I'm Back

Have arrived back in Newport.  Have gathered car, plants, home & everything are fine.  Will head out early in AM for Nehalem Bay & then get things back in order.  Will update previous posts with photos from camera.
Was an absolutely amazing awesome adventure...seriously thinking about returning in March or for next summer season.  Thanks for coming along!  :-) 

Goodbye Alaska

Has been the ultimate awesome adventure!  Departing on Alaska Air at 6:47pm, arriving in Seattle at 9:38pm.  Then on 29th at 9:35am will head to Albany on Amtrak & arrive at 4:10pm.  At 5:07pm taking shuttle bus back to Newport & this journey will end at 7:15pm.  Will gather up my possessions & be enroute to Nehalem Bay as a yurt host for 2 months.  Looking forward to the hosting life once again!

Creek Street

 

My last full day in Alaska.  With a beautiful day, I took to the streets for a walking tour.  Visited the Totem Heritage Center where original 19th century totem poles that were retrieved from uninhabited villages are on display.  Most all the totem poles I saw yesterday were re-carved by Native carvers. Should have visited this before the parks!

Too early to see salmon at the fish ladder in Ketchikan Creek.  Explored "Creek Street" which is next to the creek with a boardwalk & all the buildings on pilings.  In 1902, the area became a "red-light" district until 1954.  Now has historical homes, restaurants, shops, & museums (Dolly's House) ...quite interesting!

Totem Poles

Today was Totem Pole Day!  Visited 3 different parks & learned a lot.  Totem poles were not        worshipped, they were silent storytellers that helped people remember since there was no written language.  These totem art were by the Tlingit & Haida Indians of Southeast Alaska.                 .

  

Ketchikan

Arrived in Ketchikan at 11am.  Rainy most of the day.  4 cruise ships in harbor. Checked out visitors center & super nice library that opened in 2013.  Watched NBA draft & had snacks (cheese, crackers, fruit, cookies) with hostel managers, young couple who both just graduated from Arkansas, & guy from Texas...WOOHOO wouldn't have done that if I was home!

Zipline

Before leaving Juneau, I had to take a Zipline Expedition.  It was a perfectly beautiful day. Boarded a high speed boat for the base camp of a historic gold mine on Douglas Island.  Got outfitted & instructed.  16 zippers (youngest 10 yoa twins) & 4 guides took old 4x4 military truck for mountain climb to 1st platform.  There were 13 platforms, 10 ziplines, 2 suspension bridges, & then rappelled straight down from the final platform!  Almost a mile of ziplines with the longest being 783' & the highest point being 185'.  Was so much fun that I'm already looking forward to next years where ever that may be!
Took the city bus to within 2 miles of the ferry terminal.  While checking with clerk at small convenience store for directions, a lady customer offered me a lift.  I've been so very fortunate to have experienced so many acts of kindness while in Alaska.
Left at 4pm on Alaska Marine Highway's "Kennicott" ferry for 338 mile ride to Ketchikan with only 146 passengers (499 max).  Saw sea lions, orca whales, & porpoises.  Had a 6'x8' 2-berth roomette with outside porthole, which was room enough for me to be comfy.

Juneau

Juneau's daily paper has "Ships in port Today" with times & numbers...5 ships with 13,808 passengers will flood the town today.
Took my own walking tour of the town.  Downtown Juneau is flat waterfront surrounded by mountains & forest with houses on side of mountains above downtown.  The shops downtown are all real touristy plus all the tour buses & taxis is overwhelming.  Streets are narrow with no traffic lights, so have crossing guards.
Checked out the Alaska State Capitol, which looked like a big oblong bank-like building, & the Governor's Mansion was just a large house on a city block.  Both are being renovated, so no public tours. Visited the State Office Building which had an observation deck overlooking the town & channel. The library is located near the harbor where the cruise ships dock.  Its on the 3rd floor with mostly all windows for an absolutely stunning view.
A noticeable smoky haze from the wildfires in the northwest is hanging in the air. Enjoyed a warm, beautiful day with no wind!

Mendenhall Glacier

Juneau is the capitol city & 3rd largest, Anchorage 1-Fairbanks 2.  Its also a port the huge cruise ships call on.  Today there were 4 (2 Holland America, 1 Princess, 1 Celebrity) for the day.  I noticed lots of young families as passengers, which surprised me...I was 50 before I cruised!

Went out to Mendenhall Glacier.  It was truly impressive: a bluish white, about .5 miles wide, rises 100' above the lake water, & is receding 350' per year.   The Forest Service had rangers stationed all over the park & had a movie, programs, & exhibits in a really nice visitors center, plus 5 paved or gravel walking trails.

Summer Solstice

22 hours, 36 minutes, 30 seconds of daylight today!!! Was an overcast day so wasn't too terribly weird!



Went out to Exit Glacier with several other guests at the hostel...was fun.  Ben the Australian mountain climber also climbed the glacier to the ice field! 

Took Seward Bus to Anchorage airport & at 6:55pm flew Alaska Airlines to Juneau, arriving at         8:31pm. Called for taxi & ended up sharing ride & fare with 4 other ladies; instead of costing $28,      was only $5!   What a break!

Kenai Fjords Tour

At 9am, left on a 9-hour, 140 mile Wildlife & Northwestern Fjord Glacier cruise along with 140 other passengers.  Was an awesome day.  Saw sea otters, Bald eagles, puffins & other seabirds, porpoises, sea lions, harbor seals, lots of purple & orange starfish, Fin & Humpback whales.  The porpoises swam alongside the boat.  The Humpbacks were super showy...repeatedly pec slapping the water, lots of flukes, & several huge breaches.  Just like in the pictures!  My batteries on my little camera died & I didn't have spares...hope I got a few that I'll share later.

Seward

Departed on Alaska Railroad at 6:45am & arrived in Seward at 11:05am.  Train had lots of passengers leaving on cruises or going on day excursions.  Saw big bull moose standing in stream, Dall sheep on mountainside, & 3 glaciers from train.
Visited the Alaska SeaLife Center which is a research institution & aquarium.  They have a beautiful facility thanks to Exxon Valdez oil spill (1989) settlement money.  They had large underwater viewing tanks for the seabirds (my favorite are the puffins), harbor seals, & sea lions.  It was such a relaxing atmosphere that I struggled staying awake.
I met an Australian named Ben at the hostel.  Ben just last Sunday completed the climb to the top of Mt McKinley, he was one of those 391 on the mountain when I was there!  It was his second attempt, took 3.5 weeks due to bad weather, ran out of food so traded items & jobs for food.  It actually only took 20.5 hours to climb up & 14 hours to come down; but due to the altitude, you can only climb so far & then allow your body to adjust for a few days before going higher.  Was an interesting guy with interesting stories of his accomplishments!

Alaska Native Heritage Center

19 hours 19 minutes 37 seconds -- sunrise at 4:20am, sunset at 11:41pm...CRAZY!!!
Spent a very enlightening day at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.  There are 5 major cultural groups & 11 peoples of Alaska Natives with 10 universal values: show respect to others, share what you have, know who you are, accept what life brings, have patience, live carefully, take care of others, honor your elder, pray for guidance, see connections.  We should all have these values!
In the main hall they had storytellers, dancers, athletic games demonstrations such as toe walk, knuckle hop, one & two foot high kick, airplane, one arm reach, butt hop, four man carry, Alaskan high kick - all build endurance & strength.

Around a lake were 5 traditional Native dwellings, each with a cultural host who shared stories & explained their history.
They also had displays & exhibits, a film, arts & crafts fair, & gift store.  The clothing made of animal hides & furs with their beautiful beadwork was amazing!  In asking, they prefer to be called Alaska Native instead of Eskimo, which means eater of raw meat.

 

Experiencing Alaska

Another 82 degree day which didn't help the fighting of wildfires.  To date 7500 acres has been destroyed, 800 people have been evacuated, & 25 miles of Highway 3 closed due to smoke.  We have strong smell of smoke & heavy haze.
Took in museum, movies, guided walk, programs & exhibits at BLM.  Enjoyed Jazz at the Music in the Park at noon.  Reindeer sausage vendor cart on every street corner!

Thomas

This is "Thomas", a 50lb 5-year-old pet turkey.  He was always strutting & showing off to get your attention.  He had beautiful irridescent colored feathers but was molting his tail feathers.  He was king of the yard.  He'd follow you around, had to know what you were doing. Brian & Tina also had a hen turkey, 2 dogs, 1 cat, & 4 beehive boxes.
I took a 1-hour City Trolley Tour of Anchorage...an ideal means of seeing & learning about the city. Interesting tidbits learned...1 out of 20 families own a small or float plane & have to be 14-years-old to fly plane; 67,000 Alaskans go to Hawaii for Christmas; record weight of a cabbage is 132lbs.
Experienced record breaking temperature of 82, which was 15-20 higher than normal, without air conditioning or fans; plus dry thunderstorms!  :-\

Big Lake

In December, I met a couple from Anchorage while at Bullard's & visited with them about Alaska. They were super friendly & offered to be my personal tour guides.  In further corresponding, they invited me to their cabin at Big Lake.  This is the view from the deck off the 2-story, 3 bedroom/2 bath cabin(?).  Was a super relaxing time & awesome break from the tourist pace,  a very pleasant experience. Thank you Brian & Tina, you made my visit most memorable!

Anchorage

Left Denali at 12:30pm on Alaska Railroad for Anchorage & arrived at 8:40pm.  It was a beautiful blue sky day that allowed us to see Mt McKinley from the train many times.  This was not the norm & I took a hoard of photos that I'll share later.
There's several wildfires burning & one is 100 miles north of Anchorage.   Its so dry & hot with dry thunderstorms occurring.   Train came through heavy smoke & the sun was a burnt-orange color. Anchorage has a haze hanging over it.

Wonder Lake

                                       
                                               At 7:15am departed on school bus with comfy bucket seats for 85-mile trip into Denali to Wonder Lake in hopes of seeing Mt McKinley.   
Had an excellent bus driver who shared lots of information. It was pretty
cloudy & there was snow at Eielson Visitors Center at mile 66. Enjoyed children experiencing snow for first time & the makings of snowmen, but only bits of Mt McKinley visible at that point.  Mt McKinley's peak is 20,320' high, tallest in North America, but only 10% of visitors actually get to see the whole mountain as the mountain makes its own weather.
By the time we made it to Wonder Lake & then back to the Eielson Visitor Center it began warming & clearing up & Mt McKinley magically appeared...YEAH!   It was awesome & I was honored to become a member of the 10% Club.

To date, 1048 climbers had registered being on the mountain, 503 had completed the climb, & 391 were currently on the mountain. It could take over 3 weeks to successfully complete the climb.
Did see moose, caribou, Dall sheep, snowshoe hare, Golden eagle, gyrfalcon, Arctic ground squirrels, Bald eagle, Grizzly bears & cubs during the 170-mile round trip.  Was a great day!

Denali

FYI---Had bad cable on battery charger...so tablet wasn't charging :-[
Alaska Railroad's accommodations, cars & seats are really super nice.  They have young tour hosts announcing & sharing information on our location plus advised us of photo opts in advance.  Not many riders.  Saw my first moose!
Was rainy when I arrived at Denali, so took in the displays & videos at the visitors center & Wilderness Access Center & went to their sled dog demo.  In the winter, rangers patrol the park by dog sled.  They have 30 Alaskan huskies & 8 puppies.  Got pretty crazy when the rangers were setting up the sled...all the dogs got so excited. They only ran 5 for the demo, but they have 3 demos a day.
My roommates at hostel were from Brazil & Australia...really nice & so interesting.

Creamer's Field

Finished exploring Fairbanks by visiting Creamer's Field which is a migratory waterfowl refuge on a former dairy farm.  Had a private 2-hour walking tour with Janet who was a new volunteer & I was her first tour...know that feeling.  We had a good time & saw sandhill cranes, Canada geese, shovelers, mallards, gulls, swallows.
Will be leaving tomorrow at 8:15am on Alaska Railroad for Denali National Park, arriving at 12:10pm. Got to work some magic getting everything, plus some, back in suitcase.

Riverboat Discovery

I'm getting the hang of being without my car; learning to plan ahead, to/from, & being extremely patient...no jump in & go...$0 cost on city bus for 60+ is huge advantage!
Took a 3-hour sternwheeler boat tour down the Chena River today.  Was very interesting & informative with demonstrations along the way.  A bush pilot in a small plane took off & landed on the river. Stopped at a kennel along the river where sled dogs were training for mushing competition. A fish-cutting demo at a Native fish camp along the river.  A guided walking tour of a mock Interior Alaska Native village.  Impressed how the Native teenage guides are so proud of their cultural history.
Experienced Alaska winter by stepping into a chamber that dropped the temperature to 40 below! Why?  Just cause!

Athabascan Indian ceremonial parka.

North Pole

Visited Jolly Old St Nick at his house in North Pole, AK... HOHOHO!!!

Monday Blahs

Missed bus - Wrong bus - Misread bus schedule - No bus = Bad Bus Day, Good Walking Day!
My plans for today had to be rescheduled, so found myself taking in the everyday things.  I typically locate the visitors center, library, & Walmart when I visit a city for the first time. Fairbanks has a super nice visitors center, a beautiful library, & a ginormous Walmart. Alaska has all the big chain stores & all are super-sized.
The visitors center had a traditional music & dance performance with fiddle, guitar, & native drum music & dancing by the Athabascans, the Interior's first people. Interesting...it was native but with American influence!
Eskimo masks were made for rituals & dramatic performances.  This mask was on display at the library & caught my eye.

No Bus Service

No buses run on Sunday, plus many shops & restaurants aren't open.   Spent the day in downtown area, only 15 minute walk.  Fairbanks Cultural & Visitors Center has an amazing exhibit gallery of Alaska native displays.
The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race from Fairbanks to Whitehorse began in 1984.  Its a 1,000-mile race, lasting 9-12 days, & is held in Feb.  Their headquarters is downtown & were showing a documentary of the 2004 race. The musher has a 14 dog team & they compete in -40/-50 temperatures…BRR!
The Ice Museum is located in a historic theater with a movie showing the start-to-finish process of ice sculpting.  Plus a gallery of life-sized ice sculptures carved by local artists & also a carving demo...was very interesting. Fairbanks hosts Alaska's World Ice Art Championships in March & I was encouraged to consider returning to volunteer (2-weeks lodging & food provided)...HUM?! Also watched a film by a local panoramic photographer on the Northern Lights...awesome! Must see that for myself.

 

 

Pioneer Park

Todays sunrise was at 3:18am & sunset will be 12:22am Sunday (21hr 2min 5sec) with high 65/low 45.  Had a very brief rain shower this evening...average annual rainfall here is 11".
I spent the day at Pioneer Park which is a city park with a theme.  It has a village of 30 cabins & buildings of the early 1900's that were moved from their original locations in 1967.  They are now museums, unique shops, or food vendors.  The park also has playgrounds, mini-golf, carousel, train, & kayak/canoe rentals.  Was a fun relaxing day with lots of interesting history.
This evening went to The Palace Theater for "Golden Heart Revue", a vaudeville-style comedy with song story about the founding of Fairbanks & life in the last frontier.  Was hilarious with only 5 very talented performers!  Met folks from Florence, OR & Kansas City, MO...small world!

Fairbanks

My long yesterday turned into a longer today due to no night to speak of.  This I will remedy here shortly with cup of hot tea, shower, comfy bed, & sleep mask!
I'm really impressed with Fairbanks from what I've seen.  Had to take 3 out of their 10 bus routes to get to my B&B.  Everyone has been super nice & helpful.
Fairbanks is called the "Golden Heart City"; people have hearts of gold & will always help someone out before they help themselves.  In their Golden Heart Plaza is this "Unknown First Family" statute.

I'VE ARRIVED!

Its been a long, pleasant day.  Started at 6am with cab ride to shuttle bus in Newport that took me to Albany where I rode Amtrak to Seattle...I Love Amtrak!...rode light rail to airport & flew Alaska Air to Fairbanks, arriving at 1:55am.  Its not dark enough for parking lot lights to be on, but vehicles using headlights.  Got a full day ahead!!!  This Alaska Grizzly was in airport welcome party!