Another winter cabin trip

Cabin trip

Day 1. Getting there
Got the ok.from the vet and headed out. Hit the trail by 1330 and arrived by 1845. Trail Much more smooth this time and we were able to go faster. Still heavier hauling things out though. Puppy pod and hot tub. Was definitely colder than last time. -15 coldest and the wind was blowing. Hello a few drafts. Puppies need more blankets next time too. Need to try to shore up some leaks in there. Snow gets in a bit. Will bundle them up more for the trip home. I can't find their coats either. Maybe in the car? I swear I had my hand on them before we left. Usually store inside the pod. Anyway we only passed 2 people on the trail total and of course we have one come around the corner while I'm peeing. Haha. I had to go. Lol

Was -10 inside the cabin when we got here. Lit a fire immediately and it was a long warm up. Took 3 hours at least to get up to 50-60. Fell asleep in all my clothes and slept hard.. 

Day 2 setting up and settling in
Woke up after 9. Coffee, breakfast and tinkering. I loaded up the .22 and did 100 rounds just getting it sighted in and having fun. Temps around 15 so not bad with sun. Got a hole drilled for water, Todd began the hot tub construction and I got after a bit of tidying in the cabin. Cleaned up the old steam kettle and stove with a wire brush to het some of that rust off. Then painted it with the black stove paint. Looks better. Will do a better job in summer. Maybe replace some of the fire brick that's having issues. Nice to keep that thing in good condition. Put the dogs booties on and they seemed to enjoy outside a bit more. Especially bree. Ranger realized they were pretty cool too I think. They went running like crazy.

Day 3 hot tub and ice fishing
Slept till 830 which was nice. Sun starting to come up with the pretty pink sky. Made a bit of coffee and breakfast and got straight to the hot tub. Todd threw it together in no time with just a touch of help from me. We then had a quickie lunch, set up my ice shanty and then moved the tub down to the dock. Once we set it up on the dock Todd put in the seats and installed the stove while I went fishing. Totally struck out fishing but oh well. It's nice and relaxing out there.

The hot tub is now heating and we are making dinner. Should be able to enjoy the tub tonight! Superexcited about that. Caribou steaks tonight. Mmmm

The caribou loin was amazing and the hit tub too. It was quite warm. We had to.throw in some snow to cool it down. All warm, just looking up at the stars was great.

Day 4 grooming and grilled cheese
Woke up before sunrise and did the morning ritual...feed dogs, let dogs out, make coffee. Settled in to wake up and watch the sun rise. After the sun was up made breakfast and cleaned up the dishes that we just didnt care about last night. Ahh, cabin life. Another blue sky, cloudless day. Decided to get out and groom in front of the cabin. Last time we were here there was overflow and it was pretty chunky. BOY does our big giant groomer work. Crazy good. Flattened all that stuff out. I also made a track all the way around the lake. Should be nice and solid by tomorrow morning for a run. I'm a little excited about that honestly although wearing all these boots with not much arch support has gotten my arch flared up a bit. We shall see how it goes. I do.habe some running shoes out here.

After my grooming and Todd working around a bit we decided to head over to see zo over at shell lake lodge. Had a couple of beers and a grilled cheese. Sweet puppies over there and one probably has some sort of tumor on its mouth. It's an old lab and it just breaks your heart. Her owner just died last year, but she is still eating and wagging her tail like crazy. Was nice to visit at shell lake again. Met another neighbor. Nice guy. I really love being out here.

Moved the ice shanty and will try my luck again tomorrow with the trout. For now i think it's back to the hot tub.

Day 5 bloody/beautiful hike
Being able to be here so long has been so nice. We woke up and wanted to find a spot to spot moose next hunting season. Since its winter all the brush and small trees are laying down so it's easier to find. We threw on rangers booties because he always wants to join us. It was relatively cold so I wanted to try to protect his paws. I put them on fully expecting them to fly off in the first few minutes as he was running through chest deep snow. Right at the beginning the tip of his tail started bleeding. It was swiping blood allover. It was wagging though so he was happy. He was wagging it so much that on both sides of his body there were blood streaks. It was a little concerning art first then funny. It clotted, wasn't that much and he is just fine today. No idea what happened.

We found the spot overlooking the swamp and marked it on GPS and with some ties in the tree so we can walk up to it again. Was a good hike. Saw lots of animal tracks of birds, bunnies, and squirrels but no animals. We saw what must have been a river other track as it was something slithering on their bellies with little feet prints too. Ranger was hot on the track whatever it was. Follow, follow follow. Made it back and bree was happy to see us. Made some lunch and hit the hot tub again. We much needed after the hike. So much fun to explore in the winter.

Day 6. bonus day

So I just didn't want to leave but I must get to my sister's baby shower in Louisiana.  Today we went through some things, organized, picked up and packed up.   The ride home was amazing with Denali making a great showing and before the sunrise the full moon was out in effect as well.  We made it back in good time with excellent river conditions.  Sub 5 hours.  If we weren't pulling the dogs and 2 trailers we could definitely go faster.  

Till the next trip...aloha

Family time Hawaii style

Over the years my parents have always helped me.  From childhood till now I know they'd give anything they could to make my life better.  Decided since I know they'd never do it for themselves that we would make them take a trip to Hawaii.  They were pretty excited when we mentioned it.  Dad loves history and wanted to see Pearl harbor.  Mom wanted to stay in a place where she could hear the ocean.  I think we got it done!

Mom and dad on the lanai.  We watched the sunset every evening

We flew into Kailua Kona on the big island.  This is our favorite island so we wanted to show them a little bit of it. We got a 2 bedroom beach house right on the ocean and not too far from town.  The house was perfect.  It was comfortable and had everything we needed for the perfect stay.

The first night we stayed in and got settled in.  Made shopping trips and all that jazz for groceries, etc.  The next day we took off for Hilo area and volcanoes national park.  We all enjoy seeing national parks and this was no exception.  We booked a room overlooking the volcano Caldera so you could see it glowing red.  We also had a dinner reservation at a restaurant overlooking the volcano.  Both were very nice and I think they enjoyed them.  Mom and dad wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning so they got up and went down to the observation area.  It had nice chairs to sit in and look at the volcano.  The girl at the front desk made them coffee early, even though they don't usually serve it till 5.  Poor girl must have known they needed coffee if they were up that early.  The drive to and from the volcano wasn't bad at all via the saddle road.  It was really nice and new without lots of winding and twists like the south route.  I'd definitely suggest a trip that way.  Here are a few pictures from that part of the trip.

Mom and dad in their volcanoes national park jackets.  They got cold up there. 

Mom with the crater in the background

Dad showing just how giant the giant ferns are

Dad inside the lava tube

A shave ice even dad thought was big

Smoldering 

Todd had to fly back to home for work and it was a night flight so he took dad over to Oahu from the big island and spent the whole day with him at pearl harbor.  Mom and I spent the whole day at the beach house which was literally on the ocean.  Heres the view from the house.  We saw whales off the lanai and just enjoyed a relaxing day.

Fun times at dinner

Watching the whales

I asked dad if his time at pearl harbor was all he hoped it would be and he said it was so much more.  I have been there also and i must say its a place to reflect on our countries history.  There are still bodies of sailors aboard the arizona on the ocean floor.  Its such a part of our nations history and i encourage you to visit if you are able.  Here are a few pics from dads day spent at pearl harbor.

Dad looking out over the sunken arizona

Dad enjoying the great weather day at pearl harbor

Another great thing we did was the luau at the king kam hotel.  It was moved inside due to weather, which is rare, but the show was still amazing.  I've got a few pictures from that to share as well.  It was my first luau too, so I really am glad I got to experience it.  I really enjoy Hawaiian music, culture and dancing so it was really fun.  The food was good too.  Lots and lots of food!  All was good although I still don't like poi! Ugh. I can probably eat my body weight in kalua pig though.

In all, the trip was good.  Mom got to.chill by the ocean and see whales, dad got to.see pearl harbor and Todd and I got to swim and participate in the jingle bell run with our friends.  It was a pretty relaxed time and nice to be able to have my parents join us.  I know they may not get back, but I know we will if we can.  I encourage all of you who can to visit the islands.  They are so rich in culture, fun and adventure.  It truly is a tropical paradise!  ALOHA

Me, Mandy and Wendy waving in the background

Humpys post jingle bell run

Don't forget to wave...200 miles on a frozen river

What an adventure we had this weekend.  Our friend Ben, my husband, the puppies and I went on our first longer distance, over frozen rivers snow machine trip to our cabin.  I had only been snow machining one time before with friends and Todd grew up riding in Minnesota as a kid, but neither of us nor Ben had done a trip of this magnitude.  We got a lot of advice from good friends who are experienced and safe riders so we packed our stuff, did our checks and were ready to go.

All smiles on the way out.

The trip out and the list

When we started I think we were all quite excited and ready to go.  Especially the dogs.  They got their own puppy pod and while they would probably rather ride or run outside 90 miles one way is just a bit too far.  We did stop frequently for them to get out, use the bathroom and run around.  They willingly (for the most part) got back into the pod for travel.

Me pulling the dogs in the "puppy pod"

I must say that the thought of riding on the river had me pretty nervous.  I know that there's going to be overflow and some open water and that the river is constantly changing.  So I went in with a healthy respect for the river and Alaska!  The grandeur of Alaska is something that is indescribable, but what often is so beautiful can also be unforgiving and deadly  I'd say here's my list of things to have.   Firearm....dont leave home without it.  You never know who or what you may run into on the trail that you may need to protect yourself.  Also, a rifle can be helpful for food if you get stuck for a while.  Sat phone or beacon. GPS so u can send where u are.  There are no roads out here.  Shelter, something to cook, provide heat and melt snow if you need it.  Hatchet for firewood.  Extra food, water, fuel and dry clothes.  Camera of course!  And for Pete's sake a smile or wave as you pass people.  You're out enjoying the trails in the most amazing place on earth..act like you're having fun people! With that said, most are very nice.  That's it for the people part and where my don't forget to wave title comes from.  I always think people who are out should be somewhat happy they are out....for the most part.  Anyway, on with the list.  Dry bags...put every thing that needs to stay dry in dry bags.  Layer your clothing for sure.  Finding the right temperature is key. You don't want to be too cold or sweating because then you'll get cold from the sweat.  Extra parts and tools for your machine. Spark plug, oil, extra belt and fuel for sure.  You never know what happens. This is when you want to be prepared for the worst case.  When you're going somewhere remote.  Be on the safe side.

The dogs out running and exploring on a break

What's a snow machine?  It's Alaska, so they're not snow mobiles, but snow machines.  It's definitely the alaska lingo.  Same with ATVs.  It's not a 4 wheeler...It's a machine.  I'll have to do a little research on the origin of that stuff.  I have never thought about it too much.

Me and Todd on the river

Cabin life

Cabin life is Great! It's just wall your worries melt away.  We arrived as the light was fading for the day.  While I started a fire to warm ourselves, the guys got the ice auger working and got us some water from the lake.  This first trip we only had one full day at the cabin but we made the most of it.  The guys made sure the scandic was running correctly for the long ride back, had some sledding fun and did some more riding.

The guys making sure all is up to par 

Boys and dogs hanging out

On our way to shell lake

We also made our first trip to Shell lake lodge.  We met Zoe (pronounced Zo).  She was great and quite a talker.  It was also nice that there were 2 dogs there.  Places are always made better by puppy love.  IF you're around there I recommend a stop.  Hot coffee, cold beer and some food and snacks, soups, sandwiches, etc.

Todd and Ben relaxing at shell lake lodge

The trip home

The way home was more relaxing since we'd all run the river already and it was getting only colder.  However, there was actually more overflow on our trip home.  You can't relax for a second out there when conditions are changing.  It was still good though.  We were a little more comfortable going home and on 3 machines instead of 2 so that was cool.
Just like the trip up it took us almost all of the daylight hours. It was pretty eerie when the fog set in pretty thick on some places on the river.  You couldn't see the next marker sometimes. Pretty slow, careful going.

Getting some fuel to go

Sunrise on the skwentna river

Ben taking a break on his machine

Not a bad view. That's Denali on the right 

It was a great trip overall.  Being with the man I love and building the bonds of friendship are a beautiful thing.  I love people with good hearts.  The circle is small.  We were all glad to get back to the parking lot at the landing and load the trailer up to head home.  There were slick roads for a while.  Honestly, that was more worrisome than being out on the machine. Haha.  Thanks to good, careful driving we made it home safely.

Thanks for reading and sharing in my adventure.  Don't forget that no matter what you're doing try to smile and wave...it could make a real difference in someone's day...even yours.