Destruction Bay to Slana ?.. Miles
Daniel would love this road. Rollercoaster dips, heaving, long cracks and deterioration of road surfaces are sure signs of thaw-related changes to the underlying permafrost. Every year it expands and contracts and the result is a very roily ride sort of like an out of control porpoise.
As the day progressed the landscape changed from high peaks and majestic views of yesterday to low growing sub alpine plants and stunted pines and alder.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
FERRY DAY on "TAKU" - JUNEAU TO HAINES, AK.
We awoke to the pitter patter of liquid sunshine. When asked "Does it always rain here?...Juneau
folks say "No, sometimes it snows".
To day is laundry and clean-up day. In about an hour we must leave for the ferry to Haines. Hulkia, my frend in Homer, says that Haines is the other place in Alaska that he would live so I'm looking forward to seeing it!
On the ferry we visited again with Uli and Giselle who I meet on the first ferry. They spent three days in Prince Rupert and then had a overnight berth on Taku to Haines. They will travel to Anchorage and then Homer so we may see them yet again.
The ferry was very crowded with cars coming from Prince Rupert, more coming on at Juneau and then some leaving at Haines and others going on to Skagway. The boat arrived in Haines about two hours late and we felt sorry for the folks trying to get to a wedding reception north of Skagway.
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2009
Haines to Destruction Bay …Miles
This morning we had a brief time to look around Haines. Our goal was some smoked salmon but the shop was closed because there was a fishing derby going on somewhere nearby. The note on the door said the owner was down buying fish. Oh well, there will be plenty of other opportunities for smoked salmon on this trip.
The drive begins along the Chilkat River. Then we started climbing and it amazed me that 40 miles from Haines which is at sea level the trees were becoming stunted and sparse. I am used to having to go up to around 9000 feet for this kind of landscape. Today and tomorrow we are circumnavigating the St Elias Wilderness. The peaks are all snow covered and rise up to 19,000 ft.
Haines junction was our lunch stop.
We stopped at Soldier’s Summit where the North and South contingents of the Alaskan Highway met in late 1942 completing the permanent highway over 1525 miles from Dawson Creek, BC to Fairbanks, Alaska in eight months and 12 days.
Our destination was Cottonwood RV Park south of Destruction Bay overlooking Kluane Lake which is still covered with ice about two feet thick. We dined royally on leftover chicken, steamed veggies and wine with port for desert. It is so hard to go to bed before dark!
The folks that run the RV parks have quite an investment here in Alaska. The parks seem mostly family owned and there is a lot of pride involved. Warm and spotlessly clean bathrooms gain high marks especially those with hair dyers.
Bears can be a problem and there are in some places cages in which to put garbage that can sometimes defeat the humans trying to deposit garbage. The RV Park where we are now just asks you to take it all with you.
We met a German couple from Hamburg who flew from Frankfort to Whitehorse and rented a Pleasure Way Van from CanaDream.com which is just a little bigger than our Roadtrek. That would be the way to go if you don’t want to do the drive from the lower 48.
We dined royally on leftover chicken, steamed veggies and wine with port for desert. It is so hard to go to bed before dark!
folks say "No, sometimes it snows".
To day is laundry and clean-up day. In about an hour we must leave for the ferry to Haines. Hulkia, my frend in Homer, says that Haines is the other place in Alaska that he would live so I'm looking forward to seeing it!
On the ferry we visited again with Uli and Giselle who I meet on the first ferry. They spent three days in Prince Rupert and then had a overnight berth on Taku to Haines. They will travel to Anchorage and then Homer so we may see them yet again.
The ferry was very crowded with cars coming from Prince Rupert, more coming on at Juneau and then some leaving at Haines and others going on to Skagway. The boat arrived in Haines about two hours late and we felt sorry for the folks trying to get to a wedding reception north of Skagway.
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2009
Haines to Destruction Bay …Miles
This morning we had a brief time to look around Haines. Our goal was some smoked salmon but the shop was closed because there was a fishing derby going on somewhere nearby. The note on the door said the owner was down buying fish. Oh well, there will be plenty of other opportunities for smoked salmon on this trip.
The drive begins along the Chilkat River. Then we started climbing and it amazed me that 40 miles from Haines which is at sea level the trees were becoming stunted and sparse. I am used to having to go up to around 9000 feet for this kind of landscape. Today and tomorrow we are circumnavigating the St Elias Wilderness. The peaks are all snow covered and rise up to 19,000 ft.
Haines junction was our lunch stop.
We stopped at Soldier’s Summit where the North and South contingents of the Alaskan Highway met in late 1942 completing the permanent highway over 1525 miles from Dawson Creek, BC to Fairbanks, Alaska in eight months and 12 days.
Our destination was Cottonwood RV Park south of Destruction Bay overlooking Kluane Lake which is still covered with ice about two feet thick. We dined royally on leftover chicken, steamed veggies and wine with port for desert. It is so hard to go to bed before dark!
The folks that run the RV parks have quite an investment here in Alaska. The parks seem mostly family owned and there is a lot of pride involved. Warm and spotlessly clean bathrooms gain high marks especially those with hair dyers.
Bears can be a problem and there are in some places cages in which to put garbage that can sometimes defeat the humans trying to deposit garbage. The RV Park where we are now just asks you to take it all with you.
We met a German couple from Hamburg who flew from Frankfort to Whitehorse and rented a Pleasure Way Van from CanaDream.com which is just a little bigger than our Roadtrek. That would be the way to go if you don’t want to do the drive from the lower 48.
We dined royally on leftover chicken, steamed veggies and wine with port for desert. It is so hard to go to bed before dark!
Poking around HISTORICAL JUNEAU
Thursday, May 28
This was a leisurely day and our plan was to visit Juneau and learn some local history. We started by going to the Nugget Mall and spending money. It turns out that Sandy is very good at encouraging me to buy stuff. It was, of course, mainly stuff I needed. Some waterproof pants on sale and some heavy Carhartt jeans that Scott had also urged me to purchase for the trip.
Today was museum day and we visited two outstanding ones.
This was a leisurely day and our plan was to visit Juneau and learn some local history. We started by going to the Nugget Mall and spending money. It turns out that Sandy is very good at encouraging me to buy stuff. It was, of course, mainly stuff I needed. Some waterproof pants on sale and some heavy Carhartt jeans that Scott had also urged me to purchase for the trip.
Today was museum day and we visited two outstanding ones.
The Alaska State Museum is a real treasure. There are many displays of the history of the First Nation Peoples with many quotes from the elders. "We call ourselves Yup'ik people or Yuplit. In our language yuk means "person" or "human being". Then we add pik ("real" or "genuine").
One of the pictures above is of an Seal Gut Rain Garment. The way they are sewn together is so intricate that no water could penetrate the garment. The Yuplit used it when they went out hunting in the winter.
After a quick lunch (?) of a hot dog and chips we went over to the Juneau City Museum to join a historical tour of the town. Our guide, Marie, was born in Juneau in 1923. What fun it was to listen to her stories. Her museum documents the history of politics, the gold mines and the fishing industry in Juneau.
We have been spending money like water on our dinners out. Tonight we went to the deli at "Freds" and picked up some chicken and salad. Our view was better than the finest restaurant!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
TRACY ARM FJORD
Wednesday, May 27
Anyone who travels to Juneau really must take a day to do the Tracy Arm Fjord Cruise.
Adventure Bound is a small, but comfortable, boat. There were incredible close up views of mountains, waterfalls, wildlife and ice. There was so much ice in the water because the glaciers had been calving that we were unable to get all the way up the fjord. In spite of this Steve, the owner provided an exciting, comfortable trip that we won?t forget.
Anyone who travels to Juneau really must take a day to do the Tracy Arm Fjord Cruise.
Adventure Bound is a small, but comfortable, boat. There were incredible close up views of mountains, waterfalls, wildlife and ice. There was so much ice in the water because the glaciers had been calving that we were unable to get all the way up the fjord. In spite of this Steve, the owner provided an exciting, comfortable trip that we won?t forget.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
JUNEAU, ALASKA
Tuesday, May 26 – JUNEAU, ALASKA
After another good breakfast we packed up and left our cozy cabin for our first real stop in Alaska. Juneau, as you all know, is where Sara comes to govern Alaska. We didn’t see her today but surely she’s here!
We are at Spruce Meadow RV Park, up the hill from Juneau near the Mendenhall Glacier. After our orientation with Corrine, our RV hostess with the mostest, we had a snack and then tackle a lovely trail overlooking the Glacier. I will try to get some pictures up tomorrow. The area around the glacier is basically a rain forest and everything is lush and green. Our weather was relatively good with only a sprinkle now and then while we were on the mountain.
Later we went through town to the Thane Ore House where Corrine said we could get a good piece of salmon. We had a great dinner overlooking the Gastineau Channel. Driving through Juneau we had seen four tremendous cruise ships but none of them came down the channel while we were eating. I wish I could remember to take pictures of our food the way Laura does when we travel together. I got the eggs this morning but just dug into the first salmon of the trip. Yum!
Now the rain is gently falling on the van. Bed Time!
After another good breakfast we packed up and left our cozy cabin for our first real stop in Alaska. Juneau, as you all know, is where Sara comes to govern Alaska. We didn’t see her today but surely she’s here!
We are at Spruce Meadow RV Park, up the hill from Juneau near the Mendenhall Glacier. After our orientation with Corrine, our RV hostess with the mostest, we had a snack and then tackle a lovely trail overlooking the Glacier. I will try to get some pictures up tomorrow. The area around the glacier is basically a rain forest and everything is lush and green. Our weather was relatively good with only a sprinkle now and then while we were on the mountain.
Later we went through town to the Thane Ore House where Corrine said we could get a good piece of salmon. We had a great dinner overlooking the Gastineau Channel. Driving through Juneau we had seen four tremendous cruise ships but none of them came down the channel while we were eating. I wish I could remember to take pictures of our food the way Laura does when we travel together. I got the eggs this morning but just dug into the first salmon of the trip. Yum!
Now the rain is gently falling on the van. Bed Time!
Saturday, May 23
The morning dawned bright and sunny. Both Sandy and I had seen the lights of a cruise ship during the night. Why that should be exciting I don’t know. I guess it is just seeing such a large boat along such as narrow channel.
Rather than have breakfast at the camp we followed the camp hostess’ suggestion that we go up to the Cable House for breakfast. It was nearly an hour down the road… both Sandy and I thought she said 15 minutes down the road but she must have said 50. In any case we were hungry enough to really enjoy the fresh eggs and savory bacon. Everything was made from scratch. The bread was great, and it had been recommended that we try the cinnamon rolls. Sandy got one for us to split and now I sure wish we had gotten two so that there would be left-over.
We looked at the Milepost and planned our stops in such a way to get Sandy to the Ferry at Port Hardy by 3:30. She is going on the ferry tonight while I am scheduled to take the morning ferry on Sunday.
After saying goodbye to Sandy I checked in to Sunny Sanctuary RV Park and was delighted to see another Roadtrek. Jim and Henry are from San Diego and have made some marvelous adaptations to their 2008 Roadtrek. I took pictures of some of the ways they have adapted the small spaces with very workable solutions. We will be rising early tomorrow. They are also going north to Prince Rupert on the new BC Ferry, Northern Expedition.
I cruised around Port Hardy for awhile. The internet café was already closed. The town really hasn’t wakened up for the summer yet. I did find a Japanese Restaurant and washed down the good dinner with some warm sake while reading a little of James Michener’s Alaska.
Sunday, May 24
NORTHERN EXPEDITION – Ferry to Prince Rupert
The alarm rang at 4:30. I heated some coffee and got on my way to the ferry and was in line right behind Jim and Henry. The Northern Expedition had its maiden voyage two weeks ago and is a wonderful way to travel. I opted to upgrade to the Aurora Lounge which is at the front of the ferry with an expansive view. It was a good purchase for $25. A card is used to gain access and I felt that my belongings were secure while I wandered around the boat.
Apparently, all ferry’s need a shake down cruise. There were a number on things on this boat that had shaken apart already. There are two doors into the Aurora Lounge and the crew was trying to fix one of them (the electronics for the card wouldn’t work) as we arrived at 7:00am. They tried intermittently to fix that door all day long. Henry reported that when he used a toilet the handle came off in his hand. I guess that maintenance on a vessel like this keeps a number of the crew busy especially on a new boat.
Every three hours we were allowed to go down to the car deck to feed pets, etc. It was good exercise going down the five flights and I usually could think of a map, book, or food that I needed from the Roadtrek.
On one of these journeys I overheard someone talking about the Seward Glacier tour and so I stopped by and met Gisela and Uli who are from Frankfort Germany but now live in Florida. They are planning to see the same areas that Sandy and I are visiting. Who knows, we may run into them again in Homer or Seward. They were talking to Bob and Pat from Wasilla who gave us both some good information and suggestions.
My seatmate was Frederick from Austria, south of Vienna. He is spending seven months traveling around the world. His first stop was South Africa. He then has traveled through Singapore, Malaysia, Australia (he took a camper down the beautiful east coast, out to Ayres Rock and then traveled on to Perth), then to New Zealand before heading for the west coast of the US and Canada.
My plan with Sandy was to meet her at 10:30 pm when our ferry reached Prince Rupert and stay near the departure point for 4:00 am queue for Juneau trip. Best laid plans! My ferry was 2 hours late and Sandy had learned that we couldn’t spend the night in the ferry parking area. She left me a message but I couldn’t pick it up. After driving around looking for her van I saw an RV park and sure enough there she was. Jim and Henry were parked right next to her and all was quiet since it was after midnight. THAT was a short night. Sandy banged on my door around 3:15 to get me started again.
Monday, May 25 – Memorial Day
MV KENNICOTT – Ferry from Prince Rupert to Juneau
This ferry was petite compared to the Northern Expedition. After getting settled in our room we went up and had a breakfast that was an unexpected pleasure. Everything was cooked to order. Eggs over easy were just that and the bacon was crisp. After breakfast I crashed for the rest of the morning.
Afternoon brought new surprises. Alaskan Ferry and the US Forest Service have arranged to have a Ranger on each ferry to give programs about the local flora and fauna as we chug up the coast. We had a special treat since our captain had decided to test his skill on a particularly challenging route through the Wrangell Narrows south of Petersburg. Our ranger described the plan and then those of us who chose to stay up were able to watch the skill required to maneuver through the Narrows. Though it was rainy and cold and the pictures are sort of dark it is a trip I will not forget.
The morning dawned bright and sunny. Both Sandy and I had seen the lights of a cruise ship during the night. Why that should be exciting I don’t know. I guess it is just seeing such a large boat along such as narrow channel.
Rather than have breakfast at the camp we followed the camp hostess’ suggestion that we go up to the Cable House for breakfast. It was nearly an hour down the road… both Sandy and I thought she said 15 minutes down the road but she must have said 50. In any case we were hungry enough to really enjoy the fresh eggs and savory bacon. Everything was made from scratch. The bread was great, and it had been recommended that we try the cinnamon rolls. Sandy got one for us to split and now I sure wish we had gotten two so that there would be left-over.
We looked at the Milepost and planned our stops in such a way to get Sandy to the Ferry at Port Hardy by 3:30. She is going on the ferry tonight while I am scheduled to take the morning ferry on Sunday.
After saying goodbye to Sandy I checked in to Sunny Sanctuary RV Park and was delighted to see another Roadtrek. Jim and Henry are from San Diego and have made some marvelous adaptations to their 2008 Roadtrek. I took pictures of some of the ways they have adapted the small spaces with very workable solutions. We will be rising early tomorrow. They are also going north to Prince Rupert on the new BC Ferry, Northern Expedition.
I cruised around Port Hardy for awhile. The internet café was already closed. The town really hasn’t wakened up for the summer yet. I did find a Japanese Restaurant and washed down the good dinner with some warm sake while reading a little of James Michener’s Alaska.
Sunday, May 24
NORTHERN EXPEDITION – Ferry to Prince Rupert
The alarm rang at 4:30. I heated some coffee and got on my way to the ferry and was in line right behind Jim and Henry. The Northern Expedition had its maiden voyage two weeks ago and is a wonderful way to travel. I opted to upgrade to the Aurora Lounge which is at the front of the ferry with an expansive view. It was a good purchase for $25. A card is used to gain access and I felt that my belongings were secure while I wandered around the boat.
Apparently, all ferry’s need a shake down cruise. There were a number on things on this boat that had shaken apart already. There are two doors into the Aurora Lounge and the crew was trying to fix one of them (the electronics for the card wouldn’t work) as we arrived at 7:00am. They tried intermittently to fix that door all day long. Henry reported that when he used a toilet the handle came off in his hand. I guess that maintenance on a vessel like this keeps a number of the crew busy especially on a new boat.
Every three hours we were allowed to go down to the car deck to feed pets, etc. It was good exercise going down the five flights and I usually could think of a map, book, or food that I needed from the Roadtrek.
On one of these journeys I overheard someone talking about the Seward Glacier tour and so I stopped by and met Gisela and Uli who are from Frankfort Germany but now live in Florida. They are planning to see the same areas that Sandy and I are visiting. Who knows, we may run into them again in Homer or Seward. They were talking to Bob and Pat from Wasilla who gave us both some good information and suggestions.
My seatmate was Frederick from Austria, south of Vienna. He is spending seven months traveling around the world. His first stop was South Africa. He then has traveled through Singapore, Malaysia, Australia (he took a camper down the beautiful east coast, out to Ayres Rock and then traveled on to Perth), then to New Zealand before heading for the west coast of the US and Canada.
My plan with Sandy was to meet her at 10:30 pm when our ferry reached Prince Rupert and stay near the departure point for 4:00 am queue for Juneau trip. Best laid plans! My ferry was 2 hours late and Sandy had learned that we couldn’t spend the night in the ferry parking area. She left me a message but I couldn’t pick it up. After driving around looking for her van I saw an RV park and sure enough there she was. Jim and Henry were parked right next to her and all was quiet since it was after midnight. THAT was a short night. Sandy banged on my door around 3:15 to get me started again.
Monday, May 25 – Memorial Day
MV KENNICOTT – Ferry from Prince Rupert to Juneau
This ferry was petite compared to the Northern Expedition. After getting settled in our room we went up and had a breakfast that was an unexpected pleasure. Everything was cooked to order. Eggs over easy were just that and the bacon was crisp. After breakfast I crashed for the rest of the morning.
Afternoon brought new surprises. Alaskan Ferry and the US Forest Service have arranged to have a Ranger on each ferry to give programs about the local flora and fauna as we chug up the coast. We had a special treat since our captain had decided to test his skill on a particularly challenging route through the Wrangell Narrows south of Petersburg. Our ranger described the plan and then those of us who chose to stay up were able to watch the skill required to maneuver through the Narrows. Though it was rainy and cold and the pictures are sort of dark it is a trip I will not forget.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Vancouver Island
Friday, May 22
After saying goodbye to Sandy’s cousins we headed north through mixed forests of conifers and the new green of the deciduous trees. The main coast of this part of British Columbia is called the Sunshine coast because it is sheltered from the west winds by the 8000 foot high mountains of Vancouver Island. Karen and I traveled this road one year in April and were surprised how warm it was.
Now I am on the island looking across to the east beyond the Sunshine coast to the snow covered mountains on the mainland. To the north and west are the mountains of the island, also covered with snow. The day is gorgeous and the scenery spectacular. Sandy and I are traveling along in tandem testing out the walkie talkies that she brought. They will make communication between the two Roadtreks a breeze.Thanks to our Roadtrek Cyber Pal, Barbara D., we found a wonderful campground north of Campbell River. Ripple Rock RV Park. It is a jewel tucked down along the Inside Passage. We enjoyed crackers, cheese, humus and wine while waiting for a cruise ship to pass. All we saw were sailboats and barges.
Discovery Passage links the open Pacific Ocean with the waters of the south. It is the most direct route north for vessels coming from Vancouver, BC. Both marine traffic and marine animals must pass this way, which is just 1.5 kilometers wide at some points. Ancient legends tell of salmon running so thick in Discovery Passage that a person could walk on the salmon!
After saying goodbye to Sandy’s cousins we headed north through mixed forests of conifers and the new green of the deciduous trees. The main coast of this part of British Columbia is called the Sunshine coast because it is sheltered from the west winds by the 8000 foot high mountains of Vancouver Island. Karen and I traveled this road one year in April and were surprised how warm it was.
Now I am on the island looking across to the east beyond the Sunshine coast to the snow covered mountains on the mainland. To the north and west are the mountains of the island, also covered with snow. The day is gorgeous and the scenery spectacular. Sandy and I are traveling along in tandem testing out the walkie talkies that she brought. They will make communication between the two Roadtreks a breeze.Thanks to our Roadtrek Cyber Pal, Barbara D., we found a wonderful campground north of Campbell River. Ripple Rock RV Park. It is a jewel tucked down along the Inside Passage. We enjoyed crackers, cheese, humus and wine while waiting for a cruise ship to pass. All we saw were sailboats and barges.
Discovery Passage links the open Pacific Ocean with the waters of the south. It is the most direct route north for vessels coming from Vancouver, BC. Both marine traffic and marine animals must pass this way, which is just 1.5 kilometers wide at some points. Ancient legends tell of salmon running so thick in Discovery Passage that a person could walk on the salmon!
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