On our recent trip to Fairbanks, we saw a lot of willow ptarmigan. Going over the pass to Haines Junction, Yukon Territory, Canada, we must have seen 50 each way. The best encounter came the day we drove to Denali National Park, south of Fairbanks.
A willow ptarmigan cock on the Denali Park road (photo: Aly Zeiger)
Our recent trip away from the homestead was all about returning. We drove up to visit family in Fairbanks. My sister, Beth, works there currently, and my dad and stepmother came up from the lower 48 to visit as well.
Before going to Fairbanks, Dad and Nada went to Barrow for a few days. Beth joined them. Dad interned at the Barrow Presbyterian church in the late ’50s as part of his pastoral training. This first taste of Alaska led to his many years here, including my birth in Fairbanks, and my brother’s birth in Petersburg. Continue reading
