Tripping with MikenJudy 2012: July 2012

Monday, July 30, 2012

Family Get Together

We’ve spent the last 17 days in Wasilla getting together with our children, grandchildren, and celebrating Judy’s birthday. Unfortunately the Massachusetts and Mississippi contingents couldn’t get the same vacation weeks. The first visitors to join us were the New Englanders followed by the Southerners. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and our chance to spoil the new grandbaby.

Now we hit the road again – next destination is Soldatna, AK.

Makayla Isabella - the latest addition

Proud Mommy

Proud Grandma

Proud Grandpa

New England contingent with Proud Parents, Sister, and Grandparents

Mississippi contingent with Proud Parents, Sister, and Grandparents

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Temporary Hiatus

Hi All:

We are now in Wasilla visiting with our children and grandchildren for two weeks. Once we move on we will resume the blog.

Hope everyone is having a great summer.

Judy & Mike

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Denali National Park

We arrived at Denali RV Park and Motel, set up in the rain, and enjoyed soup and sandwich for lunch. Then off for a ride to Denali National Park. Denali, or as native Alaskans call it “the High One”, is the home of Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America. The park is over 6 million acres and probably one of our most protected. You can only drive in by private vehicle 15 miles. To really see it (if it isn’t cloudy and is visible) you must travel by bus on the one road through the park.

We saw almost no wildlife, and no Mount McKinley. Only 30% of visitors are lucky enough to see Mount McKinley as the weather conditions change so rapidly. At one point there were about 3 cars pulled off to the left side of the road so we stopped. Someone had spotted two caribou. If they wouldn’t have, we would never have seen them as they were quite far away, downhill and across some water and one was behind a bush.

The next day’s adventure was traveling the Denali Highway which was recommended to Mike by a Princess Tours bus driver at the campground in Fairbanks. He said, and literature states, this highway is often overlooked by motorists, yet it offers some of the most spectacular scenery in Alaska. It is a historic and archaeological glimpse of the Last Frontier – wilderness in all directions. The entire route presents outstanding views of the Alaska Range, boreal vegetation, glacial features and wildlife. We were hoping to see caribou, moose, fox, marmot, wolf, ptarmigan, trumpeter swan, and other waterfowl as mentioned in their hype. We did see some pretty scenery, but the only critters we saw were about three or four beavers and/or marmots and three trumpeter swans. We drove about 80 of the 135 miles. The road connects Paxson on the Richardson Highway with Cantwell Junction on the Parks Highway. The first 3 miles east of Cantwell (where we started) were paved. The rest is gravel, and there were many spots lacking gravel, therefore having many potholes.

Most of the points of interest we thought we would see, we didn’t. Nothing was marked! Judy thought, and finally on the return trip we saw it was more obvious, an esker which is a ridge of silt, sand, gravel and cobbles that were carried and deposited by a steam that flowed within a glacier, confined by walls of ice. We also saw the Susitna River which is a major drainage system in the Denali region. We did look for the Valdez Creek Mine at its viewpoint, but didn’t see a thing! We did see the beautiful Alaska Range, the Nenana River, but never did see Mount McKinley. There were too many clouds hanging around today (and yesterday!)

Welcome Sign

From the Archives: Seeing Mt. McKinley in 2005

Rafting the Nenana

It's a Caribou

Magnificient Scenery

Cold Glacial Stream

Threatening Weather

More Threatening Weather

Having a COOL Picnic

More Magnificient Scenery

Monday, July 9, 2012

Fairbanks, AK

We’ve spent the last four days in Fairbanks, Alaska’s second largest city. Originally a gold rush boomtown it has been at the forefront of the construction of the Alaska Highway, Alaska North Slope pipeline, military bases, and the University of Alaska. The weather has been in the 70’s, with sun and showers the same day.

We went to the Alaska Salmon Bake Restaurant in Pioneer Park for an all-you-can-eat dinner since they have silver salmon, cod, king crab legs and prime rib on Fridays (and it was Friday!) Lucky us! Salads, beverages and dessert are also included. Of course we ate too much. Afterwards we walked through Pioneer Park, which is very pretty. It was originally built to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the purchase of Alaska from Russia. We saw the Sternwheeler Nenana, and the President Warren G. Harding Railroad Car, “Denali’. This restored car celebrates President Harding’s trip to the interior to drive the Golden Spike commemorating the end of the line of the Alaska Railroad, which joined Alaska’s two major cities, Fairbanks and Anchorage.

We took a 3½ hour tour on the Riverboat Discovery. It is a paddle boat that has four decks and can handle 900 passengers. It has 19 viewing monitors throughout the boat so any seat is a good one. There are live camera shots and also taped video clips with excellent commentary. The cruise is on the Chena River, which is about 500 miles long. It is the largest glacier-fed river in the world, and a tributary of the Yukon River. The first treat scheduled was watching a seaplane take off, land, take off again, and land again. Along both sides of the river we saw some huge, beautiful homes, and some that looked like shacks. Most had either a boat and/or a float plane docked.

We toured a Chena Athabascan Indian village replica of the early 1900’s where we saw salmon being prepared to dry on a rack before being smoked, a fish wheel, a trapper’s cabin, viewed garments made of animal hides, Caribou running and feeding both in and outside their pen.

We also passed Susan Butcher’s home where her husband, Dave Monson, spoke to us and took out a team of Iditarod dogs pulling a four-wheeler. Susan won the 1,100 mile Iditarod Dog Sled Race from Anchorage to Nome four times. She led the only climbing party to conquer the highest point on the North American continent by dog team when she mushed to the top of 20,320’ Mt. McKinley.

The next day we drove to Chena Hot Springs Resort which is Alaska’s 440 acre all-season wilderness resort about an hour and a half (60 scenic miles northeast) from Fairbanks. It was built as a way to boost tourism. They have natural outdoor hot springs, but for us the main draw was the Aurora Ice Museum. We arrived about a half hour early for the one o’clock tour. During that time we toured the grounds, where they had a beautiful assortment of flowers (probably coming from their greenhouse!)

This museum is the most beautiful example of alternative energy technology. It’s easy to keep ice frozen in winter but what if you want to keep it cold (20°) when it is 90° and sunny! Their first attempt in July of 2004 (ended in a melt-down) so they tried again the next year. They use an absorption chiller design powered by geothermal water and it is a unique, three-pressure design (the only one like it in the world). It was completed in January of 2005.

We viewed the great hall, lounge area, chandeliers made of individually carved ice crystals, countless sculptures including life-sized jousting knights, etc. The two art champions, Steve and Heather Brice, were there doing their art.

One of the highlights of the day was seeing moose on the trip to and from the hot springs. We saw one in a pond, eating from the bottom of the pond, a few single sightings, and a mother being followed by her baby crossing the road. That made our day even more special.

Our next stop was the Cookie Jar Restaurant where Guy Fieri, from the Food Network, has dined. Again, he didn’t steer us wrong, as we enjoyed the food and walked out stuffed.

Pioneer Park Salmon Bake

Ride'em Salmon

River Boat Discovery

Bush Pilot Takeoff

Indian Fish Wheel

Indian Cabin

Susan Butcher & Dave Monson's Husky Kennel

A Caribou - at last

Moose

And More Moose

Chena Hot Springs

Aurora Ice Museum

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Whitehorse, YT to Fairbanks, AK

Two days after leaving Whitehorse, we arrived in Tok, Alaska and were surprised by the great welcoming they had for us. The highway through town was lined with many people and we waved at them, but they paid us no attention. Really, they were waiting for the July 4^th parade to start and we were the last vehicle they allowed through. On the way we finally encountered the feared permafrost damaged sections of highway (frost upheavals and potholes in the road) for a 200 mile stretch, on and off. At one point for 5 miles we were going 15-30 miles per hour. Damaged areas are marked with red flags on both sides of the road. It is still rainy and in the 40’s. Late morning we were following two California rigs. They would pass us, and then we’d meet up again later and do the same thing all over again. At a gas stop, they were there also, so Mike asked where in California they were from. They both are from Bakersfield, one living by Calloway and Snow and the other one not too far from there. This afternoon was the beginning of the satellite radio losing its signal, and then getting it back.

The next two days we stayed at Tok, AK which was a staging point for the construction of the Alaskan Highway. When it was finished they created a town and named it after a worker’s dog. Their claim to fame is having recorded the lowest Alaska temperature of 86 below. They are unique for having no local government, no taxes, and as they proudly proclaim - NO ATTORNEYS. At 7pm each evening the campground had a great show in their pavilion. The entertainers were a brother (16) and sister (17) known as Alaska Sweetgrass and Dave Stancliff. It was a very enjoyable hour, with their favorite song titled “If you can’t take a joke, don’t live in Tok.

We took a day trip to Chicken, AK, a former gold mining town. The story goes that the miner’s wanted to name the town after the Ptarmigan (the State bird), but since no one knew how to spell it, they settled on Chicken. There are three stores with a public poop house, not an out-house.

The next day we stopped at the Rica Roadhouse and toured the buildings. In 1904, entrepreneur Ben Bennett built a trading post and roadhouse to provide travelers, miners and trappers with supplies and shelter. Swedish-born Rika Wallen ran the business and bought the roadhouse in 1923 for $10. It was open year-round, catering to travelers in the summer and locals in the winter. She raised livestock and grew vegetables and fruits, which allowed her to serve fresh produce, eggs, milk and meat. Rika ran the roadhouse until the mid-1940s; she died in 1969 and is buried on the grounds.

Hours down the road we spotted a moose. FINALLY! He crossed the road right in front of us. The sun was shining most of today, how nice! It was even in the 70°s when we arrived in Fairbanks.

Beautiful Scenery

Road Repair

Back in the Clouds

Frost Heave Warning

A Big Tok Welcome

Beautiful Downtown Chicken, AK

The Chicken Poop

Mike's Favorite Picture (Judy's Least Favorite)

Look at the eyes on these Husky Puppies

Rica Roadhouse

Mrs. Moose - Owner of the Road

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Watson Lake, YT to Whitehorse, YT

Sorry for the time lag - but Wi-Fi availability has been terrible

Leaving Watson Lake the night was spent at Johnson’s Crossing. We temporarily went south on the Klondike Highway to Skagway, Alaska, taking a short break at Carcross, YT on the way.

Carcross is a shortened form of Caribou Crossing, a place used by the Indians (you guessed it) for caribou hunting. During the gold rush after the railroad was built, it became a supply center for riverboats supplying the surrounding lakes.

We then continued south going through customs, crossing the foggy and cloudy mountain pass in 40° weather. You could barely see five feet in front of the truck for several miles. They have over-head markers showing both edges of the road. We finally arrived in Skagway that has a population of 968 and is located at the northernmost point on the Inside Passage, in southeast Alaska. The population booms from May through September with two to three cruise ships arriving every day. The city is transformed from a picturesque sleepy historic gold rush town into a Mecca for tourists. You can ride the historic White Pass and Yukon narrow gauge railroad that was completed in 1902. It climbs 3,000 feet in 20 miles and you can see glaciers, gorges, waterfalls, tunnels and wooden trestles. We rode the train in 2004.

Next stop was Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon. The city is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in Canada. Named the Wilderness City, Whitehorse is nestled on the banks of the famous Yukon River surrounded by mountains and pristine lakes. We took a walking tour of the S.S. Klondike. Since it was Canada Day, the tour was gratis. How nice! The S.S. Klondike National Historic Site represents an era of riverboat transportation. The sternwheeler brought the world to the Yukon. It was built in Whitehorse in 1929 by the British Yukon Navigation Company and operated with 250 other river boats until 1952 as a cargo vessel. It was then refurbished as a cruise ship and operated until 1955.

On the way home we drove to see Miles Canyon, which we have seen before and it is still beautiful.