Paragliding in Hatcher Pass, Alaska

Here's a 90-second video of a paraglider doing his thing in Hatcher Pass:

Unfortunately I only had my phone with me, and quickly ran out of storage space.

The paragliders took turns running/jumping off the mountain area to my left, which is right next to Summit Lake. They landed in the brown and red area down by the road, were picked up by a truck, and kept doing that for a while, taking turns.

Cato, a Java and PHP CRUD Generator

Sorry folks, if you're interested in learning about Alaska, this is one of those "one off" posts where instead of sharing something about Alaska, I write about some technical thing I've done in Alaska. In this case I've created a software application I've named the "Cato CRUD Generator", and I thought I'd share an announcement here.

The garden at the Palmer, Alaska Visitor's Center

I just discovered this flower and plant garden at the Palmer, Alaska Visitor's Center during a walk last night. It's amazing what you see when walking instead of bike riding (and what you see bike riding instead of driving in a car).

Things I'll miss if I move away from Alaska

As I'm seriously thinking about moving back to the Lower-48 at the end of this year, I thought I'd make a list of things I'll miss about Alaska if I do leave:

The Alaska fireweed is growing

As of late June, 2011, the Alaska fireweed was already growing very well.

Talkeetna Roadhouse - Mr. Bubble bubble bath and rubber ducks

At the Talkeetna Roadhouse they offer both Mr. Bubble bubble bath soap and rubber ducks. Make sure you get an upstairs room if you want to see them, or just walk upstairs after enjoying a great meal.

New website for a Wasilla, Alaska pooper scooper service

Over the last few weeks I've been helping a friend and former neighbor get her new website launched. She owns a dog "pooper scooper" business in Wasilla, and was having some problems with her previous hosting company and website tools. We got her set up on Wordpress with a new hosting company, and the result is her new Valley Poop Patrol website.

The Glenn Highway and Matanuska Glacier

Here are two photos I took during my "joy ride" on the Glenn Highway yesterday afternoon. As I may have mentioned yesterday, I took the afternoon off, hopped in my car here in Palmer, Alaska, and drove north along the Glenn Highway. This drive is probably my third-favorite drive in Alaska at this time, and here's why.

First, here's a view from a cliff on the side of the Glenn Highway. I'm not sure exactly where this was, but it was probably between mile markers 60 and 90:

The Matanuska Glacier, Alaska

A view of the Matanuska Glacier, Alaska from the Glenn Highway. This photo was taken on June 30, 2011.

The Glenn Highway, Alaska, North of Palmer

I took this photo yesterday, June 30, 2011, somewhere north of Palmer and Sutton, Alaska on the Glenn Highway, probably between mile markers 75 and 100.

Last ninety days in Alaska?

I hate to even think about it, but with July 1st approaching tomorrow, there's a chance I could be entering my last ninety days as a resident of Alaska.

Loving my $25 electric bill

For those who don't live in Alaska, as you might guess, almost everything is more expensive here than in the Lower-48. A two-liter bottle of Coke is usually more than $2. I've seen a half-gallon of ice cream at $8. Cable internet access is $80 a month, and that's with a bandwidth cap, and without cable tv. Gasoline in Denali was over $5 a gallon when I was there last year, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's about $6 this year.

Recent Palmer, Alaska videos

I'm sorry I haven't taken any time to write here in the last few weeks, but I've been very busy trying to get my Valley Programming business off the ground, and haven't taken the time to write at night.

I have, however, created a few "one minute videos", and shared them on YouTube, so I thought I'd take a few moments to share them here as well. First, here's a one-minute video from the Old Glenn Highway, just north of Palmer, Alaska:

The green water of Alaska

I don't remember exactly where I took this photo of some green Alaska water, but it's probably in the Turnagain Arm area south of Anchorage, or possibly farther south in an area that I think is known as Kenai Lake. All I know for sure is that the date of the photo was September 26, 2010, and I was either on my way to Seward, Alaska, or driving back from Seward.

Palmer, Alaska spring cleanup day (2011)

A photo from the 2011 Palmer, Alaska spring cleanup day.

The MTA building in Palmer, Alaska (mountain backdrop)

This is the MTA building in Palmer, Alaska. As you can see, they have a terrific view of one of the mountain ranges here in Palmer.

Palmer, Alaska hotels I recommend

I was going to create a dedicated web page for Palmer, Alaska hotels and lodging, like I've done for other towns in Alaska (see my Talkeetna lodging and Seward lodging pages), but since there are only two places I'd be willing to let family members stay at, I thought I'd just post them in a blog post here.

Friday Flings in Palmer, Alaska (2011)

Today is the first day of the "Friday Flings" here in Palmer, Alaska. I road by the downtown Palmer area earlier today on my bicycle, and I have to say, the kettle corn smelled wonderful. It's 4:35pm as I write this, and I'll be walking back down there shortly to try some of the kettle corn and other food shortly.

In the meantime, here's a photo of the Palmer Friday Flings setup:

New Alaska computer programming company

I've been very busy lately, and haven't taken the time to write any blog posts in a few weeks. The reason for my busy-ness is that I've created a new computer programming company in Alaska, Valley Programming.

Marian Call playing Vagabond Blues, Palmer, Alaska

Oops, I thought I already posted this here ... well, if it's not too late, Alaska artist Marian Call will be playing at Vagabond Blues in Palmer, Alaska tonight, April 14, 2011, from 7-9pm. Tickets are $10.