Destination Circle: Day 19

June 1, 2016

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Homer, Alaska - Beluga 

It was ovecast when I left my wonderful room, but not cold and not raining. After a stop for an Americano just down the street, I walked the Beluga Slough Trail, seeing a single Sandhill Crane, a few crows and sparrows, gulls flying overhead and ducks in the distance. The marsh / slough was on one side and the ocean in front of me. It was peaceful. How can proximity to the ocean not be therapeutic? Driftwood, salty air mixed with the scent of the evergreens, ice-capped mountains across the bay...

Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge - Homer, Alaska

The Visitor Center had the usual exhibits of natural history and habitats, information, conservation concerns, short movies /videos, a small gift / book shop and staff eager to help anyone with anything. I learned that one can hop on a ferry here and go as far as the Aleutian Islands, or to Kodiak, or one can rent a “water taxi” and explore the islands and ocean that way. In fact, a ranger who had been a naturalist on the Tustamena (boat to Kodiak, Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, etc., for 12 years) and now at the Visitor Center was knowledgeable about birds. He suggested I take a 2- or 4-hour trip with someone he personally recommended from a list of charters telling me that “You WILL see birds...Karl knows his birds and where to find them.” So I tried for 30 minutes to call but could not get my phone to work as a telephone. I was repeatedly prompted to “re-enter the 10 digit number ....” which I did along with changing settings, but nothing worked and I also kind of knew I wouldn't just be able to call, get on his boat, spend 2 to 4 hours and be on my way. It was already 10 a.m. I didn't want to spend all day and another night here.

So I drove back out on the Spit and watched the gulls in the harbor get especially excited about the comings and goings of the fishing boats.

Sailing in Seward Alaska

I went to Seward next. The Kenai Peninsula is a large chunk of land below Anchorage that ends in fimbriations of fjords. These land masses are jagged wild places with glaciers, mountains and no roads. The cruise ships are only allowed within a certain distance of the coast; however, the more intrepid and adventurous travelers rent water taxis, are transported into the fjords and dropped off with their kayaks and tents and backpacks. As far I as could gather, there isn't the same regulatory presence in these national lands as there is the the lower 48.

I don't remember if I mentioned the cruise ship, the Zaandam, which was docked in Skagway the morning we arrived there on the Matanuska, but this ship eventually continued on to Seward and, once in port and docked, the crew discovered a 50-foot dead fin whale wrapped around its bow. No one is certain how this happened: was the whale dead before the encounter, or did the ship hit it? the immediate problem being what to do with a decomposing whale, so it was towed onto an undisclosed beach nearby where a necropsy was performed. The newspaper said that these cruise / whale-watching ships have measures to avoid harming whales, so who knows how this happened?

Barrow's Goldeneyes - Seward, Alaska

Seward is a deep water port surrounded by mountains and glaciers. A gigantic cruise ship arrived in the night, and the small boat harbor was filled with fishing boats. When I first arrived, I drove out on a marginal road along the water, past signs warming of avalanches and falling rocks. I saw hundreds of Glaucous-winged Gulls, some Harlequin Ducks, a Black Oystercatcher, Bald Eagles. Near the end of the road were funky camping areas. I did camp but closer to town, right on the water, as did hundreds of others. The registration was automated and efficient. It was chilly and windy, and I sat in the car for two hours, catching on up on this blog, drinking a glass of wine. I tried to eat the cold leftovers of my dinner the night before (the gorgonzola mac and cheese and non-rock crab) which had now congealed into a hard unappetizing lump that really wasn't even “forkable.” So I walked for an hour which sounds virtuous, but I was only in search of food. Several downtown (about a 3-block area) had bars and restaurants with doors open to the night with the sounds of the happy relaxed people inside, but I only wanted a munchie or small snack, not a $30 minimum meal. Finally, at the harbor, on the other end of town, I got an ice-cream cone. Walking back to the campground, I saw a guy catch a huge fish, throw it on the dock and continue fishing.

The restrooms at the campground were acceptable, barely. But the view was awesome....I have seldom been out of sight of the most photogenic, classic, snow-covered mountains while in Alaska. The snow extends in ribbons down the drainages, and on the slopes, there are often large white patches surrounded by bright spring greenery.

So Seward is another town between mountains and ocean. Of course, hard-core outdoor adventurers love Alaska with its opportunities to climb, hike, bicycle, kayak, sail, fish, hunt, canoe...The homes away from the cities are not trophy homes and usually have yards full of stuff. There are often one or more additions to the original structure, greenhouses, attached or separate, un-mowed lawns, stacks of firewood, double entrances and unpaved driveways. The properties mostly look a bit messy and littered, unpretentious...

I have seen two police cars in the past two weeks. Traffic generally moves at 65 at the high end with many pull-outs and passing lanes.

Seward is the city of murals

Another camper pulled in near me, a young guy, who was also puzzled about the “rules.” One was not directed to a designated campsite and could just pick anyplace that was available. But there also were no little posts on which one could clip a registration, so I didn't know what would happen if I left with no signs that my space was occupied. I guess I could have put up my tent, but it was chilly...

I read until I got sleepy and slept perfectly well...




Amy's flowers....

Destination Circle: Day 18

May 31, 2016

I have been having weather karma with yet another clear morning of sunshine and mountains and the ocean, beginning today in the form of the Cook Inlet. My first duty was to find the Title Wave bookstore in Anchorage. Dave and Ellen have mentioned this place so many times, and I never need urging to visit a bookstore. It is similar to Powell's in Portland. Most of the books are secondhand. It's huge. I got some treasures to add to my car library. And then had a raspberry scone and coffee at Kaladi's, an Alaskan alternative to Starbucks and just as good, and bought an iced ginger molasses cookie for later.

Homer, Alaska

My destination was Homer on the Kenai Peninsula, a couple hundred miles mostly south of Anchorage. But first I lingered at a lovely marsh and boardwalk on the city limits (Potter Marsh). Gulls, terns, eagles, ducks...

The route to Homer is along the north shore of Turnagain Arm, around its eastern end and then west and south. Anchorage is at the point of land at the far end of Cook Inlet where a peninsula from the mainland juts into the water, thus splitting the Cook Inlet into the Turnagain Arm on the south and the Knik Arm on the north. So the city has ocean on three sides. One has to drive around the Turnagain and then west and south to get to Homer, into the Kenia Peninsula moving through the huge Kenai National Wildlife Refuge with the Kenai Fjords and the Harding Icefield to the south. It's takes mindfulness to concentrate on driving safely with so much natural grandeur....including the roadless wilderness across the Cook Inlet. The land settles down near Soldotna, and for the last hour, I could be driving in Michigan, although as I got closer to the ocean, it was reminiscent of the coast north of Ft. Bragg, California.  

nesting Mew Gulls in the harbor in Homer, Alaska

Homer: Hmmm....where to stay? I wandered up and down the streets checking out options, half looking to camp and half needing to tend to business requiring the Internet (like paying bills). I happened on The Pioneer Inn, a two-story home with lovely perennial gardens. I decided to try to find the rates online and happened on a serendipity...the owners were Rich and Amy who had run this place since 1991. Rich was originally from Georgia and Amy was from Grand Rapids, Michigan. As I was reading this on my iPhone, she came across the parking lot carrying potted plants and wearing gardening gloves. I talked with her and then Rich who also appeared. They had one room available just for the night at a reasonable rate, like half what most motels were asking this time of year. Check it out next time you're in Homer.

A fishing boat was on a trailer in the yard. Rich and his sons (I think they were his sons) had built this according to a photo in the room: the Miss Amy. He had been a pilot for Eastern Airlines until that company was no more. He bought this place in Homer 40+ years ago, learned construction, did commercial fishing (Homer is the halibut capital he world) and still flies around Alaska. Amy home-schooled their kids.

I loved Homer. It does have tourist kitsch but also seems grounded and not self-conscious alternate. The small hippie businesses are borderline west coast shabby but in a nice way, along with the mainstream businesses, a large fishing harbor and hundreds of Mew and Glaucous-winged Gulls. Not many other birds, although the crow I kept seeing was the Northwestern Crow, not the American Crow; therefore, another life bird! I missed (by two weeks) an annual shorebird festival. Spring migration is mostly over and the bird have flown on.

Old town - Homer, Alaska

The Visitor Center for the Maritime National Wildlife Refuge was closed for the night. I'll check that out in the morning. The few blocks of Old Town were more eclectic and funky than the rest of Homer, situated a block from the Pacific, which hereabouts is Kachemak Bay. I ate at one of Rich's recommendations, Fat Olives, and had Gorgonzola Cheese and Rock Crab Mac 'n Cheese, tasty, caloric, expensive and lacking identifiable Rock Crab. The waiter with no hesitation or apology said, "Oh, it's mixed in with the sauce..." I just laughed as the wine was fine, the music nice mix of blues and I loved being in this fairly remote little town for the night. 

on the Homer Spit

Homer also has a Spit, a five-mile sliver of land sticking southeast into the bay. One can drive to the end, or walk or bike. Along the way are dozens of small tourist shops and bars and restaurants but also dirty sand and pebbly beaches where one can camp in a tent or small RV or camper, build campfires, hang out, be loose. Just offshore, Pacific and Common Loons were diving as I drove at 5 mph over the rocks and sand. In a tiny lagoon, a dozen people were spaced out around the perimeter, fishing. If I had investigated the Spit before coming on the Pioneer, I probably would have camped there. 

My room was basic but perfectly clean with large windows overlooking the back yard. The bed was incredibly comfortable, and I've slept in a lot of good beds recently. It was huge; the sheets soft and almost silky. Two of the pillows had white pillowcases and two had pillowcases the color of blue-green sea glass.

Destination Circle: Day 17

May 30, 2016

Laundry on my mind. I've been procrastinating but also realize this is not all that necessary as I packed too many clothes. But I'll never have such a lovely place to do laundry again and headed to the “Riley Mercantile.” I had checked this out last night and expected early morning on Memorial Day would be a good time, with no waiting. Except it apparently was what others thought also. 

I met a couple from Vermont and a guy from Texas, and we chatted in the way of total strangers who will likely never meet again. The guy looked like Dennis Quaid, not quite as handsome, tall, a few pounds overweight but pleasant. He had a great smile and eyes that twinkled with good will. He was wearing a nondescript blue buttoned polyester shirt with a couple of small old stains and some baggy unremarkable pants. He was helping with this chore for his family of wife and four kids (“ages 4 to 21”) and were traveling in a large RV. They spend the winter in Austin, Texas, and then summer at a lake house in Wisconsin. They always travel together but when I asked further, he said how their trips were “mostly pilgrimages...like to Rome, the Holy Land, Lourdes....” Once he told me that he and his wife had been on “that island” (meaning Mackinaw when I said I lived in Michigan) for a wedding anniversary, the first time away from the kids in 20 years, and “we were sittin' on the porch and I looked at her and said, 'You miss the kids don't you? You wanna go home?'” They both agreed and so he “called the pilot" and they left within the hour. His wife home-schools the kids. They live on an old hunting ranch in Texas. That's all I got...He was not in the least bit pretentious, surely didn't look or act as a person with means, but he must have them. Means...

the Alfred Hitchcock Mew Gulls at Savage Creek in Denali

The couple were in their 60s, and were pulling a “three-season camper” behind a new Subaru station wagon. The wife was an alpha talker, a type A all the way. The first thing I heard from her was how the washing machine's “Start button needs to be pushed hard because it said 25 and I thought it meant another quarter, but it meant 25 minutes, but I had already put my quarter in, so they gave me back 25 cents....” The husband was a gentle soul who tried to help but didn't always get it right according to his wife. He had had major heart surgery last year but is now fit enough so they hiked nine miles yesterday. “She's my coach,” he said nodding to his wife. She told me all about good campgrounds, about campgrounds where they have "little shampoo bottles like motels," campgrounds that have hair dryers. When she asked about what to see in Michigan should they ever vacation there, she got out a little spiral notebook and very earnestly took notes on my random suggestions. She looked at me rather quizzically like I was a curiosity, traveling on my own. She wondered how I get my mail. She told me where to stay in Valdez and that “you have to go there and stay at the Eagle's Nest campground.” She goes to every Visitor Center along the way, because “they are free,” but she also likes museums, and on and on. She and her husband had a few snappish moments between them, and she also admonished the Texas guy when she noticed he put more than a quarter cup of laundry detergent in the little holder. He just smiled and responded by saying how he was noticing her meticulous folding of clean laundry and that precipitated several sentences on why she washes everything inside out and why she folds the way she does, etc., etc. But hey, they are out doing it...enjoying life, delighted they now qualify for the extraordinary good deal of a Golden Age Pass. 

Just outside, at a picnic table, a man was working on a laptop plugged into an external outlet. The adjacent little store had good coffee and three young dudes working. All these kids like Emily must line up for the chance to work in our grand national parks.

Alaskan sled dogs in Denali NP

It was such a glorious day. I missed the shuttle to the sled dog presentation so drove 3.5 miles up the road and lucked out finding a parking place. The park uses Alaskan sled dogs, both to entertain and instruct visitors in the summer but also as working dogs, since there are no motorized vehicles in the park in the winter (or so they say). There were 30 to 40 beautiful dogs, each on a short chain with her/her name on his/her dog house. Most were somnolent until it was time to run them around a track behind a dog sled, when, as the trainers walked towards them, the energy changed dramatically, as in lunging, barking, howling, jumping, straining on their chains. The dogs, of course, have no idea whose turn it will be today so all are eager and hopeful. A fortunate five were chosen, and there was one short run around a small track but it was impressive. They do this show three times a day all summer. Ranger Jake then talked for 30 minutes about the dogs and what they do in Denali. 

I drove up the park road as far as allowed in my car and hiked a very short distance along the Savage River. Mew Gulls are abundant all over southeastern Alaska and they were mobbing a woman on a gravel bar in the river who was running away, hunched over and flailing with her hands about her head. Yesterday, Wendy, our shuttle driver, called them “crabby birds.” She would revert to baby-talk a few times when referring to animal behavior.

Habitat quilt in the Murie Center for Learning and Science in Denali NP 

I stopped by the Murie Science and Learning Center with more exhibits and interactive videos, but the most amazing object was a gigantic quilt done by a group of women in Healy, a town just up the road. It was Denali National Park done in the pixelated squares of a habitat map, at least 20 different zones. And, surrounding the map and acting as a border, were individual squares, representing all of the habitats and done in free form by each of the women who worked on the quilt. It filled the whole wall behind the front desk.

Before I left the park for good, I sat in the parking lot under aspens and had a sandwich. It was weird as it felt exactly like a quintessial Indian summer day in Michigan, so much so that I didn't resist the notion and reveled in the autumn sun and warmth while the leaves fluttered in the breeze. It must be the Alaskan quality of light, the position of the sun and cool temperatures...whatever, it was delightful. Autumn in the Spring. I had also felt this season confusion yesterday while on the bus.

Many tourists are foreigners...northern Europeans, East Indians and Japanese. I saw no African-Americans or Hispanics.

Denali NP very close to the Visitor Center

I forgot to mention that yesterday, we immediately saw a mother moose and calf actually meandering through the Visitor Center parking area. And that I saw a pair of Harlequin ducks in one of the streams we passed. Harlequins rival Wood Ducks in beauty.

Off to Anchorage, 250 miles south, with spectacular views of Denali intermittently along the way. Occasionally, I would see signs of "Road Work from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and finally (duh...) realized that of course...since it stays light nearly all night.

I knew from experience that I can usually get a good deal at high-end hotels early in the week. I did exactly that and stayed in a Sheraton overlooking the city. It was still twilight at midnight when I finally went to bed.  

south to Anchorage

Destination Circle: Day 16

May 29, 2016

Denali National Park and Preserve, formerly McKinley National Park, is 6,000,000 acres, mostly designated Wilderness, meaning very little man-made alteration is allowed. It truly is a gift to all of us; it's yours and mine to visit but it's home to the animals.

Here's the deal: There is one main park road which is 92 miles and ends at Kantishna where gold was found which was the original impetus for white men to enter what is now Denali, but this incredibly beautiful land also drew others:

www.kantishnaroadhouse.com

"The spring of 1906 brings a remarkable individual to the region, Charles Sheldon. A retired businessman and self trained naturalist, Sheldon comes to the region primarily to study northern sheep (Dall). Well traveled and Yale-educated, he immediately recognizes the uniqueness of the place with the spectacular mountain scenery, Mount McKinley (Denali) the tallest mountain in North America, and the opportunity to see wildlife in such a majestic setting. After a summer exploration with Harry Karstens, another of the Denali greats, he decides to return the following spring. By August of 1907 Sheldon had established his camp along the Toklat river, building a cabin and spending the winter collecting specimens for the Biologic Survey. Noticing the hunting practices of market hunters coming into the area, he realizes that if the animal populations were not protected they would be extripated, hunted out. So begins a colossal fight to protect the animal populations and in turn results in the creation (February 1917) of what eventually becomes Denali National Park and Preserve. A crown jewel in the national park system. Charles Sheldon is considered the founding father and guiding spirit of Denali. He laid out the original park boundary and in his diary on January 12, 1908, presumably in his cabin on the Toklat river, coined the name Denali National Park. Harry Karstens, at the suggestion of Sheldon, became the first park superintendent, and is considered to have set the standard for administration along with being a grand adventurer in his own right, having led a party, the first, to the top of  Denali (June 7,1913).

The park however was not immediately available to the general public, in fact it was something of a back water. Even with the completion of the Alaska Railroad in 1923 access to the interior of the park was limited because of the rugged terrain and lack of funding coming from the Department of the Interior to develop an access road. It wasn’t until 1938 after 15 seasons of toil that a road snakes through to the Kantishna district.

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Most vehicles are not allowed past the the 15-mile mark, but bus tours/shuttles run all day from May through September, either a talking tour or (in theory) a silent shuttle. The drivers either tell passengers all about the park (tours) or just drives the bus (shuttles). And one can choose a long or short tour/shuttle. I opted for the long talking tour but it was filled up so reserved a spot on a 6-hour "silent" bus which went as far Toklat River at mile 54. I had to be at the WAC (Wilderness Access Center) at 0730. These less expensive shuttles leave all day at half-hour intervals. Whenever and wherever someone wants to get off to hike around or camp in the backcountry, they just hop off anywhere along the road. If one wants back on a bus, he/she just stands by the road-side and holds up a thumb. The tours are more expensive than the shuttles. The prices range from $150 to $50 per person.

People are pretty much allowed anywhere in Denali as long as they sign up, watch a backcountry safety video, learn how to leave no trace, learn about grizzlies and moose dangers, have the required gear, etc. There are trails to follow or hikers can bushwhack.

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I also made a reservation at the only campground with space available. One can drive a vehicle to the Teklanika camping area well up into the park but must stay a minimum of three days. From a base there, campers just walk out to the main park road and wait for buses to take them wherever they wish.

Denali National Park

I was very lucky with the weather. Everyone, of course, wants to "see the mountain" and only 30% do as clouds obscure it most days. It was another perfect day weather-wise.

We hopped on a new green bus and the driver (Wendy) was wonderful. She came to Alaska 30+ years ago when her Dad worked on the pipeline. I figured she was now in her 50s. In the winter she drives a school bus in Anchorage. She talked the whole way, which was fine as she was funny, helped spot animals (one grizzly, several Dall sheep, moose and caribou) and knew just enough of the geology, flora, and the history of Denali to be interesting. She wasn't required to talk as this wasn't an official informative tour, but she loved doing it. The road was gravel much of the way, a bit precipitous in a few places ("don't look down or move to the other side of the bus if this bothers you") with several pullouts. I had to laugh: on the way back, half the passengers were sleeping or dozing....like this was a tiring experience. We picked up and dropped off people several times.  Most were serious dedicated backpackers with their huge loads, girls and guys, fit, healthy, attractive, adventurous.

Riley Creek Campground in Denali National Park

And there are the mountain climbers. As of yesterday, of the 457 people on the mountain, one of them died, a 45-year-old Czech man who "tumbled roughly 1500 feet" which was "witnessed by multiple parties at the 14,200-foot base camp." They reached him within 10 minutes, but he died of multiple trauma. Less than 20% of those who have tried summiting this year have succeeded. (Alaska Dispatch News).

By mid afternoon, we were back and I drove through the campground, picking out a good spot. The young man who registered me warned about moose who wander the campground and who "are calving this time of year. We had to send several people to the hospital last year. If you are charged, just get something between you and the moose and zig-zag." There were absolutely no insects, no moose; the sun was out, the camp sites were all tucked in the spruces. I got a few supplies for dinner and settled in, half reading and half watching the quiet comings and goings of those near me.

As the evening with its forever light progressed, most folks sat quietly around campfires. I debated whether to set up my tent and then did not, due to inertia and the totally comfortable cot in my van. I have a great sleeping bag and slept soundly all night, waking at 0600 and then going back to sleep until 0730. I was warm but reluctant to get out of my sleeping bag as the temperature was in the low 40s. But there was laundry to do....

Destination Circle: Day 15

May 28, 2016

Shucks.....I finally researched Circle and how exactly to get there.  It is 160 miles northeast of Fairbanks with a population of 110, and it was my destination for the past two weeks. BUT, I decided not to go BECAUSE it would mean driving 160 miles of gravel road (only the first 80 are paved), and there are few services along the way if I got a flat tire which was a good possibility. I wanted to go to Circle to see the Yukon River, a river that for me is the epitome of wild and romantic Alaska and which was a prominent feature in nearly all the tales of Alaska I have read. I've always been drawn to rivers. However, there was a good chance I would inconvenience any unwary fellow traveler who would find me stranded by the side of the road with a vehicle malfunction. I really thought this road was paved all the way as there was no indication on the most of the maps that it wasn't. And after being on gravel for 40 miles yesterday, I got that out of my system.

I was mildly disappointed but so it goes....so it goes when one doesn't plan in advance very much.

Campground in Fairbanks where I did not stay

The sun was again shining this morning, and I found a beautiful campground (that I wished I had known about as I would have stayed there last night) on the banks of the Chena River which runs through Fairbanks. I sat by the river in the sun and sweet-smelling air, then and for breakfast ate a delicious Crab Louis salad from the deli in a Safeway but then discovered it tasted so good because it had 60% MDR of sodium...black olives, imitation crab meat, hard-boiled egg, greens, grape tomatoes and a dressing.

The drive to Denali National Park was a couple of hours and 100 miles south. I had tried to figure out where to stay the night and wanted to camp in the park. It being a holiday weekend and without reserving a campsite in advance, nothing was available for tonight, so I finally found a place called Denali Cabins on the Internet near the park. Except I couldn't find it in real-time. Siri directed me to an address on the highway with no dwelling in sight north of the park entrance. I tried again and got various directions both north and south of my current position. I finally found Grizzly Denali Campground or some name like that, pulled in, asked, and they told me Denali Cabins were "two miles south."

Wild Rose and Aspen at the campground in Fairbanks

Denali Cabins at 11 p.m.

They were wonderful. Even though my online reservation hadn't made it through, I showed the two seasonal workers at the desk (two college-age guys, one from Wisconsin and the other from California) the confirmation on my phone. They got the manager and she straightened it all out. I had a cabin to myself in this place that was fragrant with scent of pines. I lounged in the sunshine, reading, for several hours on the deck of what I thought was a bar (Lounge and Learn) until I went in search of a glass of wine late afternoon and discovered it was a cozy room with books and couches and puzzles, etc., and not a bar at all. But there WAS a restaurant next door where I got a light dinner. It was (to me) idyllic. More folks arrived throughout the evening, some by a free shuttle that went back and forth from the park. The whole place had an understated  north woods ambiance, in contrast to the hype and busyness of Park Village, a mile north of the park, which had the usual tourist commotion of gift shops and eateries and high-end lodging choices. The night was utterly quiet and I slept with the window open.

Destination Circle: Day 14

May 27, 2016

When I through Whitehorse last night in the rain, I noticed a Starbucks a couple of blocks from the Best Western, another surprise as there have been no free-standing Starbucks in the towns I've traveled through recently, and I certainly didn't expect to find one in Whitehorse.

So I worked there for an hour in the morning on the computer. Just outside the entrance, a ravaged Native was asking people for money. No one offered him anything as far as I could tell. I got a $5 Canadian bill ready to hand to him when I left, but he had moved on by then. The farther north I go in Canada, I see and hear more evidence and acknowledgement of First Nation peoples. Their concerns and redress for past wrongs is currently in the collective consciousness if judged by commentary on the CBC. Many place names are First Nation and several new museums and exhibits depict their history AND their present status.

Yukon Territory - west of Whitehorse

Then I drove 600 miles to Fairbanks on the Alaska (ALCAN) highway. I didn't intend to go that far, but it was fine, especially as the sun isn't setting until nearly midnight. It was a memorable day, driving all those miles with a billion trees and minimal signs of human intrusion on the land. 

I stopped a couple of times: at a First Nation Cultural Center in Haines Junction (Da Ku, meaning Our House) and then at Buckshot Betty's Roadhouse, a cozy place with a wood stove, a bakery, decent food, a friendly waitress, Canadian memorabilia for sale like T-shirts, sweatshirts and books about the North, and knickknacks near the register tempting those waiting to pay...items like “Wine Gum” which I never did figure out. The wrapper had the illustration of a piece of gum being pierced by a corkscrew.

Moose and calf - near Tok, Alaska

The Kluane National Park and Preserve west of Whitehorse matched the beauty of Banff and Jaspar National Parks and is also notable for massive ice fields behind the visible peaks. The traffic was minimal, and my day was mostly spent in the Canadian bush and wilderness, adjacent to mountains, driving over muskeg and bogs, past lakes and ponds and through spruce and alder, willows and aspen. Twice, I saw black bear along the roadside, and late in the day, a mother moose and her very young calf. I carefully showed down and stopped in the middle of the road to take photos. Such was the scarcity of traffic.

At one point, the highway became gravel...for miles. I wondered if I had missed a sign for this, but eventually came upon road construction crews with pilot cars and long waits x2, and then more  long stretches of gravel interrupted by an occasional brief segment of pavement...for at least 40 miles. Frost heave requires constant maintenance of this route. I waited for one pilot car near a lake with several pair of American Wigeons but, again, I haven't seen many birds this far north.

All day, I passed through brief rain showers, the sky dramatic and constantly changing with deep grey clouds moving in a bright blue expanse. The white trunks of the aspens (Maria's tree) are as lovely as the anything in this land.

Just after going through customs AGAIN, I stopped for gas which was $3.65/gallon, so I drove on, hoping it would be cheaper closer to Fairbanks, and it was in Tok (pronounced Toke). Ginny once dated a boy from Tok when we lived in Montana, a polite, gentle, shy kid who really liked her, but she wasn't that interested.

I came onto the 700,000 acre Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge but the Visitor Center was closed. It had a sod roof and a spacious deck overlooking marshy open habitat. The infamous Alaskan mosquitoes were hanging in the air waiting for me and I had miles to go....so didn't even think about hiking or checking out any of the backcountry of this refuge.

I don't know why I didn't get tired as I usually do after driving for 10 hours, but I felt mellow. I ate junk food (a bag of wedge-shaped orange slices and salt and vinegar potato skins), which normally would make me tired or bloated in addition to regretting my lack of discipline an hour after consumption but even that didn't happen. I was in the groove.....

Along the Alaska Highway

Fairbanks was a wild place in the early days of the oil pipeline, and my motel was across the street from a forlorn, now deserted, faded red building with “SHOW GIRLS” painted on the front. The book I “borrowed” from the motel in Williston talked about the Fairbanks of that era with “hookers on every street corner and guys with money falling out of their pockets.” The motel was a bit shabby and the curse of night noise continued to plague me with a very loud refrigerator. I unplugged that and kept looking at the clock and then outside. At 11 p.m., it was still very light. It's like the onset of evening is prolonged, as though the sun just stops a few hours.

Destination Circle: Day 13

May 26, 2016

Jeepers! I forgot the highlight of yesterday. For a couple of hours, we saw humpback whales south of Juneau. In the distance, someone would spot a "blow" and then we would soon see a whale's rounded back or one would waggle a long flipper or show its tail. Once, quite near, a whale breached...truly a thrill. Porpoises in small groups were also rapidly moving through the ocean close to the ship.

Only a dozen passengers were left by the time we got to Skagway early this morning. Three other cruise ships were berthed here, the most amazing being the Disney Wonder, a sister ship to the Disney Magic. It was incongruous to see this glamour and ostentation in the harbor of a small Alaskan town, towering OVER the town, at the end of its main street. It was the Donald Trump of cruise ships.

en.wikipedia.org:

"Both ships have 11 public decks, can accommodate 2,400 passengers in 875 staterooms, and have a crew of approximately 950. Disney Wonder was built in the year following completion of Disney Magic. As of 2015, Disney Wonder sails various North American itineraries on a seasonal basis.

Disney Wonder's Captain is Captain Fabian Dib and her "godmother" is Tinker Bell."

Skagway

Bald Eagles near Dyea / Skagway 

Skagway obviously has defined itself as a tourist destination with dozens (probably a hundred) shops and businesses lining the wooden sidewalks. They all have tasteful signs and many have expensive wares; there are small restaurants, aromatherapy stores, massage and yoga studios, art galleries and stores with the expected tackier tourist stuff but toned-down in presentation...all mingled with the necessary commerce that towns need. What I needed was a good cup of coffee. The air was fresh and cool but not cold. It was early and peaceful on Main Street with few people. While I waited in line in the coffee house, another customer with a very loud voice told me (and all the other clientele) about winning the lottery the only time he was ever in Michigan...like $750. Overhearing this, another guy asked me if I knew about Stony Lake. He had been a counselor at a camp there once. He talked quietly and called me Ma'am and told me to go to Dyea (Die-ee) which he spelled for me. "It's our sister town," he said and gave me directions. He was the typical recreational outdoorsy type one sees everywhere in the west where there are mountains or rivers or rocks to climb. So I went to Dyea. It was only a 16-mile detour off my road out of town. And I saw a life bird! an Arctic Tern. There is, of course, much attention given to gold rush era all through here. The Chilkoot Trail, which was the beginning of route to the Yukon gold fields in the late 1890s, starts in Dyea. The hopeful miners were headed to the Klondike river in Yukon Territory over the mountains to the north.

Grizzly on the road to Carcross

I spent the day moving in that direction, back into Canada, first through British Columbia and then into Yukon Territory. Within 10 minutes of passing through customs, a van ahead of me was stopped half on and half off the road. A young grizzly was foraging out in the open and very close. I carefully pulled off and watched it walk right past my car, a beautiful creature, its beauty and slow graceful movement a counterpoint to its potential ability to maul me to a bloody mess in seconds. I love reading bear attack stories which always, always describe how powerful and quick and ferocious bears can be. But this one had no bad intentions and ambled across the road just in front of a car coming around the curve, which fortunately saw it and slowed. 

I stopped in Carcross, BC, for a gas station lunch and coffee and thought about looking for the Polly's grave in the cemetery here. Someone on the ship had told me about this parrot of the Klondike era, how it got famous and finally died in 1972 reportedly having lived for 125 years, and how it was an awful bird known for "biting, drinking and swearing." But Carcross seemed especially dismal and charmless and I needed to get to Whitehorse and a good night's sleep. Actually, I forgot about Polly until I was well past the town. 

The scenery was again stunning, and even though the elevation of the route is not particularly high, it SEEMED high, with snow on the peaks and stunted, tundra-like flora. 

I love traveling where I've never been before. It all usually works out without too much planning ahead, and there are surprises. I thought, for instance, that Carcross would be at least a town of note, but it has a population of less than 300, so it's barely a village. I thought Whitehorse would be a small rough-around-the-edges western town, but it was bustling and much larger than I thought, sort of like a Missoula or a Traverse City.  It was raining hard when I arrived. I sat in my car, sorting things out, knowing the rain would soon stop as the sky was blue in the west. It eventually did, and I checked into a Best Western. I get Priceline deals that make motels an easy rationalization  And the current Best Western promotion is a $50 credit after two stays. 

A White-crowned Sparrow was singing loudly from a tree top in the parking lot, but I surely have not seen many birds on this trip. 

I had pork and veggie spring rolls in the hotel restaurant (a noisy sports bar) where most patrons were watching the Stanley Cup playoffs, even though Canada is no longer a contender. I watched a table near me: a girl and five guys. One guy looked a bit nerdy and was wearing a white shirt and tie; the other guys were typical 20-somethings bantering and decompressing after working in the office all day. The chick had thick blond braids loosely tied behind her head, beautiful skin, large glasses with pinkish plastic rims, a small piercing in her philtrum, tattoos from her elbows up which disappeared into her short-sleeved blouse; no makeup, talkative and flirty but not obnoxious...kind of like a Heidi who grew up and moved to the city. 

My room was a favorite location in motels: the second floor looking west. But I could easily hear the distracting TV next door. After an hour, I called the desk and the desk guy said it was the band downstairs and I said it wasn't. He offered to investigate but almost at that moment, the noise stopped, mostly for good. 

an amazing greenish color in a lake south of Whitehorse