May 28, Turquoise Ice?

Headed southwest this morning, through Anchorage, and along Cook's Inlet to Whittier.  Last time, we visited the town of Whittier which required us to go through the tunnel.  Vehicles and trains take turns using the tunnel which is quite interesting.  This time we took the glacier cruise on this side of the mountain.

These smaller glaciers float in Portage Lake by the Vistor's Center.  The turquoise color is so beautiful in these 

floating works of art.

It was a great one-hour cruise, getting closer to 0the glacier fields and the floating icebergs.  A little misty; but the Captain said that this was a good day...it usually rains more.

I was hoping to see part of the iceberg falling off into the water...like you see on documentaries.  The Captain said one had already fallen off earlier in the morning.

The waterfalls cascading down the rock cliffs into the lake was spectacular!  Portage Lake is a fresh water lake; but fish cannot live there very long.  The water has a grayish, turquoise color that comes from the silt that is present.  The silt settles to the bottom continuously and prevents plants from growing for fish to survive.

I have these flowers at home too called Lupines.  The Captain on the boat said that Lichens and Lupines are one of the first plants to grow after glaciers melt away.  The put nitrogen in the soil that acts as a natural fertilizer.

 Further on down the road we came across this glacier field.  People had homes along this highway and get to wake up to this every morning.  Unbelievable!

Had lunch at this ski resort called Alyeska in Girwood. It has over 2000 vertical feet, an Aeriel tram and 27 trails.  

Can't imagine going down these mountains!  

Highway 1 gets more and more beautiful as we go further northeast.  Yes...northeast, we're kind of heading in the direction of home.  Thinking of going through Edmonton, BC and head east.

Sad sign along the was...

Scary sign along the way...

Sad and scary signs are everywhere...even in Alaska. :-)

May 27, Falling Apart in Alaska

At the beginning of our trip, we had some problems with the furnace.  All was going well and then two weeks later we woke up to a chilly motorhome again.  Bill came to the rescue again...getting out of bed, getting dressed and fixing the problem.  

I kept warm under the covers. :-)

The clamp on the exhaust pipe for the generator broken and then the pipe got bent.  We didn't notice it until we got to Chicken.  Another thing for Bill to fix.

Bigger problems...require bigger tools.  The slide-out started to slide in crooked and required some jerry-rigging to keep it the way it should be to travel.  I did hold the bolt while Bill drilled in the screws into a plate to help the problem. :-)

Think it's annoying when someone leaves kitchen drawers or doors open at home?  In a motorhome, if latches don't hold.....every corner you go around.....they slide or swing open, then shut, then open, then shut...I think you get it!

Simple solutions here...put the drawer back on it's track and just slam the door.  That was easy!

If you watch Alaskan State Troopers, you may have seen this water tower.  The program takes place in this area in the Matanuska Valley.  It's only 10 miles from Wasilla, so we went down there for lunch and to check out a few stores.  In 1935, President Roosevelt's New Deal established the Matanuska Colony.  203 families, from the drought-starved Midwest, came to this area and drew lots for 40 acre lots to farm.  Even today, this area is a garden hub for the rest of Alaska because if its microclimate that produces giant vegetables. 

Igloo greenhouse?

Whoaaaa...Target with a view!  

This is where all those Flamingos go in the summertime. 

 Back to the campground to relax and to 

have an Alaskan beer and some munchies.

Maybe...we should forget the munchies and.....

...just have the Alaskan beer.  

Hey, doesn't everyone keep their beer in the shower?

  

      

May 26, Historical Wasilla and its Ghost Town Neighbor

Did some of our own exploring today and found out that we were within miles of the Cook Inlet.  It is the inlet the British Explorer Captain James Cook landed at,  looking for the Northwest Passage.   The settlement that was located here was called Knik.  It was a thriving area until the railroad decided to build their railroad a little further south,  where the town of Wasilla would develop and flourish.  As a result,  Knik became a ghost town. They say there are only two historical buildings left of that era 
because the others were destroyed 
when a new highway was put in in the 60's. 

The Iditarod Trail ran through Knik.  In 1912, four Iditarod teams carrying 2,600 pounds of gold bullions,  arrived at Knik which fueled "gold fever."  In 1916, a gold Iditarod team arrived with 3,400 pounds of gold hauled by 46 dogs.  
That had to be a sight to see! 

An odd sign for us to see;  but not for the people in Alaska.

I know we have seen these a little in Wisconsin; but in Alaska they are all over.  They are drive up coffee shops and and are painted all different styles.  Sometimes we even see them in what seems to be in the middle of nowhere. 

People think it's summer here!  I'm comfortable with a long-sleeved shirt on.  I guess for Alaskans....when the average high for the whole summer is 70....the 60's in May seem like a heatwave!

This is the view from our camper.  
The haze isn't due to the weather.  
It's the effect of the fires that are raging on the Kenai Peninsula. 

Over 182,000 acres have burned and over 1,000 people have been forced to leave their homes for safety.  They are hoping for rain to help get this fire under control.  

May 25, A Dirty Sport in Alaska

Woke up to wind and rain this morning and in the 40's.  How can these mountains still be beautiful,  even under these conditions?  As we went down the road, the sun started to peek out over the peaks and the day turned out to be a pretty nice day.  Never cancel your plans in the mountains... you never know from minute to minute.

As we got closer to Denali Park, there were more people out and about.  I'm sure Memorial Weekend had something to do with that.  

Our mission today was to go to the small town of Talkeetna, which is at the base of Mount McKinley.  Many hikers and mountain climbers start their ascent from this area.  It's an interesting town because there is such a variety of people from different countries. They are there to take on the challenge of Mount McKinley or to just enjoy it's majestic beauty.  Back in the early days, Talkeetna was a recovery camp for miners to replenish their needed supplies.

Love that historical stuff!

If only this snowmobile could talk...what stories it could tell.

No one stays inside in Alaska when the weather is nice...

 and it's a holiday weekend.

We saw the usual, outdoor activities like picnicking, hiking, biking,  and camping; but Alaskans seem to like dirty and dusty activities.

From Denali to Wasilla, there were off-roading vehicles everywhere.  They even use the partially, dry riverbeds for these activities.  A bath at the end of the day with this sport would be a must!  Maybe that's why they camp by the river's edge.

Spring has come to Alaska.  Still in the 50-60's; but warm enough for these flowers.  Camping in Wasilla for the next couple days to do some local sightseeing.  Wasilla....sound familiar?  Sarah Palin?  Back in 1994, the state voted to change the capital of Alaska from Juneau to Wasilla.  Juneau won; but not by much.

May 24, "Old World Alaska?"

The view driving north on the Alaska Highway towards Fairbanks.

About half way to Fairbanks is the small town of Delta Junction.  This is where the Alaska Highways, almost 1,400 miles,  ends.  We went into the Visitor's Center and was talking to the women giving information of the area.  In our conversation, we found out that she use to live near Green Bay.  It's amazing how most people you talk to.... usually have "something" in common.

We heard mosquitoes grow big here in Alaska;  but not that big!  These little pests are one reason we decided to go to Alaska in May-June.  After that these guys swarm and so do the biting flies.  It's still cool enough now,  so they aren't a problem yet.

So calm and peaceful.

There really is a town called North Pole.  It's just south of Fairbanks on Highway 2.  This store called Santa Claus House has sent out over two million Santa letters since 1952, with the postmark from the North Pole.  Santa was there; but I didn't have the nerve to sit on his lap and have my picture taken.
 So I bought the grandkids t-shirts.

In Fairbanks there is a place called Pioneer Park (even though Bill called it Old World Alaska).  It was a little town that showed the history of Fairbanks and the area.  With Fairbanks being a gold rush boom town at one time, it had lots of memorabilia  that revolved around that era.  Love the dog sleeping on the table. :-)

  They have a great aircraft museum at Pioneer Park.  Airplanes have played a major role in taming Alaska...a little bit.  Today in Alaska there are so many places that are hard to reach unless you have access to an airplane.  Even Juneau, the capital of Alaska,  doesn't have outside roads that lead to it.  They say that 30% of the population in Alaska have their pilot's license.

Saw this on the way to Denali.  All those little houses in the center and left of the picture are dog houses.  These dogs are for dog sledding.  Dog sledding is a very popular sport in Alaska;  but for some...a necessity for travel in remote places.

Moose count today was 4.

Our day ends in Denali with 7 more minutes of light than there was yesterday.  That may not sound like much; but when you can still read a book without a light near midnight...my brain can't understand it.   Blankets had to go over the bedroom windows so I could go to sleep at a reasonable hour.