Alaskan Vacation
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This Vacation was to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of Charles and Valeria Taylor. Chuck and Val have traveled all around the continental United States in a GMC motorhome for over 5 years. It has been their wish for many years to see Alaska. So when their 45th Anniversary came around, they decided to go North. And as a special surprise, they invited Karen and I to go with them! So for over a year we have been planning this trip.
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I was a Boy Scout and I was taught to always be prepared, but how does one prepare to go to the "Frozen Tundra of the North". I checked the net and found some Alaskan web pages. I was told that this was the rainiest summer they have ever had, so bring rain gear, mosquito repellant and a pot and a spoon. (for the killer carnivorous people eating bears). According to my research if you encounter a bear while hiking, you are supposed either bang your spoon on your pot to scare the bear, (I figured this would attract its attention) or to stop drop and play dead. Eventually the bear will leave you alone, unless it plans to make you its next meal. (got that from a travel brochure). Personally I figured had a chance, if I saw a bear you could call me Mercury Willis as I outran not the bear, but the slowest member of our group. So I had a mission to find the slowest person, hike with them. |
So I was properly outfitted from Champaign Surplus and the Wild Country. Taylor and I packed and the trip begins.. Special note, the Columbia and Helley Hansen jackets we wore were the best purchase. Kept us warm, dry and comfortable...
9/2/98 7:12am -- In Indianapolis the current temperature is in the 90's. We made it through the Airport surveillance tunnel, (I wasn't wearing my McGuyver tools, and didn't get strip searched..) and waited to board the plane, United Airlines flight N360UA to Chicago. All over the news were reports and replies regarding the downed plane bound for Switzerland. Tense Times... While aboard the plane I saw an article in Black Enterprise magazine in which was discussed Bob Ross Buick and Norma /Jenell/ Bob Ross. www.bobrossauto.com. Aug 1998 issue, remember to send email and a note .
11:20am departed over :30 late for Anchorage clear skies, smooth flight for the most part. Jeremy (entwisle@fas.harvard.edu) says that Simons and Seaforts is the best place for crabs among others. In Anchorage. My middle seat buddy (quattrin@up.net Al Quattrin) who is going hunting and fishing with his son who is stationed in Alaska. This was a very long flight. (Not like flying to Europe, no free booze!) I bought several Jack Daniel's and ginger ale tasty beverages. I slept most of the way.
4:12pm (Alaska time from this point forward unless otherwise noted). After arriving a the Airport and meeting our guide, we made our way to our hotel via a motorcoach and swift city tour. Along the way we spied local taverns and eateries. We even passed Simon & Seaforts 5 star restaurant. After settling down and having to wait for our luggage to be delivered. We walked two blocks south and west to go to the Glacier Bay Micro-Brewhouse, John our waiter was very accommodating and suggested the Oatmeal Stout. Taylor and I had one. For Dinner I had the barbecue Salmon (the most delicious salmon dish besides my mom's salmon croquettes), I've had in a while, Chuck had the chipino, Val had the grilled salmon with herbs, Taylor had the wood roasted salmon. I had the pleasure to sample each and... later we went to the Alaskan Elks Lodge# 1351 had two additional microbrews, and played pigs with Chuck and Val. While there we met Steve from Florida and he and his wife saw us playing pigs and came over to introduce themselves. Steve builds marinas and is currently working with Texaco building docks/marinas. Brian stopped by and gave his advice on which side of the bus to sit on during the Denali tour and the train ride to Denali. First Alaskan observations; flowers everywhere. All types of flowers were in bloom. Of course I didn't have to see them to know this. Almost immediately my allergies began to kick in. The reason the flowers in Alaska are so big and beautiful is due the large amount of sunlight they receive during the summer months. Virtually 24 hours of sunlight. I've been told stories of marathon softball games begging early morning and ending when the bracket is complete. Of course all businesses participate because you don't get too many very pleasant and dry days. Funny thing is that games are never called off due to rain.
8:00p (11:00pm Illinois Time) Taylor and I went down to the lobby to eat a frozen yogurt, buy some brandy and went to bed. EARLY
9/3/98 4:00a I am wide awake. So I start my normal morning rituals early. By 5:00 I am ready to go. The outside temperature is 32 degrees F. Our wake up isn't until 7:00. Taylor tells me that I had better get in sync with the Alaskan zone or else... I made coffee and she let me watch TV. I am ready to tour the town. I went to the gift shop (it didn't open til 6:30) and bought batteries. Then I decided to call my office but I forgot my toll free number.
7:15am Luckily I had recorded my toll free number on this palmtop and I called and left a message for Eric. Temperature is 35 degrees.
9:00a our tour started. First stop was the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. We only had an hour to see the exhibits. Val and I buzzed though and saw everything. Val especially enjoyed the fur exhibit. While she was touching the sealskin, it reminded her of her Mom's coat when she was younger. I really enjoyed the actual items used in everyday life. They even had part of the Alaskan Pipeline. Next we went to Lake Hood to see the worlds largest sea plane harbor. Channels were cut to allow the airplanes to taxi and land. The island in the middle unfortunately attracted geese. Someone thought to put pigs on the island and this finally kept the geese off the island. After the summer is over they have a barbecue and eat the pig. We saw the Takeetna mountains in the distance. Finally we went to see Mt McKinley. The view wasn't to good. I hope to see it better from the train tomorrow. The last place we visited, off the record, was the Wild Berry Factory Today the most interesting thing I noticed was that at 12:00 noon the sun wasn't high like in the "lower 48" it was more like 4:00pm. 12:30p we walked to Simon & Seafort's for lunch. This is a five star restaurant. Val had the Tiger prawns, Chuck had the Alaskan sampler. The sampler had garlic herb, pan seared Salmon & Halibut. I tried this and it was delicious. Taylor had the Honey-Chili rubbed wood roasted salmon with honey butter. (I was going to order this, but she got it first. This was the best salmon I ever tasted. it even ranked with my Mom's salmon's croquettes. (maybe better, sorry Mom). I had the pecan-butter crusted salmon. It was great, however the Honey-Chili rubbed wood roasted salmon with honey butter was far superior. While we dined, we were able to look over Cooks inlet. Last night we were told that the diners were treated to viewing beluga whales. We weren't treated. We went gift shopping and bought post cards. Apparently the largest business in Alaska is the oil business, followed closely by tourism. Experts believe that tourism will take the lead in the next several years.
5:23pm The Elks club again. We ran into Brian Sturdevant again. Brian works for AT&T and gave us good insider information on Alaska. Brian's email address is bsturdevant@alascom.att.com. I'll email him and let him check out our vacation pictures on-line.
9/4/98 8:15 am The train leave on time for Denali! We are prepared to take a 237 mile 7.5 hour trip. The train is different than any train in the "Lower 48". It is designed to have a topside enclosed observation deck. It is two stories and taller than trains are allowed to be in the "Lower 48" The lower portion of the train is used for dining. There is an open area in the rear of our train for smokers and photographers to get an unobstructed view. We pass the Elmendore Air Force Base. This base is strategically positioned to place troops in Asia or Europe first by flying over the North Pole. We were able to see a variety of F-14 strike aircraft and troop transports. They also have planes that have actually shot down satellites. This was done during the star wars era at the time of the Regan administration. On the train we plan on a native hearty breakfast. I plan on having Blueberry pancakes. Reindeer sausage. (Special note, what is the difference between a Reindeer and Caribou? None, Reindeer is domesticated Caribou!) We got to meet several more people on our tour. Phil and Connie from New Jersey. Every day has been warm and sunny. The scenery is truly beautiful. The mountains are majestic. If you didn't know what you were looking at, you'd think the snow capped mountains were distant clouds. We took plenty of pictures from the train.
10:16a After breakfast we went to the observation deck to watch the Alaskan countryside flow by.
11:38a The town of Takeetna, population 399 and 1 grouch. This town is where the TV show Northern Exposure was modeled after. But because it was so remote, the film crew was moved to Washington State. This city has the highest male to female ratio. 25:1 male:female. The saying woman have regarding finding a man is "The odds are good, but the goods are odd." On the way we saw a Salmon run, hurricane gulch and two black grizzly bears. I drank an Alaskan beer, Jack Daniel's and Ginger Ale, and a Vodka Martini. Somewhere in there I took brief nap. I woke up just in time to see my second Grizzly Bear. No caribou as of yet, but our evening jet boat safari tour should yield some wildlife.
3:20p Arrival in Denali. Looks like we'll start our Denali experience with a Jet Boat Safari Tour.
6:30p We load up for the Jet Boat Tour. Drive in a school bus down the river and meet our guide group. Our family got to ride a fan boat. It was noisy but fun. We went upstream about 20 to 25 minutes to the guides base camp. This camp was constructed of timber and other temporary material. It was right off the river. For refrigeration they use the river water. Since if flows off a glacier, it is naturally cold. The temperature is said to be between 34 and 38 degrees. One guide was a trapper (the P.C. term is animal harvester) and a native Alaskan (born in Alaska), two other were from Idaho. Our Jet Boat captain was Capt. Hak. Capt. Hak was a very entertaining man and enjoyed telling stories to us. While at the base camp one guide explained how trapping worked, which animals were preferred as well as which could be harvested without limit. They gave us hot chocolate and fried bread. Fried bread is bread dough flattened out and fried. As soon as you pull it from the skillet you sprinkle brown sugar on it and eat it hot. At the end of our excursion, we got to pan for gold. I think they loaded the troths because everyone found gold! I have to say that we all had a good time. Towards the end though it was getting pretty chilly. After we returned to the Lodge, Taylor and I walked to the Hot Tub to see if anyone was inside. There were and we didn't. We did fill two Styrofoam glasses with brandy and tour the complex, pausing only to take a picture of the full moon through the moutons. We have an early morning tomorrow. Tomorrow we go on a natural history tour and visit Mt. McKinley and horseback riding!
7:15am Off to the Wilderness Safari Tour. Justin our guide was a very knowledgeable and entertaining young man, from Arizona. We saw moose and her calf. Several Dall sheep and Ptarmigans. We were also treated to the best view of the mountains, ( according to all tour guides) in 6 years. Virtually no clouds and clear visibility. The biggest surprise was that we had no rain to date! According to everyone we were lucky! 12:30p Horseback Riding. I haven't been on a horse since I was 12 or 13, due to a bad experience. (another story). Leonard drove us to the ranch and Andy was the Wrangler that took us on the trail. But this wilderness adventure was really rugged. I was riding Kate, a fairly large horse as horses go. Kate is usually used to pull the wagon. We were given a :30 overview on how to steer a horse. It was during that time I quickly relived the bad experience of my youth. After flashing back to reality we were off. The ride was warmer than I expected, the sun was out and the only chill came when the sun disappeared behind a cloud. The trail was through the Taiga (Russian for forest of little sticks). This area was filled with willow bushes, lichen and blueberry bushes. I t was a pretty good chance to see wildlife. Moose eat willow bushes, caribou eat lichen and bears and wolfs eat the previous two. Did I mention that bear eat people and horses too.. The only wildlife we saw however was a field squirrel, a dog and the horses we were riding. Even though we didn't see any truly wild life, Taylor and I had a fun time. I have found so far that all guides tell stories. Andy, while brandishing his new .45 handgun told us about his recent moose hunting trip. One word of advice was that while hunting moose, he prefers to look for the smaller calf. The reason was that they taste better and it is easier to carry a 400lb kill (harvest) than a 1500lb (harvest). We make it to the Lodge and have about 15 minutes until the shuttle leaves for the station. The adventure continues..
3:15p Shuttle to the train station. Again we pass the visitors station. It is mandatory for all hikers in Denali to visit this station. I really wanted to visit it as well, for the sheer fact that is has a bear simulator. Since the bears in the park are carnivorous, you have to know how to react. According to the trappers, whom I thought would be able to give the best account, they say that each animal has a different personality and should be treated as an individual, therefore you can't predict a certain plan or general plan. I was curious how I would have faired on the simulator. Basically I figured that if I was with a group of folk, all I had to do was outrun the slowest tourist (meal). 9:00p Fairbanks!!! Hope fully I am getting over my slightly sore throat. So after settling in,Taylor and I took a quick self tour and landed at the local tavern. We have made it a point to eat the local domestic dishes and drink the local microbrews. In this bar "The Dockside Lounge" our bartender Susie, gave us a sample of several Alaskan microbrews. we sampled Ravens Ridge Pale Ale (sweet and mellow) I ordered this, Silver Gulch Pilsner Lager ( A light sweet beer, Taylor didn't care for this, but she doesn't care for sweet things.) And Kodiak Nut Brown Ale. I am a lover of dark beers. This beer is dark, chocolatety and full bodied. Taylor had the Glacier Brewhouse Amber. We first tried this beer while while in Anchorage at the Glacier Bay Brewhouse. So far we have sampled microbrews from Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juno. By reading this it may seem that we ate and drank our vacation. We did, it was vacation. In fact it is hard to tell what day of the week it is. Not because we were drinking, but because we weren't working! I think I can finally relax. 2 week vacations are definitely needed. And you have to leave your town, state, country. This should be a law or something.
8:15am We got on the fun bus with our Coach Commander Jim. He drove us to the alternate landing where we boarded the Discovery III for our tour.. We cruised South down the Chena River towards the Tanana River. The Tanana river is gray due to the glacier silt compared to the clear by comparison Chena. We saw several beaver dams and beavers preparing for the winter. From the boat, we viewed Susan Butcher's home and dog sled camp. Next we saw a device used to harvest salmon as they traveled up stream. This device resembled a wind Mill and worked solely from the current. It actually lifted the salmon from the stream deposited them in a chute. According to the cruise commentator, only a certain amount of salmon can be harvested. Apparently at the mouth of the river, a infrared counter is used to detect the number of salmon returning to their birthplace. From that value the fishermen are notified about the number they are allowed to harvest on a particular day. Depending on the type of salmon, it is determined if the fish will be dried and used to feed the dogs or humans. Then we saw Dixie Alexander the first time demonstrating how to skin an Alaskan Salmon. Next we went to the dog camp and saw a dog sled demonstration. One of the guides (Kim) has family in Decatur, Illinois and Taylor has worked with her second cousin. Then we saw Dixie again showing us her hand made native ceremonial coats. Dixie has coats on display in the Smithsonian. Took lots of pictures, loaded up and moved out. Next tour today is the city tour.
2:30pm Jim our coach driver will take us around again this afternoon. We toured the city and I took a quick snooze. I woke up just in time to hear Jim talking about the red light district. Jim explained that the original district was on 1st street, but was not eliminated but moved to 4th street. Now on 4th street another similar type of business, Attorneys at Law. We also learned that the good Catholic folks didn't want the church so close to the night life so they moved the church across the river. Now to do this they waited till winter and moved on rollers on the ice. But the river wasn't completely frozen so to strengthen the ice, they pumped the water from below the ice on top, let it freeze, and continued until they could move it across the river. Next we went to the Eldorado mine. Upon arrival, we boarded a train, went into a mock mine. While we were there we learned how gold was found near bedrock and other minerals. From this mock mine we went around the corner and saw Yukon Yolanda and her husband pan for gold. Yolanda pulled 3 nuggets and numerous flakes from the longest chute. Then we were handed a bag and we each got to Pan for our own gold. Taylor and I combined harvested over 12 troy oz. which was over $22 in flakes. Now remember the flakes were essentially free. But the ladies then put the flakes into $50 necklaces and chains which they are now wearing. Now Chuck and I noticed how most of the ladies are wearing this free $50 jewelry. Chuck and I had free oatmeal and raisin cookies and sweet glacier mineral water. Did I mention that ours was free? Next, Jim told us a story about a Dept. of Transportation engineer whose young daughter was fond of Gumby. Apparently he designed a certain stretch of the highway to look like Gumby. The humorous part is that no one knew he was doing it until it was done. And he is still with the department! Towards the end, Jim gave us his email school web page northstar.ak.us / homeworknow.com / nphfjsa@northstar.k12.ak.us. We went back to our rooms and packed for the next leg... The Cruise! 9/7/98 Sleep til departure time. Our scheduled rondez-vous time is 11:30. We had to have our luggage ready by 9:00am. In the lobby there was a wedding going on. Apparently 30 years ago a couple planned to get married, called it off decided to finally do it, same day, 30 years later. This was the first full rainy day of our trip. The temperature is in the 40's but the dampness makes me feel cold. Considering that a week ago it was in the 90's. Once again we were huddled on a Princess bus and transported to a plane. This time Alaskan Airlines. Since our luggage was picked up from our room, when we arrived at the airport we each had to open our luggage for inspection in front of an airline official to prove that nothing was added or removed. I had no idea where that kilo of Colombian came from… Then our party went for the airport tunnel. I had slight difficulty since I was wearing my black belt with gold metal trim, also I forgot to remove this palmtop from my holster. After getting situated, we went to the pursers office to try to upgrade Chuck & Val's room. The ship was full and we were unable to get a different room. Luckily our cabins were next door to each other. After the Muster (lifeboat) drill, Later that night we made our way to the casino. I was eager to tour the ship on my own. Gotta be prepared...
