Friday, July 15, 2016 - Back to Fairbanks

Even though we decided to try to sleep in this morning we were all wide awake at 6:30 so we got up, packed up and were on the road at 7:15. We decided to treat ourselves to breakfast at the Tangle Lakes Resort which was about 1 1/2 miles further down the road and was on the paved portion of the Denali Highway. There is no power in this part of the world so everything is run on a large diesel generator. They have Verizon cell service but no land line.

After breakfast we had a little over 200 miles to Fairbanks. Some of the drive paralleled the Alaskan Pipeline. It was truly an amazing construction feat. The pipeline is 48" in diameter. Most of it is elevated but the parts that had to be buried required blasting due to the permafrost. 

We arrived in Fairbanks in the early afternoon and did a little grocery shopping before checking into the RV Park. We sat around for a while, showered and then went to the University of Fairbanks Museum. Bet and Jim had been there before I arrived but decided it was worth a return visit. Aside from the fact that the entry fee was $12 and they had no "senior" discount it was a good visit.

We went out to dinner and not Bet and Jim are getting things organized for out 5:00 AM departure to the airport. They are then headed to Anchorage for a couple of days and then out to the Kenai Peninsula for a few days. They are having a great time and to date have logged just under 7,000 miles. 

This is my last blog entry of this adventure. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. I know I sound like a broken record but it sure would have been better with "The Beav". 

My next adventure begins on August 6 when Sandy and I spend nearly two weeks in the Canadian Rockies backpacking and hiking. Stay tuned.

ILYB

    Great Lake reflection

    Alaskan Pipeline

    Dall Sheep

    Polar Bear

Thursday, July 14, 2016 - The Denali Highway

Happy 37th anniversary Bet and Jim

We enjoyed another nice leisurely morning at the campground taking our time with showers, coffee and breakfast. We left the campground about 10:30 and purchased gas and a few groceries before heading south to the little burg of Cantwell where we headed east on the Denali Highway.

The Denali Highway is 135 miles long and runs between Cantwell and Paxson. Three miles on the west end and twenty miles on the east end are paved. The rest is crushed gravel and the road is quite well graded in some areas and rutted and potholed in others. It took us about six hours to do the 115 miles that we travelled today. We are staying at Tangle Lakes Campground which is a BLM campground and since we are old we only paid $6 for the night. There are no hookups but potable water is available.

At milepost 50 we were able to see the reclamation project currently underway of the Valdez Creek Mine. Gold was discovered here in 1903 and 495,000 ounces of gold were removed before the mine closed in 1995.

At milepost 55.5 we crossed the Susitna River on a 1,000' long one lane bridge. The river flows south from the Susitna Glacier and the Alaskan Range and eventually empties into Cook Inlet.

At milepost 93 we had a good view of the Maclaren Glacier Which was sixteen miles north of us but had originally covered the Denali Highway many, many years ago.

Shortly after the glacier viewpoint we passed an area containing many Kettle lakes. Kettle lakes are forme when large chunks of ice broke off retreating glaciers and were buried in the glacial debris. The ice eventually melted, leaving circular shaped depressions called kettles.

That's all the news that's fit to print.

ILYB

    The Denali Highway

    Panorama

    Great place for lunch

    From halfway across the Susitna River

    Just another great view

Wednesday, July 13, 2016 - Denali National Park

Today was a day of rest and relaxation. We got up late, showered, relaxed in the camper over coffee and Bet fixed a great breakfast of sausage, eggs and toast. By the time we headed into the Park it was almost noon. 

We stopped at the Murie Science and Learning Center and caught the last of an interested talk on Denali Wolfs given by the Park's resident naturalist. The Q&A portion was as good as the talk. We toured the facility which was small but interesting. We also learned of a Ranger talk titled "A River Runs Through It" at one of the hotels outside the park at 3:30. 

After a very heathy lunch of Starbucks and ice cream we headed to the McKinley Hotelo for the talk. Ranger Melissa talked about the various streams and rivers in the area and how some were glacier fed and cloudy and others were fed by rain and snow melt and were crystal clear. I also found out that there are 100,000 glaciers in Alaska. 

Tomorrow we will be driving the Denali Highway which is 130 miles of bad road with spectacular scenery. 

ILYB

    Wolf skeleton

    Grizzly Bear

    Great sign

    Bet and Jim's rig

    Inside of the camper

Tuesday, July 12, 2016 - Denali National Park

What a great day! Jim had arranged for a guided tour of the park, from the beginning to the end of the road, for today. We were up at 5:30 to a crystal clear day, had our showers and breakfast and were at the Park's Bus Terminal by 7:00 for our 7:20 departure. There was a little confusion about getting on the right bus but we made it. This was to be a twelve hour tour to cover the 92 1/2 miles to the end of the road in Kantishna which was a mining area before the Park was formed. 

We made about ten stops along the way and for the last couple we had a Park Ranger aboard. The bus was an old school school bus and was not the most comfortable but the scenery and animal sittings more than made up for the lack of comfort.

Our views of Denali along the way were near perfect. There hadn't been clear views in nearly three weeks. The driver stopped at many places along the route for animal sitings. We saw Grizzly Bears, Dall Sheep, Caribou, Snow Hares, Moose, and Ptarmigan. I was able to get some worthwhile pictures. 

The trip ended up being thirteen hours and by the end we were all whipped. We went out to eat and then returned to the campground. It is none after 11:00 and the sun is still up.

ILYB

    Along the Park road

    Denali

    A happy camper

    Female moose

Monday, July 11, 2016 - To Talkeetna and back

We were up at 5:45 this morning as we thought we needed to catch the 7:10 tour bus for our 160 mile round trip tour of the park. Fortunately Bet looked at the tickets and noticed that our trip is tomorrow. All in all that is a good thing as it was raining with a very low cloud ceiling.

Since we were up and ready to go we headed to Talkeetna which was on the itinerary for Wednesday. It is about a 280 mile round trip. As we drove south the weather gradually  improved. We drove through Denali State Park which is the largest State Park that I have ever seen. It is 325,000 acres which is half the size of Rhode Island. There are two pullout areas for views of Denali. Our first stop was the north one and we were able to see some of Denali but there was substantial cloud cover. By the time we covered the thirty miles to the south viewpoint the sky around Denali had cleared and we were able to get some good pictures.

We arrived in Talkeetna about noon. Talkeetna is where all Denali climbs begin. All climbers must register and sit through some Ranger talks and watch a couple of videos. To date this year 655 of 1,200 have summited.  That is about average. All climbers are transported by ski plane to the Kalhitna Glacier at 7,000 feet in elevation. From there it is a 14 mile trek to the 20,350' summit. I have read many books about climbing Denali and have always wanted to visit Talkeetna. It is just a small town in the wilderness. But now I can say I was there.

ILYB

    Denali through a telescope

    Denali. The river is a 700' in elevation. We are 40 miles (as the crow flies) from the summit.

    Happy camper

    Ice cream maker

Saturday and Sunday, July 9 & 10, 2016 - Ketchikan to Denali National Park

Those of us that had early flights leaving Ketchikan (5 of us) were dropped off at the float plane pier at the airport. It was a two minute walk to the terminal. There was no one in line at security so I was there with about 1 1/2 hours to spare.

I had the milk run from Ketchikan to Anchorage. 

- Ketchikan to Wrangell, 38 minute flight & a 48 minute layover, stay on plane

- Wrangell to Petersburg, 23 minute flight & a 41 minute layover, stay on plane

- Petersburg to Juneau, 47 minute flight & 49 minute layover, stay on plane

- Juneau to Anchorage, 1 hour 56 minute flight & 2 hour 29 minute layover, change planes

- Anchorage to Fairbanks, 1 hour 6 minute flight

That's a lot of up and down for the relatively short distance between Ketchikan and Fairbanks. Upon landing in Anchorage I did receive some good Karma. As I walked off the jet bridge I looked for a schedule board and noticed the the next gate had an Alaska Air flight to Fairbanks leaving in five minutes. I was able to get on that flight and arrived in Fairbanks two hours earlier than expected. I only have carry-on luggage so the transfer was easy. I called Jim and told him of the earlier pickup time. Jim and Bet were waiting near the airport entrance so after I got to the outside of the airport I was picked up in minutes.

We went to dinner within walking distance of the campground and then I did my laundry. We didn't get to bed until 11:00 and the sun was still up. 

This morning after a leisurely breakfast we drove the 150 miles to Denali National Park. The road into the park is approximately 80 miles long but you are only allowed to drive on the first 15 miles. The Park Service provides buses, for a rather large fee, to take people into the park proper. Jim reserved spots for us on Monday on the tour bus and on Tuesday on the shuttle bus. The tour bus has a Ranger along and is basically a guided tour and is twelve hours long. The shuttle just goes out and back but you can get off at any of the stops and pick up the next bus in either direction. They run at thirty minute intervals. It has been raining on and off all day and this is supposed to continue until midday tomorrow.

No pictures today.

ILYB

Friday, July 8, 2016 - The end of an unbelievable journey

Last night we had dock space in Ketchikan and as it turned out that was a good thing. One of the engine crankcase oil plugs sprung a leak and needed to be replaced. If it was going to happen this was about the best place. Parts were available and the problem was soon fixed. 

In the meantime a separate boat was hired to to us to our first stop of the day, Annette Island and the village of Metlakatla. Metlakatla was the first settlement of the Tsimshian Tribe which migrated from British Columbia in 1887. We had a guided tour of the village and were treated to a dance and song demonstration in their Long House. This was a great beginning to the day. Our ship was repaired and was able to meet us in Metlakatla. 

Our travels then took us into Misty Fjord and into a side channel of the fjord named Rudyerd Bay. On the way we passed the remnants of a vocanic cinder cone that had erupted during the ice ice and still rises above the water in the fjord. We travelled to near the very end of Rudyerd Bay where we drifted while we had dinner. The area would remind you of Yosemite Valley in water. Hard to describe but very, very cool.

At dinner the entire crew was present so we could say our goodbyes. And as luck would have it the featured wine was Nobilo Savingnon Blanc. Of course I imbibed. After dinner we were treated to a wonderful slideshow of our trip.

I can't heap enough praise on this cruise line and especially the crew. This was the best crew of all of the outfitted trips that I have been on. If you ever have a desire to cruise the Inside Passage of Alaska do it with Alaska Dream Cruises on the ship The Alaska Dream.

As you all know the only downside of the trip was not having Peg with me. I miss her like crazy. 

ILYB

    Tsimshian dancers

    Bench in the Long House

    Cinder Cone

    In Rudyerd Bay

Thursday, July 7, 2016 - Thorne Bay and Kasaan, Alaska

The ship docked in the small community of Thorne Bay about 1:30 this morning. Thorne Bay was established in 1960 as a logging camp. Today most of the logging has disappeared but the community remains with about 300 full time residents. We got a quick guided tour of the town and then went to the library where we were able to get internet service.

We were back onboard for lunch and the two hour trip to Kassan which is the home to about 40 full time Haida residents. The Haida tribe was one of the early settlers in this area. We received a guided tour of Chief Son-I-Hats Whale House which was used as a residence for a family group of around 30 people. The structure is one room and is 35' x 35'. The original building was constructed in 1880 and was rebuilt in 1940 and again just recently. There were also several totem poles.

The weather has been remarkably good. It has been mostly cloudy but virtually no rain. The temperatures have ranged from the mid fifties to the mid sixties.

ILYB

    Logging grapple hook

    Thorne Bay port

    Welcome to Kasaan

    Driftwood heaven

    Totem pole

Wednesday, July, 6, 2016 - Wrangell, Alaska

All in all a very quiet day spent mostly by myself.

The distance between Petersburg and Wrangell is not very far so by about 11:00 PM last night the ship was docked in Wrangell. Breakfast was at 7:30 which is the usual time. 

After breakfast there was a group hike to Petroglyphs Beach where about forty petroglyphs are visible in rocks just above the high tide mark. I would guess the distance from boat to beach to be about 3/4 of a mile. Paul, Myron and I walked with Linda partway back to the ship and then we split off to do a short hike to Mt. Dewey. The hike was .4 miles long with about 250' of elevation gain. It was an interesting trail in that the trail itself was all wood, either steps or boardwalk. There are 542 steps (yes, I counted).

After the descent we split up and I went to the library for wifi. The library was closed but I was able to connect to their wifi from a bench at the front door. When that was finished I did the trail one more time. It was great to actually sweat a little.

I then strolled through the residential part of town on my way to the Wrangell Museum. The crew had informed us that this museum was one of the best in SE Alaska. I stumbled onto St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church where I found out that this was the first Parish established in Alaska. I sat in the church and contemplated life for a few minutes.

The museum was very good with interesting displays on the native Tlinglets, the gold rush years, the fishing industry and logging. I am now back at the library where I'll be able to send this.

ILYB

    Petroglyph

    A v wry interesting wood sculpture 

    St. Rose of Lima

    The five types of Salmon

Tuesday, July 5, 2016 - Petersburg, Alaska

For those of you who know me well you already know that I did not stay up until midnight to see a small fireworks display. 

We did anchor in the channel a little south of town. During breakfast we motored into port and tied up at one of the piers. Petersburg was founded by Norwegians as a fishing port which still operates today. There are two canning facilities at the docks. We walked to the Sons of Norway Hall to be treated to some Norwegian pastries and a dance recital put on by some local 12-13 year old girls and boys.

Today is pretty much a free day so I spent the morning walking around town ending up at the library where I was able to check and respond to a few emails. I was back on the ship for lunch but decided not to eat lunch as I decided that at least once on this trip I wanted to go to dinner actually being hungry. The food has been great. 

At 2 PM there was an option for a short hike.  We were transported across the channel in the ship's Zodiac for what turned out to be a 1 1/2 mile stroll through a wetland area. Virtually the entire trail was boardwalk. It certainly was not strenuous but the walk sure felt good.

I am now back at the library so I can post this while we are in town.

    Self explanatory.

    The dancers

    Myron at the statue of one of his countrymen

    One of several wharfs

Monday, July 4, 2016 - Dawes Glacier and Humpback Whale watching

Happy Fourth of July.

On our way South last night we made a stop in Juneau for fuel and fresh water which took place about midnight. The ship then continued south where it anchored in Holkham Bay. Holkham Bay is the entry point for both Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm both of which are long, narrow fjords ending in Tidal Glaciers. The plan was to visit both but Tracy Arm was inaccessible due to ice choking the fjord. Apparently North and South Sawyer Glaciers are calving more than normal and there are huge amounts of calves ice in the fjord. This condition is called a galloping glacier and seems to occur every decade or so. No one seemed to know why but we were told that the condition is not caused by global warming.

After breakfast we headed into the Endicott Arm. This is a very deep and beautiful fjord with steep walls and many waterfalls. After a little more than an hour we reached the Dawes Glacier. It is about 3/4 mile wide and 200' high. We saw some major calving on the way in but nothing when we were up close. We stayed at the foot of the glacier for about 30 minutes and then headed back out. The weather was mostly clear with light winds and the temperature was in the low 50s.

The next stop was Stevens Passage where we spend the afternoon looking for Humpback Whales. On the way we passed a small island where hundreds of Sea Lions were sunning themselves. As we approached the passage we could already see the spouting of the Humpback Whales. It was a banner day for whale watching. With no exaggeration I saw well over 100 whales. I saw several come completely out of the water but they were all too far away to get any kink of picture. I did see many come to the surface and the dive which exposed their tails. It was an amazing afternoon. 

Tonight we will anchor just short of Petersburg and will have a fireworks display around midnight. I'm not sure I will make it.

ILYB

    Ice in the Endicott Arm

    The Dawes Glacier

    A hanging glacier in the Endicott Arm

    Sea Lions

    Humpback Whale tail

Sunday, July 3, 2016 - Skagway and Haines, Alaska

The ship anchored last night in the bay about two miles from Skagway. During breakfast we slowly motored to the pier where we would dock. We were picked up in an old school bus for a quick motor tour of the town (900 year round residents) and then dropped off at the White Pass and Yukon Rail Station. Construction on the 67.5 mile route to Lake Bennett was begun in 1898 as a means to get miners and their equipment into the Yukon where gold was discovered in 1896. The line was completed in 1900. The gold rush began in earnest in 1898. Prior to the completion of the rail line gold seekers we forced to hike to Bennett Lake via the Chilkoot Trail which begins in Dyea seven miles west of Skagway. Upon reaching the Canadian Border, about 35 miles in, each prospector was required to have all of their gear weighed. There was a catch. Each prospector was required to have 2,000 pounds of gear and supplies. This is the amount that the Canadian Government determined was necessary for them to be self sufficient for one year. There were no possibility for resupply along the way. So each prospector generally had to make 20-25 trips to Lake Bennett. At that point they made themselves rafts to float across the lake and then down the Yukon River to where gold was discovered.  Many died and even fewer made any money.

We did 27 3/4 miles and departed the train at Fraser, British Columbia. Our passports were checked by Canadian Immigrations and we boarded a bus to take us back to Skagway where we could shop for a couple of hours. The trip was great and I would highly recommend it if you ever get close to here. Back in Skagway I had a very ordinary beer at Skagway Brewing and the walked back to the ship.

After lunch we motored for about 90 minutes north arriving in Haines, Alaska, a town of 3,000 permanent residents. There was a fort built here by the US Government beginning in 1902 which was abandoned in 1948. Your tax dollars at work. It is a beautiful location but not much to see or do. 

Tonight after dinner we begin our trip southward.

ILYB

    One of the original tressels. It has been replaced.

    View from the train

    Myron and I getting back to the US.

    Snowblower that was mounted on the front of the locomotive.

    Skagway flower garden.

    View from central Haines.