Nearing the End

We enjoyed a week in the Jasper-Banff areas – the most popular national parks in Canada. We had pristine weather, but a controlled burn of the forest in nearby Yoho national park left the vistas a bit hazy. The elk were rutting (competing for mates), and we got to watch a pair of males lock horns and try to push each other around for awhile. They make a strange little squealing sound called bugling. We also enjoyed mountain bike rides, kayaking and hiking while there, but we didn't linger because of the high prices.

In fact, all over Canada, the prices for things were outrageous. The exchange rate was favorable just a few years ago, but we found this trip through Canada to be painfully expensive. For example, it's $12 for a six pack of domestic beer, or $5 for a gallon jug of drinking water. Gas was $5-6 per gallon And their National Parks cost $10 per person per day, which is $140 for a week vs. ~$25/week in the US... Plus they charge an $8 fee just to have a campfire.

On our way south, we drove thru a high pass and got snowed on – for the first time our whole trip. It was exciting, so we stopped and took a hike up to a high cirque. Everything was more beautiful dusted in snow.

Our last stop in Canada was Waterton Lakes National Park – it adjoins Glacier National Park in Montana. It was a slightly eerie place – the hotels and shops were closed for the season and the place was deserted. Add in a very strong and cold breeze – signs swinging freely – and you get an odd sensation. We did a nice hike/bike there and headed out. Unfortunately, we arrived at the US border 10 minutes after they closed (at 6pm). So rather than backtrack to find a more populated area with an open crossing, we just camped there for the night. 15 hours later, we crossed back into the US.

Next was Glacier National Park. When I was about 10 years old, my family toured the US in an RV (actually a converted bus, but that's another story). We traveled all around and I got to see most of the national parks. While I remember little things here and there about it, one strong memory was of a hike to Iceberg Lake in Glacier. That was over 30 years ago, so I decided that would be a good hike for us. It was a great hike, but I didn't really remember any of it – just the name.

From there, we drove to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Ahh, the smell of sulpher. Yellowstone was perfect for us because I'd had enough jagged mountain vistas to last awhile. This was completely different: colorful pools of boiling water, geysers, waterfalls, etc.

All that's left now is a few days of driving to get home. We're very excited to return: Our Jacuzzi and waterbed are wonderful luxuries we have missed. Mmmm, chicken tikka masala, Japengo sushi, and Chipotle. Oh, and Tivo, Netflix, and high speed internet will be great. But most of all, we look forward to catching up with friends and family. We can't wait to hear about your summer and share some of our most memorable experiences in person.

Thanks so much for following along with us on our Alaskan adventure. I wrote this log primarily to help me remember the details of our trip in the future, but it has been really rewarding to be able to share. Your messages of encouragement and shared excitement were wonderful to receive along the way – Thanks.

Here's the latest slide show with additional highlight pictures. See you soon,
-J.R. & Eileen


P.S. Well rested from the Alaska excursion, I calculated a few of the numbers that help characterize the scope of the trip...

• 90 days total
• 85 nights living in the van
• 19 campground nights (66 at large)
• 9,920 miles driven
• 869 gallons of gas used
• 11.4 mpg average
• $3,615 spent on gas
• $4.15 average price of gas
• $14,000 total spending ($156/day)
• 14 Natl parks (Crater Lake, Mt St Helens, Mt Rainer, Olympic, Kluane, Wrangell-St Elias, Kenai Fjords, Denali, Jasper, Bannf, Waterton Lakes, Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons)
• 18 unique memorable animals seen (Grizzly bear, Black bear, Orcas, Bald eagles, Golden eagles, Moose, Wolves, Caribou, Elk, Bison, Dahl sheep, Mountain goat, Foxes, Humpback whales, Beluga whales, Puffins, Sea Otters, and Stellar sea lions,)
  
• 6 microbreweries toured and tasted (Alaskan, Haines, Homer, Silver Gulch, Yukon, Jasper)
• >1000 pictures taken

Driving....

The drive back would not be as leisurely as the drive up – some long days of driving would be necessary for the overland return along the Alaskan highway (in contrast to the four days of effortless ferry travel up the inside passage). Over the next ten days we would drive 2000 miles (3-6 hours per day). We tried to find interesting things along the way, but it wasn't always easy – there are some very long stretches of nothingness. I guess that's part of what makes it unique – not like driving across the US. I had imagined the Alaskan highway to be a vast and beautiful drive, but to be completely honest, it doesn't hold a candle to the terrain in and around Alaska. Most of the road is just rolling hills of stunted pine forest. Fortunately we did see some interesting things along the way.

A trip to Alaska wouldn't be complete without mentioning The Pipeline. Outside Fairbanks there was a viewing area where you could get right up to it and touch it. The oil flows very fast inside (30,000 gallons per minute), partly because it is kept hot (140 degrees ). Of course the pipeline is not hot to the touch because it is well insulated to preserve it's heat. It was an amazing engineering feat to learn about.

Leaving Fairbanks, the highway is actually a highway – two lanes in each direction with exit and entry ramps. As we entered North Pole (a real town just south east of Fairbanks), there was a temporary sign announcing drag racing and directing spectators to use the next exit. Odd that they would have drag racing in this small town, but as we continued past, all traffic was directed off the highway at the next exit thru a long detour of several miles of surface streets because the drag racing was happening ON the highway itself. No other place for it I guess, but I can't imagine that happening back home.

Another observation along the road: There are lots of hunters here – it seems to be the primary recreation activity up here. They usually ride around on ATVs, although more than a few times we encountered slow moving pickup trucks puttering along the road – watching from their vehicle for animals to shoot – doesn't seem very sporting to drive along until you encounter a moose and then kill it.

Heading East from Chicken (yes, that's the name of a town in Alaska), there is a long dirt road called the Top of the World Highway (they like to use the word “highway” for everything up here). It was unlike anything we'd ever seen – the road travels along the tops of the rounded treeless mountains, and gives the sensation of being above all. The surface is all tundra and it was very windy – perhaps since there were no trees to slow the air currents.

From there, we had to cross the Yukon river on a tiny ferry - just us and another car filled up the deck. It was a very strange sensation to be behind the wheel of the van and all around I could see water – the current of the fast river speeding by. I felt like I needed to steer the car as we traveled across. The other end of the Ferry was Dawson City – a living ghost town. By that I mean that the town buildings have been restored to their gold rush days when there were 30,000 people living there. One thousand people live there now, and they inhabit and work in the restored buildings. So walking down the street you see the old bank, but inside is someone's private office, not a bank – very neat to walk around, but kind of confusing – fortunately, the old general store is still a general store inside.

I should mention the highway is usually deserted – vast stretches without seeing another car. Once it gets dark there is virtually no one driving. This makes for easy free camping – just pull off the road at any pullout. I'm sure the nights we spent this way were more remote than any backpacking trip – probably not another person within fifty miles of us.

In the small and remote town of Watson Lake, we visited the famous signpost forest. Apparently one of the road building crew back in the 40's built a signpost pointing back to his hometown of in Illinois with the distance listed. The idea caught on and today there are over 50,000 signs from around the world. You can post your own hometown if you want, and some people come back and mark there own signs each time they repeat the drive – remarkable.

Eventually the terrain changed – quite remarkably. We reached the northern end of the Rocky Mountains. It was beautiful to drive through – great stone peaks devoid of vegetation. We even found a mountain bike ride to do up above tree line. A couple more days of driving and we reached Jasper, a beautiful little town and the Canadian National Park that surrounds it.

Turning Point

On our way away from Denali, we passed the Stampede Trail – this is where Chris McCandless from “In to the Wild” died. We even hiked upstream of the same river that prevented his exit, though the water was low at the time.

We entered Fairbanks with caution (to avoid the big-city overload we experienced in Anchorage). We didn't spend much time there, but the downtown area wasn't bad. This was the decision point about the Dalton Highway – 450 miles of gravel road north across the tundra to the Arctic Ocean. It would be quite an experience, but we are probably too late in the season – stops along the way are rare, and most are closed for the season already.

A little more than an hour outside of Fairbanks is Chena Hot Springs, so we decide to spend the night there. They have an endless supply of 165 degree water, and they fill a natural looking outdoor pool at hot tub temperatures. It was great – we miss our backyard jacuzzi. The other attraction of the area is the Ice Museum. The world champion ice sculptors are preserving many of their creations inside an insulated building at 20 degrees. We put on our warmest clothes and headed inside. The sculptures were amazing. The scale is huge (forklifts required), but they all have incredibly fine details like abdominal muscles visible on the life size figures. We even had a drink at the bar in a martini glass made from ice.

That night we watched for the Aurora Borealis – predicted to be active. After an hour or so sitting outside (freezing even in all our clothes), they appeared as a giant arc across the sky. While they were very large and distinct against the black sky this time, they lacked the colors we had seen back at Haines Junction. We watched for as long as we could bear it, hoping for color change but it never came.

That morning, 60 miles outside Fairbanks, marked our farthest point from home. It was kind of odd to think about heading for home after all this time. Even though our return trip will involve many great stops over the next three or four weeks, it feels kind of sad to turn around. We will miss Alaska and all the amazing things we have been able to see and do.

We have about 4,000 miles of driving ahead of us. At an average speed of 50mph, that would be 80 hours of driving. So imagine your next two full weeks of work are spent driving – that's how far away we are. Of course, we'll be driving less intensely than that – we still have lots to enjoy along the way: Dawson City and Whitehorse in the Yukon, Jasper, Banf, and Yoho in British Columbia, and probably Glacier and Yellowstone once back in the states.

Sorry, not a very photogenic segment - more photos next time hopefully.

Denali

On the road to Denali, there is a small town called Talkeetna, where most of the flightseeing trips originate (as well as all of the climbers' ski-plane trips). We've spent a lot of money in recent weeks, so we were a bit shy about another big outlay for a flight: $440 for the two of us. It is supposed to be one of the best things to do in Alaska, but we are wishy-washy about it – we've seen mountains from the air before, right? But it is a clear day (happens only 20% of the time), so as we pass the town, I call one of the operators to ask if they have any unsold seats they would fill at a discount. If so, we've decided we'd go for it. Would half price work? Yes, and in 15 minutes we are waiting outside the plane to board.

Oh... My... God! It was the most amazing experience ever. The stunning scenery actually brought Eileen to tears during the flight – overwhelmed by the scale and beauty. I myself couldn't really believe what we were seeing – take all the best scenic views I've ever seen in my life (hiking, backpacking, driving, etc), add them all up and multiply by 10 in every direction! There were giant pillows of snow perched on jagged granite spires, any one of which was the size of El Capitan in Yosemite. The scale of things was incomprehensible – we were flying above a 50 mile long glacier cradled between jagged cliffs of rock and ice a mile high. Mount McKinley was so massive and scary sharp, and then we heard from the pilot that we were looking at Mt Hunter, a mere 14,573 foot peak. Around the next bend, the real Mt McKinley loomed so high above us it was impossible to judge – we were already flying at 10,000 feet above sea level, and McKinley reaches up another 10,000 feet above us!

Like an immersive IMAX film, we flew close to the colossal rock walls, rising just high enough to clear the toothy ridges, before descending back in towards the massive white snowfields they land to drop off McKinley climbers. What a remarkable experience – we will never forget it.

Denali National Park consists of a single 90 mile long road – mostly gravel. The only way in to the park is on shuttle buses, and they take >5 hours to get to the end of the road. Double that to get back, and you can imagine what a long day it becomes (by the way, these are school buses - ouch). From the bus, we saw lots and lots of wildlife: grizzly bears, black bears, caribou, golden eagles, Dahl sheep, and even a pack of wolves (with pups) feeding on a recent kill. But it was the landscape that was most impressive: rolling hills of tundra, carpeted red with fall colors. The hills became mountains, with higher elevations devoid of any vegetation at all – just rock. And eventually, they lead up to Mt McKinley and the other snow-covered peaks in the range.

Near the end of the road is Wonder Lake – the closest the road gets to McKinley. This is the area where most photographs of the mountain are taken – including the “Reflections of Denali” print we have in our family room (Images of Nature by Thomas Mangelson). The photograph is a stunning panoramic view of McKinley on a cloudless day (fewer than 20 per year) with a bull moose reflected in a still lake. We went in search of the place where it was taken, and were kind of surprised to find it. I ran around the lake to the other side where the moose had been and Eileen snapped our own version (not a cloudless day, not a perfectly still lake, not a large format camera, and me instead of the moose). See the original here.

There really aren't any trails in Denali – they just expect you to stop the bus and hike off into the tundra wherever it looks interesting to you. We did this twice – both times to loop around a mountain and return to the road down the way for pick-up by a passing bus. It is a bit of an adventure because you don't know ahead of time whether there will be a cliff blocking the way – or whether streams will be small enough to cross – or whether stretches of the tundra will be soggy wet – or whether the brush will get very thick. We encountered all of these, but always found a way around (or struggled thru in some cases). We were rewarded with grand views and extreme solitude.

To see a few more of our best Denali pics, click here for a slideshow. Next stop Fairbanks – closing in on the turn around point...

Finally Orcas!

On our way to Homer, we stopped for a mountain bike ride along the famous Iditarod route near Resurrection pass. It was a long-ish ride of 26 miles with lots of climbing, and we never really got above tree line like we hoped. However, this was where we first discovered the blueberries: Once you know where to look, they are everywhere. Someone showed us, and we feasted on handfuls of them – yum. Since then I've always taken great pleasure on hikes from having free food all along the trail!

We enjoyed Homer for a few days. It has lots of restaurants, a microbrewery, and the famous “spit,” a very narrow strip of land that juts out into the bay several miles (about halfway across). We took a water taxi over to the Kachemak Bay state park area, where we kayaked for a few hours and saw lots of sea otters, jellyfish, and a few porpoises, including a small one that seemed to be resting at the surface for a while. With a few extra hours before pickup by the water taxi, we decided to hike up a little used trail – mistake. The trail was overgrown and had lots of bear scat. We had hoped to get above treeline, but the whole hike was in the forest brush. It was a bit intimidating to be so remote, pushing our way thru the brush, and trying to avoid stepping in bear scat. At about our turn around time, I heard a short low rumble sound. And again. We are hyper-alert at this point listening intently and got startled by my ringing phone – it was vibrating in my pack a few times before the audible ring. I guess we were high enough on the mountain to get a signal from Homer. Fortunately we didn't see any bears on the hike back down.

Next we visited another beautiful coastal town, Seward. From here we took a 6 hour boat tour – the only way to get to most of the Kenai National Park. It was really great – we saw so many things, but perhaps most importantly, this was the first time Eileen or I have ever seen Orcas! There were over a dozen of them and they swam around and even under the boat. I really had no idea just how tall their dorsal fin is (up to 6 feet tall they said), but unlike dolphins and whale, the Orca's dorsal fin stick WAY up out of the water. For several long seconds after they've surfaced, it slowly descends out of view. We also saw sea otters, a humpback whale and her calf, Stellar sea lions (1500 lbs giants), puffins, and lots of other birds I don't remember. The destination of the tour was the Aialik Glacier, which is a very active tidewater glacier. The boat drifted quietly out in front of the face as it cracked and boomed at us – occasionally shedding a giant tower of ice into the water below. Very cool!

Before leaving Seward, we drove to see the Exit glacier – it's only a few miles from town. 4 miles and 3000 vertical feet of hiking later, we were at the top where it spills out from the ice field. This was a very unusual view – a glacier from the top looking down at it's path, and seeing the featureless expanse of flat snow that tops the ice field. It was like being in a flight-seeing airplane ($400 saved!). The 2.5 hour hike down was tough on the knees – very steep – if only I had my paraglider, I'd be down in 15 glorious minutes.

We timed things just right to see the famous tidal bore on the way back north toward Anchorage. The Turnagain arm of the Cook inlet has the one of the greatest tides of North America: 33 feet! Well, two or three times a month when the tides are most extreme, the water rushing out meets the force of the incoming tide and the water stands up in a wave (up to 6 ft tall). So we sat on the rocks 15 feet above the water level and watched the water rush out until we saw something strange in the distance thru binoculars. Suddenly it was upon us, a wave (probably 2-3 feet) rolled by carrying a massive river of boiling churning water behind it. At that point, we noticed three surfers paddling out from the shore just up the inlet from us. Wow! They paddled into the wave and rode it almost out of sight – maybe for a full minute (>10x longer than most surfing waves). To top it all off, the beluga whales followed it in a short while later, so we watched more than a dozen of them swimming around for a bit.

We'd heard that the Alaska State Fair has the largest vegetables in the world – like 500 lb pumpkins and 100 lb cabbages. This is because they have so much daylight during the summer (and they say the soil is great). We stopped in on our way north to Denali to see for ourselves. It had been a rainy summer so things weren't as impressive as all that, but we did see really giant pumpkins and cabbages (why those two I don't know – why not giant radishes, or watermelon, or something). We gorged ourselves on fair junk food until we felt a little sick.

Next stop Denali!