David and Karen Journey – DNKJOURNEY

We climbed Mount McKinley – David style:  in a plane, of course.  We even climbed a few hundred feet above the summit.  That was how we spent David’s birthday!

The flight seeing tour was the only company that took you up and over the summit so you could see the mountain up close and personal.  It was a bonus, on that day, to have such beautiful weather.

One of the last wilderness areas untouched by modern man: over six million acres of open alpine tundra, wildlife, mile high granite gorges, ancient blue glaciers and endless icy peaks …

Mount McKinley or Denali is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of 20,320 feet above sea level. At some 18,000 feet the base to peak rise is considered the largest of any mountain situated entirely above sea level. Located in the Alaska Range in the interior of US state of Alaska, it is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.

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We were lucky enough to see a large brown bear catching salmon in the middle of the stream, and a black bear mother catching dinner for her two cubs (with the cubs watching from the nearby tree).  How cool was that!

The Russian Rivers Campground is located between the Russian River and the Kenai River.  That means double the salmon spawning rivers available for those hungry bears, and double bear territory (brown and black bears are seen on this river)!

We learned from some locals the best bet for viewing bears in the Russian River drainage is the fishing access trails off the “Grayling” parking area during the summer spawning runs of sockeye salmon. The trail follows along the river and tens of thousands of sockeye navigate the river each summer from mid-June through late August to spawn in the Russian Lakes. Bears frequent the stream banks to dip an easy meal from this relatively shallow river while many fisherman try to catch fish.

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The Kenai River is one of the most important watersheds in Alaska, providing world- class salmon fishing and wilderness recreation. The Kenai River is a melt water river that drains the central Kenai Peninsula region Its source is the Kenai Lake, which narrows to form the river and flows 82 miles to Cook Inlet. The river passes through Kenai Canyon for about 2 miles of fast-flowing whitewater rapids, but for the majority it is a non-motorized 12-mile float through some beautiful countryside is Alaska.

The world famous Russian River Ferry is located at the confluence of the Russian and Kenai Rivers on Alaska’s beautiful Kenai Peninsula.  The ferry services one of the most productive salmon sport fishing areas in all of North America.  As we passed through this area of “combat fisherman” who stand one fishing pole distance apart from each other in the relentless search (and destroy) for salmon.  Wow, we were glad that was not our fishing experience.

The float was a wonderful chill opportunity taking in an iconic Alaska experience.

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Chase remembered the fun he had kayaking with his Grandparents and wanted to kayak again.  Bear Lake just outside of Seward afforded this opportunity.  Our kayaks made by Hobie are propelled by pedal or paddle.  Chase wanted to paddle while grandpa used his legs and pedaled his way around the lake. When the wind picked up and the waves on the lake became white caps, Chase wanted more, while Grandpa David was thinking it is time to get off the lake.

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Seward has the only public aquarium and ocean wildlife Center.  It is a rescue center that rescues, treats, and releases stranded animals located on the shores of Resurrection Bay in Seward.  There are many great exhibits and one of the best aquariums that we have visited.

We took many photos, in fact, the harbor seal that we photographed was just released by the center to the sea.  We are hoping that he finds internet so that he may view his photo we had taken.  Yes, we did give him our travel card with the web address of our blog.

The Sea Life Center advertises on the radio and TV telling folks if they come across any distressed marine mammal they should immediately call the center.

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Chase asked, “Do I get to hike right next to a real glacier?  We learned about them in school. “  I remember how the book learning fell to real life when I began the travel odyssey.  Learning is exciting.  And we trekked up the hill, and found exit glacier very cold, (who would guess that) and huge, and shrinking.   We grandparents played a wonderful documentary called Chasing Ice, to bring home the fleeting nature of the century old, living monuments.

Simply put this Glacier is a drip from Harding Icefield which extends on top of the mountains between Seward (Kenai Fjord National Park) and Homer.  The Harding Icefield is thousands of feet thick, but it does not completely bury the underlying mountains. Over 30 glaciers of different size and type flow outward from the Harding Icefield. Some of these glaciers are tidewater (Aialik Glacier) or terminate in lakes (Skilak Glacier), and some end on land (Exit Glacier).

Alaska glaciers account for less than one percent of the Earth’s area currently covered by ice, but a recent study suggests this ice is melting quickly.  Y’all come sooner than later.

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We saw incredible numbers of humpbacks, otters, orcas, sea lions, puffins, and kittiwakes, etc.  The whales were amazing, breeching and flipping their tails, or just raising their flippers to say hi. At one point the humpback whales (there were between 6 and 10 of them) were collaboratively using bubbles to trap fish and then feasting together. Words fail me for how amazing it was to witness this over and over.  Over the course of the day, we saw about 24 separate whales.

The Aialik glacier viewing was also spectacular. We spent at least 20 minutes watching and listening to the glacier creak and crash into the water.  A huge section fell into the ocean, and though I feel terrible to see this ice that will never exist again, it is so impressive that it stays in my mind still.  The photos of the calving are a series taken of of a very large calving.  Sorry for not adding sound, think of loud and rumbling thunder.

Chase (our oldest grandson) is learning about photography on this trip.  I was glad that this scenery and this photographic place was an inspiration and made an epic impression in his minds eye.

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There is an axiom here in Alaska, you see it on public service signs everywhere:  Wherever there is salmon there are bears.  It is meant as a warning; of course, we took it as an invitation.  The Russian River Falls is a spawning stream for salmon, and a few weeks earlier after a delightful 2.5 mile hike, we enjoyed wooden observation decks overlooking the fish laden waters, and a couple of bears salmon fishing.  It was perfect.

We talked up the hike, the salmon, and the potential bears to our Grandson Chase.   We also went through all the bear wise instructions.   It is completely safe, and as a precaution, we carry bear spray.  Much to our surprise (it is always a surprise when sketchy things happen) we were 5 minutes into the hike, and a bear popped out right next to us, literally 5 feet away.   The bear stood, looked directly at us, came down on all 4 legs, and then scampered across the road.    Oh, and the bear spray was left in the truck.

Regrouped, bear spray in our pocket, we took the hike.  The day was just as lovely, and we saw lots of salmon leaping into the falls, and a brown bear.

Later that night, we were back on the lower part of the river, having been told they come out late in the evening.  Surely, the nighttime would provide for more opportunities.  The fisher people all said there had been some earlier and they come out nearly every night; but we were skunked.  Only mosquitos.

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Another iconic Alaskan experience is fishing.  So many fishing opportunities are available:  trout, grayling, 5 types of salmon, halibut, in the river, the bay, the gulf and the ocean.  We chose Seward regulations allow 3 silver salmon from the gulf and 3 more from Resurrection Bay.  The ride to the fishing ground was 1.5 hours; all full bore, plowing through swells and other wakes.  Chase thought it was great; Karen wanted a chiropractor.

Captain Dave knew we arrived when he found a large number of puffin since they follow the fish.  He was right.  After we dropped the lines, it took minutes even seconds for a FISH ON call.  Our group of 6 people caught the maximum of 18 silver salmon within 25 minutes.  From there we moved into the bay, and Grandpa David caught another 2 more, the other 5 came back with their original three.  For the three people from our family the net weight was 36 pounds of filets.

Enough to completely fill a freezer in our RV and lots of good eating for a long time coming.

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David and I realize, first hand, that travel broadens the mind and provides the traveler a world wide classroom.  Travel changes a person, introduces them to new ideas, and brings those things from books into real life.  What a wonderful opportunity for our grandchildren and for us.  We committed to take the grandkids with us for periods of time to share the world and to make memories here (where here is at the moment).  Chase is our oldest grandson (13 in October), he shared our exploits for 10 days this summer.

Last year Chase joined us in Canada.  He learned how to convert from fahrenheit to celsius, miles to kilometers, and handle money that comes in colors much less loonies and toonies!  After, we make a memory book called Chasing Chase through  British Columbia.

This year we chased Chase through Alaska.  We experienced the wonders of the midnight sun, the search for bears, the shock of finding bears,  the majesty and fragility of glaciers, the joy of kayaking, the amazement of breaching whales and the excitement of your first real fishing trip (with 3 salmon to show for it).  We made lots of memories this year.  Great posts and photos are coming soon  – Chasing Chase in the Kenai and David N Karen adventures in Alaska.

And we have 5 other grandchildren to chase!

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It was a few minutes into our first hike with our grandson Chase, when a black bear popped up 5 feet directly next to us. Only one photo since we were consumed with getting down the trail quickly. But I swear, I heard giggles from the other side of the trail when the juvenile black bears were saying (about us) did you see their faces! It’s my turn to scare the next group, tee hee.

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The Kenai boasts one of two canoe trails in the United States.  The Swan Lakes Canoe trail takes you through a series of lakes (and portages), which eventually empty into the Moose River and a direct, if not long path back to civilization.  The one-way trip is reported to be 60 miles.  You can stay on the trail from 3 days to a week or more.

The Moose River crosses the Kenai Wildlife Refuge and into the wilderness.  No cell phone signal, no one that knows to come and get you unless you left a contact.  We did see a couple planes fly over and dipped their wings when we waved hello.  Guess they were just checking.

We were looking for a day trip, and decided the most efficient way to accomplish that was to kayak 6 miles up the river, and kayak/float the 6 miles back to the truck.  It was magical.  After the first mile or two we were past all houses, then cabins, then picnic shelters finding our way through a very curvy and slow moving river.  Talk about not knowing what was around the bend . . .    I kept expecting to see canoeists coming from the lakes and into the final stretch, or certainly a moose would meander our way, I would have even welcomed a bear if I could get out of the way fast enough.  But no, just lots of birds and two little humans in the midst of all that land and water having one of the best kayak days ever.

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When David and Karen visited Alaska 3 years ago, the Kenai stood out as the place we wanted to come back to and spend a significant amount of time.  It does not surprise us that we set aside 5 weeks to hike, kayak, bear watch and just hang out in Alaska’s outdoor playground.

There is no prediction on what we will do on any given date; that is driven by weather; things like wind or rain.  The extremely cool mornings (wake up to 50-55 degrees) do not move toward 60+ degrees until almost noon.   The early days are spent scouting out kayak put in points, and talking to camp hosts etc. on the back roads and their favorite bear sitting spots.

When I told one person I was not fishing because I really did not know how, they instructed me to just show up at a river, and I would get so much advice and help and the other fisherman would be happy for the distraction.

The warm and friendly nature of the people we met has really struck me each and every day.  The folks never seem to mind reporting their favorite spots, the directions on how to get there and the timing of this salmon run, (there are many salmon runs:  pink, king, red) or the particulars of how to gut a fish.  All with a good natured, easy going cadence that we are all in the rarified air of Alaska.   Perhaps it is the community mantra that you don’t leave your neighbor stranded.

Along the way we will be camping in Sterling, Cooper Landing, Seward, Portage, Kelly Lake, Homer, Ninilchik and Kenai before we head back to Anchorage on August 18th.

As a person drives from Valdez to Anchorage they have the privilege of passing two wonderful valley glaciers.  A valley glacier is a body of solid ice that flows like a river under its own weight through an existing valley. Worthington Glacier – Just outside Valdez near Thompson Pass, the Worthington Glacier is one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska, passing within a few feet of the parking lot right off the Richardson Highway. Like most of Alaska’s glaciers, this valley glacier has been steadily retreating for the last 150 years, but not as dramatically as many others.

Matanuska Glacier –  The Matanuska Glacier is the largest glacier in Alaska that can be reached by vehicle. Located on the Glenn Highway, the Matanuska is approximately 26 miles long and 4 miles wide at its terminus. It is classified as a valley glacier.  About 10,000 years ago it began its retreat to its present day location, and it has not seen any significant change in mass for almost two decades.

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One morning we woke up to visiting Bald Eagles.

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The 9-hour tour was a perfect way to discover all of what Prince William Sound has to offer – amazing glaciers, exciting wildlife and a rich history.  The cruise toured the majestic waters of Prince William Sound from Valdez to Meares Glacier.   There was great scenery along the way.  Check out the amazing size and shapes of the icebergs.

It was an overcast day with scattered fog.  We saw many fishing boats and with one them reeling in their nets with a few hundred pink salmon.  During the tour we photographed: Tufted Puffins; Stellar Sea Lions; Humpback Whales; Sea Otters; and Harbor Seals.  The Sea Otters and Harbor Seals posed just for us.

Note:  There are two pages of photos.  After seeing the first set of photos click on [2].

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Spending 2 weeks in the Valdez area: included a 4 day side trip on the Alaska Marine Highway, by ferry thru Prince William Sound, to Cordova; kayaking; saw a 208# Halibut catch; bicycle riding; and a great glacier and wildlife tour thru Prince William Sound to Meares Glacier.  We were fortunate to see a very large calving glacier.  CLICK on this link to see a video of the calving:  Meares Glacier Calving3

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez leaked over 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound.  The cleanup has been a great success and there are no visible signs of the oil spill.  The town of Valdez was destroyed by a major earthquake in 1964, the town was relocated and rebuilt 4 miles from the old town site.

We will be posting great photos of the Glacier and Wildlife on the next post.

In a park of 13.2 million acres (6 times larger than Yellowstone, bigger than Switzerland, 9 of the highest 16 highest peaks in the USA, more than 150 glaciers) and one road, there is no viewing vehicle better than an airplane.  Since we love airplanes, and fantastic scenery on a sunny blue-sky day, David and I seized the opportunity to flight see this park.   Here are our results.  We saw so many mountain peaks and glaciers I could not even remember all their names; except Mt Blackburn, the second highest peak, after Mt McKinley.

In a Cessna 206: 70 minutes of beauty, of awe, of photography and Mother Nature like I have never seen her before.

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For approximately 30 years, (1906 – 1936) men bore tunnels deep into the earth in search of copper and the Kennicott Mine flourished.  It was a town of 5,000 souls, the ultimate company town 100’s of miles from nowhere, and in the early part of the last century, when transport was by horse or walking, nowhere was really far away. The copper was not always easy to find, the mine and associated housing may be thousands of vertical feet up.  You need to be a Billy goat to get to work.

Today, the Wrangell – St Elias National Park, encases Kennicott Mine.  The Park Service is restoring the old buildings and celebrates the remote location, the surrounding glaciers and the gritty folk who worked here.  Also, the Park became a national holding in 1980, so it is actively homesteaded, and mountains private commercial business.  The old boarding house is now a lodge, so once you survive the 30 miles of “paved” road and another 60 miles of dirt covered post railroad tracks, you arrive at the most amazing little place.  We included a picture of frost heaved road; I had previously thought it would resemble potholes, but no, it is more like miles of roller coaster.  When towing, the truck is up and the house is down and when the truck is down the house is up – you feel like a buckaroo on a wild ride at 30 mph.  The drive took us past the Copper River where fisherman were catching and gutting Salmon.  Since the copper is very murky the conventional way of fishing does not work, instead they use fishing wheels or dip netting.

The side trip (we left the house at a nearby campground) was 2 nights, and this town offers historical mine related tours, lots of hiking with glaciers at the end (yes we brought our fleece – wind off a glacier is COLD) and an abundance of wildflowers (clearly we brought our cameras) and flight seeing over the glaciers.   The glaciers were easily recognizable as the large moving white masses, but the interpreters explained the big brown acres were also glaciers that had sufficiently melted such that the embedded dirt, and rubble (which does not melt) create an “earthen crust” over hundreds deep feet of ice.  You can see caves and tunnels created by water flowing through, and around the earth glacier.   The lodge setting and family dining room encouraged interaction from people all around the world.  The first night we sat with folks from the Netherlands and China.  I love this sort of setting.

The flight seeing was a highlight for us, so much so, we made it into its own posting.

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We will be staying 2 nights in the Kennicott Glacier Lodge in the Wrangell – St. Elias National Park.  Stay tuned for great photos.

Reindeer; MuskOx;  and Caribou were all visible during our visit to LARS or Large Animal Research Station, University of Alaska Fairbanks.  To the Northeast of Fairbanks is Chena Hot Springs, where we took a relaxing soak in the natural hot springs.  Along the road from the Hot Springs we saw this moose taking its own soak.

One evening in Fairbanks we went to the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks baseball game and had a coca cola and cracker jacks.  On the Summer Solstice, June 21, they play a game during the midnight sun.  The game starts at 1030pm and ends the next morning all in daylight.

We departed Fairbanks on June 18 to the SE to Tolsona about 14 miles east of Glennallen on the Glen Highway (1).  We drove on the Richardson Highway (4) from Delta Junction to the Glen Highway.  The Richardson goes south to Valdez;  and the Alaska pipeline parallels this road and also ending in Valdez.

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