Dancing in Fat Mud

So, camp ends. However, that doesn't mean the fun is over, oh no! Immediately after camp, Lena, Boardwalk, Chance, and Myself headed down to the Tanana River for some...river...stuff. (This is from two different areas of the river, on two different days.)


This is right outside of Delta Junction.


We forged the river, strong current, knee deep water, and the stones on the bottom tried to eat my feet, but no oxen died, we didn't drown, and nobody got Dysentery! We also discovered the wonder of 'fat mud,' at least, that's what we call it. The best term to describe it is 'gushy.' More on that later...


I believe this is midway between Delta and Salcha. It's just a huge flood plane and it's lovely. It was so green at the time, the river was high on the banks, and the mountains were so gorgeous...


see?


Considering the wildfires absolutely ravaging the entire landscape, we were lucky to see anything. More on that later too. They were spectacular though, the smoke plumes were huge.


Anyway, back to good times. Lena playing in the fatmud. Here, it's just a hand, but pretty soon, we took a step further...


...and got knee deep! Now, I must say, this is actually a dangerous thing to do. People have gotten stuck and died in the mud, but well, we're just horrible examples ok?


I'm knee deep here...in this horrible picture...where I apparently have elf ears.


There was no solid ground! Chance and Lena, all of us, we just kind of plopped our way through the mire. It was great! That mud, makes the most satisfying sounds ever, just so you know. The gushiness of that stuff is absolutely spectacular!


The haze in the sky made for some gorgeous sunsets. This is right outside of Fairbanks.


It's simply serene.

Return to Alaska...Part 2. Blueberry Hill

This was one of my favorite days. I don't recall if it's the same day we all nearly died in a car wreck due to some cheesebread or if it was the day we also bought 6000 paintballs, but it was a great day...Lena suggested we take a drive up near Fox to Mt. Aurora...also known as Ski Land...which is apparently the farthest north chairlift in North America...maybe the world. Of course in mid-July, there's no snow, but the area is stunningly beautiful.

I'm sure during the season, it's a bit less ramshackle...at least I hope so. However, visually, I love the look of disrepair.

It was a clear day, which was nice...with all the fires around, there was still a bit of a haze, but not bad at all.

It was epic.


The hills were also absolutely covered in blueberries...we picked for quite a while. It was nice to get some fresh stuff...they ended up going into pretty much everything we ate when we got to Salcha. Oatmeal, cereal, you name it...it had blueberries on it!

I found a whole solo cup full!

We also broke out the guitar for a little picking and singing.

Heather crafted what might be one of the finest songs ever unwritten. It's "The G-Chord Song" and it's "all about the G-Chord." It's a shame I only managed to capture a short snippet of it.

...It's also a shame I didn't think to turn the camera in the right direction until partway through. sheesh.

Ashley thoroughly enjoyed it. Those sunglasses she's wearing...I think they're mine. I hung them off my shirt at one point while picking berries. I noticed about 30 min after I put them there, they were gone. I'd been all over that hill. I figured I'd sacrificed them to the day...but low and behold, a little retracing my steps and I found them in a patch of moss! Thank goodness, because I think they're the only pair I had with me!

Of course I took advantage of the day for picture time. This is one of my favorite shots of Lena. Something about it just captures her nature to me.

It was a great day with friends new and old...

...in a beautiful place...

with a beautiful ending.

Big City, Little River.

The falls at Little River Canyon

From the raw power of nature to the bright lights of the city...

Everyone together for a little Mongolian, Chattanooga style.

Chattanooga and Little River Canyon make for a pretty good weekend. It all started out with a little Mongolian food at the Genghis grill.

Jared's got everyone's number.

My endless bowl at the Genghis grill!

Anna telling her basketball woes to Meg

Chattanooga was good food, good times, and good friends. After a night's sleep, we headed to Little River Canyon, which is right here in North Alabama. It's a gorgeous area and I could wax poetic, but I'll let the pics speak for themselves...

Just me. There are more pics on my myspace and facebook.

We hiked down to the falls, over rocks and under,taking our time. We enjoyed the fresh dawning of spring and the rush of the waters from fall and stream. It was a good day to be in God's creation. It's amazing how renewing a day in the woods can be. Hmmm, well, I guess I had to wax poetic a little bit.

Each New Day...

...is just that. New. It was gorgeous outside today, after days of gray skies (which I actually really like) the clouds broke. It's blustery and cold and a few minutes out of the office isn't going to hurt anyone. It's amazing how quickly just stepping outside can bring a sense of calm and peace.

I love big sky.
I walked down to the creek. It looks very different in the winter, not just for the lack of vegetation, but the water itself becomes a murky green and the little fish that cluster at the banks expecting bread don't show.

Apparently, I was not alone in thinking it was a good day to visit the bank. I believe...at least a raccoon, dog, and otter also took the opportunity...but probably not together.

Some of the local plant life...

...and myself hamming it up on the way back to the office.

Yep...a beautiful day...but really, every day is...even when they aren't that pretty.

*Also, my Nana's OK, she's bruised up pretty badly and her finger injury is nasty, but with some time and care, she'll be fine.