Smoke and water--Seward 8/20/2019

Aialik Glacier center

This morning, we were greeted by a mom and juvenile moose just outside the lodge at which we're staying. They must be used to people in the area, as they did not seem perturbed by our presence 30 yards away. Today we're taking a cruise to Aialik Glacier on the Kenai peninsula, about 15 miles from Seward. It is part of Kenai Fjords National Park. A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley and those valleys are fjords when flooded by the ocean. When the valley is flooded above sea level, freshwater lakes are formed.

Smoke from the Swan Lake Fire on the Kenai peninsula obscuring a glacier.

Even though it was a bright, sunny day, skies were overcast, the sun was barely visible, and the strong smell of smoke was in the air. We couldn't see the mountains around Seward for the smoke. The wildfire causing the smoke was started days ago near Sterling by lightning. Fortunately, once we got on the water, the smoke dissipated.

On this cruise, we were treated to the absolute beauty of mountains meeting the sea. We saw groups of sea otters that seemed to come to attention as we passed. So cute! We saw a pod of about 4 killer whales hunting together in the fjord, bald eagles, and sea lions crowded on seaside rocks. But for us, the stars were the gorgeous mountains, jutting up from the seacoast.

Twin Peaks Lodge

After the cruise, we opted to just stop in to the local Safeway and pick up some fried chicken for dinner. We can eat a relaxing meal in the kitchen.

Photos of the day here.

Fish, destruction and rebuilding 8/18/2019

As we left Valdez, we decided to detour to visit the salmon fish hatchery just outside of town. We're so glad we did. Many years ago, we had visited the Bonneville Fish Hatchery at the Bonneville Dam in Oregon. This place felt, like most things in Alaska do, a bit wilder and wide open.

Spawning happens in late summer, so we were lucky to be there at just the right time. Hatchery staff may take eggs from as many as 16,000 adult fish each day. These fish return to the hatchery spawning building by entering the facility using a fish ladder, which carry the fish from salt water of Valdez port to raceways on shore. Over the winter, the hatchery staff tends to the eggs as they hatch and settle into simulated gravel to subsist from their yolk sacs. In early spring, the fry emerge and are ready to go to sea. Then they are pumped to net pens off shore where they are fed using commercial salmon feeds until they reach a target weight. From there, they are released to complete their life cycle in the open sea. This process is known as ocean ranching. The adults, which average about 3.5 pounds each, return the following summer, and the process starts all over again.

It's a very cool process, and amazing to see hundreds (thousands?) of salmon struggling to come up the fish ladder. The water around the weir was literally boiling with salmon. Thousands of seagulls congregated in the area, looking for easy prey. We really enjoyed this stop.

We also stopped at the old town of Valdez. In 1964, the town of Valdez was badly shaken but not destroyed in the 1964 Good Friday earthquake. Soil liquefaction of the glacial silt that formed the city's foundation led to a massive underwater landslide, which caused a section of the city's shoreline

Mount Wrangell

to break off and sink into the sea. People continued to live there for an additional three years while a new site was being prepared on more stable ground four miles away.  They transported 54 houses and buildings by truck to the new site, to re-establish the new city at its present location. The original town site was dismantled, abandoned and eventually burned down.

The ride back to Anchorage took us back along the Lowes River to Worthington Glacier and Thompson Pass. The views were spectacular.

That night we stayed at a hotel in Anchorage that had one feature that had us scratching our heads.

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/9zCZ8eTo8iysFiCYA

Eagles, otters, sea lions, and ....Calves! 8/17/2019

In front of the Columbia Glacier

Today we took a cruise on Prince William sound out of Valdez heading for Columbia glacier. It is one of the most rapidly changing glaciers in the world. Thankfully, it was a crystal clear, if very windy day. That wind was crazy at times, gusting to 55 mph on the water. At times, it was difficult to stand on one side or end of the boat or another. Fortunately, we could retreat to one side or end, or go inside when the wind was really whipping. That said, it was a wonderful experience.

Our captain was engaging, with lots of interesting info about the area and what we were seeing.We saw colonies of sea lions as the captain brought the boat close enough to hear them barking. We saw bald eagles soaring overhead, and many otters playing in the sea. When we arrived at the glacier, 240 feet tall where it meets the sea, the captain idled the boat for quite a while, so people could take pictures, and we could watch to see if the glacier would break off pieces (calve). Large chunks did fall several times, and with a loud crack and splash. We were surprised at how blue the glacier ice is.

Coming away from the glacier: you can see the line at which the water is mixed with glacial silt comes up against unsilted ocean water. It is the thin light blue line towards the shoreline.

The captain allowed passengers to come up to the wheelhouse to talk to him and ask questions, or just watch the scenery from that viewpoint. I did take advantage of this invitation. It was there that I met one of the crew who had grown up in the town 5 miles from where we now live. I spoke with a German young man who had been at Kennicott Lodge during our stay there, and was on this cruise as well. His grandmother lives in Lebanon, NH. It's really a very small world. And the captain told me in conversation, how he came to be on this boat. He had grown up in Alaska, and had the dream of captaining a boat in this tour operator's fleet. But, he was too young and inexperienced. So he went to Hawaii, got some experience there, and started to miss Alaska. He came back to Alaska, and finally achieved his goal. I asked him if the incredible views he saw every day ever get boring. "Never."

As we moved across the water through sea ice and near icebergs, in the sight of awesome mountain peaks and hanging glaciers, I felt very small, and privileged to be able to see this beauty with my own eyes.

Here are some pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dRSzbn9YEFVY4ZiC9

65 Miles from Nowhere 8/16/2019

Valdez

Because our plane doesn't leave until 2 pm from the McCarthy airport, we opted to take the hotel shuttle into the town of McCarthy 5 miles away, and leave our bags at the flight company office. After that, we took a "walking tour" of McCarthy, population 28. If Chitina is nowhere, McCarthy really is 65 miles from nowhere. It serves as the air gateway to Wrangell St. Elias National Park. None of the businesses or residents there, like the Kennicott Lodge, are on the grid. Generators rule. When we got to the flight office, we asked if we could fill our water battles. "Sure. If you walk out that door, and go down the path on the right, you'll see the community water source, a creek." Hmmmmm. Sure enough, there it was. Well, we weren't that thirsty anyway. The rusty pipe protruding from the ground was a nice touch.

Onward. We followed a road from town down to the river, and saw salmon swimming in the creek,

Main Street, McCarthy, AK

and took in some great views of the river and mountains. Once back in town, it took another 10-15 minutes to see the rest of town. We met the owner of the local lodge, and chatted with him about the logistics of running a hotel in the backcountry off the grid. Food, supplies, electricity are all a challenge. We did stop in to the very interesting town museum and spent some time reading the displays.

Soon it was time to head out on the plane to Chitina. I got to sit in the copilot seat this time, and Ray and I were the only passengers. The views were as awseome as the flight in.

A 2 1/2 hour drive took us into Valdez. Route 4 took us through spruce forest and not much more, until Worthington Glacier and Thompson Pass, all soaring mountains and killer views.

On to Valdez, our biggest, and most delightful surprise of this trip.What a fantastic place! Here, soaring mountains meet the sea. A 12,000 foot mountain here juts up from sea level, not from a starting 5,000 feet. It's pretty impressive. The town of Valdez has something of a tourist feel (at least while we were there), but it's obviously a place where people work and live. After dinner, we walked along the harbor and saw families, fishermen  cleaning their catch of the day, and fishing boats coming and going. What a scenic gem, and definitely a place to which we'd like to return (in summer). (Winter can deliver 400-500 inches of snow here on mostly dark days...)

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/4AzToHsBv4Q5NtJL6

Root Glacier 8/15/2019

Ice field ahead, but ice is under the darker moraine at the left

After a hot buffet breakfast, we set out for the Root Glacier. In fact, the glacier is directly in front of

the hotel, but it is covered in several feet of rocks and gravel. To see the glacier ice field, we took a 5.4 mile rt walk. We took the bear spray that the lodge staff recommended, and loaned to us. A few spots were slippery downhill gravel, but for the most part, it was an easy walk. Unfortunately, today there are still low clouds in the area.

Along the way, we saw fields of what I late learned were dryas, or mountain avens. At this time of year, the flowers that resembled 8 petaled daisies have morphed into feather-like plumes,

and the plumes shine in the light. So beautiful. Companion to the avens, and all along the path, are fireweed, which start out with pink/purple flowers. When the flowers fade, the plant becomes covered with spiral feathery plumes that re the seeds that will disperse in the wind. Magic!
About half way along the trail, we came upon a large pile of bear scat, red from the berries they eat. I guess the bear spray was a good idea...

Another cool feature we noted was a glacial erratic--a giant boulder--just at the edge of the trail. It had obviously rolled there when it was softer, and picked up thousands of smaller rocks on its way. Those small rocks were embedded in the boulder. Very cool.

Every so often, we would pause on the trail to listen to the quiet. We could hear the glacier creaking and cracking as it melted! As we neared the ice field, the air got noticeably colder. Lovely walk!

After another stellar lunch, we decided to take a trail that took us up where the houses of the mine administrators had been. Typically, the workers lived on the lower road in town, and admin lived on the upper road, called Silk Stocking Row.

We are just blown away by the sheer size and scope of this Wrangell St. Elias Natonal Park. At 13.2 million acres, it is the same size as Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks, and the country of Swizeralnd combined. 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the US are here. It is a truly amazing place.  Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/rE2K93vTtA5zBosk8

Wow! To Wrangell 8/14/2019

The town of Chitina boomed from 1908 to 1915. It once boasted it had the finest accomodations north of Seattle, Hotel Chitina. The town was then a transportation hub for the copper mine at Kennicott. That hotel has been newly restored and renovated, and has the charm of a small rural hotel, and the comfort of a larger one. The hotel is all polished woodwork. The rooms are small, but clean and comfortable with a private bath. We ate dinner last night and breakfast this morning in the restaurant. Servings are huge, and the quality is awesome.

After breakfast, we set off for our flight into Wrangell St Elias National Park and the Kennicott

Glacier Lodge. The airport (and I use the term loosely), looked like a gravel parking lot. Our plane was a 6 seater Cessna. The pilot assigned seats based on the body weight we reported when we booked. Ray sat in the co-pilot seat (!!),  and I sat in the 3rd row. The engine sputtered (yikes!), and then roared, and we then rolled down the short runway and into a glorious landscape. What a fabulous way to see the grandeur of this place! Mountains, glaciers, lakes, rivers-- so awe-inspiring. The flight only took 30 minutes or so, but was fabulous.

We landed in the town of McCarthy, 5 miles south of Kennicott where we will stay for 2 nights. A lodge van was waiting for us when we landed, and transported us to the hotel. Kennicott Glacier Lodge was built in 1987 on the site of and is a replica of a former mine worker residence. Kennicott was a mining town surrounded by the Wrangell St Elias National Park. The hotel sits front and center on the glacier. It has a 190 foot front porch that enjoys a panoramic view of the Chugach and Wrangell

mountains. The hotel owners have made an effort to make the hotel homey and luxurious at the same time. There are several shared bathrooms in our wing, and a cozy family room (where I am writing this). Our bedroom is clean and very comfortable, and, like the rest of the hotel, decorated with old mining artifacts and photos. There is a sink in the room with cold (ICE cold) water for teeth brushing.

After we settled into our room, we set out to discover Kennicott. The National Park service has restored many of the old Mill buildings and is in the process of major restoration of others. Kennecott sprang up in the early 1900s when it was discovered that this area was a particularly rich source of unusually high quality copper. The difficulty came with the fact that this area is incredibly remote. Even now, the only drivable road here is from Chitina 64 gravel miles and 4-5 hours of bumpy travel. The mine was built, and also a railroad that connected it to Cordova on the coast 169 miles south of here. Today's equivalent cost to build it? $6 billion! The mine operated until 1938 when the price of copper dropped, and the supply was depleted. The National Park service has explained the history of the many restored buildings that we toured. At its peak operation, (and it operated year-round), almost 500 people lived and worked here. There are still private homes here, and less than 20 live here year round, all off the grid.

After our walking tour of Kennicott, we headed to lunch. Our package here is for the flights in and out of Chitina, transfers, our room, and 3 meals a day. Otherwise, meal options are, to say the least, limited. Lunch was awesome-- fresh copper river salmon on a caesar salad. with home made beef barley soup. All is prepared fresh and is sooo good.

After lunch, we headed out on the trail the leads to the Root Glacier. We got halfway there, and then decided to turn back. Later, dinner was served family style at tables of 8. Filet mignon was the main course. It was a great opportunity to meet others and share experiences. We met an Israeli couple who were traveling a similar route to ours in Alaska, and 2 other couples from Florida!

More photos of the day here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dJi6rxCGWJfM269a6

To Chitina (pronounced Chitna!) 8/13/2019

After breakfast at the hotel, we started back south, heading for Chitina. That is the point from which we will take a bush plane to Kennicott and Wrangell St. Elias National Park.

We woke to cloudy, drizzly skies that turned to rain as we left. Our drive was about 5 1/2 hours. The road, route 2 to route 4 took us through sitka spruce forests, the Alaska range, and black spruce

Alaska Pipeline

forests (some of the ugliest trees I have seen). We stopped at an info station for the Alaska pipeline
which followed our route south. Very intersting info on how it was built and the various considerations made in design for the terrain.

There were a number of spots on route 4 where construction crews were working on the road. They seem to have a lot of work to do before winter set in.

Our hotel is Gilpatrick's in Chitina. It was built in the 1920s, and retains its vintage charm, probably looking very similar to the way it did

back then. Rooms are small and tidy, just large enough for a bed, chair and night stand. Our room has a bath. I'm not sure if that was original to the hotel or not. More photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/JFfTnQVxBjj3WRuL7

A little more Denali, then to Fairbanks 8/12/2019

We decided to go out early (for us), and drive the 15 mile paved portion of the Denali road. The morning was cool, with clear, brilliant skies. It was wonderful because there was no one on the road then! We stopped at the Savage River which at the end of the paved section. We then took a short 2 mile loop trail that took us along the river where it was wide and braided (water flowing around sand bars), down into a narrower steep canyon. The roar of the river s we descended the canyon was deafening. Any noise we might have made to scare off any bears in the area was probably drowned out by that. It was a beautiful walk, and the air smelled and felt fabulous. It was a walk that really brought home to me why I love the mountains so much. I feel so alive in this environment.

On the return drive from Savage River back up Denali Road, we stopped to take a stroll along a path to an area that was used in the late 1920s and later (when Denali Park was just being developed as a tourist destination) as a tent camping spot for visitors. "Campers" had meals at tables with tablecloths, silver and crystal. Today, the area shows no evidence of this use. It provides a distant view of Denali.

From there, we started north to Fairbanks. For the main road north from Anchorage to Fairbanks, route 3 is really unpopulated. In 2 1/2 hours, we passed 2 towns with a few buildings and lots and lots of trees. For the most part, that stretch of road is not in the mountains.

In Fairbanks, we picked up a few snacks, and headed to our hotel. Here are a few photos of the day: https://photos.app.goo.gl/aYXqDVbKrJXpQKnD9

Denali day 2 8/11/2019

View of Denali at Eielson Visitor Center

Today dawned bright and beautiful with blue skies. We headed down to another food truck outside our hotel for breakfast: $28 for 2 bowls of oatmeal and 2 coffees!

view of Denali from paved public access road

Then we headed into Denali for our bus trip into the park. Access to Denali is limited; there is one road that goes 92 miles into the park. You can take your private vehicle on the first 15 miles which

are paved. From that stretch of road, you can get a long-distance view of Denali if it's not cloudy.

To get a better look ( if it's not cloudy), you have to take a park bus that traverses another 51 or 77 gravel miles. We took the bus that goes out 51 miles to Eielson Visitor center. The bus itself looks like a school bus, but instead of bench seats, there are individual seats. 

We were instructed by the driver to call out if we saw any wildlife, and which direction to look (bears at 3 o'clock!). The driver would stop and we could take pictures. While stopped, we were told to be quiet, so as not to disturb the animals. That was a great plan, except that the first time we stopped, the only infant on board (!!!!) was screaming (not just crying). The gravel road was so narrow in places that when we passed buses traveling in the opposite direction (yes, it's a two-way road), the 2 buses were less than a foot apart.

The weather was spectacular; clear, cloudless blue skies and temps in the 50s and 60s. Our driver told us that this year, Denali has been completely exposed only 10% of the time. Normally in other years, you can see the whole mountain, unenshrouded by clouds only 30% of the time. We really lucked out. Along the ride, we saw moose, grizzlies, caribou, and ptarmigan. My own personal biggest thrill

came when we spotted a golden eagle perched on the top of a tree about 40 yards away. The bus stopped, and we watched in silence as he lingered a bit, then lifted his wings and soared into the sky. Absolutely awesome.

On the bus, we met a Bulgarian woman traveling solo,who has lived in Chicago for the last 2 years, and has traveled all over the US. It was interesting to hear her perspective on travel, and on the US.

On return to the park, we headed for Denali Village for dinner. Denali Village is a miniature Gatlinburg. By that, I mean that it is located just outside the park entrance, and is a conglomeration of gift shops selling "original" Alaska souvenirs and lots of food trucks selling ridiculously expensive stuff. There were way more Chinese and Thai food trucks than we imagined there might be. After dinner, we rode up the steep gravel road to check out the Denali Grande Hotel, probably the most expensive digs around. It is perched on the edge of a mountain, and enjoys great views of the valley. I'm not so sure I'd like to pay $400 a night for a room with views of the parking lot. It's $500 for the good views.

Denali day 1 8/10/2019

After a wonderful rest that caught us both up after the previous night's few hours of sleep, we were up  just before 7:00 a.m. Breakfast here was a selection of cereal and fruit, hard boiled eggs, bagels and toast and pastries.

 
By the time we got to Denali, it was misty and rainy, and went to our hotel to check in. Since our room wasn't ready yet, we headed to Denali to get tickets for the bus out to Eielson Visitor center

Lucky, one of these beautiful dogs, and my favorite

tomorrow. While there, we heard about and decided to go to the late sled dog demo in the park. At the sled dog station, rangers explained that since Denali is a designated wilderness area, no motorized vehicles can be used there in the winter (or off-road any time of year). So Denali hosts the only sled dog station in all the park service units. At the demo, the rangers teamed up 4 dogs on a motorized sled to show us how they work together. They explained how the dogs were trained and for what tasks in the team. And what beautiful dogs they were! After the demonstration, we were allowed to walk among and pat and interact with the dogs who were by then chained to their houses. All of them were howling and jumping around at the presence of a squirrel up a nearby tree. We really enjoyed this experience.

Dinner was from a Thai food truck.
Other photos of the sled dogs are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/chYsU3Lcp9qzWsud9

Talkeetna 8/9/2019

near Hatcher Pass

After a long combination of flights, (and 11 hours), first to Salt Lake City, and then onward to Anchorage, we arrived about 40 minutes late due to a weather delay in Salt Lake City. We checked into our hotel near the airport at about 1:00 am. All was good there,  quiet, clean and comfortable. After a great breakfast, we got on the move. First to AAA to get road maps, then to Walmart to get some snacks. Our next stop was the Eagle River Nature Center,at the Chugach State Park not far from Anchorage. We lucked into mid 70s to almost 80 degree temperatures and gorgeous sunny skies, and took a hike there. While we didn't spot any moose or bear, we did see a spruce grouse on the trail right ahead of us and took in the fantastic views of mountains and the river. From there we headed up Hatcher Pass to enjoy expansive views of the mountains and valleys. We drove up to the pass with the intention of taking an adjacent road over to Talkeetna where we will stay tonight. But when we got there, we noted the "primitive road" sign at the head of the gravel road, and opted instead to retrace our route a bit and take paved roads only. That route took us through Wasilla and a few other towns.

On our drive up to Talkeetna, we noted that the birches and aspens are yellowing and browning. Warmer than normal weather and lack of rain are doing damage here. Another thing we noted was that there are paths on both sides of both Route 3 (the main road north from Anchorage up to Fairbanks) and the road going in to Talkeetna. One path is paved, the other is not. The paved path is maintained year round for walkers and bicyclists. The dirt path is for 4 wheelers in the summer, and snow-mobilers in the winter.

We are staying in a rural small B & B with cabins as well. We are staying in one of the B & B rooms where we share a bath with the other room. The owners live upstairs. It's quaint, quiet, and clean, and we sat outside on the deck in the evening after dinner, and enjoyed the silence and the forest around us.

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ms9bWpWKxyUU8WLh6

Alaska, finally 8/8/2019

After almost 50 years of traveling this country, it is unfortunate that our travels did not take us to either Texas or Alaska. We have driven through Texas a few times, and even stayed in campgrounds there, but never really explored, so that doesn't count. We hope to get there this coming spring. The next 2 weeks will take us along Alaska roads as far north as Fairbanks (or maybe a little further), and to 3 more National Parks. We fly out tomorrow, and return in 2 weeks. We are renting a car, and have made our own reservations along the way.We'll fly over glaciers and take 2 full-day cruises along the Alaskan coast. Can you tell I'm excited?