Tally Up Time

 The last days of July mean it's time to tally up where I'm at in the litter clean up detail.

Butter and Eggs, aka Yellow Toadflax

A late, gloomy, rainy spring meant I couldn't start walking the highway and picking up litter, so I felt I was always behind.

However, Thursday I finished a last 0.6 mile gap and now I've walked every foot of the Seward Highway from Mile 37 to Mile 72, except for 8 miles that Mary is doing.   I also did the first four miles of the Sterling highway from Mile 37 to Mile 41.

The Sterling BEGINS at Mile 37?!!!    Yes, it does.   Right at Tern Lake where it intersects with the Seward and terminates in Homer.

Clover blossom

So, for me, that's 39 miles of highway on both sides.

I filled 2265 bags so far, plus left numerous piles of stuff with them that don't fit win the bags, like tires, lumber, and other items.

The dozens of individual flowers that make up the blossom of yarrow.

I'm on my 9th tank of gas dedicated exclusively to cleaning up litter.

Time for a short break.   But it won't last long because there is always new litter to clean up.  If and when DOT mows the roadside vegetation, I'll be out there walking again.   It's really hard to hop they begin that soon, because right now the highway is lined in wild flowers.

Red Thunder, a type of Burnett.

Red clover

The invasive Bird Vetch

Sitka rose

Monkeyface flowers

Orange hawkweed , another invasive, and oxeye daisies.

Columbine

Dwarf fireweed

Bog candle

Chocolate Lily

Geranium and yellow paintbrush

These flowers aren't just found in random places along the roadside.   They re all over!