Matt and Polly's Adventures

Brrr!

2009-01-03T22:11:00.004-09:00

Happy New Year from the Interior Alaska deep freeze! We had a wonderful Christmas at the cabin, but left shortly afterwards when the winds picked up and started gusting in the cold air mass that has been hanging over the area for about a week.

Kramer and Matt bundled up and went on a chilly run with the sled tonight. Even in the severe negative temperatures, we boys tend to have our fun. When we get back from the run we both have frosty white beards -- enough to make us think that Santa has come back!

Our vacation is coming to an end and it will be back to work on Monday. We wish you and yours a great January.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2008-12-07T21:53:00.005-09:00

This weekend Matt went down to the cabin with some friends to snowmachine and ready the cabin for our Christmas vacation. He hauled in a 40# propane tank and two containers of firewood. He and his friends mounted a coat rack and a clothes rod on which to dry clothes damp with snow. The weather was balmy when they arrived Friday night at +38F. It snowed most of the weekend. The light was very flat, so it was difficult to see while snowmachining in the daytime. The powder was deep, though, so it made for fun riding! Matt set up a Christmas decoration on the porch and had his picture taken with Kramer. Polly stayed home and decorated their house for Christmas. The tree looks beautiful!

Texas Animals

2008-11-29T22:08:00.000-09:00

As we described in our last post, we saw lots of interesting wildlife in Texas. Here are some photos of some of the wildlife we saw, as well as some interesting domestic species. We saw way more wildlife and animals in Texas in a week than we sometimes see in an entire year in Alaska. Unfortunately many of the deer we saw were road kill.

Animals and Archeological Mysteries

2008-11-26T20:00:00.001-09:00

Yesterday we drove through the Texas Hill Country looking for exotic game. We found lots of interesting species that have been introduced over time, including Pere David Deer, Blackbuck Antelope, Axis Deer, Rhea, Scimitar-Horned Oryx and Texas Longhorn cattle.

However, perhaps the most interesting things we saw were just outside of Ingram. As we rounded a corner, we came upon the mysterious Stone Henge and Easter Island archeological remnants. Texas just keeps throwing surprises our way!

Barbecues and Boulders

2008-11-26T19:34:00.000-09:00

Today we drove north from Ingram through the Texas Hill Country and headed to Llano. We had a great lunch with Mom and Marvin at the locally-famous "Cooper's Barbecue Pit". It was fantastic! We enjoyed barbecue brisket, barbecue ribs, corn on the cob, baked beans and potato salad.

We sauntered out of Cooper's and headed down the road to Enchanted Rock State Recreation Area. It was a gorgeous day -- warm and sunny. We hiked with Marvin up the steep climb on the Summit Trail to the top. We took in the scenic view and took a less traveled way back down. We had a great day. Although, given a chance to do it over, we would have hiked first and then eaten barbecue!

Ultimate Hunting Rig

2008-11-25T09:12:00.000-09:00

We saw the most outrageous hunting rig ever this weekend! It was crew cab dually pulling a large gooseneck trailer with four ATV's and all of their gear. Behind that was a pup trailer outfitted with a huge barbecue grille. When asked about their outfit, one of the hunters said, "We gotta lotta sh*# back thar!"

God Bless Texas!

2008-11-25T09:08:00.000-09:00

Polly and Matt arrived in Ingram/Kerrville, TX on Saturday evening after three perfect flights and connects and their luggage arriving. The next day, they took in some local sights in the summer-like weather. It was startling to come to the conclusion that there are rednecks in Texas, too!

108 Degrees of Separation

2008-11-19T21:54:00.000-09:00

Matt was in Valencia, CA this week for corporate training. He also met with Jeff at VanHool motorcoaches in Garden Grove (near Aneheim/Disneyland) today. It was beautiful -- sunny and in the high 80's, as you can see from the thermometer in his rental car.

He landed in Fairbanks tonight and it was -19 at the airport. Pretty amazing, since he never left the continent! Next, we start packing for our trip to Texas on Friday night to visit Yvonne and Marvin for Thanksgiving.

Kramer Earned His "CGC"!

2008-11-16T21:30:00.000-09:00

This afternoon, Polly took Kramer for his Canine Good Citizen (CGC) evaluation. He passed all ten exercises which included sit, stay, come, supervised separation, greeting a stranger, greeting a strange dog and other challenges. Here he is, clearly exhausted, relaxing with his mom.

Matt didn't end up going to the cabin this weekend. Instead, he caught up on chores and did some studying for the UCLA class he is taking in California on Tuesday.

Planning Another Trip

2008-11-10T22:15:00.001-09:00

Matt is already planning another trip to Summit Lake next weekend. He wants to haul down some more firewood and a full 40# propane tank. We need to make sure that we have enough firewood and propane for the long Christmastime trip we have planned. Some friends will probably be tagging along this weekend to take advantage of the outstanding early season riding. Today the weatherman was calling for 40 mph winds so it might be a little windblown, but it is supposed to snow more on Wednesday.

Trip to the Cabin

2008-11-09T21:11:00.000-09:00

We had a great trip to the cabin this weekend! It wasn't too cold (about +15 during the day) and beautiful. Matt installed the thermostat so that the propane heater works now. It really helps to have both the wood stove and the propane heater going upon arrival to warm the cabin up. Here is Polly in her favorite spot (warming up by the wood stove with the company of Zeke and Kramer).

We took the dogs for two long runs along the pipeline with the snowmachine, watched a couple of movies, did some organizing and put together our new dining room table. We lost a pin to the freight sled hitch, but were able to get our gear safely back to the truck. We gave Auddie (a friend that lives in Paxson and operates Denali Highway Cabins) a ride back to Fairbanks to pick up his diesel pickup at the Ford shop. Here is a photo Matt took of the Alpenglow while walking to the outhouse on Saturday evening.

Agility Fun

2008-11-05T20:57:00.000-09:00

Tonight Polly took Zeke and Kramer to the Camp Li-Wa horse barn for some agility run-throughs. Zeke is the top ranked Wirehaired Pointing Griffon in agility in the country. Okay, in fairness there are only two of his breed that are nationally ranked. Agility is Polly's favorite hobby. So, get used to it, there will be many posts regarding this fun activity. Here is a photo of Zeke in action this past summer!

Welcome!

2008-11-02T15:16:00.000-09:00

Welcome to Matt and Polly's blog! We hope to share lots of stories with you about our (mis) adventures, our two "boys" Zeke and Kramer, vacations, trips to our cabin and our lives in Fairbanks, Alaska. Have a look around and post your own comments.