Day 154, 6/3/2011

A crowd gathers outside the Blue Loon to hear the Barenaked Ladies perform.

The Loon is a popular watering hole on the south side of town and hosts some of the best groups that make it to Fairbanks during their Summer Concert Series. This was an all ages outdoor show, consequently there’s a chain link fence separating the under and over 21 crowds. Matt and I, being over 21, had the pleasure of sitting next to a trio of hippie wannabes who were smoking skunk weed like it was their job. But determined to enjoy the evening (which by the way was just windy enough to make my teeth chatter) we opined that they were quite entertaining.

The concert was fantastic, and they played until about 11:30 PM, just after this photo was taken.

Day 155, 6/4/2011

The new grill.

Six words – I wish you could smell this.

Day 156, 6/5/2011

Penny and I went for a run this morning. Even after this area just experienced the third driest May on record, my dog manages to find a mud hole.

Day 157, 6/6/2011

A freshly planted marigold.

One of the few garden dwellers I can’t seem to kill.

Day 158, 6/7/2011

Can you believe these lovely roses just grow wild all over the place here?

I have them around the entire perimeter of my yard.

Day 159, 6/8/2011

Wild iris by the side of the road.

Day 160, 6/9/2011

Finally! Today we got a good, steady soaking rain that we desperately needed.

With 43 wildfires currently burning in Alaska, and most of them in the Interior, the last couple days have been very smoky. You know things are getting bad when you are sitting in a climate controlled office with all portals sealed, and all day long you feel like you should have a marshmallow on a stick.

Even though it’s rained steadily since yesterday afternoon, we still woke up to the strong smell of smoke this morning and a hanging miasma outside. 

It’s a fact of life here in the summer. The question is, will it be this way all summer?

Day 161, 6/10/2011

Woo hoo! We are headed out of town today for our first salmon fishing weekend. We get there via the Richardson Highway, one of the few major roads we have in Alaska. This photo shows the longest stretch of straight road you will see anywhere in the state, other than maybe on the North Slope tundra.

Here is our favorite fishing hole, at the mouth of the Klutina River where it converges with the Copper River.

The Klutina is a very fast moving river with beautiful blue-green water, and is excellent for both sockeye and chinook fishing. The kings are fun to catch, but the sockeyes are the real prize if you like to eat fish. Some of the freshest and most sought after fish in the world swim right by this log on their long journey to the spawning grounds.

Here friend Steve Thurmond wrestles one more for the stringer up on to the bank.

The mountain in the background is Mount Drum, a stratovolcano in the Wrangell Mountain Range.

Day 162, 6/11/2011

I have posted half a dozen pictures from this day. It seems excessive when my goal was to find the one I liked best, but having spent all day in a beautiful spot like this mostly waiting my turn to elbow in to the honey hole, it was tough to narrow down from the hundreds of photos on my SD card.

A juvenile bald eagle perched atop a log on a gravel bar between the Klutina and Copper Rivers.

Polemonium, also known as Jacob’s Ladder, is one of the numerous picturesque species of wildflowers that naturally adorn the Alaskan wilderness.

Gulls are everywhere, taking full advantage of surplus fish parts after the filet work is done. 

The girls and I found a nice warm sandy spot to rest on and I almost felt like we were at the beach.

It’s fascinating to think about all of the different minerals that are represented in this photo, where they respectively originated, and how they all ended up together here.

This young man is trying his level best to bring in a sockeye salmon. I like to call this photo “It takes a village.”

Day 163, 6/12/2011

All good things must come to an end I guess. 

The bearded one drives the Winnebago back home where another week on the hamster wheel awaits us.

Day 164, 6/13/2011

Tourists and locals alike line up to procure fresh produce from the Calypso Farm booth at the Monday market in downtown Fairbanks.

Day 165, 6/14/2011

It’s a puppy sleepover!

Nice to see you again, Miss Molly.

Day 166, 6/15/2011

Emerge from the darkness and come out of the corner, it’s time for you to behold the light of day.

Day 167, 6/16/2011

Black cottonwood trees are releasing their seeds with such fervor that it suddenly appears to be snowing again.

Day 168, 6/17/2011

Josh is taking the Alaska bow hunter education course so he can get certified to bow hunt in this state.

He and Matt are preparing for a North Slope caribou hunt in August with some friends.

Day 169, 6/18/2011

A crowd of thousands gather every year around the summer solstice to run a 10k course through the west side of town starting at 10PM. 

The Midnight Sun Run is a celebration of the upcoming longest day of the year, and the days can’t get much longer up here because right now we’re at almost 22 hours of daylight. 

Some of the runners wear elaborate costumes, 

and the community gets involved as well, having block parties around every corner to watch and cheer the runners on.

Day 170, 6/19/2011

We Alaskans appreciate the summer solstice more than most, and here in Fairbanks they celebrate by gathering downtown every year for the Midnight Sun Festival. The streets are filled with locals and tourists enjoying live music, great food and well over 150 booths where merchants sell clothing, crafts, art and other wares. There are many interactive stations as well, like the gold panning trough.

A skateboarder demonstrates his talents on Lacey Street.

This booth stays busy, Big Daddy’s northernmost southern barbeque, a local favorite that was featured on the Food Network last year.

Multicolored toilets seemingly accessorize this colorful mural.

Day 171, 6/20/2011

The Fairbanks International Airport.

(photo by Matt Splechter)

Locals with out of state guests coming to visit get very familiar with this place between May and September.

Day 172, 6/21/2011

There were cars lining the streets and parking lots in every direction as I entered the gates of Growden Memorial Park, home to the farthest north baseball club, the Fairbanks Goldpanners.

Every year, on June 21^st, the summer solstice and longest day, the Panners play a game under the midnight sun without the assistance of any artificial light. They are in the 106^th year, and it’s still pretty damn cool.

The first pitch is thrown at 10:30 PM, and the games often extend well beyond midnight. Today, extra innings were necessary and the bottom of the 10^th saw the clock strike 1:30 AM. There had been an intermittent drizzle throughout the game, but just before 2:00 AM it started to pour heavily and the game was paused, with a plan to press play again at 6:00 PM tomorrow, much to the dismay of the waterlogged but diehard fans.

Day 173, 6/22/2011

Now is the time to cut, split and stack wood for next winter. With the air quality problems in the Interior during the cold months, it’s very important not to burn green wood that will generate excessive amounts of smoke.

During the next few weeks, we will gather and store wood that will dry for a year and be optimal for burning in the fall of 2012.

Day 174, 6/23/2011

Sockeye salmon make their way up river to their spawning grounds at Summit Lake.

Day 175, 6/24/2011

The Stampeder’s Cemetery in Copper Center is an interesting place to linger for a while. 

None of the graves are formally marked, but each one is adorned with a wooden cross and surrounded by a picket fence.

Day 176, 6/25/2011

A burl wood caribou sculpture aside the Richardson Highway welcomes locals and tourists to the Knotty Shop in Salcha.

Day 177, 6/26/2011

Would you look at that --- the farthest north IMAX theater!

Day 178, 6/27/2011

Oh boy oh boy oh boy! 

Lucky for me the farthest north Thai food restaurant serves the most delectable food I’ve ever tasted! 

Day 179, 6/28/2011

It’s been raining for a while now. 

Usually it doesn’t get this soggy until around time for the state fair in August.

Day 180, 6/29/2011

I’ve tagged this photo “Rainbows, Road Construction, 

and…Cats…in a Cage?”

Day 181, 6/30/2011

Most people here don’t realize that the dwarf fireweed plant is completely edible, and tastes a bit like spinach. 

The Inuit boil the leaves for tea and eat the petals in salads.