Friday, August 8, 2014
Tok, Alaska
August 3rd, 2014 In the morning we headed out of the WSE NP and Preserve and on to Tok. It was only about 60 miles. The ride was very scenic and relaxing. This Tok cutoff road like the Richardson HWY and part of the Glen Hwy were all damaged in a 2002 earthquake. Any major damage had been repaired. The roadway just dips and rolls in a fairly rhythmic way. At 50-55 MPH the truck just gently rolls with it. 
We checked into the same campground we had used back in June. The price was up one dollar to $16/night dry camping. They have clean free showers for campers, very homelike with soft rugs and curtains. A laundry ($5/load includes wash/dry and detergent) and dump station with fresh water. Definitely worth the price.
It was nice to be back with phone and internet service. This took up most of the rest of our day. Just catching up. It was a warm blue sky day, warmer than what we were used to in the mountains or along the shore. I made nice dinner with our own fresh caught Yellow Eye (red snapper). It tasted a little different than what we are used to, but delicious.
After supper we walked down to the IGA to check on prices and see how well stocked it was. We found reasonable prices on things we could use and planned out our next 4 dinners. As we started our one mile hike back we realized the breeze had stopped. This made for a warm and somewhat buggy return trip. (nats) The weather was so pleasant it was tough to complain.
The next morning (8/4th) we awoke to a light rain. It rained more on and off until about 4 PM when the sky quickly turned blue. The rain didn't matter. We had work to do. First we went and put a load in the laundry, then drove out to fill the gas tank. The station had a car wash set up in back, free to customers. We spent about 20 minutes getting the heavy dirt and dust off the truck. Because of the road construction and gravel roads in WSE NP, it was quite dirty! It must have been 1 1/2 months since it's last wash. Next we went to the IGA and filled our grocery needs for several days, then back to camp for showers and finishing the laundry. I made a nice ham/mac/cheese with broccoli dinner. After clean up I worked on the blog and Bob read his latest James Patterson crime novel.
August 1st and 2nd, Nebesna Rd to Kendesnii Campground
Today after breakfast we took the loop road through Copper Center. We checked out the museum and some of the original buildings. The history of this area, like the entire state is extremely interesting. Human perseverance through incredible hardship was the order of the day.
Next we were off for the short 8 mile drive up the Richardson HWY to Glennallen for gas. The gas station was a zoo with cars everywhere waiting in line. We saw a gas sign on the highway so we continued north for easier access to gas. Almost a giant mistake! The station the sign was touting 200 yards north was closed for business! About 15 miles up the road in Galkana, where the Tok Cut off turns east, our MilePost assured us of another station. Off we went. Soon our low fuel light came on. Bob began to worry that we wouldn't make it back to Glennallen if there was no gas at Galkana.
Not to worry! The station had gas, no lines and even a few cents cheaper than Glennallen. A nice elderly woman was running the store. She lamented the loss of many small stores and stations to the bigger boys. I question how much longer this place will be in business.
With no further excitement we were off to the northern entry point into the Wrangell-St. Elias (WSE) National Park (NP)and Preserve. A quick stop at the ranger station for info and a stamp, then down the Nebesna Rd. to free camping! We just had to go slow enough to allow this Prickly Porcupine to cross first.
August 2nd, 2014 Today our plan was to take a hike of several miles. We wanted a hike that would allow us improved views of the beauty surrounding us. There were several options available. We settled on the Caribou Creek Trail.
This trail is 3 miles each way. It ends at a public use cabin. There is a relatively easy 800 foot rise along the way. The parking area is .3 miles from the trailhead. It seemed relatively easy but for some reason we were both pretty whipped when we were done. One reason may have been the mile plus section of trail that was full of tree roots. You definitely had to pick up your feet. We also had to cross a stream bed 2 or 3 times each way.
The cabin at the top was very nice There was also an outhouse up away from the cabin. There was a bench on the front porch. Bob took the bench while I chose sitting on the porch steps with my legs resting more comfortable on the stairs. We sat and rested enjoying the view for a good while. I took a few more pictures.
We both were very glad to get back to the camper. We cleaned up and cooled off and headed back to the Kendesnii Campground. A 2nd quiet night was anticipated. We made an easy supper and walked over to the pond just over the hill. We quickly spotted a bald eagle fly over our heads into the tree tops. This eagle and another in the area watched us and kept an eye out over the lake below. There was a family of Trumpeter Swans with 3 cignets across the lake. (always on the other side!)
We then walked over to the ampha-theater for the Saturday night Ranger Talk. This was on Lt. Allen who was the first to successfully survey the region and name principle peaks and rivers.
While sitting in the talk a man approached from the side and pointed to me (come here gesture with bending finger) Me??? Yep, he had scoped out our campsite as the only one with a dry flat area in the dry tundra beside the parking area/picnic table and firepit. He asked if we were willing to share! Well, we said yes and he and his two sons pitched their 2 tents. It was relatively quiet. They left quietly at 8am sharp ( when quiet hours were 10pm to 8am here).
We lingered over breakfast then headed back down the road to it's entrance back on the Tok Cut-off. We dropped off our Informative/discriptive CD at the Ranger's station we had listened to pertinent facts along the way. Wondering if Aaron knows if these mushrooms are edible?
Monday, August 4, 2014
Chitina, McCarthy and Kennecott
July 31st, 2014. In the morning we headed to the Wrangell-St. Elias Ranger Station in Chitina as Ranger Pete was opening and raising the flag.
We got the most up to date information on the road conditions. He was a nice older gentleman and quickly put us at ease. He reassured us it wasn't as bad as (I had feared). A few years back when they were doing a grading on the road a large vehicle followed with an enormous magnet that picked up nearly all of the nails and spikes at that time. It is a rare occurrence today to find any spikes or nails in the road. Also the drive over the railroad tressel wasn't as scarey anymore. It's roadbed is now fully planked and there are "guardrails". He did let slip that they had put in a catwalk under the rail-bed that was possible to access. Bob did just that for pictures, though his dismount from the high concrete platform pulled some intercostal muscles (between the ribs, ouch!) 
Our ride out the 60 miles was without incident. We saw several fish wheels just north of the Chitina River Bridge as we transferred onto gravel for this section. (The McCarthy HWY)
It took just about 3 hours of drive time. The first 20 miles was getting a thick coat of new gravel. The next 20 was in decent shape for mostly 25/30 MPH. The final 20 miles needs work. It was quite rough and narrow. Many 10/15 mph spots with some sections you just roll over. Bob did a wonderful job driving!
Once at the Kennecott River we found the free parking lot right off then walked the 1/4 mile to the river. From there you cross the river by footbridge and take the mountain bus/shuttle into McCarthy (1/2 mile) or continue up to Kennecott. (5 miles) The cost is $10 pp round trip. (you could spend $5 and walk one way if you wanted)
We headed directly to Kennecott. There we heard an excellent ranger presentation on McCarthy primarily and the development of the direct relationship it had with the Kennecott Copper Mine encampment.
Next was a short film on the development of Kennecott Mines itself and its history. Then we headed off on a self guided tour for about 2 hours total.
We caught the (hourly) shuttle back through McCarthy. We skipped having a beer in the old saloon still in town. We had cold ones in the fridge and no traffic on the road. We decided to make Chitina for dinner out!
Along the route we spotted some trumpeter swans with young ones on the far side of a small lake. And about 5 miles before reached Chitina we finally saw a brown black bear. It is hard to tell, as this one was about 3 or 4 years old and I could not determine a back hump. They do come in all shades! We got to watch this one slowly cross the road and then disappear into the willow thickets.
We made the Chitina Hotel and Restaurant at about 8:45 pm, just in time! They were still serving dinner and we had a nice one! Salmon cakes with salad for me, and Reindeer Sausage Hoagie with onions, peppers and swiss cheese. We shared a plate of yummy fries and Bob had an Alaskan Amber Ale. (we only had a small granola bar for lunch!) We decided to head on down the road and on the other side of town spotted an antler-less moose grazing in the middle of 3 mile lake. (there are 3 lakes heading west, one at 1 mile, one at 2 miles and this 3 mile one!) After taking pictures we traveled on without any further delays. The road construction crews had finished for the night and we had a nice new coat of blacktop for the the last few miles. It was a beautiful night with a setting sun and inspiring views of the mountains. We made it out to MP 87.7 (88) and Willow Lake Turn out on the Richardson HWY for more boon-docking. This sunrise greeted us the following morning! 
Our second full day in Valdez
July 30th, 2014. We spent $20 on Camping last night but that included 2 showers this morning and a trip to the dump station and fresh water. Valdez Glacier was only about 1 mile away so we checked it out. It has receeded back into the mountain and cannot be reached because of a large pond between it and the road / parking area. There was a large group of boy scouts here that appeared to be having a "Jamboree" nearby. They had procured several Kayaks and were receiving instructions on what to do next. There also appeared to be some excavating and perhaps mining around one side (Noisy) so we moved on down the road and back to downtown "new" Valdez.
I was amazed at an outside exhibit of a rescue of a sinking ferry ship! Everyone really springs to your aid and the towns people of Valdez gave a great assist in this instance. Not a life was lost. I hope you can expand the write up I've provided. It was quite interesting. One of the lifeboats was exhibited beside the display, showing that those aboard would have to push/pull on metal bars inside the boat to power it!
We then headed into the Museum . They had many interesting displays plus a movie on the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 and it's aftermath. Very interesting. We had to go to a second museum location to see the 32 minute movie on the History of Valdez. It included the 1964 Earthquake and the reasons for the decision to move the town 4 miles. This movie was also very interesting.
Finally, we headed over to the Fish Hatchery to see the returning salmon. This was a fascinating occurance. The little dark bumps sticking out of the water in the picture are fins! Thousands upon thousands of salmon were trying to get into the hatchery. They take many in and harvest their eggs and artificially inseminate them. They hope to harvest 230 million pink salmon eggs, 10 to 15 million per day, 1700 per fish. (In addition to red salmon and King salmon we saw pink humpys returning too.) It was quite a sight to see hundreds of gulls trying to feed on the salmon. No bear showed up while we were there (over 3 hours) though there were recent reports of a brown sow with twin cubs and a black sow with the same teaching their young how to catch and eat the fish each evening. We did get to see an occasional sea lion or two come into the mass of salmon and the fish would part in a large circle to try to avoid being eaten. But they were easy pickings for the lion. Later on I noticed a strange group and after the picture was taken I was able to blow it up enough to see a group of sea-lions hanging out together at sea. I wonder what they were communicating to each other? Together to feast no doubt.
At 8 pm we decided to head back up the Richardson Hwy and over to Chitina ahead of the next day's reconstruction delays. We also have better chances to view wildlife in the pre-dusk hours. Twenty of the first thirty miles down the Edgarton Highway is under reconstruction at this time. Almost the entire way down it we were accompanied by a very bright and beautiful rainbow. (battery exhausted again after the first "too early" picture!) It became a full high arch with Mt. Wrangell clearing up into view under it. The sun set behind a mountain to our west and it quickly disappeared. A few minutes later, (10:30PM) we stopped at the local Chitina bush pilots airport/camping area for the night ($15) and tucked in. We expect quite a full day tomorrow!
Valdez Day 1
July 29th, 2014. Today was just an 80 mile drive to Valdez. Once again the scenery is beyond description. Every time we think it cant get any better we realize we were wrong again. Valdez in Bob's new "Pick City". About 25 miles from Valdez, Worthington Glacier came into view. It looked very impressive framed by two mountain peaks as we drove up higher into the mountain. We almost didn't stop as we have been up close to several glaciers. 
The "MilePost" said it was a must see so we pulled in. On the walkway down to the observation deck we met up with friends from the Anchorage District Convention! It was so nice to see Pat Buckingham and her family all together! They were taking her two oldest grand-daughters to Valdez to check things out as they planned to move there to pioneer. It was very exciting! I couldn't believe it that I didn't think to get a group photo. I hope I meet up with them again. At the observation deck for the glacier there was a well beaten path going around it. It didn't seem particularly difficult or dangerous so we headed closer. We crossed a stream of runoff water and kept going until we were right beside / barely under one leg of the glacier. Water was rushing in torrents from under the glacier walls. You could really see the blue reflecting light coming from it and best of all, we got to touch it!
Crossing over the mountains through Thompson Pass we began our long decent into Valdez. A point of interest stop was an old railroad tunnel. The tunnel was complete but the railroad never was. A Hatfield/McCoy type feud between competing railroad companies complete with gun battles brought the project to an end. The railroad was never completed through this pass.
Just across the roadway was the remains of a giant snow bridge. This was the scene of the huge
avalanche last winter that closed Valdez to vehicle traffic for 2 to 3 weeks. Later we found out that the debris field in front of the railroad tunnel was the result of that avalanche.
We stopped for pictures at two waterfalls, having lunch sitting below Bridal Veil Falls. The other was Horsetail Falls. Next we continued down to about 4 miles before Valdez. We turned left on Dayville Rd. It passed a fish hatchery with a day use lot, camping lots overlooking the port for fishing and wildlife viewing and at the end the Valdez Pipeline Terminus.
It was too early to set up camp so we went back to the main road to continue into town. We noticed the sign pointing toward Old Valdez so we drove in. There was a memorial to the 32 people who died near the harbor in the 1964 earthquake. It completely devastated Valdez. It was determined that the ground was unsafe to rebuild at this location. The memorial plaque was on the foundation of the old Post Office. Nothing is left at the old town but a few boards and informative posts indicating locations of some of the former buildings. New Valdez is another 4 miles down the main road heading up the west side of the bay in a more protected and sound spot. We stopped at the Info Center, the local Eagles Club and finally the only Chinese Restaurant in town. (We are still looking for good chinese food.) After dinner we walked to the docks. Saw lots of happy fishermen with their catch. Climbed the towns observation tower to get a great view, then drove a few miles out past the airstrip to Glacier Campground near Valdez glacier! A nice quiet night here. (still dry camping)
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Glennallen and then south
Monday July 28th we headed out after breakfast and stopped just before the end (about 2 miles before Glenn Highway's Junction with Richardson Hwy.) and headed up the side road to a trail head. We took this short hike to stretch our legs and instead ended up jogging it as it was so buggy! The mosquitos chased us out of the trees. At the junction in the town of Glennallen we gassed up and checked in at the visitors center around the corner. This place was rather busy but we managed. We then headed south on the Richardson. Not far down we pulled into the Wrangell-St. Elias NP and Preserve visitors center in Copper Center. We got the information we needed about the road conditions on the Edgarton Hwy, (under reconstruction and has delays of 20 to 40 minutes) and the McCarthy Hwy, gravel and has a history of nails, spikes and old railroad ties in or near the road. I especially enjoyed their Native Culture and History exhibit building and a willow fish wheel displayed outside.
This is the largest park and preserve in the country. It would completely cover Vermont and New Hampshire combined. It has 9 of the 16 largest mountains in North America. It is larger than the country of Switzerland and has several mountains higher than any in Switzerland. Most access is by air, there are only 2 roads in. One is the Edgarton and McCarthy Hwy, and the other is the Nebesna Road further north off the Tok Cut-off.
This visitors center is very modern and had several outbuildings and a short hiking trail. We noticed a CO2 mosquito trap outside the main building and tried to hike back along the ridge, but again had to jog to the truck. We have been fortunate to not have had many issues with these troublesome buggers! We headed on south. As we did so the views to the east opened up and revealed snow and ice covered peaks slipping out of the low hung clouds. 
We would spend the night at a road turnout at MP 88 overlooking Willow Lake and watch as the clouds slip away slowly from 4 volcanic peaks to the east. Absolutely Amazing! Mt. Drum 12,020 feet, Mt. Sanford 16,237 feet, Mt. Zanetti 13,009 feet, and Mt. Wrangell 14,163 feet. Wrangell is a "shield volcano" and is the largest in North America. It is younger than the others and has not been eroded by glaciers as much. Sometimes Wrangell lets off puffs of steam when the air is still, we didn't get to see that. This is a photo of the fish wheels we saw on the Copper River on the way into Chitina (pronounced "Chit-Na") after our stay in Valdez. Only Resident Alaskans are allowed limited use of fish-wheels for subsistence harvesting. As the fish swim upstream against the current the wheel spins and scoops up perhaps a fish or I've seen 10 at once! They are dispensed on the side into a catch basket and have to be scooped out. They depend on this harvest for a major source of their nutrition for the year. And so do the local wildlife. Even the fish remains after spawning adds nutrients back to the riverbed that leaches to the vegetation nearby. So many lessons in Nature. All gifts from our creator. 
Matanuska Glacier
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