back in the ussa

Came along the Thompson river canyon and past hell's gate of the Fraser river canyon. Semi arid climate with irrigation water for the fruits and vegetables. Stopped at a street festival. Spoke with a fruit vendor/longtime resident whose smile reminded me very much of the kindness of robin Williams. He spoke of the gold miners heading north on the highway early each spring on their way to work claims in alaska. Evidently local growers are as protective of their marijuana plots as gold miners are of their claims. Watched whitewater rafters coming down the river gorge. Stayed in Hope.

Drove into Seattle today. We had to backtrack for some stuff we left in hope so trip took longer than planned. Crossed border at Sumas. After arriving, we stopped at pikes place market to have dinner at an Irish pub. Still measuring the seafood against Alaskan fare.

smithers south ( and happy bday DG)

We've seen smithers. It had a railroad; something the cassiar hwy towns lacked. They had tales of the telegraph and a gold rush in the 1870s. Also a jade mine and bucolic kitwanga at its end.

The farm scenes just north of smithers, with hay bales beneath treed mtn slopes and glaciers, were beautiful.

Today we drove past the turn to Likely, the scene of the recent, horrendous tailings dam failure of the Polley mine. Just on down the Fraser river valley we came to Quesnel, which busily raises dust and sawdust and other airborne pollutants. Its gold rush occurred in the 1840s. The valley was so hazy for many miles that we suspected a forest fire was the cause, but nothing on the news.

Then we came down past soda creek and the canyon to Williams lake, which is laid out along the valley and the shelf and which is also quite busy.

The roads are much better and faster, and with fields and haze and people we feel like the north is behind us. There is dark each day and it is easier to sleep, and see the dusk and dawn.

And finally, happy birthday to dg. Sorry to miss the bbq, but I ate a couple of wursts last night as a gesture of solidarity.

SSE Alaska, BC wilds

A surprise jewel:  rusted, corroded, mossy, abandoned. Hyder Alaska doesn't offer much, except glaciers, NPS sponsored bear viewing on fish creek, fresh seafood to eat, and fishing on the relatively calm waters of Portland fjord/canal. Located next to Stewart,BC, just 40 miles or so off the north/south cassiar highway. The drive features bears and glaciers. Flat land meets salt here, within a straight sided valley.

Plenty of real photographers (as opposed to what i do with the camera) return there each year for the bears and wolves. The pink salmon and chum return for their own reasons.

We had to negotiate a traffic scrum back on the cassiar. I was rewarded with a close view (12 ft) of a grizzly emerging from a creek culvert as I stopped there on the bridge.

Down the highway I realized we had not bought gas before leaving Stewart. Thank goodness we'd stashed some extra in back for the Dempster highway run.  Our eventual fill up cost $109 US.

Yukon rearview

Best views yesterday (Monday) were in the rearview mirror. Felt like we were coming out of the country as we passed familiar landmarks. Stopped to see and sketch once at teslin   river with Simpson (?) Mountains in the background.

 Bought an Alaska hwy bumper sticker, as we are leaving that route on Tuesday. Heading south; having visited Watson Lake. Whitehorse, haines junction, Mayo, Eagle Plains, Dawson City, Pelly Crossing in the Yukon.

Started late out of Whitehorse, but did have a first cup of Tim Horton coffee. Ate well in Whitehorse, but I believe one meal came with gravy as a vegetable. Day two there (sinday) was as gray and cool as day one was gloriously sunny.

Spent an hour after dinner monday making a Tulsa skyline sign for erection in the Watson lake sign forest. Many thanks to the ladies at the visitor center for the helpful information about Cassier hwy. Best views will still be in rearview because we will be heading south into the sun.

Watson lake TV news is from Seattle, rather than Calgary or Toronto.

yukon

Yesterday we saw the White River, that flows to the Yukon, and the Kluane that flows to the white. Today we stayed by the Yukon that flows 1500 miles to the sea. Paddle wheelers came here; as they came to Fairbanks and to Dawson City. And we've seen the Tanana river flow wild past the Park, and the Susitna flowing to the Cook inlet with its wonderful fishing. We saw the Cook Inlet and The gulf of Alaska and prince William sound.

We stopped short of Kodiak island and bristol bay and Cordova, and now know that we'd like to see Kobuk valley and the western arctic caribou herd.

Today we rested and planned. It was cool and rainy and yesterdays perfect weather seems far away. As does the home stretch which, it seems, won't start before September.

chilcoot Chewy

Back in Canada. The customs agent said we can bring back as many mosquitos as we want.

The road took us around the upper end of Kluane lake (clue wan), past Slim creek on the flats.  It was like a cathedral with God there. Silent awe.

Other than that, we drove past Tetlin wildlife refuge (took some pics of trumpeter swans) and past the gateway to Mt Elias at Haines Junction. I believe it was the most beautiful day of the year in Haines jct.

Road to Haynes Junction.

Sea Wolf has donned a cookie monster outfit; no food left in the vehicle is safe from predation in our absence. I plan to vacuum tomorrow.

Tok, AK

Tok AK again. Air conditioning here still looks like oscillating fan. Prices seem cheaper than our first visit.

Came up Richardson hwy from valdaz. Drove up through Keystone canyon, through Thompson pass where the '98 trail was located.  Had views of mt wrangell much of the day. Visitor center and ranger station facilities for the 19 million acre Wrangell- st Elias park, formed in 1980, are nascent.

public transport

It was a glacier day on the Alaska marine highway. We left early (for us) from Seward and traveled through intermittent fog. The portage glacier area was foggy, so all we saw there was some small icebergs floating in the mist.

The so-called Whittier tunnel was a unique driving experience due to its length, small single lane size, and railroad tracks in the middle of the roadway.  The roadway ends at Whittier harbor a mile after emerging from the granite massif.  It was a bright sunny day and we pbj picniced on the truck tailgate.

Before long we were lining up and loading onto the ferry vessel Aurora for a 5 1/2 hour trip through prince William sound. We passed by many glaciers and ice fields (Sorry no names) and sighted a whale, a dolphin, and a sea lion resting on a bouy. Visibility was excellent with the exception of a couple of fog banks.  It was our first public transport on this trip. We really enjoyed letting someone else do the driving. There was a reasonably price mess, lots of quiet, comforable places to sit, and plenty of fresh air on deck.

Here in Valdez we had fresh, large seafood portions for dinner. Best salmon I've ever had. Drove around the head of the bay to sightsee. Collapsed in a modular construction motel with paper thin walls.

camel in the tent

The harbor area of Seward is a narrow strip of land located at the base of precipitous wooded mountain slopes along which runs the highway into town. (Said highway turns to gravel past the old downtown area.) The hotels are strung along the highway. Next is a row of shops and restaurants owned by the hotels, then a street, then commercial vendors and restaurants interdisguise fronting the harbor. Snow capped mountains overlook the bay and the harbor. 60°F feels cool.

Left homer early. Enjoyed ten minutes of sunshine before entering a dense fog bank.
No bears at Russian river ferry, run by private contractor for park or forest service. "No bears." The attendant mumbled. Don't know where they are. His legs were crossed and his boots were up on the rail between us. "No shit. You slovenly ass." I replied. "There are no cars here and no crowds of retired silvers in reverse spawning cycle parking their RVs.  Hope you enjoy spending that $11.25 we just paid to park for five minutes. By the way, enjoy that load of plastic trash floating in your pit toilets." (Due respect to Hunter Thompson and gonzo journalism). I've tried hard to keep him out of this trip, but there you go- the camel is in the tent.

Pulled into Seward mid afternoon following a hike to the foot of Exit glacier. Beautiful stroll.  Sea Wolf ate our lunch while waitng in the truck. His new appellation is cookie monster.

Toured the sea life center. Even with Exxon paying for it, it cost twenty bucks to enter.

A 16 yr old from Idaho pulled in a 335 lb halibut yesterday to gain the lead in Homer's fishing derby.

Tomorrow - a tunnel.

corn again?

Last night in the halibut fishing capital of the world. Went by homer brewery but no oysters till tomorrow. Still loving on their warehouse open front vibe. Got a cap.

Moved on to ' fresh catch' restaurant. Blinding view of sunset and the ferries coming in to the terminal. Ate every kind of seafood on the menu except shrimp. Wisconsin corn was a featured menu item.

 Stopped at Salty Dawg pub on the spit, decorated a dollar bill with skyline rendition, did some shopping and returned to micro room.

Earlier, took advantage of the clear weather to photograph volcanic mountains previously hidden (mt redoubt, pals) and look through local art offerings. Took an hour to sketch the beach from our front door. Walked on beach at low tide. Found a rock that looked like face in Munch's "Scream". Too heavy to take so set it up on end for display.

kachemak bay

Rode across the bay with 28 other passengers and two crew on the Danny J, a boat built around 1938. It was a troop transport in WWII. It was refitted in 1966.

 Today it took us to halibut cove for a 3 hour interlude that included hiking and lunch.

We saw cormorants, puffins and sea otters on the voyage, experiencing salt spray in the bow and water on the decks aft. It gets choppy when the wind is strong out of the sw and the tide is running out. The strong current (indeed there is a tidal bore) is why oysters grow so well here.  Chewy the dog earned his sea wolf badge.

From the harbor on homer spit you can charter a fishing vessel, take a water taxi to hiking trails in the state parks, or climb aboard the Alaska marine highway to the Aleutians. You can also try your luck from shore at the fishing hole, and haul in salmon.

We are in an historic structure tonight, with beach and bay and glacier view.  Room dimensions about 8' x 10', so it is cozy.

Have booked passage across prince William sound. Hope we can find a sedative for the sea wolf, as he will be spending 6 hours in the vehicle by himself.

PS. Keep your eye peeled for the new York times Wednesday edition in the revamped "Food Now" section during September. I hear that Saltry restaurant at Halibut Cove will be featured.

sunny in Homer

The sun is out in Homer, and it is beautiful. There is a brewery here and we are in it. Doing what best is done in such a place. The oysters arrive at four, or thereabouts, fresh from kachemak bay. (Sp) that is why we wait. On the way out of here on weds, if the tide is bringing in the silvers, we cross the Russian river by ferry to see grizzlies fishing. (We just didn't feel like paying $500 each for guided flight or boat tours)

Weve started making reservations at Seward and Valdez and points on toward canada that can be considered homeward bound, but we will try to hold that feeling at bay.

The oysters have arrived. We have dined like kings and queens, and I now have a bucket list - come back here and do this again.

Home(r) bound (updated)

Brakes feel good. Truck is packed. Rain is falling. Today we drive around the Turn again arm and down to the Kenai peninsula. After that, ..

Arrived safely homer around 4:30 pm., following a 230 mile drive highlighted by the turquoise colored kenai river and a short, terrifying hike just upstream of the new canyon creek wayside, at which you could purchase coffee, jerky, hunting knives and probably some other stuff.  The tide was out, so we did a bit of beach combing prior to checking out the spit, which is beyond my descriptive powers.  I was too tired to enjoy the agglomeration of ferry, fish for sale, food and retail sales, fishing, , and the largest gathering of RVs I have ever seen - all surrounded by salt water and overlooked by glacial ice fields.

guaranteed catch

Motivation can be elusive when you spend the afternoon sitting in a faux leather recliner, reading a book, sipping an Alaskan amber beer and munching on crispy cheetos, listening to traffic through a window open to a rainy 60° day.

We did complete our art survey today. My favorite works are a drummer of mixed traditional and contemporary design, made of whale bone, offered at the hospital gift shop in Anchorage, and a simple wood mask at a trade shop in Fairbanks.

I painted this morning. A watercolor of the Alaska RR yard at Healy, AK, done from a pencil sketch.

Motivated for dinner around seven. Headed to the taproot for a kick ass burger. Only trouble was the show was sold out, so we went downtown for seafood at the Bridge restaurant, located conveniently over Ship creek. The sun came out, and we watched the fishermen wading and casting into the stream, trying to piss off the salmon enough to take their lures. I believe I would prefer the fish trap method.  The tide came in so the fishermen moved upstream.

Sunday - a room w/o a bed

Lazy lazy lazy day. Extended stay America. We have a room without a bed. First one this trip.  It seems luxurious.  Listened to TV commentary that US had to bomb Islamic state to protect Americans in Erbil. The room with a bed is also nice.

Came back downtown. Had pizza by the slice at the bus depot (Have to be careful where you step on the sidewalk.) Watched news of the middle east with commentary that the US could easily transport all Americans out of Erbil by helicopter. Next stop the captain cook hotel with its shops and restaurants and lounges. Watched a bit of nfl . Luxury.

Dined in.

 Room View: Courtyard of Extended Stay America

Went to the Spenard farmers market yesterday. Then left the truck for an oil change.  Need new brake pads on rear.

Walked along Campbell creek trail and some intervening streets for 3 1/2 hours. Stopped along the way for coffee at Golden Donuts. Yum. Watched coho salmon spawning at a footbridge crossing. Path heavily used by bicycles. Saw some aging/dated/corny tourist attractions. I know where to go to see Dusty Sourdough perform live on stage.

view from Golden Donuts

anchorage

 Had a delicious bowl of noodle soup last night. Larry's Cocoon. Asian fusion. Spicy. Also found the coast trail, which isn't as easy as it sounds the first time in downtown.  Walked along the knik arm for a short way. Saw mud flats, cargo containers piled up at the harbor, and sleeping woman mountain across the inlet. Drove south of town to a large municipal (kincaid) park that contains an extensive series of trails dedicated to xcountry skiing in winter.

Drove through another cloud while coming down from denali. Saw fishermen in the streams, as the silver salmon are running. Ate some fresh seafood in Talkeetna. Moved on to make way for all the tour buses.  Came through Wasilla and its beautiful valley to Anchorage. Anchorage drivers are in a hurry. About 1 in 3 has manners.
Walked this pm. Found ship creek down by the depot. Lots of fishermen, just like in all the pics.

yes virginia

There is a tall mountain. Some days it hides in the clouds and rain falls all day long. So you just have to believe.

Another gray day, so we explored Healy and environs. The Healy spur leads down to the Healy access road, crossing the river, passing the coal fired electric power plant and continuing west uphill and along the river. We turned after a couple messy miles and recrossed the river where a school bus with empty trailer waited for some rafters to arrive.

The spur road verso the landing area skirts the Alaska RR siding and tracks where you can watch observation cars go past. If you ignore the forbidding no trespassing signs posted by the RR and stay to the right, you can ascend a steep grade to what I assume are state lands. Thus- Healy access. I took the time to sketch the RR siding from above with the river crossing in the background. The power plant, located immediately across the river from the takeout, is not visible. Upon returning to the spur road, you pass the airport on the right. I stopped to photograph a plane for my fav. Aero engineer.

We ate at a pub/cafe/motel in town, ordering breakfast with eggs. We can't find raw eggs for sale locally, and are thinking conspiracy.

After lunch we drove north toward Fairbanks a couple miles, taking the Stampede road for about eight miles until it petered out to a track. Lots of tundra tours are offered back there, many on atv's. It is gorgeous. State lands with power and sewer extended along the road as the licensee demand moves in.

The rain just kept on coming.

a good day

Even though i find that ten days of dirt will not hold together jeans worn 40 straight days (material fatigue at the seam), it was a good day.  The sky was blue and we had a great view of mt McKinley.

It was there, but ninety degrees off from where I thought it would be. We walked around where the tourists were housed back in the twenties and thirties. We hiked at savage river. A caribou coursed up the river and through the tourists at the trailhead picnic area.



This evening I realized that Alaska is a long way away from all my troubles and cares. (Big fricking grin)!?! Dog and i walked down the Healy spur from our lodging toward the river cut.  Made it as far as the RR yard. Will paint there tomorrow.

So long from the great silent space.

polychrome pass

The highlight for me of the parks road bus trip was not the very plain bus accommodation or the clouds which obscured McKinley, et al.  Neither was it the caribou (huge antler racks) foraging in sable pass nor the Dall sheep high on the rocks visible near our turnaround stop at the foot of divide mtn.  It was the view of the Alaska range going up polychrome pass, which road was non too wide when meeting another vehicle. Perhaps we should have laid in another day, as we found the sun in the sky this morning following a twelve hour snooze. Its time now to fold the tent, which our host kindly let me stretch to dry in his garage/man cave before going in search of a mountain view.

Denali Park: Savage River with Alaska Range.

9" x 12" Oil on Board. 2015

Trying to balance the values. January 2016

old man winter

Healy, AK. Near the park. Got a bus ticket to mile 52 tomorrow. Toklat. I think. Probably won't even get off the bus. Its supposed to rain again. 50°f with wind whipping rain right now. At least I won't be driving - and the wildlife may be out. Weather forecast looks like the denali view we had from Fairbanks last week may have been our best look. Like they say in Fairbanks: "it always rains for the fair." The Tanana river valley state fair. Rodeo tonight. The world's northernmost, though we already fell for that boast.  Visited park headquarters earlier. Lots of dining and lodging opportunities over at the park entrance, though nothing like a decent grocer. Should have brought more provisions. Maybe we'll finally get into the mre-style rice/beans I brought. Really raining now outside our windows here at the Alaskan Spruce Cabins. Cozy with sat. TV, Wi-Fi, kitchenette. Yay. What a funny word.

Healy airport

view from Healy, AK lodgings