June 28 The day was on the dreary side as you couldn't see much (if any) of the mountains. This morning there was a heavy mist falling. I supervised (watched) Grant as he worked on a plane and helped him move 2 planes around the hangar and the yard. There are now only 3 planes remaining in the upper storage yard, and one of them goes out tomorrow.
Grant and Debby have their truck camper loaded and hope to go to Valdez for the weekend. Peggy and I will be on duty as property caretakers. Joey the cat will need to be tended to, but if the weather forecast for rain holds we will not have to worry too much about watering plants or gardens.
We did our evening walk, watched TV, and called it a day.
June 29 A quiet day for a Saturday. It was very cloudy most of the day so not a lot of airplane activity. If the weather was improved, we would have gotten a call from a client of Grant's to open up so he could get his plane moved off of the compound.
Then the NASCAR race for today was postponed until tomorrow because of rain. The race starts at noon ET which makes it 8:00 Alaska Time. Man, I'm gonna hafta get up extra early to watch it. And yes, I'll have cheese with that whine!
Peggy got groceries and then we got Joey the resident cat out of his hangar and let him run around the yard while Peggy and I watered Debby's flowers. Debby definitely has a green thumb. I asked Peggy if it is possible for plants to die in 2 days while they are on our watch. She didn't think so! :o)
Had a pilot whose plane Grant worked on come out to fly. He's the one who was going to move his plane to another site. However, because of miscommunication with his new site, his plane needs to remain here temporarily. He arrived about 9:00 p.m. and returned around 11:30 p.m.. Peggy and I had to open the gate to Anderson Lake Field both times. We decided this is similar to being parents as we waited up to secure the gate after he had left.
June 30 Woke up to another cloudy day. We were again unable to see the mountains in any direction. Peggy went out to attend to Joey, the hangar cat, while I fired up the TV to watch the rescheduled NASCAR race starting at 8:00 a.m. Alaska time (11:00 a.m. Central).
After the race we went for a walk. The pickup was wet this morning and there were other signs that it rained overnight. We didn't hear a thing which is not surprising knowing that we slept through a 4.2 magnitude earthquake a few nights ago.
It was a cooler day today with temps in the upper 50ºs so we just hung out in our camper reading, watching TV, and dozing. Late in the afternoon we got Joey out of his hangar and let him romp around the yard. While I kept an eye on Joey Peggy made the rounds checking and watering the flowers.
Peggy got a text from Lisa Carleton who is the sister of Jolene Johnson whom we know from Omaha. Jolene and Peggy worked together at Paddock Rd. Elem., and both have stayed in touch. Well, Lisa's text asked if we wanted fresh halibut. Are you kidding...ya', we do! And she was even kind enough to deliver it to us. Thank you Lisa and your husband for catching enough halibut to be shared and for thinking of sharing some with us!!
I wanted to fix it on the grill so Peggy conjured up a recipe she found on the Internet and headed to the grocery store for some ingredients. I then grilled the halibut while Peggy fixed tater tots and corn bread. I must admit that the halibut was very good!! YUM!
Being Sunday night we wanted to be sure and watch the next installment of "Falling Skies". Neither Peggy nor I are big Sci Fi fans, but something about this show has kept our attention.
July 1 It rained all night long! This was the first significant rain since we had arrived in Wasilla and was welcomed as it was getting dry. People have been watering their lawns.
After breakfast Peggy did laundry while I held down the fort. Shortly after lunch Grant and Debby got back from their 3 day weekend. They came over and described their fun stays at Valdez and Liberty Falls. We then went for a walk during the late afternoon as thought it best to do it before the rain started again. Rain is predicted on and off all this week which is a much different forecast than we've experienced.
We fried the remaining halibut fillet for dinner. We used flour and seasonings with a mayonnaise, mustard basting. So far I have never had a halibut that I didn't like to eat!
We are looking forward to our day trip tomorrow to Seward, AK, riding on the Alaska Rail Road. We need to be at the depot in Anchorage around 6:15 a.m. with a departure at 6:45. We get into Seward at 11:15 where we'll have until 6:15 to explore. We get back to Anchorage around 10:30 so this will definitely be an "all dayer"!
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
June 27, Wasilla to Talkeetna, AK
June 27 Seems there was a 4.2 magnitude earthquake just north of Anchorage around 3:30 a.m. this morning. But, we slept through it as our 5th wheel trailer sits on tires and moveable jacks which absorb the earth's movements. Rats! It would have been cool to experience this. It shook enough to have awakened both Grant and Debby!
It was time for another road trip, and this time we decided to go to Talkeetna. Talkeetna is just off the Parks Hwy about 75 miles from Wasilla going towards Denali National Park.
Talkeetna is an old mining town, and some of the old buildings still remain making it a National Historic Site. It also became a stop for the Alaska Railroad which helped maintain a population of nearly 800 current souls who must all work to support tourism.
It is the starting point for all climbing attempts of Mt. McKinley. The National Park has a Visitors Center there where all climbers must attend a mandatory training for the climb. It takes about 2 weeks to complete the ascent. Climbers fly from Talkeetna to a base camp at about 7000' on McKinley where the climb begins.
The NP office had on its bulletin board that there has been a 75% success rate of achieving the summit of McKinley so far this year. The overall average success rate is at 50%, so this has been a good year for climbing. A lot of the success may be attributed to the weather which has been abnormally warm. Most will tell you that getting to the summit of McKinley is more difficult than other mountains, even Everest, because of the harsh weather conditions on McKinley which is only 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle. At over 20,000', the mountain's northern location along with its height can cause temperatures of -40º on the upper slopes even in the summer.
The town of Talkeetna is very touristy. It offers things like zip lines, river fishing charters, and flightseeing tours of Mt. McKinley. As a result the main street area is busy with people walking, shopping, eating, or getting their favorite beverage.
We walked the small area of shops, cafes, and bars, and had stopped at a visitors center where Peggy overheard a person saying that the Wildflower restaurant was good to eat at as the chef there was Pres. George W. Bush's White House chef. So, if the food was good enough for a President to eat, it must be good enough for us. Peggy and I sat on the streetside deck and ate lunch. I must say that the salad, french fries and the halibut was exceptional!
After lunch we went into a couple more shops. I chuckled to myself because most shops had plenty of tie-dyed t-shirts for sale. Grant had told us that in the 60's the highway going between Anchorage and Fairbanks was only partly paved. The pavement stopped at the intersection going into Talkeetna. The story is that this caused most of the hippies in their VW buses to stop where the pavement ended. Whether or not this is an urban myth or not, I don't know. But I did avoid eating any "special" brownies and resisted the urge to buy tie-dyed shirts!
On the way back we took another side trip to Big Lake which is about 15 miles from Wasilla. Big Lake, like Wasilla, has experience a surge recently in population. We drove around the south side of the lake where there was a salmon migration viewing platform. But there were no salmon to be seen. The lake has a large marina full of pleasure boats so I'm sure the lake is busy on weekends and evenings.
It was time for another road trip, and this time we decided to go to Talkeetna. Talkeetna is just off the Parks Hwy about 75 miles from Wasilla going towards Denali National Park.
Talkeetna is an old mining town, and some of the old buildings still remain making it a National Historic Site. It also became a stop for the Alaska Railroad which helped maintain a population of nearly 800 current souls who must all work to support tourism.
It is the starting point for all climbing attempts of Mt. McKinley. The National Park has a Visitors Center there where all climbers must attend a mandatory training for the climb. It takes about 2 weeks to complete the ascent. Climbers fly from Talkeetna to a base camp at about 7000' on McKinley where the climb begins.
The NP office had on its bulletin board that there has been a 75% success rate of achieving the summit of McKinley so far this year. The overall average success rate is at 50%, so this has been a good year for climbing. A lot of the success may be attributed to the weather which has been abnormally warm. Most will tell you that getting to the summit of McKinley is more difficult than other mountains, even Everest, because of the harsh weather conditions on McKinley which is only 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle. At over 20,000', the mountain's northern location along with its height can cause temperatures of -40º on the upper slopes even in the summer.
The town of Talkeetna is very touristy. It offers things like zip lines, river fishing charters, and flightseeing tours of Mt. McKinley. As a result the main street area is busy with people walking, shopping, eating, or getting their favorite beverage.
We walked the small area of shops, cafes, and bars, and had stopped at a visitors center where Peggy overheard a person saying that the Wildflower restaurant was good to eat at as the chef there was Pres. George W. Bush's White House chef. So, if the food was good enough for a President to eat, it must be good enough for us. Peggy and I sat on the streetside deck and ate lunch. I must say that the salad, french fries and the halibut was exceptional!
After lunch we went into a couple more shops. I chuckled to myself because most shops had plenty of tie-dyed t-shirts for sale. Grant had told us that in the 60's the highway going between Anchorage and Fairbanks was only partly paved. The pavement stopped at the intersection going into Talkeetna. The story is that this caused most of the hippies in their VW buses to stop where the pavement ended. Whether or not this is an urban myth or not, I don't know. But I did avoid eating any "special" brownies and resisted the urge to buy tie-dyed shirts!
On the way back we took another side trip to Big Lake which is about 15 miles from Wasilla. Big Lake, like Wasilla, has experience a surge recently in population. We drove around the south side of the lake where there was a salmon migration viewing platform. But there were no salmon to be seen. The lake has a large marina full of pleasure boats so I'm sure the lake is busy on weekends and evenings.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
June 22-26, Wasilla
June 22 Somehow I had missed a call from Rick Moore, a former colleague at Westbrook Middle School and friend of mine. He left a message saying he was in Anchorage! Rick has a brother living there so he flew up to visit him. I called Rick back to make an arrangement to meet up with him. He had emailed me earlier that his brother knew a pilot who would take Rick, his brother, and either Peggy or I on a flightseeing tour. Since I have been flying twice with Grant, I figured Peggy will take this turn.
Rick let me know that next Tuesday evening, weather permitting, they will fly up to Anderson Lake airport and pick up Peggy! That would be really accommodating, but if weather does not allow an Anderson Lake landing, Peggy and I would drive to the Birchwood Airport, just northeast of Anchorage, to catch the ride.
We did some light shopping today. I picked up oil so I can change the pickup's oil, a tube of chalk to replace a tube I had borrowed from Grant, and a few groceries.
Peggy made reservations for us to take the Alaska Railroad roundtrip from Anchorage to Seward for July 2! We will have about a 6 hour layover in Seward to explore the town and its sights. This will take us farther into the Kenai Peninsula than we've been with our trip to Hope, AK, which is at the very northern part. Seward is on the mid-eastern coast of the Kenai. Again, we're excited to take the RR. This will be Peggy's longest train trip ever. What a lucky girl! :o)
Rick let me know that next Tuesday evening, weather permitting, they will fly up to Anderson Lake airport and pick up Peggy! That would be really accommodating, but if weather does not allow an Anderson Lake landing, Peggy and I would drive to the Birchwood Airport, just northeast of Anchorage, to catch the ride.
We did some light shopping today. I picked up oil so I can change the pickup's oil, a tube of chalk to replace a tube I had borrowed from Grant, and a few groceries.
Peggy made reservations for us to take the Alaska Railroad roundtrip from Anchorage to Seward for July 2! We will have about a 6 hour layover in Seward to explore the town and its sights. This will take us farther into the Kenai Peninsula than we've been with our trip to Hope, AK, which is at the very northern part. Seward is on the mid-eastern coast of the Kenai. Again, we're excited to take the RR. This will be Peggy's longest train trip ever. What a lucky girl! :o)
June 23 Happy anniversary to my beloved wife of 40 years! To start the celebrating we went out for breakfast at the Windjammer/Trout House in Wasilla. We had nothing specific planned for the day. Just being in Alaska is more than enough to keep us mesmerized. Other than that, it was a leisurely day with some TV, grilling, visiting with Grant and Debby, and a walk around the neighborhood.
Today's Photos Uploaded to Picasa
June 24 The day started out fairly typically. Peggy was cleaning with sporadic assistance from me when the phone rang. It was Rick Moore, a friend of ours and former colleague from my teaching days at Westbrook Middle School. Rick was in Anchorage visiting his brother and wanted to know if we'd be around. Yes, come on up to Wasilla!
It was fun to spend the afternoon catching up and meeting Tony, Rick's brother. Late in the day we went to the Noisy Goose and had dinner.
Tomorrow weather permitting a pilot who Tony is acquainted with will take Rick, Tony, and Peggy on a flightseeing tour. Peggy and I will drive to the Birchwood Airport which is towards Anchorage about 25 miles from Wasilla to meet up with the Moores for Peggy's flight adventure.
Tomorrow weather permitting a pilot who Tony is acquainted with will take Rick, Tony, and Peggy on a flightseeing tour. Peggy and I will drive to the Birchwood Airport which is towards Anchorage about 25 miles from Wasilla to meet up with the Moores for Peggy's flight adventure.
What are the chances that we would meet with someone from Omaha when we are 3500 miles from home? It was great to get together!!
June 25 Peggy and I worked on planning our next excursion further into the Kenai Peninsula. It took some coordination as we needed both a campground reservation and a halibut fishing charter reservation. It took until 4:45 this afternoon to get the fishing charter confirmed. We had a campground lined up so Peggy got that confirmed also. So, on July 16 we go to Ninilchik, AK, and will stay at the Scenic View RV Park, and then on July 18, Peggy and I both go halibut fishing with Ninilchik Charters. This charter company is sponsored by Cabela's, a Nebraska outdoor equipment distributor and outfitter. Exciting!!
This afternoon we went to Palmer, AK, which is about 5 miles east of us. We went to 2 museums depicting the 1935 establishment of the Palmer Colony which was comprised of farming families from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan who volunteered to come to Palmer to start a socialist form of farming. Although the experimental socialist setup wasn't totally successful for a number of reasons, many of the families stuck it out and further accelerated the populating and agriculture of Alaska.
The first museum had a very good documentary video program on the Palmer Colony. The second museum was in an original wood frame house built in 1935 for a single family. This house had a docent who was the daughter of an original farming couple who moved from Minnesota. She was born after the family arrived in Palmer. It was nice to get her remembrances of life back then. The house was outfitted with period furniture and other furnishings. Many of the things brought back memories for Peggy and I of items that we had seen in our grandparents' homes.
On the way home we stopped at the local ice cream shop for a dish of twist- chocolate and vanilla. We watched game 2 of the College World Series finals with UCLA defeating Mississippi State for the championship.
Rick Moore and his brother went to Talkeetna this afternoon which is about 1 hour NW of Wasilla on the Parks Hwy going toward Denali NP. After their visit there was over, they drove back through Wasilla and picked up Peggy for their flightseeing tour of the Anchorage area. They are flying out of the Birchwood Airport. When the flight was over, Peggy called me to come and pick her up as the airport is only 25 miles away.
Rick Moore and his brother went to Talkeetna this afternoon which is about 1 hour NW of Wasilla on the Parks Hwy going toward Denali NP. After their visit there was over, they drove back through Wasilla and picked up Peggy for their flightseeing tour of the Anchorage area. They are flying out of the Birchwood Airport. When the flight was over, Peggy called me to come and pick her up as the airport is only 25 miles away.
- I was the lucky one to go up in the Skyhawk II Cessna. It was very nice of Tony and Rick to offer the extra seat to me. We waited until about 9:15 p.m. to take off to avoid some of the possible turbulence which resulted from the hot, humid weather of the day. John was our pilot and got us up in the air smoothly with the whole flight remaining that way. We flew over the Knik River and got to see the Knik Glacier, along with several other glaciers. John tried his best to find some animals and close to the end we hit the jackpot with moose. Think we saw close to 20 and even saw one with two calves. The two hour flight was amazing - the scenery was unbelievable!
June 26 Arrrgh! Just realized that when I combine several days together on one posting to the blog, I have the days descending, but the blog puts individual posts in ascending order. Oh, well...reader beware! :o)
Big day in my life...today I become eligible to draw Social Security! WooHoo...though I'm not filing for it yet. Oh...and that means it's my birthday.
After last night's lateness resulting from Peggy's late evening flightseeing tour of the Knik Glacier area, we got to bed around 1:00 p.m. We slept in after which Peggy whipped up a breakfast of eggs, toast, and bacon to help celebrate this day.
Later in the morning we went shopping at Walgreens since it was senior citizens day. I'm still not very comfortable having to admit that I qualify! But a savings of 15-20% does help especially if there are goods that you need.
We also stopped at Target and Walmart looking for a lens cover to our camera but none were to be found. Peggy had inadvertently dropped the cover in Tony Moore's car last night. A call to Rick who is still visiting his brother in Anchorage will get the cover in the mail to us here in Wasilla.
After lunch we did a Skype with Shelly, Macy, and Halle. It was nice to have Happy Birthday sung to me, and the girls had made a happy birthday sign! Technology certainly has allowed close communications with loved ones. Doesn't seem very long ago we'd be driving around looking for a post office drop box to put a post card in!
After our Skype session we drove up to Hatcher Pass about 10 miles north of Wasilla. The scenery has really change since we were there Memorial Day weekend. (Hard to believe that that was nearly 8 weeks ago!) All the snow has melted and been replaced with green. As we neared the top of the pass, we noticed a paraglider lazily using the upslope winds to remain aloft.
We turned around at the top as the road heading west from Hatcher Pass toward Willow, AK, was still closed due to needed repairs. A short distance from the top we stopped at a pull off and watched the paraglider. We spotted another glider who was hiking up the mountain slope. Since we had camp chairs in the pickup, we sat and started watching this paraglider make his way to where he thought he'd catch the strongest updrafts. However, about the time he laid out his chute, the winds became very erratic, almost stopping at times.
So this paraglider moved further along the side of the mountain hoping for steadier winds, which he appeared to find. He was able to get is chute inflated and then with a good gust became airborne. He zigged and zagged looking for consistent winds to keep him aloft. However, the winds ebbed, and he dropped with a final swoop to the ground with enough force to cause him to do a face-plant into the ground.
But, this guy was determined. He folded up his chute and hiked back up the mountainside a short distance. Finding what he thought were favorable winds he was soon gliding again. But...Mother Nature said, "No more paragliding today." And with that the winds stopped, and he made a much more graceful landing.
It was during this time that my iPhone notified me of a missed call with a voice mail. I brought up the voice mail, and it was Becky singing Happy Birthday to me! Don't know why my phone didn't ring, but I called her back and had a nice chat.
All the while this was happening, 2 guys who themselves apparently were paragliders, got out their guitars and started playing and to some degree singing in between swallows of beer and chiding their mate on the mountainside. Maybe if I had complimented on their musicianship, they would have shared a beer with me. Alas, Peggy and I split a lukewarm Diet Coke.
Back at our home base, we waited a bit for the temps to lower. Actually it must not be the 79º as much as the humidity is quite high. Maybe the clouds we saw developing over the mountains will result in some much needed rain here in the MatSu Valley. It is dry enough that Grant and Debby are watering their yard.
Peggy found steaks in the freezer to grill to help bring a conclusion to what has been another good day in Alaska!
Saturday, June 22, 2013
June 21, Portage Glacier Valley to Wasilla
June 21 We did not set an alarm for the morning as were in no hurry to leave to get back to Wasilla. As we ate breakfast the phone rang. It was Grant saying that he and Debby were not going to their cabin this weekend and that we were welcome to not have to come back to Wasilla on their account. It was nice of them to offer, but we had no other plans for other places to go directly to. And with summer here and a large volume of tourists, you need reservations for many of the rides, charters, and even some campgrounds.
While we were preparing to go, I got out and scouted out where the "honey wagon" was located. (More on this later.) On my way back to our trailer, I walked along the edge of the creek along the campground. I happened to look up in time to see a 4 legged dark thing moving on the snow field on the other side of the creek. It was a black bear and about 100 yards away. I grabbed my iPhone from my pocket and snapped a couple of pics just about the time Peggy came up. She got to see the bear before it wondered off into the scrub growth. Ah, bear spotting redemption in our campground!
After we we packed and had the trailer and pickup coupled we drove to the "honey wagon". Since this campground does not have a buried tank to drain your wastes into, they provide a "honey wagon" which is a tank with a pump, which when hooked up to your trailer's waste disposal, pumps your waste contents into its tank. (Hence, creating "honey".) I've found that it really helps to be very openminded when dealing with RV waste. Just remember the scene in "RV" with Robin Williams when he is attempting to empty his RV's waste tanks for the first time. Fortunately, we've never had such an incident!
The drive back to Wasilla was uneventful and we enjoyed the sights of the Seward Highway along the Turnagain Arm, but there was much traffic going south out of Anchorage. Maybe they will be celebrating the summer solstice somewhere in the Kenai Peninsula.
After lunch Peggy loaded up our laundry and headed to the laundromat. She also picked up groceries afterwards. I worked on updating the blog and uploading photos.
I was a 70º day in Wasilla with a cool wind blowing. It would be nice if the rest of the summer the temp never got higher than today's. After supper we walked the neighborhood and called it a day.
While we were preparing to go, I got out and scouted out where the "honey wagon" was located. (More on this later.) On my way back to our trailer, I walked along the edge of the creek along the campground. I happened to look up in time to see a 4 legged dark thing moving on the snow field on the other side of the creek. It was a black bear and about 100 yards away. I grabbed my iPhone from my pocket and snapped a couple of pics just about the time Peggy came up. She got to see the bear before it wondered off into the scrub growth. Ah, bear spotting redemption in our campground!
After we we packed and had the trailer and pickup coupled we drove to the "honey wagon". Since this campground does not have a buried tank to drain your wastes into, they provide a "honey wagon" which is a tank with a pump, which when hooked up to your trailer's waste disposal, pumps your waste contents into its tank. (Hence, creating "honey".) I've found that it really helps to be very openminded when dealing with RV waste. Just remember the scene in "RV" with Robin Williams when he is attempting to empty his RV's waste tanks for the first time. Fortunately, we've never had such an incident!
The drive back to Wasilla was uneventful and we enjoyed the sights of the Seward Highway along the Turnagain Arm, but there was much traffic going south out of Anchorage. Maybe they will be celebrating the summer solstice somewhere in the Kenai Peninsula.
After lunch Peggy loaded up our laundry and headed to the laundromat. She also picked up groceries afterwards. I worked on updating the blog and uploading photos.
I was a 70º day in Wasilla with a cool wind blowing. It would be nice if the rest of the summer the temp never got higher than today's. After supper we walked the neighborhood and called it a day.
Friday, June 21, 2013
June 20, Hope, AK, and Mt. Alyeska
June 20 After breakfast as we were pulling out Peggy caught up with the manager of the campground who informed her that there had been a huge black bear in the campground in the early morning. Teach us to sleep in!
We drove on the Seward Hwy toward the Kenai/Chugash dividing line. We took a photo at the sign designating the exact spot. From there we continued for about 20 miles toward Seward until we came to the Hope Road junction. We turned on the Hope Road and went to Hope, AK (where else would the Hope Rd go to?). Hope was an old town started in the late 1890s as the result of a mini gold rush. Some gold was prospected from Resurrection Creek but when it ran out, the town suffered. However, a few hardy souls remaind to keep the town on the south side of the Turnagain Arm going.
The very small main street had a couple of bars and a restaurant but nothing opened until noon. We walked to the town’s museum which also wasn’t open but we could walk around the outside displays to get a feel for what life in a 1890s mining town was like. We were almost ready to leave when a young girl with keys unlocked the various buildings including a bunk house for miners and the town school. There sound recordings related info about the happenings of the times. The main museum building was also open by this time and had good displays and a curator who had good knowledge on the various characters that we had heard about.
From Hope we drove the 25 miles back to the camper for lunch. After we finished, Peggy and I went to Girdwood to ride the Mt Alyeska Tram. This ride was also in the TourSaver book we had purchased so we rode for half price. Once at the top we walked further up the mountain to get some better photos. We went to the ski cafe and got a Dove ice cream bar.
After we rode down we went back to the Chairs 5 Bar/Restaurant and had some drinks and ordered dinner. We fueled the pickup and drove back to the Visitors Center just beyond our campground for one last look around as tomorrow we head back to Wasilla.
When we got back in the campground we were greeted by the manager again who asked if we saw it. Another black bear was spotted just across the creek from where our camper was parked. But we had arrived back in the campground a minute after the last time is was seen. Oh, well...
June 19, Whittier and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
June 19 Left the camper with it raining around 9:00 to get to the entrance of the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel going from Portage Valley to Whittier, AK. The one way tunnel allows traffic to move east towards Whitter on the half hour so we needed to be in line by 9:30. The traffic moves from Whittier to Portage Valley on the hour. This 2.5 mile tunnel is the longest in North America and has a speed limit of 25 MPH. Trains also use this tunnel when scheduled on the 15 and 45 minute marks.
We got to Whittier around 10:00, parked our pickup (for $5), and check in with our cruise line to get our tickets. It sprinkled on and off during our walk around the town. Boarding for the glacier cruise was 11:45. This gave us ample time to roam Whittier and get some photos. Whittier has a permanent population just over 100 persons. However, Whittier has 1/3 of all goods and products brought into Alaska go through its port, so it is a happening place. Container trucks and freight trains haul the materials through the tunnel to the interior of Alaska.
Fishing is also big in Whittier. Many, many fishing ships are bearthed in the town’s harbor. The town also has some small, touristy shops and restaurants. There appears to be only one hotel (inn) for visitors to stay in. The locals live in a 14 story apartment building as there really is not a lot of room for other homes as the mountains leave little space in this part of Prince William Sound.
At 11:45 we board our cruise ship, the Fairweather II. We had assigned seats at a table since we had signed up for the all you can eat salmon and prime rib (from OMAHA, NE) dinner. (The boat crew made a really big deal about the fact that we were eating Omaha prime rib!) We shared the table with a young couple from Kansas City, MO. They were very friendly and easy to visit with. They mentioned they had a good time with us, also.
The cruise lasted 5.5 hours, and we were hosted by a ranger with the National Forest Service who spoke about various sights and history along the way. We saw eagles, sea otters, and a bird rookery. But we also saw many, many glaciers. The tour featured the Surprise Glacier which was beautifully colored. It had an area of ice that had a very deep blue color indicating it was extremely old. And, we were treated to this glacier’s calving where a section of it breaks away and falls into the water. Not only was is fun to see, but the sound of it breaking away was like cannon fire!
When we returned to Whittier, we drove back through the tunnel and went on to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Orphaned animals are brought to the center to be cared for. Most are not able to be returned to the wild. We saw moose, musk oxen, elk, black and brown bears, and both bison and Wood bison, along with black tail deer and caribou.
Since we were below a 1/2 tank of fuel we drove the 10 miles back up the Seward Highway to Girdwook, AK. We filled the tank and then realizing it was about 7:30 p.m. decided to find a pizzeria. Peggy had noted that there was a place called “Chairs 5”. We found the place which must be quite popular as there were many people there. We ordered their signature deep dish pizza, and yes, it was very good.
From there is was time for this old couple to make the drive back to the campground, copy the photos onto the computer and edit them, and to put the day’s post for the blog together in a text editor before we forgot what had transpired during this busy day!
June 18, Wasilla to Portage Glacier Valley
June 18 We woke up at 7:00 a.m. before our alarms. We must be anxious to get on the road. We had breakfast and packed up our site at Matanuska Air Service and were on the way about 9:20. It had been extremely windy during the night, and it continued as we were leaving.
Before we left we visited with Grant who had just received a shipment of new plane floats. He said a plane would be coming soon from Healy, a town near Denali NP about 100 miles away. About that time a plane flew overhead, and he said that was the plane. The wind was still gusting at a very high rate. Grant’s phone rang, and it was the plane calling to say they were turning around and going back as the winds were too strong and erratic to chance a landing at the adjacent air field.
Once on the road the northeast winds blowing down the Matanuska Valley seemed to have subsided. At least once we made the turn to the southwest on the Glenn Highway heading to Anchorage they were on our tail.
We navigated through Anchorage fine and soon were on the Seward Highway. The Seward takes you along the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet. Supposedly Captain Cook when exploring the Cook Inlet thought the Turnagain Arm would lead to Prince William Sound. Since it did not, he had to turn around again...thus its name.
We stopped at several pull offs for photos. The Turnagain Arm was nearing low tide and so the mud flats were very visible. You could see the outgoing current rushing out to the Cook Inlet. Just beyond Girdwood, AK, we made our left turn onto the Portage Glacier Valley Hwy. A short time later we pulled into the Portage Glacier Valley Cabins and RV Park. The entire trip took less than 2 hours to drive.
We stopped at several pull offs for photos. The Turnagain Arm was nearing low tide and so the mud flats were very visible. You could see the outgoing current rushing out to the Cook Inlet. Just beyond Girdwood, AK, we made our left turn onto the Portage Glacier Valley Hwy. A short time later we pulled into the Portage Glacier Valley Cabins and RV Park. The entire trip took less than 2 hours to drive.
We set up our camp, ate lunch, and then started down the Hwy to the Begish, Boggs Visitor Center run by the National Forest Service. It is named after 2 Congressmen who died in a plane crash in the area years ago. We watched a good video program about Alaska, its heritage, and the changing climate. They also had several nice displays on wildlife and glaciers.
Probably the most striking thing about the Visitors Center is that it is on Portage Lake which is fed by three Glaciers. There were icebergs floating in the lake and made for a very picturesque scene.
We then drove to the entrance to the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. We will be driving through this tunnel tomorrow to get to Whittier, AK. The tunnel at 2.5 miles is the longest in North America. The tunnel runs one way and switches directions on the half hour. It will cost us $12 to drive our pickup through it round trip.
We then had a cold drink at the little cafe/gift shop near the Visitors Center. Afterwards we drove to the trailhead for the Byron Glacier. It was a good trail and a rather easy walk. We only walked maybe 0.9 of the 1 mile total as the last bit was still snow covered. We got some photos of the glacier, and I shot a video with my iPhone.
We made a couple of short stops along the highway back to our campground. One stop was along Portage Valley Creek and the other was a photo op of the Explorer Glacier.
The wind in this valley blew all day. One nice thing about the wind is that it keeps the mosquitoes away. We grilled pork chops for supper while admiring the views. The campground itself is nothing special. It is a hard packed gravel parking lot with electrical posts in rows for the RVs. But the views really make this a very nice place. There are a couple of National Forest campgrounds nearby, but with all the trees, they certainly would not have the mountain views that we have, and we've heard that the trees block the wind which mean they have lots of moquitoes.
Monday, June 17, 2013
June 17, Wasilla
June 17 This is the second day in a row for running the AC. Temps in the low to mid 80's here, but there is absolutely no breeze and relatively high humidity. But...we're still lovin' it here!
We had chores to do today to prep for our departure for Whittier and the Portage Glacier valley. I finally located a replacement trailer tire and had it mounted on the rim. Came home (to our trailer) and took off the spare. I had borrowed a tube of silicone caulk from Grant to see if I can seal off a leak near the kitchen counter which allows dust to come in when we are going down the road. Happens to be on the same side as where the bad tire was. Hope I filled in any gaps! I then put on the new tire and put the spare back in its holder. Peggy went grocery shopping as I guess we still have to eat.
I hadn't heard back from the banker in Brookings, SD, about renewing my POA for my dad. I called his assistant who took the initiative to email me the renewal affidavit as an attachment. We then went to the Ink Spot, a Kinkos like store here in Wasilla, with the pdf on a flash drive and had it printed out. Luckily they had a notary in the store so I could sign it and have it notarized. They then scanned that document into a pdf and put it on the flash drive. Back to our camper we went and emailed the new pdf back to the bank. Whew!
Since our camper has AC and Grant and Debby's house does not (no one does up here), we invited them over to our trailer for late afternoon drinks and snacks. We had a good time visiting. Even thought we see them a lot, there is never a lack of conversation and laughs.
Caught on TV some of the CWS game between Indiana and Mississippi State. Hoping Indiana can make a come back (only because U of Nebraska is in the Big 10 Conference). Update- Mississippi St. wins...
I don't think we will have Internet nor cell phone coverage for areas we will be visiting the remainder of the week, so don't be surprised if the blog isn't being updated. (OK, OK, ...I think I just heard lots of sighs of relief!!)
I'm anxious to travel the Seward Highway which has been recognized as one of the most scenic drives in North America. Even though we leave that highway to take the Portage Glacier Road tomorrow, we will drive the remainder of the Seward later this summer when we go to Homer, the farthest south place you can drive to on the Kenai Peninsula. Even my navigator must be pumped about this trip because she has been reading about places we'll see along the way. And I have to admit...I'm pumped, too!
A friend and former colleague of mine, Kim Nielsen, has posted some great photos of his visit to Rocky Mt. National Park on FaceBook. Shelly, our daughter, and her family will be there after the 4th of July. I don't know what it is exactly, but anyone from the flatlands of the Midwest loves to look at pictures of mountains. The only thing that may be better is actually being there!
We had chores to do today to prep for our departure for Whittier and the Portage Glacier valley. I finally located a replacement trailer tire and had it mounted on the rim. Came home (to our trailer) and took off the spare. I had borrowed a tube of silicone caulk from Grant to see if I can seal off a leak near the kitchen counter which allows dust to come in when we are going down the road. Happens to be on the same side as where the bad tire was. Hope I filled in any gaps! I then put on the new tire and put the spare back in its holder. Peggy went grocery shopping as I guess we still have to eat.
I hadn't heard back from the banker in Brookings, SD, about renewing my POA for my dad. I called his assistant who took the initiative to email me the renewal affidavit as an attachment. We then went to the Ink Spot, a Kinkos like store here in Wasilla, with the pdf on a flash drive and had it printed out. Luckily they had a notary in the store so I could sign it and have it notarized. They then scanned that document into a pdf and put it on the flash drive. Back to our camper we went and emailed the new pdf back to the bank. Whew!
Since our camper has AC and Grant and Debby's house does not (no one does up here), we invited them over to our trailer for late afternoon drinks and snacks. We had a good time visiting. Even thought we see them a lot, there is never a lack of conversation and laughs.
Caught on TV some of the CWS game between Indiana and Mississippi State. Hoping Indiana can make a come back (only because U of Nebraska is in the Big 10 Conference). Update- Mississippi St. wins...
I don't think we will have Internet nor cell phone coverage for areas we will be visiting the remainder of the week, so don't be surprised if the blog isn't being updated. (OK, OK, ...I think I just heard lots of sighs of relief!!)
I'm anxious to travel the Seward Highway which has been recognized as one of the most scenic drives in North America. Even though we leave that highway to take the Portage Glacier Road tomorrow, we will drive the remainder of the Seward later this summer when we go to Homer, the farthest south place you can drive to on the Kenai Peninsula. Even my navigator must be pumped about this trip because she has been reading about places we'll see along the way. And I have to admit...I'm pumped, too!
A friend and former colleague of mine, Kim Nielsen, has posted some great photos of his visit to Rocky Mt. National Park on FaceBook. Shelly, our daughter, and her family will be there after the 4th of July. I don't know what it is exactly, but anyone from the flatlands of the Midwest loves to look at pictures of mountains. The only thing that may be better is actually being there!
Sunday, June 16, 2013
June 16, Father's Day in Wasilla
June 16 Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! We had a nice, relaxing day. It started with Peggy making pancakes. At 9:00 a.m. here I started watching the NASCAR sprint cup race in Michigan on TV. From there we watched the College World Series. Since Alaska is 3 hours behind Central Daylight Time, most shows, especially sports, come on extra early. Peggy also baked a batch of brownies! YUM!
Even though the weather is very nice today with the temps in the low 80ºs, it got quite hot in the camper to a point we had to start our AC. It's only the 2nd time I remember us using it since we left Omaha. We pretty much hunkered down in the camper watching TV with Peggy watching Miss USA at night.
We had a nice time Skyping with Shelly and our 2 granddaughters, Macy and Halle. It was fun to see and listen to what they've been doing. They even sang songs for us! I don't remember if I had blogged the fact that we had a video FaceTime session with Becky, Gabby, and Tyler about a week ago. It's always fun, even if it is live video, to see the grandkids!
I had cards to open today. The one card from Becky and Tyler had a mechanical bear on the inside which seemed appropriate since we had seen bears on the drive up the Alaska Hwy. and in Denali NP.
Tomorrow we make preps for our excursion to the Kenai Peninsula and the Whittier, Alaska, area. Peggy will need to get some groceries, and I hope to get a replacement trailer tire. If I don't, we have a new tire which was the spare on the trailer right now and can use the worn tire as the spare. It wouldn't be like we are without a spare that way. We're anxious to see a new area of Alaska. Everyone keeps reminding us how much they like the Kenai areas.
Since Grant and Debby did not leave this weekend, they gave Ginger the dog a bath. Debby's garden outside our camper window is growing! She had planted carrot seeds about 2 weeks ago, and they have sprouted. She also has broccoli, kale, and lettuce. There is also a row of raspberry plants between the garden and the hangar. I can't wait for the berries to ripen later in the summer! I still chuckle because Debby had offered the garden for Peggy and I to grow our own veggies. Neither of us have a green thumb so we had politely declined.
Even though the weather is very nice today with the temps in the low 80ºs, it got quite hot in the camper to a point we had to start our AC. It's only the 2nd time I remember us using it since we left Omaha. We pretty much hunkered down in the camper watching TV with Peggy watching Miss USA at night.
We had a nice time Skyping with Shelly and our 2 granddaughters, Macy and Halle. It was fun to see and listen to what they've been doing. They even sang songs for us! I don't remember if I had blogged the fact that we had a video FaceTime session with Becky, Gabby, and Tyler about a week ago. It's always fun, even if it is live video, to see the grandkids!
I had cards to open today. The one card from Becky and Tyler had a mechanical bear on the inside which seemed appropriate since we had seen bears on the drive up the Alaska Hwy. and in Denali NP.
Tomorrow we make preps for our excursion to the Kenai Peninsula and the Whittier, Alaska, area. Peggy will need to get some groceries, and I hope to get a replacement trailer tire. If I don't, we have a new tire which was the spare on the trailer right now and can use the worn tire as the spare. It wouldn't be like we are without a spare that way. We're anxious to see a new area of Alaska. Everyone keeps reminding us how much they like the Kenai areas.
Since Grant and Debby did not leave this weekend, they gave Ginger the dog a bath. Debby's garden outside our camper window is growing! She had planted carrot seeds about 2 weeks ago, and they have sprouted. She also has broccoli, kale, and lettuce. There is also a row of raspberry plants between the garden and the hangar. I can't wait for the berries to ripen later in the summer! I still chuckle because Debby had offered the garden for Peggy and I to grow our own veggies. Neither of us have a green thumb so we had politely declined.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
June 15, Wasilla
June 15 Broken record time...another beautiful weather day in Wasilla- high of 73º and clear to partly cloudy skies.
I've noticed that one of our trailer tires is wearing irregularly with a couple of flat spots on its outside tread. I'm guessing this tire either lost a wheel weight and is out of balance, or it might have a slipped belt. Anyway, I replaced this worn tire with our brand new spare. I've contacted several tire stores in the Wasilla area. They are to get back to me about getting a replacement tire mounted.
I had called one tire shop in Wasilla, and they said they had 1 trailer tire of the size we needed in stock. I had them put a hold on that tire, and said I would be in right after lunch. When I got there they had no record of my call nor did they have the tire I needed in stock. Grrrr! Thus I made connections with other tire shops.
Grant has a nice collection of firearms. He also has a good collection of what I call working, lever action, antique rifles. He showed us 4 rifles that were manufactured in the 1890's and early 1900's. A couple of these rifles he still uses for bear and moose hunting. He also showed us a pistol that belong to his grandfather manufactured around 1872!
Being from Nebraska, I didn't appreciate the need for firearms in Alaska. Grant had to shoot a black bear that was trying to break into a window on their house at night just a few years ago. And as I mentioned in an earlier post, most Alaskans do not go into the wilderness unless they are armed for their own protection from bears and moose. Both animals' populations are large, and they do pose threats to people. When we were in Denali a week ago, you might remember that Grant and Debby had a moose jump the fence surrounding their house and hangar areas. Fortunately, they were able to open the gate, and it moved on before doing any more damage other than breaking the top three strands of barbed wire on their fence.
Peggy and I talked about where we might take our next adventures. We've decided to head down a short ways on the Kenai Peninsula to Whittier, AK, just southeast of Anchorage. We will be camped on the Portage side of the mountains as there is a very long tunnel that must be taken to get to Whittier on the Prince William Sound. The longer your vehicle and trailer, the greater the charge to go through the tunnel. Camping in the Portage area will mean we only pay for our truck to go through the tunnel.
We have also made reservations for a 5 and 1/2 hour glacier cruise out of Whittier to see the Surprise Glacier and the surrounding marine environment. It is claimed that we could see whales (very cool!) and other marine mammals like seals and sea otters. Another big selling point on this cruise is that they also have a salmon/prime rib buffet! Needless, we are looking forward to going south with our first trip to the Kenai.
Other activities on the upcoming week's trip could include hikes, a wildlife sanctuary, and an aerial tram ride to overlook the Portage Glacier valley. We will leave Tuesday, June 18, and be back in Wasilla sometime the following Saturday.
Peggy and I have been getting a taste of home by watching the College World Series on TV. Hopefully the weather holds for the tournament, and there are no storms.
Grant and Debby sold their "tug" boat to the neighbors across the street from them. Grant said that he was glad to sell it to them as they have 2 young kids who will appreciate it and a young dad who has the energy to maintain it. I'm glad Peggy and I got to ride on it when we did.
I've noticed that one of our trailer tires is wearing irregularly with a couple of flat spots on its outside tread. I'm guessing this tire either lost a wheel weight and is out of balance, or it might have a slipped belt. Anyway, I replaced this worn tire with our brand new spare. I've contacted several tire stores in the Wasilla area. They are to get back to me about getting a replacement tire mounted.
I had called one tire shop in Wasilla, and they said they had 1 trailer tire of the size we needed in stock. I had them put a hold on that tire, and said I would be in right after lunch. When I got there they had no record of my call nor did they have the tire I needed in stock. Grrrr! Thus I made connections with other tire shops.
Grant has a nice collection of firearms. He also has a good collection of what I call working, lever action, antique rifles. He showed us 4 rifles that were manufactured in the 1890's and early 1900's. A couple of these rifles he still uses for bear and moose hunting. He also showed us a pistol that belong to his grandfather manufactured around 1872!
Being from Nebraska, I didn't appreciate the need for firearms in Alaska. Grant had to shoot a black bear that was trying to break into a window on their house at night just a few years ago. And as I mentioned in an earlier post, most Alaskans do not go into the wilderness unless they are armed for their own protection from bears and moose. Both animals' populations are large, and they do pose threats to people. When we were in Denali a week ago, you might remember that Grant and Debby had a moose jump the fence surrounding their house and hangar areas. Fortunately, they were able to open the gate, and it moved on before doing any more damage other than breaking the top three strands of barbed wire on their fence.
Peggy and I talked about where we might take our next adventures. We've decided to head down a short ways on the Kenai Peninsula to Whittier, AK, just southeast of Anchorage. We will be camped on the Portage side of the mountains as there is a very long tunnel that must be taken to get to Whittier on the Prince William Sound. The longer your vehicle and trailer, the greater the charge to go through the tunnel. Camping in the Portage area will mean we only pay for our truck to go through the tunnel.
We have also made reservations for a 5 and 1/2 hour glacier cruise out of Whittier to see the Surprise Glacier and the surrounding marine environment. It is claimed that we could see whales (very cool!) and other marine mammals like seals and sea otters. Another big selling point on this cruise is that they also have a salmon/prime rib buffet! Needless, we are looking forward to going south with our first trip to the Kenai.
Other activities on the upcoming week's trip could include hikes, a wildlife sanctuary, and an aerial tram ride to overlook the Portage Glacier valley. We will leave Tuesday, June 18, and be back in Wasilla sometime the following Saturday.
Peggy and I have been getting a taste of home by watching the College World Series on TV. Hopefully the weather holds for the tournament, and there are no storms.
Grant and Debby sold their "tug" boat to the neighbors across the street from them. Grant said that he was glad to sell it to them as they have 2 young kids who will appreciate it and a young dad who has the energy to maintain it. I'm glad Peggy and I got to ride on it when we did.
Monday, June 10, 2013
June 9-14, Wasilla
June 9 Today was our first official day as property caretakers as Grant and Debby flew out to their cabin. I washed the trailer and then went to Lowe's to get a hose and wiring for our holding tanks' macerator pump which we then used. Peggy stayed behind as we have chosen to not leave the property unattended.
All in all it was a quiet, relaxing day. Peggy cared for Joey the cat, and watered the garden and flowers planted around the property. She also gave me a hair cut, the first since we left Omaha. We took a walk around the neighborhood around 9:00 p.m. with the sun still brightly shining.
We have noticed a significant increase in mosquitoes since our return from Denali. It was inevitable, but it had been pleasant outdoors without them.
June 10 Not much new to add. Another nice weather day in the Mat-Su Valley! Peggy went to the laundromat this morning. I stayed (whew) on the premises as we are expecting a client to bring in a Cessna to be converted from wheels/snow skis to floats.
Had lunch and then washed the pickup. Afterward, I took an empty LP tank to be filled. Peggy exercised Joey the cat during which the Cessna showed up. Peggy and I opened the gate to let the plane in and directed the pilot where to park it. Afterwards we watered the flowers and the garden.
This evening we watched TV and then went for our nightly walk. Tomorrow Grant and Debby should return from their stay at their cabin.
Forgot to mention that my 95 year old father has had some health issues lately. As a result he has been moved from assisted living to a nursing care facility. We are fortunate that my sister is a retired RN and has been with him to see to his care. I am indebted to her for her help for dad, her expertise, and the fact that she lives about 500 miles away from him so has not been at home much.
June 11 Grant and Debby flew back from their cabin around 7:30 this morning. We visited with them about their good time out there. Grant was busy getting planes prepped today for their summer on the water.
Peggy's cell phone's screen took a dump. It is psychedelic looking. Reluctantly, she called Verizon only to find out it is covered under the 1 year warranty! A new cell phone is being shipped to her. She's relieved to not have to pay for a replacement since we thought the screen was not covered, and we hadn't taken out insurance. To celebrate, we went out for pizza! WooHoo!!
Our evening walk was nearly cancelled by a 15 minute rain shower. However, by 9:00 it was over, and we walked a new part of the neighborhood seeking a new route to the ice cream shop about 1/2 mile away. We found our way, but the shop closes to counter customers at 8:00. After that it is drive-thru only. We were bummed. I suppose Peggy could have ridden on my shoulders to see if they would serve us.
The mosquitoes were quite ravenous on our walk. We probably lost a little weight through our blood donations to the little suckers! If there is a breeze they are not present. We need some Nebraska wind up here.
June 12 Another nice weather day here. We did some shopping and then drove part way on the South Knik- Goose Bay Road which parallels the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. There are several places along it to visit. We may drive this again and stop at things like the Iditarod Museum. We also found that the price for fuel in the area was 15-19 cents cheaper so filled up the pickup with diesel for $3.99.
Since we didn't get an ice cream last evening we did the drive-thru. YUM!
At the end of the work day for Grant, we joined him and Debby for a cold drink. Ahhh! It's very relaxing and fun here, and we continue to count our blessing for having this opportunity to stay with them. I see that AARP has placed Alaska in a tie for 2nd place as a worst state to retire in. The harsh climate and high cost of living are given as reasons why. Fortunately we haven't really experienced the harsh climate, but there is a higher price for goods here but not what we would consider out of line for any other high traffic vacation area in the lower 48 states.
June 13 Peggy woke up this morning not feeling quite good, so she lazed around until noon when she perked up and asked, "Where do you want to go?"...a good sign. We jumped in the truck and headed out on the Knik Rd/Goose Bay Rd.
Our first stop was at the Iditarod Visitors Center/Headquarters where we watched a movie about the Iditarod Dog Sled Race. The road from the Iditarod led us to the Lake Lucille State Park. A short walk to the lake from the parking lot resulted in us getting bit and pestered by mosquitoes. We then drove to the Palmer Hay Flats Wildlife Refuge where a short hike took us to an overlook of the tidal flats of the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet. From there we continued to the old town site of Knik and on to the end of the road at the Goose Bay Airport.
On the way back towards Wasilla, we turned west and headed to the Little Susitna River Wildlife Refuge, a popular fishing location. We were to pay $5 for the entrance fee, but the gatekeeper let us in for nothing as the river is at near flood stage and very muddy. This has prevented any fishing for king salmon there. He said to come back in a week or two and the river will be down, running more clear, and the fishing should be good. He also recommend we stop at a Wasilla tackle shop to find out what the fish are biting on.
This was a good afternoon of exploration. We learned more about sled dogs and mushing, and got some insight into salmon fishing. Peggy seems to have made a good recovery from her morning ailment.
Peggy is a happier girl now. Her new phone came in the mail and has been activated. That's the good news. However, Alaska is all non-Verizon so connections are roaming on the Alaska cell system. Verizon data is not transferrable through it so she is not able to download her contacts. Guess I know what she'll be doing over the next day or two!
My phone keeps beeping with weather watches and now a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the Omaha area. Hope everyone back home stays safe!
All in all it was a quiet, relaxing day. Peggy cared for Joey the cat, and watered the garden and flowers planted around the property. She also gave me a hair cut, the first since we left Omaha. We took a walk around the neighborhood around 9:00 p.m. with the sun still brightly shining.
We have noticed a significant increase in mosquitoes since our return from Denali. It was inevitable, but it had been pleasant outdoors without them.
June 10 Not much new to add. Another nice weather day in the Mat-Su Valley! Peggy went to the laundromat this morning. I stayed (whew) on the premises as we are expecting a client to bring in a Cessna to be converted from wheels/snow skis to floats.
Had lunch and then washed the pickup. Afterward, I took an empty LP tank to be filled. Peggy exercised Joey the cat during which the Cessna showed up. Peggy and I opened the gate to let the plane in and directed the pilot where to park it. Afterwards we watered the flowers and the garden.
This evening we watched TV and then went for our nightly walk. Tomorrow Grant and Debby should return from their stay at their cabin.
Forgot to mention that my 95 year old father has had some health issues lately. As a result he has been moved from assisted living to a nursing care facility. We are fortunate that my sister is a retired RN and has been with him to see to his care. I am indebted to her for her help for dad, her expertise, and the fact that she lives about 500 miles away from him so has not been at home much.
June 11 Grant and Debby flew back from their cabin around 7:30 this morning. We visited with them about their good time out there. Grant was busy getting planes prepped today for their summer on the water.
Peggy's cell phone's screen took a dump. It is psychedelic looking. Reluctantly, she called Verizon only to find out it is covered under the 1 year warranty! A new cell phone is being shipped to her. She's relieved to not have to pay for a replacement since we thought the screen was not covered, and we hadn't taken out insurance. To celebrate, we went out for pizza! WooHoo!!
Our evening walk was nearly cancelled by a 15 minute rain shower. However, by 9:00 it was over, and we walked a new part of the neighborhood seeking a new route to the ice cream shop about 1/2 mile away. We found our way, but the shop closes to counter customers at 8:00. After that it is drive-thru only. We were bummed. I suppose Peggy could have ridden on my shoulders to see if they would serve us.
The mosquitoes were quite ravenous on our walk. We probably lost a little weight through our blood donations to the little suckers! If there is a breeze they are not present. We need some Nebraska wind up here.
June 12 Another nice weather day here. We did some shopping and then drove part way on the South Knik- Goose Bay Road which parallels the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. There are several places along it to visit. We may drive this again and stop at things like the Iditarod Museum. We also found that the price for fuel in the area was 15-19 cents cheaper so filled up the pickup with diesel for $3.99.
Since we didn't get an ice cream last evening we did the drive-thru. YUM!
At the end of the work day for Grant, we joined him and Debby for a cold drink. Ahhh! It's very relaxing and fun here, and we continue to count our blessing for having this opportunity to stay with them. I see that AARP has placed Alaska in a tie for 2nd place as a worst state to retire in. The harsh climate and high cost of living are given as reasons why. Fortunately we haven't really experienced the harsh climate, but there is a higher price for goods here but not what we would consider out of line for any other high traffic vacation area in the lower 48 states.
June 13 Peggy woke up this morning not feeling quite good, so she lazed around until noon when she perked up and asked, "Where do you want to go?"...a good sign. We jumped in the truck and headed out on the Knik Rd/Goose Bay Rd.
Our first stop was at the Iditarod Visitors Center/Headquarters where we watched a movie about the Iditarod Dog Sled Race. The road from the Iditarod led us to the Lake Lucille State Park. A short walk to the lake from the parking lot resulted in us getting bit and pestered by mosquitoes. We then drove to the Palmer Hay Flats Wildlife Refuge where a short hike took us to an overlook of the tidal flats of the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet. From there we continued to the old town site of Knik and on to the end of the road at the Goose Bay Airport.
On the way back towards Wasilla, we turned west and headed to the Little Susitna River Wildlife Refuge, a popular fishing location. We were to pay $5 for the entrance fee, but the gatekeeper let us in for nothing as the river is at near flood stage and very muddy. This has prevented any fishing for king salmon there. He said to come back in a week or two and the river will be down, running more clear, and the fishing should be good. He also recommend we stop at a Wasilla tackle shop to find out what the fish are biting on.
This was a good afternoon of exploration. We learned more about sled dogs and mushing, and got some insight into salmon fishing. Peggy seems to have made a good recovery from her morning ailment.
June 14 Whoa! My phone rings at about 8:30 this morning...I way over slept...and it was my fishing buddies Bob Jenkins and John Thomsen on the phone. They are part of the annual fishing crew that I'm usually a part of. They are in Minnesota fishing and called to say "Hi!". Wish there was a way to will that cast of characters up here to Alaska so we all could go halibut and salmon fishing together.
We've decided that the Wasilla Chamber of Commerce should hire Peggy and I to be in charge of the weather. I guess this 70º and sunny weather we're having is somewhat unusual as it can be much cooler and rainy. An Anchorage TV news station is even starting to count the number of days they have been at or above 70º!
We've decided that the Wasilla Chamber of Commerce should hire Peggy and I to be in charge of the weather. I guess this 70º and sunny weather we're having is somewhat unusual as it can be much cooler and rainy. An Anchorage TV news station is even starting to count the number of days they have been at or above 70º!
Peggy called Lisa Carleton, who is a sister to Jolene Johnson. Jolene and Peggy worked together at Paddock Rd Elementary School for several years. Lisa has lived here in Wasilla for about 7 years. She was nice enough to come and pick Peggy and I up and take us to the Noisy Goose in nearby Palmer, AK, for lunch. It was fun visiting with her about her family and about living in Alaska. It seems no one up here ever gets tired of the scenery and wildlife. And yes, Jolene, she gave us the inside scoop on you, so we have the goods on you now! :o)
Peggy and I have the rest of today and the weekend to loaf about as Grant and Debby have decided to stay and not go to their cabin. Life is so hard on us up here!
I took another picture of Anderson Lake with the Talkeetna Mts in the background. It is amazing how they have changed since we arrived here. Here is a picture taken around Memorial Day compared to today's photo.
Memorial Day Weekend
June 14
Peggy is a happier girl now. Her new phone came in the mail and has been activated. That's the good news. However, Alaska is all non-Verizon so connections are roaming on the Alaska cell system. Verizon data is not transferrable through it so she is not able to download her contacts. Guess I know what she'll be doing over the next day or two!
My phone keeps beeping with weather watches and now a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the Omaha area. Hope everyone back home stays safe!
Saturday, June 8, 2013
June 8, Denali NP to Wasilla
June 8 Peggy and I got up at 7:00 and started packing up the camper. We were on our way out of the campground about 8:30. We drove the 29 miles from the Teklanika Campground to the Riley area to check out the Denali clothing. Either they never have much in stock or they hadn’t gotten this season’s delivery yet as the pickings were very slim. Hopefully we can find a store in Anchorage that has some Denali NP wares.
As we left the park I felt pretty good about our 4 day stay to a point where I felt I was quite over-reactive about the 1st day we were here. The resulting wildlife viewing was fantastic, and even not seeing the summit of Mt. McKinley wasn’t that disappointing.
As we drove south towards Wasilla we kept looking to the southwest and then west looking for McKinley. But the clouds were forever present. However, about 50 miles south of the park entrance I happened to look west and there was a glowing white dome- Mt. McKinley! Peggy attempted some shots of it on the go and of course there weren’t any immediate pull-offs to use.
We came upon the Alaska State Memorial Park dedicated to war dead. We pulled in, and sticking above the clouds was the lower north peak and wrapped in a thin veil of clouds was the higher south peak of Denali! It towered above the surrounding mountain peaks because of it's being nearly a mile higher. And the sun shining from the east made the mountain top almost glow.
We shot several pictures and hoped that they come out. At the state park we met the host who comes up from Alabama every summer. He was very friendly and said we should of been there yesterday as you could see the entire mountain from the state park’s vantage point.
We drove on and arrived in Wasilla around 2:30. We visited with Grant and Debby who will be leaving for their cabin in the morning. Peggy and I now will start earning our keep as property caretakers.
June 7, Denali National Park
June 7 The day started with the same routine as yesterday- up at 8:00 to start the generator and the coffee perking...dripping. Bacon and french toast was served by the chef extraordinaire (a.k.a. Peggy!). The plan will be to again take the shuttle up to Eielson the furthest point the buses go to find out if we can see all of Mt McKinley, also known as Denali.
The morning was partly cloudy with a chance of showers again and the clouds have been building since we’ve been up. I’m not overly optimistic that Denali’s summit will be seen by us. But, there is always the chance of seeing wildlife which is a big draw for us. The fact that we have seen grizzly bears has made coming to Denali worthwhile. These are the first digital photos of a grizzly I’ve ever taken showing a full view of them.
Since it was overcast during the morning again, Peggy and I decided to catch an afternoon shuttle in hope things would clear up. This gave us morning time for me to edit yesterday’s iPhotos and for Peggy to do some cleaning up and reading.
We then went for a walk around the campground and ended up on the river’s stream bed hiking. We went down stream quite a ways and used my iPhone to shoot some videos and use the panorama photo feature. To me, the panoramic photos had less than acceptable results which I chalk up to user error. The videos of the braided streams of the Teklanika River turned out pretty well if I do say so myself.
We ate a light lunch and loaded our backpack for the afternoon shuttle ride up to the Eielson Visitors Center in hopes of seeing Mt McKinley. However, clouds are everywhere with on and off sprinkles.
The shuttle ride up is fairly nondescript. We did see one grizzly in a far off riverbed about 1/2 mile away. There were some Dall Sheep high up on a couple of mountainsides. The closest wildlife we saw were 5 Caribou along the road.
And yes, Denali was covered in clouds. We took our shuttle 35 minutes later back to our campground. We grilled our dinner and then had our last campfire in Denali NP.
Temps here have run in the 50’s-low 60’s for highs, and about 40º for nightly lows. But it is the persistent clouds throughout the summer that makes it nearly impossible to see the summit of McKinley. And it’s like fishing, you should have been here last week. Ya’, right!
Staying at Teklanika Campground has been different. You are sequestered with your vehicle. You can drive into the campground, park, and your vehicle stays put until you are scheduled to leave the campground. Your only other transportation is the shuttle. And, if you go back to the park entrance area you must by another shuttle ticket to get back. As long as you only go from your campground west on the shuttle and back can you reuse your original shuttle ticket. That’s just the way it is here.
And to a point, I can see why no private vehicles can use the Park Road. Farther up the mountains the road is one lane with no guard rails. I could see a distracted driver having his car go off a cliff and plummet 1/2 mile down mostly straight down.
Denali’s wildlife is worth the effort to come. We’ve seen grizzly bears, caribou, moose, fox, and ptarmigan. Of all the hundreds of square miles of park and wilderness preserve, you only see such a very small fraction. The only mild distraction is not seeing Mt. McKinley. Maybe another time!
June 6, Denali National Park
June 6 Since we do not have an assigned departure time for catching the shuttle bus, Peggy and I were able to sleep in for a while longer than usual. However, I forced myself up at 8:00 so I can do my morning routine- starting the generator. Run times for generators in this campground is from 8-10:00 a.m. and 4-8:00 p.m. And the generator needs to run to recharge the RV’s batteries and to brew my coffee!
After a breakfast of french toast and sausage, Peggy and I loaded light packs and started off on a hike leading from the campground on a trail that looked to lead to a high point of land overlooking the Teklanika River. After about a 30 minute hike, we had ascended this overlook with a good view both up and down the river valley and the surrounding mountains.
After taking pictures we decided to follow the river’s braided stream bed back to the campground. Of course your’s truly misstepped on a rock which then submerged me up to my lower shin bone in icy cold water! And even though my hiking shoes have Goretex, it doesn’t prevent the water from going over the top and into the shoe! Brrrr! :o)
We walked the gravelly river bottom back to the campsite. I changed into dry socks, we ate some lunch, and decided to try and catch the 1:10 shuttle for another ride up to the Eileson Visitors Center. It is still cloudy so the chance of seeing Mt McKinley is not very good, but the opportunity to see wildlife is still available.
The 1:10 shuttle was only a few minutes behind schedule. And guess what?? No nazis today!! Chuck was the driver and there were only about 15 people on the bus. Peggy and I each got a window seat. On the drive towards Eielson we saw 3 more grizzlies, several Dall Sheep, some of which were right next to the road, a male ptarmigan, and 2 red foxes, which were unbelievably close. You’ll have to look at the photos for today to appreciate how near they were.
We arrived at Eielson about 4:00. The Visitor Center is good for mountain views, the displays inside, but especially for great views of Mt. McKinley. Yesterday was a total bomb in that regard, but today we were able to identify the northern flank of Mt. McKinley. The summit was clouded in, but just having the opportunity to see even the sides of Mt. McKinley was worth the drive up.
Coming back from Eielson we saw another grizzly, and we picked up several hikers. Four of the hikers were maybe in their upper 60’s or lower 70’s and live in the area. One might be a park ranger as does campfire programs. Anyway, every year, they walk the entire length of the Park Road, about 92 miles! Tomorrow they will start walking from the point they were picked up by the shuttle bus today.
We got back to our campsite about 7:00. We had only eaten a very light lunch and were hungry. We fixed our dinner instead of attending the 7:30 campfire program. This also gave me some time to write down our thoughts and upload today’s photos to iPhoto.
So, after my gloom and doom thoughts yesterday about how the park chooses to transport visitors around, today has changed my mood. You just have to pick the time you want to use the shuttles. If you want to get somewhere as early as possible you take the morning shuttles knowing they will be full and stopping points will be crowded.
For me, I really preferred today’s afternoon shuttle which had much fewer people to contend with. Chuck, the driver, was more than patient with stopping the bus for wildlife photos, even to the point of turning off the bus. He waited until everyone was satisfied with getting the photos they wanted before going on. Yes, Denali NP is something special. Maybe tomorrow we’ll see the summit of Mt McKinley. The third time (day) is charmed, you know!
June 5, Denali National Park
June 5 We had tickets for the day guaranteeing us a ride on a shuttle bus up to the last stop on the Park Road at Eielson Visitors Center which is at mile marker 66, or about 37 miles up the Park Road from our campground.
We got up around 7:30, ate breakfast and packed our backpack and fanny pack for the day. We were at the bus pickup point at 9:40 along with several others from our campground.
The bus prior to our 10:10 departure time was late arriving. Since they had the space Peggy and I boarded this bus and off we went. The bus holds 100 people and it was full. The first stop is at a rest area and 4 other buses are there. Talk about a cattle call! UGH!
The driver gave us 10 minutes to do our business which meant that those who had to use the restroom had to stand in line waiting. After 10 minutes it was all aboard and off we went again. The driver did a nice job of describing various things regarding the park, mountains, and animals. We did see Dall Sheep as we drove farther into the park.
It was terribly overcast with a prediction for rain. The mountain peaks were obscured in low clouds and it rained on and off. After about 45 minutes of slow mountain driving we came to another rest stop which had 5 other buses at it! That meant 600 people trying to do their business. WOW! It was a super sized cattle call. I was disappointed and fairly upset with how a National Park could coordinate such a mishandling of masses people. But the bus driver was generous- 15 minutes to do your business.
Then off we rushed in the bus. As we rounded a bend there was a river valley to the left and there it was, a grizzly bear. You could clearly tell what it was even though I estimated it to be maybe 1/2 mile away. The driver stopped but you could not leave the bus, so down go the windows and everyone simultaneously tries to get pictures of the bear. Fortunately most everyone was willing to let others have a turn at a window except the guy in front of me. He was the Window Nazi! (You know him...not from my window your not!)
And, Peggy and I could not sit together because we were about the last 2 on the bus. The seat left for me was, well, half a seat because of a very rotund man who did not like the fact that he no longer had 2 seats to himself. He was the Seat Nazi! You know the kind...takes up so much space you have to sit in the aisle seat with one cheek on and one cheek off. In fact, when he reboarded the bus he sat on my seat belt and quickly fastened his so that I could not put mine on, and God knows I wasn’t going to reach under his you-know-what to pull my half of seat belt out from under him.
We saw another grizzly on a hillside digging. He must have been after a ground squirrel. I got some fairly good shots especially after the driver moved the bus on down the roadside to get us closer. Even the Window Nazi was not a bother as others let me shoot from their window.
About 3/4 of the way to the Eielson Visitors Center the Window Nazi and his wife requested to get off the bus as they wanted to hike the Fish Creek trail. The driver pulled over and as they departed the bus, the Window Nazi asked the driver where is this trail exactly! Who would go traipsing out on the tundra not knowing where your starting from let alone where you’re going! And to top it all off, his wife was wearing sneekers! We never saw them again.
The good news in this is that as soon as they stood up and moved down the aisle, I grabbed their seats. Peggy who was 2 rows ahead of me joined me. Ah! Things are looking better. No more Seat or Window Nazi for me! And my seat partner is much better looking and more personable!
We arrive at the Visitors Center and walk around. You could see heavy rain approaching so Peggy and I went inside to look at the displays. And then another couple of buses arrived and so you are now standing shoulder to shoulder with a mass of humanity. Fortunately the rain eased up and Peggy and I put our rain coats to good use and walked on some of the shorter trails around the Center.
We were told that we were to sign up for a bus at the Visitors Center to return us to our campground- look for the man with a clipboard. As soon as we arrived at the Visitors Center we estimated we wanted to remain about and hour and a half. So, we found Mr. Clipboard and said we wanted to be put on the 2:30 bus. “You can’t request a bus for that time yet. Go do your walking around here and then come back.” Ah, Mr. Bus Nazi!
Fortunately, the Eielson Visitors Center is very nice and we got some photos, none of which show Mt McKinley as it was buried in clouds all day. But, Mother Nature is not a nazi!
About 2:00 we found the Bus Nazi and got our names on the list for the 2:30 bus, assuming there was room for us. If not, we would be bumped to the next bus leaving about 3:00. But, Peggy and I were about the last to get on the 2:30 bus, and we were even able to sit together!
This bus driver was good! He drove at a reasonable speed and did a very good job of commentating on the ride back to our campground. We got some closeup photos of Dall Sheep and then a lady spotted a grizzly running on a snow field in a river valley just below us. The Window Nazi and Seat Nazi were not on board this bus so everyone got reasonably good photos. And at the rest areas we were the only bus there!
We decided the best time to ride the shuttles was in the afternoon as it seemed most people do their touring in the park in the morning. And the fact that we saw 3 grizzly bears made what I considered a bad way to see a national park by bus all the more tolerable!
We got back to our campsite about 5:00 and fixed supper- grilled pork chops and baked potatoes. At 7:30 we went to the Range Program on wolverines, fox, and lynx and how they survive in the Park. We went back and had our campfire. However, this time I spiked the fire with a little diesel fuel. That seemed to do the trick to get the fire going, and we ended the evening on a most positive note.
Although I am not fond of the way the National Park Service runs attending Denali, it is still a special place to come to. If I were 40 years younger, I think I would backpack here as that would give you the freedom to have the time to absorb all that this park contains. With the shuttle system you never are given an opportunity along the way to really appreciate what you are seeing and experiencing because someone else is dictating the time to you. I don’t know how the other National Parks can allow travel within the park by personal vehicle and yet Denali does not. It’s just that I don’t like to be rushed when there is something special to loose yourself in- like the views and seeing wildlife.
June 4, Wasilla to Denali National Park
June 4 I don’t think either Peggy nor I slept very well last night. She mentioned she tossed and turned, and so did I. Maybe we were anxious to get on the road to Denali. Peggy had set her alarm for 6:00, but we both got up around 5:45.
We had breakfast and then started breaking our camp at the Chapman’s. We emptied our holding tanks again and were on the road at about 7:30. There is only 1 route to Denali National Park from Wasilla, Anchorage, or the Kenai Peninsula, and that is the George Parks Highway. It is about 200 miles from Wasilla to Denali.
We ran into rain just north of Willow. Willow is where the Iditarod Dog Sled Race begins. We drove in rain mostly all the way except for about the last 10 miles before you enter the National Park. We were following mountains both to the east and west of us, but the clouds were so low you couldn’t see much of them. We did see Caribou along the way as we went further north. You are able to see the east side of Mt McKinley from the George Parks Hwy, but it was socked in by clouds all day, too.
We stopped inside the park and picked up the necessary paperwork for our Teklanika Campground. This campground had the sites capable of holding up to a 40’ RV. At 35’ we would have been very cramped in the Riley Campground, the only other one really available to RVs. We also purchased 2 big bundles of wood for our campfires.
Teklanika is unique in that it is beyond the point that private cars can go on the Denali Park Road. The last point cars can go is Savage River which is 12 miles into the park. Teklanika is another 17 miles up the road. Just past Savage River we were stopped at a checkpoint to confirm our campground. Also, if you camp at Teklanika you must stay at least 3 days, and you can only drive your vehicle into the campground and then only on the day you are leaving the campground. So our pickup stays put for 4 days.
Shuttle buses are provided if you buy the ticket to use them. Tomorrow we have a ticket that will take us to about mile marker 66, the Eielson Visitor Center. The shuttles allow you to get on and off at various drop points along the route. We had been warned not to wait for the last available shuttle coming back, as there is not a guarantee that there would be space on it, anyway.
During the evening we attended a Ranger Campfire at the campground’s amphitheater on bird bill adaptations. The Ranger did a good presentation, keeping it both informative and enlightening.
Afterward, Peggy and I built a campfire with wood purchased at the park office. Debby had given us a bag of neat little devises to help light campfires. They were made of saw dust with tree pitch and a small amount of wax. They resembled coconut covered cookies. In fact, when Debby gave them to me, I went in our trailer and told Peggy that Debby had baked cookies and had given us some. I almost got her to take a bite out of one! That was my belly laugh for the day. But, these “cookies” do work to help get a fire started.
Unfortunately, the firewood was very damp, and I struggled to keep a good fire going. With some persistence we managed to have an enjoyable time.
Monday, June 3, 2013
June 3, Wasilla
June 3 Woke up to overcast skies but no rain. After breakfast I was on my way to take trash to the dumpster and ran into Grant. He wanted to know if I wanted to fly with him to his cabin. You bet! He did say that there would be a trade-off.
So off we flew for about 50 minutes northwest of Anderson Lake. I helped him get his dock squared away after the ice had pushed it up and over the pilings. It was a good way to test out my new chest waders. The cabin is really nice and sits on a very quiet lake. Grant showed me around and then it was time to fly back. I had a really great time! Grant pointed out moose on the flights, but I could only find one of them for sure.
We flew over a couple of rivers that were flooding because of the rapid snow melt last week. We saw a fishing resort that had 3 cabins washed away from the shore. I've included pictures of them.
While I was gone Peggy did laundry and bought groceries. This afternoon we went to an RV dealership to buy a replacement bubble level. One on our trailer was apparently broken by an errant stone when driving a on gravel road north of Carcross, YT. I did have a torpedo level in my tool box so we were able to manually level up the trailer. It's just easier to do it if there is a level attached to the camper that works.
We made preps for traveling to Denali NP tomorrow- filling our fresh water tank, checking tire pressures, etc. It will be about a 4 hour (200 miles) drive from here. Hope to get an early start in the morning.
So off we flew for about 50 minutes northwest of Anderson Lake. I helped him get his dock squared away after the ice had pushed it up and over the pilings. It was a good way to test out my new chest waders. The cabin is really nice and sits on a very quiet lake. Grant showed me around and then it was time to fly back. I had a really great time! Grant pointed out moose on the flights, but I could only find one of them for sure.
We flew over a couple of rivers that were flooding because of the rapid snow melt last week. We saw a fishing resort that had 3 cabins washed away from the shore. I've included pictures of them.
While I was gone Peggy did laundry and bought groceries. This afternoon we went to an RV dealership to buy a replacement bubble level. One on our trailer was apparently broken by an errant stone when driving a on gravel road north of Carcross, YT. I did have a torpedo level in my tool box so we were able to manually level up the trailer. It's just easier to do it if there is a level attached to the camper that works.
We made preps for traveling to Denali NP tomorrow- filling our fresh water tank, checking tire pressures, etc. It will be about a 4 hour (200 miles) drive from here. Hope to get an early start in the morning.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
June 2, Wasilla
June 2 Woke up to the pitter patter of rain drops on the roof. The weather forecast was correct calling for rain on and off today. It's early Sunday morning, and the coffee is hot and good.
In the week since we've arrived here at the Matanuska Air Service on the southeast shore of Anderson Lake, spring has taken a firm hold. We've seen the snows retreating from the mountainsides. The trees have transitioned from being brown trunks and limbs to multicolored hues of green. Streams are full of the meltwaters rushing to meet the ocean. Spring is ebbing and summer is waxing, and we are able to see these changes literally happening before us.
Darkness doesn't really come here at night. The sun sets at nearly 11:30 P.M. and rises about 4:30 A.M. providing nearly 19 hours of direct sunlight. Even though the sun does dip below the horizon for about 5 hours, the night time sky maintains a dusk-like glow. Surprisingly, the lack of total darkness has not interrupted our sleep.
The rain kept us indoors for the entire morning. Fortunately, being 3 hours behind Central Daylight Savings time allowed me to watch the Sprint Cup NASCAR race starting here at 9:00 A.M., Alaskan Time Zone.
Rain continued throughout the afternoon. I called my dad to see how he was doing. We watched TV and napped. Around 5:00 the rain stopped, the mountain peaks reappeared, and Peggy and I went for a walk through the neighborhood.
Tomorrow will be a prep day for our trip to Denali NP on Tuesday. Grocery shopping, laundry, and other things get attended to. I looked at the weather forecast for Denali, and it is calling for cloudy, rainy weather for the whole week. I'm not as concerned about not seeing Mt McKinley as I am more in want of seeing and photographing a grizzly bear. We'll see!
In the week since we've arrived here at the Matanuska Air Service on the southeast shore of Anderson Lake, spring has taken a firm hold. We've seen the snows retreating from the mountainsides. The trees have transitioned from being brown trunks and limbs to multicolored hues of green. Streams are full of the meltwaters rushing to meet the ocean. Spring is ebbing and summer is waxing, and we are able to see these changes literally happening before us.
Darkness doesn't really come here at night. The sun sets at nearly 11:30 P.M. and rises about 4:30 A.M. providing nearly 19 hours of direct sunlight. Even though the sun does dip below the horizon for about 5 hours, the night time sky maintains a dusk-like glow. Surprisingly, the lack of total darkness has not interrupted our sleep.
The rain kept us indoors for the entire morning. Fortunately, being 3 hours behind Central Daylight Savings time allowed me to watch the Sprint Cup NASCAR race starting here at 9:00 A.M., Alaskan Time Zone.
Rain continued throughout the afternoon. I called my dad to see how he was doing. We watched TV and napped. Around 5:00 the rain stopped, the mountain peaks reappeared, and Peggy and I went for a walk through the neighborhood.
Tomorrow will be a prep day for our trip to Denali NP on Tuesday. Grocery shopping, laundry, and other things get attended to. I looked at the weather forecast for Denali, and it is calling for cloudy, rainy weather for the whole week. I'm not as concerned about not seeing Mt McKinley as I am more in want of seeing and photographing a grizzly bear. We'll see!
June 1, Wasilla
June 1 Happy June 1st! Not a lot to report for the day. We woke up to a drizzly sky this morning, and it has remained overcast all day. But at least it was dry after about 10 a.m. Tomorrow the forecasters are calling for a good chance of showers on and off all day. Since the weather looks to be overcast with rain through the weekend, Grant and Debby will not be flying to and staying at their cabin Sunday and Monday. I know they are disappointed.
Grant converter a ski/land plane into a float plane again today. I'm still fascinated being around all these planes. I feel like a kid in the candy store. Grant has been very patient answering all my questions and has even allowed me to help with a particular procedure when he works on the landing gear. He also flew his J3 Piper Cub on a couple of test flights today. I sense he has the itch to fly more than he does so this was a good opportunity for him to scratch it.
I'm sure this will be of interest to you...our waste tanks were approaching full. Since we wouldn't be taking the trailer anywhere until Tuesday, we needed to dump our tanks here. This is a task RVers don't relish, but it is a necessary job.
The position of the waste dump required us to move the trailer from its position with the picture window facing the best view towards the lake and mountains. I then had to back it up to the dump drain. Once this mission (emptying the tanks) was accomplished, I pulled the trailer out, back around, and put it in its original position with the great views.
Good news is we have cable TV...the bad news is we watched the U of Nebraska women's softball team lose a 15 inning game in the College Softball World Series. What a heartbreaker!
Peggy and I have gotten back into our habit of taking an evening walk. There is a loop route that we've established through the area that is about 1 mile long.
Grant converter a ski/land plane into a float plane again today. I'm still fascinated being around all these planes. I feel like a kid in the candy store. Grant has been very patient answering all my questions and has even allowed me to help with a particular procedure when he works on the landing gear. He also flew his J3 Piper Cub on a couple of test flights today. I sense he has the itch to fly more than he does so this was a good opportunity for him to scratch it.
I'm sure this will be of interest to you...our waste tanks were approaching full. Since we wouldn't be taking the trailer anywhere until Tuesday, we needed to dump our tanks here. This is a task RVers don't relish, but it is a necessary job.
The position of the waste dump required us to move the trailer from its position with the picture window facing the best view towards the lake and mountains. I then had to back it up to the dump drain. Once this mission (emptying the tanks) was accomplished, I pulled the trailer out, back around, and put it in its original position with the great views.
Good news is we have cable TV...the bad news is we watched the U of Nebraska women's softball team lose a 15 inning game in the College Softball World Series. What a heartbreaker!
Peggy and I have gotten back into our habit of taking an evening walk. There is a loop route that we've established through the area that is about 1 mile long.
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