A Full-time Life

TIME TO FLY

 

 "What the heck happened to our Lake anyway?"

 

 

 "Well, really, if they're going to drain the water and keep the air this cold,  it must mean it's about time to head South, don't you think?"

 

"Sounds good to me.  Let's get out of here."

 

Not to belabor the obvious, but we two old ... er ... snowbirds are almost ready to fly South too.     Another week of precious family time here and then on to Florida with one planned stop ... a happily anticipated few days with our Colorado family.    (And hopefully given the weather elsewhere no un-anticipated layovers.)

 

 

Wishing all US readers a Happy Thanksgiving  --  and saying thank you to everyone from everywhere for visiting FullTime-Life.     I'm grateful for your visits and comments ... and for all I've learned by visiting you.   

 

Back to Blogland in a couple of weeks.

 

Linking this post to OUR WORLD TUESDAY.   Thanks to Lady Fi, Arija, Gattina, Sylvia, Sandy, and Jennifer for hosting.

 

NO-VEMBER

 Our No-Lake No-vember cold doesn't compare in any way with Snow-vember in other parts of the country.

We are fortunate.   I know that.  Except ... we had a  few nights of below freezing temperatures last week ... and my toes got cold!   

  

 I admit to being a terrible wimp about winter weather.  And on those days, I was ready to head home to sunny Florida immediately!    But then we got a few beautiful mornings like the one below.   Just as a reminder to be grateful we're here for a little while longer.

 

 

We had out-of-town company last weekend and we were lucky then as well.  The crisp but chilly  days made good 'showing off the city' weather.  Rainy gray days are more typical for this time of year here.  And, even if it is warmer, nothing really  looks good in drizzly rain, so we were all happy with the cold blue skies.

 

 

Autumn flowers and a warming adult beverage along with lunch made a fun outing at Eugene's Fifth Street Market.

 

 

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SCENIC WEEKENDS; TODAY'S FLOWERS; MOSAIC MONDAY; and NATURE NOTES.

 

Thank you to all the hosts.

 

 

WORTH THE TROUBLE

 

We saw this sign as we pulled into Northern Lights Campground, Glenallen Alaska (but we stayed there anyway.)   

 

There definitely ARE mosquitos in Alaska and the campground hosts here had the right idea -- you might as well laugh about it!   It was a very nice well-run place to stay.)   And (like pretty much everywhere else in the State) the scenery in the area was  well worth a little inconvenience -- and a little bug spray.

Here is some of what we saw just before and after we stayed at this particular campground:

 

 

 

 

 Linking to Lesley's SIGNS SIGNS and Gemma's SCENIC WEEKENDS.  Thank you both for hosting.

 

SUNFLOWER SEED CAFE

 

It's cold outside and there's not much of a water-view any more, but the Sunflower Seed Cafe is still popular here at the No-Lake.

 

 

 A lively party of goldfinch filled every seat perch for a late weekday  brunch.  

While a murder of crows waited  -- more patiently than usual -- for their turn.

 

 

The restaurant next door was popular as well.  It's closer to the neighborhood housing development.

 

 A few red-winged blackbirds dropped by later for an afternoon snack.

 

 

The Scrub Jay serves as self-appointed bouncer.   When he decides a party of smaller birds has been there long enough, he swoops in and clears out the place.  (He doesn't really like the food, even though it's free. He just likes to show who's boss.)

 

 LINKING THIS POST TO:  OUR WORLD on TUESDAY and WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.  Thank you to the hosts.  

FAIRBANKS and CHEENA HOT SPRINGS

Hope everyone isn't sick and tired of Alaska flowers;  they did so amazingly well up there that I just couldn't stop taking pictures.   The one directly below is from River's Edge RV Resort where we stayed in Fairbanks.  This Park was on the Cheena River and besides having excellent RV facilities, and a  lovely river path to walk, it also had rental cottages, each of which had its own hanging basket.  This is one of them. There was also an excellent restaurant on the grounds.   

 

We actually stayed at this RV Park two different times.  There aren't a lot of highways in the State and so it was almost impossible to do circle trips -- there was a lot of out-and-back driving.  Which was always fine because there was too much to see on one (or even two) trips.  And of course, when your day ends at a nice stop like this one, it is even better.  

When we left Fairbanks after one of our stays we were headed to the Dalton Highway -- up to Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean.   We knew that would be kind of a roughing-it trip, without nice RV Parks, so we took advantage of the city facilities at the RV Park and in Fairbanks. 

While we were there we read about a resort called Cheena Hot Springs that had RV spaces.  Even though it was only about 70 miles from Fairbanks, it sounded intriguing, and it was sort-of on our way toward the Dalton so we decided to stop there for a night.

 

 We found the resort and the attached RV Park, which had spaces out in a woodsy area.   Above is what our "carpet" underfoot looked like after we settled our little camper van into its spot.    

Then we walked over to check out the resort grounds.  There were beautiful flower gardens.  And we checked out the Hot Springs -- there were several spring-fed pools and hot tubs that were absolutely beautiful.  And another wonderful restaurant.  And more.

It did not take us long to decide that we needed to stay a few more nights.  I guess I had hot-tub brain because I totally forgot to get a picture of the wonderful pools, but really they were amazing!  I did get flower pictures.

  

 

 And (before we developed that hot-tub brain from soaking in the mineral springs) we learned that the owners of the resort are working toward becoming a self-sustaining community.   Vegetables are already grown in year-round greenhouses that are heated entirely by geothermal sources.     

 

 We signed up for the very informative tour of the greenhouses and geothermal facilities.  We learned that Cheena, in conjunction with the Department of Energy, is funding a project to use the geothermal reservoir which underlies the area.  They are also working with the University of Alaska on several environmental projects. 

When there is more produce than the restaurant can use, the resort sells it at the Visitor Center --   we bought some wonderful tomatoes and lettuce to take with us when we left.   

 

The Resort also boasts an amazing Ice Museum which we toured.  But that's a whole other post someday.    We really enjoyed our stay at Cheena Hot Springs.   (Here is a link to their website.)  

 

LINKING this post to TODAY'S FLOWERS; I HEART MACRO; MOSAIC MONDAY; and NF BLO-MA.   

Thank you to Denise (TF); Laura (Macro); Judith (MM) and Monica (Nature Fotos).    Each of these lovely hosts have  amazing blogs and it is great of them to take time to host these fun sharing opportunities.  

 

NOVEMBER SKY

 

The Three Sisters graced us with their presence one bright morning last week.

 

But we've had a lot of days this month when it's hard to distinguish between sky and receding lake.  (No-Lake; No-Sky; No-vember).      

 

 

 Blue sky days are always a gift!  Especially here this month.

 

The Three Sisters are located HERE.

Linking these views of our November skies to SKYWATCH FRIDAY (with gratitude to the hosts Yogi, Sylvia, and Sandy) and to SCENIC WEEKENDS (thank you Gemma).  

LET'S HEAR IT FROM THE LITTLE GUYS

 

Yes, our migrating Pelicans (HERE) were amazing and provided some fabulous photo opportunities for a few days last week.  But the little perching birds are the old reliables.   Every day, at least a few of them land outside our window  on the blackberry bushes and the neighborhood feeders.    These are some of our frequent flyers.

 

White-crowned sparrow

Bird song wakes us in the morning and their antics provide ongoing entertainment any time during the day while we're visiting here.

 

 

Spotted (Oregon) Towhee

 

We will miss seeing our perchers every morning when we  head South.    In Florida, we see  wonderfully  exotic (to us) birds, but we don't have 'backyard' birds  (since our backyard there is a canal with no handy blackberry bushes or trees).  

 

Goldfinch and lesser Goldfinch

 

We are still seeing the lesser goldfinch (the one on the bottom left) but the brighter yellow ones have apparently already headed south.

 

 

 

Conspicuously unlabeled.  Fairly sure this little ground-feeder is some kind of sparrow.  But that's not narrowing things down too much.  (Help, as always, gratefully accepted.)

 

I am linking to Stewart's  WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY ; Eileen's SATURDAY CRITTERS; and  NATURE NOTES,  at Michelle's Rambling Woods.   Thank you all for being there!!    

 

INDEPENDENCE MINE

 

Independence Mine is an Alaska State Historical Park.   There is more  information about the gold-mine's history in an  earlier post from while we were on the road (HERE).   This  is more about the structures on the old mine site. 

This pretty chain-link fence bordered the walkway to the Visitor Center, which is in what was the Mine Supervisor's home when this was an active gold mine.  

 

 

As we walked toward the Center, some of the other mine buildings were visible. ... housing and offices for the various occupations and professions that it took to run this kind of operation.

 

\

 This is a view from the Visitor Center window...  It would have been the Supervisor's living room window ... he and his family could have sat in comfort and seen quite a bit of the site. 

(From all accounts, he was a good supervisor well-liked by the people who worked there.)

 A few more of the buildings are open to the public and there are great informational posters in the Center and along the pathways.  We also walked up the hill to where the actual mining operations took place.

 

The fencing here really didn't seem quite adequate to protect visitors.  Notice the people on the left of the picture -- no fence at all between them and the mine-shaft ruins. 

 

Poignant and almost elegant in decay, not to mention hazardous.  We were surprised (but pleased)  that the State has left these ruins standing for the public to see.   

 

LINKING TO OUR WORLD on TUESDAY (thank you to Lady Fi, Arija, Gattina, Sylvia and Sandy) to Roan's RUBBISH TUESDAY and Tex's GOOD FENCES.  Thank you all.

 

PELICANS PASSING THROUGH

 

 We didn't expect to see any of these guys until we got back to Florida next month!

But today's pictures were  all taken earlier this week from right in front of our RV on the Lake at Fern Ridge Shores.  

The very first thing I saw on Monday morning  was this white pelican sailing serenely past our window on the Lake ... For a minute I wondered if I were dreaming that we'd already migrated south ourselves.  

The next time we glanced out the window, the lone pelican had a partner ...   it was double the pleasure.

 

 

People here have told us that they have seen  a few pelicans off and on for several years.     They must have liked it here....

 

 

 ... because they apparently told their friends about the Lake and this year a few more of them flew in. 

 

 

 And a few more .... and more .... and more.  By Tuesday afternoon, there were too many to count.  This is just one group -- we saw maybe four times  this many.   We've seen white pelicans in Texas and Louisiana on our travels and now we see them often in Florida -- but we've never seen this many in one place ever! 

 

 

They are herding fish -- they  swim in this circular pattern and then their heads go down for the catch.

We think that probably most of them are migrating and have  found a nice stopover place.    Right now, this is  a good place for them to stock up on little fish and frogs that haven't found their way out of our rapidly disappearing Lake.     

Maybe a few will stay all winter in what remains of the Lake or in nearby ponds.

(We don't plan be here to find out though -- we'll be checking out their Florida cousins!)

 

(Stumps are sticking up out of the shallowing water -- where, in the summer, the Lake was deep enough for ski boats!)  

 

Sharing these two surprising mornings on the Lake with SATURDAY CRITTERS,  I'D RATHER BE BIRDING, NATURE NOTES, and MOSAIC MONDAY.

Thank you to Eileen (SC); Ani (The Bird D'pot); Michelle (NN), and Judith (MM).  You are all appreciated!!!

 

A FOREST OF SIGNS

Signpost Forest is a (free) roadside attraction in the town of Watson Lake BC.  In 1942, when the Alaska Highway was being built, the US Army Engineers put up a directional post at their camp at this location.  The signs pointed to camp facilities and the nearest communities.    A homesick private named Carl Lindley added a sign pointing to his home town of Danville Illinois.  That started a tradition that is now known as the World Famous Signpost Forest.

 

 

 According to Watson Lake's website there are now over 72,000 signs.  Anyone can add one -- and  obviously many tourists do.

 

 

 

 The tradition is to bring your own home-town sign,  but a few other kinds of signs seem to have snuck in there as well.

 

 

We stayed in Watson Lake on our way back to the lower 48.  And (only partly) because we'd never heard of this tradition we didn't add a sign -- we just took the ones that were already there (pictures only).  

So if  you visit Watson Lake, don't forget your sign.  

 

Linking to SIGNS SIGNS (obviously) and GOOD FENCES (stretching a bit, but the meme is about gates too and the top pictures does show the gateway into the Forest.)

 

Thank you to Lesley for Signs and Theresa (TexWis Girl) at the RunAroundRanch for Good Fences.  Visit and link up!!

 

IT'S NOT A BIRD .... It's a seaplane

The Lake is usually pretty quiet by the time Autumn starts.   Boating  is over for the season.   School has started, football has started, and boaters have  found other interests.  

And besides they all know that by the first of October the Lake  -- actually a reservoir -- will begin to  whoosh down the drain (that's what we used to tell our kids). **  

By mid-October, it is mandatory that all boats be pulled out from the docks  ---  otherwise by the end of the month, when the edges of the reservoir are nearly dry, the boats would be stuck in the mud until Summer.   There is still some water in the middle of the Lake, just no way (for most of us) to get to it. 

One recent day the usual stillness was shattered by a very loud noise.  From inside the RV, it actually sounded to me like we were being attacked.  I  grabbed the camera -- if we were being dive-bombed, I wanted to have a picture.

Bill, who was already outside at the moment, said it wasn't noise at all, but the beautiful sound of  finely tuned engines.

 

 

The seaplane was practicing touch-and-goes.   It would land on the water, lift off, circle a bit, and then come back and land again.

  

 

One of us (not the one who thought this was just noise) knows how to look up a plane by the number on it.   He said it's a Canadian build, belongs to an Arizona corporation, and was enroute from Anchorage AK to Spokane WA.

 

 

 

And it's off for the last time --- flying to its next water/sky destination.  What a way to travel.

 

 

*In reality, the Army Corp of Engineers drains Fern Ridge Lake in the Fall to provide room for the winter rains.  Recreation is a secondary purpose -- it's really here for  flood control purposes.  Here is a link to an old post explaining some of the history.

 

LINKING TO:  OUR WORLD TUESDAY and SKYWATCH FRIDAY.  

 

Thank you to the OW Team (Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy, Arija, Gattina, and Jennifer) and to the SWF hosts Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy.