Valdez... Part Two

We board the Lu-Lu Bell

We were surprised when grey skies met us the following morning… particularly after the Fourth’s glorious weather.  We had already planned to do laundry and re-provision, so the heavy clouds didn’t interfere.  We were also anxious to visit our favorite bear-viewing site so that Morgan could see the sows fishing with their cubs.  We were terribly disappointed to find that the salmon had just begun running.  There were none in the creek at all… and, consequently, no bears.  Heavy sigh.  At least we did find a few eagles fishing Prince Williams Bay.

An eagle feasts among the gulls in Prince William Sound

The next morning, we awoke to more gray skies and a definite chill in the air.  Temperatures had dipped into the low 40s.  We had a very special day planned for the three of us, so we bundled up and headed out.  We had reservations on the Lu-Lu Belle, a boat that would take us to the Columbia glacier. 

Chilly sailing on the Lu-Lu Belle

We had been on the other Valdez tour boat in 2010, but had heard that Captain Fred and the Lu-Lu Belle crew would be a much different experience.  It was true.  Captain Fred could maneuver his boat into places the other tour boat would never have considered.  When he found a boat fishing for salmon, he pulled up along side of them, allowing us to watch them haul in their catch.  Afterwards, his crew sent freshly baked blueberry muffins over to the sailors.

Salmon fishing on Prince William Sound

He put the nose of the boat into caves so that we could see puffins.

Puffin in a cave along Prince William Sound

Then Captain Fred saddled up next to a raucous sea lion colony.  The curious creatures would swim and dive so close to the boat that we could almost touch them. 

Sea lion colony on Prince William Sound

 When his crew spotted a whale spouting, Captain Fred followed him until the whale briefly breached in front of us.  Can you believe it… I missed the photo!

Then Captain Fred trolled through a mass of icebergs until we were no less than 150 yards from the blue-ice face of the Columbia glacier.  It was amazing… and, oh my gosh, that wind blowing off the glacier was bone chilling cold!

Columbia Glacier

Columbia Glacier calving

David in front of the Columbia Glacier

Captain Fred was a talker… what a hoot.  He gave a lot of information… most of it was interesting.  It was a very long day.  We left at 10:30 in the morning and didn’t arrive back to the dock until nearly eight that evening.  But what a wonderful day it was!

Captain Fred on the Lu-Lu Belle

We fell into bed that night, exhausted from the day and the constant chill.  Tomorrow we break camp and head to our final major destination with Morgan… McCarthy and the Kennicott mine.

Us in front of the Columbia Glacier

Valdez... Part One

Fourth of July in Valdez, Alaska

It was still raining when we left the Nebesna Road… and it rained the entire way to Blueberry Lake State Park just north of Valdez.  These lakes are in high tundra, well above tree line.  When we arrived, the mountain, lake, and campground were completely engulfed in heavy clouds.  You could hardly see ten feet in front of the truck.

By morning, the clouds had lifted at least above the mountaintops.  The view of the normally spectacular Keystone Canyon was dampened by misty rain.  We checked into our favorite campground, now the Valdez KOA and, unfortunately for all, discovered a line for the showers.  We rang up Liz and Walter and asked if they would take us stinky and dirty.  They kindly agreed, so we met them for lunch at the Fat Mermaid.

Having never experienced an Independence Day celebration, Liz and Walter wanted to spend the Fourth of July in the U.S.  We couldn’t have picked a better place than Valdez, Alaska.  We awoke to blue skies, lots of sun, and 52 degrees.  The downtown parade began at noon.  It had been a long time since I had been to a small-town-America Fourth of July celebration.  I admit that I got a little misty-eyed when they began with the Star Spangled Banner and presented the Colors.  It was a solid reminder that we are so blessed to be in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Presentation of the Colors, Valdez, Alaska

 Folks lined the streets as the floats and parade vehicles drove by.  Many participants tossed candy to the onlookers.  Because Morgan’s boot slowed her down, Liz and I joined her to pick up candy.  Liz would shout out, “I’m an Australian… toss me some candy!”  It was extremely effective.  At the end of the parade, Morgan had a haul of candy that would make a seasoned trick-or-treater proud.

 We strolled around the various vendor shops after the parade and watched foot races and the slow bicycle competition.  Morgan even had her picture taken with Uncle Salmon.  The dog at the kissing booth was simply to irresistible to pass by.

Foot race in Valdez, Alaska 

Morgan with Uncle Salmon

Want a kiss?

Morgan wanted to buy a knife in Alaska, so we walked over to a nearby camping store where she found one.  At 3:30 we all went to the canoe jousting competition at Ruth Lake.  What fun! 

Canoe jousting, Valdez, Alaska

That evening we had an old-fashion Fourth of July picnic… grilled hamburgers, pickles, and two kinds of salads.  To top it all off, we made s’ mores… a first for Liz and Walter.  Morgan whittled marshmallow sticks for everyone with her new knife.  All in all, it was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

That night we again said goodbye to Liz and Walter.  They planned to leave Valdez around 5:30 the next morning.  This time we knew it would be for a long while.  They were off to Canada and would turn in their rented rig in Vancouver in mid-July… around the same time that Morgan would be flying home.  Perhaps we would see them again if they made it to Texas in late August.  We had become fast friends… we know we will miss them greatly.  At least we felt we had given them the perfect sendoff.

Happy Fourth of July, dear friends!  Hope you had as much fun as we did...

Back to the Nebesna Road

One of Morgan’s specific requests for this trip was to camp remotely.  We figured that the Nebesna Road would be the perfect fit.  It is the only road into the eastern side of Wrangle-St. Elias National Park and is traveled by very few.  This 42-mile-long gravel road is well known for its many water crossings.

When we were at Nebesna several weeks earlier, we were surprised to find very little water in any of the crossings.  It had been dry and the mountain snowmelt had not yet begun.  Now it had been raining for two days. We stopped by the Slana ranger station to check the road conditions.  The ranger warned us that if the rain continued, several crossings may become impassable.

We set up camp at our favorite spot, disappointed for Morgan that clouds covered the amazing views of the Wrangle Range.  We clambered into the camper for supper and played our new favorite card game, Three/Thirteen until bedtime.  Of course, Morgan won.  What a card shark!

The rain continued all night, and it was still drizzling the next morning.  We drove up the road, amazed at how different it looked from just two weeks ago.  Much of the road was rutted and muddy.  So much rain had fallen that many of the smaller creeks had overflowed their banks and were washing out sections of the road.

The Nabesna Road turned muddy

It was the first time Morgan had ever been in a high-water crossing… although I’m not certain it impressed her greatly.  As for David and me… we love this kind of road!

Morgan's first water crossing

We easily made the first two of the major water crossings but turned back when we reached Lost Creek.  We knew that this crossing has several sand bars in addition to areas of deep gravel.  It can get dicey pretty quickly if your tires hit a sandbar in the deepest, U-shaped section of crossing rather than riding on firm gravel.  We decided not to chance it.  At least we were able to get a little mud on the tires.

A little mud on the tires

The rain continued the remainder of the day.  Late that afternoon, David received a text from Liz and Walter.  They had arrived in Valdez early… would we like to meet them on the third rather than the Fourth of July?  It was a unanimous and immediate decision.  We’re off to Valdez!

(So sorry for the lack of photos... internet connections have been few, far between, and dismally slow.    We'll keep trying!)

Denali... Part Two

Morgan at the Denali National Park Entrance

 The morning we left Tek, the fellow in our neighboring campsite ran his generator for two full hours.  It was intolerable.  We decided to have breakfast at a pullout up the road rather than listen to his generator grind away.

We found a campsite at Savage River then drove back towards the entrance for the sled dog demonstration.  What fun!  The rangers clipped five dogs into their harnesses.  The dogs pulled at their stations, barking, tails wagging… they were ready to go.  When the signal came, they dashed off around the track.  It seemed that the slight girl on the “sled” behind them was hanging on for dear life.  In seconds, their run was over. 

Sled dogs hooked up and ready to go 

Happy dogs!

The rangers told us about the dogs and how they hauled building materials, equipment, and scientists conducting various experiments around the park during the winter.  After the demonstration was over, we strolled among the dogs.  Many were available and ready for pets.  Morgan found a favorite or two...

Before we left, a red squirrel scampered up a tree near several of the doghouses.  What an uproar ensued when the dogs caught wind of him!  

While heading to the showers the next morning, we spied a moose cow and her twin calves not far from the sled dog area.  The rangers had told us that the moose like to raise their calves close to the dogs because bears find the dog numbers too formidable.  

On our way back to camp, we stopped again to pet the dogs.  We had found them to be irresistible.

We left Denali the following morning… right after Morgan was inducted into the Junior Rangers.  She had completed an activity book, took the oath, and received her badge… a special one commemorating Denali’s centennial celebration.

Morgan becomes a Junior Ranger

Clouds had gathered around Denali the night before, so we had no chance of a parting shot of us and the mountain.  Instead, we bid adieu to Denali and traveled down Highway 8 to one of our favorite boondock sites (we affectionately call it Blueberry Hill).  While the blueberries were far from ripe, we enjoyed our time in this remote and quiet area.  Tomorrow, we head back to the Nebesna Road.

Denali... Part One

Mount Denali

We arrived in Denali under clear skies... a first for us.  In all our visits to this beautiful park, we have mostly seen grey clouds.  It is particularly significant because only thirty percent of all visitors  see the top of Denali.  Morgan must be our good luck charm!  

Morgan on the bus trip to Wonder Lake

David had made reservations well in advance for us to camp at the almost-always-full Tek campground.  He also reserved a spot for the three of us on the shuttle bus to Wonder Lake.  We set up camp, and the following morning walked to the bus stop.

The bus was full, including several large family groups traveling together.  There were three infants under the age of one and two children under the age of four.  To say the least, it was a very long eleven-hour bus ride.  The babies needed to be strapped in car seats the entire time, so they cried... either one at a time or in chorus.  One of the babies was obviously sick... cute... but extremely cranky.  

The bus was so full that at the first stop, the driver announced that two people would need to transfer to another bus.  We decided to make the change and were delighted with the extra room and much quieter companions.  The new bus driver was also very good at explaining the surrounding geography and information about the animals and park.

We met up with our original bus at the Eielson visitor's center and, since it was the only bus to Wonder Lake, transferred back to it.  In retrospect, it may have been better for us to have skipped Wonder Lake entirely.  We were only at the lake thirty minutes, and the babies only cried more as the day continued.  (Within ten days of the bus trip, first me, then David, and then Morgan all came down with colds.  Thankfully Morgan only had the sniffles.  Several weeks later, David and I, however, are still coughing.) 

The good news was that we were able to see lots of animals during the bus ride, although most were quite a distance away.  We saw caribou... one walked in front of the bus, another was strolling along the river, and we saw hundreds were moving up a mountainside.

Denali caribou strolling among the wildflowers

Hundreds of Denali caribou

We also saw a grizzly bear dozing in a meadow with her twin cubs at her side.  They were quite a distance away, but it was a wonderful sight.

Denali grizzly bear sow and twins

Wonder Lake was lovely.  With Morgan still on crutches, rather than do some hiking, we found a picnic table and had a bit of lunch.  The day was absolutely glorious with only a few clouds in the sky.  Each time we spotted Denali, we could see clouds swirling around its top, middle, or bottom.

Wonder Lake

Denali range near Wonder Lake

On our way back, we stopped again at the Eielson Visitor's Center before making the final three-hour run to our Tek campsite.

David and Morgan at the Eielson Visitor Center

The next day we spent hanging out and resting up at Tek.  When camping at Tek, you must stay at least two nights and can only drive your vehicle in and out.  The rest of the time, you must remain parked in the campground.  With our Tek shuttle pass, we could have taken another bus to drop us off for hikes, etc., but with Morgan on crutches, we decided just to have a lazy day.  It was wonderful.

The following morning, we broke camp and moved to the Savage River campground so that we would have more flexibility in moving around the park.  We continued to relish the amazing weather.

Mount Denali

To be continued...