2013 - Alaska or bust!

Fairbanks is as far north as we'll go. Mike's seen enough Ice Road Truckers episodes to know the road north from there by heart!

 

the weather has been awesome. They are saying that it is the best summer they have had in 10 years. We had some rainy days on the inside passage which we expected but beautiful weather in the Kenai. It was in the 70s today. We actually had our shorts on for a couple of days this week.

The bugs have not been bad. The worse place for the mosquitos was at Prince George. We have had a few but they have been manageable.

The landscape up here is just breathtaking between the ice capped mountains, the glaciers and all the wildlife. This has been an awesome vacation and the 560 is the perfect camper to do it in. We brought three tents with us--the PaHa Que, the side tent and the Northern Breeze. The PaHa Que has not been out of the car, we used the side tent when we started off but have found that the Northern Breeze works great--easy up and easy down and we can put the sides down and use it as a changing room.

Since Mike decided not to fish, we have found that we can go to the fish processing houses and get fresh fish. We have been having fish for lunch and dinner. It tastes so great.

 

Kewl... and so as I understand it, you went up on the ferry, stopping at each stop for a few days camping and then back on to the final port.
Now, driving back through Canada/BC south to home...
What a great trip... fun...

 

FLMikeandCarol great pictures and story continue to have a safe and fun trip.

 

We had a great time in Homer but we are getting so far behind on the Forum that I'll jump ahead to our time in Denali and Talkeetna. Mike will put some pictures up on the General pic site later. I would recommend a trip to Homer to everyone. It's a very unique place, especially the Spit.
We drove to Palmer/Wasilla from Homer and then on to Talkeetna on Sun 7/28. We will go back and fill in later.

We went on to Denali on 7/30 and took the 13 hour bus trip from the main road to the end of the park road. Travel into the park is limited to bus service and tours. We took the long tour so we could see it all. What surprised us was how arid it is in this area. You can see by the pics that there is little ground cover. But it did make it easier to spot wildlife.
On the way in we had a pretty good view of Denali's North Face:


If you didn't know any better you would think we were in Arizona, except that we have coats on.


One of the first animals we saw was this wonderful caribou. His antlers are still covered in felt. It'll shed from the bone when they start rutting. We stopped counting after the 12th one we saw. They were always singles when we saw them.



Next we saw Mama Grizzly with her two cubs. We sat and watched them for about 15 minutes. It was fun to see them play around on the hillside. We saw nine grizzlies all total that day.



Just before we got to Kantisha Roadhouse we passed Wonder Lake and right near the road and an overlook was Momma Moose eating away at the kelp in the bottom of the lake. There were lots of people around but she just ignored everyone and continued eating.



At the half way point of the 13 hr bus ride we were treated to lunch at he Kantishna Roadhouse (actually this is the original roadhouse. We had lunch in a much newer lodge!). After lunch we had a choice of gold panning or a seminar on Iditarod. We chose the Iditarod which was very interesting. It was a wonderful trip. We got to see the wildlife that we had wanted to see.

At the sled dog demo we met tail gunner Eddie. Guess why he isn't the lead dog!




On the way back just down from lodge at the same spot we saw the female moose we saw the bull. You can see by the grass in front just how close we were!



We also saw up close what the caribou look like before they lose all their winter coat.




We saw a total of 9 grizzly bears, 12+ caribou (they were everywhere it seemed), one fox, some Dall sheep and 4 moose. I recommend this trip wholeheartedly. It was long, hot, dusty and bumpy but worth every cent

 

Well it's time to back up a few days from our Denali excursion and tell you how we got there. From Homer we went through Palmer and Wasilla and on to Talkeetna. It's a mainstay on the cruise agenda and describes itself as a "sleepy little drinking town with a tourist problem". We stayed in the only rv park there - right next to the rail depot that brought the aforementioned tourists to and from the ships. There was always a train or connection buses coming and going but it was fun - a little noisy at night when the coal train went through but fun.
On the way to Talkeetna we saw a sign for a pull off to see Mt. McKinley (or Denali as the natives prefer) so we gave it a shot. We'd heard that you only have a 30% chance to see the mountain during any trip. Imagine our delight when we were treated to this view:



Well here is Mike next to the Welcoming sign. I guess you can tell it is a laid back place. There were lots of historic old buildings that date back to the Gold Rush days.



We took this after the train left on Sunday but before they left this place was shoulder to shoulder full of people.



Alaska seems to be famous for their Cinnamon Buns so we have taken upon ourselves to test all that we can find. The Roadhouse so far as the best. On Monday the electric went out in the entire area but the Roadhouse brought in a generator and the Cinnamon Rolls went on. The place was packed because it was the only place in town with electric.



Below is a picture of where the Float Planes take off. They had a great little overlook that you could sit out on and watch the planes. It was a beautiful area and the people were so nice there. She told us if we wanted to we could go get a beer and come back and sit out there

 

Fun, and you were lucky to catch a glimpse of that "Little hill" in the background... Massive... kewl...

 

Mike ran into a tour scheduling issue and we had to backtrack from Denali to Talkeetna one day for the flag stop train tour. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive back but really worth it. The Alaska RR runs the last flag stop train in the country. Basically, the train has a set schedule 5 days a week out into the backcountry and return. Takes about 6-7 hours depending on the stops. If you want to stop the train just put up a flag:
Here you see a couple of ladies departing the train.

Here are a couple of hunters heading out to the bush:

By the way, we had another great view of Denali from the train:


Here's the train with 2 coaches and the baggage car:

The conductor did his ticket taking conductor stuff as well as narrating the trip. He's been working for Alaska RR for 39 years!

The train went as far as Hurricane Gulch where it stopped for pics and then headed back to Talkeetna. The bridge was built in 1923 and only took 60 days! We couldn't see it from the train but you can see the shadow here:


I can't help myself, here's another Denali pic we got on the way back. Notice how the storm cloud has wrapped around the south peak. That mountain is all it's cracked up to be and then some.


Even though we had to back track, I really liked this tour and recommend it if you get the chance. Most of our tours are booked using the Alaska Tour Saver (www.toursaver.com) where you can get a number of buy one get one free deals.
Carol

 

Mike & Carol another set of great pictures and story to go with them.

 

Wow—these pics are just awesome! I'm going to miss these updates when yall make it home to Florida. Guess I"ll have to re-read

Thanks again for sharing.

 

Friday we drove to Fairbanks, Alaska and stayed at the Rivers Edge RV Park which was very nice. The couple that was parked next to us we met at a gas station in Cantwell on our way to Denali. They had a Tab so that is how we got talking. They are from Wisconsin and have a house in Cape Coral, Fl. It was fun sharing our experiences so far.

Fairbanks is Alaska's second largest city situated in the valley of the Tanana River and the Chena River. The city has old and new structures. There are a lot of old cabins downtown. They have moved many of the historic log cabins to Pioneer Park where many of them are either restaurants or gift shops. Pioneer Park is the home of the renovated SS Nenana. It was the largest steamboat built West of the Mississippi and the second largest wooden vessel in existence. It was neat to see them all in one place. We walked around Pioneer Park and listened to the music while we ate our cinnamon bun from Fairbanks.





Speaking of Cinnamon Buns--this is the way we rated them so far. The Roadhouse in Talkeetna is the best, then Boardwalk Cafe in Homer, Chilkott Inn and Bakery in Haines, the Village Bakery in Haines Junction, then Summit Lake and last is the Cookie Jar in Fairbanks.


This was the biggest one but the least favorite--it was still doughy in the middle so big is not always the best.

Sunday we went on the Discovery Steamboat which was a three hour cruise up the Tanana River. We got to see a Bush Floatplane take off from the river right next to the boat. Then on up the river we visited the home and kennels of the late four-time Iditarod Champion Susan Butcher. Susan and her husband wrote the book about Granite a very special lead dog when she was in the hospital dying of leukemia. Then a stop along the river to learn about the Athabascan Indian Culture. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.



Monday we took the trip through Alaska's gold mining history. We rode a replica of the Tanana Valley Railroad into the gold fields at Gold Dredge No. 8, a National Historic Site. We were able to pan for gold while we were there. We didn't get much but it was fun. Before we took off we learned all about the pipeline since it crossed over the entrance to the Dredge. The pipeline is so fascinating. It was interesting how they zig zagged it so it could expand and contract and that it was up on stilts where there was permafrost.



The Tanana Valley State Fair was in Fairbanks while we were there so we spent a few hours there where we looked at the largest vegetables and the livestock. It was a pretty small fair which was more like a carnival.

One night we went to Fat Daddy's for dinner--it was very good barbecue right downtown Fairbanks. On our way in there were flower boxes all along the street with the most beautiful flowers. That is one thing we have noticed up here is that the flowers are beautiful and big. They say it is because of the long sunlight and watering.



We visited the University of Alaska Museum of the North which its distinctive architecture was marvelous. The highlights of the museum is it is the state's largest public display of gold, Blue Babe , a 36000 year old steppe bison mummy and extensive displays of wildlife and Alaska Native culture. There were three movies -- one about how the museum was built and designed, one about Alaska in the Winter and the Northern Lights.



Oh yeah and we found Hot Licks--they make their own ice cream and it was really good. Had a few of those while we were in town. Our very favorite store here in Alaska is Freddy Meyers.


Now we're off to Haines and our first time on the Alaska Highway. Wish us luck!!

 

What a great photo of you Carol, in the pipeline!!! Now you do realize that your journey thru Alaska will be able to fill the local section of The Villages Daily Sun for the next year!!!! The subscribers will love it!!!!
So happy that you're out having fun and ABLE to do it!!!!

 

Freddie's is a big chain here in the Northwest. It started here in Portland and was bought a few (8-ish) years ago by Kroger. They still do a great job and we love them too! Your one-stop-shop!

I am really enjoying reading about your trip. I am starting to think this is something I want to do in the future. Thanks!

 

FLMikeandCarol looks like your living the dream.

 

Jenn, Ha Ha , I thought you would like that!

 

Susan and Alan, we send a separate email blog to our Villages friends. Maybe one of them will clue in the Daily Sun. I haven't sent them anything.
Mike

 

We left Fairbanks on Aug 6th and headed for Haines with stops at Tok and Haines Junction, YT. On the way we saw the pipeline where it crossed the Tahana River. Very interesting how it was built and is still there in this tough environment.


Tok is the start or end of the Alaska Highway, depending on which way you're going. It's Mile 0 for us since we are heading East. Here's the Crab Pot getting ready for this adventure. BTW, we met a nice couple in the Tok campground who were tent camping to Homer where they purchased a cabin last year. Since they are now retired and maybe beyond tent camping, they were really interested in the Crab Pot. Cary, we gave them a brochure so who knows. A pin in Homer would be nice!


Once we went across the Canadian border into the Yukon Terr., the "road" took a turn for the worse. 17 miles or so of one lane, pilot car, muddy road travel. Now look at the poor Crab Pot!


We understand that the US is funding most of the reconstruction of the road in YT since it's used primarily by US tourists heading to Alaska. Makes sense I guess. The 150 people who live in the Yukon probably don't want to foot the bill!

We overnighted in Haines Junction. Not much to report except this sunrise one morning!


After 2 days of driving we arrived in Haines. The road from Haines Junction to Haines was very good.
We have lots of bear pictures from Haines so we'll save that for the next post.

 

Excellent Report!

 

FLMikeandCarol we might have to go to Alaska just for the cinnamon buns.

 

Anna and Steve, don't ignore Canada. We may have had our best one today in Carcross, Yukon Terr. A small xroad town with big city sticky buns!