Hyder, my kinda town

A very unique town is Hyder AK. Isolated from the rest of the state by land, it does not even have a border crossing when coming in. It keeps time with British Columbia instead of the rest of Alaska except for the Post Office. It is truly an international town and fine with it. It is a ghost town that hasn't given up the ghost. Not a paved road in town. They have a boardwalk over Fish Creek so one can watch the bears feed, but the twice we went there we did not see any, even though there were plenty of Chum Salmon in the river. But what really makes this place spectacular is that it is surrounded by peaks with glaciers hanging off of most every one..

Cassiar Hwy, Boya Lake

The Cassiar Highway is the most westerly north south connector in Northern British Columbia. We decided to take it down instead of the Alaskan Highway after finding out it had now been paved for most of the way. Cassiar Highway runs west of the Skeena Mountains and east of the Coast Range. Our first stop turned out to be such a little piece of paradise we spent two nights there. Boya Lake carved out by glaciers and the bottom coated with marl, a mixture of silt and shell fragments creates an aquamarine lake. It also one of the few lakes in norther B.C. that are swimable. We immediately inflated our two person kayak and paddled in what seemed like water of the Bahamas with mountain scenery. We were surrounded by Pacific Loons and camped next door to a family of muskrats. This morning we drove down the deserted highway (a fire north of the campground cut off all traffic south) to Iskut ,tomorrow we will head back to the coast to the towns of Stewart/Hyder.

Yukon

Saturday we left Valdez to begin the trek south. I guess our "semiwaterproof" skins are showing we are in search of more sun. We crossed the Canadian border at Beaver Creek and decided to put in for the night there. The park we stayed at was not worth mentioning but the Visitor Center across the highway staffed by a friendly French Canadian "Giselle" was most helpful although planned next destination was Boya Provincial Park in British Columbia. The most important piece of information that Giselle gave us was that we were underestimating the distance to B.C. and we should think about an interim stop. What we didn't realize was that driving was going to be slower than what we were use to. We had been experiencing some frost heaveing and we were going to be seeing a lot more. The vistas for the drive from Beaver Creek were spectacular reminding us of Highway 50 across Nevada, but with small trees.

As luck would have it our "interim" stop turned out to be such a great spot we stayed and extra day. Just past the town of Teslin on Teslin Lake we found Dawson Peaks Resort Owned, built & operated by David Hett and Carolyn Allen this is a beautiful spot on Morley Bay. David and Carolyn appealed to our "do-it-yourself" attitude in designing and building a place that fits in well with all the comforts, built in a conscientious manner. for anyone thinking about traveling the Alaskan Highway I highly suggest a stop here.

Valdez

Valdez is a place that the drive in is worth the price of admission. We left Denali Park yesterday morning and drove across the Glenn Highway, staying last night at Little Nelchina Recreation Site, a no fee, no services,no other campers, wonderful spot on the Nelchina River. This morning as the sky finally cleared for awhile we drove down the Richardson Highway over Thompson Pass into Valdez. the views were absolutely breathtaking the whole way. Below is a sampling.

















































Valdez is a very busy fishing harbor, both sport and commercial, with boats like these going in and out every few minutes.

Denali pt.2

We went for our 8 hour bus ride into Denali Park today and though it was so overcast we saw little of the grand landscape we did make out well on the wildlife viewing. First off I have to mention that we did not take a "tour" bus, it was rather the shuttle bus to the Eielson Center 67 miles into the park. The difference is close to $100, but, if you take the early morning bus with the right driver (Craig Lewis in our case)you can see more than the "tour" buses usually do.



Many of the animals were too far from the bus to get good pics, but that is a good thing because this is truly a nature preserve with the park's strict rules of teaching the humans to respect the animals home. We were fortunate to see numerous sightings of Brown Bears, Caribou, Moose, Wolves and Dall Sheep. Especially gratifying was watching a mother wolf with 7 pups. Below is a selection of photos, with more eventually being placed in My Galleries

Denali pt. 1

We arrived in Denali National Park yesterday after the 8hour drive from Hope. We arranged for a shuttle bus ride into the park for Wed. morning. Today we visited the Visitor Center and became acclimated, the weather is still showery so not much hiking.

We did have a wonderful lunch at the Grande Denali Lodge with a most outstanding view (unfortunately the high mountains are in cloud cover but we could see the Denali Vally and the Nenana River.) The Grande Denali Lodge and The Denali Bluffs Hotel are owned by Old Harbor Native Corporation, one of 252 Native village corporations established by Congress in 1971 under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA).

Hope

We came to Hope this morning just in time for the 23d annual Hope Wagontrail Run. The sense of community shined brightly through a rather drizzly day. The turnout was quite amazing for such a small village. All ages were represented with two runners over 80.














Likewise there was a crowd of supporters of all ages.









Yesterday we spent at Crescent Creek campground above Kenai Lake. This creek is a fly fishermans paradise primarily Dolly Vardens and Rainbows.
















In morning before leaving we caught sight of some Sand Hill Cranes in the marsh on Turnagain Arm

Homer

We have been in Homer the last couple of days. Located on the southwestern tip of the Kenai Peninsula it is another example of how though devastated by the Valdez oil spill these Alaskan coastal towns have bounced back with tourism dollars. Yesterday we had a wonderful dinner at the Mermaid Cafe after browsing the companion bookstore,Old Inlet Bookshop and picking up a copy of "Cruising Beyond Desolation Sound" by John Chappell.

Today we went for a long low tide walk and then a visit to the not to be missed Pratt Museum.

Anchorage

Yesterday we saw Kelly off at the airport here in Anchorage. First we had to collect her gear from Mountaintrip and package it to be shipped via UPS to Colorado before she flew off to Washington to spend the rest of the summer guiding on Mt. Rainer.
So we scrounged boxes and made up packaging for two sets of skis a sled and another 100lbs of various climbing gear. We still manged to get her to the airport in time for her flight. The rest of the day was spent recuperating and cleaning up. We are staying at the Ship Creek Landings RV Park, which is ideally located near the downtown but on the outskirts of town. As long as you have earplugs since you are literally feet from the Alaska Railroad and 1/2 mile from Elmendorf Air Force Base.

Today we rode the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail to the tune of 16 miles whew, now we are resting. Unfortunately like Bear Glacier (which is so named because of all the bears there)we saw nothing in the way of wildlife. Though all the guide info swore we would probably see moose down near the airport, the only thing we saw was this spoonbill.

Bear Glacier

It tough when you feel you may have hit the highpoint of a two month travel within the first week, but it is going to be hard to beat yesterday. Kelly did some guide work for Adventure 60 North a couple of years ago and the owners Rick and Michelle generously offered us the use of there equipment at Bear Glacier. Not only is this the largest glacier in the area, it has special qualities which make it spectacular to kayak around. This is a retreating glacier that has left a large bar across the bay which keeps all power boats from entering from the outside and keeps the many many icebergs from floating away.

We were dropped off in the morning and had 8 hours to paddle anywhere we wanted. Because the sun was out strong for a change, by afternoon the action (and noise that went with it) was astounding. We were flown in by Eric of Pollux Aviation giving us an outstanding flight and tour I did shoot some video from the copter and if I ever learn how to post it, I will. Following are a few pics and I will post some more in the future on my pbase gallery

The whole day spent will be one all three of us cherish forever.

More in Seward

Our third day in Seward finds us hanging out setting up a kayak trip to Bear Glacier for tomorrow. We will be flying into it on a helicopter so this should be exciting. We are currently staying at Millers Landing and took a walk out to Tonsina Point this morning. We are here spending time with Mary's daughter Kelly who has been up on Denaili for the last 3 months. She did two private climbs and then guided a trip for Mountaintrip.

Tonsina Point

Seward

We had our first full day in Seward, fortunately it was a sunny morning so we rode the bikes around the head of Resurrection Bay. We saw only one sailboat out, probably because the forecast was for deteriorating conditions, and now mid afternoon it looks like rain. It is quite a beautiful place to sail.

The Crossing

Tuesday afternoon July 6th;
As we hit the ocean swell, our inside passage ends and our outside crossing begins. As we go through Crossing Sound, one can look up into Glacier Bay providing there is visibility. Unfortunately although not “pea soup” we have only about a half mile visibility.

Wednesday July 7th

After a quiet night of rocked gently to sleep by a gentle swell, we arrived for a short stop at Yakutat. Yakutat is a small fishing community that is slowly upgrading now that the Alaska Marine Ferry stops here. Clearly much of Alaska has changed in the last few years as tourist dollars bring new vitality here.

Thursday July 8th

A 7AM arrival in Whittier and lo and behold the weather is exactly the same as Bellingham when we got on the ferry, cool and drizzly. All day yesterday there was a mixed swell of 3-5 feet and about a 20knot breeze on our stern. I thought it was both typical and tolerable, but quite a few people seem to stay in their cabins or generally in a prone position.

We decided to get on through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel right away as we had reservations in Seward and did not know for sure our plans for the next few days. Seward has also gone through some changes in the last few years, and we were delighted to find a new Safeway there allowing us to forgo getting to Anchorage right away for supplies. The rest of the day will be spent resting up and mapping out plans.

Heading out again

Today we board the motor vessel Kennicot

for the crossing of the Gulf of Alaska to Whittier. Weather looks to be relatively good, but since it is open ocean we will stop and pick up some Dramamine. We will also make a quick stop by the Mendenhall Glacier before heading out. Next post won't be for a few days until we reach Whittier.

Juneau

The ship docked at Juneau at 02:30 this morning, but somehow we managed to get to a motel in time to get some sleep and still get out for a 4 hour hike this morning. We hiked in back of Juneau on the Perseverance National Recreation Trail.

Here are a couple of pics from our hike;

Onboard

July 3d
Yesterday's embarkation was quite tedious. Though they wanted everyone there 3 hours before departure, we because of checkout time at the RV park, were even earlier, did not load until 6 PM (departure time). The highlight of the 5 hour wait was watching the explosive sniffing dog “playing” in the parking lot and a visit by the llama and cart show;


. We did manage a delightful lunch in old town Fairhaven.Since this ferry has many stops the efficient loading of vehicles is not any easy affair. We are fortunate that we had a berth reserved, for deck space was fairly limited by the time we came aboard. Once underway though leaving Bellingham Bay was the thrill departures should be, complete with a CG escort out


Today started beautiful morning entering the Queen Charlotte Strait. Just passed a pod of Orcas but not close enough for a photo op. Earlier went through a fairly large school of Pacific Whitesides. Weather is just about perfect, light breeze no waves to speak of, few clouds, but great visibility. The ferry route stays east of Queen Charlotte Sound so I expect a fairly smooth sail all the way to Ketchikan. What is noteworthy is scarcity of sailing yachts up in this area. Being familiar with the lower B.C. Coast this is so uncrowded. Of course conditions are not always as they are right now, in fact Queen Charlotte Strait and Sound are notorious for their intense weather. I am sitting here bemoaning the fact I did not bring charts with me to identify locations. I had thought I still had my Blue charts loaded on my Garmin Map 76s for the area but unfortunately they are not. With no Internet access I am kinda lost in space.

Ketchikan 4th of July

Sitting in the ferry terminal trying to update during the 1 hour layover before heading on to Juneau. It is overcast here but no rain, so considered a great day. Yesterday afternoon we had numerous Humpback sighting up fairly close. We have had very smooth sail, only feeling motion during open water crossings, woke up at 1 AM when we crossed the Dixon Entrance, but that lasted for only an hour. Of course this will change when we cross the Gulf of Alaska in a few days.





Dock watchers at Ketchikan;














Piloting a 418'LOA, 85'Beam through the Wrangle Narrows is quite a feat even with the minimal 17'6" draft

Going to sea on my birthday

Cannot think of a better way to spend my birthday, although I probably would prefer something a little smaller.
The M/V Columbia is Alaska Marine Highway System's largest vessel and will take us as far as Juneau. It doesn't look as though I will have internet access until at least our layover there changing ferries so departure pics will have to wait.

Day 2 and 3, Now it feels like the PNW

Yep, we are in Bellingham and it is overcast and drizzly. Spent the day driving around, picking up supplies, finding the ferry terminal and trying to find a propane gas "sniffer" to check out odor emanating from under the coach. Unfortunately the RV shops we found were overwhelmed because of the coming 4th so I will resort to soap water spray. Fortunately the main switch shuts it off so it is only a pain but still usable.

Last night we spent at Rainbow Falls state Park outside of Chehalis, WA. It is a beautiful quiet park alongside the Chehalis River. The title of Rainbow Fall is somewhat of a misnomer by my estimation though. It was all in all though, the perfect resting spot after a long drive.