going postal....

Overheard in the Hope post office today:


Man: Those bears been to your place?

Woman: No, not for a couple days. Had three black bears a few days ago. Been to yours?

Man: Yeah, had three of them around all morning.


Woman: Black?


Man: No, brownies.



*******


The fact that I was in the post office in the little settlement of Hope, Alaska, is a big hint why this blog site has been so quiet lately. My neighbor who has the contract to deliver the mail to Hope and Cooper Landing is on vacation, and I'm doing the daily route for her.


Snow, freezing temps in the 20s and a screaming Chinook windstorm pretty well took care of the autumn colors, so I haven't been taking many pictures lately. Instead, I decided to post some I took in the last couple months, and tell you about going postal.


I start off driving six miles to the post office in Moose Pass, and picking up the mail to be delivered to Hope, and also some to folks along the way.



These are my favorite mailboxes along the route to Hope.








Some scenery along the route.




Moose Pass to Hope is about forty-five miles, through the mountains and over a pass. Once at the post office in the village of Hope, I unload all the mail and then have an hour to wait while the Postmaster sorts the mail, boxes up the outgoing mail, and hands me a box of mail to be delivered on the way out of town.



Sometimes I kill that hour by parking right there and reading. Other times, I wander around the old gold mining settlement.





Hope post office.

Wild roses abloom in Hope:
A couple of the old historic Hope cabins:

Then, I pick up the outgoing mail and start my deliveries, to mailboxes such as these:

Back over the mountain pass, retracing my earlier journey, I reach Jerome and Tern lakes.

Jerome Lake, one of my favorite places to kayak:

Tern Lake, where I might see migrating trumpeter swans with their gray cygnets:

I turn south on the Sterling Highway, and pass through the small town of Cooper Landing. Mostly it caters to the fishing crowd.






Small cabins for rent in Cooper Landing.







I pick up the Cooper Landing mail at the post office there, and deliver to folks along a stretch of the Sterling Highway.





The famous Kenai river, known for vast runs of red and silver salmon, trophy rainbow trout, and king salmon close to 100 pounds. It's also a favorite of rafters who like to stay in their rafts, as opposed to Sixmile Creek near Hope, and its Class V rapids.

A trail riding business in Cooper Landing.

In the trail ride store. Those shed moose racks are good for all kinds of things.


Then, it's back to Moose Pass where I unload all the out-going mail. After completing the 130 mile round trip, I'm done for the day. And, that's how Gullible goes postal....

Moose Pass post office.

When I get home, it might be time for a little shut-eye.....