Alaska 2

May - June 2014

A 15-day adventure by Chuck & Glenda Read more

26footprints
2countries
15days
224photos
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6.4kmiles
4.2kmiles

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Alaska 2
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- May 30, 2014, 9:00am
- ⛅ 70 °F
- Altitude: 636 ft
- United States North Carolina Back Creek Township Cedar Creek Long Branch 35.725176, -79.85253535°43’31” N 79°51’9” W
North to Alaska
May 30, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
We loaded our luggage, as we always do, on the sofa to take a picture, then we were off to the Charlotte Airport. Martha took us, so we left our car at her house.
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Alaska 2
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- May 30, 2014, 2:00pm
- ⛅ 84 °F
- Altitude: 138 ft
- United States Texas Harris County Weldon Pines George Bush Intercontinental Airport 29.985655, -95.34152429°59’8” N 95°20’29” W
Flying Through Houston?
May 30, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F
The ways of the airlines are like the ways of God. They are inscrutable to us mere mortals. So for some reason we will be flying to Alaska through Houston. The good news is that all of our flights seem to be functioning as advertised and on time.Read more
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- May 31, 2014, 7:45am
- 🌧 39 °F
- Altitude: 59 ft
- United States Alaska Anchorage Resolution Park 61.217713, -149.90091361°13’4” N 149°54’3” W
Day 1
Breakfast in the Dark
May 31, 2014 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 39 °F
It is 9:45 am and we are at Hotel Captain Cook. We went to the Snow City Grill for breakfast. The line there was so long we decided to go elsewhere. Went to hotel restaurant for breakfast. High winds caused a power failure and as we finished our meal we were plunged into darkness. The wind and the rain are sufficient to cause considerable damage here.Read more
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- May 31, 2014, 10:45am
- 🌧 41 °F
- Altitude: 180 ft
- United States Alaska Anchorage Municipality Artesian Village 61.245724, -149.77189361°14’45” N 149°46’19” W
Day 1
Alaska Cultural Center
May 31, 2014 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 41 °F
With time on our hands on the first day we decided to go to the Alaska Native Cultural Center. Our guide was a young lady named August. We had lunch at the snack bar. Glenda ordered for us a reindeer hot dog, and some reindeer stew. It was rainy and cold. One of the demonstrations showed a native Alaskan game played by girls. A ball is suspended from a frame and the girl must kick it from a sitting position. Afterwards we went to the Anchorage Museum. We walked back to the Capt. Cook hotel. Just strolling through the streets of Anchorage was interesting. In one store front we found a ladies' suit made of seal fur. We also found the cathedral, a rather simple church, but still the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Alaska. We had supper at Fletcher's restaurant in the hotel.Read more
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- Jun 1, 2014, 10:45am
- ☀️ 50 °F
- Altitude: 1,273 ft
- United States Alaska Valdez–Cordova Census Area Copper Center 61.954884, -145.34062261°57’18” N 145°20’26” W
Day 2
To Copper River
June 1, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F
We boarded a bus and left the Hotel Captain Cook at 9:45 AM for Copper River. We stopped on the way to photograph the Matanuska Glacier. We had lunch at the Eureka Road House at mile marker 128 on the Richardson Highway. I had chili and Glenda had soup and a chicken salad sandwich. The road houses were important institutions in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They served as little outposts of civilization in a vast wilderness. Offering food, lodging and supplies, they were essential for survival. We arrived at the Copper River Princess Lodge about 3:30 PM,Read more
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- Jun 1, 2014, 5:45pm
- ⛅ 61 °F
- Altitude: 5,738 ft
- United States Alaska Ahtna Alaska Native Regional Corporation 61.90147, -143.0615261°54’5” N 143°3’41” W
Day 2
Flight Over Wrangell-St. Elias
June 1, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
At 5 PM Jared took us, along with a couple from Sumter, S.C., Rob and Courtney, to Copper River Aviation. Our pilot, Alex, packed us into an old Cessna 185 and showed us some wonderful sights during a very bumpy ride. I got some great photos. Glenda found the motion of the airplane very unsettling, so she decided to miss supper. I was still full from the chili at lunch, so I didn't mind. At 8:30 PM there was an evening retreat ceremony ay the flag pole. Only about half a dozen people were there. Two of us were veterans, and both of us were given a small U. S. flag as a token of gratitude for our service. It was very cold and the wind was blowing hardRead more
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- Jun 2, 2014
- ☁️ 45 °F
- Altitude: 1,270 ft
- United States Alaska Ahtna Alaska Native Regional Corporation 61.922172, -145.4636261°55’20” N 145°27’49” W
Day 3
Copper River Wilderness
June 2, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F
We went on an ATV excursion from the Princes Copper River Lodge along the Klutina River with Carrie, our driver. The scenery was wonderful but the weather was horrible. As we started the rain began. After 20 minutes, the rain stopped and the sun came out and the temperature warmed up. We went through four cycles of cold rain and warm sun when Glenda saw in the distance "beautiful dark blue sky against the powdery white cliffs.” She asked me to photograph the scene, and as I did so, I realized the the "dark blue" was actually an intense rain storm. After a few minutes Carrie commented the the storm was really dumping on the lodge, and the we were heading right into it. About that time we felt the temperature drop about 10 degrees into the high 30’s and heavy rain started. However, within just a couple of seconds it turned into pea-sized hail. We finally made it back to the lodge. Glenda took a warm bath to wash off the mud, and we went to the bar and had a nice glass of wine and a plate of bread and butter.Read more
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- Jun 3, 2014
- ⛅ 54 °F
- Altitude: 436 ft
- United States Alaska Fairbanks North Star Borough Westgate Alaskaland 64.839912, -147.77286764°50’24” N 147°46’22” W
Day 4
On to Fairbanks
June 3, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F
We split an omelet at the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge. Because the clouds obscuring them had finally cleared, I photographed Drum, Stanford, and Wrangell Mounts. Our bus to Fairbanks, again driven by Daniel, paused for lunch at the Rika Roadhouse not far from Delta, Alaska. We passed Fort Wainwright, and saw F-15's, and F-16's flying. There were also A-10's and KC135's on the ground. Near the Eilson Air Force Base we glimpsed a huge bull moose, then saw two other moose a little farther up the road. Daniel drove us on a short tour of Fairbanks before taking us to the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. After about an hour of rest we boarded another bus to go to the Salmon Bake. When we walked into the complex a recording of the theme for "Welcome Back, Kotter" was being played. Where we sat to enjoy our meal a Black musician was singling an extended version of "Blue Moon." They offer an excellent buffet featuring grilled salmon, fried beer-batter cod, and prime rib. It was an excellent meal, and I tried hard not to overeat. We came back to the lodge, where Glenda did our first batch of laundry on this trip. I read the textbook on wine before retiring about 10 PM.Read more
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- Jun 4, 2014, 9:00am
- ⛅ 54 °F
- Altitude: 440 ft
- United States Alaska Fairbanks North Star Borough Broadmoor Cripple Creek 64.823578, -147.89182564°49’25” N 147°53’31” W
Day 5
Athabascan Introduction
June 4, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F
At breakfast in the Princess Fairbanks River Lodge we were surprised to learn that until 8:30 AM one could not order from a menu, but only from the buffet, which cost $16 per person. Glenda's omelet was claimed by a man who came into the line after us, but she quickly corrected the mistake. The riverboat cruise on the Chena River was far more than just a cruise; it was an excellent introduction to the varied elements of Alaskan culture and history. As we cruised down the river, we stopped to hear presentations on bush pilots, dog sledding and native culture. The presenters were on the bank of the narrow, shallow river, and their words were broadcast to the entire boat by wireless microphone and television. We stopped for more than an hour at the reproduction of a native Athabascan village. Young people demonstrated elements of hunting, housing and folkways. Another presentation won Glenda's heart. Laura Alloway, a contender in this year's Iditerod dog sled race, had dogs with her and discussed her preparations for the race. Back on shore we enjoyed a delicious lunch of beef stew, apple-pecan-goat cheese salad, and a rich chocolate brownie. During lunch, four-time Iditerod winner Lance Mackey spoke to the crowd about his recovery from throat cancer and his Iditerod victories.Read more
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- Jun 4, 2014, 1:00pm
- ⛅ 63 °F
- Altitude: 643 ft
- United States Alaska Fairbanks North Star Borough Engineer (historical)Calder Creek 64.937388, -147.65737564°56’15” N 147°39’27” W
Day 5
Alaska Pipeline & Gold Dredge
June 4, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F
In the afternoon we went to Goldstream Valley near the town of Fox, about 12 miles north of Fairbanks, to see the remains of the Fairbanks Exploration Company's Gold Dredge No. 8. First our guide Tim showed us the finer points of the Trans-Alaska pipeline. Then on a narrow-gauge railroad we rode through the site with a guide explaining the gold dredging process with re-enactors assisting. The final presentation took us to the actual machine itself, Gold Dredge No. 8, a huge machine so large that it altered the terrain it chewed up. Finally we each were given a bag of soil made from the tailings garnered from the site. We sat at a trough with a gold pan and sifted through our soil. Glenda's bag yielded $19 worth of gold; mine yielded $30 worth. We combined our gold and I bought Glenda a little necklace which contained and displayed the gold we had panned.Read more
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