Alaska 2008
ALASKA 2008
This trip was made without benefit of the Goldwing. It should not, by all rights, be part of this blog, which was intended to chronicle motorcycle trips. A couple people expressed an interest in reading about it and seeing the photos, however, so here it is.
Chris and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary on May 5, 2008. We have talked about a trip to Alaska for a long time. We decided to take some money out of our mattress and book this Alaskan cruise and land excursion to celebrate our 35th.
DAY 1: Monday, May 19, 2008
We flew American Airlines from Kansas City to Dallas – Ft. Worth. After rushing to our next flight we took off for Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where we arrived at about 1:00 PM pacific time. After 45 minutes in line for customs, other airport stuff, and a bus ride to the port we finally made it aboard our ship, the Island Princess, at 4:00 PM. The ship left port at 4:45 PM. We enjoyed the scenery in port at Vancouver from the upper deck of the ship despite the weather. It was in the 50’s with off-and-on light rain.
The Island Princess looked very big to us first time cruisers. I’m told many ships are much bigger. The Island Princess was 964 feet long and 105 feet wide. There were 1,970 passengers. Our stateroom included a private balcony, which was great for viewing the expansive Alaskan scenery.
Chris and I familiarized ourselves briefly with the ship before we went to the dining room to enjoy our first meal. Food onboard the ship was fantastic. At the dining room we could eat sit down meals with waiters. We could order anything and everything from the menu and not pay a cent beyond what we already paid. There was also a 24 hour buffet, a pizza place, and a burger place where we could eat when they were open. My first meal consisted of an appetizer of shrimp cocktail, a salad, prime rib, and desert. It was great.
We returned to our room where we were very happy to see that our luggage had arrived. Chris set up house while I enjoyed scenery from the balcony.
DAY 2; Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Today we were on Alaska time, which is 3 hours behind central standard time. The day started out in the low 40’s with a lot of clouds. It eventually warmed into the 50’s and was mostly cloudy all day.
We started the day with a breakfast buffet. This was followed by an official tour of the ship. I was disappointed that we could not visit the bridge or the engine room. This was due to safety precautions post 9-11.
We went out to sea, further from land. The water was rough. Chris and I both became sea sick. We both took some Bonine and lay down to rest/sleep for awhile. After a couple hours we were okay.
We participated in an afternoon tea in the dining room. We snarffed hot tea, scones with strawberry jam and whipped cream, and small cookies. We sat with three other couples, which was not as bad as I anticipated.
Today we found the walking deck located on deck seven (our room was on deck 8). The walking deck encircled the entire ship; 2.8 laps equaled 1 mile. We walked our six laps while enjoying the scenery.
The ship had an ecologist and marine biologist, Dr. Bruce Bauerle on board. He is a professor at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO. Today he gave a presentation on whales in the ship’s theater. It was informative and entertaining.
Tonight was formal night in the dining rooms so we had dinner at the buffet. Life was really rough L. Following dinner we watched the musical, “Piano Man”, in the theater. I normally do not like musicals but this was music from my era. It was very entertaining.
DAY 3; Wednesday, May 21, 2008
We woke up at 4:15 AM. (It was light shortly after 4:00 AM and didn’t get dark until after 11:00 PM so we had a lot of day time in Alaska.) The ship was navigating a narrow channel approaching Ketchikan, Alaska. There were mountains on both sides of the channel making for great scenery. We docked in Ketchikan at 5:00 AM. Snowy peaks rose above the town.
After breakfast we boarded a bus for a tour of Totem Bight State Park. Our tour guide was Augustus Jones. He was quite knowledgeable and entertaining. Chris saw a “Curves” in Ketchikan on the way out of town, which made us think of Judy Judy Judy.
On the way to the park Augustus informed us that the whole area was a granite rock island with a very shallow layer of top soil (4 to 6 inches). It was also a temperate rain forest and the area gets a lot of rainfall throughout the year. Today the weather was very nice. Ketchikan is on the coast and the tide shifts as much as 29 feet.
People who live outside town have to provide their own water. As a result, they capture rain water in above ground cisterns. We observed the cisterns on the way to the park.
At Totem Bight State Park we observed many totem poles made by Tlingit and Haida native people. The raven, eagles, and other animals played a big part in their culture and beliefs. While in Alaska we saw several bald eagles and numerous ravens. I got a picture of an eagle and a raven (see link to photos at end).
Augustus told us three stories of interest. One was about the skunk cabbage. This plant has big broad leaves that repel water. Bears eat the leaves to keep them regular, so they can shit in the woods. The leaves are poisonous to humans, however. Natives also used them as diapers for their babies.
The second story was about “nurse” trees. Since there is so little soil the plants and trees take advantage of anything to put down roots. When a tree dies it is common for other plants and even new trees to take root in the dead tree. The dead tree becomes a “nurse” tree, nursing new growth to life.
The third story was about how the natives colored their totem poles. The different colors come from mixing various elements found in the soil and rocks. To get the color to adhere to the wood the elements were mixed with the female’s saliva, salmon eggs, and last but not least, the female’s urine.
After the Totem Bight State Park tour we attended the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, which was entertaining (see link to photos at end).
We boarded the ship and took off again.
DAY 4; Thursday, May 22, 2008
Today we awoke at 5:40 AM. We were approaching the port of Juneau. It did not rain all day.
We left the ship around 9:15 and walked around Juneau. We toured the state capitol, dropped off some mail at the U.S. Post Office, saw the governor’s house, and took some photos from the viewing platform at the State Office Building. The locals call it the SOB.
At 11:50 AM we boarded a bus for a salmon bake just outside Juneau along Copper Creek. The salmon was cooked over an open fire. I liked the salmon. Chris did not. They also had chicken, ribs, cole slaw, corn bread, beans, and blueberry cake.
We were back on ship at 1:30 PM. At 4:30 PM we attended a presentation by Libby Riddles who was the first woman to win the Iditirod, back in 1985. It was very interesting. We got a photo of her and purchased a children’s book she wrote. She signed it, to the Clark grandchildren.
That night we watched another musical, “Motor City.” It was predominately Motown music which we enjoyed very much.
DAY 5; Friday, May 23, 2008
Friday morning found us bound for Skagway, Alaska. It was 49 and cloudy. By the time we left the ship at Skagway it was sunny. It eventually reached 70. FANTASTIC weather!
Skagway was originally a gold rush town and it has a rich history. We learned all about it by taking a town tour given by a park ranger. We did a lot of walking. We crossed a river via a foot bridge and visited a City park with some beautiful scenery.
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Back on ship that evening I had another delicious dinner; crab cakes & asparagus appetizer, salad, crab legs, and desert; DELICIOUS.
That night we saw yet another musical, “Tribute.” It was good but not quite as good as the first two. We then saw a performance by a magician/comedian, which was pretty good too.
DAY 6; Saturday, May 24, 2008
This morning we were closing in on Glacier Bay. It was 45 with clear blue skies at 7:15 AM.
In Tarr Inlet we saw the Grand Pacific Glacier (very dirty) and Margerie Glacier (mostly clean with blue ice). Later we observed the Johns Hopkins Glacier, Lamblugh Glacier, and Reid Glacier. The scenery in Glacier bay was amazing from horizon to horizon. Photos do not do it justice but I took them anyway. See them by clicking on the link at the end of all this text.
Tonight we saw the show, “Do You Wanna Dance”, and then retired to our balcony where we saw a beautiful mountain range. It reached the 60’s today and the blue clear skies lasted all day.
DAY 7; Sunday; May 25, 2008
Today we had a late breakfast and did our laundry. We were at sea today on our way to College Fjord so we both took Bonine as a precaution. It worked. By 12:30 PM we were again seeing snow peaked mountains along the shore. The day started in the 30’s and ended up in the 40’s.
We again had afternoon tea and I had a dinner of prime rib. We saw great scenery in College Fjord, including two glaciers. There was a lot of glacial ice so the ship was limited on how close it could get to the glaciers.
DAY 8; Monday, May 26, 2008
Today we left the ship for good. We docked in Whittier, Alaska and boarded the Klondike Express, which was a high speed catamaran. We took off for Valdez, Alaska crossing Prince William Sound. We saw where the Exxon Valdez went aground and spilled a boat load of oil into the sound. We saw hump back whales, doll dolphins, and sea lions. I was only able to photograph the sea lions.
At the port we boarded a motor coach that took us into Valdez to kill some time. We then took off northbound on the Richardson Highway (Hwy 4). We crossed Thompson Pass and stopped at Worthington Glacier. The snow was deep here. Chris sunk up to her knees walking to see the Glacier. We eventually arrived at our day’s destination, the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge.
DAY 9; Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Today was spent at the lodge. We took a ride on a wheeled dog sled.
There was much talk and warning about avoiding bear and moose in the wild. We hiked the Klutina River Trail and the only wildlife we saw were ants, a bee, and a squirrel. We hiked several other trails as well and we never saw any wildlife.
Today it was partly cloudy and it reached the low 60’s.
DAY 10; Wednesday, May 28, 2008
It was 36 and sunny at 7:00 AM. We boarded a motor coach and continued north on the Richardson Highway. We passed Paxson Lake, which was still mostly ice covered. The Alyeska Oil Pipeline roughly parallels the Richardson Highway in this area. We stopped for a break in Paxson, which was little more than a gas station (gas was $4.60) and a restaurant with lodging above. Paxson is at the junction of the Richardson Hwy and the Denali Hwy (Hwy 8).
We drove west on the Denali Highway. The first 21 miles were paved and the last 7 miles (going into Cantwell Jct.) were paved. Over a hundred miles in between was gravel. This highway parallels the Alaska Mountain Range to the north. Great views were plentiful. A sign on the highway said from October 1 to May 15 you travel at your own risk.
We passed the Tangle Lakes recreation area. We saw a moose in the distance but it was only visible from the shoulder up as it stood in the brush. We stopped at the Maclaren Summit (4,086 feet). It was 12:30 PM and 53 degrees. We had lunch at the Maclaren River Lodge where we partook of their chili, soup, and home made bread buffet. It was good.
A short time after leaving the Maclaren River Lodge we saw another moose a short distance from the road. We saw a porcupine and learned that they actually climb trees and eat the bark.
We crossed a wood plank bridge over the Susitna River. We had a piece of home made pie at Gracious House, mile post 82 on the Denali Highway, a wayside consisting of a café, lodging (3 or 4 rooms), a gas station ($4.75), and a bar. The pie was as good as at Peggy’s but more expensive. It was $5.60 a slice.
From milepost 85 to about milepost 120 the scenery of the Alaska Range was spectacular. We saw three caribou and 2 more moose in the distance. This highway was very rough in places. I wouldn’t want to ride my Goldwing here, but a dual-sport machine might be fun.
At Cantwell Junction we took the George Parks Hwy (Hwy 3) north into the Alaska Range where we stayed at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.
DAY 11; Thursday, May 29th, 2008
Today we took a bus tour of Denali National Park. It is 6.2 million acres, which makes it the third largest national park in Alaska. There is only one road into the park. No private vehicles are allowed past milepost 15. We went to milepost 17 on the bus.
We saw Dall Sheep on the mountain, a bumper crop of snowshoe hares, a porcupine in a willow tree, a couple ptarmigan (Alaska state bird), a swan, ducks, and moose and caribou in the distance. The real treat was that we saw a lynx in the road and later we saw a cow moose and her calf in the road.
We saw old forest (taiga) and alpine tundra. Our highest elevation was 3,100 feet. We were told this spring was cooler than springs in the recent past. It was in the low 30’s when we started the tour and it snowed at milepost 17, Primrose Ridge.
We saw Savage Cabin, an old 1941 cook camp. We saw the Savage River. At Primrose Ridge we were treated to a presentation by Gabe, a native Athabascan, who spoke about his native culture.
DAY 12; Friday, May 30, 2008
Today we had breakfast with Jim and Patty, a couple we met on the Klondike Express. He is a retired police sergeant from the Kankakee, IL. She is a retired teacher. They have two sons. We had a lot in common and they were nice folks.
We took a bus to the Denali train depot, where we caught the train to Talkeetna, Alaska.
We were in the last seats on the last rail car. The ride was rough but the scenery was great. At times we were able to see Mt McKinley but photos of the mountain were not great due to the movement of the train.
We had dinner at the West Rib Café and Pub. Their Friday night special was a half pound burger, fries or slaw, and a draw of Coors for $6.95. Other than the free (so to speak) food on ship, this was the best food deal we found in Alaska.
After walking around Talkeetna we took an hour bus ride to the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. It was 58 at 9:15 PM. It was cloudy so Mt. McKinley was not visible until later in the evening and then it appeared as a dark shadow.
DAY 13, Saturday, May 31, 2008
We spent the morning walking trails at the lodge. One of the trails we walked had been closed the prior week because of the presence of a cow moose and her twin calves. The cow had chased some of the tourists back to the lodge. We saw no moose, just plenty of moose poop on the trail. It was amazingly small poop balls for such a large animal.
We had lunch and then left on a motor coach at 1:30 PM for Anchorage. It was 48 degrees.
We traveled south on the Parks Hwy through the Mat-Su valley between the Alaska Range and the Chugach Range. It was 133 miles to Anchorage. We saw many motorcycles on the highway. Much of this highway looked like the highways in northern Minnesota in that they were lined with forests. There was occasional rain.
In Wasilla, Alaska we finally ran into civilization like we’re accustomed to; McDonalds, Pizza Huts, Target, Home Depot, Lowes, Best Western Motels, a Honda dealer, four lane highway, and traffic lights. We passed the Wasilla Police Department. An orange colored Goldwing was parked there.
This ride was painful. There was non-stop chatter from the driver who was egged on by stupid questions from assholes on the bus. I think I was getting tired of people.
We spent the night at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, which was very nice. Today was mostly cloudy with a high in the 50’s.
DAY 14, Sunday, June 1, 2008
When we rode to the airport it was cloudy and 48. We saw a red fox. We flew home on Northwest Airlines with a lay over in Minneapolis. Total flying time was a little under six and a half hours.
It was 86 and humid when we arrived in Kansas City.
THE END
I am looking forward to seeing Alaska from my Goldwing when Carl and I make the trip in two to four years.
I took 550 photos during the trip. When I arrived home I saved 375. I posted 191 on my Picasa web album. Those 191 photos can be viewed here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/Alaska2008
This trip was made without benefit of the Goldwing. It should not, by all rights, be part of this blog, which was intended to chronicle motorcycle trips. A couple people expressed an interest in reading about it and seeing the photos, however, so here it is.
Chris and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary on May 5, 2008. We have talked about a trip to Alaska for a long time. We decided to take some money out of our mattress and book this Alaskan cruise and land excursion to celebrate our 35th.
DAY 1: Monday, May 19, 2008
We flew American Airlines from Kansas City to Dallas – Ft. Worth. After rushing to our next flight we took off for Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where we arrived at about 1:00 PM pacific time. After 45 minutes in line for customs, other airport stuff, and a bus ride to the port we finally made it aboard our ship, the Island Princess, at 4:00 PM. The ship left port at 4:45 PM. We enjoyed the scenery in port at Vancouver from the upper deck of the ship despite the weather. It was in the 50’s with off-and-on light rain.
The Island Princess looked very big to us first time cruisers. I’m told many ships are much bigger. The Island Princess was 964 feet long and 105 feet wide. There were 1,970 passengers. Our stateroom included a private balcony, which was great for viewing the expansive Alaskan scenery.Chris and I familiarized ourselves briefly with the ship before we went to the dining room to enjoy our first meal. Food onboard the ship was fantastic. At the dining room we could eat sit down meals with waiters. We could order anything and everything from the menu and not pay a cent beyond what we already paid. There was also a 24 hour buffet, a pizza place, and a burger place where we could eat when they were open. My first meal consisted of an appetizer of shrimp cocktail, a salad, prime rib, and desert. It was great.
We returned to our room where we were very happy to see that our luggage had arrived. Chris set up house while I enjoyed scenery from the balcony.
DAY 2; Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Today we were on Alaska time, which is 3 hours behind central standard time. The day started out in the low 40’s with a lot of clouds. It eventually warmed into the 50’s and was mostly cloudy all day.
We started the day with a breakfast buffet. This was followed by an official tour of the ship. I was disappointed that we could not visit the bridge or the engine room. This was due to safety precautions post 9-11.
We went out to sea, further from land. The water was rough. Chris and I both became sea sick. We both took some Bonine and lay down to rest/sleep for awhile. After a couple hours we were okay.
We participated in an afternoon tea in the dining room. We snarffed hot tea, scones with strawberry jam and whipped cream, and small cookies. We sat with three other couples, which was not as bad as I anticipated.
Today we found the walking deck located on deck seven (our room was on deck 8). The walking deck encircled the entire ship; 2.8 laps equaled 1 mile. We walked our six laps while enjoying the scenery.
The ship had an ecologist and marine biologist, Dr. Bruce Bauerle on board. He is a professor at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO. Today he gave a presentation on whales in the ship’s theater. It was informative and entertaining.
Tonight was formal night in the dining rooms so we had dinner at the buffet. Life was really rough L. Following dinner we watched the musical, “Piano Man”, in the theater. I normally do not like musicals but this was music from my era. It was very entertaining.
DAY 3; Wednesday, May 21, 2008
We woke up at 4:15 AM. (It was light shortly after 4:00 AM and didn’t get dark until after 11:00 PM so we had a lot of day time in Alaska.) The ship was navigating a narrow channel approaching Ketchikan, Alaska. There were mountains on both sides of the channel making for great scenery. We docked in Ketchikan at 5:00 AM. Snowy peaks rose above the town.
After breakfast we boarded a bus for a tour of Totem Bight State Park. Our tour guide was Augustus Jones. He was quite knowledgeable and entertaining. Chris saw a “Curves” in Ketchikan on the way out of town, which made us think of Judy Judy Judy.On the way to the park Augustus informed us that the whole area was a granite rock island with a very shallow layer of top soil (4 to 6 inches). It was also a temperate rain forest and the area gets a lot of rainfall throughout the year. Today the weather was very nice. Ketchikan is on the coast and the tide shifts as much as 29 feet.
People who live outside town have to provide their own water. As a result, they capture rain water in above ground cisterns. We observed the cisterns on the way to the park.
At Totem Bight State Park we observed many totem poles made by Tlingit and Haida native people. The raven, eagles, and other animals played a big part in their culture and beliefs. While in Alaska we saw several bald eagles and numerous ravens. I got a picture of an eagle and a raven (see link to photos at end).
Augustus told us three stories of interest. One was about the skunk cabbage. This plant has big broad leaves that repel water. Bears eat the leaves to keep them regular, so they can shit in the woods. The leaves are poisonous to humans, however. Natives also used them as diapers for their babies.The second story was about “nurse” trees. Since there is so little soil the plants and trees take advantage of anything to put down roots. When a tree dies it is common for other plants and even new trees to take root in the dead tree. The dead tree becomes a “nurse” tree, nursing new growth to life.The third story was about how the natives colored their totem poles. The different colors come from mixing various elements found in the soil and rocks. To get the color to adhere to the wood the elements were mixed with the female’s saliva, salmon eggs, and last but not least, the female’s urine.
After the Totem Bight State Park tour we attended the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, which was entertaining (see link to photos at end).
We boarded the ship and took off again.
DAY 4; Thursday, May 22, 2008
Today we awoke at 5:40 AM. We were approaching the port of Juneau. It did not rain all day.
We left the ship around 9:15 and walked around Juneau. We toured the state capitol, dropped off some mail at the U.S. Post Office, saw the governor’s house, and took some photos from the viewing platform at the State Office Building. The locals call it the SOB.
At 11:50 AM we boarded a bus for a salmon bake just outside Juneau along Copper Creek. The salmon was cooked over an open fire. I liked the salmon. Chris did not. They also had chicken, ribs, cole slaw, corn bread, beans, and blueberry cake.
We were back on ship at 1:30 PM. At 4:30 PM we attended a presentation by Libby Riddles who was the first woman to win the Iditirod, back in 1985. It was very interesting. We got a photo of her and purchased a children’s book she wrote. She signed it, to the Clark grandchildren.That night we watched another musical, “Motor City.” It was predominately Motown music which we enjoyed very much.
DAY 5; Friday, May 23, 2008
Friday morning found us bound for Skagway, Alaska. It was 49 and cloudy. By the time we left the ship at Skagway it was sunny. It eventually reached 70. FANTASTIC weather!
Skagway was originally a gold rush town and it has a rich history. We learned all about it by taking a town tour given by a park ranger. We did a lot of walking. We crossed a river via a foot bridge and visited a City park with some beautiful scenery.
Back on ship that evening I had another delicious dinner; crab cakes & asparagus appetizer, salad, crab legs, and desert; DELICIOUS.That night we saw yet another musical, “Tribute.” It was good but not quite as good as the first two. We then saw a performance by a magician/comedian, which was pretty good too.
DAY 6; Saturday, May 24, 2008
This morning we were closing in on Glacier Bay. It was 45 with clear blue skies at 7:15 AM.
In Tarr Inlet we saw the Grand Pacific Glacier (very dirty) and Margerie Glacier (mostly clean with blue ice). Later we observed the Johns Hopkins Glacier, Lamblugh Glacier, and Reid Glacier. The scenery in Glacier bay was amazing from horizon to horizon. Photos do not do it justice but I took them anyway. See them by clicking on the link at the end of all this text.
Tonight we saw the show, “Do You Wanna Dance”, and then retired to our balcony where we saw a beautiful mountain range. It reached the 60’s today and the blue clear skies lasted all day.
DAY 7; Sunday; May 25, 2008Today we had a late breakfast and did our laundry. We were at sea today on our way to College Fjord so we both took Bonine as a precaution. It worked. By 12:30 PM we were again seeing snow peaked mountains along the shore. The day started in the 30’s and ended up in the 40’s.
We again had afternoon tea and I had a dinner of prime rib. We saw great scenery in College Fjord, including two glaciers. There was a lot of glacial ice so the ship was limited on how close it could get to the glaciers.
DAY 8; Monday, May 26, 2008
Today we left the ship for good. We docked in Whittier, Alaska and boarded the Klondike Express, which was a high speed catamaran. We took off for Valdez, Alaska crossing Prince William Sound. We saw where the Exxon Valdez went aground and spilled a boat load of oil into the sound. We saw hump back whales, doll dolphins, and sea lions. I was only able to photograph the sea lions.
At the port we boarded a motor coach that took us into Valdez to kill some time. We then took off northbound on the Richardson Highway (Hwy 4). We crossed Thompson Pass and stopped at Worthington Glacier. The snow was deep here. Chris sunk up to her knees walking to see the Glacier. We eventually arrived at our day’s destination, the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge.
DAY 9; Tuesday, May 27, 2008Today was spent at the lodge. We took a ride on a wheeled dog sled.
There was much talk and warning about avoiding bear and moose in the wild. We hiked the Klutina River Trail and the only wildlife we saw were ants, a bee, and a squirrel. We hiked several other trails as well and we never saw any wildlife.Today it was partly cloudy and it reached the low 60’s.
DAY 10; Wednesday, May 28, 2008
It was 36 and sunny at 7:00 AM. We boarded a motor coach and continued north on the Richardson Highway. We passed Paxson Lake, which was still mostly ice covered. The Alyeska Oil Pipeline roughly parallels the Richardson Highway in this area. We stopped for a break in Paxson, which was little more than a gas station (gas was $4.60) and a restaurant with lodging above. Paxson is at the junction of the Richardson Hwy and the Denali Hwy (Hwy 8).
We drove west on the Denali Highway. The first 21 miles were paved and the last 7 miles (going into Cantwell Jct.) were paved. Over a hundred miles in between was gravel. This highway parallels the Alaska Mountain Range to the north. Great views were plentiful. A sign on the highway said from October 1 to May 15 you travel at your own risk.
We passed the Tangle Lakes recreation area. We saw a moose in the distance but it was only visible from the shoulder up as it stood in the brush. We stopped at the Maclaren Summit (4,086 feet). It was 12:30 PM and 53 degrees. We had lunch at the Maclaren River Lodge where we partook of their chili, soup, and home made bread buffet. It was good.
A short time after leaving the Maclaren River Lodge we saw another moose a short distance from the road. We saw a porcupine and learned that they actually climb trees and eat the bark.
We crossed a wood plank bridge over the Susitna River. We had a piece of home made pie at Gracious House, mile post 82 on the Denali Highway, a wayside consisting of a café, lodging (3 or 4 rooms), a gas station ($4.75), and a bar. The pie was as good as at Peggy’s but more expensive. It was $5.60 a slice.
From milepost 85 to about milepost 120 the scenery of the Alaska Range was spectacular. We saw three caribou and 2 more moose in the distance. This highway was very rough in places. I wouldn’t want to ride my Goldwing here, but a dual-sport machine might be fun.At Cantwell Junction we took the George Parks Hwy (Hwy 3) north into the Alaska Range where we stayed at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.
DAY 11; Thursday, May 29th, 2008
Today we took a bus tour of Denali National Park. It is 6.2 million acres, which makes it the third largest national park in Alaska. There is only one road into the park. No private vehicles are allowed past milepost 15. We went to milepost 17 on the bus.
We saw Dall Sheep on the mountain, a bumper crop of snowshoe hares, a porcupine in a willow tree, a couple ptarmigan (Alaska state bird), a swan, ducks, and moose and caribou in the distance. The real treat was that we saw a lynx in the road and later we saw a cow moose and her calf in the road.
We saw old forest (taiga) and alpine tundra. Our highest elevation was 3,100 feet. We were told this spring was cooler than springs in the recent past. It was in the low 30’s when we started the tour and it snowed at milepost 17, Primrose Ridge.
We saw Savage Cabin, an old 1941 cook camp. We saw the Savage River. At Primrose Ridge we were treated to a presentation by Gabe, a native Athabascan, who spoke about his native culture.DAY 12; Friday, May 30, 2008
Today we had breakfast with Jim and Patty, a couple we met on the Klondike Express. He is a retired police sergeant from the Kankakee, IL. She is a retired teacher. They have two sons. We had a lot in common and they were nice folks.
We took a bus to the Denali train depot, where we caught the train to Talkeetna, Alaska.
We were in the last seats on the last rail car. The ride was rough but the scenery was great. At times we were able to see Mt McKinley but photos of the mountain were not great due to the movement of the train.
We had dinner at the West Rib Café and Pub. Their Friday night special was a half pound burger, fries or slaw, and a draw of Coors for $6.95. Other than the free (so to speak) food on ship, this was the best food deal we found in Alaska.
After walking around Talkeetna we took an hour bus ride to the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. It was 58 at 9:15 PM. It was cloudy so Mt. McKinley was not visible until later in the evening and then it appeared as a dark shadow.
DAY 13, Saturday, May 31, 2008We spent the morning walking trails at the lodge. One of the trails we walked had been closed the prior week because of the presence of a cow moose and her twin calves. The cow had chased some of the tourists back to the lodge. We saw no moose, just plenty of moose poop on the trail. It was amazingly small poop balls for such a large animal.
We had lunch and then left on a motor coach at 1:30 PM for Anchorage. It was 48 degrees.
We traveled south on the Parks Hwy through the Mat-Su valley between the Alaska Range and the Chugach Range. It was 133 miles to Anchorage. We saw many motorcycles on the highway. Much of this highway looked like the highways in northern Minnesota in that they were lined with forests. There was occasional rain.
In Wasilla, Alaska we finally ran into civilization like we’re accustomed to; McDonalds, Pizza Huts, Target, Home Depot, Lowes, Best Western Motels, a Honda dealer, four lane highway, and traffic lights. We passed the Wasilla Police Department. An orange colored Goldwing was parked there.
This ride was painful. There was non-stop chatter from the driver who was egged on by stupid questions from assholes on the bus. I think I was getting tired of people.
We spent the night at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, which was very nice. Today was mostly cloudy with a high in the 50’s.
DAY 14, Sunday, June 1, 2008
When we rode to the airport it was cloudy and 48. We saw a red fox. We flew home on Northwest Airlines with a lay over in Minneapolis. Total flying time was a little under six and a half hours.
It was 86 and humid when we arrived in Kansas City.
THE END
I am looking forward to seeing Alaska from my Goldwing when Carl and I make the trip in two to four years.
I took 550 photos during the trip. When I arrived home I saved 375. I posted 191 on my Picasa web album. Those 191 photos can be viewed here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/Alaska2008
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