On Our Way Home

I am writing this last entry from New Hampshire having just watched Charlotte play soccer. We are parked in Stratham at Don's brother's house and are glad to be almost home. We spent the last week wending our way through Illinois and Pennsylvania in our own little American History tour. The Lincoln Library in Springfield Illinois is probably one of the nicest museums we have ever been in. The displays and interactive exhibits are phenomenal. We also visited Lincoln's tomb at the cemetery in Springfield, a massive granite structure that contains the bodies of Lincoln, his wife Mary, and the sons they lost. The only surviving member of the family was his son Robert, and when he died he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. We also walked to Lincoln's home in Springfield pictured here.
From there we went to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to see the new Visitor's Center and Museum. Our campground was called Artillary Ridge, and there were riding stables right on the grounds. The second day there we took a tour of the battlefield on horseback, a really unique experience that gives you a completely new perspective of the battle. We wore head sets that described everything we were seeing. Don and I had never done anything like that before and it was a lot of fun. On our way home we stopped in South Hadley, Mass and visited with my Aunt Gloria and Uncle Chick whom I hadn't seen in years. We had a very nice visit and caught up on family news. All in all we had a grand adventure this summer, and are so glad we did it, but are also so glad to be home.
Final observations:
My ipad was my best friend on the trip.
Don and I travel well with only small skirmishes now and then.
100 degrees is pretty hot.
Kansas City has a lot of Yankee fans.
Horseback riding can be painful.
We have a very beautiful and vast country.
We learned a lot about American History.
We learned a lot about ourselves.
Live life...do not put things off that you dream to do.

Medora and Kansas City

Heading east, will be home by next week. Our stop in Medora, North Dakota for a couple of days was wonderful. We went to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and saw buffalo, prairie dogs, and wild mustangs. Medora was named by the Marquis de Mores, a french nobleman who had married a beautiful young American named Medora. They settled here and he tried to start up a cattle business but it failed. Teddy Roosevelt also spent a little time here after the death of his mother and wife. He says it is what created the environmentalist spirit in him, and it led him to the presidency. Every night all summer they perform a musical in an amphitheater built on the side of a canyon. Elk are brought out to feed on the hillside before the show. The show was wonderful. There were horses, music, dancing, comedy, and even a magician fresh off the show "America's Got Talent." It was one of the most unique shows we have ever seen. Then off we went across North Dakota. We stayed that night a bit west of Fargo, and tornadoes were threatening. My biggest fear would be to be in this RV with a tornado heading our way. Luckily, it did not.

We headed south to St Joseph, Missouri and stayed there for one night. Went to see the Yankees play in Kansas City. That was a real adventure. Finding our way there in 100 degree heat during rush hour traffic...not fun, but once there we had great seats and they were under cover. Yankees 4...Royals....3, a good night for Don. He also got to see CC Sabathia pitch for the first time. Today we will head to Springfield, Illinois to see Lincoln's grave and Presidential Museum. We will watch the weather as we wend our way home, and hope the heat breaks.

Heading East

Well, after more than three weeks in Alaska, we are heading east. We split from Rose and Al last Sunday. They will go a different route. We really pushed ourselves the last three days and drove more miles than we normally do as we wanted to get below the Alcan Highway. The highway was such an experience and so glad we did it. Its historical significance is so powerful as it was built originally as an army road in 1942 the result of great cooperation between the United States and Canada. It was necessary for our defense during World War II. Many people lost their lives building it and the remnants of the equipment used are still strewn along the highway. The monument shown here was created for the soldiers who died in the Charlie Lake tragedy. Their makeshift boat was overturned during high waves and a storm. We stopped also at the Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park. We had never experienced mineral hot springs before and it was wonderful. Very few people there. Men building the highway found it and it was a soothing respite in their harsh environment. We saw much wildlife on the trip down, including buffalo, elk, stone sheep, and a black bear. We also stopped in Watson Lake and placed our sign among the thousands that are there. I spent a short time creating it from supplies purchased at Walmart. Also, you might notice that I had a photo op with Sarah...that one is for Andrew. Last Sunday we were in Fairbanks and we flew on a small plane to Anaktuvuk Pass north of the Arctic Circle. We saw the Alaskan Pipeline wind its way north. The little community there consists of about 300 people, many of native descent. We are at the present moment in Whitecourt, Alberta and hope to be back in the states by Monday.

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.