Homestead Tour, Nature Walk, Gold Panning

Almost a month has flown by since I last posted a blog. We have been working six days a week and taking tours on our days off. The Lodge has been full to capacity (460 rooms) most of the time. That means people want to go on tours while they are here, and we get to help them decide which adventure would be the best. We have become very familiar with the routine, but every day we learn something new. Some guests come to us by coach from Denali or Anchorage and some by rail. I am amazed at how well organized the transportation is each day. People are coming and going every day and they keep track of the numbers. When someone misses their transportaion they quickly find a solution to the problem. It's impressive.

On the Trapper Creek Homestead tour that we took we went to the original home of a family of six who came to Alaska from South Dakota in 1963 in a VW. When we pulled into the driveway there were old cars and junk all over the place. The daughter who was 4 when they arrived showed us around the greenhouse and the yard where the chickens and goats reside. She explained how she grew up and lived her life in Alaska. Then we went inside, were treated to cookies and coffee, and met her mother who is now in her 70's. It was quite interesting chatting with her and getting her perspective on that rugged life. She home schooled her children and others in the area and didn't regret her decision to move to Alaska. She has electricity now but her daughter who lives 10 miles away does not. It was an eye opening experience. Here is their cabin. The left part is the original and the rest was added on over the years.



Our next adventure was the Byers Lake Nature Walk. Princess McKinley Lodge is in the Denali State Park and Byers Lake is about 15 minutes north of here. The day before we went was a beautiful sunny day, but the morning of the walk was cloudy and dreary. When we woke up I didn't really feel like hiking in the rain, but the night before I had booked the same tour and told the guests that I would see them in the morning. "All tours go rain or shine" is what our sign says. So we decided not to be wimps and go for it. When we got to the lake they offered us mosquito hats for protection so I took one. This is what it looked like.



I used it for a few minutes, but the mosquitoes were not bothering me so I took it off. Fortunately the weather cleared up and the sun came out before the 2 hour walk was over. We saw many beautiful wildflowers and learned how the natives used the plants. We hiked to an old run down cabin where a couple made their home in the wilderness. We saw kayakers on the lake, but that is another adventure we hope to do.

This past week we went on the Historical Gold Panning Adventure which included a stop at the Trapper Creek Museum. It is a log cabin build by a family who were part of the Michigan 59ers, a group who came to the area in 1959 to homestead and mine for gold. The guide gave an excellent explanation of life back then, and we saw many interesting items that they used.



 After that stop we traveled 18 miles out a gravel road to a creek where we learned how to pan for gold. Dan did the digging and the sifting while I took pictures. We both panned for gold and found several little specks. Everyone in the group found some so I think somehow they slipped the gold in the pans, but did not want to ask in front of guests. At any rate is was fun and we have a vial of gold in our possession. Here we are with our pans.



Misc info: All the snow from the big pile was gone in the middle of June. On June 21 they had a Summer Solstice picnic for the employees. The young folks played games and the rest of us enjoyed the food. On that day the sun set at 12:22 am and rose at 3:31 am. It still doesn't get dark, but it hasn't bothered us. We haven't decided which tour we will take on our day off this week. Next week we are taking a three day trip to the Copper River Princess Lodge near Valdez. They are taking a busload of employees so we decided to go along. We'll keep you posted.