Anchorage - Week 9

May 19^th – May 25^th 2014

Quiet and peaceful week. J. “enjoyed” 5 nights of work. On Monday (described below) we came back from our trip to Denali and Fairbanks. That same evening we met J.'s friend from work for dinner at popular pizza/pub place. It was surprising (after I missed the hidden turn and drove extra several miles) to see the place packed. We had to wait about 30 minutes to get the table. It was nice and fun evening, food was good as well. During the week there were some errands, walks, school work, and reading. Very normal week. One morning, driving from work, we saw moose just 12 week from the road. Somebody told J. that real Alaskans consider seeing a moose like seeing a cow. There are supposed to be plenty of moose in Anchorage but also we did not see many (if any) cows. One of my walks was in Far North park and it was nice one. After previous walks where I had troubles with mosquitoes (they are bigger and more annoying here) I bought bug repellent. Unfortunately I forgot to put it on my mostly bald head and those damn mosquitoes used it as landing pad (very unpleasant). I saw this bear warning sign in several places in the park, however, the only animals I saw were dogs and mosquitoes.

The Far North park includes Campbell Landing Strip. There were some information boards describing history (WWII) and current status. It is not active strip but could be used in emergency. It is also maintained (I would think there is enough active landing strips and places for planes but …). For now there are miles and miles of trails for all kinds of monkey business (skiing and dog mushing).

Real spring is here:

(As of now 5-26-2014) There is a wildfire in Arizona, between the towns of Flagstaff and Sedona (Flagstaff was one of our assignments), it is a place we drove through many times. This fire is well covered in media. There are (at least) three fires in Alaska. One in the bush (north of Fairbanks). One across the water (Knik Arm) – this one is smaller one. And there is serious fire at Funny River in Kenai Peninsula (it burned about 200 square miles so far). There were already few days when we could smell the smoke and see it in Anchorage. Apparently there are many wildfires in Alaska but this one is a bit special because it is close to people and very early in the season. It is hard to take a picture of the smoke but anyway:

Interesting and funny?

Denali Highway

Sunday 5-18-2014

Fairbanks – Paxson

Another easy going morning. Mostly cloudy. Coffee and small talk with the lady at the front desk. Bagel place for breakfast. Quiet morning in Fairbanks. Later I learned that the whole Fairbanks area (the size of the state of Vermont) has almost 100,000 people and is called North Star Borough. Over 22,000 people belong to military (soldiers or their family members). Short drive to the town of North Pole. Santa Claus house – closed – perhaps he was in church or drinking, who knows. Not much else in this small town (post office, some fast food, street lights painted as candy canes). Slow driving, few stops along the way, great views of valleys, river, and some mountains in the distance. Windy and breezy day (barely 50 degrees). We stopped at Quartz Lake Recreation Area (the only one listing hiking trails). Nice lake, few cabins on the other side and few nice loops. Walked along the lake for a while, cross the hill (decent incline and decline on the other side). Great views. After a while weather got better and it felt pleasant. Small lake on the other side of the hill, vast valley, and again the mountains in the distance. Great. Walk back. Delta Junction – small town and apparently the official end of Alaska highway (the one that starts in Dawson Creek). Cloudy. Windy. Colder. Goofy weather. Another almost 100 miles along Richardson highway to our destination (the only accommodation available in the area). Incredible scenery (even with clouds). Almost nothing else, there were few houses and “settlements” but nothing big. It is hard (to impossible) describe the landscape without actually seeing it. We had to pass the turn to Denali highway to get to our roadhouse. Somewhat strange cluster of few buildings and like motel rooms. Sad looking gas station (two pumps). Older gentleman. Mid-aged lady who was running the place (very outspoken and friendly). Room (no internet, one television channel – we did not test it, no hot water – at least we did not get it, portable electric heater – apparently they were low on propane). Dinner – cooked by same lady, I had burger (good one), and J. got fish freshly caught near by (not charged for that as they are not allowed to sell “game”) - good one as well. It was very unique experience. Two unrelated notes. Weather forecast (television, radio, paper) includes the length of the day and the gain in minutes and seconds. Many brochures compare the size of boroughs or state parks to the size of other US states.

Monday 5-19-2014

Paxson - Anchorage

Cloudy and cold morning (looked like 37 degrees). We left by 8:00 am, there was no breakfast and no coffee (that was really hard). 15 miles north (the same way we came, but there was no other accommodation). Really windy. Denali Highway – 135 miles between Paxson and Cantwell. 23 miles paved, the rest gravel. Few settlements, shacks, and campgrounds – two places looked open. About 4 hours of driving. Several stops but otherwise just driving. We also saw bunch of wildlife, J. was keeping the list:

02x porcupine

02x ptarmigan

03x moose

04x white geese

03x arctic tein

03x trumpeter swans

13x caribou

07x cars

bunch of ducks and loons.

It was incredibly scenic and enjoyable drive. It still looked like winter there. Towards the end we were looking forward to the normal road. Still, it was an amazing experience and we were happy we took this scenic road. And obviously it was amazing to see all those animals. After the Denali Highway we were on Parks Highway driving to Anchorage. 214 miles. Long and tedious drive. Really windy. Cloudy and sunny. Two stops at Denali state park view points – we saw Denali peak again (in clouds). Home at 4:35 pm. Tired and done.

Fairbanks

Friday 5-16-2014

Healy – Fairbanks

A bit overcast. A breakfast at motel's restaurant – not great but not bad either. Gasoline – almost 4 dollars. Drive to Fairbanks. Sun was out on and off. Vast landscape with birch and pine woods. Again, we could see signs of spring. Road construction. Moose seen along the road. Healy had bunch of motels and places to stay. Buses of different cruise companies. Advertisements for shuttle services. Tourists. Not the nicest picture. Several stops along the way but that was pretty much all. Small town of Nenana http://www.nenana.org/ that is famous for its yearly guessing competition about the ice break date (money involved). River. Some sad buildings. Road. Railroad. Cultural center (sad one) with two cruise buses. I do not know … One of the guys in the center said that Fairbanks is really ugly. It was hard to imagine what he sees as ugly as we looked around at sad surroundings of the cultural center. More driving and then Fairbanks. Sprawl. University campus. Airport way (one of the main roads) with stores, motels, and other stuff – not nice but completely ugly. The visitor center – not very helpful – great display of history, Native people, and life. Waterfowl refuge next to the busy road. Maybe 30 birds on mostly gray field. It used to be farm. Parked. Walked the trail that actually went into the wetlands and was really lovely. There were no animals but it was so peaceful and pretty. Very enjoyable. Close by was antique car museum – within strange resort complex – closed. Their summer season was starting on Sunday. Small walk in downtown – antique store – otherwise few stores and restaurants. Empty and sad. On the way to the motel we stopped by Pioneer Park which is some type of Alaska themed historical amusement park. Big part of the park was under construction. Big wooden statue of salmon. Historical homes and cabins (real ones, actually moved here from different sites). Nothing else really. Motel. Quite sad area. We went to Fred Meyer store (really close) and were extremely surprise because the store was packed. It was hard to imagine from where so many people came. Strange. 

Saturday 5-17-2014

Fairbanks

Slow morning. Really overcast. J. did not sleep well. Coffee. Breakfast. Short drive to University of Alaska campus. Museum of North in relatively large and new building overlooking the town and whole valley. We were among the first visitors as they open. Large collection of paintings. Extremely large collection of Alaskan artifacts. More sad stories about Native people – their mistreatment etc. Second story had contemporary art exhibit – also quite interesting. That was really good visit. We crossed the town on the way to the Chena State park. One way road ending with Chena hot springs. J. did not hear great things about it so we were not planning to visit it. On the way we made small detour to see a pipeline but it was not really good view either (even they advertise it as one of the “must see”). Almost 50 miles drive. 20 miles had houses around the road. The rest was nice nature with the river running along the road. Angel Rock hike – 4.5 miles, go up to the rocks with impressive views and then down. It was really nice and surprisingly there was quite a few people. It took longer than we thought. Slow drive back. Close to Fairbanks we got about 5 minutes of really heavy rain. Yesterday, in the Pioneer Park we saw “Salmon Bake” restaurant (all you can eat in season for 31 dollars, J. saw poster there that it was special for 17). Parked, checked it – it was their opening week and the special was a single serving with buffet of sides, salads, and desert. Why not? It was quite large and quite good meal. End of the day. 

Denali

Thursday 5-15-2014

Anchorage – Healy (near Denali Park)

Left Anchorage at 8:16 am. Same road north, this time nicer green surroundings. Spring. Quick stop by Ma-tsu valley visitor center. Average weather. Alaska range – where Denali park is – somewhat visible in the fog. Different levels of spring – some places still at the end of winter. Few small town. Many strange houses and settlements, many of them behind the tree line. Over 2 hours of driving before we took a detour to Talkeetna (apparently real and authentic Alaska). 14 miles one way, the town was dead end for the car traffic. Again, few scattered houses, settlements, and business along the road. It looks like they really like to sprawl in Alaska – I think that is quite sad. We passed Princess cruise lodge before entering town. Train station, few “old” buildings on one main street, mainly restaurants, few galleries, few adventure businesses – river, flights, kayak. Pleasant weather, big river (at the end of the main street) and excellent views of Denali (it is still called Mt. McKinley but it does not seem be right). It was nice town but nothing special. There were already some tourists. J. was told about this amazing cafe and bakery along the road – we stopped and they had few loafs of bread and some sweets – sometimes we are forgetting about the size of those small businesses and communities.

THERE, IN THE DISTANCE, IS OUR ALASKA BEAR (in the middle, by forest).

Back on the Parks highway and driving north. Better view of Denali. Denali State Park – several long “back country” trail but unfortunately nothing small. Great view of Alaska range with Denali peaks. A bit cloudy but still impressive views. Some monkey business around the turn to the Denali National Park and Preserve. Apparently it was their opening day – main visitor center and the season of 2014. Some people there but relatively light. Decent talk with the park ranger. Usually the park road is open only to the mile 15, from there one can see the park only from the bus (the whole road has about 90 miles – dirt road). We were told that because of the “shoulder” season, the road was open to private vehicles all the way to the mile 29. Great visitor center with nice exhibits and very picturesque movie. Pleasant drive along the park's road. We passed the mile 15 where we saw the river and a small parking lot. This would be the end of our drive. Vast landscape with very few signs of spring. We saw bunch of caribous. A small herd was crossing the road just in front of us. That was great. Excellent views and really great experience – there are not many people who can drive on this road. Mile 29 (and some change), parking lot, bus stop, and viewing platform above the river with bunch of people. We were told that there is a bear on the other side of the river on the edge of the forest. It was really far but we could see him. WE SAW A BEAR IN ALASKA!!! Real f... wild bear. Cherry on the top. Slow drive back. Bunch of tour buses. It was somewhat surprising how many people there was. Back to the main road. Around that intersection was “the village” - bunch of lodges and stores – the sad tourist picture. Another ten miles to Healy, where we stayed for the night.

Anchorage - Week 7

May 5^th - May 11^th 2014

We came back from Valdez (described below) on Monday afternoon. After that J. worked like this: night, night, night, night, day off – she did not switch, night (that would be Sunday). Week was over. Pretty much normal boring life. I talked to my brother in Czech. My school started. I took few walks. It finally looks nicer, livelier, and enjoyable outside. On J.'s day off we drove to downtown area where was first “open market” - arts, crafts, and food. It was close to the end and it looked like not all stands were there. Somewhat interesting. Spring started, there is visible “green” all over the place (finally). We experienced first earthquake - http://earthquaketrack.com/us-ak-anchorage/recent – we felt some shaking and noises. It is quite interesting to watch how everything is changing. End of winter was quite ugly and unpleasant. Time is flying. 

Greetings to Portland

Here is a small present for our friend L. in Portland, Oregon:

Valdez, Alaska

Saturday May 3^rd – Monday May 5^th 2014

(Saturday) Our morning schedule was not (possibly for the first time) arbitrary. J. always tells me that I make silly time tables etc. - this time we actually had to catch the opening for the tunnel and the ferry. We left the house at 8:01 am. The same drive along the Turnagain Arm. It was a bit foggy in Anchorage. Got sunny. Nice and pleasant drive. It was actually pretty nice and exciting because we could see some green grass and trees turning green as well. Spring/Summer is for sure coming. It seems that I just cannot wait. It is quite intriguing to watch the land changing. We started at the end of winter (still freezing with snow) and we are going though the changing season and will leave Alaska in summer. Sun was painting really amazing pictures with waking up nature, green colors, and blue ocean. It was fourth or fifth time that we drove this way, there is limited number of roads in Alaska. Whittier tunnel – we had to pay the toll and park in the staging area. About 15 minutes of waiting. Drive through the one lane tunnel to Whittier. http://dot.alaska.gov/creg/whittiertunnel/index.shtml and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portage_Glacier_Highway It is apparently the longest combined single lane tunnel in the US (the one lane is also train track). After exiting the tunnel we drove a bit into the town of Whittier. Small harbor. One big building – apartments. When we got closer we saw that the building is pretty run down and looked like something in communist Czechoslovakia. A bit further was another building – possibly abandoned by the army. Kind of sad sites. Small part at the end of the road. Few cottages and houses. A lot of small boats. Strange town. Mountains all around. We checked in with the Alaska ferry, walked around a bit (less then ten minutes) as there was not much to see. The tourist season is just starting. We got our id's checked three or four times, lined up in the parking lot and waited for the ferry. Apparently we traveled on the new modern boat that can go up to 36 knots (whatever that speed is). When checking this route I found there was this boat traveling less than three hours to Valdez and other ferries that traveled five and half hours. Get on the ferry. Passenger deck – actually really nice and pleasant. Only small “solarium” - outdoor space - on the back of the ferry. The scenery was spectacular. Ocean and mountains (covered with snow for the most part). We saw some wildlife – dolphins, birds, seals, whales. We also saw pieces of ice from Columbia glacier. I talked to an older gentleman that used to work in Valdez. It was pretty interesting talk. For a moment I talked to a woman who drove from Florida and was commercially fishing in Cordova. She spends winter in Florida and Bahamas. She and her partner drove in Subaru and they fit everything they need in the car. Hot darn. According to the man all the glaciers around Valdez retracted quite a lot, he said he used to have Valdez glacier in his backyard. Valdez at 2:15 pm. There was not much too see as we approach the town. It was relatively large “valley” surrounded by really tall snowy mountains. The town. Small. Quiet. Laid back. We saw many people in shorts and shirts, some even in swimsuits, enjoying the temperature of 65 degrees or so (and full sun). Visitor center closed. Safeway store. Harbor. Valdez museum – quite interesting (surprisingly there were 3 other people visiting the museum). Some historical artifacts, history of people, transportation, earthquake and oil spill (Exxon Valdez in 1989). The mountains around were still covered with snow but there were signs of spring in town – patches of green grass, trees budding, and daffodils blooming. Strange. In the museum, we were told that “Old Valdez” museum is open. Warehouse like building close to the ferry dock (open Friday and Saturday during spring). Nice lady there gave us nice tour and told us the story of Valdez. At one point Valdez was as big as Anchorage. Again, we heard the story of earthquake. Valdez lost the most people in Alaska. It was really interesting visit. The town. Motel – old big house serving as some type of bed and breakfast (without breakfast in winter). Strange but just fine. We saw bunch of rabbits in the town – not the wild ones but the ones someone would have as pets. Funny. We drove to the small harbor and the park next to it – Dock Point. Nice walk – the path was still partly covered with snow and at the same time we saw trees budding and bunch of plants growing. The park was on the small hill, there were some nice views of the bay, the mountains can be easily viewed from anywhere in the town. It was really pleasant and enjoyable walk. Snow – spring – sun – mountains – bay – plenty of time. It looked like we might be the only “tourists” in the town.

Tunnel to Whittier.

 Whittier had some nice sites ...

... and also some strange and ugly ones.

 We saw some animals from the ferry ...

... and obviously the views were amazing.

Two museums in Valdez - this is fish wheel for fishing.

 Walking on packed snow there was spring.

Valdez has plenty of mountains.

(Sunday) Sun was up, bunnies outside were hopping around, and J. was still sleeping at 9:28 am. Super slow and lazy Valdez morning. Western edge of the town, there were two hiking trails, unfortunately both of them were still covered with snow. No luck there. We returned to the town and went to the Maxine and Jesse Whitney museum http://www.mjwhitneymuseum.org/ that is part of the community college in Valdez. Really large collection of native art and artifacts. Also many pieces of taxidermy. Two polar bears, moose, wolves, birds – impressively well done. Something to consider for the living room. Nice and sunny day in sleepy town of Valdez. We stopped by the motel and made sandwiches. We drove on Richardson Highway (the only road to and from the town) to see few sites along the way. Nice mountains, unimaginable number of “snow” waterfalls – melting snow is creating those streams rushing down the mountains. Bunch of green – still quite shy – grass, trees, side of the mountains. Unfortunately it is still quite gray and “wintery”. Left turn: airport, shooting range, dirt road, lake with the view of Valdez glacier. The only thing we could hear was water running down the mountain. On the way back we stopped by the picnic site with another waterfall flooding the road. So pretty. Right turn – the road to oil terminal http://www.alyeska-pipe.com/TAPS/ValdezTerminalAndTankers – the terminal is closed to public. Great views of the bay, the town in the distance, fish hatchery (closed), Solomon Gulch trail – apparently one of the greatest trails according to the National Geographic website. We parked and followed the trail – covered with packed snow after snow machines (in Alaska that is the name for snow mobiles). We got to the intersection with the pipeline maintenance road and gave up there as we were falling through snow so often. It was still very pretty. Back to the main road, railroad tunnel (no railroad), Horsetail falls, Bridal Veil falls (both next to the road and river), both falls really tall and impressive. We were in Keystone canyon – we parked and walked along the goat trail – it was fine for a while but then we encountered snow again. We tried for a bit but gave up and enjoy sun sitting on the rock. Back to the town, dinner in Old town burger (very good). I was thinking that Valdez might be real town without fast food restaurant (we did not see any), unfortunately after we left within half a minute we passed badly marked Subway – so sad. We drove back to western edge of town and walked for a bit along the bay trail – again too much snow. Back to the motel. Bunnies still running below our window.

 Whitney museum - bunch of animals ...

 ... and artifacts and tools and art.

Waterfall (or just melting snow) next to the airport.

 Industrial side of Valdez.

Natural side of Valdez.

 Site of old Valdez.

Site of old Valdez.

(Monday) Heading back to Anchorage. Foggy morning, some sun, bunnies still running around, bottom and top of the mountains visible – middle covered with fog. We left at 8 o'clock. Monday was not really different from Sunday in the town of Valdez. Kind of strangely interesting small town. Fog was “goofing” around – covering almost everything, appearing and disappearing, staying low, and later we just left it behind. We climbed up Thompson Pass and (once again) experienced winter another time. The mountains were completely covered with snow and there was no sign of spring. Few settlements and closed lodges along the way. Worthington Glacier (apparently one of the most visited sites in Alaska – easily accessible). We turned off the main road (Richardson highway), drove about 100 yards and were stopped by snow covering the road up to three feet. We saw something blue-isch in snow so we believe that was the glacier. We attempted to walk closer (where we could drive in summer) but after a moment we gave up because our shoes were getting wet. Stops along the way. Cooper River – small town/village – kind of empty and sad looking. Some signs of spring. Wrangell National Park visitor center (just off the main road) – some native exhibit and park info. Views of Wrangell range – not the greatest (haze) but still visible and very impressive. Few places where the pipeline was visible. One dedicated spot with some information posted – not the greatest place for pipeline picture. Glennallen – small town, the intersection of Richardson and Glenn highways. Gasoline in Valdez was 4.41, in Glennallen only 4.28 (swearing). About 180 miles to Anchorage (this was the road we drove the very first time in Alaska). Similar views. Not much else. Few stops along the way, no wildlife. Way too long drive. Winter on mountains. Signs of springs along the road. Matanuska glacier – everywhere presented as one of the most accessible roadside glaciers. “Glacier Park” sign – we drove down the hill, crossed the river, and hit the gate. J. asked and was told it was private land, there was another 2 miles of dirt road and small walk to the glacier – 20 dollars a person. Crazy. A mile down the main road was state park with a mile walk offering views of the glacier. Pleasant one. The smell of spring. After that we just drove home and really enjoy birch trees with new green leaves – what a change. 

 Leaving Valdez and enjoying fog.

 Between Valdez and Glennallen.

Wrangell range.

Sadly, there are many places like this one.

Real spring (40 miles from Anchorage) - one would hope.

My father passed away on May 4^th 2014.