Part 3/3

Today marks my 65th trip around the sun -- better another orbit than an obit!

In reviewing the past year, I find I have a backlog of way too many photos and stories to share, so for now just a recap from late May onward.  Even that brief period must be split into three emails.  This excludes details of the three week trip to Australia with two incredible weeks in Tasmania in March/April.

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Sandy and I did a trip to Anchorage, Seward and Fairbanks in September.

In Seward we did a cruise tour, which included visiting Aialik Glacier, a tidewater glacier.  Also saw a humpback whale breech. Seward weather is usually wet and cold in September, but we were blessed with clear warmer weather.

The Northern Lights were showing at night.  Always a thrill to see them, especially at the historic Iditarod Mile 0 trailhead.

While in Fairbanks I ran the Equinox Marathon as a relay with Bryson and Sally.  Each leg was about 9 miles in length.  I ran the last leg, which began with about a 2000 ft decline, starting in snow and then descending in to rain.  The first seven miles went okay, but the downhill tore my legs to shreds.  The last 2 miles, with the insult hill at mile 9 were rough.  The cold weather and no warmup cramped up the muscles as I hobbled over the finish line.

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Yet another visitor back at home in September.  Jim M. came for a visit.  He was Sandy's boss when I first met her, back in the 1900s sometime.

We took him over to the least used entrance into the park, Cut Bank.  The fall colors of Aspen were at their peak.  Jim M. was kind enough to take this picture of Sandy and me.  There are 3 peaks behind us.  The one in the middle is Bad Marriage Mountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Marriage_Mountain

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In October Sandy, John and I hiked up to the saddle between Mt. Clements and Mt. Oberlin.  Sandy went as far as the shelf below the saddle, as climbing further up requires some scrambling.  This was about one week before Going-To-The-Sun Road closes for the winter season, so last chance to access the Logan Pass area.  Another good weather day with a brilliant view.  We were also treated to seeing a flock of bighorn sheep while up there.

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October 10 we were blessed with clear skies for the Northern Lights.  Walked all the way out to the center of the fairway (15 second walk) to take pictures, and many, many photos were taken!  We live in a dark area of the US, with very little light pollution, except that pesky full moon.

The place I call home.

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October 17 Anne was visiting.  She is another member of the "unlimited standby vacancy" plan.  We wanted to go up to Logan Pass, but cold weather and ice closed the road to go up there.  Plan B, because there is always an unlimited number of backup plans, was to hike upstream from Sacred Dancing Cascades along McDonald Creek.  It had been a few years since I had hiked that.

About a mile in, the trail comes to a series of beaver ponds, and what should appear below us at a safe distance?  A moose.  No, two moose.  I proceeded to down the trail a few steps to see if there was a better view, and saw yet another moose ahead on the trail -- so no going that way.  Three moose!!!

Always a thrill!

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October 20 8am sunrise, looking to the southwest.  The red sun is rising in the southeast, which is reflected off the southwest clouds.  Lasted maybe 3 minutes at the most.

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That completes the summer recap.  Never a dull moment.  Whitefish Mountain opens in a mere 6 weeks for downhill skiing, so on to winter activities shortly.

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Odds and ends ....

The real reason I travel to Fairbanks is to see Beth.  She has always been the only one.

No summer in West Glacier is complete without watching the "young and immortals" jump off the old bridge.

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"You just go out and do this stuff, sometimes spontaneously, everyday, don't you?  I want to retire!"