Sunday, July 12, 2015

COLUMBIA ICE FIELD

COLUMBIA ICE FIELD

We were up before the chickens today.  I suppose there was an
atmosphere of excitement as we anticipated this adventure.  We stopped on the highway to pay our Park entrance fee. The all day cost for our car was $19 (Canadian dollars).
   Turning off of the main highway, we soon found ourselves in more mountains than I had ever seen.  All along this two lane road the mountains stood one after another, on both sides, for miles. Every mountain was steep sided and picturesque with many water features and cascades from the melting snowfields and clinging glaciers.
   Our first view of the Athabasca Glacier from the Columbia Ice Field interpretive Center was incredible!  This glacier is one of the six "prominent toes" on the footprint called the COLUMBIA
ICE FIELD. This ice field is the headwaters of the huge Columbia River that borders Washington and Oregon. Although this glacier recedes more than 15' each year, it still covers more than 2 square miles and is nearly 1000' thick at its thickest place.
   We opted to buy two tickets ($70 a pair with a AAA discount), for a ride on a monster ice crawler to go out on the glacier for a 30 minute stroll on the ice.  It was as awesome as it sounds!  To walk farther up on the

glacier was not recommended unless one had experience and technical equipment.  Hikers without brains have been known to break through snow bridges and end up stuck in the bottom of a crevasse.  As I wasn't interested in becoming a human Popsicle for a future generation of glacier walkers to discover, I remained on the safer part of the ice field.  Debby and I did have a drink of the melting glacier.  It was delicious. I suspected that this portion of the big Columbia River did not require filtering.

 

Riding the giant Brewster was fun!  This monster truck weighs 25 tons.  It can crawl up a 60 degree hill with its six-wheel drive Diesel engine.  It's 3 feet wide by 5 feet high soft rubber balloon tires does very little damage to the moraine rock or the glacier.

The ride can be a little bumpy at times but we were too busy enjoying the view to think about that.  This ice crawler carries 12 passengers and can bought for only 2 million dollars.

Friday, July 10, 2015

RELAXING

CANMORE, ALBERTA, CANADA
June 23, 2015

   We spent the day I exploring and researching options.  We will be here two more nights and want to make the best of our time. This is the city for the  beautiful Worldmark Resort...a perfect place to stay a few days and take a hike!
   We drove downtown and visited an information station.   We took the advice of the information agent and took a hike to a waterfall near the Three Sisters.
   After returning to the condo, Debby and Nancy decided to drive downtown and do some shopping.  Ron and I relaxed in the condo for a little while before deciding to take another hike.  We hiked on a trail near our resort and found a patch of wildflowers that I had never seen before.
 '
A fast moving creek offered scenic views and colors. 
   Tomorrow we decided to take a drive deeper into Banff to the Columbia Ice Fields, about 60 miles away. 






CANADA

CANADA

  After returning to Portland, we spent a couple of days preparing for our Canada road trip.  Following church in Sunday, we head East on I-84.  We turned off at Biggs Junction and graded North towards Osoyoos, BC for our first night.  It was a gorgeous two-bedroom suite on the lake at the beginning of the Okanagan Valley.  We headed for a restaurant.  Ron and I had steaks.  Wished we hadn't.
   Leaving our beach suite in Osoyoos, British Columbia, Canada, we headed north along the beautiful Okanagan Valley and the long, Okanagan Lake.  This plush valley is filled with orchards of fruit trees.  We could see Cherries growing in orchards all along the highway.  We pulled in to one of the several fruit stands on the highway and purchased a few snacks, including the amazingly large, dark Bing Cherries.  They tasted incredibly sweet!  Very delicious!
   Refueling the Sienna was easier than paying the $1.23 per Litre gas price.  I hear it's even more costly in Banff!  Road construction plagued us for more miles than we wanted.  Construction traffic delays were common.  Only after we left British Columbia and entered Alberta Province did the construction end.  The highway was much better, as well!
  It was cool to see several animal crossing overpasses along this highway, also the under-highway passageways for smaller animals like  bears, deer and smaller.  I had heard about these bridges and underpasses for animals but had not actually seen them like this.
Canada certainly leads the world in this protection for migrating animals. Highway crossing is very dangerous for both man and animals.  I have been teaching about these bridges in Outdoor School.
   It was amazing to begin entering the high mountains along the Canadian Rockies and the Great Divide.  The sky was almost as blue as the Okanagan Lake!  Patches of snow clung to the steep peaks with higher peaks still covered.     
   We drove through the lower tip of the Banff National Park to get to our condo at Worldmark Resort in Canmore, Alberta, where we will spend the next three nights.





          




LOOKING BACK

June 11, 2015
Anchorage, Alaska

   Once again the Thomas' begin another adventure today. The Pinkerton's arrived last night from Arkansas. They have been fellow traveling companions on many of our adventures. We boarded an Alaska Airlines Aztec flight to Seattle on the first leg of our Alaskan Adventure. 
ALASKA - DAY 1:
   Our room at the Marriott gave us a great view of the parking lot. The mountains outside of Anchorage were on the other side, though they were partially obscured by a bad case of haze. After the free breakfast at Marriott we hailed a Taxi and headed to the Hertz car rental office downtown Anchorage. We had already reserved our Camry for the week at a much cheaper price than if we had rented from Hertz at the airport office. In fact, in a later conversation Debby had with an airport agent, he said, "You got a very good price!" (Just in case you rent a car in Anchorage).   
   The downtown office was supposed to open at 0800; we arrived about 0900. The agent was not there. After several phone calls and an hour of waiting around, the man finally showed up and made some lame excuse for not being there at 0800.
   A half hour later we had our car loaded and we were on the road. Our first stop was to Walmart where we bought a case of water and other necessary supplies.  
   So we headed back to the car. At this point we were about two and one half hours behind schedule. Once behind the wheel, Ron decided he should have made a stop at the bathroom and got out of the car. I decided to go with him. As we walked across the parking lot, I heard Debby and Nancy laughing hysterically. I turn around to comment, "Never pass up a bathroom!" They were still laughing as they also followed us to the bathrooms.
   So about 3 hours later than we intended, we set the GPS and headed towards Denali. A half hour down the road we doubted if the GPS was right and so we turned around and headed back towards Anchorage. A half hour later we realized the GPS was smarter than the 4 of us put together, so we turned back around...another half hour wasted. *Sigh.
   We decided to stop in Wasilla, home of Sarah Palin, to have lunch. Somehow, along the way we missed the turn. *Sigh.
   Towards the end of town, we spied a burger joint and pulled in hoping we picked a good place. I don't believe any of us were impressed but we made it work.
   Continuing on Highway 3, we watched the woods and meadows, even the ponds of water, expecting to see a lot of wildlife. We saw two birds...a Raven and a Sea Gull, I think. *sigh.
   We passed the town of Willow and the Talkeetna turnoff. There was a lot of road construction going on, causing us several delays all the way to Denali. Apparently, Alaska land moves and shifts enough to cause the highways to buckle.
   We finally arrived at the Princess Lodge, where we would spend our second night. *Whew!

WILDFIRE



WILDFIRE

   Exiting Denali National Park and the Denali Visitors Center, we headed back to Anchorage, about 5 hours away.  We had already packed our luggage into the rental Toyota Camry and checked out of our lodge, so we pulled onto Highway 3 South.
   After a while, we decided we needed to stop for a cold soft drink and ice cream.  We pulled into a small, insignificant market with a road sign that advertised "Liquor Shakes", though that was NOT what we were looking for.  Apparently this longtime family owned business used to sell both items and "grandpa" thought it funny to run all the words together and make people talk.  So the sign stuck and is still making folks talk today.
   The lady asked us where we were going.  "Anchorage" was our reply.  She began to tell  us the highway was closed before Willow because of a forest fire that had jumped the road and was burning along both sides. We thanked her for the information and headed towards the fire.
   Talkeetna was the town a few miles nearest our side of the fire.  We soon found ourselves in a long line of parked cars on Highway 3. We could see the smoke ahead of us.  People were watching its progression, hoping the highway would soon open.   In a few hours we were told by a volunteer who drove along handing out cold water that the road was impassable; that the winds had picked ip and the fire was still out of control, and that it was unlikely the road would be open before morning.  She suggested we go back to the Red Cross Shelter that had been set up in Talkeetna for those displaced from their homes or for those of us traveling to points beyond.  
   We called around but all the motels, hotels or Bed and Breakfasts were full...no place to stay. The couple running the shelter were retired military veterans and were working very hard to accommodate people.  I slept a few hours in the car while the others opted for a spot on the floor in the shelter. 
   It was a long night.  About 1:30 Debby overheard a conversation that the road was opening and cars were getting through. So we headed out and soon found ourselves waiting in line once again. A few cars at a time were being escorted through and then a group from the other side heading North would be escorted. So we patently waited in the early morning "midnight sun". 
    Sitting and waiting, I caught an unusual movement out of the corner of my eye. There, in the light of morning was a Bull Moose running up and down the fence row, looking for a way out, I suppose. He was a beautiful animal. His Antlers appeared dark, like in velvet and beautifully curved as he looked towards us. Apparently the long line of cars behind us made him change his mind about wanting to cross the highway. He turned and disappeared into the trees.
   This escorting routine took two hours before it was our turn to roll. We entered the edge of the burn in 3 or 4 miles. Heavy smoke still rose up from charred logs and stumps. Thick, acrid smoke lingered across the highway. Visibility was so low we could barely see two vehicles ahead of us. Some houses had been spared, yet there were reports of others going up in flames. Volunteers had been able to evacuate people and sled dogs from the fire's path. 
   We followed the lead vehicle for 16 miles. All the time, seeing the results of the destruction of this wildfire. We felt sorry for the lady we had seen at the shelter who lost everything she had. Reports circulated that the blaze may have been started by some kids shooting off fireworks. 
  I must put in a good word for The Marriott Suites of Anchorage where we stayed. We had spent our first night in Alaska at this Marriott. They kindly allowed us to store our excess luggage for the next two days, while we stayed near Denali National Park entrance, without charge. We had reservations there the night of the fire, but because we were unable to travel, they were kind enough to not charge us for that night.  Additionally, they let us check into our room at 0730 the morning we came through. We remained there three more nights.
   We applaud The Marriott Suites of Anchorage for their extreme kindness and for going out of their way to accommodate strangers.
   Nancy became very sick with a bad cold; weak, slight fever, nauseous, sniffles and coughing . Ron took her to the Doctors at Providence. The doctor told her she had "Nausea" and sent her home.  (Don't you just love modern medicine?)

End

KENAI FJORD

KENAI FJORD TOUR

   On Wednesday, our final day in Alaska, we took a boat tour of the Kenai Peninsula.  We were up early, before coffee, and headed out to Seward, Alaska to catch a small ship, carrying 150 tourists, along the Kenai islands in the edge of the sea.  This all day trip would take us as far as a glacier field, where we would see glaciers moving and breaking off and falling into the sea.
   Kenai Fjord Tours offered a great experience for viewing ocean wildlife and moving glaciers.  Our Captain had 22 years of experience and proved to be a good tour guide for our group.
   After driving the two hours to Seward, we were there at 0730 as they requested.  We parked in a shuttled parking lot and got our boarding tickets for the ship.  We began boarding at 0815.  
   Throughout the day we had many stops for wildlife viewing.  There were more birds than I could imagine...some I had never known. 
   As we left the dock, our first encounter was with a lazy Sea Otter.  He was content with floating around on his back, enjoying a snack of fresh shellfish as we invaded his privacy with oooh's 'n ahhh's 'n photographs.  The Otter didn't seem to mind. 
   As we left the bay, we were met by another Otter or two.  Then came the Dall Porpoises jumping through the water.  They appeared to be playing, but we're probably feeding.  These were small in size, more like the size of a large Salmon than a Porpoise.  There were many of these in the Kenai around Resurrection Bay. 
   Our Captain chased down a pod of Orcas farther out into the sea. They were traveling pretty fast as we watched them jump through the water. We found other Orcas feeding in the ocean. They were beautiful, magnificent, deadly and awesome, all at the same time.
   We sailed into a bay to watch a glacier. Most of the worlds' glaciers are receding at a much faster rate than we would like. The glacier we see today is no exception. According to our Captain, this glacier, less than 100 years ago, was 10 miles farther out and 300' high. We spent a half hour close to the glacier. It often cracked with a loud crack; sometimes followed by ancient ice tumbling into the sea. One of the boat staffers retrieved a piece of the glacial ice with a dip net. It was amazingly clear ice.
   Leaving this Fjord we resumed our quest for sea life. The Captain stopped the ship along one particularly steep-sided rock island to watch a couple of Humpback Whales as they fished. The Whales would submerge and blow a ring of bubbles that caused a school of small fish to bunch closer together. Then quickly, the Whales swam upward through the school, eating a few dozen at a time! We watched them do this several times. Pretty cool to watch.
   We cruised up close to Seals sunning themselves on the warm rocks in several places along the islands. We spied a lone Bald Eagle perched high on a rock, checking out the picture-taking tourists.
The Fjord tour was great! Very impressive! Seward would be a great area in which to spend more time sightseeing, hiking and fishing.
   Back to the Hotel. We have an 0610 flight to catch!

End

TO DENALI

Alaska - To Denali

Leaving Anchorage in our rental, we headed North on Highway 3, the lone highway that cuts across Alaska to Prudhoe Bay and Redhorse. Highway 1 cut off to the right but we continued on Highway 3 to the cut-off to the Princess Lodge. There was a lot of waiting on the highway for road construction, as only one lane was open for travel in several places. 
   We continued to search the side roads, meadows, ponds and lakes for Moose, Bear or any 4 footed animal we could find. The longer we looked the more we became disappointed that we didn't find any. 
The Princess Lodge is a beautiful resort situated on a hillside with incredible views of Denali. It was cloudy when we arrived. Checking in was very easy. There was no waiting and the lodge was very beautiful.              
   Our room was in Cabin 1 right across the street. The main lodge blocked our view of the snow covered mountains, but the lodge had a great viewing area with tables and chairs and lounge chairs on a huge wooden deck facing Mt McKinley. Today was cloudy and the mountain was covered. Ron and I had decided to take a ski plane ride to the mountain for a glacier landing. We quickly signed up for a 11:00 AM flight for tomorrow morning.
   Debby's uncle, Phil, and Leigh Winn, traveling from Missouri, soon arrived on a tour bus and joined us. It was great to see them and spend some time together. They were staying in Building 25 which was not close to us. We helped get them settled and headed for the main lodge where we relaxed in the lounge chairs. The mountain was cloud covered but lower snow covered mountains were visible. 
    We enjoyed a great meal at one of the casual restaurants, named 20320 Restaurant (named after the elevation of Mt McKinley.  My Blueberry Salmon was delicious.
   We retired for the evening, long before dark. With Alaska getting nearly 20 hours of daylight every day as they approach 22 on the longest day of the year, the nights never truly get dark in June. In contrast, December barely sees 4 hours of daylight. 
   The next morning I found Debby in a chair, with a Starbucks coffee in hand, watching the crystal clear view of Mt McKinley in the early morning sun. It was indeed a gorgeous sight! We took a few dozen photos as we stood on the deck. I tried to get coffee a few times but the line from tour bus tourists delayed my coffee time about an hour. So I took more photos. 
   We left the Princess Lodge about 0830 for the one hour drive to Talkeetna (I love that name) where we will catch our plane to the mountain. Arriving in ample time, we entered a small, run down eatery called the Talkeetna Roadhouse. It was very busy, probably because the food was so good! We were lucky to order takeout and sit at the outside picnic table. My Mushroom and Swiss Quiche was delicious!
It was very interesting to people watch this town.  
   Did I mention I love the name "Talkeetna"? It means, "where rivers come together".

End