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| Alaska Artist Dianne Roberson Hendrix Life in Alaska Blog |
| April snow near Palmer, Alaska |
June 22, 2006
The wilderness has turned bright green with lots of rainy days. I can still
see new snow on top of the mountains although the temperature is about
60 degrees here on Midnight Drive. Bears are visiting the houses
looking for easy food and they are hard to spot hiding in the thick forest.
Everytime I cook outside on the grill I see bald eagles circling in the sky.
Anchorage is full of tourist and the traffic is very heavy. As usual
summer street repair adds to the confusion in town. Out here in the
valley I am getting a load of gravel delivered today to spread on the
steep drive way. The ice was heavy last winter and much repair work is
needed this summer.
The wilderness has turned bright green with lots of rainy days. I can still
see new snow on top of the mountains although the temperature is about
60 degrees here on Midnight Drive. Bears are visiting the houses
looking for easy food and they are hard to spot hiding in the thick forest.
Everytime I cook outside on the grill I see bald eagles circling in the sky.
Anchorage is full of tourist and the traffic is very heavy. As usual
summer street repair adds to the confusion in town. Out here in the
valley I am getting a load of gravel delivered today to spread on the
steep drive way. The ice was heavy last winter and much repair work is
needed this summer.
| Iditarod | Anchorage, Alaska | March, 2006 |
April 22, 2006
Spring snow in the Matanuska Valley of Alaska continued falling the
last weeks of April despite warm temperatures. It would rain hard in
the mornings turning into rain and sleet in the afternoons. Late
afternoons brought heavy snow with very large snow flakes. It snowed
all night, then began melting with the arrival of daylight.
Spring snow in the Matanuska Valley of Alaska continued falling the
last weeks of April despite warm temperatures. It would rain hard in
the mornings turning into rain and sleet in the afternoons. Late
afternoons brought heavy snow with very large snow flakes. It snowed
all night, then began melting with the arrival of daylight.
| Sadie Faye | My Alaska dog |
March 20, 2006 | Anchorage, Alaska
The start of the 2006 Alaska Iditarod was this past Saturday in Anchorage. I
was right along side the news media on top of the JC Penny parking garage
for some photos. Then on my knees in the snow along side other media
photographers. We were splashed by the snow flying from the dogs feet. It
was a beautiful day and the only cold I felt was in my knees. I will remember to
wear knee pads next time.
The excitement was high and the dogs felt it. They knew they were the stars
of the event. Canine competitors from the 83 teams yelped and howled,
begging to run as handlers halted them at the starting line in downtown
Anchorage where they began the race of the more than 1,100-mile journey to
Nome.
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race runs across windswept tundra, two mountain
ranges and frozen seas and rivers, where temperatures can dip to far below
freezing.
The start of the 2006 Alaska Iditarod was this past Saturday in Anchorage. I
was right along side the news media on top of the JC Penny parking garage
for some photos. Then on my knees in the snow along side other media
photographers. We were splashed by the snow flying from the dogs feet. It
was a beautiful day and the only cold I felt was in my knees. I will remember to
wear knee pads next time.
The excitement was high and the dogs felt it. They knew they were the stars
of the event. Canine competitors from the 83 teams yelped and howled,
begging to run as handlers halted them at the starting line in downtown
Anchorage where they began the race of the more than 1,100-mile journey to
Nome.
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race runs across windswept tundra, two mountain
ranges and frozen seas and rivers, where temperatures can dip to far below
freezing.
March 1, 2006
The whole month of March is dominated by Fur Rondi and the
Iditarod. Merchants move merchandise outside on sunny days.
We have carinavals, and street food vendors in downtown
Anchorage.
Furs are needed for warmth in below zero weather. These trappers
are from Hope, Alaska. Animals are hunted here to keep the
population from overtaking the cities. Wolf and beaver are
abundant in Alaska. A good fur coat and hat will last a life time. It is
a good investment. I bought a pair of fox muck luks in 1994 in
Anchorage and I am still wearing them. They keep my feet warm in
deep snow and ice. Since there is permi-ice here the ground is
always cold.
Fur industry. Alaska trappers catch many kinds of fur-bearing
animals, including beavers, lynxes, martens, minks, wolves, and
wolverines. Many Alaskans, most of them natives, hunt and fish for
food. They also use animal skins in making clothing and other items
for daily living.
The whole month of March is dominated by Fur Rondi and the
Iditarod. Merchants move merchandise outside on sunny days.
We have carinavals, and street food vendors in downtown
Anchorage.
Furs are needed for warmth in below zero weather. These trappers
are from Hope, Alaska. Animals are hunted here to keep the
population from overtaking the cities. Wolf and beaver are
abundant in Alaska. A good fur coat and hat will last a life time. It is
a good investment. I bought a pair of fox muck luks in 1994 in
Anchorage and I am still wearing them. They keep my feet warm in
deep snow and ice. Since there is permi-ice here the ground is
always cold.
Fur industry. Alaska trappers catch many kinds of fur-bearing
animals, including beavers, lynxes, martens, minks, wolves, and
wolverines. Many Alaskans, most of them natives, hunt and fish for
food. They also use animal skins in making clothing and other items
for daily living.
| Fur Auction | Anchorage, Alaska |
| Shopping on Fifth Ave in Anchorage, Alaska |
| Performing Arts Center | Anchorage, Alaska |
___________________________
September, 2005 - Knik Glacier - Alaska
Icefields and an estimated 100,000 glaciers cover 5
percent of Alaska's surface and they are easily viewed
by visitors to Juneau, Valdez, Whittier, Seward,
Anchorage or the Matanuska Valley. Knik Glacier is in
the Matanuska Valley near Palmer, Alaska. It is
accessible only by boat up the Knik River or in the winter
when the river is frozen by snow machine.
The face of the gorgeous Knik Glacier is a towering
river of ice 28 miles long, some 5 miles wide, and more
than 1,000 feet thick. Melted water on the surface of the
glacier mirrors the blue of the glacier ice below.
Compressed, devoid of air bubbles, glacier ice looks
blue. Knik Glacier.
September, 2005 - Knik Glacier - Alaska
Icefields and an estimated 100,000 glaciers cover 5
percent of Alaska's surface and they are easily viewed
by visitors to Juneau, Valdez, Whittier, Seward,
Anchorage or the Matanuska Valley. Knik Glacier is in
the Matanuska Valley near Palmer, Alaska. It is
accessible only by boat up the Knik River or in the winter
when the river is frozen by snow machine.
The face of the gorgeous Knik Glacier is a towering
river of ice 28 miles long, some 5 miles wide, and more
than 1,000 feet thick. Melted water on the surface of the
glacier mirrors the blue of the glacier ice below.
Compressed, devoid of air bubbles, glacier ice looks
blue. Knik Glacier.
| Knik Glacier | September 2005 |
________________________________
Alaska Train Trip
The state-owned Alaska Railroad provides freight service from
Seward and Whittier to Anchorage and Fairbanks. This railroad
also operates passenger trains. I took this train trip from Wasilla,
Alaska on the first Thursday in March, 2006. Uncertain weather
prevented me from making reservations in advance so I had to
flag the train down. It was sunny when I left Palmer and just a little
cloudy when I jumped on the train. By the time the train arrived in
Talkeetna, it was snowing lightly. When we reached Hurricane
Turn we were in a heavy blizzard.
The train runs daily in the summer, however in the winter it makes
this run only on the first Thursdays of each month. Most of the
passengers were locals that had been shopping in Anchorage for
supplies which were packed in large boxes on the train. North of
Talkeetna there were no roads to the cabins. The train was the
life line for residents in the bush.
Frequent stops were necessary for the people to unload supplies
onto their snow machines which were waiting beside the railroad
tracks. Even though the snow machines were covered with tarps,
the owners had to dig them out of waist deep snow to get in them.
Many snow machines had sleds attached to carry the heavy food
and equipment needed to survive in this wilderness. The
baggage car was full of animals returning from visits to the vet
and the passenger car held many sleeping children tired from
their visit to the doctors in Anchorage.
Locals have used this train to reach their remote cabins since
1923. It's one of America's last flag stop trains. On this wilderness
run, you can get off the train anywhere along the 55-mile stretch
to hike the backcountry, cast a fly to an elusive trout, or pack in
provisions to a remote cabin. Or take the entire 115-mile route
for a one-of-a- kind day trip. Starting in Talkeetna, the route
threads its way along the Susitna River and through the Indian
River Canyon.
Alaska Train Trip
The state-owned Alaska Railroad provides freight service from
Seward and Whittier to Anchorage and Fairbanks. This railroad
also operates passenger trains. I took this train trip from Wasilla,
Alaska on the first Thursday in March, 2006. Uncertain weather
prevented me from making reservations in advance so I had to
flag the train down. It was sunny when I left Palmer and just a little
cloudy when I jumped on the train. By the time the train arrived in
Talkeetna, it was snowing lightly. When we reached Hurricane
Turn we were in a heavy blizzard.
The train runs daily in the summer, however in the winter it makes
this run only on the first Thursdays of each month. Most of the
passengers were locals that had been shopping in Anchorage for
supplies which were packed in large boxes on the train. North of
Talkeetna there were no roads to the cabins. The train was the
life line for residents in the bush.
Frequent stops were necessary for the people to unload supplies
onto their snow machines which were waiting beside the railroad
tracks. Even though the snow machines were covered with tarps,
the owners had to dig them out of waist deep snow to get in them.
Many snow machines had sleds attached to carry the heavy food
and equipment needed to survive in this wilderness. The
baggage car was full of animals returning from visits to the vet
and the passenger car held many sleeping children tired from
their visit to the doctors in Anchorage.
Locals have used this train to reach their remote cabins since
1923. It's one of America's last flag stop trains. On this wilderness
run, you can get off the train anywhere along the 55-mile stretch
to hike the backcountry, cast a fly to an elusive trout, or pack in
provisions to a remote cabin. Or take the entire 115-mile route
for a one-of-a- kind day trip. Starting in Talkeetna, the route
threads its way along the Susitna River and through the Indian
River Canyon.
| Knik Glacier | Palmer, Alaska | September 15, 2005 |
| Alaska Train near Hurricane Turn |
| Talkneetna, Alaska stop for passengers and supplies |
| Hurricane Turn in a blizzard | Alaska |
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March 25, 2007
It has been a long cold winter with darkness closing in about 3 pm every day. The morning light breaks through the mountain
pass around 10 am with soft streaks of gold in the grey dawn. Sometimes it difficult to know the moon from the sun as the sun
takes on the same dull misty glow on some days and the moon seems to get confused and hang around low in the sky till nearly
noon.
I know spring is coming soon because the temperature climbed above zero several days last week and it even got high enough
for the snow on my roof to loosen up and roar down in a mountain of white on my deck. Several days later, it fell to the low 20s,
and now I have a mountain of ice on my deck. I picked at it with an ax for an hour or two before I realized it was harder than the
rocks beneath my studio. Maybe it will melt this summer, if not I will be barbecuing around the huge ice cubes.
Another blizzard arrived today. A wonderful spring blizzard with soft falling snow flakes the size of quarters. There was no wind
and the snow flakes drifted in the air like lazy kits on a summer afternoon. I couldn't resist looking up in the sky and letting the
soft flakes of snow fall on my face wanting to enjoy this mild storm. Soon this winter will be just another memory.
It has been a long cold winter with darkness closing in about 3 pm every day. The morning light breaks through the mountain
pass around 10 am with soft streaks of gold in the grey dawn. Sometimes it difficult to know the moon from the sun as the sun
takes on the same dull misty glow on some days and the moon seems to get confused and hang around low in the sky till nearly
noon.
I know spring is coming soon because the temperature climbed above zero several days last week and it even got high enough
for the snow on my roof to loosen up and roar down in a mountain of white on my deck. Several days later, it fell to the low 20s,
and now I have a mountain of ice on my deck. I picked at it with an ax for an hour or two before I realized it was harder than the
rocks beneath my studio. Maybe it will melt this summer, if not I will be barbecuing around the huge ice cubes.
Another blizzard arrived today. A wonderful spring blizzard with soft falling snow flakes the size of quarters. There was no wind
and the snow flakes drifted in the air like lazy kits on a summer afternoon. I couldn't resist looking up in the sky and letting the
soft flakes of snow fall on my face wanting to enjoy this mild storm. Soon this winter will be just another memory.
| Art World Plus | BLOG Alaskan Art by Alaskan Artist Dianne Roberson Hendrix |
| Reindeer in Butte, Alaska June 25, 2008 |
Reindeer are gentle and love to be around
people. This one eats out of my hand.
The reindeer is about 4 feet (1.2 m) tall at the
shoulder and is about 6 feet (1.8 m) long.
Unlike most other types of deer, both bulls
(males) and cows (females) have antlers.
The antlers are shed each year and regrow.
Reindeer have very wide hooves, a broad
muzzle, and thick brown fur. The thick fur
traps air, which insulates the reindeer from
the cold and helps the reindeer float in water.
You can visit these reindeer on the Old Glenn
Highway outside Palmer, Alaska. Just turn
right at the blinking yellow light and follow the
road a short distance.
It is a large herd and you can walk right in
and pet them.
people. This one eats out of my hand.
The reindeer is about 4 feet (1.2 m) tall at the
shoulder and is about 6 feet (1.8 m) long.
Unlike most other types of deer, both bulls
(males) and cows (females) have antlers.
The antlers are shed each year and regrow.
Reindeer have very wide hooves, a broad
muzzle, and thick brown fur. The thick fur
traps air, which insulates the reindeer from
the cold and helps the reindeer float in water.
You can visit these reindeer on the Old Glenn
Highway outside Palmer, Alaska. Just turn
right at the blinking yellow light and follow the
road a short distance.
It is a large herd and you can walk right in
and pet them.
| Musk Ox June 19, 2008 A neighbor off the Old Glen Highway recently got 20 musk ox. His is a gentle herd. |
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