DAY 39: TURNAGAIN ARM

ALONG THE TURNAGAIN ARM

MOOSE AND CALF ALONG THE ROAD TO EAGLE RIVER

Today was another beautiful day and we drove the Jeep south on the Seward Highway along the Turnagain Arm.  The highway follows the coastline south of Anchorage and the views of the ocean and mountains are spectacular.  We were looking for beluga whales, however our timing was bad as the tide was out; we're going to try again when the tide is in.  We did see lots of waterfowl and later when we drove to Eagle River we saw a moose and her calf.

VIEW FROM BELUGA POINT

NOTE THE MUD FLATS WHEN THE TIDE IS OUT - THESE ARE VERY DANGEROUS & SOME
AREAS ARE LIKE QUICKSAND AND YOU MIGHT NOT BE RESCUED BEFORE HIGH TIDE 

WIND SURFER IN THE OCEAN ALONG THE  SEWARD HIGHWAY

DAY 38: ANCHORAGE

Today (June 29) was a beautiful day and we explored downtown Anchorage which is Alaska's largest city.  This northern municipality stretches from the Native village of Eklutna on the north, to Portage in the south, and covers almost 2,000 square miles.  However, most of the city's 280,000 residents live on a jutting peninsula which is hemmed in by mountains, ocean, military bases, and Chugach State Park where we're camped in the Eagle River Campground.  The overall population density of Anchorage is only 161 persons per square mile; far more crowded than the Alaska overall average of only one person per square mile.  Anchorage is a relatively new place, in fact during the Gold rush of the 1890's there was no town, just a point where ships bringing gold miners to Alaska anchored.  The town didn't become important until World War II when the harbor gained importance in the war effort.  Anchorage which is located at sea level is now the state's supply center and staging ground for travel throughout Alaska.  Anchorage has an average annual precipitation of only 15.9 inches and Winter snowfall averages about 69 inches.  The temperatures in Anchorage are much more moderate than in Fairbanks 362 miles to the north.  January is the coldest month with an average temperature of 14F; July is the warmest month with an average temperature of 58F.  The record low of -38F was set in February 1947 and the warmest of 86F was set in June 1953.  On Good Friday 1964 the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America (8.6 on the Richter Scale) caused more than 300 million in damages throughout south-central Alaska.  Anchorage is home to an estimated 1,000 moose and nearly 250 black bear within it's city limits.

FLOWERS ARE EVERYWHERE IN DOWNTOWN ANCHORAGE WHICH IS A VERY CLEAN CITY
ALASKANS' ARE VERY  PROUD OF THEIR STATE AND TAKE CARE OF THE ENVIRONMENT

DAY 37: ALASKA NATIVE HERITAGE CENTER

WE'RE STAYING FOUR NIGHTS WHILE EXPLORING THE ANCHORAGE AREA

WE SPENT THE AFTERNOON AND IT WAS BOTH ENTERTAINING AND EDUCATIONAL

NATIVE DANCERS

THIS YUPIK NATIVE'S VILLAGE DEPENDS WHALES FOR FOOD AND HE SAID THEY ONLY  HUNT
POLAR BEARS WHEN WHALES ARE SCARCE.  WHEN HE WAS FOUR YEARS OLD HE WAS PUT
OUTSIDE AND USED AS A POLAR BEAR  LURE.   ARMED WITH ONLY A LANCE  HE WAS ABLE
 KILL A POLAR BEAR WHEN IT TRIED TO EAT HIM  

SKELETON OF A YOUNG GRAY WHALE WAS 45 FEET LONG, WHILE ADULTS AVERAGE 70 FEET

WHALE BONES LIKE THESE ARE USED AS LANDMARKS TO GUIDE NATIVE
HUNTERS AND FISHERMEN HOME ALONG ALASKA'S FLAT COASTLINE

THIS ALUQIIQ WOMAN MADE THE NECKLACE AND EARRINGS I PURCHASED FOR NANCY
HER SON'S FACE IS PAINTED BECAUSE HE ALSO  PERFORMED AS A NATIVE DANCER

NEAR THE EAGLE RIVER CHUGACH STATE PARK

RIVER THAT RUNS THROUGH THE PARK

DAY 36: PALMER

THIS EAGLE WAS HUNTING IN OUR CAMPGROUND THIS AFTERNOON

NOTE THE BULLET HOLES WHICH ARE TYPICAL IN ALASKA'S SIGNS

SOME SURPRISING TRIVIA I'VE LEARNED ABOUT ALASKA

• There is no state sales tax
• There is no state income tax
• Residents receive annual payments from oil revenue called a "Permanent Fund Dividend" or "PFD" which for 2010 was $1,281
• Gasoline and diesel tax is $0.08/gal
• Cigarette Tax is $2/pack plus another $1.32/pack in Anchorage
• Highest ever recorded temperature was 100F at Fort Yukon in 1915
• Lowest ever recorded temperature was -79.8F at Prospect Creek in 1971
• During the summer equinox the sun never sets at the Arctic Circle
• One the longest day the sun never rises at the Arctic Circle
• The highest peak in North America is Mt. McKinley @ 20,320

FAIRBANKS FACTS

• Longest day of the year: 21 hours, 49 minutes
• Shortest day of the year: 3 hours, 43 minutes
• Hottest temperature ever recorded:  99F on July 28, 1919
• Coldest temperature ever recorded:  66 below zero on January 14, 1934
• Average date of the first snowfall: September 21
• Average annual precipitation: 10.34 inches
• Windiest month: May w/average speed of 6.7 mph
• Snowiest month: November w/13.8 inches
• Wettest month: August w/1.74 inches
• Driest month:  April w/only 0.21 inches

DAY 35: WASILLA & PALMER AREA

WASILLA ALASKA MIGHT SOUND FAMILIAR AS IT IS THE HOMETOWN OF SARA PALIN

This morning we all attended services at the Wasilla First Presbyterian Church which is only a short drive from the Fox Run RV Park in Palmer.   There we experienced yet another example of just how small our world is.  When Pastor Rev. Henry H. Woodall introduced himself he asked the classic question "Where are you from?"  When we told him Virginia, he said he attended seminary in Richmond and pastored a church in Stuarts draft for 14 years.  Well, Stuarts Draft is located only about 1/2 hour from our home in Churchville; we're over 5,000 miles from home and met someone who used to be practicably a neighbor.  The folks at first Presbyterian we very warm and friendly and we were very impressed by their enthusiastic young people.  After lunch we explored the Wasilla/Palmer area where it seems everywhere you look is another specticlar view.  It was a beautiful day with sunshine and no rain or wind and it was easy to see that Alaskans are outdoor people because everyone was out enjoying the day. 

WASILLA FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

ALASKA HAS OVER 200 VARIETIES OF WILD FLOWERS

MOUNTAIN VIEWS ARE EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK

DAY 34: THE MUSK OX FARM

Today Nancy and I toured "The Musk Ox Farm" in Palmer which is home to a unique domestication project that began in 1954 with the vision to provide an economic supplement to remote Alaska communities.  The Musk Oxen are large hairy, hoofed animals that are survivors of the Ice Age.  They were hunted out of Alaska by 1865 and were reintroduced in the 1930's from herds in Greenland.  Today there are over 2,000 wild Musk Oxen in Alaska.  Musk Oxen were domesticated by selective breeding, starting in 1964 with young animals captured on Nunivak Island.  We saw the offspring of these animals during our visit today.  An adult Musk Oxen stands about four feet tall at the shoulder and weighs from 400 to 700 lbs. however, we did see one bull today that weighed approximately 1,000 lbs.  The Eskimo word for Musk Ox "Oomingmak"  means "the bearded one".  Qiviut is the Musk Oxen's protection against the harsh Arctic winters.  It grows all over their body close to the skin and is covered by a log outer coat of course hair.  On the farm, a herder takes the animal into a stall and combs off the loose qiviut; an adult Musk ox sheds an average of 5 lbs of qiviut per year.  After it is spun into yarn the yarn is sent to Eskimo villages in southwestern and western Alaska where native women hand-knit it into scarves and caps.  Their products are sold through the  "Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers' Co-Operative" and all share in the profits.  Nancy purchased a  qiviut scarf;  it's one of the rarest fibers in the world, eight times warmer than sheep's wool and finer than cashmere.

GRAZING MUSK OXEN

MUSK OX STANDS OF HIND LEGS TO REACH TREE LEAVES

THIS BULL MUSK OX WEIGHS APPROXIMATELY 1,000 POUNDS, HOWEVER WILD
 MUSK OXEN GROW MUCH LARGER THAN THEIR DOMESTICATED COUSINS 

THIS MUSK OX CALF WILL NURSE ONLY 6 MONTHS BEFORE BEING WEANED

DAY 33; TALKEETNA

This morning we left Denali National Park and drove to Talkeetna the town which was featured in the movie "Snow Dogs" staring Cuba Downing Jr. and is our grandson Ayden's favorite movie.  Talkeetna is a very interesting little town which during the tourist season has a totally different flavor than in the winter when only the locals are there.  This time of year little shops and eateries abound, however in the winter the old country store and the airstrip are the mainstays and sled dogs become a transportation option.  We enjoyed a nice lunch and explored the town before proceeding for Palmer where we plan to spend three days.  After arriving in Palmer,  Nancy did laundry and I washed the Motorhome which was in dire need of a good clean-up after Denali.

AS WE DROVE SOUTH FROM DENALI WE HAD VIEWS OF MOUNTAINS IN
ALL FOUR DIRECTIONS, THIS IS THE VIEW THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD

THIS COUNTRY STORE MAKES THE CLAIM THAT THEY ARE OLDER THAN "ALMOST ANYBODY"
NOTE THE FOUR-WHEELER IN FRONT OF THE LIQUOR STORE, THEY ARE USED EVERYWHERE &
MOST ROADS HAVE FOUR-WHEELER PATHS WHICH RUN ALONG THIS SIDES

VIEW OF A WALL INSIDE THE NAGLEY'S STORE

FOUR-WHEELER ON PATH BESIDE THE HIGHWAY

DOG SLEDS ARE USED REGULARLY DURING THE WINTER

SMALL AIR CHARTER SERVICES ARE VITAL TO SMALL COMMUNITIES

SMALL PLANES AT TALKEETNA

NOTE THE SKIS NEXT TO THE TIRES

MY GRANDSONS WOULD LOVE A RIDE IN THIS TRUCK

DAYS 29 -32: DENALI NATIONAL PARK

Monday June 20:  This morning the temperature was 56 degrees and we had a light rain.  We drove the short distance to the Denali National Park and stopped at the Visitors Center where we left our jeeps because towed vehicles aren’t permitted at campgrounds within the Park.  It took us about 1 ½ muddy hours to travel the 30 miles to the Teklanika Campground.  After a quick lunch we boarded one of the park buses for the 2 hour trip to Toklat.  We were lucky because by that time the rain had stopped and the animals were moving about.  We saw dall sheep, caribou, grizzly bears and fox as well as spectacular views of glaciers, mountains, streams and kettle ponds which are ponds carved out by ancient glaciers and filled by melting glaciers.  We met friendly people from all over, and even people from Virginia and North Carolina.  After returning to the campground for dinner we attended a “Ranger Talk” on bear behavior, and human and bear encounters.

Tuesday June 21:  Today is the longest day of the year and the sun will never set at the Arctic Circle; however, as we’re now south of there, the sun will set for a very short time but it’ll never get dark.  Our day started early as we had to get up in time to prepare and catch a park bus departing for Wonder Lake at 6:25 a.m. and with a temperature of only 43 degrees.  Wonder Lake is 82 miles into the park and is a very large glacier carved lake which in places is 280 feet deep.  We hoped the clouds wood clear so we could view Mount McKinley reflected in Wonder Lake, but that didn’t happen.  We did however catch a glimpse of the 20,000+ foot peaks through a hole in the clouds and it was really something worth the trip.  The mosquitoes at Wonder Lake were so bad that the bus driver wouldn’t get off the bus.  But, we had prepared with long sleeves and mosquito repellant and were determined to eat our lunch at the lake; however, I’m sure we looked funny eating while wearing mosquito head nets.  In addition to all the other protective measures I also wore gloves and I didn’t get bitten; Nancy who typically isn’t bothered by mosquitoes received 3 bites on her hands.  Today we saw grizzly bears including two momma bears with cubs, a large male grizzly digging a ground squirrel from his borrow for lunch, lots of caribou, some which had very large antlers still in velvet, dall sheep and two foxes.

Wednesday June 22:  It rained lightly most of the night before stopping by morning; however, it remained cloudy all day.  We slept a little later this morning and Nancy treated me with a great breakfast of bacon and eggs.  We took our last Denali bus tour and Ben and Bonnie took the bus to Wonder Lake.  Today we saw sheep, caribou, arctic squirrels and moose.  Once again because of the clouds we couldn’t get a clear view of Mount McKinley; however, we still had great views and lots of photo ops.  While here in Alaska and especially while here at Denali National Park we’ve noticed a lot of non-USA tourists and I speculate that many are taking advantage of the weak US dollar and their favorable currency exchange rate to enjoy Alaska as a bargain.  We met a family of 5 from Tunisia who said their flight to LA was 18 hours from where they flew an additional 6 hours to Anchorage.  

 

Thursday June 23:  We left the Teklanika Campground about 10 a.m. and returned to the Denali Park Welcome Center where we’ll spend the night.  No visit to Denali would be complete without a visit to the Sled Dog Kennels to see the dogs.  Sled dogs have always been an integral part of the park and are still used for Winter Patrols today and all the dogs we saw were “working” sled dogs.  Later we went to the Denali Village for shopping and dinner.  While there we learned that Denali Park and the Village open on May 15 and close on September 15.  One shop keeper told us “no one stays here in the winter because with the wind the chill factor is 85 below zero.”