We put the last few touches on our periodic update letter, we then printed out a copy on our handy-dandy portable printer, and now need to look for a copy machine to make the copies. Then we decide where to mail it.
After having parked the rig in one place for four nights, we head back onto the road, aimed at Fairbanks via a stop or two. We thought we would make the copies in Whitehorse only to find that today was the first day of a three-day weekend, and that many shops in town were closed. What three day weekend we are not quite sure, but it is the second one up here since we have been traveling here (we could get to like a schedule like this if we lived here).
We did not have an exact stop in mind, and landed for the night at Destruction bay, along Kluane Lake and Kluane National Park Yukon. Gorgeous mountains jutting straight up. We watched a storm roll in over the lake as we drove in, and we discovered why the place was named Destruction Bay. It was quite wet and windy. During the building of the Alaska Highway one of these storms took out the buildings in the bay so it got its name. From inside our warm trailer we watched it snow on the peaks above us, and wondered if we would find it on the ground in the morning?
For the last week we have been seeing signs for homemade Pies. It is starting to become clear that they are likely the same as the one we tried a few days ago which was canned sugar filled apples from a can, placed in a Mrs Smiths frozen crust. This can be sold to a tourist for up to $4.00 per slice. In the cold rain, we fell for the ploy.
As we got on the road in the morning, we looked up and saw that (we each think quietly to ourselves, are we too late for this trip, will this increase?) A few miles out of camp we stopped at the Yukon Museum, which had a great display of area wildlife, and native artifacts, well worth the admission price.
While our guide book said that the next section of road should be some of the worst, the book was a few years old and it was likely some of the best. This leads to the issue of the Alcan in general. It is a road which is constantly changing. Curves are being straightened, hills graded, and frost heaves repaired. If you took the same trip in 10 years, it would be different. While it is called a highway, nothing is more than 2 lanes, some with wide shoulders, some with no shoulders, some paved, gravel, or graded dirt, and lots of dust on the gravel sections. It is a process of constant evolution. Thus far we have covered nearly 4,000 miles, including roads of every type.
While we had information about what the road would be like, we had no idea what the scenery would look like, most of it is normal, although the spaces and sizes are truly immense in proportion. The size of the towns we drove through however were minute to say the least. We believe that the proper term is roadhouse and gas station.
We stopped at the National Border and took the requisite picture at the welcome to Alaska sign. It was our quickest customs stop yet. Where do you live? Are you carrying any liquor? Have a nice day. A few miles past this someone flashes their lights at us. We then see about a half dozen horses, with harnesses, wandering down the side of the highway. We slow down to avoid hitting them, and then resume our cruise speed of 57 mph.
The highlight of the day is that we finally saw a moose! Actually they came out of hiding, and we saw two pairs of moose within an hour. We attempted pictures of the first pair. We hope they come out. With the trailer it takes a bit longer to stop, however the next car stopped directly in front of them and they took off.
We stopped in Tok for gas. We were happy to see prices of $1.65 per gallon after the prices in Canada. We asked the cashier at the gas station what the best thing to do in town was and she replied by saying, "get out of town". We took her advice and got back onto the road. Three hours later we arrived at Northpole AK where we found a campground for the night. Before going to bed, Peter checked the Propane level, which was not yet in the Red.
.In an earlier section we suggested that you must forget all stereotypes about the people who you find in RV's. We have decided to modify that statement. We have noticed that there is an inverse relationship between the amount spent on an RV, and the distance that the owner's are likely to travel away from it on foot during their trip. We are sure that there are other variables at play here but we have decided that we relate better to the folks in the less expensive rigs, who are more likely to know more about the out of the way places. The other group however is very helpful at locating which RV campgrounds have cleaner restrooms
Monday August 18, 1997, Clear in AM, Mid 60's most of day, cool evening
The Propane ran out in the middle of the night and by the time we woke up, the heater was blowing cool air. After a slow start in the morning (another bad attempt at an Email connection) we depart and head into Fairbanks. Our goal was to find a copy shop, pick up our mail, visit the Alyeska pipeline visitor center, and head south. We found a Kinko's where we copied our update letter, and Peter was able to connect to Email. This made him very happy as we got some replies to chapter one. From here we headed north to look for the Alyeska visitor center. This turned out to be a turnout on the side of the road, which had a few display boards, and you could touch a section of the pipeline. Alyeska also used this as an excuse to sell cheap T shirts for high prices.
According to our guidebooks, somewhere in Fairbanks there is s sign, which marks the end of the Alaskan Highway. Although we planned to take the photo in front of it, we never saw the sign.
We then continued up the road to an old Gold Dredge that had become a "National Engineering Historical Site" or something like that. Had we chosen to spend $19.00 pp we could have taken a one-hour tour. NOT.
Heading back into Fairbanks, we spent some time at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks museum. A very good stop and some interesting history about how some of the Japanese and Aleuts living in Alaska in 1942 were treated. Not real well to say the least.
We find the Post Office in Fairbanks where we picked up a few pieces of our mail, which had been forwarded to us c/o general delivery. We made an attempt to find a place to eat lunch and quickly gave up and went grocery shopping. The inside of the store was actually very good, the location and local clientele left something to be desired. Had we noticed sooner that it was across the street for the Fairbanks Rescue Mission, we would have driven over to Safeway. We got out with everything intact, locked to doors and drive away without looking back. At 5:30 PM we are on the road heading south to Denali National Park.
The road conditions began to deteriorate. Even though the roads are now all paved, the frost heaves are worse and in American style, it seems that even less had been done to improve the situation. As we listen to the radio they tell us about freeze warnings for the evening. We try to chuckle as we both think that we are still in the first half of our trip.
A quick list of what we have seen with the trailer as a result of the road conditions; the latch broke on the electrical panel, A tube of calamine lotion opened inside a drawer, Several window and vent knobs have fallen off, A shelf under the sink broke, the sink plumbing developed two leaks due to pipe joints loosening (we found out after we washed the dishes). The top to the stove has gone wandering, and the toaster and cans of food next to it were rolling on the floor. The most humorous however was probably the full roll of paper towels, which unrolled and piled on the floor as we had forgotten to secure it with Velcro. When we have forgotten to add the deodorizing chemicals to the holding tanks, we were always quickly reminded. It can sometimes be an adventure to see what is out and about when opening up the trailer at the end of the day.
Since we were aware of the late night and early morning sun, Ellie, at Peter's suggestion, made blackout shades for all of the windows on the trailer. What we realized a few days into the trip was that we forgot the roof vent that was directly over the bed. After a week, Peter figured out how to block that too with one of the window shades and some string from out tool kit.
By this time in the trip we have gotten into a fairly smooth routine when arriving at campsites. We put aside our usual at home roles and revert to typical American roles. Peter hooks up the water, electrical and sewer (where available) lines, unhooks & levels the trailer, while Ellie is inside preparing dinner and setting up for the evening. This should change back to normal after we get home, wherever that is.
Tuesday August 19, 1997 - Clear again - Frost on Windshield, Warming to upper 60's, Camped Outside of Denali National Park & Preserve.
One of Ellie's many skills is that of knowing how to get up to get on line early. This proved helpful when it came time to obtain camping permits for Denali NP. Ellie got up at 5:30 am to be first in line at 6:00 am for reservations, which became available at 7:00 am. We did get one of the two openings at Teklinika Campground for three nights. This is the same skill that enabled us to see all three star wars movies on opening day in Denver. After Ellie got back to the campground, we read our Email replies over breakfast before heading out.
Listening to NPR in the morning, we hear that the Alaska RR had been closed for a few days due to a rockslide on the tracks somewhere very near our campground, although we know they are open again because the train went through last night. Why are campgrounds always near the tracks
As the weather is crystal clear, we decided to drive south on the highway to see if we could get a good view of the Mountain. We did even if it was 50 miles in the distance. As we rounded the hill and were met with this BIG white sight was up ahead. This trip continues to be amazing! After getting our fill of the mountain (as most of the locals call it), we headed off for a hike. We climbed up to the mount Healy overlook in the park and were rewarded with some great views. The weather is rated phenomenal today by the locals. The hike was only 2.5 miles each way, and 1,700 feet of elevation. The problem is that 90% of the elevation gain took place in the last 30% of the hike.
The Dog Sled Demo at Denali was a little hokey, but it was fun to see how well trained and powerful these dogs are. We then went and saw a video called "Winter Patrol". This was even better than the demo as it discussed more about how the dogs are actually used in the winter after the road is closed to mechanized traffic.
Outside of the park entrance is an area which we have dubbed "Denali City". It is centered around a lodge built by Princess Cruise lines. We are told that the median age of travelers to Denali is 59. From what we have seen, we believe them. It is evident however that these people do support the local economy buy buying lots of T-shirts and trinkets for the grand kids. The average age at Talkeetna, where most of the climbing expeditions leave from is lower. We have noticed that most people we have met are either retired or at some type of juncture of their lives that enables them to take a vacation of more than two weeks. The medical community is represented much better than many others. The lesson to be learned from this is that if you have the time, use it.
Wednesday August 20, 1997 Mixed Clouds - low 60's
After our second night camped outside the park we headed in to the Teklinika campground today to spend three nights. This will be our longest time without any type of hookups for the trailer.
So that some of this makes a little more sense, we should give you a background of how Denali National Park is laid out. There is an 85-mile road from the entrance to Wonder Lake. There are about 5 campgrounds located along this road and traffic is limited to tour buses, cars heading to a reserved campground, and 6 professional photographers per day. This is a great way to limit traffic and enable the public to see a lot more as the animals are not scared away by the traffic. Forty-eight pairs of eyes do a better job of spotting animals in the bushes than does two pair. The only way for most people, including those camping, to move within the park is on these modified school buses. You can get on and off as you please, as long as space is available and hike from anywhere off the road that is not closed due to animals.
As we are learning about how to take vacations together, a little bit of family history is in order. The Rosenthal family vacation was typically the entire family of seven packed into one vehicle, with all of their hiking and camping gear, on the road to one or most of the nation's parks. These trips would last up to eight weeks, and covered many miles. Two of these trips were cross-country. The Brownstein vacation was the last two weeks of August each year, in a condo at Mattakesset on Martha's Vineyard. All food was purchased at the A&P in Edgartown and dad went in each morning to buy the NY Times. It is still taking some work for us to arrive at a pace which each of us is comfortable with. Ellie had been more comfortable with constant movement, while Peter was accustomed to stability and relaxation. This is one area where a lot of effort is spent on effective (most of the time) communication.
It has become clear that with a Visa Card and a roll of quarters, you can do anything you want in life. The quarters are to keep your clothes and body clean.
We make another call to the bank to make sure that our debit card does not run dry, and then head into our campsite. After we arrive, we take a short bike ride, have dinner and attend an excellent ranger lecture in which she explains the issue of long summer days, and long winter nights in the north. It is all based on the 23-degree angle of the earth's axis and how it spins around the sun.
We are also able to get a picture of the fattest squirrel that either of us has ever seen. Obviously he continues to eat as we take the photo.
Peter spent some time with the AAA, Map N Go software that we are using. We have some problems, which we decide are a function of overloading the software with too long a trip with too many places. The same type of information overload that our brains are going through.
Even with all of the bear precautions and education in the area, we still find some people washing their dishes at the water spigot in our campground. It is amazing what people can ignore
.Thursday, August 21, 1997 Mixed clouds in AM - Rain in PM, Mid 50's
At 2:15 am, the LPG detector awakens us. We get out of bed and determine that it was a low voltage condition as the trailer battery runs out. We dig out the sleeping bags and put them on the bed as we realize it is an indication that the heat will not be working for the rest of the night. The next two nights we charge the battery and leave the heat off so that we have enough power to run the heat in the AM when we get up.
We get up at 6:00 am and at 7:00 am we take the bus to Wonder Lake. Along the way, our driver Gary tells of his life's dream of opening an Espresso stand at Eielson rest area. He says, "I could retire in two seasons". We agree and offer to invest if he could ever get a permit.
At Eielson, there are signs warning ground squirrels not to accept handouts from humans "You could become Slow & Fat - Easy Bear Bait". Other signs discuss the weather history. In 1995 there were only 4 days during the summer that you could see Denali. The advantage to getting up early in the morning around here is that the mountain is out. At ten AM we were rewarded with our second look at Denali as we came over a pass and it filled our view. As we continue to say up here, amazing!
By the end of the day, the animal spotting starts to get silly. Someone will yell out Caribou at 3 O'clock. Yes he is there but almost a half-mile out. If you are really going to take pictures of animals from a bus you need a really long lens. We had a 45-150 zoom, a 500 is about right. By the end of the day we had seen 8 bears, 10 moose, 12 caribou, a red fox at 10 feet, numerous ptarmigans, and 2 dozen dall sheep. The weather turned to rain on the trip back, we were tired, Peter would doze for a few and wake up when an animal was spotted.
After some reading of instruction manuals for the trailer, we determine that the battery is OK. The problem is that the heat fan uses lots of power. Still raining outside, as we sit inside and type we think of our trip in '95 when we were in the tent in the rain for eight nights straight
Friday, August 22, 1997, Light Rain, mid 50's, rain stopped by 1:00 pm
The night before we went to sleep to the "pitter patter" of rain on the roof of the trailer. We awoke to the same sounds. Whereas Peter is not usually motivated to hike under these condition, after a breakfast of French toast with honey & cinnamon, we got out to meet the 9:15 bus to take on to the meeting place for our guided ranger hike. Before we get any further into the day we should clarify that there has never been an incident of a bear killing a human in the history of the park. In the previous 9 years there has not even been an injury.
We see the overnight bus returning from Wonder Lake was full (an indication that the campers were tired of the rain).
Our driver Mike spoke in a monotone for two hours but if you listened you could here a few jokes mixed in such as when he was talking about what to do in a bear encounter and he said "play/pray dead". Mike told us that the odds of seeing Denali on a given day were 1 in 3. We felt great that we saw it on 2 of 3 days. We continue to be grateful to the weather gods who have been very good to us.
Every area has their own word for snow. Ski areas calls it white gold, Florida may call it a disaster, here in Denali, they call it "Termination dust" as it marks the end of summer. As it hits in mid August, it reminds us that we may not have too many warm days left.
Another fact that was shared with us is that Bears eat 200,000 berries/bear/day. Think about that the next time you have blueberries for dessert! Mike points out a section of Polychrome pass, which used to have guardrails. They collapsed so many time that the quit replacing them.
As we approach the point where we are supposed to begin our hike we see a sow bear and her two cubs on a hill alongside the road. We spend about 15 minutes at this "bear jam" and leave after the trio crosses the road in front of our bus and dips into the river bed. Mike tells us that it is unlikely that we will start our hike at this point. We have no problem with that. About a half-mile up the road we see a "DISCO" sign on the back of a park service Bronco. An abbreviation for discovery hike.
We meet Shari Quinn, the ranger who is leading the hike, and begin up the ridge (after we moved over a ridge so we would not disturb the bears) so that we can keep an eye on the three bears. We continue watching the bears for about two hours. We try to keep track of their location to make sure that it does not conflict with ours, our figuring was that they would stay in the stream bed eating some of their 200,000 berries rather than desire to climb up a ridge. The best part of this was watching two of the cubs chase down a squirrel for lunch. We decide to stop ourselves a while later so that we can have some lunch as well.
We go through the "I thought you took the sandwiches out of the fridge", and then have some power bars and oranges which are usually hidden in our packs. At this point someone in the group hears a Growl. We listen again and decide that it is not coming from anyone in our group. At this point Shari instructs us to pick up our stuff and get moving. We all expected to see a bear coming over the ridge. In a typical group lunch when hiking, the leader will tell the group to start to pick up because we are going to start moving in about 10 minutes. This time it took us about 25 seconds and we are moving up the ridge. At this point we begin to shout in a low voice, wave our arms, and increase our heart rates and blood pressures. We watch as the bears veer off to the left and down over the saddle. We realize how loud a bear can be when we understand that they were a quarter mile away and not just over the ridge. This becomes one of those moments that we will remember for a long time.
We get onto a bus for the trip back to the campsite. The driver was a Vietnam Vet who clearly had a military style about him and did not fit in the style of a tour driver at a park. He would stop on command for 30 seconds if someone wanted to take a picture and that was it. No time to wait and see what an animal was going to do next. We got back to camp around 5:30, had dinner, defrosted the fridge, went to a ranger presentation on wolves, got our stuff ready for the morning, typed the days notes, and headed to bed under the sleeping bag.
Saturday, August 23, 1997 Light rain 60's clearing by noon to mid 70's
We left camp by 7:30 am (our earliest start to date) and headed out for T-shirts, gas, and Anchorage. The views of Denali along the way are incredible. In one of the mountaineering shops, Peter is standing next to someone who says that they had been out for three days. He thought they smelled like they needed a shower. The individual walked away and the scent remained. We look forward to showers later in the day.
More to follow as the trip moves along and we add the miles