Home and whew

Gustavus Relic

I got home on June 18th, and have been at pretty much a dead run since then. All of the photos I took in Alaska really weighed down my computer, so I bought a new desktop to accommodate my photos. Now, I should be really be able to manipulate them without the chugging from my old computer.

Alaska was wonderful, and I am still almost in awe of the trip we took. When I go back someday, I want to go to Sitka, Petersburg, Kodiak Island, Seward, Homer and the Arctic Circle and tundra. This trip was amazing. We saw everything from rainbows to eagles to a wolf. But it was just the beginning.

Traveling with Marilyn was delightful. She and I are able to communicate our needs for time and quiet. If I had it to do again, in this case, I would build in more relaxed days. Those days were necessary and lovely. They gave us a chance to breathe and to gird ourselves for the next day's activities.

Golden Eagle in Gustavus

So, expect to see more photos as they unfold. In the meantime, here is a taste of some of the best.

Rainbow in Fairbanks

Jiggity Jig

Otter

Whale tail

Sea otter yawning

I arrived home last night about 7:00, EST. I was glad to get home, and I was grateful for the opportunity to have gone on such a wonderful trip. The first order of business was to get laundry done. Now I am in the process of downloading about 6000 photos. Above are a few of my photos, more will be available at my facebook page. I plan to cull through the photos and share as many as I can, but some extra special photos will be printed, matted and sold.

Panning for gold

Panning for gold is back-breaking work

After the Alyeska, on our last full day in Alaska, we went to Crow Creek Mine and observed a couple panning for gold. They said they hadn't gotten much, but I am sure they hit the big one after we left. The vegetation in the area was lush and vividly green. It was another gorgeous Alaska locale.

Someday, I hope to return to Alaska but for now, I have memories of a trip that was amazing and those memories will last a lifetime. Keep posted for more photos and more information from the trip as I look through the photos.

Going out in a blaze of glory

We dined at Seven Glaciers Wednesday night, but saw no moose or bear, instead we watched the clouds come and go. We rode the tram up the mountain. It was Marilyn’s first tram ride, and I think she really enjoyed it. We passed kettle ponds, and beautiful green vegetation.

It was a wonderful dinner, worthy of the highest praise. We had an amuse bouche (a one-bite hors deurve) which was made from eggplant and had aged balsamic vinegar, bacon and pine nuts. Then we had wild mushroom and asparagus risotto, followed by a dish of halibut, cooked perfectly on a bed of carrot paprika puree and a parsley pesto with ground pistachios. A salad was next with butter lettuce, blue cheese, prosciutto and sweet tomato relish. Course four was salmon on a bed of quinoa with a green pesto sauce with cilantro (I did not eat the sauce). The fifth dish was wagyu beef tenderloin cooked perfectly on a bed of purple mashed potatoes and some kind of pointy spinach. The dessert was a terrine of passion fruit, green tea and mango with pistachio dust, there were edible flowers decorating it along with spun sugar ribbon. The entire meal was luscious. I think it was a perfect way to begin the final wind down of this lovely trip.

Yesterday, on the way home, we stopped at Crow Creek Mine in Girdwood and took a walking tour through the old mine and down to the river where people were panning for gold. It was a good walk with lots of hilly terrain, so periodically we would stop to take photos.

After we left there, we headed back to Anchorage and stopped at the bird sanctuary on the way home. We saw nesting arctic terns and mew gulls. Arctic terns have the longest migration route, every year they fly to Antarctica for their summer, and then back. They have been determined to be the creatures that see the most sunlight in the world.

Then we checked back into the hotel, and went out for our last Alaska dinner. We went to an out of the way place called Kinkaid, the food was wonderful. We had Alaska oysters done two ways and luscious salads.

This afternoon, we begin the trip home. I will be glad to get home, but I will always remember this trip. What a wonderful way to travel. I saw many “Stepford” cruise ship people, and was reminded again why traveling on your own is so much better. They have to live by rigid schedules. We had so much more flexibility. I will post more photos when I can get online reliably.

Turnagain Arm Pits

Bald eagle on nest as viewed from the train

Spenser Glacier from the train

A whale of a tale

Yesterday, we were up and out the door by 5:30 for a 6:30 train ride to Seward. It took about four hours to travel down, but the scenery was beautiful. The train took us down by Turnagain Arm, one of the parts of Cook Inlet that surrounds Anchorage. Anchorage is a peninsula very much like Portland, but much wider.

The train ride included sights of glaciers, a canyon, several tunnels, many moose, a bear and other flora and fauna. We passed an eagles nest where pairs have raised their chicks for many years, it is about 12 feet across, 6 feet deep and weighs about 500 pounds. We went through a town called Moose Pass, every year there they hold a vote on whether to build a gas station, and every year it is defeated. After all, the natives do not want a large sign saying, “Moose Pass Gas”.

The Alaska Railroad is the last full service railroad in the nation, meaning that they haul both passengers and freight. The trains have been delightful. We bought the Gold Star Service, which I recommend. We rode in bubble cars with assigned seats, an in-car bar where all non-alcoholic beverages are free and with private dining facilities. The food was good, and the views could not be beaten.

The trip to Kenai was to take a cruise of the Kenai Fjords National Park. What a gorgeous place it is, with huge mountains and knobs rising from the ocean. We saw a lot of whales, puffins, an oystercatcher, a sea otter, glaciers and rainbows.  We got back to the hotel at 11:00 after a long, but delightful day.

I have so many photos to share when I get home. I am down to the last 8 GB card I brought with me. Alaska is scenic, fascinating, huge and unique. The people here are so friendly and gracious. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here, and will be a little sad about leaving. Tomorrow is our last full day, and tonight we are at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood. It was recommended by my friend Becky.

Tonight we will go up the mountain on a cable car to dine at the Seven Glaciers restaurant. I am excited. Becky says you can see moose and bears going about their business from both the restaurant and the cable car. I will be bringing a camera with me (I know you find that shocking).More photos later, after I fight with this damn computer!

Numbing experience

Yesterday we spent a butt numbing 12 hours on the Alaska Railroad. Today, we slept well into the morning, and then hopped onto the Ulu trolley into town. Ulu knives are a native Alaskan women’s knife (their term, not mine) that are used for scraping, chopping and other activities. The factory is next to our hotel, and they have a free trolley that runs round trips to the Visitor’s center on 4^th Avenue. It is the cheapest, most convenient way to get up to town.

We ate breakfast (okay, really lunch) at Show City Café in downtown. It is a funky, popular little restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, and their coffee was delicious. Then we walked and eyed the kitsch in the tourist trap stores.

http://snowcitycafe.com/

We went to the museum in the Federal Building and while there watched three videos, one about bears, one about National Parks in Alaska, and the last one about the March 27, 1964 earthquake. Then we moseyed over and caught the Ulu trolley back to the hotel.

After yesterday, we are both tired and ready to rest before we hop onto the train in the morning to go to the Kenai Peninsula for a boating trip into Kenai Fjords National Park. We anticipate seeing more wildlife, more glaciers and unexplored (by us) parts of Alaska. So, in the interest of going to bed early, I bid you adieu.

Fairbanks

Light Pole in North Pole

Marilyn meets North Pole

Today we were in Fairbanks and general environs. I want to come back in the winter and try to photograph aurora borealis. We went to the University of Alaska Museum of the North today. They had exquisite artwork, items made by the Inuit, animals of Alaska and amazing videos. We watched the video on aurora borealis, and it was exceptional. It explained the science behind the magnetic fields and aurora borealis and borealis australias. The two are mirror images because of the magnetic fields of the earth. http://www.uaf.edu/museum/

Then to follow the beautiful culture and art, we went to North Pole for some kitsch. Yes, there is a North Pole, Alaska. They have candy cane street lamp posts, there are Santas everywhere. Some streets eschew the candy cane lamp posts in favor of year-round decorations.

Back in Fairbanks, we shopped at Material Girls fabric shop for Marilyn to have some fabric for her krewe outfit. She and Aubrey are members of Krewe de Kincaid as part of Mardi Gras in Alexandria. The 2012 theme is bears, so where better than Alaska to find good bear fabric?

Tonight we dined at Big Daddy’s Barbecue (a Guy Fieri feature). The food was very good. The cornbread was sweet and cake-like, which is a disappointment for us southern girls. Then when we walked out of the restaurant, it was pouring. But from the west, the sun was shining brightly. I got some good rainbow photos.

We returned the rental car, and are now readying for bed. Tomorrow morning we go to the train station at 7:30, and face a 12 hour ride on the train. I expect fanny fatigue to be very great by the time we arrive back at the Ship Creek Comfort Inn.

Denali

Wolf - The best animal of the day

The legendary lounging Caribou

Magpie nest - my desk indicates I could be a magpie

Grizzly bear beating a hasty retreat from my invading camera lens

The park is one stunning view after another

Ground squirrel

 We came to Denali on Wednesday, by riding the railroad up from Anchorage. We had booked into the Gold Star seating which meant we were in a raised, glassed in car. We also had preferential seating for lunch. It was a gorgeous ride up, Mt. McKinley (Denali) was visible from many miles away. It is not always visible, so that was a bonus.

We had declared our hotel from Anchorage, so we caught a shuttle and the luggage met us at the hotel. That was a nice bonus not having to schlep the bags. We reconnoitered the area and bought provisions for Thursday’s green bus tour to Wonder Lake in the park.

The tour is an eleven hour tour. I think if I had it to do again, I would go with the 7 hour tour to the Eileson Visitor’s Center. Eleven hours in a school bus that was full to capacity was not fun. The high point of the day was seeing a wolf closely. That is a rarity because there are only 71 known wolves in the 6 million acres of the park.

We saw (at great distance) caribou, moose, grizzly bears, dall sheep, and mountain goats. We also saw ground squirrels, which were very cute. They stood up like prairie dogs. They are also world class moochers, so we were sternly warned not to feed them if we lunched at Eileson.

When we got back to the Wilderness Activity Center near park headquarters, there was a moose and her two babies right outside the center. When I spotted her, she was just about 50 feet from us. By the time I got into position to photograph her, a tour bus pulled up and she fled. Our sweet young driver from the hotel found her for us, and we got a lot of photos of the moose and her babies. Most of the photos are pretty camouflaged, but perhaps I can zoom into them.

Today, we will have a few hours to wander the area and then we need to catch our bus to the depot at 2:30 to transport us to Fairbanks. There, another adventure awaits us. I think I may rent us a car, so we can get around a lot more than relying on hotel transportation.

The wireless internet card on this computer is dying. That is a frustration, but I will figure out how to deal with it. The real issue is getting online to post to the blog. Maybe I will mail it back with some extra items that I no longer need.

Goodbye Gustavus…Hello Anchorage

The pass

As we flew over the pass

Mendenhall Glacier from the plane

De Plane, de plane

Goodbye Gustavus…Hello Anchorage

We bid a fond adieu to Deb the innkeeper and boarded Fjord Air’s 6-seater with our pilot (and Fjord owner) Chuck. The flight across to Juneau was great, and I got to sit in the co-pilot seat. The view was amazing. I took photos along the way, and am so glad I had the experience.

I was thinking of my transportation checklist. Tomorrow we take the train to Denali, and then we will lack only a few methods of transportation to complete our trip. We will most likely not get to ride a dogsled, Santa’s sleigh, a yak caravan, or a helicopter. Otherwise we have ridden on ferrys, boats, jets, airplanes, vans, cars, trucks, a trolley and soon the train.

Once we checked in, we decided to go up into downtown for dinner. Our hotel is next to the Ulu factory. Ulu’s are Native Alaskan tools, I use mine for chopping onions and garlic. Wisely, they have a trolley that runs to and from town every fifteen minutes. Marilyn and I are very much like seagulls, we walked over and asked if we could ride into town which was fine with our driver. After we dined, and she had her nails done (what a poodle thing to do), we decided to make our way back. We saw the Ulu trolley coming, and it was the same driver, Marilyn waved him down and he let us on, then he dropped us out in front of our hotel. What a delightful way to get to and from town.  http://www.ulu.com/

Tomorrow, Denali, I can’t wait. The weather has been phenomenal so far, and although rain is forecast, it was clearing as we came back to the hotel. Maybe we’ll get lucky and have decent weather.

But now I am headed off to bed. We have been thrown by the 19 hours of sunlight, and are pretty tired. Perhaps we will get a good night’s sleep before our day on the train.More tomorrow.

Glacial Retreat

Eagle at the pier tonight

The behemoth

Bravada

Bud's, the only game in town

Today we went back to Glacier National Park for a picnic lunch. Mount Fairweather and the whole Fairweather chain were beautifully visible in the distance. They are so covered in snow that they are bluish white. One of the rangers told us that they see Mt. Fairweather about twice a summer, it has been visible both days we have been there.

We are still in what would be considered rain forest with lush woods along the road to and in the park. There is so much moisture, the trees have moss hanging off of them and blanketing their roots (see photo).

We rented a car here in Gustavus from Bud’s Rent-A-Car. The first vehicle was a behemoth that neither of us could easily mount. We traded up for a Bravada, both of them have well over 200,000 miles. I gassed up the car tonight at the quaintest Mobil station I have ever seen.

I have developed allergies (I hope) to something here…we are surrounded by blooming things I have never seen before. Hopefully tomorrow in Anchorage I will be better off. We have one night in Anchorage and then we board the train to Denali. So far, everything about Alaska has exceeded our expectations.

Going Glacial

Today led us on an eight hour boat ride into Glacier Bay. We saw many animals including Steller’s sea lions, harbor seals, a couple of humpback whales, a grizzly bear sow and her cub, a brown bear, mountain goats, oodles of birds including pelagic cormorants, bald eagles, tufted puffins, black legged kittiwakes and pigeon guillemots.

We visited a number of tidal glaciers (feed into the water) including the Grand Pacific, Lamplugh, and Reid; and watched the Margerie Glacier calve (see photos).  We saw a lot of icebergs (small, not titanic sized) and lots of hanging glaciers (do not reach the water).

We were even blessed with a clear view of Mount Fairweather, which at 15,300 is the highest peak in the visible mountains (see photo). Despite weather predictions of rain, the day began and ended in fog and mist, but was absolutely wonderfully sunny with fluffy clouds while we were in the glacial areas.

Tonight we went to the Bear track Inn, which was lovely. We were served by Claudia, whom we met on yesterday’s whale watch. For the second evening in a row, Todd, our captain from the whale watch and his family dined at the same place we went. I wonder if he will join us tomorrow night at the Gustavus Inn.

A Whale of a Time

Today's whale watching excursion was great. We saw many whales, but the best one was right at the end...he breeched from the water three times. It was delightful, and more so since I was able to get photos. Eagles were everywhere, and all was good. Tomorrow, Glacier Bay!!! I can hardly wait.

Gustavus morning

It is our first morning in Gustavus, and it is rainy and cold out. We are up early and will reconnoiter once we are dressed and ready to roll. We are going on a whale watch this afternoon. We saw a few whales from the ferry, but only at a good distance.

Last night for dinner we ate at the Gustavus Inn, the chef was a 2010 James Beard Award winner. They serve meals family style at three tables that seat 8 people each. We sat with four women who work for an insurance company out of Petersburg; which is the closest location for the local folks, and a gentleman from New Jersey.

http://www.gustavusinn.com/rates.html
 
Dinner was lovely, starting with smoked salmon spread with home made focaccia crackers. Then, after seating us, they served a lovely salad, barbecued salmon with a sauce made from brown sugar, soy sauce, butter and lemon juice. There was a vegetable dish made from squash and zucchini, and potatoes cut and roasted with herbs. For dessert we could choose from creamy apple pie or Brandy Alexander pie. Everyone at our table except one chose the Brandy Alexander pie.

I am sure I will write more later after we go on the whale watch. Tomorrow is open, and because we rented a car from Bud's car rental (the only rental place on the island), we can make our way to Glacier Bay National Park. Then on  Monday, we will go on a boat up into Glacier Bay. On Tuesday, we will fly back to Juneau and then fly to Anchorage.


So far this trip has exceeded any expectations I could have had. We have had gracious hosts, traveled by plane, car, boat and soon...train. Southern Alaska is vividly green, and lush with foliage. The wildlife is very easy to see and identify. I hope we see some moose while here in Gustavus, it is supposed to be a big moose area. Marilyn has never seen a moose, I think she will be amazed. The link for our accommodations is below. We are in the Fireweed cabin. More later...


http://blueheronbnb.net/

Juneau Bound

Written on 6//2/11 

We are in Ketchikan, on board the Alaska Marine Highway’s vessel Taku. Our stateroom is not exactly the lap of luxury, but it has bunk beds, two chairs and a bathroom with a shower. Our needs are met, if not elegantly. There is certainly no wasted space. But once we are under way, I doubt we will be in the stateroom other than for sleeping and cleaning up.

We will arrive in Juneau tomorrow at approximately 1:15 pm. This is a ferry that stops in several towns including Wrangell and Petersburg. I can’t wait to see them, even if it is from the boat.

Our room is on the port side, so we will not see as much from our window, but we will be fine. I plan to spend as much time on deck as possible, since it does not get dark until about 10:00 pm and the sun rises about 4:00 am. We were up at 3:15 am, in order to make the ferry to Ketchikan, so we are enjoying the quiet time before setting sail. Marilyn is napping, and I expect to be shortly. 

The photos are of our ship, the Taku and the sunset.

What a day

This piece was written on Monday, but the computer shut down on me. I just discovered it in my bolg drafts:

I am parked by the library on Prince of Wales, in Whale Pass. What a great group of people we have met so far. I am so grateful to know these folks, they are real pioneers. Today is one of the most gorgeous days they've seen in a long time. It is clear and gorgeous. Pete brought us two dungeness crabs that he caught in the traps, they are about the size of dinner plates. The two crabs fed us all a great snack with some left over. 

We went to Pete's house this afternoon, he is Pat's neighbor. His place is amazing, he has a great house, and his property crosses a stream, so he built a bridge to where he built a huge barn, and then stairs up to the next level which is a giant garage. Pete has his own sawmill in front of his house. This guy is amazing!

I am having a great time, but cannot get cell reception, and have to drive down here for internet. We will be here two more days before we take the Alaska Marine Highway from Ketchikan to Juneau. Since communication is so spotty, just know that I will post when I can. I have taken about 2000 photos already, and with Mac's tutelage, they are pretty good. 


As soon as I can figure out how to add photos, I will share some. In the meantime, just know I miss home, but I am also having a grand time. This really is the trip of a lifetime.

Island Life

Today is our last day on Prince of Wales Island. It is part of Tongass National Forest. We are staying about 85 miles from the ferry at Hollis, but it takes 2 ½ hours to get here from there, because the road is only paved part of the way. In the morning, we will have to leave here by 4:30 in order to avoid missing the ferry.

We have had a wonderful time, but it is time to move on. Everyone here has been so warm and welcoming. We have eaten like royalty on crabs from Pete, oysters from George and so much bounty from Pat. We visited George’s wife Cat yesterday. She is an artist, and a delightful woman. She has some major hip issues, so she is not terribly mobile. Marilyn had spent some time with her when they came up in 2007, and is very fond of her, so it was extra special to see her.

We went on an expedition yesterday across the island, and in our path, we stopped at two stores. They were very gracious, but we were a troop of five who were a bit overwhelming. Fortunately we all have good social skills and will be welcome back.

Mac and I went shooting this morning. He is my sensei in photography. I know I am a better photographer thanks to his tutoring. In our perambulations, we saw some mink or fishers (or some other small weasels). We also saw a group of otters. They chattered at us, scolding us for being nearby. There were seven members in the otter pod.

The owner of this place is Donna, she has about eight hummingbird feeders around her deck. I have been trying to take photos of the hummingbirds but it is like trying to nail Jello to a tree. They are so fast and they fight over the feeders endlessly. But at the end of the day, I think I got a few good photos. Donna also loves rabbits, and she has lots of them that run wild around here. They are cute but not very friendly.

Being here has been so delightful; I have no responsibility, no time constraints. This is such a laid-back quality of life, but I couldn’t do it forever.

At the crack of dawn tomorrow we catch the ferry back to Ketchikan and then three hours later board the Alaska Marine Highway to travel to Juneau and from there to Gustavus. Juneau is where Marilyn and I break from Anna Lou and Mac. I will miss Mac, but we will e-mail and stay in touch.

I have had such a good time already, and we have hardly delved into this amazing state. The next adventure takes us from the rain forest to the glaciers. We will be in Gustavus at the opening of Glacier National Park. We will see glaciers, cetacions, and hopefully some bears, at a respectful distance, of course.

Sunday on Prince of Wales

This morning, we got up and shuffled around making our breakfast items, and then when Pat came, we went to his house. It is a sweet little hand-built cabin on a hill. He has all of the things he needs, and it is very much like a cabin on a ship, everything is functional.  He does not have running water, but he has a large outhouse with windows and cedar chips to put in the hole.

Pat’s friend Pete took us out on his boat to put out traps for Dungeness crabs and for the local spotted shrimp. Then we went to El Capitan to get oysters from Pat’s friend George. He and his wife started an oyster farm some years ago. Now they have eliminated some of the process, so he keeps his oysters at the beach at El Capitan.

We came back to the house and made a feast for dinner. We cooked Alaska salmon that Pat had brought over, then we grilled the oysters which were large and succulent. By 10:00 pm we were all exhausted.

Island life here in Alaska has no clocks, it is relative to the rhythms of life. Donna who owns the cabins where we are staying has the only “real” job in Whale Pass. She is the postmistress. She does not get paid by the postal service because they do not have a zip code. But in twenty plus years, she has never missed the mail plane. She is kind of the mom of the community. Everyone else lives pretty much off the land. They garden, fish, hunt, and live simply. I have no phone access, and can only access the internet through the library which is open a couple hours about 3 days a week.