OUR ALASKAN ADVENTURE

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OUR ALASKAN ADVENTUREMAY 18-31, 2004Tuesday, May 18It didn’t seem possible that we were taking this trip! We’d planned it since booking an RV in December, and Bob had long ago made a car rental reservation plus a B&B booking. However, just 16 hours ago I was driving to Pt. Charlotte from our home in Englewood, FL; halfway there, my ’99 Cadillac was rear-ended not once, but twice, in North Port. The vehicle that caused my car to be totaled also hit six other cars and trucks before finally saving me for last. The poor lady who was hit just before me (she also hit me) had to be air-lifted to a Tampa hospital. But, I was the lucky one! A trip to the ER confirmed that I would be suffering a bit of pain, but there was no damage. When I asked the doctor whether I could make the trip, he replied: “You can either hurt at home, or hurt on the trip.” Well, I chose the latter. After all, we had FREE plane tickets from Northwest Airlines (we LOVE to give up our seats to those in need!) and we had picked Alaska because we had always wanted to see it. I had spent so much time in the ER that I was hardly able to pack and sleep eluded both of us as we had to drive to Tampa at 4 AM. A stopover in Minneapolis, then we were on our way to Anchorage. As we approached our destination, the mountains of Alaska excited everyone on the plane. A young woman seated next to me assured me it got DARK from 11 PM until 7 AM. Bet she got a chuckle out of that one! A fishing guide from Valdez talked Bob’s ear off about that area and its charm. When we deplaned, the ABC Motorhome Rentals van picked us up and delivered us to our new home away from home: a 20-ft. enclosed camper with all the essentials for the next nine days, minus perishables. My sharp husband noticed a crack barely visible under the windshield wiper and pointed it out to the agent. We learned it’s not a question of IF you will suffer windshield damage in Alaska, but WHEN as it’s so prevalent with so many rocks on the highways. After filling out paperwork, stowing our gear, and receiving equipment instruction, we were off! We stopped at a local Fred Meyer store and bought groceries and soon discovered prices are 25% higher than in the lower 48. We drove about 100 miles into the Mat-Su Valley to North Willow until we were both about to crash. I was now 11 PM (3 AM to us) and we were running on empty having been up for almost 24 hours! I wanted to find the woman on the plane; it was NOT dark and did not get dark as the night progressed. It only gets “less light” as Bob says. Wednesday, May 19When we awoke this morning, we discovered we were the only campers in this place. Bob decided to take a shower inside the main house and we both enjoyed a cup of coffee and chatter with the owner of the campground. He told us his neighbors regularly take advantage of his showers and laundry in the winter as many of them do NOT have running water! This guy had a huge cardboard box with three almost-grown turkeys itching to escape from their indoor prison. One finally did! We purchased a couple of souvenirs and decided to move on down the road. Our next stop was the tourist trap of all tourist traps: Wal-Mike’s! The eccentric proprietor has a reindeer chained up in the ditch in front of his store and a colorful assortment of buildings, vehicles, tools, etc. gracing the landscape. Junkyard heaven, for sure! Bob bought a couple of shot glasses for his collection and we headed for Talkeetna where the summer climbers are flown to base camp on Mt. McKinley, also called Denali. Talkeetna boasts a Wilderness Woman and Bachelor Auction & Ball in December. Bob says he’ll check it out if anything happens to me! Next we drove to Denali State Park (not to be confused with the national park of the same name). We spent about an hour gazing at mountains (Denali was partially visible), perusing the war memorial and walking through the forest. We had purchased two canisters of bear mace on the web before we left home and we decided this was definitely the time to have them handy. We also adopted a mode of loud, sing-songy chatter as we had been told that would deter the bears. Then it was on to the Denali National Park where we arrived about 4 PM and checked in at the visitor center. Our arrival was a day early, but that was not a problem except that there are NO electric hook-ups and generators are not allowed to run at night when temps are in the 20’s. We explored a bit, were thankful our new noisy neighbors switched sites, and settled down to dreams of landing on a glacier! Thursday, May 20After breakfast, we just had to make our dream come true, so we hiked over to the ERA Helicopter Tour office at 8:30. Were we anxious or what?! We plunged deep into credit card debt and booked an afternoon flight. On our way back to camp we noticed a large, mangled plastic bin. Someone had obviously left food in it and the bears had emptied it! All the trash cans in Alaska are bear-proof: they look like huge mailboxes with deposit holes but no way to stick an arm (or a paw!) into them. Back at camp we were as excited as children on Dec. 24th! The ERA van picked us up at the park mercantile and soon we were booted up so we could walk on the glacier. The helicopter was French-made and what a gorgeous machine! We flew with an elderly NY couple and our pilot was an ex-Marine from Key West. I was seated in the front with Bob, right next to the pilot. Yanert Glacier was our destination and I cannot describe the whole experience except to say—do it if you can! We flew so close to the snow-covered peaks that I felt like I could reach out and touch them. When we landed, we put our jackets on and trekked a short distance, being careful not to walk on the snow, only the ice. The pilot said there was 800 feet of ice beneath us and I had just watched a true story on DVD called Touching the Void. Believe me, falling into a crevasse did not interest me in the least. We learned that the blue color comes because ice absorbs most light and reflects the short-wave-length blue light until the ice moves; then it reflects all the light and becomes white. So the deepest blue is in the crevasses and places where the ice has calved. Too soon we were back on the copter; we were elated to discover the return trip was a different route. We saw many Dall sheep; it was difficult to distinguish their little white bodies from the snow. We spotted a moose lying down, but all of us were hoping for a bear sighting. The camper experience was going well; we had never owned nor used any kind of RV before and the whole idea appealed to us. The overhead bed was a bit of a stretch for me with my sore body, but pain pills helped. That night was the coldest we had experienced—25 degrees! We would not endure another night with no heat.Friday, May 21Today we had a 7:30 reservation for the Teklanika Wilderness Tour which goes 35 miles into the Denali National Forest. The drive was filled with moose, caribou, Dall sheep and birds; our guide was an avid bird-watcher, not so much for us. After the trip, we decided to leave Denali and drive to Fairbanks. It turned out to be a long trip with several stops to admire scenery and MORE mountain pics. We arrived in Fairbanks about 3 PM and drove around lost for about an hour. After a call to the Chena Marina RV Park, we got directions and arrived at our home away from home for the next two nights. The park is situated on the water and there were dozens of small planes across from where we were parked. They were continually taking off and landing much to our delight. Saturday, May 22We awoke to a light rain, so no outdoor activities for us, at least for the morning. We drove to North Pole (where Santa really does live!), a wonderful little town with a cute log cabin visitor center and a Baptist church rummage sale that we couldn’t pass up! We bought a whole peanut butter pie and a Christmas outfit for the new grandbaby due in November. The streets are named appropriately: Holly Berry Lane, Candy Cane Avenue, etc. We spent an hour, at least, in the Santa Claus House talking with THE MAN and buying trinkets. Then it was back to Fairbanks to investigate the Farmers’ Market and Santa’s Smokehouse where we purchased sausage, smoked salmon and reindeer pepperoni. We stopped at Wal-Mart and Safeway for other supplies, then topped off the afternoon with a trip to the University of Alaska Museum.We loved this museum! The 8 ½ ft. brown bear that greeted us is thrilling; the Gallery of Alaska which highlights the five major geographic regions is enormously informative—it shows the artifacts, people, wildlife, and geography of each one with so much detail. I found the information on the WWII detention of Alaskan Japanese Americans and Aleuts most interesting; these people had to leave their homes with only a small suitcase and bedroll, only to suffer harsh, inhumane living conditions for the duration of the war. Of the 873 evacuees, 107 died in detention. In some cases, one toilet served 300 people. In 1988, the Civil Rights Act included a formal apology, payments to survivors and internees, and $5 million to restore churches damaged during the war. Back at camp, we baked a pizza and topped it off with fresh strawberry shortcake which we ate at our picnic table. Our next door GA neighbors invited us to their elaborate RV and talked our ears off. It was all good, though, because they are veteran RVers and the tips were helpful. Later I did two loads of laundry, we took showers and fell into bed. Sunday, May 23Today we left Fairbanks and headed on down the Richardson Highway. We would have liked to have traveled farther north, but the RV company does not allow it as it would be a stretch to rescue someone with a breakdown that far from Anchorage. The highway connects Fairbanks with Valdez, 364 miles of bumps, frost heaves, and wind that were unbearable at times. The road winds along the Lowe River and Keystone Canyon, then climbs to Thompson Pass and Worthington Glacier. It also provides access to Wrangell St. Elias National Park, the largest in North America. A light intermittent rain was the pattern today, nothing unusual we soon learned. By 4 PM, we arrived in Glenallen at the visitor center where a nice young man helped us with info about Tolsona Wilderness Camp, 15 miles away. Tolsona is located in a picturesque wooded setting with a stream meandering back & forth between the camp sites. We loved investigating the trails and woods and knew there were many moose here judging by the hundreds of droppings. Monday, May 24After breakfast, Bob spotted BEAR tracks next to moose prints up the hill from our site! We decided to be daring (or stupid) and took our bear spray to investigate further. There was no bear, but the tracks were very fresh. At 10 AM we left Tolsona and drove west through the Copper Valley. Immediately we saw a herd of caribou by the side of the road. The mountains came into view along with a glacier, then more and more mountains. At one point, our cell phone rang; we couldn’t believe our insurance adjuster had caught up with us so far from home! We were able to photograph the Matanuska Glacier, but it was a tedious drive due to much road construction. Luckily, a sharp-eyed female worker alerted us about our loose awning. We were very grateful for that! We imagined how difficult it was to get everything done in the short Alaskan summers. By 3 PM we approached Anchorage and stopped at Eklutna to visit two old Russian Orthodox churches. The Athabascan Indians were converted by the Russians, but only after much bloodshed. There were icons, robes, and architecture to hold our attention, but the most bizarre sight is outdoors! The cemetery holds graves that are topped with little houses—small for children, large for adults—which are painted in bright primary colors. It is literally a field of red, blue and yellow. The tradition is to cover the grave with a blanket and then place the house on top. One rather unusual grave has a huge sleeping bag and a large moose totem in front of it with a black hat on top. When we left, we drove toward Girdwood, 35 miles from Anchorage, and arrived at Bird Creek about 4 PM. This is a wonderful campground nestled between mountains and Turnagain Arm, a body of water with a bottom of mucky, slimy mud caused by a 30-ft. bore tide. This dangerous tide comes in with a fast-moving wave which has stranded and drowned unsuspecting victims. We decided we would heed the warnings! On our first walk, we encountered a moose and her new twin calves. We ran back to get cameras, searched for them in vain, then walked a long way on the blacktopped path. On the way back, we came up over a small hill and there they were! We literally met them on the path, froze, and tried to photograph them. What a thrill! Tuesday, May 25Bob stumbled upon the moose family once again as he walked along the RR tracks between the hill where we camped and the water . He rushed back to get me and we found them in a thicket. This time we got lots of pics! We decided to investigate Girdwood after lunch. We loved the scenic route along the water with the mountains bordering both sides. The town did not catch our attention, but a sign indicating Crow Creek Mine definitely did. Halfway down a very bumpy road, we noticed signs for the Iditarod Trail. Our curiosity got the best of us, so we stopped and walked along the trail for a half hour or so. The woods are breathtaking and I had to pry Bob away from them. We knew we were both imagining the dog sleds racing over this trail in the snow. The mine turned out to be a find, dating back to 1898. It is complete with all the original buildings: blacksmith shop, ice house, commissary, mess hall, bunkhouse, meat cache, panning shed, and several cabins. After a long walk down to the creek, Bob started panning. He spoke to a local who had a sluice in the creek and was somewhat successful. Just before WWII, the mine was yielded an average of 700 ounces a month, and the largest nugget found weighed four and a half ounces! A former supervisor of the mine speculates that more gold remains on Crow Creek than has ever been mined. Then we returned to camp for dinner and a farewell walk to visit the moose family one last time. Wednesday, May 26This morning we finished packing and left Bird Creek. By 8 AM we were off the Anchorage to return the RV. We stopped to fill up the gas and propane tanks. After a walk-thru at ABC Rentals, we left our home on wheels and Bob was on his way to Thrifty Car Rentals to retrieve our next mode of transport. He returned not with the Dodge Intrepid we had reserved, but with a new Chrysler 300! (He was thinking of this car as a possible replacement for our wrecked Seville). It’s a nice car but, we soon discovered, not our choice to own. Next was an early lunch at Burger Jim’s, then on to 15 Chandeliers B&B. This classy joint turned out to be my generous husband’s treat for me—an 8,000-sq.-ft., 3 story mansion that was built about 20 years ago. The bedrooms are named and decorated in the Victorian fashion. The staircase in the foyer is gorgeous, as is the décor throughout. What a switch from our RV! After settling in, we headed out for Alaska Mining & Diving, a promised stop for my diver husband. Next we stumbled onto the Elmendorf Hatchery where a kind young man took us on a tour. It was amazing to see how the salmon roe hatch and grow. The Alaskan streams are stocked with tanks and trucks and even airplanes. I could just imagine fish falling from the sky! Next we just had to see Earthquake Park, where the ’64 quake took away part of Anchorage. It caused tsunamis as far away as Whittier, Seward and Valdez. We had depleted our film supply, so a quick stop at Sam’s Club, then on to the mall across the street to eat Chinese. The food mall is located in the basement and we enjoyed watching the skaters on the indoor ice rink. Thursday, May 27Breakfast today consisted of a great omelet with all the trimmings. We needed it as we had planned a full day at Whittier and Prince William Sound. In order to get there, one must traverse a one-way tunnel after paying a $12 fee. The tunnel serves trains as well as autos traveling in both directions; at 2.5 miles in length, it is the longest tunnel in North America and the first designed to withstand 40 below zero temps and 150 mph winds. Whittier is a collection of horribly ugly governmental-looking buildings that were originally built to house the military. Even the President could be lodged here in time of disaster. We booked what appeared to be the most popular of glacier cruises, then perused the small shops in the harbor. Fog rolled in just before we boarded and we were anxious about the probability of seeing anything! Well, we were not disappointed and soon determined this was almost as good as the helicopter ride. We rode on the Klondike Express, a 150-ft. catamaran that held 300 passengers. The trip is called the 26 Glacier Cruise and we certainly saw that many. Just as we left one, another came into view. What a rush! We made a new friend from New Zealand named Rachel who had journeyed all over the US for two months. Watching huge ice chunks and seals floating by, falling icebergs as they splashed into the water, and the most astonishing of all—brave people kayaking amidst all this frigidity—made us feel like we were on another planet. After a 4 ½ hour ride, we were off to Anchorage. Along the way, we stopped to watch some fishermen on the flats and noticed a van parked there. Actually, it was stranded and the locals informed us that it would soon be history as the tide was incoming. Luckily, someone had a tow rope and a 4X4 came to their rescue. We stopped at Wal-Mart to buy another suitcase as we had picked up too many souvenirs as usual! Friday, May 28Today we decided to take a road trip to the Kenai Peninsula—us and half of Anchorage! Of course, it was the beginning of Memorial Day weekend as well as salmon season, and when you live in a place that has three months of decent weather and several weeks of midnight sun, you go for it! First we visited Hope, an old mining town that we could see across Turnagain Arm but could only reach by a long, tedious trip through the mountains. After a great lunch, complete with the local moose walking by the window, we investigated a small shop and the quaint museum. It sported a small collection of agricultural implements and a larger one of mining equipment. In the late 1880’s, gold was struck here; Robert Burns Mathison found 385 ounces one summer. Mining continued as the main focus here until the 1940’s. We purchased a chance in a July 18 drawing and chatted with the elderly lady in charge. Later we drove endlessly, stopping in Soldotna. There we toured yet another museum as the crowds grew larger. It seemed that everyone was going to Homer and we headed back to Anchorage. Saturday, May 29It was time to leave 15 Chandeliers and drive to Seward. As we passed the turn-off to Hope, we noticed a dozen vehicles parked along the road. We stopped, too, and soon learned what the occupants were looking at. There was a brown (grizzly) bear at the top of the hill. Bob got out the cameras and I decided not to leave the confines of the car, only being brave enough to roll down the window. The bear didn’t move much and, after a dozen pics, we resumed our trip to Seward. Our reservation was at a place called The Farm outside Seward. It consisted of a main house (where we had a huge, clean room), numerous small cabins, and lots of pretty landscaping located over many acres. Seward was founded in 1903 and its population today is about 3,000. Its fish and shellfish business brings in $50 million each year. We explored the town, attempted to see someone catch that elusive salmon, and then opted to see an easier target, the Exit Glacier. Wow! You can actually walk within 50 feet of this behemoth. It has receded about three miles in the last two years! Hence the moniker. It is huge and as we walked up the hill to see it from above, we noticed the bluish water that was prevalent on all the other glaciers we had seen on this trip. Somehow it was hard to imagine living so close to such a wonder. Bob snapped a gorgeous blue & black jay that intrigued us. That evening I did all our dirty laundry which would make my work at home much lighter. Sunday, May 30Wah-wah!!! Last day! We headed back to Anchorage. After lunch, we visited the zoo, a rather ho-hum tour. We saw a Sandhill Crane in captivity, a common sight as we drive to Pt. Charlotte on 41. And, of course, we saw brown bears and even the sleeping cub whose mother had been killed not far from 15 Chandeliers earlier that week after it charged a man walking his dog. Next we went to a lovely park along a small lake. Then we drove to Thrifty to turn in the Chrysler and on to the airport. We had a 10 PM flight, with a 5-hr. time change, so home would not be reached until 2 PM Monday!

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