Day 30 (continued) - Rain, Rain Go Away!
So, as you probably noticed I was not able to get the pictures to work - this will wait until we are home now as it won't be long. After a whole month on the road, and the weather not cooperating we think we might just go home. We decided to go for lunch to discuss our next move and on a local's recommendation went to the Fat Mermaid. The local's reasoning was that you don't want to go to Mikes as he's too expensive. Well.... we can't imagine what those prices would have been as the less expensive place cost us $45 for a very light lunch! The clouds had swallowed up the mountain, you could not see past the immediate harbour, it was raining hard and the forecast was for eight more days of the same. We decided that Beautiful Valdez and Harbour Boat Rides and the like would have to stay on the Bucket List and we would head towards home, the first leg being Tok.
We drove back up the highway and once we got about 75 miles out the weather brightened a bit. We did take some pictures of the awesome waterfalls and amazing glacier as we drove out and despite the rain and heavy clouds we got some pretty good shots. We drove all the way along the Richardson Highway to Tok and camped at the same place we camped early in our trip - as the campground at Fast Eddies. It was a long day of driving but with two drivers its ok, because when one gets tired the other drives.
Day 31 - What a difference a day makes!
We went to bed thinking we would be in Whitehorse today, do our shopping and go home! However, the day dawned sunny and bright, we breakfasted at Fast Eddies and then headed toward the border to re-enter Canada. We had a very cheerful and fun border guard who likes our cartoon faces on the doors, thought our dog was great, like how we had the totals for what we spent handy and he waved us on, wished us safe travels and away we went. We drove on and reached the Kluane area. This is such a beautiful drive and especially so today with beautiful sunshine, blue skies and just enough clouds to make the sky interesting. We stopped so much to take pictures, breathe the air and take in the lovely sights that it became clear that we would not be reaching Whitehorse today! Nor did we feel such an urgency to get back anymore as we were having such a lovely day. Just past Destruction Bay their is a campground called Cottonwood and Earl knows the people through his Mileposting days. Five years ago we took a tour of their place and saw the new cabins they had built. We said one day we would like to stay in the small one called Bella Vista. We pulled in and the campground looked pretty busy and we thought that we would be lucky to get a little camping spot let alone a night in the beautiful cabin! However, surprise, surprise, there was room. We moved in, took a walk along the lake in the light of the setting sun and then settled down for the night in this little piece of heaven, with gorgeous mountains, mirror still lake and a beautiful sky and setting sun! It was heaven!
Day 32 - My Blue Heaven!
We woke the next morning to sunshine on still waters and majestic peaks! We did not want to go home. We were ahead of schedule as the original plan had been to not be home till next weekend, so Earl went to find out if we could stay another night - oh joy! We can! What a treat and great way to end our holiday. I pretty much sat and read all day! I sat in the chairs inside, then I sat on the chairs on the front porch, then I moved to the chairs on the back porch in the sun, ... when it got too hot, I sat in the chairs in the shade on the front porch. Earl went taking pictures, took naps, we played cards and basically were very lazy and relaxed. And Corona...he explored and then napped in the sun....he explored some more and then napped in the shade.... you get the picture! We went for a drive in the late afternoon in both directions and had some supper back at Destruction bay. Earl thought he might like to go flight-seeing here but the costs were quite prohibitive and we didn't have a handy coupon book for here that gave us 2 for the price of one! We got back to our little cabin and played cards and read some more took some more pictures and then went to bed feeling relaxed but a little sad knowing that tomorrow it really was time to head to Whitehorse and then home. I think I could stay a week and still not be ready to leave!
Day 33 - Take me Home Country Roads!
Check out time was 11:00 a.m. We lazed in bed this morning, then slowly roused ourselves and went and had long luxurious showers. Slowly packed up the truck and re-hitched the camper and at exactly 11:00 a.m. with such reluctance we locked the door and drove away from the cabin. I believe we will be back one day - maybe a week or a ten day stay next time!
We said our goodbyes to MaryAnne and Glen (owners) and got back on the highway pointed toward Whitehorse. We lunched at Haines Junction and a great place called the Village Bakery and then in increasing heat drove towards the city. We got to the stores at 3:00 p.m., did our shopping while poor Corona tried to find shade beneath the trailer. We finished at about 5:00 p.m. We got gas and then headed to our supper date at a new restaurant called the Wheelhouse. Earl knows the owner and it just opened in July. What an amazing place. We had a table on the patio in the shade with a view of the river. The menu is very tastefully laid out and oh my the food. It was so delicious with good portions and excellent service. We sure enjoyed our 'last supper' of the holidays and would recommend the Wheelhouse to anyone wanting a nice supper with a good atmosphere and excellent food.
It's 7:30 p.m., we had planned to stay in the city a night, but... we were not tired, it was hot and crowded and busy in the city so we headed off down the Alaska Highway towards home. We didn't know how far we'd get but about midnight we pulled into Rancheria and dry camped for the night. Then, boy, we must have been eager to get home because we were up and rolling again about 6:30 a.m. and breakfasted at the Rancheria Lodge. Off we went again, we saw a moose, a bear and some bison on the way and then stopped at the Hot Springs for Earl to soak his aching back. Then of course, it is just a few miles and we're home! Muncho Lake looked lovely but we didn't even stop to stare or take pictures. A few more miles down the road, Corona suddenly perked up, wagged his tail and stuck his head out the window - he must have smelt home too!
We have had a great holiday - we saw some amazing sights, had some great adventures, and met some pretty cool people - but there is no place like home! We were so glad to see Toad River and our little house! We love to travel and see new places but we also just love where we live. It's a pretty good life!
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read our blog! It was fun learning to do this and any feedback anyone has - good or bad (constructive criticism) it would be greatly appreciated as this is a learning process and I want to do a class blog with my students so please feel free to let me know what you think!
Friday, 16 August 2013
Friday, 9 August 2013
Day 29 and 30 - Glenn Highway to Valdez
Day 29 and 30 - Slip Sliding Away
We will not bore you with our morning - laundry, tidy-up, banking...yawn! Necessary evils even (or especially) on the road but just at the noon check-out all the laundry, tidying and chores were done so off we head to the Glenn Highway. The rain has stopped and dare we say we see sunshine and blue sky over there? Ooh, we sure hope so!
The Glenn Highway stretches from the Tok Cutoff to Anchorage, AK and winds its way through the Talkeetna and Chugach mountains with the promise of lots of beauty and amazing glaciers to see.
There are also many little side roads you can take but today we will be heading straight for Valdez without the detours. We must come back this way to reach Tok on our way home in a few days, so we may take some detours then. Even without the detours, this road is very scenic and we were blessed with some sunny skies.
One of the highlights was the Matanuska Glacier 101 miles from Anchorage. You get your first glimpses of this glacier as you are driving along the road but then there is a veiwpoint with information kiosks to pull in to so you can get a good look and take some photos. Quoting from the Milepost: "Matanuska Glacier heads in the Chugach Mountains and trends northwest 27 miles. Some 18,000 years ago, the glacier reach all the way to the Palmer area. The glacier's average width is 2 miles and at it's terminus it is 4 miles wide. The glacier has remained fairly stable the past 400 years." According to one of the information panels, a scientific study is being conduction on this glacier to find out what affects the speed of a glacier and the effects of climate change on the glaciers of Alaska.
At Glennallen, we stopped for supper and then headed down the Richardson Highway towards Valdez. As you turn at the Junction here, you get a marvelous view of Mount Drum which is part of the Wrangell Mountains. We got a few other glimpses as we rode along, but eventually the clouds obscured it. There was a lake called Mirror Lake that sometimes reflect these mountains but it wasn't so mirror-like for us. However, there was an amazing rainbow that we captured on film before it faded!
We made a lot of miles today, but petered out about 55 miles out of Valdez where we pulled off the road and dry camped for the night. The clouds look ominous over the pass and it will be better for us to traverse over the mountains with rested and alert eyes. Just as we were fading off to sleep, Corona took off barking and we were joined by some hunters who also were dry camping in our spot. Corona is a good guard dog though and it is good to have him along. We will rest easy knowing he is on duty!
This morning, although it has not started to rain here, those clouds still look ominous and we cannot see much of the surrounding mountains. We have woken up very early (so have the hunters) and they have warned us that there is a fresh kill nearby and to watch for bears and wolves and keep an eye on our little doggie! Good job we're not planning to stay too long.
We head out towards Valdez and did not get very far before the raindrops started to fall. Despite the sogginess, these mountains are just beautiful with amazing waterfalls, mountain meadows and impressive peaks. The pass was pretty fogged in and we are glad we waited till morning to complete the trek down to Valdez. Valdez' weather is very much like Seward was for us. The forecast is eight days of rain! We checked in at the info centre and got some intel on the tours and museums in the area and also a place with wi-fi out of the wet so I can complete our blog entries and try to get the photos to download.
So, here I am at their beautiful library typing away, listening to the wonderful sounds of happy children discovering books in the children's section just below me. I have written postcards, transferred pictures, written the blog and now will attempt to add pictures to our blog and send it off to everyone!
Earl is not feeling well, so went to find a spot to park the trailer so he can have a lie down. I am thinking, after a month on the road, we are getting road weary and it is a good thing that we start to wind our way home now.
Wish me luck as I try to make the pictures work. We have some great shots to share with you all so I hope it works!
We will not bore you with our morning - laundry, tidy-up, banking...yawn! Necessary evils even (or especially) on the road but just at the noon check-out all the laundry, tidying and chores were done so off we head to the Glenn Highway. The rain has stopped and dare we say we see sunshine and blue sky over there? Ooh, we sure hope so!
The Glenn Highway stretches from the Tok Cutoff to Anchorage, AK and winds its way through the Talkeetna and Chugach mountains with the promise of lots of beauty and amazing glaciers to see.
There are also many little side roads you can take but today we will be heading straight for Valdez without the detours. We must come back this way to reach Tok on our way home in a few days, so we may take some detours then. Even without the detours, this road is very scenic and we were blessed with some sunny skies.
One of the highlights was the Matanuska Glacier 101 miles from Anchorage. You get your first glimpses of this glacier as you are driving along the road but then there is a veiwpoint with information kiosks to pull in to so you can get a good look and take some photos. Quoting from the Milepost: "Matanuska Glacier heads in the Chugach Mountains and trends northwest 27 miles. Some 18,000 years ago, the glacier reach all the way to the Palmer area. The glacier's average width is 2 miles and at it's terminus it is 4 miles wide. The glacier has remained fairly stable the past 400 years." According to one of the information panels, a scientific study is being conduction on this glacier to find out what affects the speed of a glacier and the effects of climate change on the glaciers of Alaska.
At Glennallen, we stopped for supper and then headed down the Richardson Highway towards Valdez. As you turn at the Junction here, you get a marvelous view of Mount Drum which is part of the Wrangell Mountains. We got a few other glimpses as we rode along, but eventually the clouds obscured it. There was a lake called Mirror Lake that sometimes reflect these mountains but it wasn't so mirror-like for us. However, there was an amazing rainbow that we captured on film before it faded!
We made a lot of miles today, but petered out about 55 miles out of Valdez where we pulled off the road and dry camped for the night. The clouds look ominous over the pass and it will be better for us to traverse over the mountains with rested and alert eyes. Just as we were fading off to sleep, Corona took off barking and we were joined by some hunters who also were dry camping in our spot. Corona is a good guard dog though and it is good to have him along. We will rest easy knowing he is on duty!
This morning, although it has not started to rain here, those clouds still look ominous and we cannot see much of the surrounding mountains. We have woken up very early (so have the hunters) and they have warned us that there is a fresh kill nearby and to watch for bears and wolves and keep an eye on our little doggie! Good job we're not planning to stay too long.
We head out towards Valdez and did not get very far before the raindrops started to fall. Despite the sogginess, these mountains are just beautiful with amazing waterfalls, mountain meadows and impressive peaks. The pass was pretty fogged in and we are glad we waited till morning to complete the trek down to Valdez. Valdez' weather is very much like Seward was for us. The forecast is eight days of rain! We checked in at the info centre and got some intel on the tours and museums in the area and also a place with wi-fi out of the wet so I can complete our blog entries and try to get the photos to download.
So, here I am at their beautiful library typing away, listening to the wonderful sounds of happy children discovering books in the children's section just below me. I have written postcards, transferred pictures, written the blog and now will attempt to add pictures to our blog and send it off to everyone!
Earl is not feeling well, so went to find a spot to park the trailer so he can have a lie down. I am thinking, after a month on the road, we are getting road weary and it is a good thing that we start to wind our way home now.
Wish me luck as I try to make the pictures work. We have some great shots to share with you all so I hope it works!
Day 28 - Anchorage
Day 28 - Photographs and Memories!
We chose another i-hop for brunch again today as we are meeting another of Earl's friends from the Milepost. Our GPS on my phone took us to the 'nearest' one but it turns out it was not the nearest one but we managed to rendezvous with Gerrianne anyway. We had a good visit, with Earl and Gerryianne getting caught up with what's happening in their lives.
It is still raining so we asked Jerrianne what was the one must do thing in Anchorage that was not outdoors. She suggested the Museum of Anchorage at the Rasmussen Centre. They happen to have a display on right now called Portraits of Alaska and Earl had just purchased that book at a bookstore in Steward. So off we went, leaving our little guy behind in the parking lot that we will come back later to retrieve.
This museum is absolutely amazing! Their are two wings and four floors and it is absolutely jam-packed with art, history and culture. We started at the top, and those who know me will know why it took us hours to just do two exhibits! I read every single little piece of information because it was so interesting. These two exhibits were on two aspects of the history of flight in Alaska. They had tablets with information, posters, videos, displays.....I was in heaven. Then we started on the next floor and this display was on loan from the Smithsonian about the native peoples of Alaska and Russia - making a comparison and an ancestral link! Again, so much to look at and read. So we were now hours into looking, but Earl had an appointment to do a voice-over at the Milepost for a video for the website and we had not found the display we came to see! Earl went off to find it and reported back that it was on the second floor so I reluctantly tore myself aware from the Smithsonian presentation and went with Earl to see the Portraits of Alaska.
All I can say is wow! The pictures just took our breaths away, brought tears to our eyes and we were in awe at the talent of this photographer. We had briefly looked at the book Earl bought, but seeing these photos life-size was amazing. This photographer started taking a portrait a day, four years ago and has not missed a day since. They are not snapshots but posed portraitures of people in their own environment. The introductory information board said all the pictures were of Alaskans from all walks of life and put all Alaskans on the same level from the homeless man to the executive. It also shows Alaska and its people in "all the three seasons ~ pre-winter, winter, post-winter!" If you get a chance to see this exhibit or get the book, do so - it is a very impressive body of work and Earl especially found it very inspiring.
We would have liked to have seen all the displays but Earl has a job to do so we flagged down a taxi to get back to our rig in the Home Depot/IHOP parking lot. This was a treat. Our taxi driver was terrific, we chatted, sang together, and tried our voice-over voices. He has a great radio voice like Earl does and we sure had fun on that trip across town. A big shout-out to Clint Wood (not Eastwood), taxi drive extroadinaire who got us back to our rig (even though we couldn't remember the names of one of the streets!!!) and put smiles of our faces too!
While Earl recorded his voice doing the narration for the Milepost video, I tried to make friends with my computer! I did figure out how to save things to my external drive however we have 52,000 pictures and it's going to take awhile.
So, we finished up at Milepost Land and found our new quarters for the night - much cleaner and friendlier. We had a relaxed night with some games and guitar playing. It has cleared up a little so maybe the rain will stop for awhile.
Tomorrow, we are going to get some laundry done, then head back out of Anchorage, this time on the Glenn Highway towards Valdez. We were going to go to Whittier and take the Ferry but the cost is much more than we though ($450+) and the weather on the coast is very rainy so we opted for the inland route and our bedtime prayers include some for sunny skies.
We chose another i-hop for brunch again today as we are meeting another of Earl's friends from the Milepost. Our GPS on my phone took us to the 'nearest' one but it turns out it was not the nearest one but we managed to rendezvous with Gerrianne anyway. We had a good visit, with Earl and Gerryianne getting caught up with what's happening in their lives.
It is still raining so we asked Jerrianne what was the one must do thing in Anchorage that was not outdoors. She suggested the Museum of Anchorage at the Rasmussen Centre. They happen to have a display on right now called Portraits of Alaska and Earl had just purchased that book at a bookstore in Steward. So off we went, leaving our little guy behind in the parking lot that we will come back later to retrieve.
This museum is absolutely amazing! Their are two wings and four floors and it is absolutely jam-packed with art, history and culture. We started at the top, and those who know me will know why it took us hours to just do two exhibits! I read every single little piece of information because it was so interesting. These two exhibits were on two aspects of the history of flight in Alaska. They had tablets with information, posters, videos, displays.....I was in heaven. Then we started on the next floor and this display was on loan from the Smithsonian about the native peoples of Alaska and Russia - making a comparison and an ancestral link! Again, so much to look at and read. So we were now hours into looking, but Earl had an appointment to do a voice-over at the Milepost for a video for the website and we had not found the display we came to see! Earl went off to find it and reported back that it was on the second floor so I reluctantly tore myself aware from the Smithsonian presentation and went with Earl to see the Portraits of Alaska.
All I can say is wow! The pictures just took our breaths away, brought tears to our eyes and we were in awe at the talent of this photographer. We had briefly looked at the book Earl bought, but seeing these photos life-size was amazing. This photographer started taking a portrait a day, four years ago and has not missed a day since. They are not snapshots but posed portraitures of people in their own environment. The introductory information board said all the pictures were of Alaskans from all walks of life and put all Alaskans on the same level from the homeless man to the executive. It also shows Alaska and its people in "all the three seasons ~ pre-winter, winter, post-winter!" If you get a chance to see this exhibit or get the book, do so - it is a very impressive body of work and Earl especially found it very inspiring.
We would have liked to have seen all the displays but Earl has a job to do so we flagged down a taxi to get back to our rig in the Home Depot/IHOP parking lot. This was a treat. Our taxi driver was terrific, we chatted, sang together, and tried our voice-over voices. He has a great radio voice like Earl does and we sure had fun on that trip across town. A big shout-out to Clint Wood (not Eastwood), taxi drive extroadinaire who got us back to our rig (even though we couldn't remember the names of one of the streets!!!) and put smiles of our faces too!
While Earl recorded his voice doing the narration for the Milepost video, I tried to make friends with my computer! I did figure out how to save things to my external drive however we have 52,000 pictures and it's going to take awhile.
So, we finished up at Milepost Land and found our new quarters for the night - much cleaner and friendlier. We had a relaxed night with some games and guitar playing. It has cleared up a little so maybe the rain will stop for awhile.
Tomorrow, we are going to get some laundry done, then head back out of Anchorage, this time on the Glenn Highway towards Valdez. We were going to go to Whittier and take the Ferry but the cost is much more than we though ($450+) and the weather on the coast is very rainy so we opted for the inland route and our bedtime prayers include some for sunny skies.
Day 25 and 26 - Seward and back to Anchorage
Day 25 and 26 - "At the Zoo" (Another Simon and Garfunkel tune!?)
Ah! To wake up in a real bed! Now I'm not complaining about our little guy - it is very comfortable but... it's not a real bed in a room with running water and flush toilets nearby! This is a treat. We have not done the hotel thing much this trip, certainly not as much as last year. Perhaps because the weather has been so nice or the campgrounds have been great all the places we have been. Anyway, we are staying in a very old hotel here in Seward and the bed is a big brass bed and we do share a bathroom and shower with one other room but it was not an issue.
Seward is on the coast in a rain forest and therefore it is raining! They tell us they have had an unusually dry and hot summer but that has changed now! Oh, well. We made our way indoors to the Sealife centre. You could spend days in here just exploring the different displays, reading the information panels, talking to the staff about the animals. One of our favourite parts was the seabird exhibit. Oh, what fun to sit and watch the birds. I love puffins and the best ones here were the Tufted Puffins - the look a little punk and have lots of personality - especially one! All the other birds were floating serenely along the water, occasionally dipping under and popping back up. This one tufted Puffin, flapped his wings stirring up the water, bobbed under with great enthusiasm shaking his tail feathers and generally causing a disturbance. Then he would get out of the water, take a dive of the rocks, take an underwater swim, then start the whole process again. Earl called him Sheldon! My wonderful student Sheldon, is a little like that ~ all enthusiasm and activity!
Just past that exhibit is the Stellar Seal water tank. In this tank is a mommy Stellar seal and her 6 week old pup! So cute. Mom was content to sit on a rock in the rain but the baby was in the water, out of the water, on the rock, off the rock - it was a little hard to get a good shot because he did not sit still very long.
This centre takes in animals that have been orphaned, hurt, or harmed in some way and nurses them back to health in hopes of returning them to the wild. It is also a part of the university research on marine mammals. They are involved in some programs to save some endangered animals and birds too and are making progress with their efforts to breed in captivity but then release to the wild. One of their most successful programs in this regard is for Eider Ducks. The baby chicks are just adorable and their markings make them look like they are wearing spectacles! We spent hours in this place and probably could have spent longer if they stayed open!
In the evening, we walked along the main street and popped into the lovely little stores they have with all sorts of local artwork and souvenirs. We had a bit to eat at a microbrewery that was just yummy. We shared a Pear Gorganzola Salad and a place of crab legs. Oh, boy was it good. Earl tried another local beer and enjoyed it. This is something Earl likes to do on our travels is trying different kinds of ale, beer, stouts, porter and cider that the different areas produce. Sometimes they are very good and other times he says "well, I've tried that one but probably wouldn't again"!
We were really hoping to take a tour on the water but the weather is so socked in here that we have been advised that we should save our money. A bit disappointing, but the trips are fairly expensive so we'd rather not go if all we are going to see is fog and rain. We would probably see some wildlife anyway but the weather was still socked in the next day so we decided not to do the trip.
The next day was a lovely leisurely morning, with a Chai Latte, a new book, walking the dog in the rain. We finally checked out of our hotel and decided as the weather had not lifted we would head back to Anchorage. We had lunch at a place that was recommended to us called Ray's. We had just a marvelous table overlooking the harbour with good fish and great service. We took some harbour photos but it is still rather foggy and you cannot see much of the water or the mountains very much beyond the immediate docks.
We headed back up the Seward Highway and made a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Centre. This is a 140-acre drive-through animal park dedicated to the rehabilitation of orphaned and injured animals similar to the Sealife centre only land animals. Some of the animals will be returned to the wild but others have sustained injuries that do not allow them to be returned to their natural habitat. There were two birds of prey there, an Eagle and an Owl that cannot fly anymore due to injuries to their wings and or flight feathers so they are permanent residents. There is a muskox heard, bison, elk, deer, and moose. There are also brown bears and black bears. We spent most of our time at the bear enclosure. The facility has just built a new viewing bridge so you can get a very good look at these animals. The black bears were a little stressed because there is construction near their facility right now but at 4:00 p.m. it was feeding time and the stress was forgotten when the Red Salmon were being tossed into the enclosure. A very cheeky seagull tried his best to snag some of that salmon but only succeeded in getting one little chunk. The brown bears were over by the water and one in particular put on a great show - swimming, posing, catching a fish! My camera shutter was going as fast as I could press it and we have some pretty good shots!
We did not do a lot more sightseeing as the weather was still a bit rainy but the view of Turnagain arm was pretty good but so windy! We camped for the night at the Municipal campground which at first glance looked good with wooded sights and advertised showers. However the bathrooms and showers were very dirty and did not invite you to linger at all. There was definitely some intersting characters down there and a whacky tobacky convention and Corona did not relax all night with the comings and goings and people tramping through our sight - poor dog so we have opted to go to a more expensive private RV park the next night.
Today will be a busy day as Earl as Milepost business to attend to and I will try to fight with my computer and get the pictures to work - here's hoping.
Ah! To wake up in a real bed! Now I'm not complaining about our little guy - it is very comfortable but... it's not a real bed in a room with running water and flush toilets nearby! This is a treat. We have not done the hotel thing much this trip, certainly not as much as last year. Perhaps because the weather has been so nice or the campgrounds have been great all the places we have been. Anyway, we are staying in a very old hotel here in Seward and the bed is a big brass bed and we do share a bathroom and shower with one other room but it was not an issue.
Seward is on the coast in a rain forest and therefore it is raining! They tell us they have had an unusually dry and hot summer but that has changed now! Oh, well. We made our way indoors to the Sealife centre. You could spend days in here just exploring the different displays, reading the information panels, talking to the staff about the animals. One of our favourite parts was the seabird exhibit. Oh, what fun to sit and watch the birds. I love puffins and the best ones here were the Tufted Puffins - the look a little punk and have lots of personality - especially one! All the other birds were floating serenely along the water, occasionally dipping under and popping back up. This one tufted Puffin, flapped his wings stirring up the water, bobbed under with great enthusiasm shaking his tail feathers and generally causing a disturbance. Then he would get out of the water, take a dive of the rocks, take an underwater swim, then start the whole process again. Earl called him Sheldon! My wonderful student Sheldon, is a little like that ~ all enthusiasm and activity!
Just past that exhibit is the Stellar Seal water tank. In this tank is a mommy Stellar seal and her 6 week old pup! So cute. Mom was content to sit on a rock in the rain but the baby was in the water, out of the water, on the rock, off the rock - it was a little hard to get a good shot because he did not sit still very long.
This centre takes in animals that have been orphaned, hurt, or harmed in some way and nurses them back to health in hopes of returning them to the wild. It is also a part of the university research on marine mammals. They are involved in some programs to save some endangered animals and birds too and are making progress with their efforts to breed in captivity but then release to the wild. One of their most successful programs in this regard is for Eider Ducks. The baby chicks are just adorable and their markings make them look like they are wearing spectacles! We spent hours in this place and probably could have spent longer if they stayed open!
In the evening, we walked along the main street and popped into the lovely little stores they have with all sorts of local artwork and souvenirs. We had a bit to eat at a microbrewery that was just yummy. We shared a Pear Gorganzola Salad and a place of crab legs. Oh, boy was it good. Earl tried another local beer and enjoyed it. This is something Earl likes to do on our travels is trying different kinds of ale, beer, stouts, porter and cider that the different areas produce. Sometimes they are very good and other times he says "well, I've tried that one but probably wouldn't again"!
We were really hoping to take a tour on the water but the weather is so socked in here that we have been advised that we should save our money. A bit disappointing, but the trips are fairly expensive so we'd rather not go if all we are going to see is fog and rain. We would probably see some wildlife anyway but the weather was still socked in the next day so we decided not to do the trip.
The next day was a lovely leisurely morning, with a Chai Latte, a new book, walking the dog in the rain. We finally checked out of our hotel and decided as the weather had not lifted we would head back to Anchorage. We had lunch at a place that was recommended to us called Ray's. We had just a marvelous table overlooking the harbour with good fish and great service. We took some harbour photos but it is still rather foggy and you cannot see much of the water or the mountains very much beyond the immediate docks.
We headed back up the Seward Highway and made a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Centre. This is a 140-acre drive-through animal park dedicated to the rehabilitation of orphaned and injured animals similar to the Sealife centre only land animals. Some of the animals will be returned to the wild but others have sustained injuries that do not allow them to be returned to their natural habitat. There were two birds of prey there, an Eagle and an Owl that cannot fly anymore due to injuries to their wings and or flight feathers so they are permanent residents. There is a muskox heard, bison, elk, deer, and moose. There are also brown bears and black bears. We spent most of our time at the bear enclosure. The facility has just built a new viewing bridge so you can get a very good look at these animals. The black bears were a little stressed because there is construction near their facility right now but at 4:00 p.m. it was feeding time and the stress was forgotten when the Red Salmon were being tossed into the enclosure. A very cheeky seagull tried his best to snag some of that salmon but only succeeded in getting one little chunk. The brown bears were over by the water and one in particular put on a great show - swimming, posing, catching a fish! My camera shutter was going as fast as I could press it and we have some pretty good shots!
We did not do a lot more sightseeing as the weather was still a bit rainy but the view of Turnagain arm was pretty good but so windy! We camped for the night at the Municipal campground which at first glance looked good with wooded sights and advertised showers. However the bathrooms and showers were very dirty and did not invite you to linger at all. There was definitely some intersting characters down there and a whacky tobacky convention and Corona did not relax all night with the comings and goings and people tramping through our sight - poor dog so we have opted to go to a more expensive private RV park the next night.
Today will be a busy day as Earl as Milepost business to attend to and I will try to fight with my computer and get the pictures to work - here's hoping.
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Day 23 and 24 - Houston to the Kenai Peninsula
Day 23 and 24 - "Old Friends" (Simon and Garfunkel song)
We woke up in Houston, did our morning tea and got ready for the day. The couple parked beside us were from Ohio and were doing Alaska just like us and we had a great chat. They are taking 3 months to do what we are trying to do in 5 weeks so they are at a much more leisurely pace. We can see ourselves doing that when we retire whenever that will be but in the meantime we are enjoying the traveling we can do in the summertime.
Today we are heading further down the Parks Highway to Anchorage and then continuing on the Seward Highway and then the Sterling Highway to the Kenai Peninsula. Earl has an old friend, Marion who lives in Kenai City and we are going to visit her and take a look at the beautiful Kenai Peninsula as well.
Wasilla was just down the road a piece and just in time for brunch. We popped into the i-hop that was hopping - so busy but the service was good and so was the food and at very reasonable rates. Across the parking lot was a Teacher Store just like the Education Station in Edmonton so of course I had to go and look ... well, not just look ... I brought a few things for my classroom too including a new puppet named Max - I think the students will like him! We also found a shoe store there and both Earl and I got new shoes for the fall.
Then off we went, we have already been shopping so we don't need to stop in Anchorage so we just drove through and out the other end to join the Seward Highway. This highway drives along the very scenic Turnagain Arm. First we see Potter Marsh which is a refuge and nesting area for waterfowl and then we get a good look at the water. The beaches looked so inviting and I was just about to ask Earl if we could stop and have a walk along one of those stretches of sand when I read this in the Milepost ~ "WARNING! When the tide is out, the sand in Turnagain Arm may look inviting. DO NOT go out on it. Some of it is quicksand. You could become trapped in the mud and not be rescued before the tide comes in." And yes, it is written in red. Further on in the Milepost they talk about the tides here: "Turnagain Arm is know for having one of the world's remarkably high tides with a diurnal range of more than 33 feet. A bore tide is an abrupt rise of tidal water just after low tide, moving rapidly landward, formed by a flood tide surging into a constricted inlet...This foaming wall of water may reach a height of 6 feet and is very dangerous..." I decided not to go walking on the beach. We did stop at some of the look-outs and was it windy!
We stopped into the Indian Valley Meats and bought some Salmon Jerky and other treats then continued on as the weather slowly deteriorated into rain. We popped down the Wittier side road to stop into the visitor centre and find out about the ferry we want to take to Valdez later in the week but we missed them by 2 minutes and they were closed. You have to go through a tunnel to actually get to Wittier and there is a toll fee so we will wait until we are actually going to pay that. I am sure this is a very lovely area when the rain and fog lift but we did not take many pics today because the mountains were shrouded by mist.
Back onto the Seward Highway, we shortly came to the turnoff for the Kenai and turned off there to head for Kenai City. It is the last weekend of the fishing salmon season. Along the banks, even with all the rain, were lines and lines of fisherman! The road was busy and the drivers did not like to be stuck behind a trailer going the speed limit so it was a little hairy driving! The water of the Kenai River is that beautiful glacial green-blue and despite the rain it was a lovely drive. We arrived in Kenai and of course that visitor centre was closed too so we found a place to eat - Louis' Steak and Seafood - YUM! The manager, Dwayne, came to greet us, he was fun to watch, because he had a great sense of humour, seemed to have great rapport with both his staff and the customers, he was always busy - lending a hand to his staff and they were very busy. The food was amazing too!
Now we have to find a place to camp as the place we thought we would that is in the Milepost wanted $44 a night for dry camping and was just a gravel area outlined in chalk for your stall. It was right on the water but those sights were even more money! We drove around and found Californsky Beach road and camped along the beach with all the fisherman - well, first we got stuck in the sand and some of the fisherman pushed us out, then we found a more sturdy surfaced spot and went to sleep with the sound of seagulls and the sea!
The next morning was still a little rainy but felt quite fresh and warm. We headed back into Kenai city to find a church. We found breakfast at Louis' again with the same manager busy and good-natured and good food. We also found the Kenai Christian Church where we were welcomed like old friends, enjoyed an excellent service with great music (we knew all the hymns) and a very interesting service based on 1 John 2 with all sorts of references to other passages in both the Old and New Testaments to tie it all together and applied to our everyday lives - wow - not just a preacher but a great teacher! We then had some fellowship with some of the members especially Tommy Thompson who might be through Toad River next month so we invited him to visit us. As we were getting ready to leave, a lovely lady stopped us and asked if we were the people from Toad River. She home schools her children and they read the book "Lunch at Toad River". We had a great chat with the "Rankin Crew" as they call themselves, exchanged cards and we are going to get my students and their kids to be pen-pals via the email. We had just met them, but it felt like we were old friends already.
We then drove back through Kenai City to the outskirts and found Earl's old friend from his Milepost days. She has a beautiful place with an abundance of flowers. It was great to see the joy on the faces of Earl and Marion as they greeted each other. We had a great visit and then roamed her gorgeous garden taking photos in the rain of her absolutely riotous coloured flowers. My favourite were the lilies of all sorts of colours including ones so dark purple they look like chocolate. The rain added the sparkle of raindrops and both Earl and I got some great shots. Eventually, we had to say good-bye as we had reservations in Seward so with lots of hugs we made our leave and headed back towards the Seward Highway.
Although we have had pretty good weather so far, the liquid sunshine has caught up to us and our Seward trip was very soggy. We are staying in a very old hotel called the Van Gilder. It was built in 1916 but is very comfortable. We had made the choice to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights (we had a 2 nights for the price of one coupon) before we came but with all the rain we are sure glad we did. So after a walk in the rain and a good supper, we are tucked up for the night in a big old brass bed with rain falling outside. We will see if the Sun shines for us tomorrow but even if it doesn't I know we will find interesting things to do.
We woke up in Houston, did our morning tea and got ready for the day. The couple parked beside us were from Ohio and were doing Alaska just like us and we had a great chat. They are taking 3 months to do what we are trying to do in 5 weeks so they are at a much more leisurely pace. We can see ourselves doing that when we retire whenever that will be but in the meantime we are enjoying the traveling we can do in the summertime.
Today we are heading further down the Parks Highway to Anchorage and then continuing on the Seward Highway and then the Sterling Highway to the Kenai Peninsula. Earl has an old friend, Marion who lives in Kenai City and we are going to visit her and take a look at the beautiful Kenai Peninsula as well.
Wasilla was just down the road a piece and just in time for brunch. We popped into the i-hop that was hopping - so busy but the service was good and so was the food and at very reasonable rates. Across the parking lot was a Teacher Store just like the Education Station in Edmonton so of course I had to go and look ... well, not just look ... I brought a few things for my classroom too including a new puppet named Max - I think the students will like him! We also found a shoe store there and both Earl and I got new shoes for the fall.
Then off we went, we have already been shopping so we don't need to stop in Anchorage so we just drove through and out the other end to join the Seward Highway. This highway drives along the very scenic Turnagain Arm. First we see Potter Marsh which is a refuge and nesting area for waterfowl and then we get a good look at the water. The beaches looked so inviting and I was just about to ask Earl if we could stop and have a walk along one of those stretches of sand when I read this in the Milepost ~ "WARNING! When the tide is out, the sand in Turnagain Arm may look inviting. DO NOT go out on it. Some of it is quicksand. You could become trapped in the mud and not be rescued before the tide comes in." And yes, it is written in red. Further on in the Milepost they talk about the tides here: "Turnagain Arm is know for having one of the world's remarkably high tides with a diurnal range of more than 33 feet. A bore tide is an abrupt rise of tidal water just after low tide, moving rapidly landward, formed by a flood tide surging into a constricted inlet...This foaming wall of water may reach a height of 6 feet and is very dangerous..." I decided not to go walking on the beach. We did stop at some of the look-outs and was it windy!
We stopped into the Indian Valley Meats and bought some Salmon Jerky and other treats then continued on as the weather slowly deteriorated into rain. We popped down the Wittier side road to stop into the visitor centre and find out about the ferry we want to take to Valdez later in the week but we missed them by 2 minutes and they were closed. You have to go through a tunnel to actually get to Wittier and there is a toll fee so we will wait until we are actually going to pay that. I am sure this is a very lovely area when the rain and fog lift but we did not take many pics today because the mountains were shrouded by mist.
Back onto the Seward Highway, we shortly came to the turnoff for the Kenai and turned off there to head for Kenai City. It is the last weekend of the fishing salmon season. Along the banks, even with all the rain, were lines and lines of fisherman! The road was busy and the drivers did not like to be stuck behind a trailer going the speed limit so it was a little hairy driving! The water of the Kenai River is that beautiful glacial green-blue and despite the rain it was a lovely drive. We arrived in Kenai and of course that visitor centre was closed too so we found a place to eat - Louis' Steak and Seafood - YUM! The manager, Dwayne, came to greet us, he was fun to watch, because he had a great sense of humour, seemed to have great rapport with both his staff and the customers, he was always busy - lending a hand to his staff and they were very busy. The food was amazing too!
Now we have to find a place to camp as the place we thought we would that is in the Milepost wanted $44 a night for dry camping and was just a gravel area outlined in chalk for your stall. It was right on the water but those sights were even more money! We drove around and found Californsky Beach road and camped along the beach with all the fisherman - well, first we got stuck in the sand and some of the fisherman pushed us out, then we found a more sturdy surfaced spot and went to sleep with the sound of seagulls and the sea!
The next morning was still a little rainy but felt quite fresh and warm. We headed back into Kenai city to find a church. We found breakfast at Louis' again with the same manager busy and good-natured and good food. We also found the Kenai Christian Church where we were welcomed like old friends, enjoyed an excellent service with great music (we knew all the hymns) and a very interesting service based on 1 John 2 with all sorts of references to other passages in both the Old and New Testaments to tie it all together and applied to our everyday lives - wow - not just a preacher but a great teacher! We then had some fellowship with some of the members especially Tommy Thompson who might be through Toad River next month so we invited him to visit us. As we were getting ready to leave, a lovely lady stopped us and asked if we were the people from Toad River. She home schools her children and they read the book "Lunch at Toad River". We had a great chat with the "Rankin Crew" as they call themselves, exchanged cards and we are going to get my students and their kids to be pen-pals via the email. We had just met them, but it felt like we were old friends already.
We then drove back through Kenai City to the outskirts and found Earl's old friend from his Milepost days. She has a beautiful place with an abundance of flowers. It was great to see the joy on the faces of Earl and Marion as they greeted each other. We had a great visit and then roamed her gorgeous garden taking photos in the rain of her absolutely riotous coloured flowers. My favourite were the lilies of all sorts of colours including ones so dark purple they look like chocolate. The rain added the sparkle of raindrops and both Earl and I got some great shots. Eventually, we had to say good-bye as we had reservations in Seward so with lots of hugs we made our leave and headed back towards the Seward Highway.
Although we have had pretty good weather so far, the liquid sunshine has caught up to us and our Seward trip was very soggy. We are staying in a very old hotel called the Van Gilder. It was built in 1916 but is very comfortable. We had made the choice to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights (we had a 2 nights for the price of one coupon) before we came but with all the rain we are sure glad we did. So after a walk in the rain and a good supper, we are tucked up for the night in a big old brass bed with rain falling outside. We will see if the Sun shines for us tomorrow but even if it doesn't I know we will find interesting things to do.
Day 22 - Talkeetna to Houston (AK not TX - we did not take a wrong turn!)
Day 22 - Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Not just a great John Candy movie but a song by the Jackie Boyz and what our day entailed!
We started the morning off with a Flightseeing Tour to the Denali with K2 Aviation. What a treat! We have a Tour Saver book and got this flight 2 for the price of one. The day has dawned cloudy but with patches of blue so we are hopeful that we will get a glimpse of the big mountain! We had a surprise in that there were a lot of people there so we thought we would be in a plane with lots of other people but they kept calling parties some in 8's some in 4's but it got down to us and one other couple and we each got to go in a small plane by ourselves. Just us and the pilot flying above the beautiful Denali park with its moutain peaks and huge glaciers!
Now the clouds were a bit of a problem and we only got to see a glimpse of Denali (McKinley) just the east face lit up in the sun but the rest hidden by thick clouds. However, we are so glad we took this flight! It was just breathtaking up there. We flew over the Ruth Glacier which is 28 miles long and 1 and 1/2 to 2 miles wide with its lovely patches of blue that look like someone spilled a blue snow cone! The other mountains spires and faces were amazing and we took lots of pictures of this beautiful area. Our pilot, Mike, was terrific and tried so hard to find a break in the clouds so that we could see the high one but like I said we just got a glimpse of the east face and not the peak. You can't help but wonder at the majesty of God's world up there and hum to yourself "How Great Thou Art!"
So when we had our feet firmly planted on the ground again, we went to find some brunch because now we are booked on a 6 hours train ride and even Corona gets to come along. This train is the last whistle-stop train in the United States. People who live or hike along this area just flag the train down and it picks them up. The train goes to Hurricane Gulch and then turns around (well it has an engine on both ends so it gets to the gulch and then the other engine takes you back so you don't physically turn around. Our conductor was great and very funny. They told us we might have to muzzle Corona but the conductor never did make us do that. Corona, was not sure about train travel at first - he was quite happy when we were in the station - Earl and I were together and he settled down contentedly but when that train started moving and swaying back and forth he got quite nervous. But he is a good traveler and eventually just laid down and went to sleep. The views of the river and eventually of the mountains are great from the train and it was a mellow way to spend the afternoon ~ Earl even had a bit of a nap lulled to sleep by the rocking of the Great Alaska Railway. At Hurricane we disembarked and gave Corona a pee break and stretch. He was not sure about getting back on the train and balked at the steps but I gave him a boost and he was okay once he was on again!
We took a little drive around Talkeetna but it was a busy Friday afternoon with music in the park and there was no parking for our trailer and truck so we decided to head out of Talkeetna for supper and continue on our way toward Anchorage. We were not far out when we found a place called the Flying Squirrel to stop for Supper. Fed and happy after our day, we completed the trio - planes, trains and automobiles - by driving the Parks Highway to Houston where we stopped for the night at a little campground along the river.
Tucked into our Little Guy Trailer all cosy and warm its off to sleep ready for another busy day tomorrow when we head to the Kenai Peninsula!
Not just a great John Candy movie but a song by the Jackie Boyz and what our day entailed!
We started the morning off with a Flightseeing Tour to the Denali with K2 Aviation. What a treat! We have a Tour Saver book and got this flight 2 for the price of one. The day has dawned cloudy but with patches of blue so we are hopeful that we will get a glimpse of the big mountain! We had a surprise in that there were a lot of people there so we thought we would be in a plane with lots of other people but they kept calling parties some in 8's some in 4's but it got down to us and one other couple and we each got to go in a small plane by ourselves. Just us and the pilot flying above the beautiful Denali park with its moutain peaks and huge glaciers!
Now the clouds were a bit of a problem and we only got to see a glimpse of Denali (McKinley) just the east face lit up in the sun but the rest hidden by thick clouds. However, we are so glad we took this flight! It was just breathtaking up there. We flew over the Ruth Glacier which is 28 miles long and 1 and 1/2 to 2 miles wide with its lovely patches of blue that look like someone spilled a blue snow cone! The other mountains spires and faces were amazing and we took lots of pictures of this beautiful area. Our pilot, Mike, was terrific and tried so hard to find a break in the clouds so that we could see the high one but like I said we just got a glimpse of the east face and not the peak. You can't help but wonder at the majesty of God's world up there and hum to yourself "How Great Thou Art!"
So when we had our feet firmly planted on the ground again, we went to find some brunch because now we are booked on a 6 hours train ride and even Corona gets to come along. This train is the last whistle-stop train in the United States. People who live or hike along this area just flag the train down and it picks them up. The train goes to Hurricane Gulch and then turns around (well it has an engine on both ends so it gets to the gulch and then the other engine takes you back so you don't physically turn around. Our conductor was great and very funny. They told us we might have to muzzle Corona but the conductor never did make us do that. Corona, was not sure about train travel at first - he was quite happy when we were in the station - Earl and I were together and he settled down contentedly but when that train started moving and swaying back and forth he got quite nervous. But he is a good traveler and eventually just laid down and went to sleep. The views of the river and eventually of the mountains are great from the train and it was a mellow way to spend the afternoon ~ Earl even had a bit of a nap lulled to sleep by the rocking of the Great Alaska Railway. At Hurricane we disembarked and gave Corona a pee break and stretch. He was not sure about getting back on the train and balked at the steps but I gave him a boost and he was okay once he was on again!
We took a little drive around Talkeetna but it was a busy Friday afternoon with music in the park and there was no parking for our trailer and truck so we decided to head out of Talkeetna for supper and continue on our way toward Anchorage. We were not far out when we found a place called the Flying Squirrel to stop for Supper. Fed and happy after our day, we completed the trio - planes, trains and automobiles - by driving the Parks Highway to Houston where we stopped for the night at a little campground along the river.
Tucked into our Little Guy Trailer all cosy and warm its off to sleep ready for another busy day tomorrow when we head to the Kenai Peninsula!
Day 21 - Fairbanks to the Denali and Talkeetna
Day 21 -"Blue Skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see!"
We are on the road again - this time heading down the Parks Highway from Fairbanks towards the Denali Park. This is a very picturesque drive with lots of hills and lovely rivers and lakes. We stopped for lunch at the Clear Sky Lodge where indeed the skies were clear, it was very hot and the food was great. It did not look like much from the outside but my shrimp salad was delicious.
We did not stop much along this area because our destination was The Denali Park and then Talkeetna for the night so we had some miles to make. Late in the afternoon, with the sun shining and just some great big puffy clouds we arrived at the park. We stopped and took the tourist shots of us in front of the Denali Park sign then dropped in to the visitor centre and gave the dog a stretch and paid our permit. You are only allowed to drive the first 15 miles of the park on your own and if you want to go further buy passage on a bus tour. The tours are long and we did not want to leave poor Corona for 8 hours so we opted to just drive the 15 miles, see if the big mountain was going to let us take a look at her and then press on to Talkeetna where we have a flight-seeing tour booked.
We were very blessed with great views of McKinley (Denali) Mountain. Now, I have always thought of this mountain as McKinley because that is how it is listed on maps, but here they call it by the native name "Denali". The Milepost gives some interesting information about this mountain ~ "First mention of 'the mountain' was in 1794 when English explorer Captain George Vancouver spotted 'a stupendous snow moutain' from Cook Inlet. Early Russian explorers and traders called the peak "Bolshaia Gora or big mountain. The Atahbaskan Indians of the region called it Denali ~ the high one!" The mountain is 20, 320 ft high and when it is not cloud obscured is quite an impressive sight.
After touring through the fifteen miles of the park and ogling the beautiful sights there, we continued on the Parks Highway towards Talkeetna. All along the way we had peek-a-boo looks at Denali and then just before we reached the Talkeetna spur road, late into the evening we were treated to beautiful sunset views of Denali and other mountains. We were frustrated at first because there really wasn't anywhere to get a good picture but then lo and behold! we came upon a scenic pullout and wow! did we get some good shots. Just spectacular!
We headed down the Talkeetna in almost darkness (not something we have experienced yet in Alaska). We nervous about where we would camp as there are not many campgrounds here and the big one was full, but we found a dry camping place for $10 that had a toilet just by the railroad depot. It is time to get some sleep because we have a flight booked for bright and early ~ sure hope the mountain is out tomorrow!
We are on the road again - this time heading down the Parks Highway from Fairbanks towards the Denali Park. This is a very picturesque drive with lots of hills and lovely rivers and lakes. We stopped for lunch at the Clear Sky Lodge where indeed the skies were clear, it was very hot and the food was great. It did not look like much from the outside but my shrimp salad was delicious.
We did not stop much along this area because our destination was The Denali Park and then Talkeetna for the night so we had some miles to make. Late in the afternoon, with the sun shining and just some great big puffy clouds we arrived at the park. We stopped and took the tourist shots of us in front of the Denali Park sign then dropped in to the visitor centre and gave the dog a stretch and paid our permit. You are only allowed to drive the first 15 miles of the park on your own and if you want to go further buy passage on a bus tour. The tours are long and we did not want to leave poor Corona for 8 hours so we opted to just drive the 15 miles, see if the big mountain was going to let us take a look at her and then press on to Talkeetna where we have a flight-seeing tour booked.
We were very blessed with great views of McKinley (Denali) Mountain. Now, I have always thought of this mountain as McKinley because that is how it is listed on maps, but here they call it by the native name "Denali". The Milepost gives some interesting information about this mountain ~ "First mention of 'the mountain' was in 1794 when English explorer Captain George Vancouver spotted 'a stupendous snow moutain' from Cook Inlet. Early Russian explorers and traders called the peak "Bolshaia Gora or big mountain. The Atahbaskan Indians of the region called it Denali ~ the high one!" The mountain is 20, 320 ft high and when it is not cloud obscured is quite an impressive sight.
After touring through the fifteen miles of the park and ogling the beautiful sights there, we continued on the Parks Highway towards Talkeetna. All along the way we had peek-a-boo looks at Denali and then just before we reached the Talkeetna spur road, late into the evening we were treated to beautiful sunset views of Denali and other mountains. We were frustrated at first because there really wasn't anywhere to get a good picture but then lo and behold! we came upon a scenic pullout and wow! did we get some good shots. Just spectacular!
We headed down the Talkeetna in almost darkness (not something we have experienced yet in Alaska). We nervous about where we would camp as there are not many campgrounds here and the big one was full, but we found a dry camping place for $10 that had a toilet just by the railroad depot. It is time to get some sleep because we have a flight booked for bright and early ~ sure hope the mountain is out tomorrow!
Monday, 5 August 2013
Day 20 (continued) - Fairbanks ~ Alaska Fountainhead Antique Car Museum
Day 20 (continued) - Let me take you out in my Surrey with a Fringe on top!
Well after all that cleaning we were hungry so we went back to the railcar diner (Little Richards) that we were in Fairbanks. It was just as good for supper as it was for brunch and lunch and again excellent service.
We headed in to Fairbanks and found the Antique Auto Museum. Oh, my! This is the most amazing museum. The way it is laid out, the quality of display and the most wonderfully restored vehicles. The displays tell the story early automobiles in Alaska. They had vintage clothing and photos displayed as well that told the complete story of the era. A lot of the displays had a number posted and you were given an audio player at the beginning. When you pressed the number displayed, a recording told you more about that vehicle, clothing, photo or era and about its significance to automobile history in the Yukon.
The museum was divided into 4 eras plus an area of Midget Racers. The Veteran Era had cars from the 1890's to 1904 which "spanned the fledgling years of the automobile when horseless carriages were seen as more of an expensive novelty that a useful transportation device." The highlight of this era for me was the 1898 Hay Motor Vehicle a beautiful specimen which is "the oldest four-cylinder, internal combustion American automobile known to exist."
The quotes throughout this blog about the Vintage Car Museum is from the book Earl bought there: Alaska's Fountainhead Collection ~ Vintage Treads and Threads" which has the history of the museum and photos and information about much of the displays there.
The next era displayed was called the Brass Era ~ "named for the widespread use of brass trim, lights and other accessories, was a time of tremendous growth and innovation for the American Automotive industry. These were very impressive looking, well-restored and beautifully displayed with fascinating information about steam powered cars and the automakers of the time - some who were successful and others who were not.
After the Brass Era were cars from 1913 to 1929 or the Nickel Era where the "open cars gave way to closed-body sedans and the spirit of the Roaring Twenties was personified by the increased demand for fast cars and custom-designed luxury models."Our favourite in this section was the Model T Snow Flyer! "In 1913, Virgil White of New Hampshire put wooden runners on the front of a Fort Model T and added tractor treads on tandem rear wheels. He patented his "Snowmobile" kit - the first recorded use of the term ~ in 1917 more than 35 years before the first modern day recreational snowmobile appeared."
The "Classic Era" of the 1930's was next "were the ultimate luxury cars designed for and by, wealthy patrons [and] were all about lines - elegant, flowing contours that visually streamlined the body, Sleek profiles, long hoods, stylish radiators and skirted fenders were matched by suptuously apointed interiors customized for the buy." One of the most impressive cars in this area was the 1936 Packard 7-passenger 1408 Dual Windshield - such a beautiful car!
The last area was the Midget Racers that Earl really likes. "in the grip of the Great Depression millions of Americans got caught up in a new brand of racing know as the Midgets. These small racecars typically wighed less that 900 lbs and enjoyed plenty of power from highly modified four-cylinder passenger-car engines." Earl had his eye on the 1935 Wetteroth-Offenhauser he thought he might like to drive! There was a plaque that said "During one competition in the late 1940's, the lone Offenhauser Midget was required to start half a lap behind the Ford and motorcycle powered cars - but still won!
This was a very nice way to spend our last evening in Fairbanks. We did not see and do everything there was available in Fairbanks so we might have to come back!
Tomorrow we pack up and head south towards Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula!
Well after all that cleaning we were hungry so we went back to the railcar diner (Little Richards) that we were in Fairbanks. It was just as good for supper as it was for brunch and lunch and again excellent service.
We headed in to Fairbanks and found the Antique Auto Museum. Oh, my! This is the most amazing museum. The way it is laid out, the quality of display and the most wonderfully restored vehicles. The displays tell the story early automobiles in Alaska. They had vintage clothing and photos displayed as well that told the complete story of the era. A lot of the displays had a number posted and you were given an audio player at the beginning. When you pressed the number displayed, a recording told you more about that vehicle, clothing, photo or era and about its significance to automobile history in the Yukon.
The museum was divided into 4 eras plus an area of Midget Racers. The Veteran Era had cars from the 1890's to 1904 which "spanned the fledgling years of the automobile when horseless carriages were seen as more of an expensive novelty that a useful transportation device." The highlight of this era for me was the 1898 Hay Motor Vehicle a beautiful specimen which is "the oldest four-cylinder, internal combustion American automobile known to exist."
The quotes throughout this blog about the Vintage Car Museum is from the book Earl bought there: Alaska's Fountainhead Collection ~ Vintage Treads and Threads" which has the history of the museum and photos and information about much of the displays there.
The next era displayed was called the Brass Era ~ "named for the widespread use of brass trim, lights and other accessories, was a time of tremendous growth and innovation for the American Automotive industry. These were very impressive looking, well-restored and beautifully displayed with fascinating information about steam powered cars and the automakers of the time - some who were successful and others who were not.
After the Brass Era were cars from 1913 to 1929 or the Nickel Era where the "open cars gave way to closed-body sedans and the spirit of the Roaring Twenties was personified by the increased demand for fast cars and custom-designed luxury models."Our favourite in this section was the Model T Snow Flyer! "In 1913, Virgil White of New Hampshire put wooden runners on the front of a Fort Model T and added tractor treads on tandem rear wheels. He patented his "Snowmobile" kit - the first recorded use of the term ~ in 1917 more than 35 years before the first modern day recreational snowmobile appeared."
The "Classic Era" of the 1930's was next "were the ultimate luxury cars designed for and by, wealthy patrons [and] were all about lines - elegant, flowing contours that visually streamlined the body, Sleek profiles, long hoods, stylish radiators and skirted fenders were matched by suptuously apointed interiors customized for the buy." One of the most impressive cars in this area was the 1936 Packard 7-passenger 1408 Dual Windshield - such a beautiful car!
The last area was the Midget Racers that Earl really likes. "in the grip of the Great Depression millions of Americans got caught up in a new brand of racing know as the Midgets. These small racecars typically wighed less that 900 lbs and enjoyed plenty of power from highly modified four-cylinder passenger-car engines." Earl had his eye on the 1935 Wetteroth-Offenhauser he thought he might like to drive! There was a plaque that said "During one competition in the late 1940's, the lone Offenhauser Midget was required to start half a lap behind the Ford and motorcycle powered cars - but still won!
This was a very nice way to spend our last evening in Fairbanks. We did not see and do everything there was available in Fairbanks so we might have to come back!
Tomorrow we pack up and head south towards Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula!
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Day 18 to 20 - Last Chance (Mile 354.6) to the Arctic Circle (Mile 115) and back to Fairbanks
Day 18 - Crazy!
We woke up to low gray heavy clouds, a ferocious wind and rain. Mmmm, the Dalton in rain. Well, there is nothing for it but to get going only one road back out so here we go.
It was very slow going as the road now was washboard soup and mud - very slippery, very dirty and very treacherous. We crawled along, pulling over for trucks and admiring the birds, ducks and .... horses? They say that the Tundra will make you crazy! Here is a conversation along the Dalton that proves it!
Oilcan: Hey look there's a horse!
Sparky: A horse? On the Tundra!??
Oilcan: Yes! They must use them for hunting and guiding outfitting.
Sparky: Are you sure its a horse?
Oilcan: Yes, see he's moving in the trees?
Sparky: (Still not seeing what he is talking about) Trees? On the Tundra?
Oilcan: Oh, wait! It's a moose!
Sparky: (Finally I can see what he was seeing and yes it is a moose with very large antlers! Not a horse moving through trees on the Tundra!)
We laughed so hard!
As we moved further south, the weather did not improve. We were so hoping for sunshine in the Atigun pass. I think I forgot to mention the Atigun pass in the last blog going up the highway. The Atigun pass is in the Brooks Range and it feels like you are going up and up and up but the view at the top is breathtaking. It was a little rainy when we went north so we had hoped for better weather. But the clouds were obscuring the mountain on the way up but surprise, surprise, on the way back down we had to pull over for a wide load and a puking dog! We cleaned up after Corona and waited for the big truck to crawl it's way up the mountain and then the sun popped out. Earl was ecstatic and was clicking pictures left and right! From then on, the weather just got better and better with lots of opportunities to click pictures.
By the time we were at the better part of the highway, the weather was sunny and lovely and we felt like we were zipping along at 45 to 50 mph! We stopped in at Wiseman that we didn't see on our way up. It is a very picturesque little old mining town with a population of 16 and a little B&B. We just drove in, took some pics and then headed back out but if you needed accommodation along the highway it would be a lovely place to stop!
We stopped for supper, gas and a break at Coldfoot and then pushed onward so we could spend the night at the Arctic Circle. It was a lovely evening but I'm afraid we just fell into bed (trying hard not to touch the very thick mud on the side of the trailer as we did so) and slept till morning.
Day 19 - On the road again!
In the morning, we slowly got ourselves packed up again and headed back out on the Dalton. We stopped here and there for pictures and had breakfast at the Yukon River Camp. There was a lady there who sells crafts and we looked in and had a chat. She lives up the river with no road in to her place. She makes beautiful birch bark and fur crafts. I bought a lovely bracelet make of birch bark and beads. We then stopped to say hi to Dottie and the interpretive centre and report on our wildlife spotting but unfortunately she was not there and the sign said she would not be back for at least an hour so we had to press on. We saw more moose and birds along the way and the sky just got bluer and bluer the closer we got to the end. We stopped for our photo-op at the Dalton Highway sign at the beginning again (well end for us). The dog, the trailer, the car and us were a little worse for wears but we did it! We conquered the Dalton! And -- no flat tires!
We joined the Elliot highway again, and stopped by the Carlson's and had a chat. They have the most lovely certificates that are hand drawn to celebrate crossing the Arctic Circle so we got two of those! Our poor dog is not feeling well, so we'd better get back to Fairbanks and stop traveling for a day or so for him to recuperate.
We are camped back at Riverview where we were before as it is such a lovely spot. We had a leisurely evening in beautiful sunlight and Corona seems to be perking up a bit so that's good.
We have driven the Dalton - one more thing off Earl's Bucket List (true confessions - it was never on mine!) but that's ok - it was a very interesting trip and we are glad we did it.
Day 20 - Working at the Carwash!
The plan now is to clean ourselves, the trailer, truck and laundry of the Dalton mud and rest for a day then head down the Parks Highway to the Denali and down to the Anchorage, Valdez and Seward.
Well, the laundry is done, Earl had come back from washing the trailer and the truck, its time to put things away and see what other trouble we can get up to in Fairbanks!
We woke up to low gray heavy clouds, a ferocious wind and rain. Mmmm, the Dalton in rain. Well, there is nothing for it but to get going only one road back out so here we go.
It was very slow going as the road now was washboard soup and mud - very slippery, very dirty and very treacherous. We crawled along, pulling over for trucks and admiring the birds, ducks and .... horses? They say that the Tundra will make you crazy! Here is a conversation along the Dalton that proves it!
Oilcan: Hey look there's a horse!
Sparky: A horse? On the Tundra!??
Oilcan: Yes! They must use them for hunting and guiding outfitting.
Sparky: Are you sure its a horse?
Oilcan: Yes, see he's moving in the trees?
Sparky: (Still not seeing what he is talking about) Trees? On the Tundra?
Oilcan: Oh, wait! It's a moose!
Sparky: (Finally I can see what he was seeing and yes it is a moose with very large antlers! Not a horse moving through trees on the Tundra!)
We laughed so hard!
As we moved further south, the weather did not improve. We were so hoping for sunshine in the Atigun pass. I think I forgot to mention the Atigun pass in the last blog going up the highway. The Atigun pass is in the Brooks Range and it feels like you are going up and up and up but the view at the top is breathtaking. It was a little rainy when we went north so we had hoped for better weather. But the clouds were obscuring the mountain on the way up but surprise, surprise, on the way back down we had to pull over for a wide load and a puking dog! We cleaned up after Corona and waited for the big truck to crawl it's way up the mountain and then the sun popped out. Earl was ecstatic and was clicking pictures left and right! From then on, the weather just got better and better with lots of opportunities to click pictures.
By the time we were at the better part of the highway, the weather was sunny and lovely and we felt like we were zipping along at 45 to 50 mph! We stopped in at Wiseman that we didn't see on our way up. It is a very picturesque little old mining town with a population of 16 and a little B&B. We just drove in, took some pics and then headed back out but if you needed accommodation along the highway it would be a lovely place to stop!
We stopped for supper, gas and a break at Coldfoot and then pushed onward so we could spend the night at the Arctic Circle. It was a lovely evening but I'm afraid we just fell into bed (trying hard not to touch the very thick mud on the side of the trailer as we did so) and slept till morning.
Day 19 - On the road again!
In the morning, we slowly got ourselves packed up again and headed back out on the Dalton. We stopped here and there for pictures and had breakfast at the Yukon River Camp. There was a lady there who sells crafts and we looked in and had a chat. She lives up the river with no road in to her place. She makes beautiful birch bark and fur crafts. I bought a lovely bracelet make of birch bark and beads. We then stopped to say hi to Dottie and the interpretive centre and report on our wildlife spotting but unfortunately she was not there and the sign said she would not be back for at least an hour so we had to press on. We saw more moose and birds along the way and the sky just got bluer and bluer the closer we got to the end. We stopped for our photo-op at the Dalton Highway sign at the beginning again (well end for us). The dog, the trailer, the car and us were a little worse for wears but we did it! We conquered the Dalton! And -- no flat tires!
We joined the Elliot highway again, and stopped by the Carlson's and had a chat. They have the most lovely certificates that are hand drawn to celebrate crossing the Arctic Circle so we got two of those! Our poor dog is not feeling well, so we'd better get back to Fairbanks and stop traveling for a day or so for him to recuperate.
We are camped back at Riverview where we were before as it is such a lovely spot. We had a leisurely evening in beautiful sunlight and Corona seems to be perking up a bit so that's good.
We have driven the Dalton - one more thing off Earl's Bucket List (true confessions - it was never on mine!) but that's ok - it was a very interesting trip and we are glad we did it.
Day 20 - Working at the Carwash!
The plan now is to clean ourselves, the trailer, truck and laundry of the Dalton mud and rest for a day then head down the Parks Highway to the Denali and down to the Anchorage, Valdez and Seward.
Well, the laundry is done, Earl had come back from washing the trailer and the truck, its time to put things away and see what other trouble we can get up to in Fairbanks!
Day 16 & 17 - Dalton Highway (mile 20 to Deadhorse)
Day 16 & 17 - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On!
It's a little cloudy this morning but off we go, maybe the weather will cheer up as we go along. So this is the Dalton Highway. The biggest surprise is what good condition it is in for a lot of the way. Some of it is chip sealed, some is paved, some is gravel in good condition, some is gravel in not such good condition, some of it is a mud road! It is like someone wanted to experiment with all kinds of road surfacing and how it would react to the climate, permafrost and heavy trucks. Each few miles the surface of the road changed.
The constant along the road of course is the Alyeska pipeline that winds its way north, at times right beside the road, then off in the distance, under the road (never over it), up hills and down dale, just like the road. There are some huge hills along this road and if we had not got our transmission problem fixed we would not have been able to do it. Blessings and thanks to amazing Zak again and again!
We soon came to the first major stop along the highway - The Mighty Yukon River. There is a visitor centre here with information panels about the pipeline, the river and the bridge. This bridge is a little freaky - it has a 7% grade slope - going north it's a downslope. The Pipeline crosses the river here too. We wondered around and read all the information panels and admire the river and bridge. Then we popped into the visitor centre and had a great chat with Dottie the interpreter. She has a great passion for the north, the Dalton Highway and the Arctic and it was very interesting talking to her about our plans and what we might see up there for animals and plants. We again, promised to stop on our way back to let her know what we saw as to wildlife.
There is a little place called the Hotspot Cafe just past the Yukon River that we dropped by to see. It is amazing to me that people are able to establish businesses in such remote locations. This is a little motel and eatery with tables inside and out with a small gift shop. While we were there, quite a few people also found it. Of course, they are in The Milepost so people can find them.
Traveling north again, we drive rolling terrain with evidence of past forest fires, lots of fireweed and interesting rocks. One such rock is Finger Mountain at Mile 98. Just a few miles later (Mile 115) we arrived at the Arctic Circle. It is very different crossing the Arctic Circle here than it is when you cross on the Dempster Highway. On the Dempster, you are already on the tundra and can see for miles and miles and miles. Here on the Dalton at the Arctic Circle, there are still trees and bushes and you cannot see for miles. We did our photo ops here and met some interesting people - some were turning around here, some were going all the way like us and some had already been up and were on their way back down. We drove around the little campground and it is very nice but it is too early to stop today and we have many more miles to go as we need to get as far as we can today. We might stop here for the night on the way back as it would be cool to say you spent the night at the Arctic Circle!
Coldfoot at mile 175 is an interesting spot. They have accomodations (camp style) and a buffet for lunch and supper where you get soup, salad, main meal, dessert and beverage for one low price. We met a young man there from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, who was conducting a survey on why people venture up the Dalton and what they hope to get out of it. We agreed to do his survey, it will be interesting to read the results when the study is complete. I am sure there are many reasons people head up this way - sense of accomplishment, adventure, curiosity, insanity...
As we mosey along, the speed limit along here is usually 50 mph but mostly you are not traveling that speed, the terrain is changing and the trees are getting more stunted. This far north, they have what they call continuous permafrost so it does not thaw. There are lots of little pools of water where the surface permafrost thaws in summer but only down perhaps a foot. There are patches of deep magenta fireweed, splashes of yellow from the Potentella and clumps of fluffy white from the Arctic Cotton. I just love the arctic cotton - it looks like someone is growing bunny tails all along the highway! The Brooks mountain range can be seen from quite a long way off and as you get closer and closer those mountains are quite striking. Earl's favourite one for photos was one called .....
that is sharp and jagged with interesting shapes, shadows and colours. There are also beautiful rivers and creeks that are glacier fed so they take on that aquamarine colour just like at home in Toad and Muncho.
Wildlife was a little sparse at first, but as we got closer to Deadhorse, we saw muskox down by the river, two snowy owls (two separate sightings) that were just breathtaking and two little fox kits who were playing by the roadside. When we go close to them, the ran across the tundra so fast in a zig-zagging pattern as if they were thinking "Oh, no! Mom warned us about playing by the road. We'd better get home!"
So, here's the thing! The further we got up the Dalton, the more rough the road got until we were grinding along at about 20 mph (the journey takes a long time at that speed). The road is narrow and there is not a lot of places to pull over but you have to try get as far as you can, stop and let the big trucks go by. The other name for this road is the Haul Road because they haul supplies for the oil and gas fields up here. Just like the Alaska Highway, one road in, same road out! We finally stopped for night or tried to at about 1:30 in the morning! But the bugs were so bad and the area we stopped on was at such an angle we could not stay in our trailer. We tried to sleep in the truck but were not succeeding so we pushed on further at a snails speed and finally found a better place to sleep in the little guy at 4:30 a.m. Needless to say "Happy Camper" were not words to describe me just 4 hours later when Earl woke me to say we needed to press on if we were going to get to Deadhorse by our 3 p.m. appointment for the tour to the Arctic Circle.
The last 60 miles of this road is total washboard! You cannot go past 20 mph without shaking yourself, the truck and Little Guy trailer to bits. At least you get to feast on the scenery - beautiful tundra that is already getting a tinge of its Autumn colours in places. There are the bluffs that are just beautiful where we saw muskox and lovely reflective ponds and ducks. We also saw long-tailed Jaegers that have a weird flight pattern - they look like they are tethered like a kite, they hover over the Tundra finding voles and then drop to the ground to capture their prey - quite fascinating to watch.
After many, many innards shaking miles we arrived at Deadhorse or Prudhoe Bay. Deadhorse is the camp and although people preferred the name Prudhoe Bay, somehow when the post office was officially awarded it was named Deadhorse after the company that shipped materials originally for the pipeline. People would see all equipment with the name Deadhorse and starting calling the place Deadhorse - it stuck although both names are used. Prudhoe Bay is actually the name of the bay on the Arctic Ocean that Deadhorse is on and where the oil was found. We arrived just in time for lunch at one of the camps, a hot shower (what do you say when they tell you it costs $10 to have a shower in Deadhorse - well thank you very much I'd love one!) We then headed for our tour to the Arctic Ocean.
Since 9-11, you can no longer go to the Arctic Ocean by yourself as it is on BP's property and there is not security just in case of sabotage plans for the oilfield, so you book with the tour at $49 a head. However, this was a very pleasant surprise as we really did think twice about spending that just to go to the ocean but the tour was actually 3 hours long, with informative narrative by our guide on the oilfield, the discover and development, the wildlife and other interesting facts. We toured the town, the tundra, and the ocean shore. Also along for the tour was a group of Amish people, which was a surprise but they were very interesting people. I would have loved to chat to them more after the tour to find out what they think about all this oil development but they had to leave right after the tour and head back as they had accommodations at Wiseman 226 miles away! Our tour group also included two ladies from the University of Alaska and an interesting couple who were biking the Dalton. Now, biking the Dalton, on a tandem bike is amazing enough but these two are doing it to raise awareness for the abilities of people who are legally blind. The lady had 100% vision loss in one eye and 90% in the other, and the gentleman had a degenerative disease that was gradually narrowing his vision so he could only see like looking into a narrow tunnel - and they biked from the most southern point of road in South America to the Most northern point of North America by Road Deadhorse! Just amazing. On our tour, we saw Caribou, a lot of different types of ducks and Canada Geese, and a fox. The guide thought there was a good sight of seeing a grizzly but we never did - they often do on this tour! When we got to the ocean, the guide had just finished telling us about how this is an arctic desert and they only see 5 inches of precipitation - then the heavens opens and we got torrential rain - just buckets of it. At least we got a few minutes of paddling in the ocean and some photo ops done before it poured and we had to run for cover in the tour bus.
When we got back to Deadhorse, we drove around to find the sign that said "End of the Dalton Highway" and the general store. We looked around and had a great conversation with a local who had worked for BP for 40 years up here! He gave us his card and said if we email he'll send us some more information. We were able to use our phones in Deadhorse so we called each set of parents to let them know we made it and were safe. Not accommodation or camping right in Deadhorse so we head back up the bone rattling road to a place called Last Chance (70 miles from Deadhorse) to camp for the night before we headed back down the highway. It turned out to be a lovely place to camp, we had it to ourselves, the wind was blowing so now bugs and the sun came out and created a beautiful rainbow right over out little guy trailer.
We are pretty tired from our adventure and very short night last night so its off to bed.
It's a little cloudy this morning but off we go, maybe the weather will cheer up as we go along. So this is the Dalton Highway. The biggest surprise is what good condition it is in for a lot of the way. Some of it is chip sealed, some is paved, some is gravel in good condition, some is gravel in not such good condition, some of it is a mud road! It is like someone wanted to experiment with all kinds of road surfacing and how it would react to the climate, permafrost and heavy trucks. Each few miles the surface of the road changed.
The constant along the road of course is the Alyeska pipeline that winds its way north, at times right beside the road, then off in the distance, under the road (never over it), up hills and down dale, just like the road. There are some huge hills along this road and if we had not got our transmission problem fixed we would not have been able to do it. Blessings and thanks to amazing Zak again and again!
We soon came to the first major stop along the highway - The Mighty Yukon River. There is a visitor centre here with information panels about the pipeline, the river and the bridge. This bridge is a little freaky - it has a 7% grade slope - going north it's a downslope. The Pipeline crosses the river here too. We wondered around and read all the information panels and admire the river and bridge. Then we popped into the visitor centre and had a great chat with Dottie the interpreter. She has a great passion for the north, the Dalton Highway and the Arctic and it was very interesting talking to her about our plans and what we might see up there for animals and plants. We again, promised to stop on our way back to let her know what we saw as to wildlife.
There is a little place called the Hotspot Cafe just past the Yukon River that we dropped by to see. It is amazing to me that people are able to establish businesses in such remote locations. This is a little motel and eatery with tables inside and out with a small gift shop. While we were there, quite a few people also found it. Of course, they are in The Milepost so people can find them.
Traveling north again, we drive rolling terrain with evidence of past forest fires, lots of fireweed and interesting rocks. One such rock is Finger Mountain at Mile 98. Just a few miles later (Mile 115) we arrived at the Arctic Circle. It is very different crossing the Arctic Circle here than it is when you cross on the Dempster Highway. On the Dempster, you are already on the tundra and can see for miles and miles and miles. Here on the Dalton at the Arctic Circle, there are still trees and bushes and you cannot see for miles. We did our photo ops here and met some interesting people - some were turning around here, some were going all the way like us and some had already been up and were on their way back down. We drove around the little campground and it is very nice but it is too early to stop today and we have many more miles to go as we need to get as far as we can today. We might stop here for the night on the way back as it would be cool to say you spent the night at the Arctic Circle!
Coldfoot at mile 175 is an interesting spot. They have accomodations (camp style) and a buffet for lunch and supper where you get soup, salad, main meal, dessert and beverage for one low price. We met a young man there from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, who was conducting a survey on why people venture up the Dalton and what they hope to get out of it. We agreed to do his survey, it will be interesting to read the results when the study is complete. I am sure there are many reasons people head up this way - sense of accomplishment, adventure, curiosity, insanity...
As we mosey along, the speed limit along here is usually 50 mph but mostly you are not traveling that speed, the terrain is changing and the trees are getting more stunted. This far north, they have what they call continuous permafrost so it does not thaw. There are lots of little pools of water where the surface permafrost thaws in summer but only down perhaps a foot. There are patches of deep magenta fireweed, splashes of yellow from the Potentella and clumps of fluffy white from the Arctic Cotton. I just love the arctic cotton - it looks like someone is growing bunny tails all along the highway! The Brooks mountain range can be seen from quite a long way off and as you get closer and closer those mountains are quite striking. Earl's favourite one for photos was one called .....
that is sharp and jagged with interesting shapes, shadows and colours. There are also beautiful rivers and creeks that are glacier fed so they take on that aquamarine colour just like at home in Toad and Muncho.
Wildlife was a little sparse at first, but as we got closer to Deadhorse, we saw muskox down by the river, two snowy owls (two separate sightings) that were just breathtaking and two little fox kits who were playing by the roadside. When we go close to them, the ran across the tundra so fast in a zig-zagging pattern as if they were thinking "Oh, no! Mom warned us about playing by the road. We'd better get home!"
So, here's the thing! The further we got up the Dalton, the more rough the road got until we were grinding along at about 20 mph (the journey takes a long time at that speed). The road is narrow and there is not a lot of places to pull over but you have to try get as far as you can, stop and let the big trucks go by. The other name for this road is the Haul Road because they haul supplies for the oil and gas fields up here. Just like the Alaska Highway, one road in, same road out! We finally stopped for night or tried to at about 1:30 in the morning! But the bugs were so bad and the area we stopped on was at such an angle we could not stay in our trailer. We tried to sleep in the truck but were not succeeding so we pushed on further at a snails speed and finally found a better place to sleep in the little guy at 4:30 a.m. Needless to say "Happy Camper" were not words to describe me just 4 hours later when Earl woke me to say we needed to press on if we were going to get to Deadhorse by our 3 p.m. appointment for the tour to the Arctic Circle.
The last 60 miles of this road is total washboard! You cannot go past 20 mph without shaking yourself, the truck and Little Guy trailer to bits. At least you get to feast on the scenery - beautiful tundra that is already getting a tinge of its Autumn colours in places. There are the bluffs that are just beautiful where we saw muskox and lovely reflective ponds and ducks. We also saw long-tailed Jaegers that have a weird flight pattern - they look like they are tethered like a kite, they hover over the Tundra finding voles and then drop to the ground to capture their prey - quite fascinating to watch.
After many, many innards shaking miles we arrived at Deadhorse or Prudhoe Bay. Deadhorse is the camp and although people preferred the name Prudhoe Bay, somehow when the post office was officially awarded it was named Deadhorse after the company that shipped materials originally for the pipeline. People would see all equipment with the name Deadhorse and starting calling the place Deadhorse - it stuck although both names are used. Prudhoe Bay is actually the name of the bay on the Arctic Ocean that Deadhorse is on and where the oil was found. We arrived just in time for lunch at one of the camps, a hot shower (what do you say when they tell you it costs $10 to have a shower in Deadhorse - well thank you very much I'd love one!) We then headed for our tour to the Arctic Ocean.
Since 9-11, you can no longer go to the Arctic Ocean by yourself as it is on BP's property and there is not security just in case of sabotage plans for the oilfield, so you book with the tour at $49 a head. However, this was a very pleasant surprise as we really did think twice about spending that just to go to the ocean but the tour was actually 3 hours long, with informative narrative by our guide on the oilfield, the discover and development, the wildlife and other interesting facts. We toured the town, the tundra, and the ocean shore. Also along for the tour was a group of Amish people, which was a surprise but they were very interesting people. I would have loved to chat to them more after the tour to find out what they think about all this oil development but they had to leave right after the tour and head back as they had accommodations at Wiseman 226 miles away! Our tour group also included two ladies from the University of Alaska and an interesting couple who were biking the Dalton. Now, biking the Dalton, on a tandem bike is amazing enough but these two are doing it to raise awareness for the abilities of people who are legally blind. The lady had 100% vision loss in one eye and 90% in the other, and the gentleman had a degenerative disease that was gradually narrowing his vision so he could only see like looking into a narrow tunnel - and they biked from the most southern point of road in South America to the Most northern point of North America by Road Deadhorse! Just amazing. On our tour, we saw Caribou, a lot of different types of ducks and Canada Geese, and a fox. The guide thought there was a good sight of seeing a grizzly but we never did - they often do on this tour! When we got to the ocean, the guide had just finished telling us about how this is an arctic desert and they only see 5 inches of precipitation - then the heavens opens and we got torrential rain - just buckets of it. At least we got a few minutes of paddling in the ocean and some photo ops done before it poured and we had to run for cover in the tour bus.
When we got back to Deadhorse, we drove around to find the sign that said "End of the Dalton Highway" and the general store. We looked around and had a great conversation with a local who had worked for BP for 40 years up here! He gave us his card and said if we email he'll send us some more information. We were able to use our phones in Deadhorse so we called each set of parents to let them know we made it and were safe. Not accommodation or camping right in Deadhorse so we head back up the bone rattling road to a place called Last Chance (70 miles from Deadhorse) to camp for the night before we headed back down the highway. It turned out to be a lovely place to camp, we had it to ourselves, the wind was blowing so now bugs and the sun came out and created a beautiful rainbow right over out little guy trailer.
We are pretty tired from our adventure and very short night last night so its off to bed.
Day 15 - Fairbanks to 20 miles up the Dalton Highway
Day 15 - I'm dreaming of a White Christmas On the Road Again!
We are packed up ready to do the Dalton Highway but first we must buy new tires for the Little Guy Camper and get rims put on a 2nd spare tire for the Little Red Truck. We decide to backtrack just a little before we head to Fairbanks for tires and go to the Santa Claus Store at the North Pole. It is a lovely store with all sorts of ornaments, presents and other delights to tempt you to spend money. We took a good look and yes we brought a few things. One of the special things we found was a candle holder made out of a wine bottle with the phrase "Come Away with Me" etched on it. This is our song, and certainly the way we live with our little adventures we take. It comes with a one of those electric candles but I think it would take a real one too.
We ate lunch at the coolest little diner. It is called Little Richards and it is in a railroad card and billed in the Milepost as the Northernmost Railroad Car Restaurant. The meal was delicious and the service was outstanding.
In Fairbanks, getting tires proved to be a little tricky but with some perseverance and some shopping around we found what we were looking for, got them mounted and then got the rim of the truck spare. We dropped by the visitor centre one more time for last minute advice, download pictures and check on e-mail before we would be out of range for several days.
With all this going on we did not leave Fairbanks to head to the Dalton till about 6:30 p.m. We headed on the Steese Highway, then connected to the Elliot Highway. On the Elliot Highway, there is a little place called the Arctic Circle ??? where we met the Carlson's. They homesteaded there and raised 23 children (18 adopted) - WOW! They were the most interesting and kind people and we had a lovely chat with them about our plans to go up the Dalton. We promised to stop by on our way back and let them know how we made out.
We arrived at the start of the Dalton and took the appropriate pictures in front of the sign with a clean vehicle and trailer and smiling faces! We were not sure how far we would go as it was already getting late. This part of the highway is a good road but we stopped at Mile 20 and took pictures of a beautiful sweeping valley and the sun was setting - looked gorgeous, there was a little breeze so there were not too many bugs - we decided to stay the night there. Earl got some fantastic shots of the sunset and flowers and I started reading the book I bought from the Carlson's written by their daughter about their life. It is a good read. A good night's rest will prepare us for the drive ahead. We will have to make many miles if we are going to be in Deadhorse by 3:00 on Sunday.
We are packed up ready to do the Dalton Highway but first we must buy new tires for the Little Guy Camper and get rims put on a 2nd spare tire for the Little Red Truck. We decide to backtrack just a little before we head to Fairbanks for tires and go to the Santa Claus Store at the North Pole. It is a lovely store with all sorts of ornaments, presents and other delights to tempt you to spend money. We took a good look and yes we brought a few things. One of the special things we found was a candle holder made out of a wine bottle with the phrase "Come Away with Me" etched on it. This is our song, and certainly the way we live with our little adventures we take. It comes with a one of those electric candles but I think it would take a real one too.
We ate lunch at the coolest little diner. It is called Little Richards and it is in a railroad card and billed in the Milepost as the Northernmost Railroad Car Restaurant. The meal was delicious and the service was outstanding.
In Fairbanks, getting tires proved to be a little tricky but with some perseverance and some shopping around we found what we were looking for, got them mounted and then got the rim of the truck spare. We dropped by the visitor centre one more time for last minute advice, download pictures and check on e-mail before we would be out of range for several days.
With all this going on we did not leave Fairbanks to head to the Dalton till about 6:30 p.m. We headed on the Steese Highway, then connected to the Elliot Highway. On the Elliot Highway, there is a little place called the Arctic Circle ??? where we met the Carlson's. They homesteaded there and raised 23 children (18 adopted) - WOW! They were the most interesting and kind people and we had a lovely chat with them about our plans to go up the Dalton. We promised to stop by on our way back and let them know how we made out.
We arrived at the start of the Dalton and took the appropriate pictures in front of the sign with a clean vehicle and trailer and smiling faces! We were not sure how far we would go as it was already getting late. This part of the highway is a good road but we stopped at Mile 20 and took pictures of a beautiful sweeping valley and the sun was setting - looked gorgeous, there was a little breeze so there were not too many bugs - we decided to stay the night there. Earl got some fantastic shots of the sunset and flowers and I started reading the book I bought from the Carlson's written by their daughter about their life. It is a good read. A good night's rest will prepare us for the drive ahead. We will have to make many miles if we are going to be in Deadhorse by 3:00 on Sunday.
Friday, 26 July 2013
Day 13 and 14 - Fairbanks
Day 13 and 14 - Up a Lazy River!
Well, last time I blogged, I left you at me doing laundry and Earl having a nap on Day 13 of our adventure. With all the 'necessary chores' done, yes, Earl thinks napping is a necessary chore, we headed off to see what trouble we could get into in Fairbanks, Alaska.
We really like where our campground is because it is just a 10 minute drive on the Richardson Highway and we are right there in Fairbanks with access to the downtown or the Airport Drive that take you most places we want to go.
We were looking for the information centre and thought it was in the Pioneer Park so we went there first. Well, the information centre wasn't there, just a little kiosk with info mostly about Pioneer Park. Earl tells me this park used to be called AlaskaLand but it has been updated with some new attractions. We had a lovely time roaming the grounds, looking at all the pioneer homes from the early days of Fairbanks. Each little house has a plaque to tell you where it was moved from and it's historical significance and each little house has artifacts, souvenirs or local crafts for sale. My favourite was the Bag Ladies and Earl had a hard time getting me out of their. I thought I showed remarkable restraint considering I wanted to buy about $500 worth of stuff and spent less than $25! We also took a delightful train ride pulled by an old locomotive round the park and explored the air museum where I got a great book for my students for their study of the history of flight we will do in September.
And then, we went to the Alaska Salmon Bake! Oh my goodness. I know, we had brought food to cook at the camp, but who can resist Prime Rib, Wood Fire Cooked Fresh Salmon, Salad Bar, Drinks and Dessert all for one reasonable price. It was absolutely delicious. There were tables set up inside but we chose the ones outside as it was a beautiful evening. What a treat!
After supper, we took our chances that we could get in to the Vaudeville type show they have, but it was sold out so we went back to the truck. We then found where the Discovery Sternwheeler was so that we could find it tomorrow and then finally found the visitors centre (20 minutes before closing) - turns out it is in downtown in a beautiful building with lovely flowers and local art on the grounds. We asked our questions about the Dalton their and got their counsel and now know what we have to do in order to actually get to the Arctic Ocean. We have to apply for security clearance at Homeland Security 48 hours in advance and the site is on line. So we will do that!
Our adventures for the day are over because I couldn't stop yawning (remember I didn't have the nap) so back to our cosy little campground for the night. We are nestled among many very large rigs. It looks quite funny but we get to meet a lot of people that way because people want to know "Does it Pop Up?")
The next day dawned rainy and cool. We were hoping it would clear up because today we go on our Riverboat Tour and behold by noon it was sunny and hot. We did a little shopping at Fred Meyers to find a new SD card reader as ours has stopped working and some supplies for going up the Dalton highway. Then we headed to the Discovery centre and boarded the Sternwheeler with about 300 others (there were 12 tour buses lined up) and off we went up the river. This is a very well organized tour and you don't just float up the river. We had a float plane demonstration, visits with sled dogs and watched them practicing, then we went to the Chena Village which is a model of an Athabaskan Native Indian Village and fish camp.
The guides at this village were all young people of Athabaskan heritage and they were very interesting speakers. I had a lovely chat with a young man after about the preserving of their language as he appeared to be fluent in his native tongue. He told me that they had challenges with this just like other First Nations people (this is an issue for our First Nations Tribe at Fort Nelson). His tribe have just signed on with Rosetta Stone and have developed a course for the young people to learn the Athabaskan language. He told me however, that he was lucky as his family worked hard to make sure they preserved the language in their family so he has learned the language from his Grandfather along with other skills.
While we were at the village, we also go a chance to buy the book about Granite the Dog Sled and his owner Susan Butcher. Together they won three consecutive Iditarod Races. There is a statue in honour of Granite in the village and information panels about Susan Butcher's history in dog racing. Susan Butcher died of cancer in 2006 but before she did her and her husband got the story down for her children. The book is the story she wrote about Granite her lead dog before she passed away. I got the book dedicated to my students and signed by Susan's husband, youngest daughter and sister who were there at the village. It will be fun sharing this with my students.
On the way back, the commentator 'gave our ears a rest' and let us drift along admiring all the beautiful houses along the waterfront, the ducks, seaplanes and other watercraft. They fed us salmon snacks as we floated along 'up a lazy river'. What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. We roamed around the gift shop after but things were quite expensive. I did get a great t-shirt and we bought the video of the trip. We went to one of the riverside restaurants for supper, explored the Alaska Bowl Company and then headed back so we could get ready for tomorrow. Big day!
We are heading up the Dalton Highway. We have gotten our security clearance and a space on the shuttle one we get to Deadhorse to go to the Arctic Shore - you cannot go there on your own! We are well stocked with bug dope, spare tires, extra gas, food - very few services up this way. Earl is very excited and I am a little nervous but off we go.
So friends and family, there will be a pause in the blog for a few days as we will not have access to phone, cell or internet until we return (we think in about 4 days) if all goes well and we do not encounter any difficulties.
Wish us luck!
Well, last time I blogged, I left you at me doing laundry and Earl having a nap on Day 13 of our adventure. With all the 'necessary chores' done, yes, Earl thinks napping is a necessary chore, we headed off to see what trouble we could get into in Fairbanks, Alaska.
We really like where our campground is because it is just a 10 minute drive on the Richardson Highway and we are right there in Fairbanks with access to the downtown or the Airport Drive that take you most places we want to go.
We were looking for the information centre and thought it was in the Pioneer Park so we went there first. Well, the information centre wasn't there, just a little kiosk with info mostly about Pioneer Park. Earl tells me this park used to be called AlaskaLand but it has been updated with some new attractions. We had a lovely time roaming the grounds, looking at all the pioneer homes from the early days of Fairbanks. Each little house has a plaque to tell you where it was moved from and it's historical significance and each little house has artifacts, souvenirs or local crafts for sale. My favourite was the Bag Ladies and Earl had a hard time getting me out of their. I thought I showed remarkable restraint considering I wanted to buy about $500 worth of stuff and spent less than $25! We also took a delightful train ride pulled by an old locomotive round the park and explored the air museum where I got a great book for my students for their study of the history of flight we will do in September.
And then, we went to the Alaska Salmon Bake! Oh my goodness. I know, we had brought food to cook at the camp, but who can resist Prime Rib, Wood Fire Cooked Fresh Salmon, Salad Bar, Drinks and Dessert all for one reasonable price. It was absolutely delicious. There were tables set up inside but we chose the ones outside as it was a beautiful evening. What a treat!
After supper, we took our chances that we could get in to the Vaudeville type show they have, but it was sold out so we went back to the truck. We then found where the Discovery Sternwheeler was so that we could find it tomorrow and then finally found the visitors centre (20 minutes before closing) - turns out it is in downtown in a beautiful building with lovely flowers and local art on the grounds. We asked our questions about the Dalton their and got their counsel and now know what we have to do in order to actually get to the Arctic Ocean. We have to apply for security clearance at Homeland Security 48 hours in advance and the site is on line. So we will do that!
Our adventures for the day are over because I couldn't stop yawning (remember I didn't have the nap) so back to our cosy little campground for the night. We are nestled among many very large rigs. It looks quite funny but we get to meet a lot of people that way because people want to know "Does it Pop Up?")
The next day dawned rainy and cool. We were hoping it would clear up because today we go on our Riverboat Tour and behold by noon it was sunny and hot. We did a little shopping at Fred Meyers to find a new SD card reader as ours has stopped working and some supplies for going up the Dalton highway. Then we headed to the Discovery centre and boarded the Sternwheeler with about 300 others (there were 12 tour buses lined up) and off we went up the river. This is a very well organized tour and you don't just float up the river. We had a float plane demonstration, visits with sled dogs and watched them practicing, then we went to the Chena Village which is a model of an Athabaskan Native Indian Village and fish camp.
The guides at this village were all young people of Athabaskan heritage and they were very interesting speakers. I had a lovely chat with a young man after about the preserving of their language as he appeared to be fluent in his native tongue. He told me that they had challenges with this just like other First Nations people (this is an issue for our First Nations Tribe at Fort Nelson). His tribe have just signed on with Rosetta Stone and have developed a course for the young people to learn the Athabaskan language. He told me however, that he was lucky as his family worked hard to make sure they preserved the language in their family so he has learned the language from his Grandfather along with other skills.
While we were at the village, we also go a chance to buy the book about Granite the Dog Sled and his owner Susan Butcher. Together they won three consecutive Iditarod Races. There is a statue in honour of Granite in the village and information panels about Susan Butcher's history in dog racing. Susan Butcher died of cancer in 2006 but before she did her and her husband got the story down for her children. The book is the story she wrote about Granite her lead dog before she passed away. I got the book dedicated to my students and signed by Susan's husband, youngest daughter and sister who were there at the village. It will be fun sharing this with my students.
On the way back, the commentator 'gave our ears a rest' and let us drift along admiring all the beautiful houses along the waterfront, the ducks, seaplanes and other watercraft. They fed us salmon snacks as we floated along 'up a lazy river'. What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. We roamed around the gift shop after but things were quite expensive. I did get a great t-shirt and we bought the video of the trip. We went to one of the riverside restaurants for supper, explored the Alaska Bowl Company and then headed back so we could get ready for tomorrow. Big day!
We are heading up the Dalton Highway. We have gotten our security clearance and a space on the shuttle one we get to Deadhorse to go to the Arctic Shore - you cannot go there on your own! We are well stocked with bug dope, spare tires, extra gas, food - very few services up this way. Earl is very excited and I am a little nervous but off we go.
So friends and family, there will be a pause in the blog for a few days as we will not have access to phone, cell or internet until we return (we think in about 4 days) if all goes well and we do not encounter any difficulties.
Wish us luck!
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
Day 13 - Tok to North Pole, Alaska!
Day 13 - "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!"
Greetings from the North Pole. We are camped at Riverview RV park among many very LARGE rigs at North Pole Alaska. We ate supper at the Elf Inn and drove past Santa's Workshop to get here! This is a fun place, our camping spot is 10 minutes out of North Pole and 10 minutes out of Fairbanks. But I'm getting ahead of myself! Let me tell you about yesterday's journey first!
We had a leisurely breakfast at Fast Eddies, after a delicious and free hot shower. As you probably notices we updated the blog while we were there. Then we headed to the visitor centre in Tok which is a lovely little place with an interesting video about the Alaskan wildlife and places to visit. There are kiosks set up with information about each major place to visit - Fairbanks, Anchorage, the Denali; Valdez etc. Earl picked up a great t-shirt highlighting Tok as both the coldest (-71F - brrrr!) and hottest spot in Alaska and I picked up fun postcards for my students there too.
We are still having trouble with my little red truck, especially on hills, and with the engine racing in park so we asked the people at the centre about a recommendation for a good mechanic. They directed to one who said they couldn't help but he directed us to the Amazing Zack of Z Transmissions. We have an appointment for tomorrow morning. So we headed up the Alaska highway to Delta Junction which is the end point of the Alaska highway. So now I can say I have driven the whole of the Alaska Highway! We even got certificates for Earl, myself and Corona the wonderdog to say we drove to the end of the highway.
I must say the drive from Tok to Fairbanks is a little boring with not much to break up the monotony. Earl was falling asleep so I took over and found then I was all tired. We stopped for a rest and some refreshment and felt better. A little further along we did see some scenery worth the photos and climbed out to admire the Chena River Delta - its is quite beautiful and the hills all around have this orange tone to them.
We stopped just before North Pole at the Knotty Shop as the Milepost said is was the place to stop. They have some cool animals made from burls and lots of souvenirs. We also got a free ice cream because we had out Milepost with us - yum! Corona was happy too!
Then we pushed on to North Pole and set up camp, at supper at the Elf Inn and happily went to bed in our little trailer. Before we went to supper we had a bit of a scare. We dropped by the office to ask for a recommendation for supper and where the Safeway was so we could get some food to make at camp tomorrow, and unbeknown to us, Corona got out of the truck while we were gone! We headed down the road toward our supper destination and I looked in the back seat to say something to Corona and he was gone! Thank goodness he had not gone too far, we turned around and headed back to camp and the people at the office had him and had already phone our cellphone (which was off because of roaming charges) that is on his dog tags. Thank goodness we noticed right away though, we would not have known where we lost him! His was in a bit of trouble and he does not like being called a bad dog so he wouldn't make eye contact with us the rest of the night. Silly dog!
After a good supper and some chats with our neighours we went to bed and woke up to a bit of a cloudy and cooler day but it soon brightened. Earl headed into Fairbanks to meet with Zak about the transmission. Corona and I stayed at camp, tidied up a bit, and sat and relaxed. Earl was back by lunch with some good news. Oh, we were so worried we needed a new transmission and a disreputable company could have said we needed one and we would have just paid it and probably have cut our holiday short as the quote for a new transmission was at least 2500 dollars! As it turns out, Zak the Amazing Transmission Dude, shook his head, marveled that the truck made it this far and said that we did not have a connection to the part of the engine that coordinates the motor and the transmission ~ the wires that plug into it were there but there was nothing to plug it in to!!!!! It tells the motor when to change gear and idle etc. We are not sure if it never was in this truck - we got it second hand, did others have the trouble we're having and thought it needed a new transmission and sold it? Anyway, he ordered a $59 part from NAPA who delivered right away, Zak the Amazing put it in, only charged us for half hour of labour ($45) and said we can have a nice summer and our truck will run much better now. He did check to see if we had done any permanent damage but none showed up on the scan! He adjusted a few things and we were done.
Oh, this is such a relief. We really were thinking perhaps our holiday was over. Now we are busy doing laundry (well Earl is napping and I'm doing laundry and catching up the blog) and then we can make plans as to what's next. The Dalton, the Denali, perhaps a train trip or a flightseeing tour! We will let you know!
Greetings from the North Pole. We are camped at Riverview RV park among many very LARGE rigs at North Pole Alaska. We ate supper at the Elf Inn and drove past Santa's Workshop to get here! This is a fun place, our camping spot is 10 minutes out of North Pole and 10 minutes out of Fairbanks. But I'm getting ahead of myself! Let me tell you about yesterday's journey first!
We had a leisurely breakfast at Fast Eddies, after a delicious and free hot shower. As you probably notices we updated the blog while we were there. Then we headed to the visitor centre in Tok which is a lovely little place with an interesting video about the Alaskan wildlife and places to visit. There are kiosks set up with information about each major place to visit - Fairbanks, Anchorage, the Denali; Valdez etc. Earl picked up a great t-shirt highlighting Tok as both the coldest (-71F - brrrr!) and hottest spot in Alaska and I picked up fun postcards for my students there too.
We are still having trouble with my little red truck, especially on hills, and with the engine racing in park so we asked the people at the centre about a recommendation for a good mechanic. They directed to one who said they couldn't help but he directed us to the Amazing Zack of Z Transmissions. We have an appointment for tomorrow morning. So we headed up the Alaska highway to Delta Junction which is the end point of the Alaska highway. So now I can say I have driven the whole of the Alaska Highway! We even got certificates for Earl, myself and Corona the wonderdog to say we drove to the end of the highway.
I must say the drive from Tok to Fairbanks is a little boring with not much to break up the monotony. Earl was falling asleep so I took over and found then I was all tired. We stopped for a rest and some refreshment and felt better. A little further along we did see some scenery worth the photos and climbed out to admire the Chena River Delta - its is quite beautiful and the hills all around have this orange tone to them.
We stopped just before North Pole at the Knotty Shop as the Milepost said is was the place to stop. They have some cool animals made from burls and lots of souvenirs. We also got a free ice cream because we had out Milepost with us - yum! Corona was happy too!
Then we pushed on to North Pole and set up camp, at supper at the Elf Inn and happily went to bed in our little trailer. Before we went to supper we had a bit of a scare. We dropped by the office to ask for a recommendation for supper and where the Safeway was so we could get some food to make at camp tomorrow, and unbeknown to us, Corona got out of the truck while we were gone! We headed down the road toward our supper destination and I looked in the back seat to say something to Corona and he was gone! Thank goodness he had not gone too far, we turned around and headed back to camp and the people at the office had him and had already phone our cellphone (which was off because of roaming charges) that is on his dog tags. Thank goodness we noticed right away though, we would not have known where we lost him! His was in a bit of trouble and he does not like being called a bad dog so he wouldn't make eye contact with us the rest of the night. Silly dog!
After a good supper and some chats with our neighours we went to bed and woke up to a bit of a cloudy and cooler day but it soon brightened. Earl headed into Fairbanks to meet with Zak about the transmission. Corona and I stayed at camp, tidied up a bit, and sat and relaxed. Earl was back by lunch with some good news. Oh, we were so worried we needed a new transmission and a disreputable company could have said we needed one and we would have just paid it and probably have cut our holiday short as the quote for a new transmission was at least 2500 dollars! As it turns out, Zak the Amazing Transmission Dude, shook his head, marveled that the truck made it this far and said that we did not have a connection to the part of the engine that coordinates the motor and the transmission ~ the wires that plug into it were there but there was nothing to plug it in to!!!!! It tells the motor when to change gear and idle etc. We are not sure if it never was in this truck - we got it second hand, did others have the trouble we're having and thought it needed a new transmission and sold it? Anyway, he ordered a $59 part from NAPA who delivered right away, Zak the Amazing put it in, only charged us for half hour of labour ($45) and said we can have a nice summer and our truck will run much better now. He did check to see if we had done any permanent damage but none showed up on the scan! He adjusted a few things and we were done.
Oh, this is such a relief. We really were thinking perhaps our holiday was over. Now we are busy doing laundry (well Earl is napping and I'm doing laundry and catching up the blog) and then we can make plans as to what's next. The Dalton, the Denali, perhaps a train trip or a flightseeing tour! We will let you know!
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Day 12 - Dawson City, Yukon to Tok, Alaska
Day 12 - "I'm on Top of the World"
Well, we packed up but really not that fast. We wondered round Dawson again. We are always reluctant to leave this great little place - so much history and beauty. We finally lined up for the free ferry about three and after just a 45 minute wait we were on! The ride across the Yukon river is not very long but enjoyable and then we start the long climb up the top of the world highway. It is just a breathtaking view that just keeps getting better and better the higher you get. Our little truck did not do too bad up these hills but something is not quite perfect with the transmission yet. We will have to stop in Fairbanks when we get there and may have to do a transplant - ouch - an expense we were hoping not to have.
When we arrived at the top of the world we met a couple from Edmonton and exchanged favours for taking couple pics of us at the cairn. Corona was not very happy about climbing the shaky rocks but we did manage to get a picture of him. Sue of course had to sing at the top of the world - a great Carpenters song - "I'm on top of the world looking down on creation and the only expectation I can find, is the love that I've found ever since you've been around, your what's put me at the top of the world!"
We crossed the border serviced by a very cranky border guard but we got across fine! Now we are in Alaska and the adventure really begins. It is hard to describe just how beautiful the scenery is but we will try to include pictures so you can see. There has been a lot of forest fires in this region in recent years and the Fireweed is just amazing. We stopped for supper in Chicken, Alaska and the special board said they had BBQ Chicken on special or a Chicken Breast and Caesar Salad - however, when we ordered they were out of Chicken! I thought that was funny - Chicken Alaska is out of chicken - they didn't find it as funny. We had fish instead!
Off we go again, with a few stops for photo ops - one at a gold dredge by the side of the road and one to take pics of a baby moose with her mama back lit by the sinking Alaska sun. Our final stop for the day is in Tok where we stop for the night - we stayed at Fast Eddy's RV and Restaurant - a great deal at only 17 dollars with free showers and quiet wooded sights. Ah, a good nights sleep was great and now we will head to Fairbanks.
The internet has been hit and miss but as soon as we can we catch up the blog so stay tuned!
Well, we packed up but really not that fast. We wondered round Dawson again. We are always reluctant to leave this great little place - so much history and beauty. We finally lined up for the free ferry about three and after just a 45 minute wait we were on! The ride across the Yukon river is not very long but enjoyable and then we start the long climb up the top of the world highway. It is just a breathtaking view that just keeps getting better and better the higher you get. Our little truck did not do too bad up these hills but something is not quite perfect with the transmission yet. We will have to stop in Fairbanks when we get there and may have to do a transplant - ouch - an expense we were hoping not to have.
When we arrived at the top of the world we met a couple from Edmonton and exchanged favours for taking couple pics of us at the cairn. Corona was not very happy about climbing the shaky rocks but we did manage to get a picture of him. Sue of course had to sing at the top of the world - a great Carpenters song - "I'm on top of the world looking down on creation and the only expectation I can find, is the love that I've found ever since you've been around, your what's put me at the top of the world!"
We crossed the border serviced by a very cranky border guard but we got across fine! Now we are in Alaska and the adventure really begins. It is hard to describe just how beautiful the scenery is but we will try to include pictures so you can see. There has been a lot of forest fires in this region in recent years and the Fireweed is just amazing. We stopped for supper in Chicken, Alaska and the special board said they had BBQ Chicken on special or a Chicken Breast and Caesar Salad - however, when we ordered they were out of Chicken! I thought that was funny - Chicken Alaska is out of chicken - they didn't find it as funny. We had fish instead!
Off we go again, with a few stops for photo ops - one at a gold dredge by the side of the road and one to take pics of a baby moose with her mama back lit by the sinking Alaska sun. Our final stop for the day is in Tok where we stop for the night - we stayed at Fast Eddy's RV and Restaurant - a great deal at only 17 dollars with free showers and quiet wooded sights. Ah, a good nights sleep was great and now we will head to Fairbanks.
The internet has been hit and miss but as soon as we can we catch up the blog so stay tuned!
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