Some Pictures At the Lodge

So all is well at Valhalla Lodge. The lake is placid and the mountain range still standing, though there was a reported earthquake in Anchorage which gives me a little fright since I think it might be linked to the volcano that isn't to far from here thats been actively erupting.

This is a picture of the ash from the volcano, pretty crazy!

I'm almost getting used to waking up at 6 am, aren't you proud family?! I wake up at 6 am, work tell about 10 or 11 then I have the afternoon off to go take jobs on the airstrip of Nondalton, nap or just work on being creative. 

This blog thing has turned out to be harder to work with then I thought. For some reason the pictures are not uploading to this site as easy as they are on Facebook or Myspace thats why I haven't been posting, but I'm still going to keep trying. So here are the ones that finally have up loaded after trying for the last 4 days.

This is Brady, Me and Chris. This is a picture of us before we take off on our little fishing trip last week. Brady is from Fort Collins Colorado, a real cowboy. Chris is Captain Kirk's son, quite a character that one is. 

This is Captain Kirk and Liza. They're the masterminds behind the lodge. Kirk is a native Alaskan and Liza is from Oregon. Her dad used to be a professor at Reed and she herself graduated from Harvard Law and is a practicing lawyer up here in Alaska.

This is Erin and I all dolled up waiting for our first guest to arrive. Don't we look professional.

We have a freakin' steam bath. The coolest thing since sliced bread. Chris, Erin and I get in that thing and steam it up, then we jump into 6 mile lake, which is just freezing! And I mean freezing.

In the morning about 8:30 I watch the guest and Kirk take off in the Beaver to go fishing for the day.

This is the four wheeler that I get to ride around in the woods with, a whole lot of fun. Post more later, send my love.

This is my address if anyone is interested in writing me letters.

Ashley Lowe
C/O Valhalla Lodge
PO Box 117
Nondalton, AK 99640

One Week Already?

So I am amazed that already a week has gone by up here. It seems like only yesterday I was getting on the plane to come up here. Our first guest arrived yesterday, two men from Germany. A few days ago, we took a boat ride to the town of Nondalton, a local native village of about 100 people or so, to get the mail. Coming around the bend from the lodge, seeing the village that was around the corner made me realize I wasn't really in the middle of nowhere after all but still somewhere just remote. Its funny how I crave to be nowhere but always find myself somewhere in the end. 

The post office where I will be getting my mail.

This is Brady and Chris pushing in the boat, leaving our town where Chris says I'll be clubbing at in no time at all.

After Nondalton, we went up some streams where Brady showed us ladies how to fly fish, catching a few grayling in the process. 

Later that day or it could have been the day after, I put on some fishing gear and went out to try some fishing on my own. I caught a few grayling with the help of Chris and a few on my own. At the time I was pretty tired, it being a 10 to midnight fishing run after a long day of working, but I still had a lot of fun.

I don't have pictures of it yet but they have a steam bath here right next to the lake and I mean right next to it. A few nights ago or something like that remember I can't tell time up here, Chris and I took a long steam jumping into the lake periodically (which is very very cold, sorry pacific you are way warmer compared to this lake). 

All and all this is a great summer job so far. Its amazing, beautiful and very comfortable. 

Valhalla Lodge Summer 2009

So the flight was amazing! We went through the Alaskan Range Pass and actually passed the volcano that was erupting earlier this spring. I did see the ash from it and then got this strange feeling and remember Mount St. Helen and wondered if I'd make it out of here alive...Just kidding. If I worried about such stuff I'd never go anywhere. 

Here is the pre-flight picture with Buff (step-cousin), Erin the cook at the lodge and me.

Looking back at Anchorage.

Flying through the Alaskan Range

The beginning of Lake Clark. This lake will be my home for the summer.

This is the Valhalla Lodge.

The View from my window, in my OWN room and OWN bathroom. Jealous?

A Walk Around Anchorage

So, I took a walk around Anchorage today to get last minute supplies and I took a few pictures of the mountains and the strip malls around me.

Just like in Fairbanks, the day I left we eat there.
Can you see mountains!

Made it into Anchorage

Pre-flight night, I decided to visit my mom, sister and dad before I left the next day. It was great that I got to see them one more time before I left just in case I get eaten by a bear while I'm up here. Cole and I hang out the night before the flight and decided to jump into the ocean at Nye Beach. So at 3 o'clock anyone still awake in their hotel rooms witnessed two stark crazy mad people running into the ocean with nothing really on. 

From that, the flight itself was pretty long and hard on me. I felt really disoriented and very uncomfortable, but I did manage to sleep for two hours of the flight, get my bags and found Buff and Sherry, my Uncles stepson who I have never meet perviously to this adventure. They have been extremely hospitable, making me a lovely dinner, breakfast and giving me a place to sleep. Buff works as a pilot for Alaskan Airlines and loves Richard Bach (or at least has about 7 of his books.)

Now, I am resting at their home in the west hills of Anchorage about to go to the store to pick up my last remaining supplies I need before going out to the middle of nowhere for the next three months. I am going to post some pictures of my little walk to Fred Myers this morning and then send a message to my family about this blog I'm creating

This is the famous that all the streets must be named after in this neighborhood.
This is the neighborhood in the West Hills. I wish those huge mountains came out better.
This is Brook Town
Buff and Sherry's home.
Tulips in Alaska!