We Almost See the North Pole!

July 9  Thursday. 

The stench is gone, thanks to eating the broccoli out of the cooler. And drying out the carpet, I am sure.  The power of broccoli is not to be under estimated!  We have reached our furthest point on the Dalton, 163 miles from Prudhoe Bay. It doesn't feel complete without seeing the Arctic Ocean. That being said, you can't go to the Arctic Ocean without clearance and a guided tour. I guess you might be able to see Russia from there (our never-ending joke).  

The drive has been beautiful, the road better than we expected. The transatlantic pipeline has been our constant friend, snaking it's way from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez 800 miles in total. It is sometimes above ground, sometimes below ground depending on permafrost. It can be straight or serpentine, allowing for expansion and contraction. Fireweed often flanks the pipeline as there is a road along it. It makes it more palatable and sometimes downright pretty. 

The weather cleared of clouds and smoke. The country is vast, the Brooks Range full of 7,000ft peaks covered in tundra. Tree line here is 2,500ft compared to Colorado's 12,000ft. Average rainfall in the arctic a mere five inches. We walked up a hillock of tundra just past Atigun Pass (4800 ft, highest in Alaska) marveling how deep we sank in the spongy ground. The tundra is comprised of many different plants, including low scrubby bushes, tiny wild flowers, mosses (including caribou moss which we saw in southeast Alaska and BC) lichen and mushrooms. Unfortunately there has been a dearth of wildlife.  Despite stopping several times with binoculars we have yet to see dall sheep much less caribou, wolf or grizzlies. We had the impression there was wildlife everywhere.  The problem could be twofold. It has been warmer than usual, so the animals may be staying higher. The second is we have yet to make an alpine start. 

July 10, Friday

Our drive out has been uneventful, camping at a primitive site next to Fish Creek. Rich caught four small grayling on a fly rod, Reese and I caught bushes and rocks. The mosquitoes are as bad as everyone says. We employ an arsenal and still get bit.

Our Alaskan Tribe

July 4th Saturday

We cannot be accused of not being spontaneous!  We drove 85 miles one way out of our way to cast for pinks, or humpies. Valdez was brief, because at 11pm after getting skunked we turned around and headed back the way we came. We were standing out at the Valdez Arm, sunglasses on until 10:30pm watching people pull in fish while we broke reels and rods. Reese never lost his drive, however, and we had to tear him away. We were fishing shoulder to shoulder, combat fishing as it is called, watching sea lions and gulls, bald eagles soaring overhead. 

We turned around and headed back the way we came to go to Anchorage.  As the sun was setting about 12:30am we noticed we don't have headlights. We hadn't been driving with the light so low yet!  We pulled over to wayside and poured the kids into their sleeping bags above us and slept for a few hours as many others do as they travel the state.

We changed plans to drive straight up north to catch fiireworks with friends in Anchorage. The kids still remember being in Yellowstone last year without a show. It will give us time to regroup, shower and launder and do a few 'fixits'. Today is the first day I feel a bit like Mad Max. 

July 7, Tuesday

The van has been dusted off and vacuumed, clothes cleaned, a few fixits accomplished but not the headlights. At least it doesn't get dark here. We are back on the road headed for the Gates of the Arctic after a wonderful visit with Rich's Alaska family. 

The Von Wichman tribe expands and contracts depending on the time of year, the visitors present and whether the boats are in or out. It seems whomever stumbles into the Von Wichman world becomes some degree of family. Rich found them in 1981 and has been a member of their tribe since. I definitely felt welcomed and included from the moment Kjersty told me not to worry about the floor 'the dogs will take care of it'. The kids quickly gelled into a mob spending most of their time on the trampoline. There were no fireworks for the 4th due to fire restrictions but the kids were so happy about having other kids around they forgot and never mentioned it. We were happy for the breathing room from each other as well, after four weeks on the road.  After only three days I felt I too was a member of the Von Wichman tribe. My heart is full after spending time together and I look forward to spending more time together later this month. 

We spent time hiking in Arctic Valley outside of Anchorage where the kids found hundreds of spent machine gun shells they had to carry down the mountain. We watched the World Cup (yahoo!) and stayed out of the van. Part of the extended family included Stevie who helped Rich tighten things up in preparation for our Arctic adventure. The Dalton Highway involves hundreds of miles of dirt road. We still don't know why the headlights don't work, but we'll be back to figure it out. Every evening was a community meal involving at least nine people, home cooked meals and plenty of wine and beer. The last night Brad changed out with his sister Alex. The two of them own two boats that they charter for tourism and science, among other purposes. We were lucky to see both of them during our brief stay as summer is busy on Prince William Sound. 

Now we're headed north on the Parks highway, past Denali to Fairbanks. It took me over an hour to feel like a road warrior again. The skies have cleared enough to see Denali park but the clouds are low over the mountains. 

Out of the Wilderness

July 2, Thursday. 

Chitina, AK, at the edge of the Wrangell St Alias. We are having lunch in a restored, false front hotel on our way into the Wrangell St Elias. From here we travel on 50 miles of dirt road and cross a foot bridge to get to the town of McCarthy (pop 51) and Kennecott, an old copper mining operation. 

July 3rd Friday

It was brief but memorable.  McCarthy reminded me of Terlingua, TX, and a bit of Stanley, ID in the winter. Hard scrabble folks making hay while the sun is shining, and shine it did. The wall of mosquitoes we hit two nights ago somehow moved camp somewhere else (an Alaskan had told us the mosquitoes we were experiencing were 'pikers' or amateurs compared to McCarthy mosquitoes). With the exception of the predominance of ATVs the whole scene made me want to move. Or revisit my youth. We had a drink at the Golden Saloon the evening we got in which involved crossing a footbridge and riding bikes a half mile to McCarthy.  McCarthy is only a few buildings but people flock there in the summer to support tourism. River rafting, mountain and glacial guiding, air and land shuttles, the merc, the saloon, the hotel. I imagine all these kids having the time of their lives.  Living in tents down by the river, the backs of their trucks, not knowing or caring where they will go when the snow starts to fly. It is a beautiful time of life. 

We explored Kennecott today which sits above the Kennicott glacier (yes it is spelled differently thanks to some yahoo a long time ago).  It is the weird looking moonscape, in the background.  In 1911 when the mine started the glacier looked down on town. I power hiked until becoming bear wary and joining Rich and the kids for a tour of the town and copper mill. As I have stated, the folks back then were cut from a different cloth than we are today. The manual labor and hard work continues to impress me. The Wrangell St Elias is definitely somewhere I would like to revisit with a backpack and at least a week to explore. Mt Blackburn, in the background is the sixth highest mountain in the states. We were lucky to see it as it usually wears a cloud around it's shoulders. 

But this time we are headed out, and judging by the traffic coming in, none too soon. Looks like McCarthy and Kennecott will be packed. No fireworks up here though, much too dry.

We are headed to Valdez to see if the kids can catch some 'pinks' the smallest of the salmon family. Wish us luck!

Catching Up

June 28. Sunday

We enter the U.S. at the top of White Pass in the rain--typical Alaska per Rich. To get here we passed through an eerie moonscape of rock and lakes and stunted trees, where the average snowfall is 24 ft. As we changed back to miles crossing the border we noticed the protective arm of our home country guiding us with guard rails and snow markers. Runaway truck ramps also appeared below serrated snow dotted ridges as we dropped in elevation. 

We arrived in Skagway amid partly sunny skies and strolled among cruise ship tourists around the National Historic Park. The town has been maintained as a 1898 Gold Rush town with certain buildings restored by the National Park. The Klondike Gold Rush is fascinating and the grit those folks had is something we do not know in our present time. After the NPS walking tour, the 'Days of '98' musical revue and the Steam Engine 73 we are experts on Skagway history!  

The train was much more enjoyable than I imagined. We spent four hours aboard the last narrow gauge steam engine built in the U.S. The cars were wooden and seemed mostly original.   As we climbed up through the clouds to White Pass, we looked for wildlife among blooming fireweed and goatsbeard. It was difficult to imagine the 35,000 men who blasted and built the railroad climbing 3000 feet in 110 miles taking only two years to complete it. We take such things for granted. 

We ended our tourist time by taking the ferry from Skagway to Haines. It takes about an hour, and was a telling sign of what we had to look forward to taking five days to ferry from Whittier to Bellingham.  There is a bar, thank goodness, and Ruby has discovered the back deck as a performance area, complete with wind machine. Notice Rich's face after a half hour aboard. He was in shock. 'Download hundreds of movies to the iPads. Get over your sticker shock.  This is for me!'  I think the kids will be fine. And we will survive as well. There are lots of nooks and crannies to hide in. Did I mention the bar?

June 30, Tuesday

Buffeted by winds as we head north out of Haines headed back to the Al-Can. Back into the land of no cell service, which I am more grateful for than I imagined. Not so grateful to be climbing between the front and back seats again. From being present to not being completely present I feel it, and feel like I am missing out on something. Why does it take less effort to be not present and why don't I just stay present when given the opportunity. Something to think about. 

Out of Haines, headed north we passed the largest protected land mass in the world. It is comprised of Glacier Bay National Park, the Wrangell-St Elias National Park, the Kluane National Park (Canada) and the Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park. It was the remotest road we have yet driven. 

July 1 Wednesday

We camped near Kluane Lake, the largest lake in the Yukon and spent our last loonies and toonies on our last night in Canada. It was clear, we got to camp early for a change, and roasted hotdogs and s'mores before playing a couple of rounds of Farkle. The time snuck away and before we knew it we were going to bed at 11pm. We did a bit of planning for the first time as we plan to put on serious miles in the next week. We will head south east a bit to visit the Wrangell St Elias and then up to the artic circle. Sounds daunting to me but I know our intrepid driver can do it. 

Crazy time zone and light!  

We did a bit of planning for the first time as we plan to put on serious miles in the next week. We will head south east a bit to visit the Wrangell St Elias and then up to the artic circle. Sounds daunting to me but I know our intrepid driver can do it.

On the Al-Can

June 26. Friday

We turned north today after a very long 464 mile day yesterday. We are on the Cassiar Highway. We stayed in cute town called Smithers with a hotel and 9:30pm dinner. While we had attempted to stop earlier in Burns Lake at a municipal campground it turned out dirty and skeevy. After chasing google maps around for a misplaced RV Park we decided to push on through. 

We have been listening to CBC radio which doesn't mention much about US news. It is refreshing to hear about other countries. The heat wave extends to BC, with areas getting to 40 degrees Celsius (104F). We are blessedly not experiencing that today, but the AC still works if we do!  

Our pace is a bit more relaxed today, but still moving. A pencil just flew up from the back seat due to some perceived transgression. Traveling is so much fun!

We headed down a fireweed framed road to Stewart, BC. It is on the coast across from Hyder, AK. They are old mining towns separated by the 90 mile natural Portland Canal. When naming Hyder in 1905 Portland was rejected by the U.S. because there 'were too many cities named Portland'. 

June 27, Saturday. 

Three weeks on the road, 350 miles done yesterday.  The road was good, a recent power line project marring our view. The wilds stretch miles without buildings or airplanes when BAM!  power lines, big power lines start accompanying us. We could see them along the highway when we camped at Kinaskan Lake last evening  but we have managed to have lost them this morning. Good riddance. 

Kinaskan Lake was beautiful, big and still. Loon haunted us with their call and an occasional fish jumped. Reese practiced catching his flip flop while we set up camp. We all sprayed some variation of DEET when we stopped. The mosquitos are upon us. The sun didn't set until midnight. I used an eye cover for the first time this morning to catch some more Zzzs. 

 

Hours later we hit the Al-Can after crossing into the Yukon. For some reason I had it in my mind it would be less remote and we might have cell service. The road is better, but not a tower in sight. I am glad for the wild, really. 

D