An amazing day of firsts

When we woke up on Thursday, July 28, we never expected it to turn into the "best day ever" full of many firsts for us. We started out feeling our bed shake and realized that we were experiencing our first Alaskan earthquake. It was a 5.2 quake centered about 100 miles from us. It lasted only about 30 seconds, but was definitely a weird feeling.

Since it was our day off, we planned to take an excursion called Devil's Canyon Jet Boat Adventure. As we started down the road we encountered the mama moose and her two little ones who have been seen all season around the area. It was our first moose sighting on property.



We drove to Talkeetna where the Devil's Canyon tour began. The jet boat took us about about 60 miles up the Susitna River through Denali State Park into the National Wild River Park of Devil's Gorge where we encountered class 4 and 5 rapids. It was exciting, and the captain did an excellent job keeping the 50 passenger jet boat under control.



 Not only was this our first white water rapid trip in a jet boat, but we also had our first black bear sighting  this summer. A mama bear and her two cubs were down by the river looking for salmon. When we passed them the captain stopped, and they stayed in our vision for a few minutes and then ran into the woods. Some people saw the cubs climb up a tree but we didn't see them.



When we returned to town we decided to try our luck getting on a plane to fly to Mt. McKinley and walk on a glacier. Since it was such a beautiful day we didn't expect to have success because we had to be on stand-by waiting for available space on one of the planes. Luck was on our side, and after about one half hour they found room for us. There's never a guarantee that the plane can land because clouds can come in very quickly. Our luck stayed with us, and we had our first glacier landing. What an indescribable experience! There were several planes on the glacier when we landed, but they all took off and we were left alone in the quiet of the mountains. Our pilot was a captain of the Alaska State Troopers who flew many rescue missions during his career. It was very interesting to hear of his experiences. Not only was the flight full of beautiful sights but walking on the glacier was a once in a lifetime experience.




On the way home we had our first Subway sandwich since we started our job. How delicious it tasted! We're still amazed at what a wonderful day off we had! It doesn't get any better than that.

Trip to Copper River, Valdez, Prince William Sound

We joined a group of employees from McKinley and Denali on a two day bus trip to a sister Princess Lodge at Copper River about six hours away. We traveled south on the Parks Highway (Highway 3) through Wasilla and Palmer. Instead of heading toward Anchorage we turned on to Glenn Highway (Highway 1). It's another scenic road where the edge of the Matanuska glacier can be seen from the road.




As we continued we passed some beautiful waterfalls. We stopped at one called Horsetail Falls. Some of the younger folks climbed up closer to the bottom of it, but we just enjoyed the view from the parking lot.




The Princess Lodge at Copper River is much smaller than McKinley and Denali. It includes only one main building with additional buildings for employee housing. They have only 75 employees compared to us with 350 employees. It was quite attractive and welcoming, and we enjoyed being guests instead of employees for two days. We were able to eat at their employee dining room for breakfast and they packed us lunches both days. They have a view of mountains in the Wrangell-St Elias National Park but just like Mt McKinley they are sometimes covered in clouds.

We left early the next morning on a two hour drive to Valdez. Unfortunately the clouds were hovering all around us, and we did not see much of the scenic drive. Thompson Pass was so totally engulfed in clouds that the only way we realized that we were passing through it was because we saw a sign. I brought my Alaska Milepost book along so I could follow the road and figure out where we were. We got glimpses of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline which follows adjacent to the road. When we arrived at Valdez we embarked the Glacier Spirit boat to take us through the Prince William Sound to the Columbia Glacier.



It was supposed to be a six hour trip but we ended up being out in the water for seven hours because the whales were performing for us, and we were able to travel very close to the Columbia Glacier.
We saw sea otters and puffins on icebergs and steller sea lions sunning on beach.





The puffins entertained us for quite awhile flying around, landing on icebergs, and flying off again.



There were several areas where Steller Sea Lions lounged along the hillsides. Males average 1200 pounds. When we got closer to them we could hear them bellowing. It was NOT music to the ears!



The icebergs broke up enough for us to get closer to the Columbia Glacier than the captain had travelled previously this summer so we spent quite a bit of time in this area. We bundled up and went  out to the front of the boat. Not only were the sights awesome but the sounds of the icebergs crackling were amazing.




On the way back we spotted several whales and the captain knew exactly where to stop and wait for them to perform. This next picture is of a kayak in the background and a whale in the front. If you click on the picture I think you will be able to see it clearer.  It was very difficult getting pictures because the whales go up and down so quickly. But it was an outstanding experience to see them.


And the grand finale....we saw a humpback whale (average 45 ft and 35-40 tons) jump out of the water. One of the young girls that work at the front desk clicked her camera at just the right second. The picture that we got was the splash after the jump.



We're really glad we took the opportunity to see another part of Alaska. After spending the night at the Copper River Lodge we headed back to our lodge. We stopped at the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the largest on in the nation. The visitor center was very impressive. Since we had employees from Denali with us we took a different route back which took us across the Denali Highway 135 miles from Paxton to Cantwell. 15% is paved and the other 85% is gravel so it was slow going. We wouldn't choose that way to go in the RV. I don't know how many miles we traveled on that trip but it gave me a sense of how expansive this state is. We are only in a small section of the state and yet we spent a lot of time on the road.

Misc info: We are still working 6 days a week, meeting amazing people, solving transportation problems, getting frustrated at times, and enjoying our time off. Tonight they are having a barbecue for all the transpo people which includes us. We're promised steaks that can be cut with a fork. Dan says "Yipee!"

Out internet connection is mostly slow but a little faster if we take the computer to the main lodge. At least we have some connection here in the wilderness. It tries our patience. Remember the old dial up??? Click and wait.... Our cell phone reception is good until we go off property where we lose signal quickly.

The weather remains mostly in the 60's during the day and 50's at night. Occasionally it slips into the 70's. That probably sounds good to some of you with the heat wave in the lower 48. The amount of daylight is decreasing. Yesterday sunrise was at 4:59 am and sunset was 11:16. The wildflowers are breathtaking and the baskets and flower beds around the lodge overflowing with beauty.

The bear attack that you may have heard in the news recently took place in the mountains near Talkeetna which is the city one hour from us. We are warned constantly of the possibility of bear and moose. There are some near our property but we haven't seen them.



Hope all is well with everyone.

June weather

The weather during June was mostly sunny with highs in the mid 60's. We had a few cloudy days and a little rain. There were several days when the temperature climbed into the 70's. On one such day we were sitting outside the RV visiting with some friends. One of the bus drivers stopped by and joined us. During a conversation about the weather he sighed and said, "What a scorcher we had today!" When I checked the temperature it was 76 degrees. We all got a good laugh from that statement. He hasn't spent a summer in Florida!    Happy Independence Day to all.

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.

Jet Boat, Covered Wagon, & Iditarod Dog Adventures

It's hard to believe that tomorrow will be a month since we started training and work. It has been an exciting and interesting month. Every day is an adventure and we learn something new. This week our schedules match up so we work together at the tour desk. Here we are ready for work.



We brought our own black slacks, socks, and shoes, and they provided the baby blue shirts, grey vests and ties. They also gave us black rainproof jackets with removable fleece lining to use as needed. After all these years Dan is tying a necktie every day! Mostly our job consists of booking tours and answering questions. Some days one of us goes to Talkeetna, a small Alaskan town about an hour away where we have an office. On those days in addition to selling tours we usually go to the train depot to get guests on and off the correct coaches. One day last week Dan was asked to drive a couple to Denali because to woman got sick and couldn't take the train. It's about two hours north of us. We are definitely in the wilderness!

On our days off we try to take the tours so we can describe them to the guests.

The Wilderness Jet Boat Adventure included time on the water where we saw many eagles flying and one in his nest. This is Isiah, a lifelong Alaskan resident, who took us on our tour. Usually they use a larger boat, but the water was too shallow the day we went. He took us on the Talkeetna River for a few miles and stopped the boat for us to get off. We walked about 1/4 mile to an area where we saw a trapper's cabin,  the furs he trapped, the cache where they kept the food away from the bears, and the pits where they cooked. Isiah described life back then in great detail. We were very impressed with his knowledge and ability to make the past come alive.
Here's a picture of the Trapper's cabin. Notice the grassy roof. It was made that way for insulation. Inside is a cot and some cooking utensils on a table along with some furs. I can't imagine living there especially in the winter.








On another day we went for a ride on a covered wagon pulled by two horses. They came right down to the lodge to pick us up and took us up a dirt road to a spot where we had an awesome view of Mt. McKinley and the Alaskan range. After explaining about the mountains and the flora around us they took us to another spot where they had a campfire going. We learned how to pan for gold which is not an easy thing to do. Everyone found gold (of course it was planted), but it was a fun experience. We roasted marshmallows and made smores which tasted really yummy. They had some caribou behind a fence and we kissed it by putting a graham cracker in our mouth and leaning into the caribou. What a hoot! They had moose antlers which they put on our shoulders and took pictures. Before we left to come back they gave each of us a laminated card with the gold that we found with the saying, "As long as you bear this card you'll never be broke." So we'll make sure we keep it with us! Here we are at the covered wagon.


Last week we went to the Sun Dog Kennel in Talkeetna where Jerry Sousa, a ten time Iditarod finisher, keeps and trains his dogs for the race. He has 70 dogs of all ages including some puppies. Since there is no snow this time of year, Jerry devised a vehicle that the dogs can pull. They hooked up 16 dogs to his "Jerry Mobile" and took us for a ride. When the dogs realized that they were choosing dogs to run they barked and barked as if to say, "Pick me, pick me!" What a racket. It's a good thing they are out in the middle of nowhere. Here they are.

And here we are on the Jerry Mobile. After the ride Jerry explained the Iditarod, shared some of his experiences on previous races, and displayed his sled and a map of the trail.


In addition to taking tours off property we have tried to view various Ranger programs at the lodge such as talks about bear, moose, Mt. McKinley, and the famous 1964 earthquake. We also took a nature hike on one of the trails.

Misc info: The 15 ft pile of snow by our RV has now diminished to about 3 ft. After a beautiful week of temps in the 70's it has dropped back to the 60's with a little rain. They said that last year they had 34 days of rain in a row, so we won't complain. Today the sunrise was 3:45 am and the sunset will be 12:05am. It just doesn't get dark!

Adventures at Mt McKinley

We have had a whirlwind of activities since we arrived at Mt. McKinley. When we pulled in on May 8 we were greeted by several very friendly fellow campers who helped us get situated. Along with nine other rv's we are parked in a parking lot where they provide full hook-ups and cable tv. They scraped the snow away to make room for us, but there is still a big pile of snow across from us. It's slowly melting away. We are on top of a hill and walk about one half mile down to the lodge where we work and eat our meals. Of course, what goes down must also come back up so we're getting lots of exercise. This is a view of Mt. McKinley that we see on the way to work.



We had ten days of training which included many wonderful experiences. Their theory is to expose us to many of the same adventures that our guests will encounter so we can explain to them what it is all about.  One day they took us to Talkeetna which is an Alaskan town about a hour away where many of our tours take place. On another day all the vendors who book tours with us came to describe their tours and give current information. We took a trip to the Denali Princess Lodge by rail to attend the Music of Denali, a dinner and musical show. Both the food and the performance were excellent. The rail car that we traveled in had glass all around for a marvelous view of the countryside. The trip was a dry run for the folks who work on the train and at the lodge. We were happy for them to practice on us.

On our day off we were given the opportunity to go on a river raft tour and airplane flight to the glaciers at Mt McKinley. The boat tour took us along a calm river where we saw lots of beaver, beaver dams, eagles and eagle nests. The guide was a life long Alaskan resident with lots of interesting information. They offered us rain gear and since it was cloudy we decided to use it. Here we are ready for the trip.



And here are the rafts we used.



Words can't describe the flight to Mt McKinley and the glaciers. The spectacular scenery kept changing as we got closer to the mountain. We were across from each other in the plane and kept passing the camera back and forth. We were in awe of the beauty of it all. Here we are in front of the plane.



When the plane started out the pilot flew over the lodge property. In the next picture our motorhome is right above the "r" in the word our. The lodge where we work is on the right side of the picture. The rest of the buildings are where the guests stay.



It was difficult choosing which picture to include of the glaciers because there were so many different scenes. But I think this one will give yo an idea of what a glacier looks like. Unfortunately we were unable to land and walk on the glacier because a cloud settled in and the pilot said it would not be safe. We hope to try again later in the season.



Misc info: Our coworkers and supervisors have been very friendly and helpful. Our job has quite a bit of variety. Mostly we work at the tour desk booking tours and answering questions. One day I drove two people to Denali because they missed their bus. We have a small office in Talkeetna where we are scheduled some days. Yesterday was my first day there, and part of the job was to meet the train that came from Anchorage, get the guests organized in the correct lines, help guests from the train to find the correct bus, and help the ones waiting to get on the train. It was quite hectic but fun. Sometimes we get scheduled together, sometimes we work part of our shifts together, and some days we go in different directions. But they give us the same days off together, and on those days we play tourist and take tours that we book. On Saturday we get to go to the train in Anchorage and ride back on the train.

The temperatures are consistently in the 60's now during the day and dropping to the 40's. All the grass and trees are turning green and we are beginning to see the wildflowers pop up. In a week things have gone from brown to green very quickly. Even though the growing season is short the hours of daylight are long. Today the sun rose at 4:23 am and the sun sets at 11:22 pm. It's really neat to have all this daylight.

So far the food has been quite good. Every breakfast includes hot food such as bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, french toast, and oatmeal. Also there are cold cereals, fresh apples, oranges, bananas, yogurt, juices, coffee, tea, and hot chcocolate. At lunch and dinner there is a good salad bar, a variety of hot foods, cold cuts for sandwiches, and sometimes dessert. If Dan doesn't like the hot food he has a sandwich or cereal and fruit.

Our Verizon cell phones are working fine, but our internet service is not dependable. But we are getting by. If we take the computer down to the lodge there seems to be a better connection, but it is more convenient using it at the rv.

I have more pictures to edit of other trips we took and will work on them and write again when I have time. All in all we are having a great experience here in Alaska.

Dawson Creek, BC to Wasilla, AK

View BC to AK in a larger map

We made it to Alaska!!! I'm delighted to report that I don't have any horror stories about breaking down, blowing out a tire, or getting lost. We thoroughly enjoyed the adventure. The Alaskan Highway starts at Dawson Creek, BC and ends at Delta Junction, AK. which is 1390 miles.  We traveled 1279 miles to Tok, AK because we decided to go south to Anchorage instead of north to Fairbanks.  The roads were clear and mostly good . As we traveled along we followed the Milepost 2011 book which gave us mile by mile facts about the cities that we were passing through and background information about where the cities' names came from, population, elevation, and services available. Every time I wondered about something we passed I looked in the book and usually got my answer. I was able to inform Dan of many neat trivia points about the countryside.

Dawson Creek, BC is unique because it begins the Alaskan Highway. We took a walk around town where murals were painted on many buildings. Unfortunately the Visitor Center was not open because of flood damage that was being repaired. When we took pictures at the mile 0 post there was no one around to ask to take a picture of both of us together.



We enjoyed another sunny day as we traveled along viewing the gorgeous scenery. After passing through many small towns we stopped at Fort Nelson, BC. (Historic Mile 300) The campground where we stayed was beside the Fort Nelson Museum which also was not opened. We walked around the outside where there were many artifacts of interest. We were just a little too early. From what we could gather most places along the way don't open until middle May. At least we found campgrounds open so we could be pampered with electricity for our electric blanket and computer connection!

 

The trip between Fort Nelson, BC and Watson Lake, YK was unbelievably breathtaking. There were miles and miles of wilderness. Words and pictures can't describe the spectacular views of the Canadian Rockies. We ascended, descended, and curved around the mountains. During this section we had our first moose and bison sightings. What a delight! There were warning signs for stone sheep but we did not see any. Later in the journey we met a couple who drove that part of the highway two years ago and had to stop for several nights because of snow storms. We are thankful that the roads were dry.

 

The city of Watson Lake, the Gateway to the Yukon, is famous for its Sign Post Forest. It began when an Army soldier who worked on the Alaskan Highway in 1942 left a sign with his name. As the years went by others left license plates, personalized signs, and  even a Steeler sign. There are more than 70,000 signs there now. We spent quite a bit of time walking through and marveling at the ingenuity of the signs. It was an amazing sight to see. Another amazing sight was the price of milk at the local grocery store - $6.99 a gallon. Talk about sticker shock!



The drive between Watson Lake, YT and Whitehorse, YT was full of hills and curves and beautiful scenery. The hymn "How Great Thou Art" kept going through my mind like it did last summer when were visiting the National Parks. One breathtaking sight was crossing the Alaskan Highway's longest bridge.



As you see the river was still frozen. Whitehorse, which is the capital of Yukon , has a population of over 26,000 and the whole Yukon has only 35,000 people. The road to the city goes down  two miles to the Yukon River. I wouldn't want to drive it in the snow! After stopping at the visitor center we took a walk along the river where they have a three mile walkway. Part of the river was flowing, and there were ice chunks all around.



Although the stretch of highway between Whitehorse and the US border had magnificent scenery, the road deteriorated. The frost heaves that we heard about appeared in abundance. Orange flags were placed as warnings to slow down. At some areas it was not as bad as Pennsylvania roads, but there were a few spots where it was very rough. Dan covered the Blazer during this time, and we had no damage to it. There was not much traffic so we didn't have the problem of stones being thrown at us. They have a research team trying to resolve the problem and have several places where they are experimenting on solutions.



We drove past the Kluane National Park Ice Field Ranges which includes Mt. Logan, Canada's highest peak at 19,545 ft. Mt. McKinley where we will work is 20,320 ft which is USA's highest peak. There were so many white mountains around that it was somewhat overwhelming.



And then at last we traveled back across from Canada to the United States. At the border besides asking to see our passports the man asked if we had any fruit. We told him we had apples and bananas. He asked to see an apple. He looked at it and smiled and told us to have a safe trip. The first thing I did was turn on the cell phone, but we were too far away from any city get a signal. I had to wait until we arrived at Tok, Ak to make a call. Fortunately Verizon has service all through Alaska. After staying overnight at Tok we left the Alaskan Highway and proceeded down the Glenn Highway toward Achorage. Once again we went up the hills, down the hills, and around the curves. The road was decent but not great in some sections. We passed very close to the Matanuska Glacier which was another beautiful sight.



We chose Wasilla, AK as our stopping point because it is on the highway only 83 miles from Mt. McKinley Princess Lodge. We gave ourselves plenty of time for travel in case we experienced problems or bad roads. Since neither happened we have a bonus of time to clean up the RV and Blazer, do some sightseeing in the Anchorage area, and relax before we start our jobs. We will drive up on Sunday to get set up and start training on Monday, May 9.

As far as the gas prices go we developed an "it is what it is" attitude. We have to accept the things that we cannot change. The price in Canada was outrageous along with the exchange rate. Here in Wasilla it is between $4.12 and $4.19. The price of food is more expensive here also from what we have seen. We're glad that the lodge has the meal plan so we won't need to shop or cook. 

Misc. info: We have traveled 5327 miles so far with 83 to go. The temperatures are in the 50's during the day and 30's at night. We have over 16 hours of daylight at this point. Last night at 10:30 it was still light out!

We will write again from Mt McKinley.