Update

It's a beautiful morning here at my workplace, and I'm anxiously awaiting my opportunity to go home for a couple of weeks and make some serious improvements to the kennel.  I miss my dogs when I'm away, and more than anything else I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with the fuzz-butts. 

In the news, musher Melanie Gould is still missing.  An Alaska State Wildlife Trooper in a helicopter spotted her truck at the end of a side road or trail off the Denali Highway yesterday afternoon, but thus far searchers have found no sign of Melanie.  If you are in Alaska, please keep your eyes peeled.  Her friends and colleagues are greatly concerned for her welfare. 

There are still a fair number of fires burning in the area.  The Hastings Fire, near the Chatanika River west of the trans-Alaska Pipeline in the one of greatest conern, but so far it has remained on the north side of the river, in spite of considerable spread to the northwest yesterday and last night.  Closer to my workplace, the Tatalina fire is being worked by fire crews.  I haven't heard any news from those fires that are closer to home, but no news is good news, it's an indication that they are not spreading to any signficiant extent.

The major impact of the moment from the fires is to air quality.  With thick smoke hanging pretty constantly it's hard on the respiratory system, and tends to result in a nagging headache that just won't go away.