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posted: July 1st, 2017 |
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As stated at the bottom of Page 1, this page continues our Grapefruit Rocks adventure of May 29th, at 1:04 PM for Rows 1 - 4. Then we go to May 30th, a single shot taken on our home property, and then we take a trip to the Granite Tors 2-mile loop trail, out at about milepost 39.5 on the Chena Hot Springs Road. In Row 18 we jump to June 5th and a trip to Eagle Summit (Steese Highway - Milepost 107), with a stopover at Twelvemile Summit (Steese Highway - Milepost 85.5). This page ends with the final photo at Twelvemile Summit at 10:03 AM. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| May 29th Continues from Page 1 (at 1:04 PM) |
Have you ever seen a Lichen as bright yellow as the one shown here? The second shot is looking over the top of Lower Grapefruit Rocks. You may recall that we started out looking up at them! The third shot is another of Androsace chamaejasme ssp. lehmanniana.
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 May29_128_ GrapefruitRocksAreaRC |
 May29_140_141_AutoPano _GrapefruitRocksAreaRC |
 May29th_323_GrapefruitRocks_ AndrosaceChamaejasmeSspLehmannianaRC |
Now we are at the last of the huge rocks and we are taking a long break here and eating our lunch. The first shot in this row is of Erigeron purpuratus, the second shot is a Lloydia serotina, and the third shot is Mertensia paniculata.
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 May29th_344_Grapefruit Rocks_ErigeronPurpuratusRC |
 May29th_328_Grapefruit Rocks_LloydiaSerotinaRC |
 May29th_367_Grapefruit Rocks_MertensiaPaniculataRC |
Now we are headed down, via a different trail than we came up by. Note the outlined area in the first photo, it shows the area of the next photo. The second photo gives you an idea of what people come here to practice doing.
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 May29_148_ GrapefruitRocksAreaRC |
 May29_149_ GrapefruitRocksAreaRC |
After we finished up at Grapefruit Rocks we headed back towards Fairbanks, but we still had some energy left, so we stopped at the Wickersham Dome Trailhead and hiked up that way for a short distance. The trail was quite muddy and there were very few flowers, so we did not go very far. These two shots show some scenery from the Wickersham Dome Trail.
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 May29th_378_ WickershamDomeRC |
 May29th_380_ WickershamDomeRC |
| End May 29th, Begin May 30th |
Here is a single shot of the dense Birch/Aspen forest which makes up our property.
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 May30th_015_ Home_ForestRC |
While hiking the Granite Tors Short Loop Trail (around 2 - 3 miles, depending on which source you believe) we saw this White Crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys). Granite Tors Trail begins at about Milepost 39.5 on the Chena Hot Springs Road. The third shot shows the black spruce muskeg we are hiking through.
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 May30_06_GraniteTorsShort Loop_WhiteCrownedSparrowRC |
 May30_07_GraniteTorsShort Loop_WhiteCrownedSparrowRC |
 May30th_002_ GraniteTorsRC |
Here are some scenery shots we took as we hiked the Granite Tors Short Loop Trail. By the way, the Long Loop Trail is about 16 miles in length, if you're wondering why we are referring to this one as "short".
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 May30_09_Granite TorsShortLoopRC |
 May30_10_Granite TorsShortLoopRC |
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Here are two shots of Rhododendron tomentosum (Labrador Tea) flowers and a shot of Andromeda polifolia var. polifolia.
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 May30th_018_Granite Tors_RhododendronTomentosumRC |
 May30th_019_GraniteTors_ RhododendronTomentosumRC |
 May30_16_Granite TorsShortLoopRC |
Here is another shot of Andromeda polifolia var. polifolia and then some shots which show scenery and Cottongrass.
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 May30th_022_GraniteTors_ AndromedaPolifoliaVarPolifoliaRC |
 May30th_027 _GraniteTorsRC |
 May30th_029 _GraniteTorsRC |
After a while we came to a creek crossing and noticed that there was a beaver dam just a short distance upstream. We hiked around this area a bit and found some Anemone richardsonii in bloom, along with some other species of flowers.
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 May30th_035 _GraniteTorsRC |
 May30th_040_Granite Tors_AnemoneRichardsoniiRC |
 May30_25_Granite TorsShortLoopRC |
Here was a flower which we found that excited us! It's Viola epipsila ssp. repens, the Dwarf Marsh Violet. We did not expect to find this here, but there was an abundance of them.
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 May30th_043_GraniteTors _ViolaEpipsilaSspRepensRC |
 May30th_049_GraniteTors _ViolaEpipsilaSspRepensRC |
 May30th_053_GraniteTors _ViolaEpipsilaSspRepensRC |
Here are two more examples of Viola epipsila ssp. repens (Dwarf Marsh Violet) and another example of Anemone richardsonii.
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 May30th_056_GraniteTors _ViolaEpipsilaSspRepensRC |
 May30th_064_GraniteTors _AnemoneRichardsoniiRC |
 May30th_075_GraniteTors _ViolaEpipsilaSspRepensRC |
In first position is another shot of Viola epipsila ssp. repens (Dwarf Marsh Violet). In second position is a shot of Kazuya shooting the violets. The third shot is a shot of the creek, backed up by another beaver dam.
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 May30th_084_GraniteTors _ViolaEpipsilaSspRepensRC |
 May30_34_Granite TorsShortLoopRC |
 May30th_109_ GraniteTorsRC |
The first shot in this row is another of Anemone richardsonii, the second shot is a scenery shot and the third shot is another Viola epipsila ssp. repens.
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 May30_36_Granite TorsShortLoopRC |
 May30th_110_ GraniteTorsRC |
 May30_47_Granite TorsShortLoopRC |
We were amazed to find some Calypso bulbosa var. americana here too! The third shot shows some distant Tors.
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 May30th_142_GraniteTors_ CalypsoBulbosaVarAmericanaRC |
 May30th_144_GraniteTors_ CalypsoBulbosaVarAmericanaRC |
 May30th_149_ GraniteTorsRC |
The 16 mile loop trail goes to those Granite Tors which you can see in these photos.
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 May30th_150_ GraniteTorsRC |
 May30_58_Granite TorsShortLoopRC |
 May30th_151_ GraniteTorsRC |
Kazuya managed to capture these two photos of Papilio canadensis - the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail - Amazing! By the way, if you decide to hike this Short Loop Trail, be aware that, at least at this time, it is NOT a Loop Trail. A bridge is washed out and you'll need to turn around and hike back the same way that you came from. There was a vague indication that this was the case, but it was not stated outright at the start of the trail that it was NOT a loop.
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 May30th_153Crop_Granite Tors_PapilioCanadensisRC |
 May30th_159Crop_Granite Tors_PapilioCanadensisRC |
| End May 30th, Begin June 5th |
Our next outing was on June 5th and 6th. We headed out the Steese Highway all the way to Eagle Summit. The first two shots in this row were taken at Mile 57.4, a rest stop near the Davidson Ditch Historical Site. The third shot was taken at the Twelvemile Summit Area near Mile 85.5. The outlined area shows the next photo.
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 Jun5_003_Davidson DitchArea_SceneryRC |
 June5th_004_ DavidsonDitchRC |
 Jun5_007_ TwelvemileSummit_RC |
This cabin and outbuildings are visible inside the outlined area of the previous photo. We were unable to find any information at all regarding ownership of the property or cabin. They are on the Circle - Fairbanks Historic Trail, so we wonder if they are available for overnight accommodation by people using that ATV trail. The second shot is of Kalmia procumbens and the third shot is Pedicularis lanata.
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 Jun5_006_ TwelvemileSummit_RC |
 June5th_008_Twelvemile Summit_KalmiaProcumbensRC |
 June5th_011_Twelvemile Summit_PedicularisLanataRC |
Here are shots of Kalmia procumbens, Cassiope tetragona, and Pedicularis lanata.
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 June5th_013_Twelvemile Summit_KalmiaProcumbensRC |
 June5th_017_Twelvemile Summit_CassiopeTetragonaRC |
 Jun5_014_ TwelvemileSummit_RC |
The first shot here is another of Pedicularis lanata, but less developed than the previous shot. The second shot is Tephroseris kjellmanii and the third shot shows Pedicularis lanata and Anemone narcissiflora.
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 June5th_022_Twelvemile Summit_PedicularisLanataRC |
 June5th_041_Twelvemile Summit_TephroserisKjellmaniiRC |
 Jun5_038_ TwelvemileSummit_RC |
In this row are shots of Oxytropis nigrescens var. nigrescens, Anemone narcissiflora, and Kalmia procumbens.
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 June5th_044_TwelvemileSummit_ OxytropisNigrescensVarNigrescensRC |
 June5th_046_TwelvemileSummit _AnemoneNarcissifloraRC |
 Jun5_046_ TwelvemileSummit_RC |
Here are two shots of Diapensia lapponica ssp. obovata and then a 3-shot panorama of the Twelvemile Summit Area. You can see the Steese Highway climbing up to the Twelvemile Summit.
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 June5th_057_TwelvemileSummit_ DiapensiaLapponicaSSPObovataRC |
 June5th_063_TwelvemileSummit_ DiapensiaLapponicaSSPObovataRC |
 Jun5_065_066_067_AutoPano_ TwelvemileSummit_RC |
In first position in this row is another shot of Kalmia procumbens. In the center is a very interesting Synthyris borealis and in third position is Arctostaphylos alpina.
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 June5th_068_Twelvemile Summit_KalmiaProcumbensRC |
 Jun5_074_ TwelvemileSummit_RC |
 June5th_076_Twelvemile Summit_ArctostaphylosAlpinaRC |
Here is a second (and final) shot of Synthyris borealis. The center photo shows Ranunculus nivalis and the third shot shows scenery and a very small Kazuya there.
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 June5th_078_TwelvemileSummit _SynthyrisBorealisRC |
 June5th_083_EagleSummit _RanunculusNivalisRC |
 Jun5_079_ TwelvemileSummit_RC |
| End Page 2, but June 5th Continues on Page 3 |
| Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this page. Now, please go on to Page 3 for the continuation of this Eagle Summit adventure, beginning at 11:05 AM. |
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