May 18, 2009

Summer hasn’t even started and we have completely eclipsed last summer. We enjoyed another glorious week and week end. I biked to work three more days last week.

Friday was the worst weather in awhile. I had to fly to the west side of Cook Inlet. I was shocked to awake to rain, but thought nothing of it. When the plane arrived, I asked the pilot if the weather was going to clear. He said it was better to the south. We loaded boarded the small single engine plane and it became immediately apparent upon takeoff that it wasn’t a good day for flying. The small plane rocked and rolled. I focused on distant objects, but the wings waving in my peripheral vision weren’t helping. The ride didn’t smooth out and as we approached Nikiski to pick up another passenger. In spite of the pilot’s report of better conditions earlier, it seemed like it was now even worse. The plane banked and lined up with the gravel runway. The gusting crosswind made it a rough landing. A moose was grazing right along the runway which caused me a little concern, but I was glad to be on the ground for a few minutes.

The other passenger boarded and we quickly took off. The take off was just as rough as the landing and the pilot banked hard into the wind to gain lift. I focused on breathing as the rollercoaster ride restarted. As we headed west toward the inlet, the weather wasn’t looking good. I wondered how quickly it had changed. The pilot was leaning forward and looking around. I wasn’t surprised when he made a u-turn and returned to Nikiski. Another rough landing made me quite happy to get out and stretch my legs. The pilot transferred our gear into a larger twin engine plane that he dragged over with a four wheeler. He fueled the plane and we were soon back in the air. The heavier plane was less susceptible to the conditions and the little bit of roll was at a different frequency. I was able to relax and enjoy the ride across the inlet.

I was under equipped for the weather as the temperatures dropped below 40 with a light mist for much of the day. I was a bit chilled. In the late afternoon, the sun finally returned and warmed things back to what has now become normal. We completed our work. An electrician and I drove around looking for bears while waiting for the return plane. I was disappointed to see a single engine plane arrive, but the ride home was smooth and scenic.

After sitting around for most of Friday evening, I lost patience with the TV. At about 9:30, I grabbed a camera, a big lens, and a monopod and told Kris I was going hunting for magpies. The evening sun was still shining bright and I know where the magpies like to hang out along the greenbelt. I was surprised at how many people were back there that late in the evening. Kids, dogs, people, and bicycles were buzzing along the trail. I felt a little silly with my giant camera and got a few questions as I wandered about. I finally heard my quarry in a dark dense spruce section of the trail. I found a few magpies hopping about, but as always, they won’t come near me unless I don’t have a camera. I walked ahead a few yards and heard them making their ack ack ack sound. I returned and noticed that they were rather busy in one area. That is when I noticed the great horned owl sitting in a spruce. I began taking pictures and encouraged a group of people to approach quietly. They were pleased to see the large bird and I felt considerably less foolish with my gear. We all watched for about ten minutes until the owl decided to fly away. It was time for an owl to wake up. I tried to get a picture as it flew from its perch, but the lighting had already degraded to the point of shutter speeds too long to capture a fast moving bird. All I got was a blur.

We kayaked on Saturday. We finally found Beach Lake in Birchwood. It was more remote than I had expected, sitting just above the bluff looking over Knik Arm. We paddled around the lake twice. I fished a little, but had no hits. I did get some nice photo opportunities with a pair of loons and a grebe. The loons are so difficult to get close enough in the right lighting. It is at least fun to try.

We met some friends for dinner at a local bar before heading to our evening entertainment, the big roller derby rivalry between Anchorage and Fairbanks. One of our friends was competing so we thought we needed to check it out. I don’t think I ever thought about going to a roller derby before. It was everything I expected with weird people in the audience and large oddly dressed women on skates. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the event itself. I really enjoyed it. The sport is more interesting than I expected, although the rules are a little confusing. Basically, one member of each team, the jammer, tries to skate through the pack of blockers, while the blockers try to prevent them from getting through. The best technique for this is just knocking them down. If the jammer gets through, they get a point for each blocker they pass.

It was a double header. Our friend was on the beginner team, but she did quite well. The advanced team was truly impressive. They have incredible skating skills. The physicality approaches the thrills of big hits in football. I was impressed that these girls get hit hard and knocked down, sometimes illegally, and they just get back up and skate. I suspect a men’s event would break out into fights. As an added bonus to the evening, the home teams won easily.

We took an excessive hike on Sunday, heading up Ptarmigan Valley from Chugiak. The trail was in nice shape so it seemed pretty easy. The slope was never really steep so we just kept going. Five miles and 2500 feet later, we reached the snow line and turned for home. The downhill portion of the hike was easier, but it was a long day. Our feet were burning. Today our legs are tired and sore. It was a great weekend.