Ruthie made me do it

I don't work Wednesdays. I haven't since about the beginning of the year. I like a 4 day work week. I'd rather have a no day work week, but that's just not in the cards yet. This past Wednesday, Cindy and I went out to the flight center to get an eagle that was getting released that night (flight center photo's to follow soon). After we were done I had a presentation with Ghost at the Eagle River Campground.

When it was over and I was leaving, I turned my cell phone on just in time to take a call from Ruthie. It was slow at her work so she took the rest of the day off and wanted to go for a long ride. I took a little convincing, but I said OK. So back to the house and I put Ghost in his mew. Ruth already packed a late lunch, snacks and drinks. There was little waiting time when we were on the road to Hope, Alaska and all points in between.

First stop was Girdwood. It's a land that's stuck in the late 60's and early 70's. It's also the place to go skiing during the winter. We checked out the flowers and the bakery. Had a good break and then headed off to Hope.

Hope is an old town dating back to the early 1900's. If you have a strong arm you can throw a rock from end to end. Be careful not to hit a building or you may knock it down. They had a lot of fishing going on and the campground was full. After checking things out for a while it was time to head back. We felt like we knew where to find something that would really struck our interest.

Our next stop was in the Turnagain Arm area. I don't want to get specific. There we found a very active eagle nest. I took the picture at the left and submitted it to Channel 2 and it made their Weatherpic of the day. It made our day just seeing the nest. We hiked back to the truck and headed to Portage.

Portage is the home of Portage Glacier and a couple dozen people. It's also the only land link to Whittier. To get to Whittier you must drive through a train tunnel. The only other way is by boat. We didn't go to Whittier this day, but remember this part for a future story. Portage is also where Ruth and I picked up a Great Horned Owl with a broken wing a couple of winters ago.

On the outskirts of portage we saw Ma and Pa Swan with their youngsters. We enjoyed watching their outing for a while before it was time to head back home. The weather was great and it was a welcome break in the middle of the week. I sure like having Wednesday's off.

Photo credits: Dave and Ruth Dorsey / Bird TLC