Homer from the Beach – Alaska Adventure 2010

June 25:  There’s a considerable amount to keep our attention right on our front porch here in Homer.  From our beachside spot, we can report to you on a variety of weather, people, animals and events. We’ve been watching high flying, wave-riding and galloping from our front window.  Boats, horses, seaplanes and surfboards are a few of the modes of transport whirling around us.  And today, we went four-wheeling and two-footing on the beach for ourselves.  I thought I’d let a few photos speak for themselves:

This windsurfer (or whatever it’s called) and his friends provided great entertainment.  Here he’s riding high. And his dog followed his every move from the beach, never losing sight of him.  The wind was strong this evening, creating good chop and putting a lot of power out there for this sport.  Fun to watch!

These young ladies spent a while practicing their English riding and dressage exercises for us. Then they were off for a nice ride down the beach.

 

We took a Jeep ride for a good distance on the rocky area of the beach today while the tide was out. Leave it to Jer to find a rock to climb, wherever.

Look out below….these homes may go down the hill any moment.  Look at the eroded bank under the one on the left!  There were certainly prettier homes along our beachcombing route, but none more “adventurous” than below.

Can you see those white objects in the distance down the beach?  One of them is Ferd – in our home-spot.  Time to get back before the tide comes back in.

After that I too a long walk.  There are so many sea creatures and plants washed up on the shores as the tides come in an out here.  

I posted here just a few of the scads of anemones, sea urchins, etc that I saw as I roamed.  The ones I touched felt rubbery and some were bumpy, like one of those dog play toys.

My last post of items deposited on the beach is coal.  We learned that this is the real thing, drifting onto shore from cliffs in the surrounding mountains, and that Alaskans collect it to use for heating.  It was also prevalent on the beaches north of Homer where we were last located. 

That’s the report from beachside.  Homer has shown us it’s own interesting and unique piece of Alaska.

Stay tuned and stay well.   See you later. 

Homer High Spots – Alaska Adventure 2010

We’re on The Spit.  No, nothing to do with roasting a pig or anything gross exiting your mouth.  At the end of the Sterling Highway in Homer, Alaska, there’s a four-mile-long bar of gravel jutting out on Kachemak Bay.  It’s called the Homer Spit.   We are experiencing the camping at Mariner's Park, one of the three city campgrounds. Actually it is a gravel area without any designated camping spots that works out great.  Our timing was good for a spot next to the beach – another water/mountain view.  The $15.00 per night is well worth it for the view of the bay and  the Aleutian Mountains.   (Remember to put your cursor over the photos. There might be more.)

There are all kinds of places to see and things to do in Homer.   Such as, tours out into Kachemak Bay to see wildlife at the refuges or to visit Seldovia, or a selection of scenic roads along the skyline over the city.  The city is home to many artists, a plethora of charter fishing companies and an array of restaurants offering the fish and seafood fresh from the surrounding waters.

Okay, so we had to choose.  In our first couple of days we sampled two fish restaurants, ogled our share of boats and fishermen and soaked up a scenic ride above the city. Captain Pattie’s halibut and scallops were mouth-watering and we had clam chowder to die for….later on that.    

Since we are in the “Halibut Capital of the World,” (and just because we’re curious) we hung out for a while watching the fishing boats at the Homer Harbor unload their catch and the charters unload their customers.  There are five large cranes that scoop buckets of fish out of the holds and onto the dock.  Then they appeared to be spraying the containers of fish with extremely high pressure water, maybe that’s to make dry ice. (Another question to answer.)The fish processing facilities are close by.  We checked that out too.

Another somewhat unique Homer sight is the Fishing Hole along The Spit where anyone with a license and a pole can do their thing.   While we were there, again just eyeing the activities, one lucky fisherman hooked quite a large salmon. You can maybe see the fish just near the top of the bank, in front of the man with a black jacket and left of the Russian lady in the pink.  I couldn’t catch a good photo, obviously. But here’s one of the hopeful fishermen and women waiting patiently for their turn to land one.  Patiently?  I suppose that’s why I don’t fish.   

But, on to another part of our Homer exploring. We chose the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center as our museum-like stop this time.  Quite impressive !!  The educational displays relate to oceanic wildlife around the world and how they are all intertwined.  It’s fun and eerie both inside the realistic habitat room where there are lifelike representations of sea lions and otters in an oceanic atmosphere.    There’s a daily schedule of mariner labs and ranger walks. Since we had plans for a late lunch after our trip up Skyline Drive, we didn’t spend a long time getting deeper into these offerings at the Ocean Center. But, decided to catch the movie.   This one was among the best we’ve seen at a visitors center.  It kept your attention while explaining various facets of the Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuges, about 40 of them on the Aleutian Islands and the shores of Alaska.  The information on the work of the biologists who live each summer season on the uninhabited islands was captivating.  Did you know that foxes and rats were introduced to the Aleutian Islands about 50 years ago, changing the makeup of the wildlife by causing birds to exit those particular islands?  Hunters transported the foxes in for their furs.  The rats came in on both hunters’ and military boats during WWII. Soon the native birds were scarce, leaving their original habitat to survive being eaten by these multiplying predators.  Now, using the knowledge from research studies, these islands are being restored to the original balance by removing the foxes and rats.  Just an interesting bit of Alaska Jeopardy information for you.

As I mentioned earlier, we also chose a scenic drive up East Hill and across Skyline Drive above Homer.  The views of Homer surrounded by Kachemak Bay and of the glaciers in the Aleutian Mountains were again outstanding.  I won’t try to come up with more adjectives.  I’ll add a couple of photos instead:

  To the left is the Homer Spit protruding into Kachemak Bay.  Ferd is parked about half-way down that skinny piece of land.  It’s a little wider and safer than things might appear in this photo.  Besides, there are tsunami evacuation signs all along the spit.  We wondered: “Which other way could you go?  Into the water?  :)

 

 

 

Below are two views of the same beautiful glacier from Skyline Drive.  Again, they can speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We came down from our drive above Homer and went directly to the furthest point on the spit,  Land’s End restaurant.  A seat by the window let us glance at the boats entering the harbor and more fishermen trying their luck along this shoreline.  Our clam chowder lunch was yummy.  Our last stop was at The Pitchin Kitchen where they process and sell right off the boats. Now we have some fresh halibut for tomorrow’s feast.  Talk to you later.  Stay well and keep smiling.

Ninilchik Nuances – Alaska Adventure 2010

June 21-22:  Too soon to stop if we’ve only traveled 45 miles?  It just depends.  What about the great Cook Inlet views we heard about at the Deep Creek State Recreation Area?  It was sure worth a quick stop to see. So, after only 45 miles on the Sterling Highway south from Soldotna, we made a right turn just after passing through the town of Ninilchik. Driving down the hill into the state park the views of the volcanoes across the inlet are fantastic.  Then we saw the rvs parked with the full view of the water and mountains.   No question about it.  We pulled right into a prime spot for our two-night stay. And the price is right also, $10.00 – for a million-dollar location.  Here’s our view:

Another attraction,  for Jerry especially, was the boat-launching service he heard used tractors to put the fishing boats in and out of the inlet.  As soon as we got settled, we walked down to watch.  Here’s another summer job for the young Alaskans, we suppose.  In the small shack near the beach a young lady peered through her scope out toward the entrance to the inlet.  In a minute we would see that a boat was heading in toward us and the team of two young men would be hooking up one of the numbered trailers parked on the beach and backing into the water.  The bigger the boat, the deeper they went.  In about ten seconds flat the man on the back would have the boat attached and the tractor was yanking it out.  As it got later in the afternoon, there were more pullouts.  It was fun to watch, mostly charter fishing boats with their customers after a day of hooking halibut or salmon. 

Of course, we also went straight out to investigate Ninilchik, the small fishing village next door to the park. The 100-year old Russian Orthodox Church there is still active.  The cemetery adjacent to the church was curious, to us anyway.  Perhaps there is some tradition that is connected with letting the weeds and wildflowers grown tall throughout and on top of the graves. The grounds around the church otherwise were well groomed. I guess this is another question to answer at some time. Does anybody know?

As we took in the view of the inlet from the church grounds above the small village, the eagles began soaring overhead.  There were smaller birds also circling and screeching, trying to protect their young.   When we came back to our park, there were numerous eagles and osprey having their evening ceremony as well. We soon learned that there are so many eagles in and around the area, you don’t stop to watch all the time. It would be impossible. At times there were ten or so eagles feeding on the fish washed up by the tide near our spot. They also rest in the creek that feeds into the inlet behind us or fly overhead looking for critters upon which to feast. On the beach, the other birds stand by waiting for the eagles to finish so they can feast on the leftovers.  Never have either one of us seen this many eagles at one time.    What a glorious sight!

Then we had the Summer Solstice spectacle….I thought I would share the sunset on June 21.  This photo is taken at 11:30 p.m. standing at our front door looking across the water at the mountains.  

Where’s the Fish? – Alaska Adventure 2010

June 18-20:  Our latest travels south on the Seward and west on the Sterling Highway were all about FISH.  This is wonderful news to me (Nancy) since I could eat it every day, at least once.  Along the way we passed through Coopers Landing where the drizzle and 40ish temps weren’t forestalling any of the anglers.  One fishing boat filled with fully-outfitted fisherpeople after another was pushing off the landings. We could see them floating away as we traveled down the river. Good to see so many people doing what excites them. 

But the best, most unique viewing was a few miles west, where the Russian and Kenai Rivers converge.  Yes, some of you reading this already know what I mean:  Combat Fishing.  There they were. Lined up as far as we could see, standing about knee deep in the river.  Each person held a fishing pole that they were, I hope, expertly casting for those coveted salmon. Couldn’t see how far down the river the people extended, but there was a whole bunch.  What a sight!  Looks as though a lot of people would get hooked rather than the fish.  We didn’t have time to get a photo since the parking spots along the road for miles were taken with the vehicles paying a minimum of $10 to park for a limit of 24-hours. It was fun to get a glimpse of the scene but we had to keep moving since no one was leaving.  No way, Jose!

Our destination for today was Soldotna.  We weren’t sure if the fishing and/or the Summer Solstice Weekend crowd might take every camping site around, so we steered into the Fred Meyer store where they have special accommodations just for rvers in their lot.  From there we thought we could take the Jeep and look at campgrounds and the Elks Lodge in town.  Did I mention it was a Friday?   Well, as it turns out, Fred’s is a great spot. We parked on the outer edge next to trees and out of the way, as others were already doing.  It was so convenient to everything, we stayed for the three nights allowed.  

In the Soldotna Visitors Center a helpful young man gave us restaurant recommendations, directions and fish information, everything we needed.  That evening we had a delicious halibut dinner at Buckets, two blocks from our parking location, along the Sterling Highway. 

Speaking of buckets, that’s how it was raining the next day when we decided to take a short trip about ten miles north up the Kenai Spur to the harbor city of Kenai.  By the time we reached the Visitors Center in Kenai, it had let up enough that I could take a short walk around the Market Day booths. I wanted to see if the rumors about the great vegetables grown by the farmers in the area was true. There aren’t many fresh vegetables yet, but a very nice lady had her home-grown dried herbs for sale.  She recommended the tarragon and basil for our fresh fish dishes.  (They, in fact, have already been included in a dish at this writing.) There were booths of art and herbal lotions and bone and wood carvings to please many tastes.  This sign at a plant display caught my eye. I was curious but didn’t stop to ask:  What is Lamium anyway?  Probably something I should know by now and will soon learn from one of you.

Despite the clouds we took a drive to find a viewing location for the Kenai Harbor and Cook Inlet, but the weather didn’t contribute anything.  So we stopped in an interesting looking section of the boat docks, just to poke around.  Many fishing boats seemed to be in a retired state.  But who knows, maybe those wooden stantions and weeds surrounding them are the usual setup. There were slowdowns lately in fishing businesses since a stop was in place on King salmon fishing in certain areas of the Kenai River. As I understand it, this is to do with making sure that the salmon population is high enough. The issue is quite controversial with the various entities involved  in the fishing industry in the community.   A river guide knocked on our door to ask if we were interested in a charter for this coming week. He had cancellations since people heard that the fishing was down. But, hopefully, now that those parts of the river are opened up again, businesses will get back to normal. 

And that brings us to more fish for us. We made an inquiry about purchasing some of the local catch at the fish processing centers we saw around Soldotna. The answer is: Yes, they are open to those of us who don’t catch anything ourselves too.   So we found the Echo Fish Processing Center, one that our young man at the visitors center mentioned.  We couldn’t have had more fun buying fish. Our salesperson was patient with all our questions and generous with all kinds of samples.  She dished up honey-smoked king salmon and sockeye salmon, cracked pepper salmon and who knows what else.  Let’s just say, we weren’t hungry for  lunch.  After choosing three kinds of salmon and some halibut as our purchases, we were anticipating good eats in the coming days.  We’ll probably stop by for more fish and maybe some of their King crab on our way out of the Kenai Peninsula. In fact, last night I made a smoked salmon, broccoli pasta meal that was pretty tasty. 

As does happen with us every now and then, today we had one of our “lock-down” days.  Jerry made one of his huge pots of excellent chili, after shopping for his specific ingredients at Fred Meyer. I caught up on blog posts and other to-do’s.  Since we have good Verizon coverage, the day’s special ingredient was talking with each one of our children, Krissy, Jenny and Tim.  Now we’re ready for another trip in the morning.  See you down the Kenai Peninsula.

Hope For Us – Alaska Adventure 2010

June 16-18:  Most every place we choose to wander holds a few hidden treasures.  Our brief home-spot in Hope revealed its own garden of finds.   For a population of 250, this town has a good crop of tales that can be unearthed with a small amount of effort.  Hope’s residents are diverse, but seem to have a common thread of desire for both the solitude and camaraderie that exists in this tiny place. 

The history of Hope began in the late 1800s when gold seekers made discoveries in the same creeks flowing swiftly through the nearby forests today.  In fact, the panners are still at work diligently seeking their fortunes.  The Sea View Cafe was once the local general store providing food and supplies for these citizens and now serves delicious meals to locals and travelers.  The Social Hall where turn-of-the-century residents had town meetings and gatherings still serves that purpose.  Obviously, it’s important to a certain group of people that Hope continue to be.

Do you wonder? Who moves into a tiny remote Alaskan town where it’s three hours in good weather to the nearest shopping and income potential is extremely limited?  Being ever curious, we “hoped” to dig up a few answers.  There was a logical place to start. Regardless of time, one ingredient that doesn’t change over decades is the local saloon as a resource for people stories.  Our visit in the Sea View Bar met these expectations.  We had enlightening conversations with several people as we enjoyed a few beers.

Mora, the bartender, had a welcoming smile and bright mind.  As an example of who lives in Hope, she is a six-year resident, probably late 20s, who is completely satisfied in her situation.  Her real job is being a caretaker for a special, developmentally-challenged child in the local community.  She works two days at the bar, where she even discovered a fellow bartender to be a cousin she never met before. Her boyfriend builds scaffolding and travels to the necessary locations.  Mora says: “We don’t get bored or want for other activities. Our lives are busy and we have many interests. If I need those other things, I drive the 100 miles to Anchorage and get my fix. “ 

There seems to be a portion of the population that returns annually for the summer season.  They just like it. One such person was Adam, pictured here with Mora. Hailing from Dallas, he is back for his twelfth consecutive summer.  Adam will find work painting or whatever comes up, keeping in touch with whomever necessary using his computer and air card.  The town’s stories include wealthy and not, old and young, male and female, artists and carpenters and retired and shop owners, etc.  We did learn from one 25-year resident that some Alaskans, who can afford it,  escape the long winter darkness in Hawaii for short periods of time. That answers some questions. In addition to our interesting talks in the bar, museum and shops, we watched the goings on from our advantageous spot at the end of Main Street. The Thursday-night jam session brought in a “crowd,” some pitched their tents to stay over. People do seek out their own type of satisfaction, wherever it is.

But, of course, we also spent time in the surrounding countryside.  On the recommendation of a friendly library volunteer, one of our trips was a long ride up Palmer Creek Road to see the canyon views and along the forest road to see the scenes of stampeding Resurrection Creek.  What a great tip!  We watched gold panners camped out with their wares, searching for their pay days.  And then we took a few walks, soaked up more fabulous canyon views and listened to the wind and water without another soul to be seen. 

Put your cursor over the photos below if you’d like to know a little more. These are just a few of our stops in the neighborhood.

 

Taking the Hope Cutoff was the right turn for us.  See you again down the road.

Random Highway Happenings – Alaska Adventure 2010

I think we’re actually beginning to prefer the Alaska names instead of numbers for the highways. Even though along the highways there are numbered signs, locals use the names, such as “the Richardson” or “the Glenn.”  Somehow, the names seem to be better-suited to the independent nature of this state. Regardless, over the past week or so we’ve covered about 400 miles going south on the Parks, Glenn, Seward Highways and north on the Hope Cutoff. 

In general, the vast wilderness, the glacial mountains and wild-river scenery continues.  But also generally, our weather turned from sunny to gloomy.   The rain that we heard was to be expected as  summer weather in southern Alaska became our companion on this part of the trip. But, the rain seems   intermittent and hasn’t restricted us at all. 

There are still “Random Highway Happenings” to share:

June 11 – From Denali to our overnight, roadside pull off near Trapper Creek, we traveled the Parks Highway south for about 150 miles.  About midway through the day, The Milepost (the road guide/bible that gives us mile-by-mile information, maps and all kinds of good stuff) let us know that the Alaska Veterans Memorial was a few miles ahead. Sounded like a good time and place for another sampling of the state.  We found the memorial impressive.  There are histories of each branch of service in the state and specific tributes to the Alaska Medal of Honor winners. The state did a notable job in paying respect to veterans at this site that is situated at a Mt. McKinley viewing point.   We appreciate. 

June 12 - Continuing south on Parks Highway, we stopped in Wasilla, attempting to find cell and Internet service with our Verizon accounts.  No luck.  But a few miles further,  in the small town of Eagle River,  we had service.  Why so important right now? Our reason:  To find dental care for my (Nancy) lingering gum problems.  Not a welcomed reason to go anywhere, but a must. Our first stop was a convenient and roomy Fred Meyer store  that allowed overnight parking. Later, we found a pleasant state park campground on the edge of town.  No need to go into details.  I now have a stronger antibiotic. Here’s hoping it works.  Oh well, we experienced another small town that we might have missed otherwise.

June 15 - We got back on course, making our way south on the Glenn, then onto the Seward Highway, dubbed “scenic byway.”  There is very good reason.  The scenes were fantastic, even though our time on that road was gray and wet.  We watched for Beluga whales at the point and enjoyed seeing the glaciers towering over Turnagain Arm. Here the Cook Inlet makes a cut inward, taking a slice out of the state. This portion of the inlet has one of world’s highest tides, that can surge to a  6-foot foaming wall, called bore tides. This results in mud flats along the coasts that create interesting designs where the water cuts swirls in the mud.  It’s a great ride along this stretch of highway that edges the bay, sharp cliffs on one side and the clapping sea on the other.  When we came through the area the winds were tossing the seas so that they looked like blades slicing across the channel.  No whale viewing for us today.  But we did stop to take a look a closer look. 

Coming around again on the Seward you swing back toward the west coast, but before reaching that point there are a few choices of cutoffs.  Hope, Alaska, called us.   So we took the Hope Highway cutoff, traveling about 20 miles north. Besides, we could always backtrack.  If we found the place to be interesting and attractive, for whatever reason, and there was a good-looking camping location, we would stay.   We drove into the tiny town and saw the tiny campground at the end of the road – there next to the inlet, the roaring creek, the green flats and the mountain backdrop.  Where else would we want to stop?  More later……

Double Whammy in Denali – Alaska Adventure 2010

June 8:  Our next step in Denali –  the limit.  We moved Ferd into the Teklanika Campground at Mile 29 and left the Jeep at the designated parking area.  There’s no private driving on the Park Road to that distance except into the campground and out, once only for each camping trip.  We wanted to get the feel of the interior of the park by actually making our home there for four days.  To complete the package we scheduled a bus trip to the end of the road, Mile 93, the town of Kantishna.  

It was fun to drive the motorhome up the Park Road watching for wildlife and nature on our own.  We counted eight snowshoe hare that crossed our path on the way.  We learned earlier that the snowshoe hare population is at its ten-year explosion and is eating all the willow in the park. Also exploding are the lynx, the predators of the hares. Soon the hares will decline as they eat all of the willow food supply. The lynx will decline as there are less hares for food, allowing the willow to replenish.  Studies how this happens about every ten years.  It’s another interesting natural cycle.  Anyway, counting the numerous hares as we went, we reached our spot in Tek campground, a peaceful place surrounded by mountains and bordered by the river. We were ready for the next phase of our Denali experience.

What could add to our maiden trip in the park when we saw the majestic Mt. McKinley?  This time we would begin from Teklanika Campground, nine hours round trip.  The end of the road is Kantishna, a former gold mining town where a couple of folks hit pay dirt. Most of those who made the difficult move in the early 1900s did not find their fortune. Today there are a few remote luxury lodges reachable by bus or air only.  

We weren’t sure how the day would go when it rained all night.  A nine-hour bus trip could be a bit much on a dreary day, right?!  But we were ready at our 8:55 a.m. boarding time, with our rain gear and our lunch and our binoculars and our camera and our high hopes.  Other friendly campers were boarding with us from Dallas and Las Vegas, all of us hoping to see wildlife and soak up more nature.  The result? By the end of the day, we decided that this second bus trip could be appropriately dubbed “a double whammy!”

Getting started, we wound through the portion of the road we’d viewed two days earlier in sunshine. Right away we noticed how different things appeared.  The colors seemed deeper in some cases. Sometimes, with the low-hanging clouds cutting off the tops, we could see more of the weeping creases in the mountains formed by the glaciers.  The rivers were so much more pronounced from the rainfall, making wider cuts as they braided in and out through the valleys.  It didn’t take long to decide that we made the right choice.  We were happy to have the contrasting perspectives of the weather in the park.  We had another great driver, another view of the terrain, another kind of information provided. For instance:  Did you know that a porcupine can kill large spruce trees in the forest?  Yes, there is a section of Denali where there are dead spruce from the 1920s.  The porcupines climb into the trees, eat all the bark and kill the trees.

As we moved into new territory at higher elevations, we were at eye level with the lower levels of the tundra, the shorter vegetation covering the wavy hills and valleys.  We’re all enthralled with the terrain when suddenly a passenger yelled “stop.”   That’s how it happens. Anybody who thinks they see wildlife calls out to the driver so that he can stop for everyone to get a look.  This was a super spotting! There in our view was a mama grizzly and her cub.  We watched them foraging for roots.  Then the cub would run and play and mama would stand up on her hind legs to locate the cub, and go bounding after her. They actually worked their way over toward us and crossed the road in front of the bus.  What a spectacular sight!

There were interesting bits of wilderness and wildlife happenings scattered throughout the trip.  Caribou were spotted at two or three points, munching away at the grasses along the hillsides.  We had a rare viewing of the Gyr Falcon, the largest in the world.  Jeremy, our driver, who turned out to be a learned bird-watcher, told us that not many people get to see this particular bird. Our group had a good look. The bird perched on the top of a rock outcropping for all to see, although be it by binoculars.  Then we came to the glacier.  But, wait a minute…. it was green and brown and hilly.  Yes, Jeremy explained that this actually is the Muldour Glacier.  You see the ends, or terminus, of any glacier has about two feet of dirt on top where plants grow.  That was news. Not what we think of as anything to do with a glacier.  We’ve had distant views of glaciers on the mountains throughout our trip. But today we learned about the end of the glacier.  It all counts.

But one more event completed our Denali journey. The day’s nine-hour trip was winding down and all passengers were quietly watching the stupendous views. Then…..just a few miles from our campground, we saw another bus stopped along the road.  What was that on the edge of the road?  Wow!!! Right in front of us--  Mama grizzly and her two cubs were casually sitting there.  The next fifteen or twenty minutes were outstanding!  32 of us quietly watched the wildest of animals as they calmly took their time doing whatever they do.  Everyone kept limbs inside the windows.  Everyone was silent.  The bears wandered around, next to and crossed in front of our bus. One cub came over next to our window to take a look at us. As if he was saying, “What are you and why are you holding that machine?”   All three stayed close by without seeming to be concerned about we humans.  There was only the sound of shutters on cameras as we each tried to get the best shots. Then we would just stop the cameras and watch the family of three go about their business.  It was quite an experience being with these wild animals in their own habitat.  The mama bear didn’t seem worried about the cubs’ activity.  We humans were as unthreatening as possible. They slowly walked down the road and we slowly moved along our own way.

This was our double-whammy day in Denali. The scenery was a new kind of breath-taking. In addition,  we had a wildlife extravaganza. We turned another page in our Alaska Adventure. The camera doesn’t capture the immensity and awesomeness.  All I can say is, if you have the opportunity to explore this wilderness, take it.  See you down the road.

Denali National Park – Alaska Adventure 2010

June 4 – 6:  From our first day in Denali National Park we had generous doses of the specialness of this awesome piece of Alaska. We parked at Riley Campground, just inside the entrance, to have an opportunity to get acquainted with the various offerings at the beginning of the park.  The campground is roomy enough for our 36’ motorhome in several spots.  And with our Golden Age Pass, the cost is $14.00 per day, with a dump and water available.  We considered this a bargain considering the convenience and the surroundings.

There’s plenty to keep anyone occupied for a few days in the vicinity of this campground, what the park locals call the “front country.”  There’s the Visitors Center, the Murie Science Center, the Wilderness Access Center, hiking trails, movies, exhibits, hands-on displays and ranger programs. Oh, and there are  free shuttles to the dog sled facility and 17 miles into the Park Road to Savage River.  We sampled it all. The dog sled demo was especially fun.  This friendly and very informative activity includes an ample amount of time for everyone to communicate with the animals as well as the trainers.  The dogs are very loving.  They are the working type, that are used for reaching remote areas of the park in the winter.  We learned here that the “working” dogs are larger than those bred and developed for racing. The rangers who work with the dogs are there to provide answers to any and all questions and to give background on the dogs specifically. Then they harness the dogs so the group can see them in action. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would go back.

Actually, after our three-day introduction to Denali, we concluded that with the availability of portion of the Park Road that is open to public vehicles and all of other programs offered,  anyone could enjoy the park without purchasing the expensive shuttle bus or tour bus passes that take you beyond that point.

But regardless, there is a great deal more and we wanted the full portion. On our second day, we took the shuttle bus tour to Toklat River, mile 53 of the Park Road, a 6 1/2-hour roundtrip. The ride took us 33 miles beyond the restriction for public vehicles. This pass costs $24. There are more formal tours offering food and a guide that cost more. Again, these are choices that we made.

This trip was our first chance to see Mount McKinley (known by Denali, or “The Great One” or “the mountain” to Alaskans). But, mind you, we already knew that not many actually ever see the mountain.  Some say 20% and some 30%.  There is a 30% club for those that are fortunate to be there when “the great one” comes out.  There is so much beauty in Denali National Park that you will be awed even if you aren’t blessed with a clear day over “the high one.”  That morning it was raining so we boarded our bus ready to ride past the first 9-mile viewing area without a glimpse.  Not knowing if we’d have a driver who would offer any narration or how the bus ride would go, we were anxious to get on and get going. We chose a left-side seat near the front, thinking that we’d have better views and could hear if our driver offered words of wisdom.  Marilyn, our driver, turned out to be just right.  She gave us interesting information on nature and history on our trip, but was quiet too.  

We also lucked out as a short time into our trip the clouds filtered out and ole sol peaked out. Then the question came to Marilyn: “Will we see the mountain today?” Of course, she answered, “I don’t know.”  As we approached the 9-mile viewing area, those in the know were pointing or talking to their mates about where “it” should be. And then we came around a corner. The “great one” was out in all its glory.  Mt. McKinley is 20,320 feet high, the highest mountain in North America.   Of course, the mountain is completely covered in snow.  It was shining bright - almost a little unreal.

There are scheduled and unscheduled stops on these bus trips, depending on the mountain and wildlife. We had three opportunities to get photos of Mt. McKinley. The first one above is early in the day at nine miles on the Park Road. The second is later in the afternoon, much further west into the park. Much different aspects. We felt lucky that on our first ever journey into the park we saw Denali. 

The trip to Toklat River was filled with the splendid scenes that just kept coming as we traveled the 53 miles. Every mile is beautiful.  And, of course, an important job for all travelers on the bus is to watch out for wildlife.  We saw fuzzy-antlered caribou and the smaller inhabitants, such as snowshoe hares and numerous waterfowl. There was the swiftly-roaming pair of coyotes searching for a meal.  But there were no bears coming out for us today.  Even so, we were happy with our beautiful day in Denali.

But wait, as we came back to our campsite for the night, we had a visit from this lady and her calf. It turns out she brings her baby to the campground every night lately.  She must feel it is safe from the grizzlies and wolves there.  The majority of the moose calves are taken as prey each year. It’s a part of nature’s plan.  But, for this ugly lady and her young one, the humans at Riley Campground were the best bet.  The last we saw them that evening they were both lying in the center of the campground, just relaxing. 

A good start to our Denali visit –  to be continued.

A Taste of Fairbanks – Days 12-14 – Alaska Adventure 2010

June 1-3: Fairbanks offers a myriad of ways for getting a taste and feel for the city.  There are riverboat rides on the Chena River, salmon bakes, bus and train tours, an assortment of museums and all varieties of entertainment.  Not having any pre-planned activities, we made impromptu choices that played well for us – even if some of them weren’t the most advertised. 

The visitors center on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks is a beautiful place, offering information at computer banks in addition to the personnel you can speak to personally, both local and state reps.  After receiving updates from the national park rangers about our future Denali visit, we took in the excellent Alaska exhibits. The life-size displays give a slice of how it is to live eight months a year in relative darkness. As they say, “We don’t hibernate, we celebrate.” The Alaskan people seem to be a happy group, loving the “land of the midnight sun.”  After all, they do have some reflection of light from the snow for those long winter months.  And for a portion of the population, transportation across the ice and snow is easier than when rivers are flowing and they have to use the roads.  They break out the snowmobile, atv, skies or dog sled.  And away they go!  We enjoyed these visuals.

While we were in the neighborhood, we found the Fairbanks Community Museum, just a few blocks away on 5th and Cushman in the old courthouse building. This smaller one isn’t as popular as the large and well-funded Museum of the North at Alaska University on the outskirts of town. But we thought it might be worth a look. You just never know what you may find.  Sometimes the larger, more elaborate places are somewhat overwhelming and tend to wear out the brain and the feet.   Sure enough, we found the size and scope to be just right for our concentration on that afternoon.    The historical section on mushing was very interesting, with stories of citizens, their dogs and the impact of dog sledding on Fairbanks and Alaska. Did you know that the Alaskan Huskies used as sled dogs are not a pure breed at all? They are actually a mixture of various dogs, although they are carefully chosen. The strength, stamina and personality of the animals are the main objectives. Also, the exhibits on the history of the city’s development during the gold rush in the late 1800s and early 1900s explain why Fairbanks is here today.   Thanks to the volunteers who are committed to keeping these type of historical places open.

Another of our choices for exploring Fairbanks was Pioneer Park.  Since we were parked right there nearby in a section of their lot,  we just had to take a look inside. Maybe it would be an amusement park with rides, cotton candy, elephant ear stands and souvenir shops. We watched people come and go quite a bit, so we did venture inside one morning. There is definitely more than an amusement park.

The pioneer story is the point here.  At the entrance, free admission, each person walks through the authentic-feeling gold mine shaft that brings home the reality of the miner’s life.  The log cabins and buildings each bear a historical plaque telling their story.  They were moved from the original Fairbanks community in the early 1900s. Several contain historical museums, although there is a mix of shops and eating establishments to please everyone. 

Further investigation uncovered a railroad depot and museum, an aviation museum and the Pioneer Museum. Inside the Pioneer museum is an intricate diorama that portrays clearly the processes involved in working the streams and the gold mine shafts.  The aviation museum is bursting with information and examples of Alaska’s aviation, a key means of transportation before roads existed and still a popular way to get around the state.  The railroad depot displays a working, restored steam locomotive that hauled the supplies for gold miners and other residents, long before any highways.  Again, folks volunteer their time and get satisfaction from preserving these pieces of the past. 

On our final evening in Fairbanks, we decided to drive north of town a few miles on the Steese Highway to see and learn about the Alaska Pipeline. On the map of Fairbanks there is a note about a viewing site, so we had to investigate.  Wow!   Standing right there looking at this vessel and thinking about what is going on for 800 miles is impressive. (Point your cursor at these two photos to get more facts.)

 

 

 

The pipeline a capacity of 9 million barrels, crosses 834 rivers and streams and three mountain ranges.  Purdue structural engineer, Dr. James Maple, designed the innovative pipe and its support system that withstands permafrost and earthquakes. Very dynamic!

 

All that learning did develop our thirsts.  But we knew that in the neighborhood is the Silver Gulch Brewery and Restaurant. The brewery is actually open for tours, but that didn’t fit into our schedule somehow. No problem, we made the restaurant our stop for our last night in town. Jerry had already sampled their Fairbanks Porter in our preceding weeks of Alaska travel and he found it “very nice.” It made a great accompaniment for his yummy pork ribs meal.  I chose the Amber….went down smoothly with my Italian meal choice. 

By the time we were ready to take the Parks Highway south toward Denali National Park, we were satisfied that we had a flavor of Fairbanks. 

Tok to Fairbanks – Alaska Adventure 2010

May 31 – June 2: We left Tok on Monday, May 31, heading north on our last leg of the Alaska Highway, toward Fairbanks.  We could smell and see the smoke from wildfires that were threatening a few miles north.  Firefighter crews were changing shifts as we passed through the burning areas. We watched them prepare  to go into the fire to keep it from spreading into the nearby village.  The smoke clouded the distant  mountain views for the day, but we still enjoyed our surroundings, the healthy spruce, the lakes and rivers on our way.  About 100 miles north of Tok is Delta Junction, a small crossroad town that marks the end of the Alaska Highway, 1,422 miles.  We had to have a photo here.

 There is also an interesting display outside the visitors center showing the pipe used in three Alaska pipeline projects. The diameter is surprising.   Of course, the pipeline is a part of each Alaskan’s life. We caught sight of one section as we traveled today and expect we’ll learn more in the next month or so.

The next stop on our Alaska Adventure is Fairbanks.  From Delta Junction, we took the Richardson Highway north.  Alaskans mostly refer to their highways by names rather than numbers, although they do have numbers.  We’re getting accustomed to it slowly. 

One important place in Alaska, of course, is the North Pole.  It would be a shame to pass by without visiting Santa.  And our road led there on May 31, 2010, about 15 miles east of Fairbanks.   Santa  was very sociable.  His reindeer seemed as though they were relaxing and perhaps storing energy for their next busy season.  The town’s light poles are painted like candy canes.  It’s a place “where the spirit of Christmas lives year round.”

Now we are exploring the city of Fairbanks for a few days. Home is at Pioneer Park, a historical and amusement center. There is a designated parking area where rvers can boondock for up to four days for $12.00.  If you’re interested in staying in the city, this spot serves well.   We’re on day two now, experiencing Fairbanks’ visitor center, parks, restaurants, stores and people.  See you down the road again!