Lynx and mountain hyjinx

Today we had a couple "firsts"!  We woke up to the mama moose and her baby grazing around the side of the house.  As I was sitting on the couch getting my morning java infusion and information gathering, some movement out the window caught my eye.  A LYNX!!!!  Sort of rare to see and even more rare to capture a photo.  I ran for the camera and got a few, mostly blurry shots, of the small lynx sauntering around the house, probably following the smell of that baby moose.  I got one decent photo and some video:

Kitty, kitty, kitty!!!!!

Very exciting to watch him pass right along our back door and under Willa's bedroom window!

After Willa's running class we headed out to Palmer to climb the Butte.  The Butte is a 881 foot isolated mini mountain rising abruptly in stark contrast from the flat farm lands of Palmer.  This prominent landmark, or, mountain "light" if you will, is dwarfed in comparison the 360 degree view of mountains surrounding it- the reward after climbing the sometimes steep, sometimes rocky, oft dusty trail.  Why, hello, Talkeetna Mountains, Chugach Range, Knik Glacier, Matanuska River and, on a clear day, Mount Susitna!!!!  WOW.  Something Wonderful, indeed!!!!  While the views are mind-blowing, the Butte itself is ravaged by social trails and is in major need of restoration and monitoring.  At the top you'll find tons of people and, unfortunately, trash and the occasional graffiti tag.  :(

Willa and I where chased by 25,091,494,020 mosquitoes on the way up, accosted by a dust devil at the top(Willa, obsessed with tornadoes, was THRILLED!), and eyed suspiciously by a group of umbrella toting Asians-the women all in HEELS?  The Valley.  Always a surreal experience.