August 29, Dawson City and the Klondike Area

August 29  Wow!  We must have been overly tired!  We woke up at 9:00 a.m.!  We somewhat hustled to get ready for our day touring around the Dawson area.  Fortunately breakfast was easy as we ate our leftover cinnamon rolls from the day before.

Our first venture was to walk to the end of our campground and get onto the bank of the Yukon River.  Once there, we walked north to where there are at least 2 hulks of the early paddlewheel boats used to ply the waters of the Yukon.  It was sad to see the sorry state that these once magnificent steamers were in.  As you can imagine, the 100 years of neglect and abuse made for a discouraging scene.  We believe this site is referred to as the boat bone yard.  The boats had the indignity of simply being hoisted out of the water and left on the river bank to be ravaged by scavengers and flood waters.

We took pictures and hiked around the ships’ remains wondering what it would have been like to have ridden on these paddlewheel steamers back in their days of glory.

We packed some snacks, climbed into the pickup and were ferried across the Yukon River, drove through Dawson, and found ourselves driving up The Dome, a mountaintop which overlooks the area.  It was an impressive view.  

You could see the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon Rivers.  You could look up the Bonanza Creek area.  You could see the town of Dawson.  You could see up and down the Yukon River.  You could see the tailing piles left behind by the many dredges used in the early 1900’s to scour out every flake of remaining gold in those areas.  Needless, we were impressed by the sights from above the lay of the land.

From The Dome we drove out on the Klondike Highway to some pull outs that provided information about the tailings.  I found the need to leave the pull out and strike out on my own climbing up the tailing piles for that just right photo.  Climbing on loose rock piles was of some effort, though.  It seemed like I’d take one stride up and slide back a half stride.  Finally I made it top the top of the tailings pile.  

Peggy made a good choice in remaining where the trail was considering she had been doctoring her knee prior to leaving for this trip.  I did take a picture of her and yelled that see should take one of me, knowing what the outcome would be.  “But you have the camera and your iPhone.  I have nothing!”, was the reply.  :o)

I snapped off several pictures and then started looking for a way down.  With guidance from my DW, I was directed to an area that was not quite so steep.  Whew!

We then headed back towards Dawson and made a left turn to go up the Bonanza Creek Road.  This road would lead us to Gold Dredge #4 and then to The Discovery Claim.

Gold Dredge #4 was an awesome spectacle!  That thing is 66 yards long!  Statistically, that dredge could gobble up massive amounts of pay gravel and process it to remove the gold.  What did impress me was that it floated on water provided by the nearby  Bonanza Creek, and that creek could easily we waded across.

From the dredge we drove further up Bonanza Creek Road and came to the original glory hole, The Discovery Mine.  Back in 1897 three miners discovered the first flecks  and nuggets of gold which lead to the Klondike Stampede gold rush.  We were able to walk on the banks of the creek in the exact location where the discovery took place.  And, the creek was originally named Rabbit Creek until gold was found, and it was renamed the Bonanza Creek.

I’ve never been a history buff, but when I started thinking that we had put a beginning and an end to the locations where in the late 1890’s masses of people departed boats and where the gold was discovered.  We’d been to Skagway where steamers brought stampeders to take the overland route to the Klondike gold fields.  

And now, we stood on the very place where the gold rush started.  They only pieces missing where where the stampeders traveled overland to get to the Klondike/Dawson area.  And those pieces we will hopefully visit as we make the drive from Dawson to Whitehorse, YK.

Hopefully the photos I’ve take will assist us in remembering all that we have seen and read about.  Like I say, for a 62 year old neophyte history buff, I have been greatly impressed with what we’ve experienced.  With out gold, it would have taken decades to have gotten this part of North America explored and populated.  The Hudson Bay Company found out once the beaver populations had been depleted by trapping and furs lost their economic impact, they lost its interest in sending anymore trappers into the region.

We got back on the Klondike Hwy. heading into Dawson.  I stopped at a fueling station adjacent to the Klondike River.  After fueling we walked to the banks of the river, and I took photos of it because its namesake was used for the gold rush.

Back in Dawson we took some photos of recognizable places:  Jack London’s cabin, the Commissioner’s residence, an old church, and original buildings in general.  We did stop at a market and found O Henry candy bars.  Grant has a yen for them so we will include them with the matches when we get back to the states and a post office.

Peggy had seen a small pub, “Bombay Peggy’s”, so we poked our head in, and yes, they served Yukon Gold on tap.  We had our drinks, and I asked about getting Peggy a t-shirt but unfortunately they did not have her size.  Bummer!!

Since our next involvement wasn’t until 7:00 at Diamond Tooth Gerties to eat, gamble, and attend the Can-Can Dance review, we returned to our camper via the ferry.  I needed to run the generator to recharge camera and iPhone batteries.  

On the ferry with us was a manly RV.  It was a large, tank like, 4 wheel drive behemoth of a camper from Germany.  I had taken a photo of it when we were in Dawson.  I’m sure the family in it has great stories to tell of their journeys.

Around 7:00 we ferried ourselves back to Dawson to have dinner at Diamond Tooth Gerties.  We both chose the ribeye steak, potatoes, and Caesar salad.  I must say that the meal was very good.  Prior to getting our meal, Peggy and I played a slot machine.  After 4 tries and not winning we cut our losses and ate.

Since we were at the first show, we were among the youngest in the crowd.  We decided that most there were with a tour group as some of them wore their IDs around their necks.  If I ever go on a tour or cruise, please shoot me if I wear my ID to a casino or anywhere else were it is not required attire!

The show was very good and entertaining.  Fortunately we had opted to sit in the balcony so neither of us had to be involved in any part of the show.  :o)  Peggy and I both admired how limber the show girls were.  I know I wouldn’t be able to either kick my leg above my head or do the splits.  Watching those girls do it...well...it was entertaining to say the least.

We then boarded the ferry for the second to last crossing of the Yukon.  Tomorrow morning the plan is to get up early and get in line with our 5th wheel in tow.  The ferry undergoes routine maintenance every Friday from 5-7:00 a.m.  We should be in line by 7:00.  We will see how many crossing are done before our elongated menagerie is allowed to board.  And, then we will say goodbye to Dawson City, YK, with its gold fields. 

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August 28 Tok, AK, to Dawson City, YK

August 28  We were up early to make the drive to Dawson City, Yukon.  It has sprinkled some during the night.  The temperature was in the mid-40ºs.  As we were hitching up the trailer to the pickup it started to sprinkle again.  It would rain on us all the way to Chicken.

We left Tok and the Tok Cutoff Highway and proceeded east about 12 miles where we turned onto the Taylor Highway which is a new road to us.  It is an asphalt road in reasonably good shape.  It took us in a generally northerly direction to the old town of Chicken, reputably so named because the early settlers did not know how to spell ptarmigan (believe it or not).

As typical the road had its potholes and frost heaves as attested too by the firewood that must have been pitched off the carrier on the back of an motorhome that we had met earlier.  We saw logs on the road for quite a long stretch.  However, we made it to Chicken without any mention of incidents.

Always heeding the fill up your tank when you have the opportunity I did so while Peggy scouted the gift store.  After getting fuel we walked the town to other shops, taking pictures of some of the local “art projects” and a mining dredge.  We made a few purchases, and then went back up the hill to the cafe where we had parked as they advertised cinnamon rolls.  I got white frosting and Peggy had caramel frosting.  And as we have come to expect in these northlands, the rolls were huge.  We ate about half and took the rest for tomorrow.

We decided that so far of the northland cinnamon rolls we’ve had that the Shepard’s Inn rolls we had back in was it British Columbia on the way up are the best so far.  But maybe it was because we had the cutest waitress there??

We continued now in a more northeasterly direction on a road now made up of hard packed gravel with some intermittent re-graveling and grading .  Eventually we came to a fork in the road- go left and the Taylor takes you up to Eagle, AK.  Go right and you are now on the Top of the World Highway to Dawson, YK.  We stayed to the the right.

The first leg of the gravel Top of the World is under construction.  New rock and gravel is being laid down to improve and widen the road.  The worst parts were where they had put down what looked to be 2” sized rushed rock.  The rock was loose and forced to you go about 10 MPH or risk beating your vehicles to death.  However, we were in no hurry and construction during the summer is a way of life here as they have such a short season to get the work done.

We then came to the US/Canada border.  The Canadian border guard came out to “greet us”.  It was either a bad day for him, or he is totally bored with his job as he spoke in a monotone voice and made little eye contact.  After the “got a gun”, “where you going”, “why”, and “for how long” questions, he returned our passports and waved us on.  Never asked about how much alcohol we had or if we had more than $10,000 cash with us.  We were now in the Pacific Daylight Saving time zone.

The Top of the World now is asphalt in the Yukon for much of its length to Dawson.  There are sections that are gravel but all in all the road is in fairly good shape considering it is a unique highway that follows mountain ridges.  And the views are fantastic.  You truly are on top of the world.  Every direction you look you can see other mountains and mountain ranges.  I only wish it would have been a clear day as the views would not have had that hazy look.  And it was off and on raining for about half the drive towards Dawson.

We did find a pull off to stop and walk, stretch, and take some photos.  After spending some time relaxing and using the onboard facilities it was time to get back on the road.  However, this “pull out” I had selected was nothing more than a small area for dry camping.  So I had to back our trailer out and back onto the highway.  It’s always an adventure!

The rest of the drive to Dawson was quite scenic as we had found it to be previously.  The traffic was very sparce unlike the Taylor where we met large tour buses gingerly trying to make there way around narrow curves cut into the side of the mountains.

I knew we were nearing Dawson as there were small billboards advertising various places.  We came around a bend and below us was the Yukon River.  But the narrow road did not allow for stopping for a photo.  As we neared the Yukon we came to the Yukon River Provincial Campground.  We found a nice pull through camping site right on the river.  It was about 3:45 PM.

There is no bridge over the Yukon River going across to Dawson.  But they do have a free, 24 hour a day, ferry!  You get in a vehicle line for the ferry by small vehicles, truck and buses, and RVs.  Since we left the trailer at the campground we were a small vehicle.  We were fourth in our line, with 2 tour buses next to us, and a small motorhome only in the third line.

We the ferry docked those cars drove off and through the use of handheld signs, the ferry workers signal who then drives onboard.  The  three cars in front of us got on, then one of the buses.  The ferry is full and off it goes.

It takes about 15 minutes to go across the river, unload, and then take on new vehicles.  But we’d be next in line and the time went quickly.  We were loaded and taken across to the to the historic town of Dawson, Yukon!

The look of all the buildings give it a late 1890’s or early 1900’s look.  Our first stop is the Dawson’s Visitors Center operated by the Yukon Province.  They had good displays of artifacts and relics of the bygone days of the gold rush.  I was immediately impressed by the notion that we are at the terminus of the Klondike gold rush.  That all those stampeders who made there way through trial and tribulation were coming here!  And, we had had the opportunity to see Skagway and Dyea, AK, and the start of the trails leading up to the Chilkoot and White Passes heading north to Dawson.

After we got information and signed up for a walking tour of Dawson, we had the time to walk the streets of Dawson.  We took some photos and then happened upon a store we were on a mission to find- the Dawson Hardware Store.  Our host and friend in Wasilla, Grant, had been to Dawson on their vacation while we took care of their property.  He had found wooden matches that were unique to him, but he hadn’t bought them.  So, when he found we were headed to Dawson, he asked if we would get them for him.  And we did!!

By this time I had acquired a thirst, and we came to the Jack London Bar and Grill.  I wasn’t interested in grill, but the bar was a must.  I ordered a pint of a local brew Yukon Gold.  That first sip is always tasty.  As we sat and took in the surroundings, we decided to get an appetizer plate to tide us over until dinner.  Of course that took a second Yukon Gold!

We had signed up at the Visitors Center to take a guided walking tour of Dawson.  We would be informed about some of the history of the town and be able to enter several of the old, historic buildings.  

We met at the Center and we introduced to Sue, our guide.  She was donned in period clothing and did a fantastic job!  She was easy to hear, which for me is a giant plus, and kept her conversations lively and funny.  We walked from building to building getting insights on the who, how, and why.  We even saw “cribs”, small cabins where ladies of the evening stayed when they weren’t on the job.  The tour lasted just over 90 minutes.

Peggy had planned for us to go to Diamond Tooth Gerties, a place that has a can-can girls show, Canada’s first casino, and supposedly good food.  But the show started at 8:30, and being we were late getting away from the walking tour, postponed going to Gerties until tomorrow night.

We did find a restaurant, Klondike Kate’s, where we ate dinner.  The food was good as was the Yukon Gold.  After finishing we walked by to our pickup, boarded the ferry and made the very short drive back to the campground were we immediately went to sleep tired but very satisfied at the day’s events.

We had heard from the guide, Sue, that she’d seen Northern Lights the night before.  But, as luck would have it, it was overcast when we got back to our campsite.

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August 27 Heading Home- Wasilla to Tok, AK

August 27  Peggy's alarm woke us at 6:30 a.m.  We both slept soundly considering we knew we were leaving the Chapman's for the final time.  The other times we left their Anderson Lake property we were always coming back.

We were packed and hitched up by 7:45.  Of course the toughest part of the day would be saying goodbye to Grant and Debby.  Their open arms reception of us was as good as anyone could have hoped for.  Even though we will remain in communication with them, it was still hard to leave such gracious people. And, Joey, the hangar cat, and Ginger and Willow, their faithful dogs were there to see us off.  As I mentioned previously, this was a bittersweet moment.

Grant and Debby had just been in Dawson City, YK, a week ago.  But he was wishing he'd bought a box of wood matches from a hardware store there.  When he found out we were going to Dawson, too, he asked if we'd buy the matches.  Of course we will!  So, Grant, being Grant, gave us a prepaid mailer to send them in!

We said our goodbyes and pulled out at 8:05.  The drive to Tok was fairly easy and is territory that we had traveled coming into Alaska so there really wasn't  much of a need to stop anywhere.  The construction on the Glenn Hwy just before Glennallen is pretty well completed so there was no mud bath for the pickup and camper!  The Tok Cutoff Hwy is pretty good for much of the way. However around the Mentasta Mountains the road becomes worse and is said to be "a good highway going bad".  But, Peggy found that the area back in 2002 had a 7.2 earthquake and much of the area roads were destroyed.  That explains why about a 20 mile stretch is very wavy with some rather extreme dips.  Some construction is still being done to make repairs.

We arrived at the Sourdough Campground about 2 miles outside of Tok and were set up by 3:00. Yes, the wifi is working and we are online checking email and updating the blog.  We also drove into town to get fuel and stopped at the Visitors Center to get information about the Taylor Highway, Chicken, AK, and the Top of the World Highway.

We grilled our dinner, went for a walk, relaxed, watch the one and only PBS station on TV and called it a night.  Tomorrow we get to experience new territory.  We're excited!

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August 18-26, Wasilla

August 18  Woke up to rain this morning.  In fact it rained all night long, and at times rained very hard. And, the weather forecast is for rain today through Wednesday.  Maybe this is the Alaskan Monsoon season??

Today my dad celebrated his 96th birthday!  We called him this morning, and he said he was ready to party!  My brother and sister called me after the party and said dad was a real trooper and seemed to enjoy this party.  Both of our daughters' families were able to make the drive from their homes in Nebraska to Brookings, SD, and party along with their grandfather/great grandfather. I'm glad they were able to make the trip to see him!

And of course it being a Sunday, I watched the NASCAR Sprint Cup race which started at 9:00 a.m. Alaska time.  My racer, Jeff Gordon, had a mediocre day finishing 17th.  He needs to really hustle the last races if he wants to qualify for the Chase to the Championship. I may need to find a young, hungrier drive to start rooting for.

It rained on and off throughout the day.  We needed to fuel up the pickup so we made a dash to the filling station.  The latter part of the afternoon we got a pause in the precipitation so Peggy and I got Joey the hangar cat out to exercise and get some fresh air.  It was fun to watch him as he got in the lawn grass, would strike a stalking pose, and then run as fast as he could for a short distance and seemed to pounce.  I'm sure in his mind Joey was pursuing a mouse!

I've started reading a book, "The Golden Grindstone", that Grant lent to Peggy, but she is reading another so gave it to me.  It is about attempts in 1898 at finding an inland route to the  Klondike goldfields rather than having to contend with the Chilkoot or White Passes coming up from an ocean voyage used by most of the Stampeders.

Because of the persistent rain we were unable, or I should say, unwilling to go for a walk.  Good thing we both have books to read!

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August 19   I think we have entered a monsoon season as it rained all last night and most of the day today, and the forecasters are saying more of the same for tomorrow.  Makes us really appreciate the nice, sunny days that have made up a majority of our days in Alaska.

With the rain it was pretty much stay in the camper, read, watch some TV, read, eat, read, watch some TV...you get the picture.  Because we are responsible for Joey the hangar cat this week, Peggy checked on him this morning, and I accompanied her to go care for him this afternoon. While she did that I got the mail from the street box.  All of it was for the Chapmans.  Peggy did make a batch of brownies this afternoon!

This evening wasn't much different from the day's activities because of the rain.  I'm still reading "The Golden Grindstone".  I'm amazed by what gold seekers would endure on their quests.  The book gives very good insight into the exploration of the Peel River drainage in the Yukon Territory as men looked for a land route to Dawson City.

And with that, it's "Say goodnight, Gracie!".


August 20  Guess what?  We woke up to rain this morning.  We keep commenting that we're glad that the rain is coming now rather than when we were often out to other areas of the state vacationing.

The rain quit mid-morning so I grabbed my bucket, long handled brush, and soap/wax and proceeded to wash the camper.  I hadn't been able to do so as is was raining all the time, and I wanted to get the road grime off of it since we had driven back from Ninilchik in the rain last Saturday.

After lunch Peggy and I went grocery shopping at Fred Meyers Supermarket.  Fred's is a subsidiary of Bakers Supermarkets in Omaha.  This store in Wasilla is massive with clothes, shoes, hardware, electronics, and of course groceries.

When we got back we got the trimming tools out of the hangar and went to work starting to cut brush and tree limbs that were overgrowing a section of fencing surrounding the property.  We had told Grant and Debby that we would be willing to do this since we have had such good treatment during our stay with them.

We got Joey the hangar cat out and let him exercise.  While Peggy did that I got the mail. Grant got a package that I'll bet is his purchase from eBay- an antique 12 volt siren.  The neat thing about the siren is that it was manufactured by the Chapman Co. and has "Chapman" in large lettering on it.  I think Grant plans on putting this working siren on his jeep.

After Joey went back into the hangar Peggy and I walked the grounds.  But it wasn't much later into the walk that it began to sprinkle, and by the time we got back in the camper it was a fairly good rain again.  There was no grilling our dinner nor walk for us tonight.


August 21  I checked between my toes and much to my relief I am not growing webs!  And we haven't been requested to start building an Ark...yet.  We have had 5 days in a row of rain. Fortunately nothing heavy, but it has been persistent and constant.

We cared for the hangar cat, Joey, checked for mail, and walked the grounds.  I didn't even hear any planes take off or land today.  We did get away to eat lunch out (Peggy had a coupon for buy one/get one free chili cheese dogs) and do some quick shopping.  But the soggy weather has kept us indoors again.

The forecast remains rain through Friday, and then supposedly the weekend is to clear up.  Time will tell!


August 22  We're like a broken record (to those of us old enough know what that means)...it rained again for much of the day.  There was a brief lull this afternoon.  I was a little cabin crazy so grabbed my gloves and a trimmer and went back to work clearing a border on the outside of the fence perimeter.

Peggy took care of Joey while I got the mail and walked the grounds.  Other than that we stayed indoors and listened to the rain falling on the roof and watched more TV.  We put out our awning and moved the grill beneath it so that I could grill our dinner.

The NWS has issued a flood advisory for our area for small stream flooding.  We are glad that the property sits comfortably above the level of the lake as I'm sure it has slowly risen this past week of rain.  Depending on how much credence you can put in weather forecasts, they are saying tomorrow should be the last of the rain.  Time will tell!


August 23  And on the 7th day of rain...the sun shined!  However, overnight we had the hardest rain we've experienced all week.  Ch. 2 TV out of Anchorage said that this was the 3rd wettest August on record which is saying a lot as August is the wettest month of the year here.

After a damp beginning to the morning the clouds parted, and we had sunshine!  Peggy went to the laundromat while I opened the property gate and sat with Joey the hangar cat in the office. We had missed a delivery yesterday from UPS, and we didn't want to miss him again today. UPS left a note saying they'd be back today. I'm sure that Joey liked all the attention.

When Peggy got back from doing the laundry she took over sitting in the office.  I got my work gloves and a lopping shears and went to work clearing the fence line of small trees and brush .  I am about 20' from having it done.

Around 3:30 this afternoon Grant, Debby and the dogs returned from their vacation to areas around Dawson City, Yukon, Canada.  Although they did get some rain there it was nothing like what we had.  They really seemed to have had a nice time touring around.  They said that Peggy and I should consider taking the Taylor, Top of the World, and Klondike Highways on our way back.  Not only is the scenery spectacular from the Top of the World, but the history associated with Dawson City and the gold rush would be special to see, also.

We grilled our supper. After we finished eating and the dishes were done we were going to go for a walk.  However, in just a short period of time as we ate the clouds built back in, and it started raining. So, we have assumed a familiar pose...sitting in front of the boob tube while the rain goes pitter patter on the roof. And, for the first time we heard thunder! We've been told that thunder is a rarity around Wasilla.

Maybe tomorrow will be rain free.  One can always hope!

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August 24  Woke up to nice sunshine today.  Grant and Debby walked over to our camper and visited with us about their remaining summer plans.  If things work out, we may be able to leave before the Labor Day weekend.  

Peggy and I went to Walmart to pick up a few groceries.  On our way a fog bank rolled in from the Chugash Mts, but by the time we got back to the camper it had blown off.  When we got back I replaced the truck's fuel filter, and  Peggy started working on cutting some of the brush along the fence line.  When I finished with the truck I grabbed a lopping shears and worked with her. We were able to finish this job!

Grant worked on getting his eBay purchase installed on his jeep- his Chapman siren!  And it works and works loudly!  Now all he needs is a blinking red light, and he could get cars to pull over.   :o)

When we finished clearing brush we were invited over to Grant and Debby's for a late lunch. What a spread of food!  She had 2 different kinds of salmon spread, smoked salmon belly fillets, pickled asparagus, a pepper loaf made of elk, and crackers.  Man, it was all good!  What a nice treat!

After we ate and were sitting outside visiting, wouldn't you know it, it clouded up and began to rain.  Funny thing is you could see blue sky around, but there was a band of clouds coming over the Talkeetna Mountains directly to us.  Good thing we got our chores done!

So, we went back to the camper and watched the NASCAR race at Bristol, TN, and more.  I have since learned that August is the month of the most precipitation.  It certainly is living up to that reputation.


August 25  Bright, blue skies again today.  Wonderful!  We visited with Grant and Debby this morning.  They are making their last trip to the cabin.  With that, they have given us their blessing to leave Tuesday or any time thereafter.

So Peggy and I are planning on leaving our gracious hosts and making our way back towards home Tuesday.  Since we will be leaving about a week earlier than we originally planned, our departure itinerary will include the Taylor Highway, the Top of the World Highway, and the Klondike Highway.  This will take us to new, fantastic scenery, and through Chicken, AK, and on to Dawson City, YK.  We're especially excited about the Top of the World for the scenery and Dawson City for its large part in gold mining and its history.

Today on our walk we noticed another significant change in the local fireweed.  It has transitioned from being the bright, fushcia colored blossoms, to dull pink pods, to cottony white seeds.  We were told that these wildflowers are used to forecast the changing seasons.  Hope the white, cottony seeds don't mean any immediate snow!

We decided we need one last Alaska splurge so went to the local ice cream shop and got large chocolate milk shakes!  I know I'm going to have to cut back when I get home as my waistline has grown.  Must be all the good Alaskan food!

Now that we know when we depart, we have set about doing the kinds of things one does to make preparations to get on the road: checking over the pickup and the trailer, buying groceries, filling the fresh water tank, emptying the waste tanks.  Having a short timeline, we are anxious to leave, but more so, we are also so thankful for the opportunity we have had to make new friends and see and experience new places.  And our time here seems to have gone by so quickly.

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August 26  Another beautiful day in Alaska.  Bright, blue skies accompanied by a few wispy, cirrus clouds.  This is our last full day with Grant and Debby as tomorrow we begin the journey back home.

We were happy because we got to Skype with Shelly, Macy, and Halle!  Macy told us about being in Kindergarten.  She even referred to the Principal as "the boss"!  Halle sang to us a couple of songs.  It will be nice getting back so that we can see the grandkiddos in person.

Peggy cared for Joey, the hangar cat, and watered the flowers.  After catching up with Grant and Debby who flew back in from their 2 day stay at their cabin, we had to return our cable box and Internet router to MTA.  We also filled the truck up with fuel and made other final preps for our departure in the morning.

We have finalized part of our route back to the lower 48 states.  Tomorrow we drive as far as Tok, AK.  The next day we take the Taylor Highway to Canada and the Yukon Territory where we get on the Top of the World Highway to Dawson City, YK, where we will most likely spend a couple of days.  We then take the Klondike Hwy down to Whitehorse, YK, and pick up the Alaska Hwy heading towards Watson Lake, YK.  However, just before Watson Lake we will turn onto the Cassiar Highway and take it through British Columbia.

We hope to swing west off of the Cassiar and go through Stewart, BC, re-enter the USA and go to Hyder, AK.  Supposedly there is a late summer/early autumn run of salmon at Hyder and the bears can be viewed catching fish.  Of course, our plans could change if the weather turns bad, especially on the drive from Tok to Chicken to Dawson City as much of that route is hardpack gravel.

Debby came over and gave us some parting gifts:  salmon fillets, smoked salmon, and squaw candy, a kind of sweetened smoked salmon.  Having had these before I know how tasty they are. How generous of the Chapman' to have shared some of their bounty!!  These are the kind of people Grant and Debby are- very generous, hospitable, and fun to be around.  They will be missed! 

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August 17, Ninilchik to Wasilla

August 17  We woke up to the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof.  Sure was good sleeping weather last night, and I'm sure we were both fatigued from our fishing excursion yesterday.  We were on the Sterling Highway on our way back to Wasilla around 9:00.

We drove in rain showers for about the first 150 miles which meant little viewing of the mountains.  However we still bid the Kenai Mountains goodbye as we will not be this far south again.  We were on the Seward Highway at the Turnagain Arm when things started clearing up. As we got northeast of Anchorage the sun was shining on the Talkeetna Mountains, and I told Peggy we were getting back to God's country!

We pulled onto our site at Grant and Debby's around 1:30.  Both dogs greeted us!  It was good to visit with Grant and Debby as we shared with them our "fish stories".

We grilled burgers for supper and watched the clouds begin to build up over the Talkeetnas. Looks like it might be a rainy night.  Despite the clouds we did go for our walk after we finished eating.

On the way back we went to the dock to check out how the little fry are coming.  Either they aren't growing, or they are continually replaced by others of the same size.  Back at the camper we watched the boob tube and called it a done deal for the day.

August 16, Halibut Fishing at Ninilchik

August 16  We were up and at 'em, anxious to go fishing.  Because we are camped in the charter's RV park we walked to the office at 7:30.  There we hear that the boat captains had reevaluated the tide charts and postponed leaving until 8:30 to try and optimize our chances.  We were able to check in so will not have to do that later.  They actually check your license to make sure it is valid. Back to the camper we went to wait out the hour.

We no longer got in the camper when we could hear the plink, plink of rain drops on the roof. OK...we'll take the rain but keep the wind reasonably calm, please!  I checked the weather radar, and it look like one small area of rain moving through.  And as indicated, the rain stopped a short time later, and for now, at least momentarily.

We met again at the Ninilchik Charters at 8:30.  There was little wind, but it was heavily overcast. We were assigned to Captain Nick and the fishing boat Arctic Expedition.  Nick loaded our gear which included rain suits, gloves, hats, food, and drinks on the boat.  We rode in the crew cab pickup pulling the boat down to the Deep Creek Recreation Area which was only a 5 minute drive.

Once there we climbed a ladder and boarded the boat while it was parked high on the beach. Nick unhooked and parked the pickup while the skidder boat launch crew hooked up to the boat's trailer.  Once Nick was aboard, he did a quick systems test, and gave the skidder crew the OK to launch us.

As soon as we had moved away from the shoreline Nick gave us the safety rundown and procedures for the boat. When he finished he pushed the throttles forward to the twin Yamaha 200 hp motors, and we were off for about a 25 mile ride which took about an hour to make.  Around half way through the ride he suddenly cut the throttles and came to a stop.

Off to the starboard (right) side of the boat was a mink whale.  Of course by the time I rummaged the camera out of our backpack the whale had continued to swim rapidly away from us.  I quickly snapped a photo when it surfaced to breath, but all I got was a faint glimpse of its dorsal fin. Oh, well, at least we officially saw a whale in person.

When we reached the halibut grounds Nick set the boat's anchor.  He then went over the operation of the tackle we'd be using.  The tackle included Penn Senator saltwater reels loaded with 100 lb. test braided line.  The rod was a 5', extreme duty/fast action whose manufacturer I can't remember.  Terminal tackle included a large brass swivel connecting the braided line with about a 3' length of parachute cord.  At the end of the cord was a large circle hook about 3 inches in diameter, and about 2 feet above the hook was a snap with 6" of cord to which a 4 lb. bar of lead was hung.  The hook was baited with cut herring.

We were fishing in about 250 feet of water.  Halibut are bottom feeders so you had to get your bait to the bottom.  The idea was to get the sinker just barely in contact with the bottom.  The ocean swells would then jig the bait up and down and entice the halibut to bite.

The first fish was caught by Jodi from Minneapolis, and it happened to be a cod.  Nick gaffed and removed the fish from the hook, and after getting Jodi baited back up, cut the cod up for additional bait.  After the cod the next catch was a skate, which is related to rays like the sting ray, and considered to be non-edible.  Nick doesn’t even want them in the boat as they can put up quite a thrashing fight.  It is released.

And then it started to rain, sprinkles mostly, but it persisted the rest of the day.  A front had moved through which was vastly different from the bright blue skies of the day before.  We were fortunate that at least it was not overly windy, although the wind did pick up some creating white caps and somewhat larger swells.  

Finally, Jodi’s husband Craig caught the first halibut!  It was about a 20 pounder.  With the limit at 2 per person he decided to keep it.  Over the course of time everyone in the boat had caught a fish of one kind or another.  Peggy caught a skate.  I caught a cod and a skate.  But the halibut fishing was very slow!

The other 2 persons making up the 6 clients onboard were Bill from Soldotna, AK, and Gordon who used to live in Alaska but now resides in California for 9 months of the year.  The other 3 he lives in Alaska.  Gordon and Bill are friends and get together to go fishing.

About midway through the afternoon we had only boated 4 halibut, so Nick decided it was necessary to fish another place.  The anchor was brought up and away we went to continue our quest on new fishing grounds.  Nick took us to another area, but this time we were going to try drift fishing.

Lo and behold, I had a bite.  As I reeled I knew this was different from the skate which when caught becomes immediate dead weight by turning its wide body perpendicular to the direction you are trying to reel it.  Now mind you, just the act of reeling in a 4 lb. weight that is 250 ft. down is a hard chore.  Now put a 25 lb. fish who is trying to swim away from you on the hook 250 ft. down, and you get a workout!  But I persisted and got him up to the boat to be gaffed and brought aboard.  Whew!  Another item checked off my bucket list!

Although the boat did not succeed in getting all its clients their halibut limits it was not for a lack of effort.  Nick worked tirelessly cutting bait and baiting hooks.  He would check your line to make sure you were properly presenting the bait on the bottom.  If you tired while reeling, he would take over to give you a rest.  He untangled our lines (yes, even adults get their lines tangled!).  He would re-rig your tackle if it was lost.  He always did so with a smile or a joke.  And, we were on the water from about 9:00 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.  Now I understand why these charter boat captains are so young as I put Nick's age at about 20 years old.  They need that youthful energy to do the job!

All totaled, our boat caught 7 halibut the largest of which was about 30 lbs.  But none of us complained.  As I said, our lack of catch was not because of a lack of effort!  Everyone fished almost nonstop and in a continuous rain.  (I do have to say that Peggy’s and my rain suits purchased at Cabela’s worked well to keep us dry.)

When we arrived back at the charter office Nick set about the chore of cleaning our fish.  If there is some good in not catching your limit, you don’t have to put out the big bucks to have the fillets vacuum sealed, flash frozen, and then shipped to someone back home.  And, another charter boat that we were paired with and fished in the same vicinities as we did had the same fishing luck.

If I do have a regret is that Peggy did not catch a halibut.  But I give her kudos because she fished as long and as hard as anyone.  And, she probably whined the least (actually not at all) of our group about the lack of halibut.  But in the end, all of us walked away knowing that is the way fishing goes, and that the best part of this day was making new acquaintances, enjoying a new experience, and knowing that we tried as hard as we could.  Like Tom Osborne would agree, it was the process and not the victory.

Today's Photos Uploaded to Picasa

August 15, Wasilla to Ninilchik

August 15  Today our oldest granddaughter had her first day of school as a Kindergartener!  Like I commented on my daughter's Facebook, it doesn't seem all that long ago that she (our daughter) was going off to start Kindergarten.  Time flies when you're having fun.

The drive from Wasilla was nice and uneventful, just the way you'd want it.  We pulled out around 7:30 waving goodbye to Debby who had just come outside.  Having driven around the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet several times now makes us feel like "veteran" Alaskans.  The best part is that all of the major road work along the Seward and Sterling Highways has been completed.

We got to Ninilchik and checked in with Ninilchik Charters as we are staying in their campground.  We had the camper all set up by 1:00.  The office gal told us that yesterday they had a client catch a 210# halibut! WOW!  We also confirmed that we have a 7:30 a.m. departure in the morning.

While we watched a couple of TV shows I noticed that Ninilchik Charters had a secured wifi.  I went to the office and asked about it, coming away with their password.  It is not lightning fast, but beggars can't be choosers.

Around 4:00 the first of their fishing charters came in.  It was time to snoop, or as I call it, scouting.  All 6 clients onboard had caught their two halibut each.  A young woman was teasing her boyfriend or husband about his puny fish.  But after the charter captain had unloaded all the fish he weighed the two largest halibut.  The woman's fish weighed 58 lbs and her boyfriend/husband was 59!  A close contest!

Shortly thereafter a 2nd boat came in with all limits filled.  It looked like most of those fish were in the 30-40 lb. range with the largest maybe 50 lbs.  The charter's 3rd boat pulled in and again all clients caught their limit of 2 halibut.  I didn't see sizes and at this time wasn't caring as my thoughts and optimism for tomorrow's fishing was high!

Peggy and I returned to Roscoe's for pizza.  We had eaten here on our last trip to Ninilchik and found the pizza to be good.  After we finished we drove down to the beach where the charter boats are launched, but the fog had rolled in and it was difficult to even see the small waves lapping on the shore.

And so it is, we're wishing the weather goddess looks favorably upon us for tomorrow's adventure.  The forecast is for light winds and a chance of showers.  I'll take the rain, but please don't let the wind blow.  Last time we tried halibut fishing with the wind howling, I looked out the front window of our boat.  As it climbed the next high wave all I could see was the sky, and all I could think about was The Perfect Storm.

But that canceled fishing trip is behind us, and tomorrow's a new day, and maybe, just maybe, our third attempt at fishing on the sea will be charmed!