Fish: Silver Coho Salmon

Fish:  In this part of Alaska this time of the year is about FISH more precisely "Silvers" COHO Salmon.  This year we have had some very kind people drop fish off for us to process.  Fillets go either into the freezer to eat through the year or fillets are cut up and head into a brine for the smoker.  Christian does a wonderful job of smoking fish.  I do a great job of eating it!

It all starts with either fish we need to gut and fillet or once in a while fish will show up all filleted and what a huge treat! The fillets are a few pounds easily and bright orange!

Once the fillets are washed and cut into smaller pieces the fish is rolled in a dry rub.  We use brown sugar, raw organic cane sugar, and salt.  This sits in the frig for 12 hours.  When the fish is taken out in the morning there is a lot of liquid and the fish is firmer.

Christian washes of the brine off the fish. The fish is then placed onto the smoking racks.  We always put some seasonings onto the fish at this point.

Olive oil is wiped onto the racks first, then the cut brined fillets, and a bit of spice.

Perfect! Off to the smoker for some Cherry wood smoke about 2 hours worth.  Then the fillets are left int he smoker with the heat on until ready!

Oh so dang good!  Fish is then vacuumed sealed and placed int he freezer for winter snacking!

Tundra Times

I love this time of the year on the tundra!  Blueberries dot the ground cover and brilliant red cranberries are ripening.  The bugs are pretty active.  I always have to laugh about the BUGS!  We live in a pretty windy place. Until you want to pick berries, "What wind you will say?" as there is usually none this time of the year!  Like one elder told me years ago, "If you don't like the bugs just wait for winter!" Reassuring when you are swatting black flies and mosquitos and trying to pick berries.  Yesterday we were out picking berries in between all the small rain squalls that were blowing across the tundra.  All rather dramatic as you would be able to watch the squall build in the distance and then see it approach your spot on the tundra.  We would get a good healthy dose of rain.  The rain would move on and things would clear for a bit.

The tundra is green and lush as can be right now.  Fishing for silvers (salmon Coho)is supposed to be fantastic.  Early fall on the tundra is a time of abundance.  This morning the temperature at about 5:25 a.m. was +38ºF which is a wonderful sign of things to come.  The air is now cool and crisp just like it should be as fall starts to approach on the tundra. Changes happen fast and can be very dramatic in the northern latitudes.

Water just isn't always clear but with the help of a filter, it is drinkable.

Water is always a bit of an issue for us out here.  We are in a village which has water for the most part.  This time of the year with a lot of people coming through for sport-fishing, the cannery is up and running processing fish, and the school district has new teachers coming in for training.

All of this places extra demands on the village water system and supply.  Then there can be issues with old pipes, pumps, electricity.  Presently our water looks like this with a nice golden yellow hue.  This means we are on a boil notice and I am hauling water from a friends house that lives up the road who is on a well.  Yesterday as I was heading up the road I thought, "Well the winds are not blowing 40+mph, and it is not -20ºF or colder!"  I am grateful!

Looking south across the tundra to Nulato Hills.

End of summer Fire Weed gone to seed.

Dear Followers!

I went into my comments and saw a handful of comments I hadn't published or noticed Gosh----my apologies to you all!  ooops!  There were a few questions as well.

No traffic jams at all on our drive south or north. Once in a while, we have to wait for road construction work.  We just drive. When we hit a town or a city then we have a few red lights to deal with, but we just drive along through stellar country.


Rain, sad to say we did have a good amount of rain in June.  Since leaving Montana and now being up here in Alaska.  Glacier Park has had several lightning strikes and these strikes have started devasting fires.  July was very dry and towards the end of July, temperatures started to get hotter as well.

Golden Milk is made from turmeric and is a bit of an acquired taste. However, turmeric has many wonderful properties for overall health. I make it with either coconut milk or almond milk without sugar, but I will add just a bit of date syrup or maple syrup to sweeten it up only slightly. I find I just feel good the next day and it helps my joints.

This is the brand I am currently using but you can make it yourself as well.  Think of the flavor if Indian rice!  Then you should also add ground black pepper which helps to absorb more of the health benefits.  

From a basic internet search:  A warm, healing beverage also known as turmeric tea, golden milk has natural anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-arthritic, and anti-cancer benefits, among others . . .

Link to Wikipedia with more information.

MIGRATION---NORTH!

Home!  We made it back to Alaska just fine and dandy.  The drive was very relaxed and easy which makes for a nice time.  Since I was not recovering from knee surgery like last year it was a comfortable drive north.  We started off crossing the border with a fire ban for BC which is a bummer as camping and a campfire go hand in hand.  It was hot and dry as well so a fire ban was a good thing despite our feelings about having a campfire each night.

Cooling off at a nice little creek we have been enjoying for years on our 1st day north.  Crystal clear water, cool, refreshing and easy to access. Our first night, camping was in a campground we have used before in southern BC.  It was really buggy but we survived by using incense to keep those bugs away!  Morning came bright and early as it should. Off we went over the pass and down to the Lake Louise.

 As we started to drive north from Lake Louise we made a few stops to cool off and to enjoy the drive.  I love the drive up or down the Icefields Parkway.  The drive is slower and often you get to see people doing stupid things as they watch/photograph wildlife.  Outside of Jasper, there was a group running towards a rather large Grizz on the side of the road to get photos.  UGH! We drove on!

This was our lunch stop along a creek a great view up into the ice fields. Once again Christian never takes a shortcut and puts out a great spread for lunch picnic.

 A place we enjoy camping at is Mount Robson.  We had a nice walk down to the creek to cool off and to just enjoy the water, rocks, and views through the thick forest.

 At Mount Robson, we could have a campfire which we savored! My favorite, of course, is the early morning light, a cup of coffee and relaxing by the fire.  We are still using our Helinox chairs.  I have a newer one that I will write about in another post.

 There is the massive Mount Robson in the side view mirror as we drive north.  It really is a beautiful mountain.

Heading onto the Cassiar Highway.  This area we could not have a fire as the burn notice was moving north as we drove.  The Cassiar is a narrow two-lane road with great views and wonderful BC campgrounds.

 One of the single lane wooden bridges on the Cassiar.  These are in great shape and make the wonderful clapping noise as you drive across.

Always time for a swim to cool off the dogs.  Sadie just wades about and swims some and Tally is all about the stick, and airtime as she sails into the water.

 Intense---Tally waiting for the "get it" command!

 The wonderful Kinaskan Campground which sits right on this lake.  I would love to get our kayaks up here for some paddling!

 

Lightning strike fires along a ridge as we drove north on the Cassiar Highway.

Another favorite campground is Boya Lake.  Great swimming and the water was pretty warm.  The lake looks like Carribean waters due to the mineral content.

Ol Miss Happy Tally with a stick and a lake to enjoy!

Camp!  Pretty amazing all of our stuff fits into the 1995 4-Runner but master packer Christian gets the job done!

Miss Sadie enjoying tailgate view!

Kluane Lake in the Yukon is a great place to stretch out your legs and to give the dogs yet another chance to swim.  I love the Yukon it is HUGE, & STUNNING!

I am not sure of this flower actually!?

Besides swimming, Tally's next favorite place on the drive north or south is the TENT!

Sadie Loves the tent as well since it is a bug-free zone!

This campground was a rec site and off the road a bit.  Silverthorne is also a cross-country ski center.  The terrain looked great for skiing!  One must remember these campgrounds at not managed and can be party spots for the locals.  Once they were done for the evening we enjoyed the lonely call of the loon and stunning views.

Morning in camp!  My time of the day, up early, making coffee, stunning light, the loon calling out, fairly bug-free and a nice small fire!

Hauling water for fire safety. Look at the mirror reflection in this lake!

Camp!

This outhouse was really clean considering its location!  I was pleasantly surprised by this humble little structure.

A nice view out of the outhouse.  The remoteness of this campground one could leave the door wide open!

Now we are back in the village set up for another year.  I am retired from the classroom but will be subbing and coaching the ski/biathlon team once again.

All our travel went smoothly, we are home, and had an awesome 1st night sleep back in our AK bed!  Now onto the morning routine which I have been craving!  Ski erg, PT for my knee, yoga, sit-ups and then my day can carry on from this point.

Good Morning from the north!

Summer Time Fun! (July 2018)

Summer!  Nothing like being outside and enjoying the fun of summer under Montana's Big Sky!  Summer flies by for us as our time in Montana is limited.  There is so much I love about our time down south!  The evening stars, family & friends, BBQing, hiking, biking, swimming, paddling, being home, the porch, yard, flowers . . . the list is endless really.  Other things I love is my favorite coffee shop, bookstore, Community Library, being able to walk around a small town, and of course the farmers market (these things I can not do in the village). 

(I deleted my facebook account more photos will be posted here instead of the dreaded "WasteBook!" for now.)

A longtime favorite easy hike west of town.

Lupine Lake

Lupine Lake

Miss Tally always ready for the stick!

Hike up Stahl Peak to the fire lookout.

No longer in use but the old fire lookout still stands.

Christian and his girl Tally or is it Tally and his boy Christian.

Miss Intense Sadie! Such a beautiful girl!

Sadie always just lays right down in any water she can find while out with us. One worn out girl who had a blast this day!

Family reunion time in the wonderful Skalkaho Pass area. At one time there was 21 people and 18 dogs who all got along!

My wonderful FIL who loves his time outdoors! He has done everything a smoke jumper in Alaska, ski instructor, ski patrol, kayaker of big water, hiker, trials bike rider, builder, there is nothing he can't do!

Cooling off and I mean cooling off brrr!

Christian was braver than me as he actually sat in the creek for a bit!

I could live there forever I am sure!

On our drive to the family reunion we hit a dry area and yes there could be rattlesnakes.

Recently Hurricane Kayaks came into our lives.  We purchased  Skimmer 140 and we LOVE our new boats!

Sadie is an 82-pound dog and she can ride in this boat easily!

A great paddling kayak even in the lake with wind and boat wakes from every direction.

Paddling Bliss!

Tally is lighter in weight and Christian is larger than me and the Skimmer performs wonderfully!

Hiking with some wonderful friends!  Interestingly enough both of these ladies are creative artist. I wish some of their talents would rub off on me!  I taught with Lynn in Alaska and we get together every year for a visit.

Theresa is a long time friend we ski, hike, bike, paddle, knit, garden, cook, read--you name it--there is a constant exchange of ideas all the time!  

Huckleberries along the trail!

The girls love their ice cream!

Some of you know Christian has a thing for berries.  On the left, we have our new blueberries and on the right our Goumi Berries.  The Goumi Berries are an unusual fruit but they do taste great!

We think this may be the largest cedar on the Whitefish Trail system.

Ok, I will say it here, "I am working on a kids fiction picture book!"

I have discovered a new yarn shop which I just love!  The Woolly Thistle specializes in yarns from the UK and Europe.  This Léttlopi yarn will be used for a Lopi sweater for me in a KAL sponsored by The Woolly Thistle starting in late August. 

Recently, I needed to get a grip on a guest and opted for some inspiration from the Dalai Lama.  It was successful and certainly helped me.

Grilling away veggies and pork.

Is that one of the most beautiful cauliflowers ever!

A new nightly tradition is a cup golden milk on the porch by candlelight. A great way to end the day and to feel great the next day.