Lots of Seeds

 I finally had time to plant the seeds this evening! I have had dirt in the pots all week but just didn't have time to fill them with seeds.  

This was the planning stage. I wanted to make sure I had enough pots. It worked out pretty well. 

One of the best things I did last year was write down which plants were which. When they are seedlings they all look the same. They are stubby and green. 

There they are on the greenhouse ready to go! I gave them a little water and I made sure both lights work. And now we wait. 

The first seedlings

The basil has begun to sprout. Still waiting in the peppers to make an appearance. 

Hopefully I can get a few more seeds in the dirt soon!

Adventures in Gardening

This past year I took on the challenge of gardening. I do consider it a challenge. While it might seem simple and dull to some, it truly was a daily adventure. As I undergo round 2 of the gardening era I would like to jot down and pass along some of the stories I encounter.

So the adventure begins and the first seeds have been planted!

I am starting them in my apartment. 

Jalapeños, Sweet Basil & Sweet Peppers

 The greenhouse is moving right along. We were able to get it covered in plastic today.
I am still missing a heater and benches/shelves, but hopefully both will be added soon.
Almost ready for some plants.

Bicycle Touring Part 1

I bought a bike. It only seemed fitting after working all summer at a bike shop. It's a green Surly Crosscheck with white Ortlieb panniers. Once I had the bike the only logical thing to do was ride it out of town. The only road from Skagway goes to Whitehorse in the Yukon. From there flights were cheap to Vancouver. So on September 30th Mike and I loaded our bikes and climbed the pass out of town. After 2 1/2 long cold days (the second night dropped to below freezing, we woke up to everything covered in ice) we arrived in Whitehorse to friendly faces a hot shower and a warm house! The next day we hopped a flight to Vancouver. It was a bit of culture shock to be in a real city after 4 months of Skagway, but fun to see a new town.
The next afternoon we battled the one-way street of Stanley Park and made it to the ferry to Vancouver Island. We spent the night right outside of Nanaimo and woke up the next morning and rode south. At Crofton we caught a ferry to Salt Springs Island and rode the 20ish kilometers to the other end of the island. It was beautiful and such a relief to be off the busy Highway 1 of the main island. One more ferry back to the main island and a fast 20 mile ride to Victoria. While smaller than Vancouver Victoria had plenty to see and do.
The next day Mike and I parted ways in the morning and I caught my final ferry ride to Port Angeles, WA to meet up with Dad. He was there at the dock waiting for me when I arrived! And so began our Pacific Coast bicycle tour.

Upper Dewey Lake

Just off of 3rd ST is the Dewey Trail System. A short mile hike takes you to Lower Dewey and from there you can walk around the lake or take a right to Sturgill Land, a left to Upper Reid Falls and Icy Lake or go straight and hike to Upper Dewey Lake and from there Devil's Punch Bowl. The takes you from sea level to just over 4,000ft right in between Upper and Punch Bowl. The hike is 3.5 miles and after a nice long lunch at Punch Bowl was about a 7 hour day.

This is Upper Dewey Lake

Upper Dewey

Celebrating at Devil's Punch Bowl. There was still ice in the lake

Looking down over Skagway and the valley

24 Hours of Light

To celebrate the Summer Solstice I participated in a mountain biking relay. Whitehorse has a phenomenal mountain biking trail system. Pretty much anywhere you are in the city and within a 20 mile radius you are less than half a mile from well maintained and marked trails. 

One in particular is the 24 Hours of Light Trail, that the Contagious Mountain Biking Club of Whitehorse uses to host an annual relay event. Teams can consist of 1-8 people and you try to get as many laps on the trail as you can in a 24 hour time period. 

Our team from Sockeye Cycle lapped the trail 24 times in 24 hours and placed 3rd out of 10 8 man teams. One man, Carl, did 21 laps all on his own! 

The trail was great for everyone. It started out with a lot of uphill climbing then a few rocky sections, then a section over a ledge with a great view of the neighboring valley, then a winding tree section, then the last 2 kilometers was about as fast as you wanted to go down a dirt service road and a small down hill to finish your lap. 

Our team after being awake for the 24 hours a little sleepy, but we had a great time. 

Carcross, Yukon

Last summer I really began to enjoy downhill mountain biking. At Winter Park in Colorado you load your bike on the lift and then ride it down the ski runs. However, in Alaska downhilling is a little different. There are no lifts to take your bike up the mountain so you have to ride or push it up your self. Just about 1.5hrs from Skagway is a great little town called Carcross. It is in the Yukon and a great place to visit if Skagway is rainy and foggy. Carcross always seems to have some sunshine. Just to the south is Montana Mountain or a downhillers paradise. At Montane Mt a man named Wayne has dedicated the last 15 years of his life creating and maintain some excellent single track mountain biking trails. There are runs with jumps, mellow blues and greens and some really difficult steep runs or some with lots of rocks for the more technical rider. The best part about the mountain is you can find a run for everyone you go with. The down side is you have to ride your bike up the hill, no lifts. But it's worth it!

This is lake Titshi just past the Yukon boarder on your way to Carcross.

And we saw a bear this Sunday!

 Liz and Mike riding up the service road to our first rune.

 Coming down the trail!

Me, Mike and Liz all skipping the jump. We all jumped it the next time through.

Going over a "skinny" or wooden feature.