Lake Kathleen

I had remembered Lake Kathleen as being a rather idyllic place, and it still is.  We passed through Haines Junction where we went to the Village Bakery for lunch.  We had been there before, and we found out it was as good as ever.  The weather was perfect and we stayed there a little longer than anticipated . . . which was ok.

On the way, we passed more beautiful scenery.  Before we arrived at Haines Junction, I saw this beautiful lake and got lucky with my picture:

I wish I knew the name of this lake, but it is beautiful

We went to Lake Kathleen, which is a gorgeous lake on First Nation land.  We love this park, for many reasons.  We saw an aurora there in 2013 (and despite my best efforts, did not see one this time), we took a video of a squirrel chucking pinecones at us (none of that this time),  and it was a quiet place for a campfire, which was the case again.

When we arrived, Katie already had a campfire going, and we loved just sitting around it. After dinner, we went to a talk by a member of the Wolf clan of the tribe.  He was fascinating . . . and one thing that I thought was interesting was this:  “I was born in the 1960s as an Indian; in the 1970s I became aboriginal; in the 1980s I was indigenous; in the 1990s I was Native; and in the 2000s I became First Nation.  We will see what happens in 2020 . . . “  He said it somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but it is true.  He then went on to explain how Canada has begun the process of respecting and restoring the pride the First Nation people have in their heritage.  It was a heartening story.  

And because he mentioned Lake LaBarge, when we returned to our campfire, I read the poem The Cremation of Sam McGee and Blasphemous Bill McKie (which I had never read), both by Robert Service.  It was an enjoyable way to spend a few minutes around the campfire, getting ready to go outside to see the aurora – that never appeared!

Tourists Become Truckers

We had a long drive on Tuesday, August 27, from Fairbanks to Discovery Yukon RV park south of Beaver Creek, Yukon.  We stopped at the North Pole to allow Woody to see Santa Claus, and then we were driving . . . and driving . . . and driving.

One highlight was that we saw a lynx standing on the road.  At first I thought it was a coyote, because it had such long legs, but the tufts on its ears, its big feet, and the short tail gave it away. We came upon it pretty quickly and did not get a good picture – even Garmin didn’t get one – but we have it in our memory, which is second-best.

After an easy border crossing and a stop at Buckshot Betty’s to get a shirt for Katie and a performance shirt for Char, we got to the RV park in time to walk the dogs and look at the museum of military equipment and Alaska Highway roadmaking equipment. Some could interpret it as a pile of junk, but it really isn’t, and for those who appreciate such things, it is a fascinating look at history.  I did get up in the middle of the night, hoping to see an aurora, but no such luck.  Maybe tomorrow.

The Best(ie) of Fairbanks

We are so lucky that Betsy lives in Fairbanks.  She has such fun things to do!!!

First, she took us to Creamer's Field on a walk through the boreal forest.  Besides being beautiful, it was an interesting walk and an entertaining one, as we were privileged to see the Sandhill Cranes before they migrate south.  Some of those cranes will end up in New Mexico; most will end up in Nebraska.

Then we went to Betsy's house where we made 13 jars of jelly.

After the cooking, Betsy cooked some moose, some delicious salmon, a casserole of brown rice with cashews, and ice cream for dessert.  We had never had moose, but I am delighted we tried.  It was as good as beef, but more tender.  I would have it again in a heartbeat!

It is always fun to get back together with Betsy.  She is such a creative woman, with many projects going.  She is going to be teaching a weaving class in a few weeks and one of the baskets she is going to make is made with old calendars.  It was so pretty - I wish I were so creative!

The Drive to Fairbanks

We left Teklinika, saw Denali, and got on the road.  CJ really wanted to stop at the 49th State Brewery, but because we were late, we just stopped for pictures.  The story Into the Wild happened outside of Healy, which is just up the street from the brewery, so when they filmed the movie about it, the bus used in the movie was acquired by the brewery owners.

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Then we went to Nenana, and although I would have loved to have shown Bart the tripod, we were trying to make up time, so instead we stopped for lunch at a restaurant owned by Rhonda's cousin. We had heard the Monderosa had great burgers . . . and wow!  They were delicious.  We thoroughly enjoyed talking with Rhonda's cousin, and we hope if we get back here, that they are still in business. Well worth stopping for.

By the time we arrived in Fairbanks, Don and I had to hurry to get ready for dinner with Betsy, Matthew, Eli, and Shera at the Silver Gulch Brewery. We always enjoy the food there, and being with Betsy and her family is the best!

FINALLY!!!

On Sunday morning, Diana's birthday, we awakened to bright blue skies.  It was cold - 35 degrees - but the skies looked wonderful.  We were so hoping the mountain would be able to be seen.

We left a little before Bart and Katie, and we were delighted to see Denali many times in the 29 miles to the Visitor's Center.  We were so hoping Bart, Katie, Kara and CJ would see her, and thankfully they did.  I could not get enough of the mountain . . . it is so beautiful.

Even Woody got in on the action!

Kara and CJ

We have not spent much time with Kara and CJ until now, and they have been with us ten days.  I am really going to miss them!

CJ is hilarious. He can tell stories reminiscent of Chuck, except his references are younger so I sometimes don’t get them. We learned about Alaskan Bush People – a series on Hulu – and why he calls himself BJ Finney.  His call name became Burger Jim, though we changed it to Caribou Jim during part of the journey.  He can imitate many different voices, which kept us laughing, he loves his pets Lucy and Luna, and he adores his wife, Kara.  We have loved our time with him – it was too short.

And we learned that CJ has awesome taste in women.  Kara is an absolute peach!  She was helpful, funny, flexible, willing to try new things, very active, and a terrific influence on CJ.  They make a very fun couple, and I am so impressed with Kara’s maturity and intelligence.  I am hoping we can spend much more time with them, as they have certainly rubbed off on me!

Teklinika River and Beyond

Saturday dawned bright blue skies . . . we probably could have seen Denali if we had taken the bus, but of course, we did not.  Oh well . . . I think I am going to have to return at least one more time.

Instead we decided to sleep late, have blueberry muffins and eggs with reindeer sausage, and go on a walk from our campground to the Teklenika Bridge and then home on the road.  It would be a walk of about 5 miles, but it was pretty flat.  Walking in the braided river was a challenge since it is entirely rocks, but we managed pretty well.  We saw moose tracks and wolf tracks, but no bear tracks – and although I would have loved to have seen a bear, we really were better off not seeing one.

Once we arrived close to our campground, we saw a trail that led to a boggy part of the area. We decided to follow it, as we felt certain it would come out close to the campground.  It was a gorgeous walk – the muskeg was soft, the colors were gorgeous . . . CJ said he felt like he was in Narnia.  It was a beautiful way to end a great hike!

The Bus Ride

The only way to see Denali is on a park bus, so at 8:55 a.m. on Friday morning, we met the one for which we had tickets.  It was already relatively full, so Don and I got one window well seat, and Katie and Bart got the other.  CJ and Kara sat closer to the front.

The weather was not great . . . cloudy and rainy.  We were not optimistic about the ride nor about getting to see Denali, but forward we went.  The first few stops were pretty ordinary, and we only saw a few bears and a caribou.  When we were at polychrome, besides the beautiful rocks and colors, I came upon a covey of Ptarmigans.  I had not realized how gorgeous those birds are and was lucky to get this photo of Pterry Ptarmigan.

As we were getting close to Eileson Visitor Center, Rex, our driver, kept saying that he was concerned that the ride to Wonder Lake would be awful.  With the dreary weather, animals would be hard to spot, it would be rainy . . . but don’t let me discourage you, he said.  You are making your own adventure.

We were surprised when we came back to the bus after lunch and nearly everyone was still on the bus. I guess we were all risk-takers – or we believed that the lighter skies would bode well for the rest of the journey.  Either way, we all headed out again, including the family with the 4-month-old baby that only cried when he was hungry or when the bus stopped . . . or when he needed to have his diaper changed, which the mom and dad did in the bus.  It was a bit odoriferous . . . but that’s babies!

We were hoping the Mountain would appear, but it did not.  But bears did . . . and a lot of them.  

These guys were on the left side of the bus but eventually just walked down the road.

I think this is such a pretty picture, despite the lack of good light

I think we saw at least 15 of them in the 10 hours we were on the bus.  We also saw a fox, courtesy of Kara, and a few caribou.  We were hoping for a moose in the kettle ponds, but that was not to be, and when I found out there are only 77 wolves in the park, I doubted we would see one. 

Fall is coming to Denali – we saw plenty of gorgeous landscapes, lakes, and trees.  

We decided to walk the last mile of the way to get all of our steps, and by the time we got home, we had had an awesome day, and we were plenty tired.

Six Years Between Wal-Mike's Stops

We had to go by Wal-Mike's in Talkeetna.  We have been there 3 times before, and in 2013, we took a picture of Katie, Bart, and me.  Then we took another one when we visited on Thursday.

2013 - one of us had dark hair

2019 - one of us has lost a lot of weight, one of us now has gray hair, and one looks the same!

It is always fun to compare . . .

Teklinika

The Teklanika Campground is as close to “real” camping as we will get, since we do not tent camp anymore.  No electricity, no water, no dump station, no wifi, no cell service – a bit like being in the Holy Ghost without the ability to leave or to get internet at the store.  With specific generator hours, it is as quiet as can be, and the campers are generally quiet.  I love it.

We arrived well ahead of Bart and Katie, so we spent quite a bit of time walking around the campground.  We found wild cranberries that Kara and I will pick I hope, and once Bart and Katie arrived, we grilled an awesome hamburger dinner – we noticed several campers walking by with their ramen noodle cups, eyeing us a little jealously.

Friday morning, we were awakened to a deluge – oh dear.  We were slated to go on the bus to Wonder Lake, and we were hoping it was not going to be cloudy and drizzly.  Parting clouds just as we left gave us hope . . . 

Denali or Bust!

Since it did not look promising that we would see Denali today (and that did prove to be true), we decided to take the airplane flight to see it up close and personal.  Despite the fact that the valley was filled with smoke, we were told we would be able to see the mountain once we got above the smoke.  So up we went.

The pilot, Andy, was terrific, and he was quite knowledgeable about the area.  His commentary helped us understand what we were seeing, and his reassuring attitude helped those of us who are not prone to liking small planes get through it.  We only had a little turbulence, which was nice, and the rest of the flight was as smooth as silk.

The summit

As Andy said, "An ethereal view."

A brief 12 seconds of our flight

One of the glaciers on the mountain

Perspective is a funny thing.  When we were flying around Denali, it looked like we were flying about the same height . . . but we were at 10,000 feet, and it is about 20,000 feet tall.  Mind numbing, to say the least.

It seemed ridiculous to spend money to see the top of the mountain - but I am surely glad we did!

Talkeetna

We were hoping to see Denali from Talkeetna, since the smoke purportedly had not gone that way.  This will have been our fourth time here, and we have never seen the mountain, and because the day was clear, we were hoping today would be the day.

Our luck, the wind shifted, and Talkeetna was hemmed in with smoke.  So we thought we would take a plane flight . . . but the top of the mountain apparently was covered by clouds.  Strike two.  We scheduled a flight for early in the morning, hoping maybe the top of the mountain would be visible . . . but we will see.

Talkeetna is a darling town with terrific eating establishments.  Last time we ate at the Wildflower, but this time we went to the Denali Brewing Company.  I had a salad with salmon, Don had reindeer meat loaf, Bart and Kara had halibut, and Katie and CJ had a pretzel dip with prime rib.  Since all plates were licked clean, I would say the evening was a success.

We are staying in the same campground we did last time - where Chris tried to befriend a fox.  The train station is right behind us, but because of the fire, people are being bused from here to Anchorage, so we won't be awakened by trains.

Helicopters that are carrying water to the fire are another story.  Not only are they picking up water near here, they also are refueling at the airport right next to the train station.  It somewhat reminds me of MASH tv shows when the helicopter comes in.  It was interesting to see them carry their water buckets to the fire - the buckets do not look very big, but I am sure they are!

 We were supposed to be here two nights, but one must be flexible . . . and we are only here one.  Too bad, as this is a great little town!

Driving to Talkeetna

Several days ago, when we were in Seward and the winds were so bad, a tree fell on an electric line between Anchorage and Talkeetna and started a huge fire.  It was similar in many ways to the fire in our canyon as it was a hot, dry day with excessive winds and a very high fire danger - all of the elements for a devastating fire.

We had been keeping close track of the fire since the road to our next stop went right through the fire-affected area.  At one point,since the fire jumped the road, the whole road was closed down, but then they opened one lane to follow by pilot car.  Yesterday it was taking an hour per trip (two hours for each line to move) and they were only letting 50 cars pass because the smoke was so bad.  Luckily, although we still were only in one lane, the wait was less long and the smoke was not nearly as bad.

Still the remnants of the fire were on full display.  There were still huge puffs of smoke, and sometimes we would see a small area that had come back to life and was flaming in a major way.  The wind had calmed down, however, and therefore, many of the fire fighters were able to get much of the fire under control.

This puff of smoke suddenly came up as we rounded the corner

The lodge at Sheep Creek was totally destroyed as were many cars and structures.  So far 50 structures have been lost but to our knowledge, no lives have been lost.  Apparently, families had time to evacuate . . . but many have nothing left.

I do not know how one recovers from such devastation.  I realize they just lost things - I think even all of the pets have survived - but when everything one owns goes up in flames, putting a life back together would be a huge challenge.

We Are All Together Again!

After being homeless in Anchorage for more days than we care to count -

the Willie finally received his new part (sort of like people get new knees, I guess), the Jeep got its new transmission (a new hip, maybe?), and Katie's truck got a brand new hitch (I think that is more like a shoulder).  Much of the work was done at Trailer Craft in Anchorage - which we highly recommend - and the Jeep's transmission was put in at a small shop that charged us $400 less than they quoted us and had it done at least a half day early.  How can you beat that?  We were delighted, and although all of the repairs were not financially fun, we managed and were able to get on our way.

We loaded up the RVs and went to Wasilla to provision up for the next few days.  We gathered in the parking lot of one of the biggest Fred Meyers stores I have ever seen, did our shopping, and were on our way.  Finally!

Rhonda and Jeri

Late at night in Anchorage, two women from Eaton, Colorado flew into the airport for their trip to Alaska.  Katie picked them up - about 1:00 a.m., I believe - and as they were leaving the airport, Rhonda saw a moose.  It was an awesome beginning.  The next day we left for Quartz Creek to do some fishing.

Rhonda is an avid fisherwoman and immediately headed out to try her hand.  She was the first one to catch a fish - a pink - that we had that night for dinner.  Since our grandkids are about the same age, we spent some time sharing pictures and stories.

Jeri had never really fished like they do in Alaska - she went on lakes as a child - so she felt about salmon fishing the way I do.  Just not that enjoyable.

Through the Kenai and Homer they fished their way, and in Homer, they went on two charters - one for salmon and one for halibut.   They both caught their fish and had them shipped home for future eating.  Yum! They also spent quite a lot of time at the lagoon in Homer, though they didn't catch much there, except Jeri did seem proficient at catching birds' nests on her reel :)

These ladies were so much fun.  Rhonda, like Chuck, could tell a good story, and she had us in stitches many times.  Jeri, with her sweet nature, kept a smile on her face whether she was looking for her glasses or catching a halibut.  They left at 4:00 a.m. on Monday morning - they are learning what red-eye really means.  I was sorry to see them go, as we did not get nearly enough time with them (because of the rv breakdowns).  It was a pleasure to get to know them!

Chuck

I am sure you have friends who can take any incident and turn it into a hilarious - and true - story.  Using impressions, funny expressions and the like, Chuck Widger is that guy.  While we were stranded in Hinton, Chuck joined Bart and Katie in Whitehorse.  I had never spent much time with Chuck, and I wish I had known him better.

Chuck and Bart are Ying and Yang.  They have their own names for each other, and they can make each other laugh just with a facial expression.  They have been through some interesting experiences (to say the least), and to hear Chuck tell about them keeps the conversation very lively.

Chuck says he is like his dad . . . he can have a full conversation with a stump and have a very nice day.  He is gregarious, friendly, uber-polite (I am not used to being called ma'am) . . . He thanked me after every meal (and some of them weren't that great), he helped every way he possibly could.

Neither Chuck nor I like coffee, so we had that in common, and he drank more iced tea than anyone except my brother.  When he brought all of his equipment to Bart before Bart left Albuquerque, he included an iced tea maker . . . and a cot.  As he said, "I am not going to be the one who can't survive if we get stranded!"

Chuck was enthusiastic about everything we did - from going to Chicken to fishing for halibut in terrible seas to driving for miles and miles.  He would be a welcome guest on any trip we ever take!

Panning for gold . . . and getting nothing!

Smoke Gets in my Eyes

We had no idea when we came to Seward that the winds would shift and smoke would infiltrate the entire valley.  By Saturday night, we could not see any part of the mountains to the east.

When we awakened on Sunday and after we watched the baptism of our little Tessa Marie online, we decided to walk two miles to the Starbucks in the Safeway store.  When we went outside, we saw this:

I thought maybe the sun was up and the smoke was so thick, we just couldn't see it.

Suddenly, it began to peak over the mountain, bright orange!

More and more it rose,

Until it was finally up . . . the smoke made for a beautiful sunrise

And a beautiful harbor picture!

The wind has changed, and we are hoping this smoke gets blown away.  CJ and Kara are on a sightseeing cruise - we hope they can see something through the smoke.

The Murals of Seward

As we walked around Seward, we noticed murals - murals here, murals there, murals murals everywhere.  They are on the sides of numerous buildings, on signs, on houses.  I don't know if this little town has more murals per square mile than any other city, but I would think it is in contention.  It is so fun to walk around, enjoying the different ones, trying to figure out the messages.

This mural is a history of Seward, including a tribute to Benny Benson, who designed the Alaskan flag and who was from Seward.  Is a person from Seward a "Sewardian?"

Each mural has some sort of dedication plaque or explanation accompanying it

The murals are on all sorts of buildings and walls - including round ones.

As we walked around Seward, we would look around us and marvel at the art work, the murals, the sculpture.  Art brings life to the city and makes it a fun place to be!