Running along the Dalton Highway

Tonight's sunset; I took this picture around 11pm...you can tell the days are already getting longer!

Fun with Lodge Cleaning

So I don't have anything too exciting to post today. I have been working the past few days, which is okay, because Sadie and I have found a way to make cleaning rooms and public bathrooms more fun. We had a little incident with the mop bucket today; I'm not sure how but we managed to tip it over and spill it everywhere. We cleaned some bathrooms that hadn't been cleaned in...well, a long time. I ended up with a soaking wet shirt and shower cleaner in my hair, but other than that, things went well. We checked out the tents today (the ones we will be living in once it gets a little warmer). They are actually bigger than I thought. I went for a run today because the weather was so nice. I ran along the side of the Dalton highway, because the hiking trail is still really muddy. This is the first day I have been able to wear shorts; it was so warm! The only downside of that is the mosquitoes. The mosquitoes here get really bad at the beginning of the summer, and I already saw like 5 of them today. Good thing I bought 99% deet bug spray before I got here. The kitchen made us chocolate chip cookies today, so I probably ate enough cookies to cancel out the calories burned on my run; oh well! Everything is going well, and I am loving every minute of being here!

Me mopping...now that's what I call a clean floor!

Sadie at our midnight bathroom deep clean; notice the perfect form in the art of scrubbing the wall

Trucker Bathroom Cleaning Party

So the past few days have been really warm (well, warmer than it has been), which means a lot of the snow has melted. Even though it has been nice outside, the melting snow has created horrible amounts of standing water, so I haven't exactly been looking forward to walking the trail. It rained all day yesterday, so after working I stayed inside and got through around 6 chapters of the book I am reading. Last night Sadie, Teslin, and I had a midnight cleaning party, deep cleaning the public bathrooms. It's funny how puting on some loud music (such as Beyonce's "Single Ladies") can make something like cleaning the trucker's bathroom more fun. I have also discovered the deliciousness of Coldfoot's pancakes; I have to say they are some of the best I've ever had. The cable has been out for a few days, so we haven't been able to watch TV. Good thing the cable still works across the parking lot at the Slate Creek Inn, so Teslin and I went over there today to watch for a while. Not much else is happening...I will talk to everyone again soon!

Walking down the Chandalar Trail; Jasper, the former lead sled dog, up ahead leading the way