changinglanes2015dotcom

We have been off the grid for a week or so but we will try and quickly catch up.  Our Fairbanks, AK visit was busy.  We were there for 4 days starting with a visit to the Alaska Salmon Bake at the Pioneer Park, the evening of arrival.  There were huge grills filled with Alaskan salmon, halibut, and prime rib, as well as beer battered cod and all the fixings you can imagine.  Also had a dessert of wild blueberry or strawberry rhubarb shortcake.  Unbelievably good !  Afterward we went to the Palace Theatre Show which we thoroughly enjoyed.  The next day started very early on the bus to a Riverboat Cruise.  The cruise began with a plane taking off right next to the boat and he circled around and landed on the water for us.  Next, we stopped on the river in front of the kennel where acclaimed athlete Susan Butcher, 4 time winner of the 1,100 mile Iditarod race trained her sled dogs.  Susan unfortunately died at the age of 51 from leukemia, but left a legacy with this kennel.  The trainer did a demonstration with the dogs as a team pulled her on an ATV.  She answered all questions via a microphone and explained the care and training of these dogs.  We also stopped and had a personalized tour of a Chena Athabaskan village with Alaskan native guides.  We visited all the buildings in the village and they explained processes used for skinning hides and showed us all of the hand-made fur pieces.  One of the hand-made fur coats was beautiful and today is worth about $10,000 – $15,000.

We then had lunch and boarded the bus for Dredge #8.  We learned all about the history of this dredge and the how much gold was mined there.  We also panned for gold which takes quite a bit of work but we managed to find some.  Cary panned $24 worth and I got $11.  We didn’t strike it rich but it was fun doing it.  We also got lots of information and saw a large part of the Pipeline.

Another day brought us to the University of Alaska Museum and the Ice Museum in town.  Every March there are people from all over the world who come to enter into the ice sculpture competitions.  This particular museum won many awards for their entries and several of our group rode down the ice slide.  Fun !

The next day was on our own so we decided to drive to North Pole,  Alaska and visit Santa Claus’ house where we met Santa and Mrs. Claus, and we definitely put in a good word for all our grandchildren.  Lots of fun on this part of the trip.

Denali left us with a life long memory.  We first stopped at a lookout station for the South View before arriving in town.  We had a short walk to reach the lookout and all of a sudden it appears in front of you and fills your view – it just takes your breath away.  We were so lucky that day was clear because only 30% of people that visit see the top of the mountain because of clouds – Well, we were one of those 30% and we even bought a shirt that says so.  One gentleman we talked with said he comes every year (15 years so far) to this view and each year is different.  The next day we all took a bus tour of Denali National Park.  It was a long ride but so much to see along the way to the closest point to view Denali from the park.  We were 35 miles from it at that point and to get any closer you would have to view by air or be a climber of the mountain.  We saw quite a bit of wildlife on the trip there and back but the park is so vast some look like ants traveling around the streams and mountains.  We had an excellent tour guide that was full of information since he drives the tour bus every summer for 3 1/2 months.  Most do not stay here in the winter.  He told us that the name Denali was just changed from Mount McKinley just last year in 2015.  It is the highest in North America at 20,310 feet.  Our guide also had a camera that magnified the animals so that we could watch them up close on the pop-down screens on the bus.  We saw lots of grizzlies, caribou, moose and birds and we think there was some Dall sheep also but someone spotted them too late and the driver could not stop at that point.  The roads are very narrow at some points and the buses just about touch mirrors when passing in the opposite direction.  It was a long day but so well worth it.  There is something about Denali – you can ride and see so much beauty along the way but when you get a glimpse of that mountain towering above the others it’s complete silence and you feel like you are being drawn to it.  Everyone in our group applauded when we reached the top viewing station.  We took a group picture, stayed for about 20 minutes and returned to the bus while looking back until you no longer can see it.   “There is something about Denali.”

We had a great visit to Anchorage which began with a historical city bus tour starting with Earthquake Park.  We all strolled through the park to view the displays and read all about the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 which also effected the coastal towns which were damaged by a tsunami that followed the quake.  As we were walking someone spotted a moose with her baby and we tried to catch a picture but they are so quick and very protective of their calves that we certainly didn’t want her to charge on this crowd.  We went on to tour the airport and saw many float planes that are housed there until winter and even saw one that lands on the snow and ice.  Couldn’t get really good pictures because the bus didn’t actually stop for us there.  Onward to watch a film about sled dogs and mushers at a small local theater which was really enjoyable since it had special effects such as real snow that blew out over the crowd and a campfire that smoked with a computerized old man that told us some tales.

After lunch at a local restaurant we went to the Ulu Factory  where the famous Alaskan Ulu knives are made and then on to the Alaska Wild Berry Products which has the World’s largest Chocolate Fountain, gourmet candies, jams, jellies and need I say more.

The next day took us to the Alaska Native Heritage Center where we learned so much about the native cultures.  Many of the young people did several native dances which interestingly are done with their hands and only moving their feet back and forth in place. The reason being that there were so many people living in one house (sometimes 1,000 or more) that in order to help pass time in the long winters they danced in place, and they exhibited different dances for each culture.  These natives are from all over Alaska including the Aleutian Islands and other islands which are very close to Russia (as close as 35 miles) which have quite a bit of Russian influence in language as well as customs.  We were told that there is so much adversity here that over 100 languages are spoken in Alaskan schools.  We viewed lots of artifacts, furs, crafts and even homes that were on display.  We learned so much in Anchorage.

Our next destination was Homer, Alaska, “The Halibut Fishing Capital of the World.”  Our RV Park was located on the Homer Spit which is a long narrow piece of land 4.5 miles long, and in fact is the longest road into ocean waters in the world.  “OH” what a beautiful place!    The mountains seem to enclose it and the Spit is full of shops, hotels, restaurants and well over 1,000 water docks for commercial and private boats.  We walked the docks at a time when the boats were coming in and it was unbelievable, the amount of fresh salmon and halibut we witnessed being cleaned.  Several in our group went halibut fishing and returned with their limits of 2 fish each.  Most are 7 – 10 bs, but the further out in the ocean can bring more than 100 lb. fish.  The fish were cleaned and bagged for them (of course for a price).  The fishermen and women were kind enough to share some of their catch on the last evening at Homer.  If you have never tried grilled halibut you are missing something huge.  It was a first for Cary and some others and they were saying Mmmmmmm for days afterward.  Many went and purchased some to take home.

While in Homer we also visited the Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center which had so many exhibits, films and hands on information.  We went on to the Pratt Museum which had a large amount of exhibits about the history, native culture, fishing, quilts, birds and more information about the Valdez oil spill and how it effected Homer.

Saturday morning we went to the Homer Farmers market which featured fresh vegetables, with greens galore from local greenhouses and gardens, gorgeous bouquets of flowers, wild berries and of course cinnamon buns.  The flowers in Alaska are everywhere and the reason they flourish is because of so much sunshine.  We presently have daylight for 18 hours a day and it is not easy to make yourself go to bed early when there is still so much daylight.  Back to the Farmers Market, we made the best purchase of the day which was Halibut Tacos which contained fresh grilled halibut cooked to order and the freshest homemade ingredients you could ever hope for.  We ate while we enjoyed the live entertainment which was also unique.  We also visited the famous Salty Dog Saloon with our group that day and posted another dollar along with the thousands of others signed and pinned up on the walls, ceilings, doors and more.  Everything was covered with dollars and the bar and tables were covered with carved names and dates.  It was so nice to find out that the dollars are thinned out yearly and donated to local charities.  Enjoy the pictures and look for our dollar when you go!  It says “Elvis was here,” and the date.

Finally arrived in Seward and we had to be detoured to stay in the local High School parking lot for July 4th because of the Mountain Marathon which brings in thousands of people to the area each year.  It was an inconvenience but we survived  – only to face rain for the next two days.  We still managed to have a good stay that included a tour of the Alaska Sea Life Center and the Puffin Experience which was great.  These birds are not only beautiful but also kind of comical looking similar to parrots.  Our “experience” included seeing them one on one with a person that works with them daily and knows everything about them.  These birds are not especially good at flying but can dive and propel themselves really deep underwater.  We saw them in the tanks later, diving and chasing fish.   This Center was amazing with tanks containing all kinds of Alaskan fish, sea lions, otters and stellar seals.  We also saw all the types of salmon, jellyfish, crabs and octopus.  There was also a great exhibit about the Valdez oil spill and how so many animals perished as well as many others that were saved and the hard work and time it took to save them.  This was a great place to visit in Seward, Alaska.

On the road into Seward we stopped at an Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center which was near the city of Portage.  Note that in our travels we had already seen some bears, elk, eagles, fox, caribou, bison and all kinds of sea life, but we still had not seen a moose.  All of the group (38) had spotted moose along the roads except for 4 of us.  We were determined to see a moose and here at the wildlife center we finally did.  In fact, we saw plenty of all of these animals and all with a different story of how they were rescued and are now being cared for.  We even met “Snickers,” the porcupine who was found when very young, alone and starving in the wilderness.  Enjoy the pictures because we did, along with all the wonderful stories of survival.  There are many of these Wildlife Conservation Centers in Alaska.

We spent one night in Palmer, Alaska, while on the way to Seward and took some great pictures along the way.  We visited a Musk Ox Farm while in Palmer, which was all about the domestication of these animals which have been here on earth since the Ice Age and at one time were almost extinct.  It was a good tour of the farm and how these gentle creatures are cared for and HAND COMBED for a fine soft fiber called qiviut which is said to be the warmest wool in the world and claimed to be 8 times warmer than regular wool.  We noticed after looking in several gift shops in the area that it is also 8 times more expensive as well.  A small neck scarf is priced at $189.00.  It was a good tour and we learned quite a bit about these animals that we really never knew existed.

What a great day for our 1st full day in Valdez, Alaska, as we boarded a tour boat for a 9 hour cruise of the Prince William Sound.  This was another day of the Alaska we had hoped to see.  Our tour boat was headed to Meares Glacier with lots of stops for animal viewing in between.  Our captain would slow the boat and point out all the viewpoints, facts, history and current information but he especially stopped for the animals and that was the very best part.  We saw many of the birds of Prince William Sound including several types of puffins and a Bald Eagle, but most exciting was when he slowed and idled the engine for us to watch a humpback whale.  First we saw the stream of water blowing out of the water, next some of his body and then that beautiful tail.  Talk about awesome – it actually takes your breath away and then the whole tour boat applauded.  We saw two adult humpbacks and one baby on the trip.  The animals were so entertaining too – the stellar sea lions argued over their place on the buoy until one just slapped the other off of his spot and they also rested on the rocks on shore.  The sea otters just relaxed on their backs, some with babies on their bellies and didn’t have any concern for our boat or anything else in the world.  The harbor seals found themselves a piece of ice near the glacier and seemed to be smiling as we went by.

The biggest and best moment of the trip happened when the captain cut the engines and we floated among the the ice chunks in silence in front of the Meares Glacier.  Silence and then the sound of thunder and a huge chunk of the glacier falls and even makes waves.  We observed the glacier for about 45 minutes with many episodes of calving, a very eerie feeling.

We all know a large amount of oil comes from Alaska and we passed many of the oil storage tanks on the way back as well as a fish hatchery where all at the birds and bears seem to gather to get their meals.

What a great day !!!!

We arrived in Chicken, Alaska, the first stop.  Chicken has a population of 23 in the summer and 7 in the winter.   So…. after traveling the Top of the World Highway  we could not even tell what color our rigs and vehicles were, but we enjoyed the rest of the day with a tour of the old dredge and panning for real gold in Chicken.   The owner of the campground and his wife were very nice people and gave us a tour of the dredge and provided a delicious dessert for us after our cookout.  Not much more to say about this town except they saved money on the town sign which says “Welcome to Chicken” and “Thank You for Visiting Chicken,” on the same sign.

Dawson City was the perfect “Old West” town with all the buildings that have been restored to exactly the way they were when the Gold Rush occurred.  We took a walking tour and went into several of them including the saloon, hotel, post office and the bank.  There is only one road into Dawson City and the same one out unless you decide to take the ferry across the Yukon.  Can you guess why the bank was never robbed?  Diamond Tooth Gerties show was enjoyed by all.   The weather was kind of cloudy but there was a great view from the dome which overlooks the city as well as the Yukon River.    There was also a lot of industrial mining going on for gold of course.  We waited in line that next morning for 3 hours to take the ferry across the Yukon and the ride took only about 10 minutes.  We then started across the “Top of the World Highway,” which honestly was very tough.  We are talking approximately 100 miles of gravel road with very little shoulder and lots of switchbacks but we survived it unscathed.