Journal of Our Alaska Trip June 9-25, 2001.
By Pat & Jim Geary

S
aturday, June 9 - The day finally arrived, after eight months of planning, for our epic trip to Alaska. We have had our frequent flyer tickets for months. Originally we thought of an Elderhostel package there, but they changed the dates so our tickets didn’t match. Pat then set about planning the entire trip through the Internet, with virtually all reservations made and most of them paid for before we left. On this day we drove to Dulles Airport, left our Explorer at Fairfield Inn, and took the shuttle to the airport where, after checking our bags, we had Starbucks coffee and Jim read the Wall Street Journal. The plane left a little after 4 p.m., we changed planes in Atlanta, and flew from there non-stop to Anchorage, arriving there around 11:30 PM, which was 3:30 AM EDT. Since we arose at 5 AM, it was a very long day. The sun had not yet set as we made our way through the airport. During the flight the sun had at one time set but then reappeared above the horizon as we got farther north. We were surprised to see people at the airport in shirt sleeves, the weather was so mild. The shuttle from the Caribou Inn, the B&B where we would spend a total of six nights, picked us up at the airport. Jim  tipped the driver, a Japanese or Chinese named Charlie, not realizing he was the proprietor. 

Sunday, June 10th -
Alaska —  the land of the midnight sun, and it really is. It stays daylight all night, even though the sun has set. Last night, looking out from the plane window, Pat could see the brilliant sun against a blue sky. Below a blanket of clouds, some looking like great piles of dirty grey cotton, others beautifully pristine white. Sometimes the clouds would thin and you could see sharp, jagged peaks covered with snow. Sometimes you could see large areas of what looked like black volcanic rock and large bowls filled with snow, and a number of glaciers. Quite breathtaking, and then the clouds would thicken and it was as if what you had just seen might have been your imagination. She awoke Jim to share the view. As we neared the airport in Anchorage, the skies cleared and the jagged snow covered mountains became more clear. The plane descended over Cook Inlet and we could see the city of Anchorage and its airport off to our right with the Chugach Mountains forming a backdrop.  These mountains had much less snow and the flat area around the city was green. Tired and weary after being up almost 24 hours, we headed to baggage claim to retrieve our luggage along with 265 weary travelers. Our grand adventure had begun. Anchorage stands between the Chugach Mountains and the silt-laden waters of upper Cook Inlet. Most of the city is built on sediment. At the water=s edge, mud flats of the same sediment stretch far offshore when the tide is at its low point. . We would see much of these mud flats in the following days. We were a little disappointed in the B & B but the rooms were clean, the bed comfortable and breakfast was filling and good. The Caribou Inn is essentially a 3 story house, plopped down in a large parking lot, but it is close to the downtown. After watching the weather on the Internet for the past three weeks and seeing day after day of partly cloudy or rainy weather, we were prepared for the worst but the sky was clear and the temperature not bad so we headed out roaming downtown. We checked out the trolley tour for the Alaska Native Heritage Center for tomorrow and visited the Log Cabin Visitors Center surrounded with beautiful flowers. Flowering baskets hang everywhere downtown taking advantage of the many hours of sunshine. We opted to do the Alaska Museum of History and Art and took a very well done guided tour that covered the history of the state and the five native groups. Lunch was at a little outdoor café, Blondies. The atmosphere was great but the smoked salmon salad was much too salty for Pat’s taste. We found out later, the café was much better known for it=s breakfasts than other meals. Back to our room, where two exhausted bodies took a nap then off to walk a small portion of the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, a hiking, biking and walking trail which is well used on the weekends. Dinner was at the Glacier Brewhouse and was scrumptious — scallops and shrimp with tomatoes, olives, etc. over linguini. The Brewhouse is a busy, noisy place but fun to watch the waiter staff as well as the diners. At our B&B we watched  AYou=ve Got Mail@ but Pat kept falling asleep. Our long travel day yesterday had finally caught up with us. 

Monday, June 11th B Eggs again for breakfast with link sausage and English muffins. Not particularly good for us but tasted great. The dining area here is fairly small, only big enough for six at a time and there are fourteen rooms. We headed off to the 4th Street Theater to catch the trolley to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. There are two trolley=s in direct competition with each other, one bright red, the other burgundy red. Only one other couple was riding out to the Heritage Center. Without a car you need to plan on using the public transportation or a taxi. The weather was rather gloomy,  with a light rain falling —  more like the weather we expected to have here in Alaska. We have our rain coat and umbrellas so we are fine. Nice museum covering all the Native groups that make up Alaska, the Aleuts from the Aleutian Islands; the northern Eskimos, Inupiat; the Southern Eskimos, Yuit; the Interior Indians, Athabascans; the Southeast Coastal Indians, Tlingit and Haida. We watched a 15-minute movie, which was good but difficult to understand. Later we bought a book, The Native People of Alaska. There were two shows at the museum, live performances of native dances and singing. They were all in costume and most had on the traditional shoes, mucklucks. It looked a little strange seeing Nikes on the feet of a few of the dancers. The morning group was good but we enjoyed the afternoon group more. Their costumes were brighter and it was a much more animated group. The dancers ranged from little babies held in their mother=s arms to the elder of the clan, the 86 year old grandfather. Displays on the life styles of the different groups were well done and members of each of the groups demonstrated different crafts. Outside, replicas of the housing for each of the various groups were available to tour and a live person of that group gave a little talk and was available to answer questions. We were glad we had taken the guided tour at the museum yesterday first, as it gave us a good background on each of the groups. It began to rain harder so we finished looking around and went inside for lunch. We split a salad and had crackers and kudos bars for lunch with some great coffee. It was fascinating to watch the number of people who had come as part of one of the many Princess or West Tours Groups. They were all scurrying around looking for a place to eat their box lunch. That was one of the things we noticed everywhere and anywhere we went —  the number of people who came as part of a group, usually on a cruise as the first part of the trip. The trolley took us back to the theater and we walked back to the B & B in a light rain. We had enjoyed the Brewhouse so much, we decided to go back for salmon tonight but we made reservations this time. Dinner was a gourmet treat with an after dinner indulgence of German chocolate cake and ice cream. Verrry expensive. 

Tuesday, June 12th B Up very, very early - alarm went off at 4:50AM.  Jim was already up and shaved. We left one of our bags in storage at the Caribou Inn. We were much too early for breakfast (don=t serve until 6am) so had bananas and an apple before a wild taxi ride to the train depot just a short distance away. Checked our one case, got our boarding passes and waited for the train as we watched the people arrive,  those of us who were riding the regular Alaska RR cars and two tour groups with Aspecial@ cars for Princess and West Tours. A number of years ago we had watched a PBS special on trains that included the Alaska RR. We had decided that if we ever got to go, we were going to ride that train. Little did we dream then that we would actually be doing it. Now that long yellow train was waiting for us just outside the station. Jim dumped a cup of hot coffee down his leg but was none the worse afterwards.  We had assigned seats on the train which had nice big, CLEAN windows. We ate breakfast of pancakes in the dining car — what is more elegant that eating on the train while the country side speeds past your window. The ride south to Seward was spectacular! We spent a little time in the dome car. Took lots of photos. The route passes close by glaciers, and follows a ledge halfway up the narrow, vertical Placer Gorge, where it ducks into tunnels and pops out at bends in the river. High mountain peaks, snow-covered glaciers with their blue tint in the heavily compacted snow and ice. Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm were on our right. In some places the snow was still 3, 4 and even 5 feet deep beside the tracks. Dark green trees (fir or spruce) coming up through the deep snow. Surprisingly, there were many white paper birch trees also growing along with the purple lupines where the snow had melted. The grayish white of the gushing streams and rivers fed by the glacier melt and the cascading water falls high up on the mountain sides added to the beauty of the scenery. It looked cold and the temperature was only 50 degrees. There were quite a few people on the train but it wasn=t as crowded as we had expected. One little kid had evidently just learned the words to Jack and Jill. He or she kept singing it over and over again in a childish voice and the words kept flitting through Pat’s head. She marveled at the spectacular scenery and thought of all our dreaming and planning and at last here we were - ALASKA!! The train pulled into the station at Seward and busses were there to meet the people going out on the afternoon cruises.  Seward is a coastal city that sits at the head of Resurrection Bay. We took a taxi to our home for the next two nights, the Harborview Inn. Taxis, we were finding out were pretty expensive. Five dollars to go about a mile.The room was bright with a small area with a table and chairs and a window that looks out on the fog shrouded, snow-covered mountains that surround this harbor area. All of the cars looked as if they had seen better days and the roads were being worked on, no doubt a result of the rough winters.  After checking in, we took a walk in to town. The air was cold and moist with a slight drizzle. We had lunch at a small bakery with delicious soup and sandwiches. Bought muffins for our morning breakfast, checked out some of the restaurants, the Park Service visitors center, and walked along the boat filled harbor. There were lots of sailboats, fishing boats, a very large ship or ferry. All this surrounded by the snow covered black mountains. There was the usual smell of many harbors. The air was cold and brisk but it was nice. Back to our room for a nap as the early rising caught up with us. We had made reservations earlier for dinner at Ray=s Waterfront Restaurant so bundled up with jackets and stocking caps (some people were in shirt sleeves) and walked to town about 6:45pm. We opted to wait for seating until we could get a window seat. It was worth it! The windows were big and clean (something they often aren't in this country) and looked out over the small boat harbor which was just packed with boats of all kinds as well as the cruise boats for the Kenai Fjords tours. The big boat we had seen was one of the Alaska State Ferries whose home port is Seward. Dinner was crab cakes, rice and broccoli and bread fresh from the oven. We ate it all as we watched the sun reflect off the snow on the mountains that surround the harbor. The tops of all of them were shrouded in heavy clouds. The clouds on one reflecting the sun were dark and stormy looking. After dinner we walked around the harbor. NOTE: This harbor is one of the northernmost ice-free harbors in the world. On March 27, 1964, Good Friday, an earthquake, which measured 9.2 on the Richter scale, devastated Seward. The earthquake and the tidal wave that followed destroyed the town=s waterfront. Water depth off the dock dropped from 35 feet to 200 feet. To Jim one of the most surprising things about Alaska is the number of deciduous trees, mainly white paper birch. Already in June everything is lush.

Wednesday, Jun 13th B A good night=s sleep, breakfast of muffins, juice and coffee in our room, showers and ready for the day. A cruise ship must have pulled in during the night as we can see it from our window. Heavy clouds again this morning but only a slight chance of rain. We=ve loaded our back packs with binoculars, extra film, cameras, sweaters, hats and gloves so we are ready for our boat trip. Later....Today was stupendous! The weather cleared, the sky was blue and the scenery was spectacular. We boarded our cruise boat at 11:15 AM.  We shared a table with Sherry and Jack Erwin from Scottsdale Arizona. Before we left the harbor, we stopped for coffee at the bakery. Three young tour guides from the Carnival cruise ship shared our table. One young man advised us to take a flight tour while in Denali but it is very expensive. He seemed to think we had done a good job of planning our trip. Our boat, the Kenai Star, carried a guide from the National Park Service who was very good. As we left the harbor in to Resurrection Bay, she pointed out the glaciers (one with a three-mile front) and the two main mountains B Mt.Marathon, where our motel is located and Mt. Alice where the first glacier was located. It rises from sea level to 5230 feet. How to describe the scenery? Words don=t do it and I=m sure the photos we took won=t either. We took lots of them, including a couple of the Harding Ice Field which covers 750 square miles. As we left the harbor we saw a couple of sea otters, which appeared larger than the California ones. The color of the water changed from grayish to green. The park service ranger told us the green color indicates a healthy eco-system and water rich in plankton. The blue color indicates a desert area of water, water without living things. Our next wildlife sighting was a mother and baby harbor seal. Snow-capped peaks, sitka spruce below, glacier and snow filled bowls, rocky islands with lots of birds on one side and the open ocean beyond. The inside cabin was heated but it was breezy outside where many people including us, spent their time looking for wildlife. The day was truly glorious with bright sunshine and gentle swells of the ocean twinkling like sparkling diamonds. The captain tried to make sure that both sides of the boat were able to view whatever wildlife we spotted. Besides the seals and otters, we saw stellar sea lions, two kinds of puffins, black oystercatchers and numerous other birds, as well as bald eagles. A mother humpbacked whale and her calf! You could see the waterspouts and catch glimpses of the calf=s body and finally the tail as it disappeared into the ocean. We had been told that a bright sunny day was not the best weather for whale watching. A brief glimpse of porpoises early in the trip. The most impressive site had to be the massive Holgate Glacier in Aialik Bay. As the boat approached closer and closer, you could see chunks of ice in the water and hear them hit the side of the boat. No massive iceburgs but good sized ones. As the engines quieted and we drifted out, you could hear the sharp cracking noises like gunshots or fire crackers and see the chunks of ice falling down into the water. “Calving@ it was called. The ice was dirty in some places, blue in others, long jagged cracks and crevices. Breathtaking! We all waited to see the Abig one@ but it was not meant to be. I think we all would have been willing to spend many hours just watching and listening to this massive display of nature’s forces. We also stopped at Chiswell Island to watch the birds and stellar sea lions. All of the local TV=s carry the station that permanently watches the sea lions.  We had a prime rib and salmon buffet served while we were in one of the coves —  salmon was Ok but the prime rib was delicious. Desert was not served until about 6 PM. We arrived back in port about 7:30, passed up the $20 photos offered, stopped for burgers, then back to our room where Jim crashed.

Thursday, June 14th B
We had a leisurely breakfast of coffee and muffins in our room, left our luggage in the office and walked to the downtown area (the opposite direction of the small boat harbor) and stopped for more coffee at the Raven Bakery. We walked down by the water and the site of the old railroad station before the 1964 quake. We spent the morning at the Alaska Sea Life Center. This $50 million dollar facility was funded almost entirely by money won from Exxon after the Exxon Valdez disaster. Not anywhere near as large as the Monterrey Bay aquarium but nice displays and tanks for the marine life. Watched the antics of the sea otters and the stellar sea lions. Very nice bird habitat where Pat got some close-up pictures of some of the birds we saw on our glacier cruise. The harbor seals were not on display when we first arrived but were later and the older one was really putting on a show whirling around in circles. We walked back to the Apollo Restaurant and had delicious halibut sandwiches for lunch. We spent some more time in the Sea Life Center after lunch then headed back to the motel to pick up our luggage, a taxi and back to the train depot. Another five bucks to go a short ways. Spent about 45 minutes sitting in the lobby reading some of the material and writing post cards before heading out. Dinner on the train was disappointing and not very elegant as the brochure indicated. The food was not even that good. The scenery was just as beautiful as on the trip down and we busily snapped away with our cameras. Hate to see the photo-developing bill when we get home. We saw a porcupine, a speck of a grizzly bear traveling across the snow and a moose. Arrived at the train depot about 10:30 and called the shuttle. Back to our same room, jumped into our bed and asleep in no time at all. 

Friday, June 15th BNora, the little Hawaiian woman fixed omelets for breakfast this morning. Pat’s  favorite! She came from Hawaii to Alaska because of the money she could earn - one job in Alaska versus three in Hawaii. She seems to do a little of everything, cooking, cleaning, and on occasion shuttle driving. She was the one Pat had all of the e-mail correspondence with when we were planning the trip. Had breakfast with a young woman who was traveling on a Sierra Club camping trip, a couple from Michigan who had driven to Alaska and a couple from Montreal. Tried to sort out our suitcases a little then headed into town. Stopped at the Visitor Center again and found a listing for free movies at the Alaska Public Lands Building. They seem to be a combination of the Park Service, State parks and forests and any kind of public land use. Only a very small portion of Alaska land is privately owned. Nice exhibits, books and well done movies shown hourly. We picked up some material on Denali and watched two of the movies, one on the gold rush and one on the state as a whole. We had yogurt and crackers sitting on a wall behind the Visitors Center. They had just completed an afternoon concert of some kind and there were many more people out enjoying the day. We adjourned to a little outdoor café for coffee to soak up the sun,  and to enjoy the many beautiful flower displays and Apeople watch.@ The sun was shining brightly and was warm. Back to our room to relax and try and do some laundry. Cost $5. For one load but it was a big washer and dryer and they provided soap, bleach, etc. Dinner tonight was at the Downtown Café and Deli - charbroiled halibut, red potatoes and steamed veggies, sharing half a carafe of wine. While not quite as elegant as the Brewhouse, it was a lot less expensive. Temperature at 6PM was at least 70 degrees so we sat outside and enjoyed the evening activity around us. Walked around town a little more and bought an eagle carving to take home with us. 

Saturday, June 16th B What an absolutely perfect day! We overslept a little and when we got upstairs for breakfast there were 10 Orientals waiting for their eggs. Nora said they were there waiting for her when she came in. As we said earlier, the dining area is small and we needed to be on our way to catch the motorcoach for our trip to Valdez. Decided to forgo the eggs this morning and settled for fruit and cereal in the front room. Two young women from the Sierra Club hiking group joined us. Charlie, the owner, dropped us at the Hilton and we waited for our Gray Line bus. We joined ten others (on a 40 passenger bus) for the drive to Valdez. One of our traveling companions, Peter, was from Switzerland and was on his way to Valdez to start a 2-week tour of Prince William Sound by sailboat. They would be living on the sailboat and traveling to the various places. Sounded like a grand adventure. We played Abug bingo@ - each of us contributed a quarter and it was taped to the right side of the windshield. The one with the most bugs dead center at the end of the trip won the Awindshield.@ Peter won - don=t know if he got the quarters or not. We were pleasantly surprised to find out it was a narrated bus ride with stops along the way. Our driver, Alaska Ron, was a very heavyset, jolly soul. He loved to eat, especially cookies, and we made numerous Apit stopsA which included replenishment of his cookie supply. We left Anchorage and headed out the Parks Highway. At Palmer we turned onto the Glenn Highway and traveled through a deep valley carved by the glacier's river.  We toured the town of Chickaloon although all of the people appeared to still be in hibernation after the long winter. We never saw a living soul. We saw the Chickaloon Center for the Performing Arts - A LAUGH! Ron said they call the young girls chickadees. Several glacier-fed rivers cross or run alongside the highway. The green milky hue of the water comes from finely ground glacier rock, dubbed "glacier flour." One of the rivers, the Matanuska, a silt river, was the color of churning mud with lots of small tress and other trash floating down river. It evidently looks like that most of the year. We saw tall, skinny trees bent into tortured shapes by the wind and weight of the snow.  We traveled close by the Matanuska Glacier, then through high alpine terrain. The scenery is almost a blur but magnificent is an apt description. We stopped at an RV Park beside a swiftly running stream for lunch, which was simple and good but not expensive. Jim ordered the biggest piece of apple pie we have ever seen and ate it all with vanilla ice cream. There were mosquitoes galore and the barn swallows flitted here and there eating them and collecting mud for their houses. This area had something to do with the Drunken Forest but I=m not sure what. Ron had another big meal and we were on our way. On to Eureka and Glenallen. A muddy, swift flowing river, heavily forested hillsides of birch trees blowing in the wind, dead looking black spruce and Sitka Spruce, Alaska=s state tree. The high peaks of the Alaska Range on one side and the Chugach Mountains on the other side. A running commentary by Ron and some rather choppy country-western music that skipped every time we hit a bump.. The mountains still had some snow but nowhere near what was on the mountains near Seward. What was left would be pretty much melted by August.  At Glenallen we turned on to the Richardson Highway, which passes the huge, distant peaks of southern Wrangall-St. Elias National Park. At 14,163 feet, Mount Wrangell is the highest active volcano in Alaska.  As the highway continues toward the coast, vegetation becomes thicker and more lush. The highway begins to climb as it ascends the coastal Chugach Mountains. Dozens of glaciers are visible on mountainsides. We stop at one of the largest, Worthington Glacier and walk up to its face. Even the picnic tables in the parking lot are still partially covered with snow. The highway climbs steeply, topping out at spectacular Thompson Pass, elevation 2,678 feet. The state snowfall record was set here in winter 1952-53: 974.5 inches. We stopped at a roadside display for the Alaska Pipeline and got out to see close-up this 800-mile monster elevated above ground so as not to melt the permafrost. As Ron gave us a spiel, the voracious mosquitoes fed on us. On the final approach to Valdez, the Richardson highway winds between towering green mountains, waterfalls and fields of wildflowers. We stopped at two of the falls for pictures, Bridal Veil and Horse Tail Falls.  Valdez is often called Alaska's "Little Switzerland." The town of 4,000 on the farthest north ice-free port in the Western Hemisphere is surrounded by the rugged Chugach Mountains, with dozens of glaciers in view. A turning point in the town's history came in 1964, when the Good Friday Earthquake, and the tsunamis it caused washed away the town's waterfront. The town was later condemned and relocated in 1967 to its present location. Ron gave us a short guided tour of Valdez pointing out the restaurants, dropped us at the Guesthouse Inn, and we went to our room. What a sumptuous room but we were almost too tired to enjoy it. Relaxed for a short time, looking at the rugged mountains that surround the town and adjourned to Mike=s Palace for dinner. Another great seafood feast, a brief tour of the small boat harbor - it had turned much cooler while we were eating - then back to our room. The bathroom came with a large jacuzzi which we decided to try. Try as we might, pushing buttons and turning knobs, we couldn=t get it to work. Settled for a hot bath and bed.

Sunday, June 17th B We discovered this morning how to turn on the jacuzzi! Too bad, we really needed it last night.  We set the alarm for 5:30AM but the fire alarm went off first. Seems someone burned a bagel - they start serving breakfast at 5:00.  Quickly dressed and went upstairs for a nice continental breakfast. Gathered with the others in our group out front to wait for the shuttle to take our luggage and us to the small boat harbor and our transport across Prince William Sound. The temperature was 52 degrees; skies heavily overcast with fog and a light rain. Still the Chugach Mountains that surround Valdez are beautiful in a different kind of way. The hustle and bustle of last night is gone and all is quiet. Fifteen of us board the Chugach and head out of the long fjord of Port Valdez. We travel close by the Alyeska Marine Port, the end of the Alaska Pipeline at Valdez, a rather grim looking place. Two tankers sit at the docks waiting to be filled with oil. Our captain and tour guide gave a good concise talk about the area, the unfortunate circumstance s which caused the Exxon Valdez disaster and the steps taken to both prevent it from happening again and containing it if it does. He said they can unload 100,000 barrels of oil a day from the storage tanks onto tankers.  As we continued out we spotted an otter, two Orca whales (although I could only see one at a time) and two humpbacked whales. Unfortunately, trying to capture them on film proved very difficult. With only fifteen of us on the boat, we had plenty of room to move around to wherever we wanted. Pat spent quite a bit of time outside but it was cold and windy. We headed out to Columbia Glacier which is immense,  3 miles across it's face and 30 miles long;  and it is retreating fast, dumping thousands of icebergs that float over miles of water in front. Some were crystal clear, some white, some blue, some really dirty and some a combination of all colors. A crewman scooped a very clear piece of ice from the water to show us how pressure forces all the oxygen out of the ice. He explained it needs to be 3 or 4 feet thick to begin to look blue.  Riding out in the front of the boat you could feel the cold air and hear the icebergs as they hit against the boat. It was eerily beautiful especially the blue colors. The crew served lunch -bagels, cream cheese, clam chowder, lemonade and cookies - down below. We made a stop at Growler Island Wilderness Camp located in the heart of Prince William Sound in Elder Bay surrounded by views of the Columbia Glacier and the ice-sculpted hillsides. With no phones and no cars and rustic accommodations, it was the stopping off point for a family of five who planned on kayaking. Didn’t look like much fun on this cold, drizzly day. We dropped off supplies as well as picking up people who had spent the night there. The island is actually owned by the Native Alaskans and leased by Stan Stephens, a concessionaire. We left and headed on across Price William Sound. As the boat circled the island through a narrow channel the captain proceeded slowly, although the boat only draws 5 to 5 ½ feet and the depth gauge was showing around 20 feet. We saw a stellar sea lion haul-out area where they come out on the rocks to rest and sun bathe. Later we saw a really strange sight, a fairly steep sheer wall just covered with kittiwakes, thousands of them and their nests. We headed in to Whittier and the small boat harbor. It was absolutely filled with sailboats, many of them owned by people from Anchorage. Although Anchorage itself is on Cook Inlet, the muddy fast-moving water is virtually unused for recreational boating.  Whittier is a pretty bleak looking place with most of the people living in one large concrete 14-story building. We left our boat and boarded a motorcoach for Anchorage. First a brief wait for our turn to go through the only shared reversible train/car tunnel. The weather on this side of Prince William Sound had improved with blue skies and sunshine. A brief look at Portage Glacier, then on our way. We were a pretty quiet bunch with our long day yesterday and early rising with lots of fresh sea air. We stopped at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood to see if anyone needed the bus. The flowers around the place were beautiful, hanging baskets all over the place and the driver took us inside to see the polar bear display. Unfortunately we didn’t have our cameras so no photos. (As if we didn’t have enough already) Our driver/guide was a 30 year resident of Alaska who lived in Talkeetna ( little south of Denali) and was a farmer. She kept up a running commentary all the way on what we were seeing. We got off at the Hilton and Charlie again came to pick us up. We had a different room this time - the manager’s office - bigger, brighter and noisier. Drinks in our room then off to dinner. We checked out Phyllis’ which had been recommended (it was crowded and expensive) but decided to head back to the Downtown Café and Deli. We opted for salmon this time and it was delicious! Sat inside, as the evening was cool. We repacked our suitcases as we were due to head out to Denali in the morning.

Monday, Jun 18th – Up early to make sure we get a good breakfast – eggs with cheese, hash browns and Canadian bacon – then off to the train station with 4 Swedish travelers who had a mountain of luggage. They had been renting and RV to travel around. We checked our bags and headed for the depot. What a change from the Seward departure – the station was jammed with people (many families) heading for Denali. We obtained our boarding passes and waited to hear the “all aboard” call. There was much more excitement in the air for this train ride. The young woman featured in the ARR brochure, Kelly, gave the call and we boarded the train. We were again in the A car but on the opposite side this time. Our tour guide, Sarah, was a bright and bubbly high school senior who had been taking a Japanese immersion course since kindergarten. She spent a lot of time giving us info on the scenery and areas we were passing, much more so than the tour guide on our Seward trip had done.  The scenery was quite different than the route south - much more forested with very little snow left on the mountains. We travelled through small areas where flag service was still available. We discovered that the fine dining we had looked forward to - white tablecloths, etc - did still exist on this train but we did not avail ourselves of it. We had eaten a big lunch and were not that hungry. I had clam chowder and Jim had reindeer stew in the regular dining car (still nicer than the one on the train south) which was bright with big windows. We had wonderful views of Mt. McKinley in the crystal clear air, and shot lots of pictures although how they will turn out from a moving train is questionable. Going past one of the little communities, some young girl came out and mooned the train. Well, life is probably dull back in the boondocks and that must be her excitement for the day. The trip was long - 8:15am to about 4:30pm and we were glad to get from our depot to our hotel. As we pulled into the train station, buses were there to pick up the discharging passengers. We chose to walk the short distance to the National Park Hotel while our bags would be brought to us. The hotel is inside the park (the only one) and the center of much activity. Unfortunately it is due to be closed and torn down in September. After that there will be NO accommodation inside the park. The location will be the site of a brand new visitor center which is badly needed. We went to our room, rested, took the shuttle to the visitor center to check it out. It isn’t up to the other visitors centers in the national park system. It is mainly a transportation hub for the shuttle bus system in to the park. Private cars can not go past mile 15. There is a ranger station there at Savage River and cars are turned around at that point. We bought the Denali Road Guide so we could have it for our trip to Wonder Lake. Back to our room for a short rest and then off to Alaska Cabin Nite. We waited on the front porch for the shuttle to pick us up and the mosquitoes were out in full force. Unfortunately, the bug spray was back in our room. Even though Pat had socks on, they bit through those and her ankles really took a beating. Waiters (who are also the actors) serve a hearty, all_you_can_eat home-style meal of salmon,  ribs and all of the fixings at Alaska Cabin Night, then proceed to put on a two hour show. The show was an entertaining review set during the region's gold rush days. It focused on Fannie Quigley and her experiences in the Kantishna Mining District. Lots of fun especially the sing-a-long at the end. Back to the shuttle and to our bed. Still light out but we were tired.

Tuesday, June 19th – 
	Today was a free day to do what we wanted. We’d slept with the window open all night and slept later than usual. Not too cold but heavily overcast although the sun did try and come out later. We had breakfast at the Whistle Stop café - coffee, oj and bagel for Pat, cereal for Jim. We decided to take in the dog sled demo which was very interesting. The kennels house 30 dogs, all mutts, specifically bred for their long legs, heavy coats, and dispositions. Each has his/her own house with name on it. Some are in a large communal area, all on chains with just a rope to keep the people separated from them. Some are in fenced off pens. Evidently depends on the temperament of the dog as to where they are. Some appeared indifferent to all of the people, others obviously wanted attention. The audience moved to the observation area and after an informative discussion about the Alaskan husky, which is not a formal breed. Alaskan huskies are “mutts”.  										
It was time to harness up the team. The dogs sensing what was coming began to bark as five were picked to be harnessed to the sled for the demo. A normal team would consist of seven or eight dogs but could go higher. They took off around a circular dirt track just flying. This is one of the main forms of exercise for the dogs during the summer months. It was obvious from the excitement, the dogs enjoy this form of exercise. During the summer, the dogs are “adopted” by various park employees. This involves coming to walk your “child” every day. During the winter, the dog teams would go out on patrol for up to six  weeks. While the dogs can pull up to 100 pounds each, their normal load would be about 50 pounds. Experts believe dogs and humans have been companions for 30,000 years. Some believe dogs and wolves began to separate into different species about 135,000 years ago. 
 After the doggie demos, we headed for the visitor’s center to see the movie and pick up a couple of books then back to the hotel for lunch. Jim had a short nap and we decided to take the afternoon Savage River hike. We took the shuttle out to Milepost 15 which is the end of the line for cars ($2 ea) and met Ranger Kate and a small group of fellow hikers. It really is more of a walk than hike as the terrain there is pretty flat near the river. We met Ranger Kate and headed out to talk about the flora and fauna of the area and the river itself. There were some fisherman and we were told they would never catch a fish there because the river was to filled with glacial silt. We hadn’t gone very far when one of our group spotted five caribou crossing the river just past the bridge. They were quite some distance so up went the binoculars as they quickly disappeared. The mosquitoes were feasting on us so the ranger gave us a little info on the food chain and that we were helping the female feed her offspring with our donation of a little blood. Unfortunately, it did not stop us from swatting at them even though we all were using insect repellant. Soon we were all aware the caribou were returning and coming directly towards us. While Ranger Kate tried to keep us in an organized group and giving space to these animals, the awe of watching them come that close and  taking pictures was evident. At this point, we continued discussing the caribou since it was obvious they were going to hang around. There was a maintenance crew working on the trail there and a slight drizzle was falling that came down pretty steady for a short time. Rain gear was donned and we continued on. Another wildlife sighting, a Dall sheep was standing in the middle of the path. We gave it space but the cameras were again at work. Even the trail crew was taking pictures. We continued along until we spotted another sheep. We walked on a little further then headed back to our starting point. If we missed the 4pm shuttle, we had another two hours to wait for the next one. Standing on the bridge, watching the river and looking at the many mountains,  we waited for the shuttle. We saw the caibou again but at a great distance. Back to our room for a brief rest, a delicious salmon dinner in the hotel dining room and a slide show program on the Athabascan Indians, then to bed. We have to be up early (4:30am) for our trip to Wonder Lake.

Wednesday, June 20th – The gods smiled upon us today! Anyone who had planned for this trip as long and as hard as we had deserved a perfect day and we had it. The sky was blue, the air was cool and comfortable and the animals we most wanted to see appeared. We set the alarm for 4:30 for our 6:15 departure from the visitors center. We had the deluxe continental breakfast in the Whistle Stop and picked up our bag lunches we had ordered the night before ($9 for sandwich, chips, fruit and bottled water). We caught a shuttle in front of the hotel and it dropped us in front of the VC where we departed for the 13 hour round trip. On the way, we had spotted a red fox walking down the road with it’s morning breakfast hanging from it’s mouth. We took this as a good omen. The driver told us this was the resident fox who had a bum leg. Didn’t matter to us, it was wildlife. Dark green school buses with the typical seats and a good speaker system would be our transport for the day. The bus was equipped with seat belts and we were reminded at every stop to “buckle-up.” Our backpacks and cooler were stowed above and under the seats, cameras and binoculars were at the ready. Our driver/guide, Paul, an Englishman, had been driving the trips into the park for ten years and was good at it. He pointed out things we needed to know, answered questions and helped us locate animals. He was quiet and kept us quiet while we observed and enjoyed them. Not all of us saw the same animals as the animals were quick and hard to spot and we were not always as quick. Our first sighting was a mamma moose and her calf. She was in the meadow to our left, crossed in front of the bus and walked on down the road, seemingly unaware of the excitement she caused. Anyone on the bus who spotted an animal shouted “STOP” and then tried to give the location. Twelve o’clock was the front of the bus and six the back. Using the clock face, you were supposed to give the animals location and then Paul would help us spot it. Some people got so excited, they didn’t know what a clock looked like. There, there, one woman cried. The secretive Lynx was our next sighting but it was hidden in the bushes so well that neither Jim or Pat saw him or her. Next came a grizzly bear - Jim saw that one, Pat didn’t.  Lots of caribou followed with more moose, a mamma red fox and her kits, another fox catching a vole, and a golden eagle. Our “pit stops” were spaced every 1-1 ½ hrs and each time we were aware of the most ferocious beast in Alaska, the mosquito. Our last stop before Wonder Lake was the Eilsen Visitors Center for about 40 minutes. We had hoped that Mr. McKinley had cleared but no luck. Jim and Pat took a short hike up a narrow trail through the tundra to check out the view of the magnificent mountains. Back down at the VC, we watched as the clouds slowly moved across the sky giving us brief glimpses of parts of “the high one.” Soon someone spotted a grizzly down on the snow field quite some distance away. Off Pat went, camera and binoculars in hand while Jim stayed to watch the mountain. The bear was clearly visible through the binoculars and headed across the snow field to some cliffs. Pat snapped a couple of pictures, then headed back to join Jim. Just as we were called back to board the bus, the clouds parted and Denali (Mt. McKinley) was visible in all her glory. It was a fleeting glimpse but enough to add to the wonder of the day. Back on the bus we headed for our ultimate destination Wonder Lake, 86 miles from the beginning. Wonder Lake is the sight for many of the professional photos of Denali with the lake but they are taken from the other side.  We would not see the great mountain again that day but we felt privileged as only 20% of folks visiting actually see the mountain. It is so high at  20,300 feet, that it makes its own weather and is often covered by clouds. The little breeze that was blowing kept the mosquitoes from eating us and Pat marveled at the beautiful scenery as she walked back up to the top where the bus would pick us up. When we reached the restrooms, we knew why there were no mosquitoes down by the lake, they were waiting for us and those areas that were exposed! We ate our lunch on the bus as we headed back to the visitors center for another brief stop. Alas, the bear was no where in site although he had come up much closer for those who rode a later bus. The park road is a narrow winding dirt road with many sharp drop-offs. No guard rails were present and we could often see the river below us. Paul seemed to take driving it in his stride .It was a wonderful day but we were exhausted. Dinner at the hotel, then off to bed.

Thursday, June 21st – We slept late this morning so decided to have breakfast in the hotel dining room. Pat had delicious, crunchy french toast and Jim had eggs. We had been told that if we had our luggage out by ten, the hotel would pick it up and take it to the train for us. We did just that and prayed that it would make it to the same train we were on. Since departure was not scheduled until 3:45 that afternoon, we decided to check out some of the other areas of the Park. We checked our backpacks downstairs and again took one of the buses. The bus system is a little confusing as there are actually three systems and you are never really sure which one to take. We went first to “the Village” which has housing, restaurants, and a place where the Elderhostel is housed and holds classes. There was a truck there loaded with fresh fruits and veggies parked out front. One of the park employees told us the driver is known as “the fruit lady” and she moves around from place to place within the area. She had all kinds of fruits and veggies which we understood were pretty expensive but people loved to see her come. Next stop was “tacky street USA!” The Princess Wilderness Lodge and many of the other hotels are located along this stretch of highway along with gift shops galore and restaurants. We were grateful that we had chosen to stay in the National Park hotel called just “the hotel” by the various drivers who drive the shuttle. The Princess facility is very large and located beside the river. The view from the back is fantastic with the river and mountains in the background.  We wandered around outside and took a look inside then just sat and people-watched for a while. We marveled at the number of people getting on and off the Princess Cruise Line busses going to various places --- the train station, wildlife tours or the motorcoaches to Fairbanks. We stopped and had the buffet at Lynx Creek Pizza then headed back to catch the shuttle to the hotel. We double checked the upstairs hallway just to make sure our bags were not still there, retrieved our back packs and headed for the train station. While the train was due to leave at 3:45, we were told it had not left on time yet and probably wouldn’t. Over half of the people waiting were riding the special cars of West Tours and Princess. The ice cream stand was doing a booming business as we waited for the train. Once we boarded, we settled down for the 4 hour trip to Fairbanks, watched the scenery, snapped a few pictures and people-watched. Since we had eaten a big lunch we settled for soup in the dining car. As we neared Fairbanks, we could see a huge mushroom cloud which we found out was from a forest fire burning just outside of Fairbanks but a safe distance away. It was in an uninhabited area and the river separated it from the city so it was just being allowed to burn. Quite breathtaking in a strange sort of way. We arrived in Fairbanks about 9PM to bright daylight and the celebration for the summer solstice. They have a mid-night baseball game on this night. As we waited for the luggage to be unloaded we began to worry as each crate was emptied and our suitcases were not there. Finally, in the last crate, they appeared and we went for the taxi to take us to the Dowtown B&B for the next three nights. It was in a nice residential area about 15 blocks from downtown but they were short blacks as we were to discover later. The room was fairly large with a private bath and windows that looked out on the side yard. The woman who ran it also provided full time day care.

Friday, June 22nd – After a nice continental breakfast at our B&B, we walked to town, about 15 blocks but short ones so it didn’t seem far. We looked around the city visitor center briefly. It is on the bank of the Chena River. We then walked across a river bridge to an excellent hardware store where we bought a small lock for Pat’s suitcase.  Back at the visitor center we lingered at an attractive little park Golden Heart Plaza, just behind the visitors center. The plaza features a fountain and bronze statue honoring Alaska's "Unknown First Family;" also it has historical sketches in bronze, which we read. Then an arts and crafts store across the street caught our eye because of its promise of a rest room. It turned out to be one of high quality, and Pat saw a necklace that she loved but shrank from paying the $170 ticket. We spent some time at the Alaska Public Lands information center which had nice exhibits and a few films but was not quite up to the one in Anchorage. Lunch was at a recommended Italian restaurant nearby, Gambardeli’s. Very good. We took the Airlink shuttle to the river boat Discovery, a huge steel, 156-foot sternwheeler that holds 700 passengers.   It was full, but we had reservations.
The cruise begins at Steamboat Landing, a replica of a gold-rush-era town, with gift shops. As the sternwheeler passes down the Chena River, passengers see a bush pilot, Bill Johnson, take off and land at a small grassy airstrip. The river boat pauses in front of the home of Susan Butcher, the four-time Iditarod champ. The trim but stongly-built woman stands on the riverbank and talks about her sled dogs, especially her favorite, Granite;  and running the Iditarod. Some of her dogs ran around, very excited. Farther downstream, the boat passes penned reindeer. The river boat stops at a replica Indian village near the old town site of Chena, and a team of dogs provides a mushing demonstration. Tour guides, who are Native Alaskans, talk about their lives and history, and about how Natives have made the transition from the bone-and-stone age to modern times. Passengers see old cabins and a cache — as well as some of the types of structures Natives used to live in — including some made of animal hides and of wood. Local Native artist Dixie Alexander demonstrates examples of her sewing and beadwork. The boat had previously stopped at an operating fishwheel, where Alexander talked about life in a fish camp. "She grew up as a girl at a fish camp," said Binkley. Alexander, who was raised along the Yukon, shows visitors how to cut up and prepare salmon. Passengers may view the sights from inside the lower two glass-enclosed decks, or go up to one of the open decks. Video screens inside provide pictures of passing points of interest. Visitors often get a glimpse of Capt. Jim and his wife, Mary, original operators of the sternwheelers, as our boat passes along the Chena. Both frequently come out and wave at the passengers. Discovery I, which is used as a training boat for pilots, is docked at their house. An interesting aspect of the cruise is the confluence of the Chena and Tanana rivers. The Chena is clear and the Tanana, one of the longest glacial silt rivers in the world, is a muddy brown. We saw fine homes along the Chena, some under construction; and some of the homes were not so fine.  Float planes were drawn up at some. 
Airlink took us back to town, we walked back to our B&B too tired to look for a good restaurant in this semi-industrial area, so we ate at a nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken. 

Saturday, June 23rd – After another good breakfast we walked downtown, back to the art shop to buy Pat’s necklace. We were able to have them open up a few minutes early so we could catch our bus to Alaska University Fairbanks museum, billed as Alaska’s best natural history museum.  The museum has exhibits on the five native groups in Alaska. It is known also for a series of dinosaur bones, fossils and Native cultural items. The highlight is Blue Babe, a 36,000-year-old steppe bison on display. The animal was preserved in permafrost near Fairbanks until it was recovered a few years ago. Babe's skin is blue from oxidized minerals in the ground, and scratches from a long dead predator are still visible on its hide. We had a rather poor lunch at the university restaurant, and stayed another hour or so at the museum before taking the bus back. It dropped us at Alaskaland. It was a big disappointment, mostly relocated old cabins from downtown Fairbanks. There were a lot of them and each had a gift shop. How they all make a living is a mystery. We decided to pass up the highly touted salmon bake, but Jim took a picture of the Nanana, a large old sternwheeler out of service for some 50 years. We had dinner at Gambardino’s and walked back to our B&B. 

Sunday, June 24th – Up very early this morning as our plane leaves at 6:15am. We had made arrangements the night before to use the Airlink shuttle and hoped that it would arrive at 5:15 as we requested. That was not to be as we waited outside with the mosquitoes. We finally called a taxi, which appeared in a few minutes and were off. The cost was $15 for the two of us versus $7 for the shuttle but .... We checked our luggage, shared coffee and a muffin and waited for our departure. We took off late as there was quite a bit of air traffic and as we left the pilot indicated he would be flying over Denali/ McKinley and since it was a only a partly clouded day, we hoped for a great view. He flew over at 23,000 feet and McKinley is 20,320 feet high, so it was a spectacular sight. Took lots of photos.  It was a perfect ending to what had been a wonderful trip. Later, through the haze, we could see hundreds of lakes and a number of braided rivers. We stopped in Anchorage, picked up and discharged passengers and headed for Salt Lake City with an absolutely full plane. 
At Salt Lake we learned, after some delay, that our flight had been cancelled. Delta assigned us a room at a Holiday Inn and gave us overnight packages (tooth brush, etc.), along with pitiful chits for dinner and breakfast. 

Monday, June 25 — Our replacement flight was via Atlanta. It was a long day and we arrived late at Dulles Airport.  A shuttle took us to the Fairfield Inn where we spent the night, as previously arranged though a night later than planned. 

Tuesday, June 26 — The last day of our trip we indulged ourselves by taking it easy in the morning.  Our trusty (?) Explorer was waiting for us in the parking lot and we drove home to lots of accumulated mail, lots of memories, and worlds of photographs.

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