What a night, six o'clock dark of course and it has been snowing for days.  Clyde wants out, standing at the door, OK, there you go.  Phone rings, taking care of business,  I am on the phone and off in about 15 to 20 min. where is Clyde?  He is always back at the door, I check the side door, turn on the lights, check the front door, and call go back to the other door and call.  Oh, Me, Oh my, No black streak comes running around the side of the house, wiggling all over.  Where is he.

In the dark I begin to hear bells chiming softly in the distance, they are getting  louder and still louder.  Am I dreaming?  I can't see anything, then I feel a wet nose poking me from the side of the bed. Clyde believes I set the alarm for a reason, to let him out.  OMG, it is race day?  Alea Roberson is running the Jr. 200 and will be wanting her breakfast to stoke her fire.   This is the 3rd year she has been here to run the race, I can see that her determination is building each year.  She is only 15 and needs this race for qualifying miles for the Iditarod.  This will be here first year for the Jr. Iditarod.  I simply have to get out of bed.  Alea is off without a hitch headed down to the race start just a couple of thousand feet down the road.  She is determined that she will be ready to go when her number is called.  Booting her dogs is always a chalenge, her mom is along as her handler. Added later-  Alea came back to the lodge with the biggest smile and a shy little duck of the head, she is...

Oh my, Oh me, feeding chickens in the alaska winter dark is hard enough.  Trudging out to the Hen House, oh no, the flood light has blown out again.  What is that a rabbit running across the Hen House yard?  No too much noise, no light, just a little from the open hen house door,  Oh, my is it a hawk, an eagle, oh my, what a large Owl,  now it is flopping with its wings spread out, must be six foot span at least.  Now it is hanging from the Chain link fence, shut the little door so it doesn't get in the Hen House, no feathers on the snow.  That is a very good sign.  I need to get help,  Kevin, Help, Owl in the Hen house yard.  I gear up, coat, gloves,scissors to cut the net and a flash light, We trudge back out through the snow.  When we get there Kevin takes the flashlight, how does he always end up with the flash light.  We hatch a plan, the Owl is now hanging upside down from the fish net that covers the yard.  I go down to the lower patio to get a long handled fish net.  Neither one of us want to do battle...

These are some details about Crooked Creek Retreat's aFishing Lodge Experience.