We Met Lance and Amp in Alaska!

I never posted this photo we had taken in Fairbanks during our RV trip to Alaska back in 2010.  

We took a Discovery River Cruise and on our return to the docks we got to meet Lance Mackey and his sled dog, Amp.  

Lance won the Iditarod in 2007 through 2010 along with the help of Amp and his sled dog teams.   

That's right Lance and his dog teams won four years in a row! 

Amp was very friendly!  

And so was Lance.  

It was a thrill to meet both of them.

I've posted about the sled dogs previously (here) and (here) - these.guys.love.to.run!

Here's a video we took of Lance and Amp after having our photo taken.   

(We are not in the video.)  

Hope you enjoyed this little slice of Alaska!

Nan's Valentine Gift

Nan's Valentine Gift!

I received a Valentine gift in the mail yesterday from my dear friend, Nan of Retired in Alaska blog fame.

Hubby and I visited with Bob and Nan during our trip to Alaska last summer.  

Meeting Bob and Nan for lunch in Homer,  Alaska! 

Nan's adorable Fairy Cottage

I want one!

When I turned Nan's gift package over to open it I found this written on the back by Nan!

Nan and Bob have two Weimaraners, Kalen (the puppy) and Pan (big brother). 

Kalen (left) and Pan (right)
Two peas in a pod!

(Photo Courtesy of Nan)

Kalen wanted me to know that he helped Nan wrap my gifts.  (Thank you Kalen!)  

I'm sure big brother, Pan, supervised.

Aren't these cute gift labels?

I love them!

One side of the Valentine Tag!

Isn't the Hand-Made stamp adorable!

I'm a FAN of yours too Nan!

Two beautifully crocheted butterflies.

They have magnets on the back.  I put them on our refrigerator.

I've never had such a nice tag...it will hang in a special place in my home (and in my heart)!

Thank you Nan for your thoughtfulness in thinking of me.  

Such lovely gifts...and being hand-made makes it even more special to me.

Please hop over and visit Nan's blog (here).  

You'll get to meet two adorable doggies and a very special couple and learn all about their retired life in our great state of Alaska.

Mosaic Monday - Alaskan Sled Dogs

Alaskan Sled Dogs!

We had three sled dog experiences while in Alaska last summer.  

This one was in Denali National Park.  We didn't get to ride the sled here but we had a nice demonstration and got to meet several very friendly sled dogs.  

And we had our photo taken with the sled while at rest.

Meet Muddy!

She is 7 years old and she was my favorite!

She had the most beautiful thick fur.

The view is better up here!

Me and my sled...yeah...right...I can dream...can't I?

My sweeties!

Oh, the dogs love...and I mean LOVE to run.  

They will run until they drop if not stopped.  

And if the handler falls off the sled the dogs will keep on running. 

These dogs are used in Denali National Park.  It's the only way to get around in the wintertime.  

Please join Mary at The Little Red House (here) for more Mosaic Monday!

Grizzly Mom & Her Cubs

You can see the water running off Mommy Grizzly Bear!

I never finished posting photos about our RV trip to Alaska last summer.  

So here's some wild animal photos up close and personal.  

We debated whether or not to spend around $500 to have a bush pilot fly us in where the grizzlies were fishing for salmon while we were in Valdez, Alaska.  But since there was no guarantee that grizzlies would be seen during the trip we decided against it.   

The next town we visited was Haines, Alaska, a tiny working class southeastern Alaskan coastal town.   Imagine our surprise - upon checking in at the campground - to find out from the campground host that there is a nearby park by the river that the grizzly bears visit when the salmon is in season.  It is a short drive of about 10 to 15 minutes to the park from the campground.  We visited the park three times and saw two mom grizzlies with their cubs twice.  

This is one of the Mom grizzlies the park service is keeping tabs on (see the monitor around her neck) - she has twin cubs.  We never thought we would ever be thisclose to grizzlies!  

Isn't she a beauty!

The park road runs parallel to the river and we parked on the side of the road and walked up to a group of people watching the grizzlies just yards away by the river bank.  There was a female park ranger who watched the interface of the bears and the people making sure we didn't get too close and especially that no one got between the mom and her cubs.  

Mom Grizzly in the river with one of her cubs on the bank.  Isn't the white ring on the baby's neck cute?

Mom grizzly and cub...how cute is this?

Grizzly cubs playing on the river bank while Mom fishes.

Play time on the river bank!

When Mom is done fishing she leads her cubs across the park road up into the mountain side.

This guy wasn't paying any attention to the park ranger.

This grizzly bear sighting was a highlight of our trip to Alaska the summer of 2010.  And it was free!  

While the group was hurrying to keep up with the grizzlies as they moved down stream I heard someone fall down hard behind me as I was taking videos.  But I didn't look to see who it was and just kept moving with the group so I wouldn't miss out on any grizzly photo ops.  

Later, after the bears had left and we were getting into our truck my hubby said to me "Did you know I fell down?"  Here it was my hubby who fell on the uneven pavement, torn a hole in his pants at the knee and hurt his knee too and I didn't even bother to look.  

I felt so badly.  

But don't worry he is fine now.    

Deck The Halls Friday - North Pole Goodies

A pretty red, green and white North Pole Alaska ornament!

I'm joining DECK THE HALLS FRIDAY for the first time!  

You know if you visit me often that I love Christmas so this party is perfect for me!   I posted about visiting North Pole, Alaska (here) this summer.  

Well...I couldn't visit their Santa Claus Christmas Shop without buying something...could I?  

Here's some goodies I found.

Merry Christmas To All...And To All A Good Night!

A beautiful old fashioned Santa Claus ornament.

I loved this illuminated red star tree topper - it was displayed on one of the decorated trees and so pretty I had to have one!

All my Christmas Goodies!

Isn't Shannon (the teddy bear in the green velvet coat and two red bows) and Shivers (her penguin) cute?  

And the little teddies...Lil' Nick and Crissy Cane were so sweet of course they came home with me too.  

I made the crocheted runner and the tissue box out of my favorite Christmas colors...red, lime green and white.   You can read about it (here) and (here).  

Please join Tammy at Tinsel & Company for Deck The Halls Friday (here).   

Playing Alaska Style

Isn't this sea otter adorable?

We were delighted when we arrived in Seward, Alaska on July 14th to see two sea otters swimming just off shore.  We were under their spell for quite awhile while hubby took these photos.  Update:  Nan of Retired in Alaska thinks this may be a Mommy with her Baby!

The sea otter is the largest member of the Mustelidae, or weasel family, and the only one which lives almost entirely in the water.

Sea otter fur is the finest of any mammal. Sea otters depend on these hairs to keep them warm while in the water. If a sea otter’s fur becomes soiled with foreign substances such as oil, the sea otter will not be able to keep itself insulated. Consequently, sea otters spend much of their time cleaning and grooming their fur.  

Otters usually swim on their backs but have been known to swim on their stomachs while traveling. Sea otters will only eat while they are floating, but may also groom, rest, and nurse their young. It is also common for sea otters to wrap themselves in kelp beds when resting or sleeping.

This is the road where we saw the sea otters.  That's the town of Seward in the background.  The mountains surround the town.  It is just beautiful.

I added this photo I think Nan is right...this sure looks like a baby resting on her Mommy's lap!

Another added photo:  This is a baby sleeping on her Mommy's lap!!!

Seward is the first coastal city we visited in Alaska during our visit this summer.  So stay tuned for more posts on coastal Alaska coming down the pike.  

Sandy at Teacup Lane

Talkeetna, Alaska

In early July we stayed in Talkeetna, Alaska for a few days.   Talkeetna is about a two and 1/2 hour drive from Anchorage, the largest town in Alaska.  

Here are some photos of main street Talkeetna.  The street is lined with cute, little one cabin shops like the one in the mosaic.  I loved the wooden moose statues placed throughout the town too.  

One of the town's major events is the Moose Dropping celebration held each July for the past 37 years.  When we asked the RV park host about the event this year he said "It ain't goin' happen'!"  According to him it was attracting a drinking crowd that knew this small town (of less than approximately 1,000 population) didn't have it's own police force.

Although the town of Cicely from the television series Northern Exposure is widely thought to be patterned after Talkeetna filming of that series actually took place in Roslyn, Washington.

A patriotic Moose.

Example of a one room cabin used as a shop.

A rustic moose with pearls.

We had a delicious supper at The Wildflower Cafe.

Another cute shop called the "Mostly Moose" gift shop.

A restaurant right next to our RV park.  Isn't this a fun way to advertise?

Our RV spot in Talkeetna.

If you are ever in Alaska don't miss visiting this delightful town.  

Oops, I forgot to mention we are home!  We arrived home yesterday from our Alaska summer journey after 105 travel days and over 13,000 miles driven.  Needless to say we are glad to be home.

Sandy at Teacup Lane

Alaska - Eldorado Gold Mine

During our stay in Fairbanks we visited the Eldorado Gold Mine attraction.

We boarded a cute train.   The conductor entertained us on the way up with stories and songs.  

At the top of the hill we had a demonstration of sluice gold mining and how to pan for gold.

This is sluice mining where the lighter weighted rocks are carried away and the heavy gold will remain.  This photo is fuzzy because of the rushing water coming down the sluice.

A young feller shows us how to pan for gold.

And there is the gold remaining at the bottom of his pan.

Of course, we got to try panning for gold.  The gold I found is in the little container I am holding...just a few tiny flecks were worth $8.

So what do you do with this gold?  You didn't think we would get away without spending more money did you?

The gift shop will weigh your gold and put it into a locket on a gold chain.  So, of course, we had to combine my hubby's gold ($14) with mine ($8) and put it into a locket for me.  

This was a fun experience and I recommend it for anyone traveling in the Fairbanks area.

Sandy at Teacup Lane