Tok
Tok, population 1,393 in the 2000 census, lies on a large, flat alluvial plain of the Tanana Valley between the Tanana River and the Alaska Range at an important junction of the Alaska Highway with the Glenn Highway. A fascinating area, there have been Athabascan settlements in the region of what is now Tok for many centuries. (Wikipedia) With the abundance of unusual rainfall in this region, the mushroom population flourished in the spongy, mossy earth. I had an exciting photography session with many while hunched down on the ground, clicking fast and swatting wildly.
The refuge has a surface area of 700,058.54 acres and is one of the larger (currently #18) National Wildlife Refuges in the United States, although, perhaps surprisingly, also the second-smallest of the sixteen in Alaska. Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge is a dynamic landscape made up of forests, wetlands, tundra, lakes, mountains and glacial rivers bounded by the snowy peaks of the Alaska Range. This upper Tanana River valley has been called the "Tetlin Passage," because it serves as a major migratory route for birds traveling to and from Canada, the lower 48 and both Central and South America. (Wikipedia) A brief stop with no hiking.
Burl wood is a type of wood used by artists to create sculptures and other items, such as clocks and even some forms of furniture. It is highly prized by artists because of its unique shapes and ring patterns. Burl wood is a type of fast growing, abnormal growth found on some trees, and grows because the tree has experienced some sort of environmental stress or damage. This is often caused by either a fungal attack or an attack by insects. (Internet)
Read MoreThe refuge has a surface area of 700,058.54 acres and is one of the larger (currently #18) National Wildlife Refuges in the United States, although, perhaps surprisingly, also the second-smallest of the sixteen in Alaska. Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge is a dynamic landscape made up of forests, wetlands, tundra, lakes, mountains and glacial rivers bounded by the snowy peaks of the Alaska Range. This upper Tanana River valley has been called the "Tetlin Passage," because it serves as a major migratory route for birds traveling to and from Canada, the lower 48 and both Central and South America. (Wikipedia) A brief stop with no hiking.
Burl wood is a type of wood used by artists to create sculptures and other items, such as clocks and even some forms of furniture. It is highly prized by artists because of its unique shapes and ring patterns. Burl wood is a type of fast growing, abnormal growth found on some trees, and grows because the tree has experienced some sort of environmental stress or damage. This is often caused by either a fungal attack or an attack by insects. (Internet)
