Late yesterday afternoon I was rode a bike along the Chena River under a strong northern sun. Where the Chena merges with the Tanana a woman exercised her German Shepard dog in the big river. The current drew me toward the river too with the promise of movement and coolness on a hot day.

Today it rained hard but brief leaving the smell of drying northern wildflowers and ground. We don’t have an opportunity to smell drying ground in Southeast Alaska for our dirt never dries out from frequent soakings of tide and rain. Its a gift enjoyed by dessert dwellers and subarctic people.