May 2004
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
            1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31          
Apr   Jun



                   Ex-Pat Alaskans Temporarily
                       In Ohio Seeking PhD






          A Dog Blog...
          Amusing Readers Since 6.23.2003
Click to see the XML version of this web page.
Sunday, May 30, 2004

Forever Young

   Master was behind a pickup truck on the highway today. There was a recently used Suzuki dirt bike in the back and a Sierra Club Sucks sticker on the back window of the cab. Above it, another sticker -- a silhoutte of a beautiful woman, seated, languidly leaning back on her palms. The boy and girl in the truck seemed to be having a good time. They were going ten mph over the limit, at least. What would you pay to have your youth back?

   I wasn't there, Master didn't invite me along. The folks he was supposed to go mountain biking with were no shows so he went alone, on the Cresent Lake Trail, about one hundred miles south of Anchorage. Perfect weather -- sunny, pretty warm (~ 65), barely a breeze. The trail conditions were superb and with the exception of a few hikers he had it to himself. Literally surrounded by snow spotted mountains, cut by gorges and swift moving streams, and thickly forested, find a trail of this quality almost anywhere Outside and you'd have to take a number to get on it. Bears, sheep, moose, etc. are always a possibility here. Once at the top, the lake is an inviting place to hang. Today there was no one up there, making for a pleasantly karmic experience. Even the mosquitoes evidently had the weekend off. The lake water is so clear you could see dozens of Arctic Grayling spawning in the cut banks; twelve inch shadows struggling to keep their place and set their seed in a swift current that first meanders, before succumbing to a sharp gradient and gushing mountain gorges.

   After Chair 5 for a halibut burrito and a couple Coronas (with a lime, always) Master's back home offering feeble excuses for not taking me along. He says, "I didn't know if you were in good enuf shape yet this year to run 13 miles, half of it ~ 1000 feet uphill." "Pfft," I said, "what you meant to say is you didn't know if you could keep up with me."


8:02:47 PM    Comments disabled

Click here to visit the Radio UserLand website. © Copyright 2009 Rufus. Nonsense, distribute widely and freely!
Last update: 6/30/2009; 11:26:23 PM.

 Readers Amused

      Home

About Me

Airedale Philosophy

How this all got started

      FAQ

What's an Upright?

Upright: noun : a by and large bipedal companion, also referred to as a human being.

What's a Cheechako?

Cheechako: noun : a person new to Alaska who has come with the intention to live here.

Who's Master?

Master: pronoun : just the finest upright on the face of the earth, that's who! To read him is to love him.

What's Dogdom?

Dogdom: noun : Life's venue from a dog's point of view.

What's a Sourdough?

Sourdough: noun : A long time Alaskan who has an automatic suspicion of cheechakos.

What does Outside mean?

Outside: noun : A provincial reference to somplace other than Alaska; usually the lower 48.

What's Breakup?

Breakup: noun : A uniquely Alaskan season between winter and spring when the snow and ice begins to melt for good.

Where is SquareBanks?

SquareBanks: slang : A self-evident euphemism for a place widely known as Fairbanks, AK.

Where can I read the Houston Trip?

Houston Trip: vignette : Here

What digital camera do you use?

Camera: hardware : Canon Powershot A80 (4.0 MP)

Who's Mom?

Mom: Hottie : Have A Look

What's a Squeakamunka?

Squeakamunka: noun : your ordinary gray squirrel which can be seen everywhere in our Cleveland neighborhood!

« Alaska Blogs »
  •  Stories
  •  The Cycling Pages

    • Conways Game of Life
    (needs java plugin)

    Sometimes
    Interesting
    Billy
    Greg (Hiatus)
    Virginia Postrel
    Wendy McElroy
    Samizdata
    Atlantic Monthly
    Reason
    No Treason
    Slashdot
    Derke Lowe
    Heather Champ (Photo blog)
    T.C. Boyle
    Liquid Generation
    Improved Clinch
    Exquisite Corpse, A. Codrescu
    Fred On Everything
    Assymetrical Information
    The Daily Ablution (Hibernation)
    Lileks
    Frank Kelly (Hiatus)
    Up In Alaska