Hyder Alaska Rainbows

The weather has been chaotic the past few days. It rains and it sunshines and it rains and then does both at once. But it makes for good rainbows.

I Don't Always (Heart) Hyder

4th of July rain brings a 4th of July rainbow

Hyder Hillbillies

So I don’t always love Hyder. July 4th went well enough. My dad and I manned the hotdog stand for a while and watched the parade. After pouring buckets the hour before, the rain lifted to a light drizzle and maybe 100 people came out to watch. This year’s parade was fronted, as usual, by the RCMP. There were a whole slew of ‘ugly vehicles’ (it’s not hard to find cars, trucks, or vans with dilapidation issues around here and several always find themselves in the Grand Parade), and there was one, exactly one, float. A float of hillbillies at that. (To be fair, it was pretty awesome that they tied their float into the Glacier Inn’s Hillbilly Hoedown theme for the evening.)

After the Grand Prize had been awarded to the hillbillies, people went home, went to the bar, went to watch the bears and it was a quiet evening until 1:30-ish when I was woken up by engines racing and a loud thud. I waited for the power to flick off and then I thought I was dreaming. Silence. Shouting. Yelling. Screaming. The blue-white flicker of the RCMP lights. The rest is hearsay, gossip, first-hand, and second-hand accounts. Five teens (2 from Hyder and 3 from Stewart), 2 vehicles (and SUV and a small car), and alcohol. As far as I have heard, the Hyder kids were flown to the hospital in Ketchikan and the Stewart kids medivacked to Prince Rupert. The Alaska State Troopers arrived this morning.

In more positive happenings, there’s been a good-sized bald eagle hanging out down on the dock. I got up early-ish this morning to go take some photos of it. I wish I had a lens that would have allowed me to get closer to it. The eagle was perched on top of the dock pilings just looking out at the canal.

The eagle is on the right-most piling

A closer view

Looking down the Hyder dock

Daisies near the horse barn

I (heart) Hyder

One of the best things about being in Hyder is, well, being in Hyder. The dog digs it here (even though I’m keeping her on a leash outside so she doesn’t get munched by a bear); I’m enjoying the clean air and the mountains and the water; there are a few easily-spotted eagles floating around; and I’ve been able to spend some good time with folk I haven’t seen in ages.

Take this morning, for example. I hiked up the Titan trail (6 miles each way, 3500 foot gain) with a guy I haven’t seen in years and his younger sister. We didn’t make it all the way to the top…we decided to turn around at a creek crossing that would have absolutely soaked us (probably to the waist) and head back to town in time to watch the one o’clock pet parade (a July 4th staple!).

It was a wet hike: lots of creeks to cross, brush to wade through, and slimy fallen trees to crawl over. But it was nice to be outside hiking with people that I like. Plus, their mom had made some most tasty ginger cookies to keep us fueled. I’m pretty happy, though, that we didn’t see any bears (although my dad made us take his pistol and we had bear spray).

As for the rest of today...I really wanted to be in Hyder this year for July 4th. I don’t think I’ve been here for the fourth in ten years (maybe eight). The pet parade was at one, the main parade is at 8:30pm, a few folk have set up booths (Popcorn Dave is selling corn-on-the-cob and ginger-cookie-making Sue is doing her hotdog stand). It’s raining at the moment, but that should let up (and at least it keeps the bugs at bay).

Wet bushes and mountains

Wading through shoulder-high ferns

The motley crew dog parade

Fish dog in the parade

Unrelated shot: Skeena trying to tear after Adak on the tide flats

A little Tuesday night softball action