Back in the Lower 48

One more REI.  We are standing outside the Mother Ship!  The REI in Seattle, WA where it all began.  We decided to not drive thru the Yukon after Whitehorse or thru BC as the nights were getting seriously cold and many of the services were already closed for the season.  We headed west on a bit of a scary road to Prince Rupert, BC to pick up the AK Ferry. Convoluted planning (Prince Rupert on the MV Taku to Ketchikan then board the MV Kennicott to go from Ketchikan to Bellingham.  As lovely as the ferry system and the scenery are, I have had enough for now. We had a bit of a glitch at the Prince Rupert ferry entrance.  the purser, checking out ticket, said that the ferry to Bellingham only leaves Ketchikan on Wednesdays...We were there on Thursday with tickets all paid for.  Panic!  A week in Ketchikan??  His error.  We were booked on the proper Thursday ferry.  However, in all the confusion, Bob drove over a cement parking bumper and scrunched the driver's door so that it will not open.  We should have been safely in line for the ferry, not pulled over to go into the office about our tickets (which were fine).  That will be an expensive repair and we cannot use the door.

Tomorrow we visit Mt. St. Helen's Visitor Center. Originally, this area was not on our itinerary.  We will still be able to swing up thru Glacier and then to Yellowstone but will miss Lake Louise and Jasper.

Taiga

These look like little plants in the photo but they are full grown trees, but these are Tiaga trees.  Very old, limited by the permafrost below and the short growing season.  In our guidebook it says that Tiaga means land of little sticks in Russian: "This boggy landscape of bottle brush trees" where a 2 inch diameter black spruce tree might be 100 years old.  They have to spread roots horizontally because of the permafrost which prevents drainage of the soil.  Also the ladder like branches provide a route for fire to climb the trees easily reaching the top quickly.  This causes the bundles of pine cones to open for a new generation. 

The Old Salt

Here is the photo of The Old Salt from the last blog that did not upload.  Happy guy.

Valdez

 



(1)On the way to Valdez, we stopped at the Worthington Glacier.  People can go right up to the glacier if they are willing to ignore assorted warning signs that cautioned about steep trail, unsorted glacial till, eroded trail.  Without my trusty trekking poles, I decided to let caution rule, but I was more than jealous when one fellow came back with some glacial ice. From the scrambled order of photos, obviously, I haven't got the skills in place to get photos and text where I want it.   

 

 

(2) Meares Glacier.  the boat was able to go quite close to the Meares Glacier.  It talks!  Creaks, groan, cracks.  A few chunks of ice calved off and made an enormous booming sound.  I can only imagine the boom a big iceberg would make.  This glacier is one of the two that is advancing.  All other glaciers are in retreat.  We saw trees on both sides of the glacier that are slowly but inexorably being plowed over, they are bent or knocked down. 

 



(3)The Old Salt.  We are on the Stan Stephens all day cruise to the Meare Glacier. It is a beautiful day and we are rewarded with many sightings of animals and glaciers: A raft of sea otters including a mother with her cub riding on her belly; Many sea lions climbing up on rocky shore. Mostly it's a bachelor colony; Eagles in the trees and one on a sand bar with many gulls; Puffins (2 species) and Jaegers; Seals; Salmon jumping.  We also saw the Colombia Glacier and much icebergs of the smallish variety.



(4)The day before the cruise, we checked into the campground and did a quick tour of the pipeline terminal and the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery.  Thousands of salmon returning to the hatchery to spawn churn the water.  It frustrating to see so many fish and know that so very few will get to spawn which is not such a happy event at a fish hatchery.  Glad they do not have pre knowledge of the rest, they are blindly operating on hormonal changes the urge to return their original stream after 5 years in the ocean.  It is such an arduous journey for Pacific Salmon, given the rigors of the mountain streams, that they get only one chance to spawn.  Atlantic salmon can go upstream more than one year. 

Boxes

 

 

Bob at the Post Office mailing home yet another box of read books, extra gear, a few small souvenirs for his grands.  Kate and Mo think the pile of boxes in the home office is very funny but typical of how we travel.  The camper has very tight quarters.





But Wait...

Did I say a ten pound cabbage? I took the photos from the computer screen showing the account about the 2012 World Record Cabbage.  That's a lotta cole slaw!   

 

 

The ladies in their cabbage costumes.  Again, I wish we were going to attend the state fair; but no time (Valdez boat ride for Glacier, whales tomorrow); it's pricey, it's cold and rainy.  

Wet subjects

 

 

(1) Happy Nan at the Exit Glacier near Seward.  We hiked about a mile to get really close and when we climbed over a ridge, there was a blast of frigid air coming off the glacier.  I have my camera and binocs under my jacket, but we were pretty much wet through.

 

(2) Campground in Palmer, AK.  The state fair starts today, but we don't have time to go and spend the sort of time a state fair needs to be enjoyable.  I really did want to see the 10 pound cabbages and football sized potatoes.

 

( 3) Eagle Nest. This should have been in the first slot as the eagle nest is in Homer.  Talk about big lumps of wet seemingly annoyed juvenile eagles.

 

(4) Last Photo.  Along the road then along the trail to the edge of the glacier, there are signs with numbers - 1894, 1927, 1961.  At first we thought they might be forest service roads.  DUH.  They indicate the position of the glacier at different dates.  It sure isn't the glacier it used to be!

 

A few facts:  A.  Denali is the third largest national park in the USA.  It is bigger than NH, Israel, Massachusetts.  Of the top 5 national parks, 4 are in AK.  Death Valley comes in 4th.  Number One is Wrangle St. Elias, AK.  B.  Yukon has only 28,000 people, doesn't even come close to Framingham, MA.  C.  Homer is the halibut capital of the world!  D.  The Good Friday 1964 earthquake in AK measured almost 9 on the Richter Scale, largest in USA ever.  Approximately 150 people died which is amazing given the magnitude of the quake.  The tsunamis wiped out several towns especially Seward, Homer and Portage.  Seward turned the waterfront area into parks, etc., and that is where we camped last night. Portage is gone.  We drove through that area - nothing there but greenery and marshy areas and all the dead trees killed by the salt water.

 

 

 

 

Campfire and Low Tide

 

(1)  How to enjoy a campfire in Alaska.  Get bundled up to your eyeballs, get out your lawn chair. enjoy. You can just see the Roadtrek up to the left. 

(2)  Really low tide.  I walked down to the edge of the water at low tide. We are way  up at the "horizon" line.  Rainy today for travel to Seward. 

Driving Around Homer

 

 

(1) Such a perfect day. We decided to drive up the ridge along side the bay.  First interesting sight was two eagles on the tsunami alarm.  this tells me two things: One, eagles don't mind being a bit "urban," and there is a danger of tsunamis.  There are three active volcanoes quite close across the bay from Homer.  Mount Redoubt erupted in 2009 spewing 1/2 inch of ash on Anchorage.  

 

(2) We could see three glaciers across the bay.  The horizontal bumpy bluish line between the mountains is the glacier.  With binocs, it was wonderful to see. 

Glaciers, volcanoes, wildlife, halibut for lunch, walks on the beach.  Happy!

 

(3) Northern Sandhill Cranes on a front lawn.  At first, I thought they were lawn ornaments like the ubiquitous pink flamingoes until one moved.  We had to maneuver the Beluga on a narrow road to go back for a second look. 

 

 

  

News in AK, Menu Item, Homer Campground

 

(1) Local newspapers feature interesting articles and photos. Front page: It's berry picking time in Alaska and this fellow is showing off his blue tongue probably eating as many as he gathers. Other news:  (a) It is giant cabbage country fair time. There was a photo of a young girl with her huge cabbage at least 3-4 feet across.  The women were shown in cabbage costumes, great green leafy affairs. I wish I had saved that front page. (b) Page two:  Police were called for two incidents.  The first involved a worker who got extremely agitated after drinking 5 (!) of those energy shots.  The second was a complaint by a fellow who asked his best friend to watch his fishing gear while he was away.  Upon his return the ex best friend and the gear were missing.  (c) There was a front page photo of a man with his record fish that he caught.  It was huge as was the man's smile. (d) Page three of the paper was shared by the Yankees and BoSox upcoming game and the troubles in Egypt. 

 

(2) Sunrise Cafe in Cooper Landing, AK (also gasoline, lodging, RV park and gifts).  Unusual menu offering.  The above describes the Pig Vomit Omelet, a house favorite. It is stuffed with bacon, sausage, ham and cheese and smothered in country gravy.  Disclaimer: the PVO with cause heartburn, indigestion, clogging of arteries, and high blood pressure.  Note: I chose a more modest but delicious chili and cheese omelet.

 

(3) Homer, AK Heritage Campground right on the water with sea birds, sea otters, fisher folk, mountains, boats.  It was the best of the choices here for our camper; however, it is a sobering $73/night. There were a few eagles sitting on poles and branches. We are, of course, hoping for many more sightings.  There is breathtaking scenery everywhere one looks even on a rainy day such as today. 

 

 

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

(1) We spent a wonderful hour or so at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) in Portage on our way to Homer, AK.  The Center is preserving and restoring populations of wildlife especially the endangered wood bison and educating the public. The first photo is of a baby musk ox. There were two in a separate enclosure, totally adorable and fuzzy and making little brawww cries.  The herd of adults and older offspring was good sized and in a different large pen.  

(2) The brown bear had been sitting in the pool enjoying a bit of a float about. The AWCC has a gift shop with Alaska and wildlife souvenirs.  There is also a giant glass box with a stuffed brown bear that was killed by a hunter. It was the biggest caught in many, many years.  Question: What good is it to get to be the very largest bear if you are going to be shot and put in a glass case for people to gawk at?

(3) Majestic male elk. There was a small herd of elk, also a few moose, black tailed deer, and caribou all in separate enclosures.  The Center has a lynx, eagle, great horned owl and red fox, all rescued animals. 

(4) The adult wood bison.  The wood bison was thought to be extinct but individuals were found to establish a new herd.  There is a healthy number of them at the Center and they are scheduled to be released in 2015.

Denali and REI, Two Biggies

 

(1) Mt Denali/McKinley from Parks Highway heading to Anchorage, only about 30 miles from the mountain.  This is from a mountain viewing rest stop where many folks gathered to view the "Tall One" which is what Denali means. Spectacular day for viewing and even locals are amazed at how clear the mountains are.  There is a large information board with the mountain range displayed.  There are a lot of really big mountains (9,000 feet and more) and one little one at 6600.  That teeny mountain is bigger than our grand Mt. Washington in NH. 

 

(2) The Anchorage REI, one of the top 5 biggest REI's. Busy, lots of gear but not the one little item I wanted.  I have to believe this is the furthest north and west of all the REI's.  Is Boston the most easterly? 

 

Disclaimer and excuse department.  (1) I have gone back to left justified as centering seems to do strange things to my post even though it looked great to me before hitting "publish."  (2)  Sometimes when I select a photo, I can't seem to deselect the choice.  That's why there are two caribou photos.  (3)  About typo's, I am not working under ideal conditions. 

 

 



"Rest Day" Adventures

 

(1) Bob and I had a delicious lunch in the Salmon Bake Restaurant where there is so much atmosphere it was practically falling down the hillside - very tilty and a tad run-down.  I had Alaska Fish Chowder (YUM), salmon sandwich, and Bob had (no surprise) a burger. 

 

(2) Bob had a perfect comment about the river here which has a glacial source. "It looks like liquid cement."  It was grey, looked thick, and was roiling and churning. there are crystal clear streams with mountain spring sources.

 

(3) Adventure of a different sort.  We were heading back to the campground and had to stop because a tanker was burning.  The truck was towing tandem tank trailers and the rear started to smoke and burn. The driver unhooked the front trailer from the rear and moved it away from danger.  Eventually fire fighters and equipment came and put out the smoldering tire or brakes. It was is on the only road so no alternate route; but the delay was only an hour or so.

 

(4) Bob and I hiked up a trail leaving the campground, The Antler Creek Trail.  We went up the steep hill to a sharp drop with views of the creek way down below. 

A few of the large animals plus geese

 

(1) This has been a grizzly trip.  We were lucky to have had several sightings of

grizzlies, at least 7: Mother with two cubs born January 2012, lone grizzly eating berries at a gravel stream, mother with 2 cubs born 2013.

(2-3) Beautiful male caribou. We saw many caribou and some moose including a huge male with impressive rack, cows and calves.  We also saw Dall Sheep, in two locations on small mountain meadows.  I do have photos - but picture in your mind a big green hill top with white dots.  Binocs faired better. 

(4) Greater White Front Geese.  Other bird sightings include Long Tail Ducks, Common Loon, several Willow Ptarmigan, Shrike, 6 Golden Eagle, Magpies.

 

A couple smaller animals that we saw were the Arctic Ground squirrel and marmots. Some of our photos are good for us to remember, but you have to look closely to see the subject of the photo.  Part of our grand success with animal sightings were the following: Luck; Jeremy's skill and experience; a fellow bus passenger. English from the accent, who had eagle eyes.  Other interesting mammals included the many shapes, sizes, and amazing outfits of fellow tourists, people gathered in family clusters, some with appropriate gear and clothing and some not so much.  Many languages heard along with happy voices and frustrated ones.  Want to stay in one of the private lodges at the end of the park road?  $500/night/per. OK, they pick you up at the train station, provide three meals a day, and shuttle you to hiking and viewing locations. 

 

KUDOS to my favorite travel agent.  Bob has done an amazing job planning and organizing this adventure.  He gets the chocolate!  :)

 

Scenery Photos

 

I have so many photos of scenes and animals that I will separate into two blogs.  Bob changed our bus tour to yesterday instead of today as we are running one day ahead.  It was such a smart decision!  Rainy this morning, and we can spend today organizing, resting.  The bus tour was 12 hours - 12 hours in a green sort of school bus on gravel park roads. I said that we could have flown to Hawaii in time.  It was long but we saw all the best that Denali could offer without spending a week taking tours and hikes.

(1) First photo, not in order taken, is a wide valley carved by glacier.  Other valleys can be narrow V shaped if carved by river action. 

(2) An unusually clear shot of Mt Denali aka McKinley.  Alaskans are more and more saying Denali altho' officially it's McKinley.  The contrast is not good in the photo as the mountain is white and in the sunlight. 

(3) The park road.  Bob now understands why sitting in the passenger seat and going around edgy roads, is scary for the non driver.  He was helping Jeremy drive with body English.  The Park road is 92 miles to the end at Kantishna.  We drove to the end and back in one long, jouncy day.  I am not sorry we went, but we were both exhausted. 

(4) Jeremy our driver.  He reminded of Son Jim.  Jeremy truly loves nature and Denali.  He is collecting wild berries and establishing a small nature preserve on his own property. He got as excited as we did at sightings.  He was funny also with a low key delivery.  He pointed out a tree, even stopped for a moment. "That tree looks like a dinosaur, can you picture it?" he says.  After that punch line pause, "We call it the tree saurus."

(5) The Muldrow Glacier.  The green lumpy band just below the darker blue mountains is the Muldrow Glacier.  It is covered with soil and plants, is 30 miles long and starts at the base of McKinley.  One winter (1956-7) it surged forward 4 miles.  OK, that's multi feet in one day.  I haven't done the actual math, but I figure you could get plowed under. The theory is that water under the ice lubricates and causes the surge every 50 years or so.  It is due and I want to be here to see it. 

 

 

 

 

Denali #1

 

We have arrived at Denali National Park.  Again, beautiful scenery but cloudy and smoky.  It does not bode well for viewing Mt McKinley.  We are hoping for many animal and bird sightings.  Tomorrow is a 12 (YIKES) hour bus ride through the park.  I will post bus post.  We are at a private campground, Denali RV Park.  The owners are friendly and accommodating, as we are a day ahead of schedule.  We both decided that one night in Fairbanks with the dancing girls just down the street was enough. 

 

We asked for a campsite not too far from the bath facilities and so we are right next to the office and close to the facilities as requested.  It's perfect for the two of us old fuddy duddies.  There will be no one next to us and it's a nice big site.  Bob and I talk about opening an old fuddy duddy campground: no barking dogs, no loud music, no kids racing around on assorted wheeled things. 

 

 

Feast of the Assumption

 

August 15.  Getting into the Chena River, Fairbanks, AK.  I have a tether in case the river had potholes, etc.,  what it had was mud sucking at my Crocs and making it impossible to walk, sort of quicksand-ish.  After my prayers for healing and blessings, I was glad of the rope as Bob pulled me free of the mire. 

My prayers for friends and family are for physical, emotional, spiritual wellbeing, prosperity  (Hope Mary does not mind that one) and healing in specific cases.

 

I told a former priest, William, about Sister Mary Brendon and the Feast of the Assumption.  He said that we don't hold to the Assumption. I asked what do we (Episcopalians) believe.  He said, "She died." I'll side with Bob's aunt. 

 

Love and Blessings, today and every day.

 

 

 

 

 

Church, Pipeline, Robertson River

 

(1) There are three delightful RC mission churches in the Yukon made from old Quonset huts.  We saw also Our Lady of the View. 

 

(2) The Alaska pipeline along Richardson Highway on our way to Fairbanks.  Amazing piece of construction. 

 

(3) The Robertson River with the broad floodplain and braided streams. 

 

There are several wildfires in the Tok to Fairbanks area.  Some large sections of the highway look foggy but with an acrid smell. We have been smelling the fires for about 24 hours. 

 

How cold does it get in Alaska?  EVERY car with AK plates has an electric plug hanging down from the engine.  We stopped by the U of AK large animal research center to see the muskox.  Wonderful, big soulful faces.  There is a wool yarn shop in Fairbanks that has a muskox skin draped over a table.  It looks like the real animal and has amazing thick wool, but they were out of muskox yarn.

 

Bob is very upset about the Golden North Motel in Fairbanks. It is seedy and tired and in not so great a location with the airport and highway near by, and just down the street a bar with genuine showgirls.  It was prepaid, of course, and not so cheap!  I tell him it's OK, it's one of those experiences that we will tell over and over (and it will get seedier with each telling).

 

 

 

 

 

 

More bits and pieces

I have a few more minutes on our second internet hour coupon at this campground.  (1)  Border crossing back to USA.  We had to peel our one orange and give the evidence to the officer.  No citrus peels allowed, but we could keep the yummy part.  We were not asked that coming back into USA from Ontario.  (2) Saw a spruce grouse lazily crossing the road in the Yukon.  Hoped it was a ptarmigan, but it was so very tame (Ho hum, someone has stopped and it taking my photo), and it had a bit of purple over the eye that we knew it was a spruce grouse.  Saw them on top of a couple mountains in Maine when hiking.  (3)  The Alaska highway for about 100 miles is very rough but there are big crews working on it.  Once it AK it smoothed out.  The campground here in Tok, AK is very enterprising.  For $10, you can use their mini car wash with pressure hoses and brushes - we so needed it.  They also are putting in cabins, have an ice cream window open in the evenings and a gift shop. (4) Bob has done research and thinks he has found a couple of potential places in Fairbanks where I can get into the water on the 15th, the Feast of the Assumption.  "Get into the water and ask Mary for healing," according to Bob's late aunt Sister Mary Brendon.  She was tiny, still very Irish and along with very spiritual maybe a bit superstitious.  Well, she passed the baton and I always get into water on the 15th. (5) Many rivers and streams in the Yukon have wide flood plains and shallow braided streams.  There is evidence of high volume flow with rocks, huge driftwood and lots of silt being carried. There are still some snow and glaciers in the mountains but spring run-off must be amazing.  (6) We had lunch at Buckshot Betty's, Beaver Creek, Yukon.  Delicious soup and sandwich.  We stopped by the visitor center and chatted with the three folks there.  The younger woman says that it gets to 50 below for a week at a time in January.  "Thank heavens for internet and satellite, " she said.  She also said that they use a treadmill in summer and winter.  Her dad does not like to run on the roadway due to fast traffic and grizzlies. 

Three More Photos

 

Ketchikan

B+B Voted # 1 by select members of the immediate family!

 

Haven't figured out how to move photos around. This lovely campground on Lake Kulane in the Yukon, actually the site of the bear encounter, should be the third photo. We were on this beautiful site on the water for $32.  We will definitely stop there on our way back south in a couple of weeks. Sunrise was right over the mountains directly in front of us.  It did not get dark until after 11PM but I was asleep with my eye mask on. 

 



 

The happy couple enjoying the starboard view.  Big ship, lots of viewing decks, I was able to get my miles and smiles in easily.  Add in many stairs and levels and it was a good workout. 

 

 

 

 

Ferry Sights

 

 

I have so many fun photos from our ferry 4 days, but for now, I'll share these few.  We have two one hour coupons for internet at this campground so I want to maximize the blog and not have my hour run out.

 

Ron is a wonderful character on the ferry.  He is outfitted in felted wool hat and pants that he made during a class "Echoes in Time."  You start with a pile of sheep's wool and start rubbing.  He lives in Tombstone, has a dirtbike on his AK trip with an RV parked for when he returns. 

 

Bob and I at the breakfast buffet on the M/V Columbia...Talk about a meal with a view.  The staff on the ferry work 7 days/12 hours per.  They are on a week and off a week, but they are state employees in the union and get good benefits.  Very friendly, accommodating and seem to be happy. We had a tiny stateroom with bunk beds and private bath.  I was on the top bunk as there was little headroom, and I think Himself would have had problems negotiating the space. Considerably more space than the camper and we do OK in that.

 

The ferry went along the inside passage. One interesting section was the Wrangle Narrows, with islands on land on both sides it was exciting.  Large lumps of sea lions were basking on the buoys.  We have seen several whales and many porpoise on this trip.  Scenery is continuous so that after a few hours, I go down below to rest or read.  Overload. 

 

The photo of the ferry is in Bellingham.  Impressive and lovely, it's a delight to be on; however, four days was enough.  along with the amazing vistas there are many people.  Every nook and cranny has travelers' gear, tents, sleeping bags.  You can crash wherever you find a space.  Not all folk have private rooms!  And some parents, feeling secure about where their kids are, let them use the ship as a playground.  No one being really "bad,"  but I am glad to have a room to go to. The ship has a laundry, gift shop, cafeteria, dining room, playroom, movie theater, lounge and solarium.