Canoeing Finger Lake, Palmer, AK – August 28, 2013

I headed up Bogard Road and turned onto Finger Lake Park Way and paid the $5 State Park Fee. I then went to the camp host’s trailer and waited. The camp host was at another location and dropped what she was doing to facilitate my canoe rental. I chose a red Coleman flat-bottomed canoe, rather [...]

Mother Moose and Her Calf – August 24, 2013

Going up Clark-Wolverine Road just about 300 yards or so from the Old Glenn and on the right, I happened upon a mother moose and her calf grazing in the woods. This was my second time seeing moose along this road. My first sighting was yesterday, August 23, but I was driving at speed and [...]

Hatcher Pass, Double Rainbow – August 24, 2013

I stopped off at Mocha Moose for breakfast and ordered my usual: sausage, egg and cheese burrito, and a large Mocha spiked with orange. The large mocha has four shots of Good Morning Alaska as espresso. The burrito probably has four to six eggs in it. The Breakfast of Champions! From here, I stopped at [...]

The Butte – August 23, 2013

New York City’s Four WTC at 977′ superimposed over the 875′ Butte for perspective. The Butte is larger than it looks from a distance. Standing at 875 feet AGL (Above Ground Level), The Bodenburg Butte or simply The Butte is 102 feet shorter than New York’s Four WTC. I had never climbed any significant mountains

Matanuska River Bridge Turnoff – August 23, 2013

I pulled off the Matanuska Bridge and into the turnoff just like I had done yesterday. The low clouds clung to the mountains and you could see how it was steamy at the cloud base. When I was working on my instrument rating, my instructor told me that when you first enter clouds its like [...]

Matanuska River Scenic Overlook – August 23, 2013

First thing I did in the morning was visit Wunderground to check the weather. Wasilla was a rain-out, but Palmer had localized rain cells and was otherwise clear. The conditions in Palmer were semi-favorable to hike the Bodenburg Butte, but I would have to play it by the seat of my pants….

Matanuska River Bridge Turnoff – August 22, 2013

As I proceeded down the Old Glenn toward the Reindeer Farm, after leaving the Musk Ox Farm, I noticed another scenic pull-off just over the Matanuska River Bridge. I would come back to this location after I was done with the farm. The bridge turnoff is a popular location for four-wheelers and campers. It offers [...]

Reindeer Farm – August 22, 2013

I saw the trail to the Butte off to my right as I drove down Bodenburg Loop Road to the Reindeer Farm now less than a quarter of a mile away. I would check out the Butte later….

Musk Ox Farm – August 22, 2013

Located off the Glenn Highway at 12850 E Archie Road in Palmer, Alaska the Musk Ox Farm is home to dozens of these domesticated ice age-era animals. The word, “ox,” is a misnomer. Musk ox are in the goat family and have cloven hooves. The farm has birthing, yearling, steer and retirement pens.