Alaska Memories, Part 2

Alaska is so beautiful, it's almost other-worldly. I spent a wonderful week there with some writing friends and found much material for writing. I posted a lot of it last week but here are a few other things:

--“termination dust”: the first bit of snowfall on the mountains, marking the end of the summer (although it's too early for that right now)

--the long strips or ribbons of snow on the mountains that reach ground level, with trash in and around the piles at the bottom: former avalanche sites

--the native women’s tunic made of cheery fabrics with a hood, a drop waist, and a big muff-like pocket in the middle

--the booth at the market with extremely soft scarves made out of Qiviut (pronounced "kiv-ee-ute"), the downy-soft underwool from the Arctic musk ox. Rare and expensive. We touched but didn't buy.

--favorite things to do by Alaskans: fishing, fishing, fishing! Plus camping, hunting, cross-country skiing, ski skating and other sports, the Iditarod, and fishing, fishing, fishing!

--Hurricane Gorge, just inside Denali National Forest, with the river running through it. Our view was from above and what a view it was.

--Talkeetna Lodge, where the view from the deck is breathtaking. It was sunny and clear that afternoon, so we could see Mt. McKinley and other mountains in the distance.

--wildflowers I had never seen

--beauty everywhere

I want to go back, as soon as I can.