Alaska impressions 9/5/2019

• RV parks are, on average, just parking lots here
• Wind=dust (and lots of it)
• There are no small dogs here that we could see
• There is a view around every corner and bend in the road
• River water is all glacial
• Everything is more expensive here ($28 for oatmeal and coffee?)
• It's a good thing the weather is, on average a bit cooler. More clothes = more protection from mosquitoes
• There seem to be pickup trucks parked randomly all over Alaska
• There are many more dirt and gravel roads than paved
• Traffic is a non-issue here
• If you're going anywhere, make sure you've got enough gas in your car. Interesting facts: Alaska is about 2 1/2 times as large as Texas by square miles. Texas has over 16,000 gas stations. Alaska has about 270. The lesson: fill up whenever you see a gas station.
• Many rivers in Alaska are braided: a network of river channels separated by small, often temporary, islands. 
• We want to go back in early summer when snow is still on the mountains, and there's less chance of wildfires.

Anchorage--last day 8/21/2019

This morning, we got ourselves some coffee, and stepped outside. The sun was obscured by the smoke again, and it smelled very smoky. Our mom and juvenile moose buddies were there to greet us.  After breakfast that we had purchased at Safeway last evening, we headed out. Today, we will go back to Anchorage for our flight late tonight (actually early tomorrow morning (12:45 a.m.). But there's still so much more to see and do!

After stopping for a few photos along the way, (although the spectacular views along the Turnagain Arm were veiled in smoke)

Smoky mountain views

we went to the Alaska Botanical Gardens in Anchorage. These gardens are necessarily unlike others we have visited. Flowers are all naturalized, with few, if any formal beds. We knew it would be different when we walked up to the entrance and were confronted by a tall chain link fence and gate. A large bear warning sign was posted. The lady who then greeted us, advised us of a nice trail to follow, and advised us to watch for bears. As it was, thankfully, we saw none. The trail walk was very informative and signs along the way explained many of the natural plants and features we saw.

We later stopped at the Potter Marsh Bird Sanctuary, where a boardwalk winds around the perimeter of the marsh. From there, we watched many different types of birds in and around the water. At one point, a creek flows under the boardwalk, and we watched as many salmon spawned there. It really is a peaceful place. When we first arrived though, we were disconcerted to hear gunshots nearby. Those came from the shooting range right next to the marsh.

This is the size to which brown bears can grow!

Then we headed to Earthquake Park,where a sharp drop-off  and peculiar rippling hills in the forest below are evidence of the massive 9.2 earthquake that forever altered Anchorage’s landscape in 1964.

Our flight left at 12:45 a.m., and we were back in Orlando by 6:00 after a weather delay in Seattle.

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

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