I was thinking about buying some produce until I saw the prices. By the time I bought a pound of green beans, an onion and a cucumber I'd be out $12.00 and still not have enough for a meal. So I opted for a corn dog instead.
From the produce we moved to the flowers. Such beautiful specimens of annuals and perennials. The wonderful smells, so many different fragrances. I am a gardener and flowers have always been my passion. I never met a bloom I didn't like. I'll share some of the winners and not make comments, just let you enjoy them and I'll try to capture the smells for you to enjoy as well :) :)
After the flowers we moved to the animals, small animals. The animals also have a very unique smell, haha. There were rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, swans, quails, pheasants and other birds as well as my favorite, the Thanksgiving delight...... turkey. Here are just a few of the many we saw.
Our next stop were the farm tractors. There were some earlier models and later models, some of limited numbers and a few that looked more like lawn tractors than farm tractors. It's nice to see that these innovations that made farming easier are still around today. Some no longer used for farming but for their antique value.
From the Tractors we moved to the larger farm animals. Cows. sheep, goats, hogs and ponies This part of Alaska use to be the dairy producer for the entire state. Not so much today but you still see the Dutch Colonial barns that are scattered all over the landscape. Today these farms are raising Reindeer, Bison, Muskox, Goats, Sheep, Turkeys and Chickens as well as some exotic animals. There are also produce growers, horse farms and manufacturing as well.
Once out of the Farm Expo we again found ourselves in wall to wall people. It was hard to move without having to dodge and jump. We ended up standing in front of this yard art area and I found that someone was very creative, using stuff most of us throw away. If you will recall from an earlier blog I shared with you some uses for items like Crown Royal bags, old grills and shoes. Nothing gets tossed here, it can be used for something. For example, notice the use of the beer cans below.
Hubcaps and egg trays make large flowers.
Instead of throwing away those old tires, just paint and add flowers.
An old sewing machine and it's case makes a nice yard train.
Old barn wheelbarrow used for a flower cart.
A small wagon hauls a load of flowers.
Something else that caught my attention was some furniture. Take a look at what this craftsman builds using horns and antlers. I will tell you that it was on top the cabin as for pricing. (In others words, it was through the roof).
Our next stop was to watch a couple of young men who's talents were beyond the skills of most. We watched and I was amazed at what I saw. For a lot of reasons I kept thinking about the training of those like the Taliban and ISIS or ISIL as they are also called. With ease these two climbed the steal poles without the aid of belts or pulleys. Using only their hands and feet they raced up the poles, then each jumping past each other to end up on the opposite pole.
Using only their legs they perch on the side the pole.
Without holding on they pose on the poles using only their legs and feet.
Using one hand they pose on the pole with ease.
They descend with control using only their legs while their hands remain free.
Climbing with speed and moving from one pole to the other.
Turning upside down and moving down the pole then moving to the other pole and moving back up.
Climbing with only feet and hands.
Moving downward using both poles.
Moving from pole to pole.
I watched these men who seem to have no difficulty moving around on these metal upright poles. Kathie laughingly called them Pole Dancers. I was in fear of what I had just seen. I was reminded of some of the training footage of the Taliban soldiers I had seen on the news cast. This really brought it home to me. I no longer doubted the ability of what I had just seen, it was real and I had witnessed it first hand. My mood changed and I was uncertain. These were human flies and they were good at what they do.
We continued to move about and to look at all that was there. The children were having a grand time, face painting and weird hair colors and styles. Then there were those whose dress was different as well. I took pictures but rather not share them as they are entitled to their youthful play and manner of dress. I'm sure that while I was watching others they were also watching me, haha.
Another innovation that caught my attention was this new Chevy P-up truck. It was designed for a wheelchair driver. Notice the drivers door, how it opens to allow roomy access for the wheelchair. The price was just over 45K as equipped. I didn't think that price was too high for all that it offered a disabled driver.
We were ready to call it a day. We had one final stop to make on the way back to the gate where we had entered. Kathie wanted to get some takeout, funnel cake :) She carried it home and didn't offer me a single scrap. Well, I am on a diet so I denied myself the Oreo's as I drank my beer. I know the beer also is adding the weight but one step at a time :)
The fair runs until Sept. the 1st. It's a big event, marking the end of summer. Parking is a problem with so many who are attending. The rail service has put on special trains from Anchorage to make attending easier from that area. For us, we are close, within a mile and walked to and from.
For the next couple of days we'd prepare for our long trip back to the lower 48 and finally home. We needed to stock up on food items while they were ready available, do our laundry and make sure the truck was packed tight to prevent loss or damage. The rough roads we drove to get here would also be the ones we'd use going back. Our trip would be altered somewhat thru the Yukon and part of Canada. We will be pulling out of Palmer on the morning of August 26th, headed back to Tok via Black Rapids. Unless there are some unforeseen problems we will exit Alaska and it's border no later than September the 1st. The snows will be coming by the 15th of September, I'm sure we will see lots of snow in the higher passes as we travel thru Canada.
We have spent the last four months traveling and having a great time. We have driven a lot of miles, visited a lot of places and seen a lot of different animals. As much as we have seen and done, we're just getting started. As we end one adventure we began another :) Thanks to all of you who read our blog and travel along with us.
