Aunt Geri and Hatcher's Pass

After Justin filled the dumpster up, he headed out to work with Lindsey. This meant he was staying up in Talkeetna and we were all alone. Thankfully for the kids, Aunt Geri rolled into town with her paint brush. She had offered to help paint some of Lindsey's side of the duplex. 

Geri got in just after midnight on a Friday night, so on Saturday, we headed out to see a little of Alaska before she settled down to painting. 

This is the Matanuska River overlook just outside Palmer. Rivers in Alaska tend to wander all over, with multiple channels and various, extensive widths.

Crossing this riverbed would be a bit of a trick. This was a pretty dry summer, but even in dry times, it is still boggy and silty. 

Lillian Nora

Alaska wildflower bouquet

Vetch has really spread since we lived up there. I don't remember seeing it much before, but now it is everywhere. It is considered invasive--it was originally brought up as a good forage feed for livestock, but Alaska doesn't have a huge livestock population and it mostly just went wild. 

Heading up Hatcher's Pass

Snowy patches

The van Lindsey got for us to use. 

Since I have been home, I have come out of the store looking for a navy blue mini van several times. 

Geri likes to take pictures. I am used to people rolling their eyes when I want to stop to take pictures, but Geri was suggesting stops for picture taking. It was lovely! 

Hatcher's Pass is lovely. 

SO GREEN

Foxtail grass

Buzzy bee and fireweed

A red columbine hiding in the shade

The treeless hills

Monkshood

Coming up on the lodge. 

I love the red and green and grey! 

And the cloud shadows. 

Silly little marmots

More cloud shadows. 

We had listened to The Hobbit on the way to Cody and Amanda's wedding with the Whites, so I kept thinking this landscape looked like something Bilbo and his dwarf crowd would have gone through on their journey. 

Wild geranium or cranesbill

Independence Mine at the top of Hatcher's

Kids

Looking down on the valley

Some old books on the mantelpiece in the main building. I really want to check out that The Great Eccentric Characters of the World.

Rocks. Again. 

Totally forget what kind of rock this is. I love it though! 

Mining equipment 

It was a ridiculously gorgeous day. The forecast had said cloudy, but we lucked out. 

A cheeky ground squirrel

The red, grey, blue and green! 

Hanging around 

...and hanging out. 

Me and the kiddos

They told the kids that they might find a little gold in the creek, so we spent a good long while getting slightly damp as we looked unsuccessfully for gold. 

I don't know what this is, but I like the redness. 

The leaves of the unknown plant

Isn't it so Scotland-y looking?

A lot of iron in that there creek

Things just left. Bales of rags. 

Broken sluice

There's gold in them thar hills. 

The drilling equipment

I really liked this fuzzy grass. 

This was like a dwarf fireweed. Not sure what it really is. 

Aunt Geri and Gilbert were buddies