Denali and More

This was our week spent exploring Denali National Park and surroundings. You need a lot of time if you really want to experience everything that Alaska has to offer. many people come here from Cruise ships and they only get a day. A day is not enough. We took the shuttle 66 miles into the park and saw wildlife. The mountain was cloud covered that day so we did not experience the full beauty of the summit, but it was what our guide called a "Grand Slam Day." A grand slam is when you see the five major animals: moose, caribou, grizzly bear, dall sheep, and wolves. There are only about 59 wolves in the park, and we did see them at a distance, lying in a field asleep. We saw the bear quite close to the road, and then another mother and cubs farther off, eight that day in all. The next day we drove to Fairbanks, and took the Alaskan Railroad back to Denali and stayed at the Princess Lodge, a treat after weeks in the RV. We went to a wonderful dinner theater with Rose and Al and had Alaskan Salmon, ribs, and all the fixings served family style. Our waiters were the actors and they performed a wonderful little musical about the history and love for their state. The following day we went back on the train. We left the RV's in the Walmart parking lot for three nights. Don has enjoyed seeing the working dogs in the park. There was a ranger program where you could visit the kennel and see the dogs in action.
In Fairbanks we went on a paddle wheel excursion. The boat went by Susan Butcher's home on the Chena River. She has won the Iditerod 4 times, and she died four years ago of cancer at the age of 51. Her husband and daughters still keep her memory alive, and they gave us a demonstration of their racing dogs. That was absolutely wonderful. We then met him and he signed copies of their book, Granite, a poignant story about Susan and her most famous sled dog.
I think one of the highlights for the trip for Don was meeting Lance Mackey, a 4 time Iditerod winner himself and an Alaskan folk hero.He is also a cancer survivor and was not expected to live, but he overcame all of that with a "don't give up" attitude, and still races dogs. He has 100 dogs. Alaskan sled dogs are much smaller than you would think, and Don and I had a photo taken with him and one of the dogs, and Don had his almost undivided attention for 30 minutes. It was great. He has written a book about his life which we will read on the way home.

All in all we have had a great week...going on a flight Sunday with a bush pilot delivering the mail to people inside of the Arctic Circle as far as Anaktuvuk Pass.....very exciting. I was sure to ask about their safety record.

A Fish Story and a Bear Story

Well we have finally gotten to the fishing part of our trip. Don and his uncle have been fishing this week on the Kenai Peninsula. They went salmon fishing and Al caught a beautiful salmon that we had for dinner last night, but they really want to fly fish for rainbow trout. Salmon fishing for non-natives is just throwing your line into the water and hoping you will catch one. If you snag it on the back you cannot keep it, but if the hook catches their mouth you can. Alaskan natives are allowed to do dip net fishing. I have some great photos here of the gigantic dip nets, including my favorite, a girl, her net, and her dog. They just walk into the river with these nets and hope the salmon swim into them. They were going away with their winter's food for the family. The bears also know that the fish are coming and are there at the rivers waiting.
The state provides cleaning and scaling tables right in the river, and they are supposed to throw the heads and other parts into the rapids..... nature's recycling. People are often lined up and down the river in what has been called "Combat Fishing." Don and Al also went on a little ferry that is powered by a cable and the current to get to the other side of the Kenai to fish. They really want to fish for rainbow trout with flies, so they were happy when we found the spot on the Russian River where they both caught a rainbow. Don released his and Al brought his back. They have very strict rules about length and how many you can keep. They have hired a guide today to take them rainbow fishing. I made a video and posted it on Youtube. I also added it below. It was made this morning on a walk we took along the river. Rose was leading our group when all of a sudden we looked up the trail and this guy was waiting for us. Pretty scary for a few moments, but he went back into the river and I was able to get this video made....probably one of the highlights of our trip. Check out how he is searching for the salmon...then finally all he can find is grass and the photo at the top shows him with the grass. All in all we have been having a great time in this part of Alaska and will be heading north this week end to Denali.

Homer

Yesterday was Don's birthday and I don't think he will ever forget where he was on this day. We drove to Homer on a perfectly beautiful sunny day. The temperature here has been cooler than we expected, many days in the 60's. We have not worn shorts very often that's for sure. Homer is on the tip of the Kenai Peninsula. We had a birthday lunch of locally caught halibut, and then walked along the Homer Spit, a narrow finger of land jutting into the ocean. Five active volcanoes surround Homer and on a clear day you can sometimes see the whisps of smoke coming from them. This area is part of the Ring of Fire on the Pacific Ocean.
We went to the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies and saw a short film on the Kachemak Bay which has some of the highest tides in the world.
On the way home we visited the Bear Creek Winery. Many Alaskan wines are made with fruit so we tasted about 6 or 7 different wines and bought some to bring home. When we got home we went grocery shopping at Fred Myer's, Alaska's answer to Walmart. Today Don and his Uncle Al are fishing the Kenai River for salmon. They will do that for a couple of days and then we will head back along the peninsula as they have planned a guided fishing day in Cooper's Landing on their search for the elusive Rainbow Trout.

Glenn Highway and the Kenai

Well, we are finally in Alaska and getting somewhere. After waiting for Don's uncle and Rose in Tok for a couple of days, the four of us headed towards Anchorage. We parked in a Home Depot parking lot for two nights while Don and Al got work done, windows repaired, tires rotated, and oil changed. It was a productive day and we were ready to then head down the Kenai Peninsula.

Alaska has a most interesting phenomenon. There are Espresso shacks everywhere. Espresso is big here. A shot of espresso costs about 1.00. There was even a shack in the Home Depot parking lot. Anchorage is a pretty big city. Don and I went to the Anchorage Public Library, one of the most beautiful facilities I have ever seen. Its architecture is unusual. It has three levels and a beautiful fountain, a cafe, and tons of free space to relax and read.

The Kenai Peninsula is like nothing I have ever seen before. Mountains surrounding the ocean with views of indescribable beauty. The photos do not do it justice. Don took the photo here of the eagle having lunch while on a short drive today. Today we also went on a wildlife cruise that left from Seward. We saw so much wildlife including bald eagles, sea otters, puffins, seals, mountain goats, and even orcas and a humpback whale. We were served a wonderful lunch of salmon and prime rib with all of the fixings. The cruise lasted 5 hours and even though it was an overcast misty day, we saw a lot and enjoyed it thoroughly. We are staying at a very nice campground attached to a lodge, and will leave tomorrow for Soldatna. Don and his uncle plan to fish.
They will hire a guide and hopefully have some luck. We will be in Alaska for at least three weeks before heading home. Don's birthday is Saturday so hopefully we will celebrate that day. It's kind of fun having company on this leg of our journey, and Rose and Al are fun to be with. We have laughed a lot. The last photo here is of the Matanuska Glacier, one of the most spectacular ones we have seen.

Whitehorse

So we have been in Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory for three days. Don's uncle has been stranded here for 10 days with a broken down RV. They cannot fix it until tomorrow. We have been keeping them company. Been to the movies twice, saw Eclipse tonight. We went to a museum about the Gold Rush in the Yukon territory. We went on a boat trip today down the Yukon River.We went for a walk on a beautiful trail around the city, and that's where I got the eagle photos....so cool. We leave tomorrow for Kluane Lake and then will be in Alaska on Friday. we are leaving ahead of Al and Rose, but will wait for them and meet down the road.

So I have decided to tell you some things we have learned:

The Yukon River is the second largest in North America.

The sun stays out here until almost midnight.

Glaciel waters are turquoise in color here.

The Cremation of Sam McGee is a famous poem written by Robert Service.

Everything here is named after Robert Service.

Cars here have to be plugged in in the winter. There are outlets everywhere and their cars have a plug on them.

The library here stays open seven days a week.

Whitehorse has a Walmart, McDonald's, and two Starbucks.

The dollar is called a loonie.

You have to pay a loonie for a shopping cart at the grocery store, but you get it back.

People with glass repair businesses have lots of customers.

Trash cans here are bear-proofed.

A grizzly wandered into Whitehorse this week.

We met a lady this week from Germany who summers in the Yukon. She lost her husband, and she is traveling to Alaska alone hauling a fifth wheel camper. I am impressed. I do have to say even though it isn't dark 'til midnight we have had no problems sleeping. Looking forward to crossing back into the USA soon.

Jasper Icefields to the Alaska Highway

My Observations:

36 degrees on the Jasper Icefield. We walked on a glacier.

Canadian Rockies are beautiful.

300 miles a day is enough.

The A-team is a good movie.

Watch for buffalo in the road in British Columbia.

Don and I are still speaking.

Scrabble is a good game.

Reading books to the driver makes the trip go faster.

I recommend "A Terrible Glory" by Donovan...it's about Custer's Last Stand.

We are also reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series....excellent.

My ipad is indispensable.

Did I say my ipad IS indispensable?

Rainy days are not fun....only have had a couple but still not fun.

Camping people are very friendly.

Mosquitos are big in the Yukon.

Bears are cute when little.

People leave signs in Watson Lake....thousands.

Gasoline costs more in Canada.
We eat better when traveling in the RV.
The Alaska Highway is long.
Don is a very patient man.

Life is good!!!!