Palmer Rest Day

Day 9--Saturday, July 27, 2002, rest day

Before we went to bed last night, Dan took us on a tour of Palmer, a cozy valley farming community that hosts the Alaska State Fair in August. At the fair one can marvel over the HUGE vegetables produced in this fertile valley with its long hours of sunlight: We were told that the prize cabbage last year weighed 110 pounds and yielded coleslaw for all the members of a Chicago convention. This valley is akin to the Napa Valley of CA as it supplies nearly 100 percent of Alaska's fresh produce.

We saw the airport managed by Dan, and picked out which of the many small planes we'd like to have. We went out to the fire training ground and saw the smokehouse and tower. Dan's a member of the school board, so we toured past Palmer's public schools. Lalle's parents homesteaded here back in the early 30's, so we took a look at what had once been their 500 acres and was now a housing development. We went up high on the bluffs above the Knik River to see it and, in the distance, the Knik Glacier that produces it. This is a beautiful, beautiful valley ringed with mountains.

Susan, Lalle Contini, Jess, and Zach, Lalle's houseguest

Dan and Lalle live just at the foot of Lazy Mountain east of Palmer. We woke the next morning and could look up to the top of Lazy Mt.—and the taller Pioneer Mt.—at fresh snowfall, something Lalle says usually does not occur for another month.

After a big breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, o.j., coffee, etc., Dan took off for his cabin up near Willow Creek. Jess and I washed our clothes and then toured around Palmer with Lalle and her grandson, Danny. We visited the musk ox farm, and the reindeer farm, took our photos to a one-hour photo mart, found some Cold-Eaze and more cough syrup. (Thanks, Lois and Phil, for the Cold-Eaze tip. We found it . . . in three flavors, no less. I'll let you know how it works.)

Everyone decided that the best course of action was to go to Anchorage today (Sat.) by car so that we could spend two days in Anchorage. We want to go to REI to get some spray waterproofing for our fly, which is leaking a little, and to get some power bars and other supplies. And Jess is hankering for a movie or a little night life.

Right now we are at Dan & Lalle's daughter Danette's. She, a nurse, and her husband John, an airplane mechanic with the National Guard, have three show golden retrievers. Tomorrow a.m Danette & John are off early for a fishing jaunt in Seward. We will feed and exercise their dogs while they are gone. We also plan on having lunch at the Bear's Tooth where we can watch a movie while we eat.

John & Danette pulled out all the stops for this evening's dinner: tossed salad, grilled halibut, macaroni and cheese, asparagus, rosemary salt rolls. Very delicious. 

John put the dogs through their tricks before bed. They are beautiful animals.

To bed, to bed in a big puffy pillowy confection. Ahh, but life is good . . .