Month: August 2023

Valdez

August 7, 2023

We arrived in Valdez on Saturday evening July 29 and stayed until Monday morning August 7 to explore the Valdez area and enjoy the festivities of Gold Rush Days. 

Months ago, I made reservations at Bear Paw Campground for its central location downtown across from the marina.

I had read somewhere that Valdez has an abundance of rabbits, some of whom would follow pedestrians with shopping bags in hopes of a handout.  The ones at our campground were your normal shy bunnies! Valdez is decorated with chainsaw-carved sculptures along its very walkable streets, busy marinas and docks.

After arriving we first explored Valdez on an ATV tour with Valdez Off Road Adventures.  Our Athabascan guide Daelen took us up Mineral Creek Canyon to waterfalls and a mining site, to the braided outflow of the creek, and even over to wander through Old Valdez at the end of Valdez Arm.  Since Valdez is up a glacial fjord it is not on a bay but an arm (we learn a lot traveling!).  It was a wonderful overview of Valdez with an ATV ride thrown in for good measure.

This is the site of Old Valdez now

A few of our days in Valdez were foggy, which is pretty normal, so we toured the local museums. The Old Valdez Museum told the events of the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake.  Old Valdez was built on the alluvial plain outflow of the Valdez Glacier whose silty soil saturated with water liquified during the quake and slid into the arm.  The following tsunami caused more loss of life and damage to Old Valdez.  At the Maxine & Jesse Whitney Museum, tucked in Prince William Sound College, we were fascinated by the large collection of Native Alaskan art and artifacts as well as the extraordinary wildlife mounts.

One foggy morning we joined 12 other kayakers on a small boat for a two-hour ride out to the Columbia Glacier, stopping a few times to view wildlife and the several faces of the glacier. 

The sun came out for a beautiful day by the time we reached the beach to unload the gear and kayaks. 

It was fun to kayak among the little icebergs, though we would have liked to have gotten closer to the glacier as we saw other groups doing.  This is one of the issues of taking a guided trip—your tour depends on the willingness, ability, and experience of the guide you get which can be luck of the draw even if you communicate expectations in advance. Not the first time this happened, so that’s all I have to say about that 😉.  (I think it would have been hard to top the recent stellar jetski experience in Whittier anyway!) We  chatted with other travelers in town who all raved about the  Lu-Lu Belle Glacier Wildlife Cruise. Even other guides spoke of Captain Fred with a kind of reverence and awe–so, next time!

We chose a pretty day to drive through Keystone Canyon to Thompson Pass and the Worthington Glacier. 

While at the glacier, we met a family who had also completed the Fairbanks Midnight Run! The view at Thompson Pass was spectacular, so we hiked out for a panoramic photo and spotted some possible boondocking campsites for the future. 

On the way back we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls, Horsetail Falls, and the Old Train Tunnel, where a historic gunfight ended all hope for a profitable train route from copper mines in McCarthy to the coast.

Around the other end of the Valdez Arm, we took a self-guided tour of the Solomon Gulch Hatchery where the pink and silver salmon who had made it into the main holding pens would spawn the next generation.  Outside the weir, the water was thick with returning salmon–and sea lions enjoying an easy meal!  Bears sometimes come to join in the feast although not while we were there.

Back in town, we enjoyed Gold Rush Days. The Kelsey Dock at the west end of town hosted a fun open-air market with live music and the Gold Rush store.  We walked to the US Forest Service Crooked Creek Information Station where we “staked a claim” before panning for “gold” and were rewarded with prizes.  Other activities included braided rug sewing, soap carving, and a Dutch oven demonstration. 

Later, we joined a guided tour of historic homes moved from Old Valdez to New Valdez after the 1964 Earthquake.  All the walking made us hungry so we had a delicious meal of tacos at the Nat Shack just up the street from our campground.

We finished our time in Valdez with “End of the Road” by Magpies on the Fly, a fun vaudeville musical about local history. They were a hoot!

Wrangell-St. Elias to Chicken

August 11, 2023

We left Valdez on an early foggy morning and drove up the Richardson Highway into a beautiful clear day.  Valdez to Base Camp Kennecott in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is only 179 miles but the last 59 miles after Chitina are legendarily rough. The McCarthy Road is a gravel and chip seal road built over an old railroad track that took copper ore from the McCarthy mines to Cordova.  There are still old railroad spikes in the railroad bed notorious for causing flat tires, though we luckily didn’t have any mishaps. At Pippin Lake, we took the Edgerton Highway to Kenny Lake where we took advantage of almost the last place to fuel up and fill with water. We stopped at Liberty Falls to stretch our legs and have an early lunch. 

From the Chitina Bridge, we could see fish wheels along the banks of the Chitina River harvesting the salmon run.

And then…the McCarthy Road!!

McCarthy Road was actually in better shape than we had imagined, but still took over 3 hours driving 30mph or less to travel the 60 miles.  It was a quiet day on the road, with less than a handful of vehicles, so we enjoyed stopping at scenic spots for pictures and videos. 

The Kuskulana Bridge

The Gilahina Trestle

Long Lake

We arrived at Base Camp Kennecott mid-afternoon and scouted about until we found this epic camp spot.

Since there was still plenty of daylight, we wandered across the footbridge over the Kennecott River to check out the shuttle pick-up point for the following morning’s adventure.  Looking down through the bridge grate and watching the water pound against the pilings made you dizzy and wonder how the little bridge survived! 

Pedestrians, bicyclists, and 4-wheelers use this bridge and there is a vehicle bridge downstream only for locals.  RigorMortis, a truck assembled by a pioneer from whatever parts he had available, is proudly displayed on the McCarthy side of the footbridge.

After a hearty breakfast and coffee by the river the next morning, we crossed the bridge to meet our St.Elias Alpine Guides van. 

It is a 5-mile drive from the footbridge to the town of Kennecott where we would start our hike to the Root Glacier.  Our guide Max fitted our shoes with spikes we would need later for walking on the glacier and as we hiked the 2.5 miles out to the toe, he filled us in with area history and glacier information. 

Once out on the ice, the spikes kept us steady on the hard-packed surface—like a giant ice cube! 

Max led us to blue pools, waterfalls, deep crevasses, and hilltop overlooks.  The beauty of the glacier hike was surreal and the experience is hard to describe. 

Lunch included a turkey sandwich, cookie, and chips from Kennicott Glacier Lodge in town, and Max even served hot chocolate!

The six-hour adventure was over all too soon and we had a brief rest before joining Max again for the Kennecott Mine tour. 

The stamp mill was similar to the Brittania Mine in British Columbia, with some of the same components in a different state of disrepair. 

It was a more athletic tour with steep stairways and narrow passageways to navigate!

At the end of the day, we took the shuttle back to McCarthy where we ate at The Potato.  Fresh black cod with kimchee seasoning and garlic rosemary fries-wow! 

We walked back to the footbridge and home to the truck camper where we slept well beside the noisy river.  We woke in the morning to the sound of rain and hoped the weather would clear for our trip with Wrangell Raft and Flightsee.  Colorful rafts perched on the opposite bank just across the river from our camper promised that the adventure was a go, so off we went across the footbridge for another day’s fun!

After a short van ride and a stop to get outfitted in dry suits, we launched the colorful rafts into the Kennicott River which rushes continually with a constantly changing course and no deep spots to slow down. 

The morning fog made us feel like we could have been early explorers charting unknown territory.  In reality, our guides were the company owners, who took phenomenal care of all of us and made sure we had a great time!  They set out a delicious deli spread for lunch on the gravel riverbed before oaring us through the Nizina Canyon with swirling currents between cliff walls. 

After the canyon, there was an area on the riverbank just large enough for two little planes to land and pick us up.  The rafts were deflated and folded, and it took two trips to fetch everything back to McCarthy. 

We took the second flight out, and the plane flew over the glacier we had walked the day before for a different perspective. 

This is the more remote and wild Alaska we love to experience!

It was hard to leave the next morning, but we made an early start for a 260-mile day to Tok.  McCarthy Road was a little more congested—wherever these guys are going, count me in (Say, do you need a camp cook? Someone to look after the mules? Srsly!). 

In Tok, we picked up mail we had sent from our mail forwarding service, did laundry, and boondocked at a rest area on the southeast corner of the Tetlin Bridge over the Tanana River just east of Tok.  It was so quiet after several nights camping by the Kennicott River! 

The next day we drove the Taylor Highway to Chicken, with gorgeous sweeping views of lower mountains, black spruce, and tundra with low bushes. 

We stopped at an overlook & picked blueberries—well, I picked and Larry ate all his as he said he had to keep his hands free to use the bear spray in case we got company (we didn’t, but a plausible excuse).

Our next stop in Alaska is named after ptarmigan, a type of grouse found plentifully in Alaska. Story has it that townsfolk settles on the name of “Chicken” since the spelling of ptarmigan eluded them. See you there!

Chicken to Dawson City

August 15, 2023

In our original plans, our stop in Chicken was on the way to Alaska in June.  Our timing would have coincided with “Chickenstock,” a music festival where hundreds if not thousands of people converge on the town of Chicken, whose average population is 12.  It sounds like a hoot, but with the tickets having sold out almost instantaneously in January, we scheduled to come on our way out of Alaska instead. This is Chicken, and I’m not sure where all those people stayed.

We toured the Pedro Dredge with Simon, who was very informative. 

The dredge was moved here from a mile away in 1998, restored for tours by 2005, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

After the tour, Larry had the best time panning for gold and stayed at the stand-up troughs for several hours.  I even purchased a gold pan and sniffer bottle to make it easier for him.

We boondocked that night in Chicken just beside the restaurant, which was super convenient for being first in line to buy a colossal cinnamon roll the following morning! 

Larry needed the fuel for the hours and hours and hours he spent later at the Jack Wade public gold panning area. 

We only left when the rain became more serious, chasing a cow moose down the road on our way to Top of the World Highway. 

We found a boondocking spot with epic panoramic views on the spur to Eagle- the kind of camping spot whose beauty and wildness are permanently etched into your memory.

 

The next day was Sunday, August 13, and we drove the Top of the World highway to Dawson City.  The name is appropriate as the road has stunning scenery and incredible views. 

We crossed into Canada at Poker Creek-Little Gold border crossing, and for such a lovely place, the border agent was grumpy.  We were sad to leave Alaska, too!

  From there, the weather in Canada deteriorated to match his mood, with rain making the roads slick and muddy.  We crossed the Yukon River into Dawson City on the free George Black ferry, and our first stop after arriving was to find a spot to wash the rig! 

Looking all fresh and clean, we parked on Main Street to make several Parks Canada tour reservations at the visitors’ center. 

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Gold Rush Campground is located right in town and was a very convenient place to stay, as Dawson City is a very walkable town!  After checking into the campground, we returned to the Visitor Center for a downtown walking tour.  Our guide, James, gave us a good overview of town history and peeks behind the scenes in some buildings.

The following day, we joined Lucy for a guided tour of the SS Keno.  The Keno is smaller than the Klondike in Whitehorse and meant to haul silver ore from the Mayo mines instead of passengers.  It is a remarkably well-preserved memory from a vanished era, and we enjoyed Parks Canada’s access. 

Afterward, we walked uphill to visit the Jack London cabin and then the Robert Service cabin, where Fred presented a program reciting many of Robert Service’s famous poems.

We had some time to relax before going to Diamond Tooth Gertie’s that night for a show based on Dawson City history. 

Of course, no visit to Dawson City is complete without a trip to the Sourdough Saloon for the “Sour Toe Cocktail.” Drink it fast or drink it slow; your lips must touch the toe—there are substantial penalties if you damage the wax-encased frost-bitten toe in any way!

Dawson City is a quirky town that grows on you, and we enjoyed our short stay there.  As we left, we drove uphill to the Midnight Dome, where sweeping views of the city allow you to see where the Yukon and Klondike rivers meet, the colors being different until the waters mixed downstream.

The Dredge #4 National Historic Site just outside town was one of the best we’ve been to, probably because of our tour guide, Sue.  Sue is a small, wiry, and knowledgeable local miner who explained that Dredge 4 was underwater when mining ceased, so the lower levels remained intact and unsalvaged.  The Canadian Army raised the dredge and restored it for the park, making it a wonder to behold.  It is undoubtedly the largest dredge we have been on!

Ah, but the best part is Claim #6, just down the road on Bonanza Creek, where you can pan for gold at no charge!! So Larry scoped out a spot on the creek and bought a three-legged stool for $10 Canadian from a fellow gold fever-stricken German tourist, which allowed him to pan for probably six hours. 

He found color in every pan, so how could he stop?  We ended up boondocking there overnight next to several old trommels. 

What a wonderful place to wake up and imagine all the crazy events and people this little creek has seen. 

After a long 8-hour drive that next day, we landed at a spacious, peaceful boondocking spot hidden across from the rest area on the Klondike Highway @298 km that talks about conglomerates. 

We spent a rainy night with no neighbors, two or four-legged, though a scant mile or two down the road the following day, we spied an enormous grizzly scampering away into the woods, so—who knows?

Skagway, Alaska

August 26, 2023

Cinnamon Rolls must be the siren song of travel to and from Alaska, and we’ve tried to be polite by sampling the most famous. I know it’s a job, but someone has to do it! 🤣  We stopped at the Braeburn Lodge, where Steve served up an enormous Cinnamon Roll that we almost finished in one sitting while we chatted with him about the Yukon Quest since this lodge is one of the stops on the famous sled dog race.

Full of a sugar rush, we drove the Whitehorse, where we did a some shopping, washed the rig off, and visited the Beringia Museum. It was too early in the season for the museum to be open when we were here in early June, so we were especially pleased to have a chance to tour it. Beringia refers to a vast shelf of land connecting Canada, Russia, and Alaska. Not the Bering Sea land bridge so many think of, this was a barren landscape that did not invite migration but was influential in the region’s shared history.

We drove to a boondocking spot near Conrad, and the weather lifted for us to spot mountain goats on the slopes across Tagish Lake.

The following day we drove Klondike Hghway into Skagway—and were blown away by the stunning scenery and multiple changes in climate zones. We had a lovely day for the drive and took our time exploring.

In Skagway, we stayed at Garden City Skagway RV Park, on the outskirts of town but just a 15-minute walk away.

On Saturday, August 19, we walked to the docks and took the Fast Ferry to Haines.

It was a quick 45-minute boat ride up the arm of the Fjord on calm waters.

In Haines, we first walked a mile to the Mountain Market for a breakfast burrito and coffee before going to the visitor center.

A friendly local (originally from Hawaii) helped us with ideas and suggested a car rental from Captains’ Choice Hotel for the day. We followed his excellent advice and were so glad we did. Our first stop was at Chilkoot State Recreation Area, where we watched a mother grizzly bear fishing for her two cubs on a weir. She was catching humpies (pink salmon) and sometimes sharing them with the cubs.

So, this guy, calmly counting salmon with his back to the bears?

Where does a wet bear cross the road? Wherever it wants to!

There were locals hooking salmon in the river below to watch as well.

The rest of the day, we visited the Chilkat Recreation Area to the south, where we circumnavigated the small islands to enjoy the views, ate an excellent lunch of halibut fish and chips at the Bamboo Room, and toured the Haines Sheldon Museum.

Our ferry ride back to Haines had us back at the campground by 8:30 pm, and – surprise – it was getting dark at night now! Just a little reminder that our endless Alaskan summer is drawing to a close, though we still have plenty of adventures planned!

Skagway is always bustling with people during the day as it is a cruise ship town, and it was fun to walk around and see everyone enjoying their vacations.

One evening, we took in the Days of ’98 Soapy Smith Vaudeville Show in town,  proceeded by “gambling” in the hall with $1500 in chips given to each person.  We enjoyed playing blackjack until the show started.

Another day, we walked into town and hiked to Lower Dewey Lake above the port for some exercise and views of the Fjord.

On Tuesday, August 22, we took the Fjord Express catamaran for a 2.5-hour ride to Juneau.

It was a picture-perfect day with views of the mountains and waterfalls around the Fjord and visits by Dall porpoises, humpback whales, bald eagles, Stellar Sea lions, and sea otters.

In Juneau, a bus picked us up from the dock and dropped us off in town for three hours of sightseeing. Our first stop was lunch at Pel’Meni for beef and potato Russian dumplings.

Since it was such a gorgeous day, we took the tram to Mount Roberts and enjoyed the spectacular views.

We watched the film about First Nations and met a gentleman who was a true artist carving a totem pole, but it would be nice to have a longer time in Juneau to do the longer hikes on and around the mountain.

Fortunately, we timed our tram ride down to have a very short wait and were able to explore the town before taking the ferry home. Captain Ketch and deckhand Hannah served us salmon chowder, sourdough bread, and a chocolate chip cookie, and the way home was just as scenic as before.

Just kidding, this is the lifesize humpback whale sculpture in Juneau, but Larry had fun positioning himself to make it look real!

One evening, we walked into town to take the Whitepass and Yukon train, which covered some of the scenery we saw on our drive into Skagway. Larry stayed on the back platform the entire ride and got the best pictures on a hazy Alaska evening.

We spent an entire day exploring the upper end of Skagway, including the falls and the cemetery at the edge of town with the gravesites of some of the characters mentioned in the Soapy Smith play.

The abandoned townsite of Dyea was the start of the Chilkoot Train for the 1898 Gold Rush Stampede, and there is a walking trail to some of the old building foundations or locations.

The cemetery there had many of the stampeders who died in the Palm Sunday avalanche that deterred others from using the trail. The deadly avalanche and the opening of the railroad spelled the end of Dyea.  The Floridian below died in the avalanche.

The first part of the Chilkoot Pass Trail is steep, narrow, and rocky, and hiking makes you admire the men who carried 50 to 100 pounds on this trail, 40 trips to the Canadian border and back, bringing in the required one-year supply of goods.

The bridge over the Taiya River at mile 3 washed out over a year ago, so much of the US portion of the trail is closed. Cruise ship tours only walk in a short distance, but we went to the (missing) bridge and back—the bears have gotten used to having the trail to themselves, and we saw lots of prints and tons of scat.

Although we had our bear spray, the brush was very close without much visibility, and we were concerned to find a fresh, steamy pile of scat on our way back that wasn’t there on our way out.

Our last day in Skagway was Friday, August 25, and in between chores and getting ready to leave, we wandered back into town to the Skagway museum.

We’ve enjoyed seeing this town and this part of Alaska. It’s hard to believe this is almost our last stop in Alaska, and as we crossed back into Canada early the following day, we thought about how blessed we have been to enjoy all these adventures this summer!

“August is like the Sunday of summer.”   – Unknown

Next up – more bears!