Onwards to Fairbanks at a Fair Pace

We left Hope and the Kenai Peninsula and made our way northward to Fairbanks, about 350 miles from Anchorage.
Purposefully we plan to take a few days to cover this distance because there are still many things we want to see and do along the way. First up was to complete our souvenir shopping in good ole Talkeetna.
I don't know what it is but this funky little tourist trap really cast a spell on us as this is our second visit here in as many weeks. It is located right on our way so as we approached the turnoff to Talkeetna we each shrugged our shoulders and said OK, what the hell let's go.
We lodged up at our previous boondock spot, made lunch, took a nice nap and headed off to town after the cruise and tour bus crowds departed in the early evening.
Debbie wrapped up souvenir/gift shopping - boy, she is really knocking items off the to do list, I better step it up - while I waited with ALL of the other men out in front of the shops to shoot the shit.
Afterwards we went over to Denali Brewing for a quick beer, walked thru town, went to the post office and then back to camp. Denali Mt was clouded over big time so no sightings of the high one this day. While walking thru town I noticed the white board out in front of K2 Aviation that advertises the flight viewing prospects for the day: Today's Views - We're Still Flying!. When we went two weeks ago the board said Spectacular Day to Fly! I wonder if they reduce their prices when you can't see the mountain, or more importantly, do they jack them up when you can see it? Hmmm, curious minds want to know.
While walking thru town I captured this shot of the Fairview Inn where President Warren Harding stayed while visiting AK in the 1920's. Seems Mr. President caught some kind of a flu bug at the Fairview and while in CA  two weeks later he up and died from it. Since that time no sitting President has visited AK until Obama came here last year to videotape a glacier walk with that phony adventurer Bear Gryalls.


Next morning I made the mandatory stops at Talkeetna Lodge for coffee and Flying Squirrel Bakery for a savory bun and then buttoned up the rig and down the road we went - 'with no particular place to go' (thanks to Chuck Berry for that stanza), just head generally north towards Fairbanks.

Denali was cloud obscured the whole way north to Cantwell, AK where we decided to drive a few miles east on the Denali Highway which is a 150 mile long unpaved gravel road all the way east to Paxson, AK and the Richardson Highway. The views along this scenic byway have been highly recommended but we truthfully were not up for 150 miles/8 hours of washboard/potholed gravel road.
We went out the Denali Highway about 8 miles east of Cantwell and happened upon a very beautiful campsite at a spot called Joe Lake, now how can you go wrong with a boondock spot called Joe Lake I ask you dear reader. You'd go for it too, I know you would. Parked the RV right next to the shore of a mirrored lake with 6000 foot peaks on three sides and a crisp view of Denali on the fourth side later that evening.


Spent the day swimming, soaking up the sun, fished a bit, read and napped. It was partly cloudy but mostly sunny all day until about 7 PM when the western skies completely cleared giving us yet again crackling views of Denali 'only' 75 miles away.

With a lot of moisture in the air we were also treated to an evening rainbow and spectacular cloud coloring/lake reflections thanks to the slowly setting sun - it was very pretty indeed, and the quietest spot you could ever imagine.


We spent the next 48 hours speaking to each other at a whisperlike decibel level, very very peaceful - we are sooooo relaxed. That's Joe Lake for you right there my friends. Eager beaver in the foreground, Denali demanding respect in the far top left (click on it, it's a good'un).


For this evening's entertainment we sat out and watched a group of 4 beavers swim right in front of us, haul out of the water, go ashore and gnaw down small trees/branches and swim them back across the lake some 100 feet or so to their lodge. They were so close we could hear them chomping away on the trees onshore about 20 feet from us - and this went on non stop for 2 hours! We were mesmerized. They liked coming close to shore (us) where they could lay in the shallow water with their backs on the sandy lake bottom to have a quick bite to eat from the tree branch before heading home with it. Kind of like I did when I'd pick up drive thru for the family, you know no one will notice a coupla handfuls of french fries missing when I get home, right?
Let me tell you these guys were busy working their huge tails off - I'd estimate each beaver measured in at around 4.5 feet in total length with the tail about 2 feet long and 18" wide, they were fat too. But man could they swim, stayed under forever when they weren't carrying their goods and terrific swimmers while on their backs pulling these small trees across the water - very efficient guys. One of the finest 2 hour wildlife specials we have ever watched, that's for sure.


As this was going on we both turned to each other, then looked at the sun setting behind the mountains and said it almost simultaneously, let's stay here another night...done and done.


Spent the next day under mostly cloudy skies and it rained fairly hard starting about 3 PM and continued off/on thru the night.
Right on time at 6:30 PM the task focused beaver crew punched in for work and we watched the same show as last night from the IMAX room in the LD because of the rain showers, until....
speaking of wildlife viewing check out what showed up at our campsite around 7:30 this evening, picture taken from the IMAX room:


...damn jeepers.....
Keep in mind we are in the middle of nowhere with not another living soul for miles and maybe at peak hour one car every 10 minutes passes by. And geezus were they loud, I was pissed 'cause they scared the beavs away...a-holes. Looked like an organized/guided jeep tour and credit to their tour guide as it appeared he was in tune with the whole scene and was politely moving them along...but how clueless can you be, come into such a serene space where we've been whispering for 2 days and nights and start screaming at each other?? It sure was a quick and jolting wake up to reality I suppose...but it really sucked dear friends, paradise lost. And they chased the beavers off, pretty rude commercial break to the wildlife program I'd say.

Rain continued thru the night so we hit the road the next morning and stopped at the Clear Sky Cafe near Anderson, AK for a light lunch. Your basic log structure, dark interior with antlers hanging all over the walls for decor and friendly people - pretty standard Alaskan roadside cafe. Server asks, so you folks up here for the music festival? What music festival, please tell us more.
Well, this is the annual 3 day Anderson Family Music Festival with 30 bands playing all types of music. Hmmm, sounds like fun. So we finished lunch and drove out to the Anderson River RV Park to snoop around and met the organizer and his family welcoming folks at the front gate - it sounded like a ton of fun, plenty of room to camp in the RV section for free and $40 per person admission for the weekend, not too bad. But, and here's the big but, it was pouring down rain and forecast to do the same thru the weekend. We were not up for a 3 day Woodstock like mud bath but in all honesty the people we saw there were having a ball.
Alaskans deal with rain a lot differently than Debbie and I do. It's almost as if they love it. Kids run around in T shirts, shorts and flip flops; adults walk down the street texting/talking on cell phones; haven't yet seen an umbrella in use (other than ours, yeh we kinda stick out) since we got here; people waiting outside in the rain for 90 minutes to get a table at the hot restaurants - it's crazy, never seen anything like it.
If the weather had been a bit fairer we would have hunkered down for the weekend and got our groove on, oh well maybe next time.
Here's another one for next time...organizer was telling me that every Memorial Day weekend the Anderson Family Park also hosts a "machine gun" (his words) derby which he says is a real hoot. Now that would be one helluva weekend! Freaking Alaska - where else on planet earth can you take in a machine gun derby and then follow it up with a music festival at the same site?
Free love, free ammo and free RV parking, what's not to like about that?
We continued northward to the quaint village of Nenana, AK right at the confluence of the mighty Tenana and Nenana Rivers about 70 miles or so south of Fairbanks. Here they engage in a rather unique lottery.
For the past 100 years community leaders have conducted the annual Ice Classic (google it for more info). Basically, the lottery winner has to pick the EXACT date and time (to the minute) that the ice will break up on the river come springtime. To record this exact moment they construct a huge, probably 50 feet high, log tripod that is painted white and black (like a lighthouse), put a giant red flag atop it and then haul it out onto the river ice. Then they attach a wire to the top and run it onshore where the other end is attached to a gigantic clock atop another huge tower. When the ice breaks and the tripod falls into the river, the wire is tripped and the clock is stopped at the exact minute and a winner is declared.

This may sound kind of corny but trust me it is a BIG deal. Not only does it signal an end to the long, dark and cold winter these Ice Classic Lottery tickets sell all over the State for $2.50 each (we bought 10) and last years winner won.... get this, $400,000! And here's the best part, the community charities rake in the cash with parties, events, parades, and other celebrations leading up to the big moment - not to mention a nice cut from the ticket sales...pretty cool, 'eh?
Next day (Saturday July 30th) we continued on into Fairbanks and I'll relate our experiences there to you fine folks in the next post.
Take care all... we're hoping this rain will stop - 5 days straight so far with no end in sight. More scientific proof as to why everything is so green up here and the 4,000,000 lakes are all full to the brim.

A Captain, a Keen Eye, a Homer and There's Always Hope

On Saturday July 23rd we sadly bid our farewell to Mark and his family and decided to stay on the Kenai (Keeneye) Peninsula for a few more days to visit the westerly and southerly sides.

Our first stop was at lands end - yet another end of the road for us - at the northwesterly Captain Cook State Park. Now we have seen this explorers mark from Hawaii to Vancouver to Alaska, I tell you this chap got around back in the day. Eventually he wore out his welcome with the Hawaiians and bought the farm on the Big Island - sir, the Captain will not be coming top deck today for roll call, you're now in command.

We found a very tranquil campsite and enjoyed a nice stroll along the bluff top trail overlooking Cook Inlet and the volcanic southern Alaskan Range across the way. Also took the bike for a cruise around the park and beach area - very nice with lots of volcanic rocks and agates strewn about on the beach. Great views of Mt. Redoubt, an active volcano that last unleashed her fury in 2009 sending ash and debris as far north as downtown Anchorage - she is one of several very alive and very active volcanoes in the range.

Here's a shot of a peaceful and inviting bench we found on our walk at a point overlooking the water and volcanic landscape. It was so nice we returned later that evening with a glass of wine and thanked our lucky stars that we are so blessed to be able to share this moment together.

Now all of this partying and sightseeing over the past coupla weeks has come to an end so the to do list of chores has gotten rather lengthy and largely ignored. In no particular order: laundry (always with the laundry), bills to be paid, general vehicle cleaning (by the way, we just passed 6000 miles on the LD for the trip and probably another 1000 miles on the Fit for all of our side trips/excursions), take the Fit in for some electrical work, and it goes on and on.

We have been having an on again/off again perplexing electrical issue with the Fit since Oregon. For some unknown reason I keep blowing a 10 amp fuse that protects the horn, brake lights and the mechanism that unlocks the automatic gear shift from Park when you depress the brake pedal. So when this fuse trips it is necessary to do the manual unlock of the gear shift by pushing the override button located within a small slot on the shift cover with a screwdriver, it's called the tow truck drivers button and is kind of jenky. Also we have no horn or brake lights so it is definitely a safety issue. What's frustrating is that it comes and goes and I am at my wits end to diagnose it. I have tried everything and can only conclude that we most certainly have a short (loose wire/connection?) somewhere in this circuit so I'm taking it in to have a pro look at it...we'll see how it goes.

While fueling up in the pleasant community of Kenai, Debbie got talking to a local named Don, very nice 70'ish man who moved here from Bakersfield 20 some years ago - retired teacher I believe. Noticed our CA plates and wanted to tell us his story. He's on the Board of Directors for the local ABL baseball team the Kenai Oilers. He laid tickets on us for today's double header against the Bucs and told us all about the town.

It simply amazes us how easy it is to get someone's story while traveling - and let me tell you - everybody has got one, they are always anxious to share it and for the most part are unique and interesting (sometimes the stories can get pretty weird too). All it takes to get these stories is a friendly smile and an earnest 'hello, my name is Howard' and then let them go, one of the true pleasures in traveling for sure. I mean in the space of time it took to fill our gas tank we heard this man's life story, scored tickets to a double header and found the top 5 things not to miss in Kenai - I challenge any visitor center to match that performance.

Unfortunately we missed the game as we were posted up some 40 miles away and with the Fit giving me a fit we passed on the game. But, as Don said, if you miss the game no big deal, you can redeem your tickets at the local Arby's and get some free sammiches.
Thanks Don, nice to hear your story and Go Oilers!

On Sunday we left Capt Cook and made our way south to the pretty cool town of Homer. The town looks nice with lots of artsy places and some nice restaurants against a dramatic Kachemak Bay and Chugach Mountains backdrop. South of town is the Homer Spit which is a 6 mile or so long and narrow peninsula that houses the fishing fleet, cruise and ferry ship terminal, ticky tack tourist shops, restaurants all dishing out the same slop at exhorbitant prices and rediculously jammed RV parks charging $80 per night. The place was mobbed with people and we instantly wanted out. However, we found the best spot on the spit at a City owned campground right on the beach with no hookups for a very reasonable rate - Mariners Park. Did a little beachcombing and returned to the rig when the rain started, it is forecast to be raining for the next two days here so we will take advantage of having our house on wheels - pack up and go where the weather is nicer! Also, was unable to find someone in town to work on the Fit so off we went the next day.

Eagles standing guard on the Homer Spit

Yours truly looking for a way off the Homer Spit

On Monday morning July 25th we left Homer and drove the 4 hours or so to the small town of Hope, AK located about 15 miles off of the main highway leading back to Anchorage from Kenai.
On the way we stopped by an old Russian Orthodox Church in Ninilchik, AK to check out the onion shaped spires and soak in the past history of the area. Built in 1881 by the Russian Orthodox Chuch of Alaska it is perhaps the best still standing example of early Russian trading influence on the area.
We had a bit of a problem though...seems their parking lot did not have ample turn around space for the 41 feet of LD/Fit assemblage we had with us and we (not we, Debbie actually) needed to, politely, ask a couple of men sitting in their parked cars to temporarily MOVE so we could get out. They were not so happy as they were there for the funeral of their dear departed brother/uncle which was scheduled to begin in 30 minutes. I could see it on their faces...damn, we can't even bury a loved one without having to put up with the BS from these tourists. Felt bad for them but, as they say, it is what it is (IIWII). Sorry guys and thanks, our condolences and we hope your brother/uncle had a proper send off.
Having said that the church was spectacular.....check it out.



On to Hope, which was founded in 1895 by gold miners (whom else?) to work the local streams and hills. There are quite a few remaining cabins from the day and has a very popular salmon fishing stream running thru town. The hot spot seems to be at the location where the stream empties into Turnagain Arm and is jammed, and I mean jammed, with fishermen. They actually call it combat fishing up here because the anglers are squezzed in literally shoulder to shoulder with huge traffic jams and associated vehicle parking madness in the area. Many times fist fights break out with guys tangling lines, moving on to someone's special spot or just plain drunk and disorderliness - hence the moniker combat fishing and definitely not my style of fishing at all. And all of this for a lousy salmon, not worth it I say. Give me a nice secluded mountain stream or lake laced with trout and a beautiful setting, leave me the hell alone and let me relax with a pole in one hand and a refreshing brew in the other. This is why I elected to not go fishing here on the Kenai. This may change however, if I find a spot that meets my simple criteria as we move north and east/south. Think I'll wait til we get back to British Columbia - that place fits my style of fishing a lot better than the salmon/halibut circus that is Alaska, hyped way way too much in my opinion.

And here's the bonus - the weather in Hope was slightly overcast with no rain...our plan to move out of Homer is coming together nicely I'd say.

I set out that evening hoping to capture Hope in all it's glory in photographic form but my old, trusty Sony Cybershot with the 10x optical zoom has apparently given up the ghost. Man, I am bummed, it's like losing an old amigo - this camera has seen some places and captured many captivating images for me over the years, some of which you have seen in this here blog. Guess I'll need to get up to the Best Buy in Anchorage and try to find a suitable replacement...crap, add one more item to the list.
Speaking of the list...absolutely nada, nil, zip, zero items were knocked off of it today - hey man, there's always tomorrow. On second thought Debbie paid the monthly bills, I didn't do shit.

Update: I monkeyed around with my camera later that night and she is working fine once again. Hang on, so I did get one thing off of the list that day after all...sweet.

That's about all for now good folks...on a slow path north to Fairbanks where we're hoping to catch a glimpse of the northern lights before heading southbound and down. Keep your fingers crossed for an early opening to the northern lights season for us. With your crossed fingers and continued good luck on our part I should have some very nice photos of the aurora borealis for youse guys.
Take care

Kenai Fjords

Here are some more photos from Kenai Fjords.........

Seward's Folly

I don't believe President Lincoln's Secretary of State James Seward ever got anywhere close to Alaska but he bought the damn place just the same. I also think he was the prime conspirator in Lincoln's assasination, but that discourse is for another blog.
He may have been a scumbag but he got this purchase right.
We have spent the last few days in Seward, AK and have enjoyed all of its treasures, James Seward be damned.

The caravan that is us, brother Mark and family and sister Sue motored down from Cooper Landing to the picturesque setting that is Seward. We find very suitable grounds for a coupla days at Miller's Landing about 2 clicks south of town alongside the unforgettable Resurrection Bay - Res Bay baby. Everchanging tides, swift currents, cold water, glaciers to the east, white and black spruce trees dominate the landscape complete with eagles circling to the west - please wake me up, I can't take anymore of this.

First on the agenda was a boat cruise to the Kenai Fjords National Park - the only way you're getting there is by boat or plane. The captain and crew were - how should I put this - you can really tell when someone loves their job and is proud of their hometown and wants to show it off to the world. Get the picture? It was fantastic..check out these photos of Kenai Fjords on a picture perfect day.


As a bonus, Debbie and I have been searching for an Orcas Whale sighting since Memorial Day in Washington and have finally witnessed  the grace and magnificent power of these beauties here on Res Bay....simply one magnificent creature.


Sorry, wanted to add more Kenai Fjords photo but Blogger was uploading VERY slowly tonite, I'll add some more in the next post.

Sue and I trekked up to the Exit Glacier and checked out this rapidly receding glacier...next year it will look totally different and perhaps be gone within 50 years.

Went for a bike ride around town to check things out and unbelievably found myself in yet another brewery...Seward Brewing Company. Great beer, friendly folks and this.....
A 32 oz beer canned at the bar to go - called a crowler - and as happenstance it fits perfectly into my water bottle rack on my bike. Sweet! I mentioned this to the head brewmaster Jason and he said he was not aware that their canned 32 oz'ers would fit on a water bottle bike rack. He told me he would be promoting that aspect very soon...you're welcome Jason.


So my 60th birthday is coming next month and my sister, brother and Debbie wanted to treat me to a nice neal and some belly laughs. We ended up at Thorns Showcase Lounge which came highly recommended by some locals, they said to look past the cheesy decor and ambience because the food and service is the best in Alaska. They were spot on...let's just say the Jack Daniels and halibut went down smooth! Man, the hali was like eating candy. Whoo boy, did we have us a time at Thorny's! Can I turn 60 every day? Thanks guys for a most wonderful evening that I'll never forget...and all of you that were there know what I'm talking about.


As all fun things must come to an end it was time for my loved ones to leave. First up was Sue who left Friday so we had a proper campfire send off for her Thursday night. She has been wearing this aqua colored zip up cardigan for most of the trip. Now this raggedy ass thing could serve as a suitable travelogue for her adventure thru Alaska...I mean this tapestry had everything on it - Campfire burn holes, stains of every variety - grand marnier, chocolate, wine, beer, glacial dust, alpine moss, Oregon cherry ice cream, BBQ sauce, and a host of others - the only appropriate action to take was to burn that mother, which she did. There was no way she was taking this thing back to Boston, best to burn the evidence...what happens in AK stays in AK as they say.


The following day my brother Mark, Kim and Blake left for home in San Diego. On their way back to Anchorage the outside rear dually tire of their rented RV blew out. Mark called the rental place and they basically said you're on your own pal. He called me and I advised him to leave the keys on the dashboard, call them to come pick up their RV and I'd drive up to meet them and take them to the airport to catch their 2:30 PM flight. But, my brother and sister in law being the studs they are, changed the rear dually on a 10 ton truck chassis by themselves on the side of the road right outside Moose Pass, AK! Now I ask you, how many people can say they've done that? Way to go Mark and Kim, I'd travel to the ends of the earth with you guys. Yep, they made their flight with plenty of time to spare...stud hall of fame!

It was sad to say goodbye to all of our loved ones and we will miss their company and laughs becasue we had some wonderful moments that we will cherish forever. What a time we had. Thanks you guys for coming up to Alaska and spending time with us, we hope you all had as much fun as we did!
Now Debbie and I are off to Homer, AK by way of Kenai and Captain Cook (is it just me or did this Capt. Cook fella really get around?) State Park.
Talk with you all soon...take care.

Rolling on the River

The Kenai River that is...and rolling we were.

Let's get caught up here shan't we?

We left Denali last Friday the 15th and met up with my brother Mark, his wife Kim and 14 year old son Blake in Anchorage. We enjoyed a great repaste of appetizers and drinks at the Hilton and visually feasted upon, once again, - excellent views of Denali Mt., quite remarkable that it has been in view everyday now for a solid week - the locals say this is unprecedented in recent memory.
We then rambled off to the nearest Fred Meyer's to stock up on groceries as Mark's family is renting an RV and car for the week. This was their first experience with a Freddies and they enjoyed it immensely.

Let me try to give you a description of a Freddies. You can buy ANYTHING at Freddies - from a high def TV to a gun and everything in between, everything EXCEPT alchohol. Yep, you can buy a .44 Colt pistol with ammo on the spot but not a Colt 45 beer...I find that very peculiar. Maybe it's a good thing, you know let's not get these gun toting dudes liquored up. Freddies does have an ancillary liquor store right next door and a full service gas station out front. And all the groceries, clothing, shoes, carpeting, tools,  washing machines - it goes on and on - that your little heart could desire.
Most excellent people watching at a Freddies - take your local Walmart and multiply it by 5 for entertainment value.

The next morning we pick up the rentals and head off to the Kenai Peninsula.
Just to keep track of all of this, we now have 6 people, 2 automobiles, 2 RV's (with only 5 people licensed to drive) with sleeping accomodations for 9.....don't you just love America? Well, I sure as hell do. Somewhere the last Siberian White Tiger is shedding a tear.

We roll into the Kenai and it is peak salmon fishing time - the Sockeye's are running big time so every legit campground and RV park is full. No need to panic though dear followers, this is Alaska and one thing is for sure, you will ALWAYS find a great camp spot in the Great North country. So we park the caravan at a highway turnout and Kim and I go a 'splorin in the rental car for a suitable hang for the next couple of days.

We found a perfect spot in a large gravel lot all to ourselves right next to the glacial fed Kenai Lake. A beautiful swimming spot located nearby to occasionally rinse the dust off and all was well with the world.


Nephew Blake on our hike up to Upper Russian Lakes...nice looking young man, wouldn't you say?

This location provided us with the best launching off spot for our Monday morning rafting trip down the wet and wild Kenai River.

The 6 of us occupied one large Zodiac type raft with a 20 HP outboard and the very experienced helmsperson Alicia manning the oars. Alicia was one of the most experienced guides we have met on the trip. Knew all about the river, has guided it for the past  7 years and knew where all the wildlife was located. Said she is getting ready to get her advanced degree in geophysics at Univ of Washington this Fall. Very peaceful and fun Class 1 and 2 rapids with excellent views of what else, glaciers, wildlife, birds and wildflowers. The run went about 18 miles from Cooper Landing down to Skilak Lake where we motored the last few miles across the Lake and found eagles, bears, cormorants, puffins and a ton of other things.


Alicia at the helm and Debbie doing what she does best, kicking back and enjoying the moment....

Sister Sue and brother Mark soaking in the moment at the end of the rafting trip...pure bliss on those faces......

Mark and Kim basking in the sun on Skilak Lake, AK...

When we got back to the boathouse Debbie, Sue and I stayed back to update the blog with their WiFi and Alicia joined us for a beer outside at the picnic table. Rob the other guide joined us as well. Now Rob has a story...young early 30's, kind of nerdy but a funny and super nice guy. Got his degree in molecular biology from Univ of Minnesota and started a genetics testing firm where he developed some whiz bang breakthrough in genetics research and as a result is a multi gizzilionaire. He decided that what he really wanted to do in life was to come to AK and learn everything he could about salmon - he says the most fascinating living being on the planet. So he chucked the day to day, now lightly oversees the business operation from afar and spends his days guiding salmon fishing floats on the Kenai River and living in a tidy 800 SF cabin riverside - he says it's got everything we need. Met and married a gal who plays with the Anchorage symphony and life could not be sweeter...sounds pretty nice 'eh? Way to go Rob, can't wait to hear of your upcoming breakthrough in salmon research that may advance human medical knowledge. Now just to let you know this was no BS we heard his story from Alicia before he arrived at the table and he struck me as the type of guy that would never divulge any of this information to a stranger. He also had one of the best smiles and laughs I've ever heard, you know the kind that comes from a free and unbridled heart.

Spent the next day hiking around Snug Harbor on Kenai Lake where we boondocked, ate some great campside meals, drank some fine wine and beer, had several nice swims in the Lake - my nephew Blake could not get enough of these lake swims, he was one very happy teenager enjoying the midnight sun with a cool refreshing dip. Old Uncle HaHa enjoyed being there with him, such a fine young man and a great guy to travel with.
Sadly we pulled out of our comfy confines at Snug and ventured off to Seward, AK where we had reservations at Millers Landing RV park and Adventure camp right on Resurrection Bay just a couple of clicks south of town. Here we have lined up a boat tour of Kenai Fjords National Park, Zipline adventure, dog sledding demo's, hikes up to and on Exit Glacier and lots of nice halibut tasting - my favorite slice of fish in the world, it's like eating candy.

Posted up at Campsite Joe (named after our son Joe) at Millers Landing, Resurrection Bay, Seward, AK......

I will post more about our time in Seward next time.
Let me just say this, I'm almost brought to tears over having my older sister, brother and his family, and Debbie all together here as one and laughing and plain out having a ball together - the time of my life.
Later good folks.

Satisfying Walks and Epic Bike Rides

There is nothing finer than a peaceful walk through a dramatic landscape with the best big sister a guy could ask for. And Denali and sister Sue provided the necessary ingredients.
About 200 yards from our campsite lies the Teklanika River, a gorgeously braided and glacier fed beast with a bank to bank floodplain width of about 2 miles. Within this 2 mile corridor the river splits and braids to and fro each strand about 50 yards or so wide and raging like no other.

If you follow this river some 40 miles to the north where it intersects the Stampede Trail you'll find the spot where Chris McCandless of Into the Wild infamy spent his final days. Just watch out for the berries and mushrooms you choose to eat around here.
Sue and I then hiked the very steep Alpine Ridge trail near the Eilson Center and enjoyed magnificent views amongst the alpine tundra. This alpine tundra is about 10 inches thick of soft moss and when you walk upon it you'd swear you were walking on a cloud, very cool.
Check out this photo of Sue showing the Alpine Trail who's boss....said she was sending this shot to her orthopedic surgeon - knee issues - with a huge thank you.

Now I realize I teased you guys with a midnight bike ride thru Denali...well, it happened but not at midnight.

Here's what went down....looking at the profile of the Denali Road I noticed that from the Tek campground I could take myself and my bike on a shuttle bus UP to Sable Pass and then bicycle back DOWN the 10, that's right I said 10, miles back to Tek! Problem is shuttle buses stop at 7 PM. Now steep 10 mile climbs have never concerned me (just take it slow and easy, find your rythm and pound it out) but bear encounters in the wee hours do. I figure I could outrun a bear on a bike going downhill because grizzlies have short front legs with overpowering rear legs making them very awkward and slowish running downhill. But, and here's the clincher, what if I'm biking uphill and the bear comes up on my rear....this was on my mind. Plus with no buses running I am most definitely on my own...just me and my untested bear spray.















o I elected to do this ride during bus operating hours and it did not dissapoint. In fact I would have to call this perhaps the most perfect ride of my life. So nice I did it over and over and over again - 5 times I'd reckon during our stay. Some may ask, geez Howard, wasn't that boring to do the same ride over and over again? Not a chance....every single ride was completely different with various wildlife sightings (no bears, fortunately) and an ever changing landscape (as the sun and clouds moved it presented a continuous light show that I'll never forget). And I probably had a half mile of climbing over the entire 10 mile stretch, E-P-I-C!




Yep, now that I reflect on it the perfect ride for sure.

I would be dropped off by the shuttle bus at an area called Sable Pass which is a reserved habitat specifically set up for grizzly bears. For the first 3 mile section of my 10 mile sojourn you are not permitted to leave the roadway due to the high concentration of grizzlies...just pedal like hell. So as the bus driver/guide would announce this the bus would come to a halt and I would stand up and get off. Hearing the collective gasps of air from the bus riders always got me going, it was loads of fun from start to finish.


OK this will be the last Denali post as we're back to Anchorage to meet up with my brother Mark and his family for a week down in Kenai.
Later all..thanks for checking in and all our love.

The End of the Road, part Deux

Recall earlier in the trip we stayed with Phil Johnson at his End of the Road shangri-la in Carmel Valley, CA.

We experienced another end of the road during our all day shuttle bus tour of Denali.

Now Phils end of the road is at the terminus of a 1/4 mile stretch of asphalt and the end of the Denali Park road comes at the end of 92 miles of winding, dusty, washboard, narrow road that climbs steep grades negotiating tight curves - all in a school bus jammed (every seat was taken) with picture clicking, gum snapping and jaw yapping tourists - for 12 hours. Sounds great, doesn't it?

The ladies awaiting a 12 hour tour, a twelve hour tour......

Normally this is not my cup of tea by a damn sight but let me tell you, one of the most incredible rides I've ever been on.

Let me try to capture this for you. This trip had it all - people watching, observations of social interactions between strangers in tight quarters, trying to determine the 18 different languages we heard, seeing what other people eat for lunch, watching folks with $10,000 worth of camera gear trying to figure out all the knobs and functions, seeing 70 year old couples with huge backpacks like they were going to climb Denali wrestle with their gear for an all day bus ride, youngsters showing great frustration in not being able to text/update their social media due to no cell coverage anywhere in the park, listening to the 50's something man explain to his 30's something wife why it was imperative for him to bring his bear spray on a bus trip (clipped to his belt in a holster like fashion no less) - I was loving it. Debbie, errr, not so much. My sister Sue was somewhere in the middle. Whoo boy, as I say, you can't make this stuff up.


The bus and driver Barr..

Now to the tasty bits....heart stopping wildlife sightings - we watched a grizzly working a caribou carcass, he was there on our way in and 8 hours later on our way out still ripping and clawing at that kill; saw majestic views of Denali - bus driver/knowledgable guide Barr said it was the best view she had seen of Denali in a long while; witnessed dramatic landscapes - the colors, oh man, the colors of this place!
















Stopped at the informative Eilson Center and snapped a couple of nice shots of Denali in all her great one glory....


Finally made it to the end of the road.....

Returned to our campsite and it was really nice to get off of the bus. We were the only ones getting off at Tek campground and it was a good feeling to not have to endure another long 90 minutes to return to the park entrance like all of the others.

But, all things considered we enjoyed the day immensely and got to see just about all of the park that you can get to without hiking/biking.

We did do a fair amount of hiking/biking....more on that in the next post.
This may be the end of the Denali road but it certainly is not the end of the road, we have much more to experience and share with you all.


As I said to my sister Sue, hey you've got 10 more days of this! She is over the moon with the trip so far and so are we.
Adieux mes amis.....

Welcome to the Hotel California

I have struggled a bit with how to digest and tell the story of our 5 days in Denali. We have done so much, seen so much and met so many interesting people that I have decided to break the experience into a couple of different posts. Each post will cover a different theme and I hope will give you guys a more complete picture of the most incredible place I have ever seen. Let's get started and see how it goes.
The current post theme, the Hotel California.....where you can check in anytime you want...but you can never leave.

Seems we have ended up at Teklanika Campground within the unforgettable Denali National Park where you can check in but you can never leave. Let me explain...when you book a reservation at this campground you MUST stay for the duration of your reserved dates (4 night minimum, 14 night maximum) and not leave. Of course you can leave aanytime but you will not be allowed back in. They do this to hold down on the number of vehicles using the park access road which is a 92 mile beauty traveresed only by shuttle buses, no personal vehicles allowed beyond the 15 mile mark. I'll do a seperate post on our 12 hour bus ride covering this 92 mile long route.
You are also not permitted to drive your vehicle anywhere during your stay so the campground stayed nice and calm without people cruising around kicking up dust and making noise. It was all very peaceful and most refreshing.

Tek campground is at mile 33 and we received special permission to drive the motorhome (not the towed Fit, had to leave that at a parking lot near the park entrance) one way in to the campground on Monday and one way, and only one way out when our reservation ends Friday morning.
This was the only campground reservation we made for this entire trip and we did it back on December first of last year because this thing fills up fast for the summer months.

Now all of this may seem very rigid and overbearing, which I will agree with you loyal followers to a point. My concern is this...we are loving our National Parks to death. I talked with a park ranger here today who spent two summers at Yosemeti NP and he said they have 500 armed rangers there during the peak summer months! That is basically the size of a police force to cover a large US city.
So how do you strike that delicate balance between public access - this land is your land, this land is my land - and resource conversation so we have something to share with our future generations. Very tough call that requires expert management - sometimes the National Park Service (NPS) gets it right, sometimes they don't, in my opinion.

Here at Denali, they have this just right. Perhaps the best managed and well run National Park I have visited.

The Tek campground we stayed at is ideally situated 30 miles into the park so it is the furthest camp into the Park which allows motorhomes and RV's. Tent camps are situated further in but you must pack everything in by shuttle bus and pack everything out including your trash. Bear cannisters are required for all food and trash. One of the campgrounds, Savage River, was closed due to a bear attack a couple of weeks ago where a young woman was attacked inside of her tent during the night. She was ripped up pretty good but fortunately survived. In talking with a park ranger seems she left some food in her tent without using a bear cannister. NPS has made the decision to close the campground, locate the bear and euthanize it...very sad situation for both the woman and bear. Ranger asked me how I felt about this and I asked if the bear could be relocated to another part of the park and he said that was a difficult question to answer. Seems a bear will always find his way back and this guy is now a marked bear having shown aggressive behavior towards humans. Bottom line is a human fed bear is a dead bear. They are extremely strict on food and trash storage here. If you leave a cooler (even ones just filled with canned sodas), a grill (must be put away immediately after use), trash (even a candy wrapper or empty beer can) out on your site unattended you will receive an automatic $400 fine, the offending material will be confiscated and you will be quickly escorted out of the park - no questions asked.



The Tek campground was stellar with lush vegetation surrounding us with tons of privacy and as I said earlier - peace and quiet. After long days of hiking, exploring, biking and doing things it was great to return to a relaxing hang and enjoy each others company - most recommended.















Debbie and Sue enjoying the expansive veranda at Tek campground...

Oh, here's the best part - my sister Sue used her geezer pass to get us free admission to the park and the campsite for $10 per nite! These geezer passes are the deal, if you're aged 62 or older you can get a pass that allows you and 3 others in your vehicle free admission to ALL national parks and half off of camping fees and great discounts on special tours. Also covers all national forests, landmarks, Army Corps of Engineer lakes, etc. It costs a one time $10 processing fee and is good for the rest of your blessed life. If you're 62 or older, get one!

So thanks to Sue our wonderful 5 days in Denali cost us all of $40. Well, better add in the delicious food, liquor, wine and beer and other assorted hidden costs - no, on second thought don't think I'll do that!
So when Friday came around we definitely did not want to leave but checked out we did, rather reluctantly though. Next post I'll hit the highlights of our 12 hour bus ride - man, what a ride it was and what a ride this trip has been.

Later good folks.....here's some teaser shots for the next post...

A Caribou enjoying the fine day near Tek campground.........

The Great One framed nicely by a Great Rack..........

North to Our Future

I thought this would make a snappy little title for todays post loyal followers.
You see the AK state motto is North to the Future so I thought it appropo to customize it a bit to suit our journey as we are headed north to Denali, the Great One, no - not Wayne Gretzky, but the most massive mountain in the world.
We left the Centennial campground in Anchorage early last Saturday morning (July 9th) and drove a couple of hours north to the funky little town of Talkeetna which explodes with tourists during the summer season. We pull in with the motorhome and towing the Fit (40' plus of Detroit/Yamamoto machinery) looking for a parking space in a jam packed little town. I drop the girls off at the Denali Brewing Company to get a table and I headed off to park. I scored on the parking and while walking over to the brewpub I notice a K2 Aviation shack advertising tour flights around Denali.


Now this is a most spectacular day and we could see the Great One from town so I saunter in to learn more about this K2 Aviation outfit.
Well, after watching their flight video I was convinced we HAD to do this. In fact, I never took my eyes off of the video as I handed her my Amex card and never even knew the price. There are some things in life where you have to just simply lay down the credit card and do it.

Funny as we were all discussing the pros and cons of doing a flight earlier and I said let's just go have lunch and we'll discuss further and make a decision. All this time Debbie and Sue had been worried that I was struggling in finding a parking space and would return in a bad mood. Imagine their happiness when I showed up at the table, laid down the glitzy K2 brochure on the table and said - it's settled, we're booked for three adults at four today. Sue cried and Debbie was shocked - this is not my usual way of doing things.
It was great!
We all fell in love with the pilot Daniel and had an excellent 90 minutes viewing the most spectacular scenery imaginable on a very nice day.

Check out some pics from the flight.......

The Great One, somewhat cloud obscured...

After the flight we secured a perfect boondock spot outside of town, unhooked the Fit and rambled up to the very plush Talkeetna Lodge for cocktails and light appetizers for dinner.

Sunday morning Sue and I rolled into Talkeetna early to view Denali from the Susitna river bank and find some coffee and pastries at the Flying Squirrel Bakery.



Sue LOVED this joint, I liked it pretty well too....I have to get her a proper Virgina TECH sweatshirt though, maybe this Christmas.

We also visited the NPS Talkeetna Ranger Station where every Denali climber must register and get briefed on the rules and regulations concerning the climb. As we were sitting there, it occured to me that EVERY world class mountain climber has been thru these doors. I reasoned that to be considered a world class mountain climber you must climb the largest peaks on each of the continents and Denali is the pinnacle of North America, also considered the toughest by many because of the duration (it takes the best 3 weeks to summit) and the ever changing condidions where it could go from sunny and calm in July to 80 MPH winds, white out snow and freezing air temps. Plus you start at elevation 7000 and summit at nearly 21,000 so you climb more mountain and need time at 2000' vertical intervals to acclimate - very tough climb indeed.


We watched a video on the climb and talked with Michael the ranger on duty and he filled us in on the current climbers and conditions, very interesting.


Click on the photo to check out the climbing stats for this climbing season (May and June only). Climbers were mostly off of the mountain by now and climbing season was closed until next May.
This is Michael, the guy who checks them in and gives them the once over to make sure they can handle it.
Also notice how nearby Mt. Foraker is a MUCH tougher climb and had fewer climbers as a result.

Pulled out of the Talkeetna boondock spot around 10 am and headed north to Byers Lake inside of Denali STATE Park about an hours drive south of the Denali NATIONAL Park entrance. The State Park is actually much closer to Denali Mountain than the National Park. It also served our purposes quite nicely in being a beautiful spot to camp next to a gorgeous alpine lake with handsome views of Denali and a convenient launching point for entering the National Park the next morning.

I am going to close this one out for now because I know you guys have been looking for a blog update and wanted to get this out to let you all know that we are in most fine shape and having a ball. Updates have been slow due to lack of cell coverage and the fact that we were so busy having a grand time in Denali NP.

I will update our last few days in Denali NP later on as there is just too much to cover in this one.

I am posting this Friday nite July 15th and we just had dinner with Mark, Kim and Blake and we are SO happy to have all of these wonderful people here with us.

I just took a quick poll of the LD occupants Sue and Debbie - it was a unanimous "I'm so happy right now"...enough said gentle readers.

Off to Kenai (pronounced Keen-eye) Peninsula tomorrow AM.

Stay tuned for some epic stories from Denali....let's leave it at this - we had 4 incredibly clear days with picture perfect conditions of Denali. All of the guides/rangers we spoke to said they couldn't remember a better stretch of 4 days in a row at Denali. It was unbelievable, I'll leave you with these couple of shots as a teaser for the next update.
Later good folks and thanks for following along.


We made it!

Where we camped, 30 miles into the park...stellar


Lovin' the nice halo over the great one.......by the way this shot was from about 45 miles away, that is one big mo-fo of a mountain my friend.


America the beautiful.....indeed.