Wacky weekend

Early Saturday am we were woken by our bed shaking with another earthquake. It was about 115 miles from Anchorage and was about a 5.4

Sunday it is snowing in town and the mountain tops are white. Winter is on the way.

You know you are in AK when....part V

you feel the earth move under your feet and you can estimate the rating scale of the earthquake.

you can use your hunting/fishing license for a voter ID.

the entire state is shopping crazy at the same time when the PFD is delivered the first week in October. The Permanent Fund Dividend paid out $1281 for 2009.

the schools give out free reflective tape for backpacks because the kids are either coming and/or going to school in the dark.

you go to a craft fair and see seal skin thimbles.

you have a pair of party slippers in your car because it is the custom to take off your shoes when you enter a friend's house.

you look out your window and see your neighbor has five snowmobiles in his yard.

You know you are in AK when....part IV

It seems like almost every lot has a mom and pop coffee stand.

The little town of Hope,

We keep thinking each weekend will be the last of the nice weather so we try to take advantage of it. We went on a 5K Heart Walk in town this morning and in the late afternoon went on a fall foliage tour. The trees here are mainly Birch and they just turn yellow, not all of the glorious colors of the northeast. Anyway, it was sort of cool weather, but a nice day.
One of Don's co-workers told him about a concert event going on the in the little town of Hope. Hope has one restaurant, one bar, a coffee shop, and a one room school house of sorts and a library. It also has a museum of some historical items. We had dinner at the Seaview Cafe and luckily someone offered us a seat at his table since it only had about four tables and they were all full. He recommended the halibut chowder which was pretty good. We stayed after and heard the band on the deck. I was decked out in warm clothes as it was in the 40s. I guess the band is famous locally and it was the end of the season party. Hope has a small RV/ campground where people stay when fishing. The deck was full of young people dancing and drinking.

The fireweed plant has turned to white plumes at the top indicating winter is near.

It was very foggy on the way home and we were tired.

4.9 Earthquake!

I was playing bridge with some of the Petroleum Wives when all of a sudden we heard a noise and everything started to shake. We were all a little "rattled" as well! No damage and it lasted about 10 seconds.

Matt said he was sitting down reading at campus and had his feet up on a railing. He thought someone shook the railing and did not realize what is was until I asked him about it later.

Don said he was talking with some co-workers and heard a loud noise. He thought it was an explosion in the garage beneath his building. He felt pressure in his ears and the windows shook.

Never a dull moment.... but thank goodness we are all fine.

Hatcher Pass

We decided to hike at the Independence Mine Trail at Hatcher Pass. We were surprised that it was the last weekend it would be open as winter is on its way. First we had a picnic on the Little Susitna River and watched some young men in full dry suits raft using pack rafts which are small rafts people put in their packs.

The hike was fairly high with a series of switchbacks and gave us views of the fall colors and a small pond. The Alaska colors are only yellow, not the varied colors of New England.

On the way down we picked small blueberries. There are many various types of berries that are food for bears.

We stopped at the only lodge in the area for a bite to eat. It had very pretty views which was fortunate since the service was so slow we finished an entire Scrabble game before we were served.

We thought it was a day we could safely go out without our usual raincoats, but during dinner the rain began.

It was a fun day.

Biking at Bird Creek

Frequently when we are driving south of town, we see a bike trail and we finally made the time last week to try it out. It passes through a small campground and woods with a view of Turnagain Sound and the mountains on the other side. As we were pedaling downhill, I thought to myself, I am not going to make it back up. In my mind, I was plotting an alternate spot for Don to pick me up. I MADE IT BACK UP WITHOUT STOPPING. Maybe I am not as big of wimp as I think. It was a beautiful afternoon. We think winter is on the way and are trying to enjoy these afternoons outside.