A quiet morning by choice, then got moving for a great afternoon and planned early evening. And then...I had the most incredible, inconceivable, remarkable, unique, and astonishing thing happen for the evening that simply took my breath away - and kept taking it away for hours. Let's start with the day's beginning though. I woke up this morning after only a few hours sleep and shortly after going outside, the dogs joined me - Patch, Tig, Rosie, and Nemo. There is a spirit here at Matanuska Lodge that permeates everything - including the dogs. It is truly a hidden treasure that I hope more folks will discover as I have. Tig stuck around me while the other dogs played. He stood close as if waiting for something. Being a dog lover, I couldn't resist. I picked ... read more

First part of the day was simply getting the car ready for road travel and some other preparedness. At the moment, I could probably last a week or two if the car broke down in the wilderness given the snacks and water. And no, the snacks are not all chocolate - nuts, raisins, peanut butter, etc. The staples of road travel. On the way to Target, I saw a sign for a place offering helicopter instruction. Mmm, that could be really interesting. Unfortunately I doubt it could be done in one day and on second thought, me in charge of flying a helicopter is actually a pretty scary thought!! Guess that might be one experience I'll pass in consideration of the safety of others. I had a bit of time to spare this afternoon so I ... read more

Trip starts Monday, July 23rd. Stay tuned!... read more