Anchorage - May 21 - 23

It's Friday morning, May 21st and we slept in until 7:30. Sam has already left for work and Ben is still up at Pump Station #4, somewhere south of Coldfoot along the Dalton Highway. Joe and I spend the day drinking coffee, relaxing, working on the blog and napping. When Sam gets home from work, she takes us to her favorite Mexican restaurant for supper, where we have fried ice cream then head back to the apartment and our beds.

Saturday, May 22nd. Joe and I load up and head into Anchorage to get the oil in the truck changed and pick up supplies at Wall mart. Then, we head up to Eagle River Campground and make camp on the river. At Eagle River,we meet the campground manager, Wynsong. Absolutely, the friendliest person we have met since entering Alaska. She and her husband came to Alaska a year or so back and her enthusiasm for the state is incredible. After a cup of coffee, she gives us the rundown on the various lakes where we might snag a few trout. Since Wynsong is from the south (North Carolina) we share a few stories about frying fish and hush puppies, cooking grits, frying chicken and cooking collard greens. This is one very nice lady and you can't help but have a good day after starting it with her. Wynsong, if you're following this, bless your little ole pea-picking heart.



Sunday, May 23rd. We head back over to Sam's and she takes us to a wonderful, long time Anchorage restaurant known as Gweenie's. Once inside Gweenie's, you get the feeling that you've finally arrived in Alaska. The place is filled with displays of old mining tools, trapping equipment, hunting and fishing gear, signs and memorabilia of Alaska's early days. The log walls and stairs are hung with all manner of antler, horn and hide. The open area in the center of the downstairs dinning room has a mounted grizzly bear as the main focal point. The bear is surrounded by other local wildlife, the most stuning of which is a snow fox.
Following an enormous breakfast that included reindeer sausage, Frisbee sized pancakes and, surprisingly, grits and eggs, we head back to the apartment to load up and get back on the road.
The truck is loaded and we're on our way to Valdez, via Wasilla/Palmer, Glenallen and the Richardson Highway. At the little village of Glenallen, we turn south onto the Richardson Highway and begin entering some of the rougher country Joe expected to find in Alaska. There are numerous rivers and creeks to cross, dozens of turquoise colored lakes visible from the road and cloud touching, snow covered mountains all around us. There is no real rush to reach Valdez, and when we come the Tonsina River near Copper Center, we decide to make an early camp and get in some fishing. We run into, Serge, a friendly Russian fellow who happens to own a campground/RV park/bar/restaurant/airstrip/Russian sauna right on the banks of the Tonsina River. Serge offers us a free campsite at his place and we accept his offer.
Access to the river, plentiful firewood, internet access (sometime), beautiful mountain views and a level spot to park our "class F - RV." We figure we have it made and decide to stay a few days.
After three days of no fish, no showers and dwindling supplies, it's time to get back on the road for Valdez. We break camp and as Joe heads down the road on his bike, I stop by the bar and thank Serge's son for the hospitality, then pull up on the highway rolling south to find Joe. I catch up with him about three miles south of camp and follow him another two miles to the Little Tonsina River. This spot looks like a perfect fishing hole, so we pull off the road, get out our gear and give it a try. An hour later and still no luck, we pack it in, load the bike and continue on to Valdez.

May 20, 2010 - Anchorage, AK

Tok is still in our side view mirrors as we turn southwest onto the Tok Cutoff and begin the 328 mile hop to Anchorage. The state designation for the road is Highway 1 and once we reach the intersection of Highway 4, running southeast from Delta Junction, Highway 1 will become The Glenn Highway, into Anchorage. On the way to the most populated city in Alaska, we get our first view of one of the states 19 mountain peaks rising above 14,000 feet. Southwest of Mentasta Lake and the villages of Slana and Chistochina the Wrangell Mountains begin to appear to the west of our route. There is one particularly high peak among the many ragged, yet majestic peaks and while I check our maps to determine the name of this one, Joe and I try to guess its elevation. As we approach tiny, Gakona, the mountain is not more than 30 miles, due west of us. Finally, with the help of my trusty magnifying glass, Rand McNally reveals the answer; we are looking at the 16,237 foot peak of Mt. Sanford. Two other peaks, visible behind Mt. Sanford to the southwest are, Mt. Drum, at 12,010 feet and, Mt. Wrangell, at 14,113 feet. Joe and I both make the somewhat less than astute observation that, "we ain't in Kansas anymore." As the trip progresses and the grades increase to 7%, then 8%, the roads get more narrow and less straight, the moose and caribou begin showing themselves more often and the vistas increase to unimaginable sizes we will repeat that observation almost daily.

We leave the Wrangell Mountains and the Tok Cutoff behind at the Highway 4 intersection, where Highway 1 becomes the GlennHighway. From here we have about three and a half hours to Anchorage and the time passes quickly. About 30 miles out of Anchorage we pass the turnoffs for Palmer and Wasilla, then a few more miles down the road and Elmendorf, AFB appears on the north side of the highway. Now the maps are out and we are searching for the first of the campgrounds we have marked in our "Milepost" directory. Nothing looks inviting, so we pull into the parking lot at Sam's Club and Joe calls his son Ben's new wife, Sam, to let her know we are in town and ask if she knows of any campgrounds in the area. In a short hour, Sam, arrives to take us under her wing and lead us, first to pizza, then to their apartment. It's showers, a sofa and an air mattress tonight; no cold, damp, pick up truck bed for these wore out campers. We've made it to Anchorage. From my little spread in Prescott Valley, Arizona to Ben and Sam's apartment in the mountains above Anchorage, Alaska, we have covered 3,807 miles, or 6,091 kilometers. Joe has driven an additional 1,800 miles, or 2,880 kilometers from his home in Dublin, Ohio. The entire trip, so far, has totaled: 5,607 miles, or, 8,971 kilometers. Either way, it's been a heck of a ride.

May18 &19, R&R - Tok, AK

After a week on the road we decide to take a break in Tok. While not a metropolis, nor even the outskirts of one, Tok does have many of the services we require. There is a grocery store; friendly, well stocked and unbelievably expensive (Tok is located at the far eastern edge of Alaska, about 90 miles from the Yukon border). There is a Laundromat; located at the fancy RV Park across the highway, where, for only $7.00 (No Canadian Quarters - They Jam the Machines) we can wash and dry a load of clothes (we have 3 loads - compressed to 2 - our whites are now grays). There is a very nice visitor's center with useful information on Anchorage and points south and a paved bike trail for Joe. And, finally, there is a restaurant, known as Fast Eddies, that has very good food prepared without mosquitoes, flies, gnats, ash or sand.
After two days in Tok, we are ready to tackle the traffic, noise and urban clutter associated with any sizable city; tomorrow we go to Anchorage.

May 17, 2010

Pine Lake Camp Ground. We woke this morning to ice on the inside of the camper shell windows, I guess it got cold last night. Joe gets a fire going and I make a pot of hot, black, stout coffee. We pack the truck, pick up the campsite, dowse the fire and get back on the Alcan. Our next stop will be Tok, Alaska, USA.

North bound on the Alcan, 0900, Joe behind the wheel at km post 1618, a Wolf crossed the road in front of us. This guy is big and there is no way to confuse him with a dog.

Northbound on the Alcan, noon-thirty, Joe is still driving, north of Destruction Bay @ km post 1724, we spot a large grizzly bear on the west side of the road. Joe stopped the truck and I got out to take pictures. It turns out this is a female grizzly and she is intent on digging for grubs or roots. I was able to get several good photos of her, as were several other travelers who stopped.

At 1457 hrs (2:57 P.M ADT) we finally cross the border into Alaska! Although it was anticlimactic; a muddy road, traffic cones, a construction worker and a home made looking sign reading, Alaska, stapled to a post. I exaggerate, but not by much; the sign was actually bolted to a post.

5:30 P.M. ( I don't want to confuse anyone with navy time) we make it to Tok,(rhymes with smoke) Alaska. We stop in at a few of the local campgrounds, but the rates are higher than we can afford, so we decide to head to the state campground a few miles south of town. On the way out of town we find one more local campground and decide to check their prices. It turns out the campground was just opening for their first season and we would be their first customer. The rate was very affordable, the showers were great and the area was quiet. We made camp, took our showers and fixed supper. Our first night back in the U.S., at the Alaskan Stoves RV Park, where the owners are friendly, the showers are clean and roomy and the trees offer abundant shade.

Fishing Trip & Valdez (PHOTOS)

Face to face with one of the halibut caught by Joe.

This ninety-eight pound halibut was mouth hooked by Joe and one other fisherman. According to the Captain, this is an extremely rare event. Ordinarily the catch goes to the winner of a coin toss. However, since the other fisherman was entered in the local halibut fishing derby, Joe magnanimously gave up his claim to the fish, allowing the other man to claim second place in the derby up to that point.

Joe reveals the strain required to heft his 50 pound catch. According to Joe, reeling in this beauty was like hauling up a boat anchor...with the boat attached.

Joe displays his catch. On the left is the 50 pound halibut and on the right, the 40 pounder.

The "Outlaw" heads out to sea on dead calm waters. The boat in the background is on blocks, awaiting its turn in the dry dock.

Joe's Fishing Charter (PHOTOS)

The result of eight hours on a charter boat, seventy miles out in the gulf of Alaska. Joe and three other fishermen went out through Prince William Sound to the Gulf to fish for halibut. Each man could keep two fish. The largest weighed in at 98.7 pounds.

The south east side of Bligh Island, in Prince William Sound. Just off the northwest side of the island lies Bligh Reef, the site of the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident.

Goose Island, on the eatern side of Prince William Sound, midway between Valdez Harbor and the Gulf of Alaska.

Main propulsion for the 28 ft "Outlaw." Twin Yamaha four cylinder outboards, rated at 225 HP each. This shot was taken in Prince William Sound, cruising at 30 knots.

The "Outlaw" pulls away from the dock in Valdez Boat Yard, with Joe and the rest of the fishermen and two man crew. Ginger and Maryanne were in the forward cabin making coffee.

To Anchorage (PHOTOS)

We came prepared, but the rivers and lakes in this part of Alaska don't give up their treasures easily. So far we've hit four lakes, a creek and three rivers, but we've only caught one fish, a lake trout too small to keep out of Carpenter Lake.

Near the Alaska Pipeline, south of Copper Center. This is about 3,000 ft. elevation, loking down at the Little Tonsina River and the Copper Valley. Mt. Sanford, at 16,237 feet is in the far background, over 100 miles distant.

All traffic (3 pickups, a car & 2 big rigs) has been stopped while the highway department test fires its avalanche weapon. We were here about 20 minutes and heard four rounds being fired.

Bridal Veil Falls in going through the Thompson Pass.

Looking back down the canyon at Thompson Pass (8 % grade) from Bridal Veil Falls.

Tok to Anchorage (PHOTOS)

The roads in Alaska are long and narrow.

Miles and miles of land and Mountains.

Nachina Glacier from the Glenn Highway.

An early "Bubble Cab" GMC, circa 1940's

Not exactly what we expected. The Yukon, Canada border crossing building is still visible in the rearview mirror. The Alcan is mud, potholes and rocks up here. Tok, alaska is about 90 miles southwest of here.

A female grizzly bear digging for grubs. This was taken on the Alcan, between the Alaskan/Yukon border and Tok, AK.

Joe is testing a new bait casting reel at a small lake near Haines Junction, Ak. Although it looks like early afternoon in the picture, it's actually 11:30 P.M. There are only a few hours of darkness this time of year.

A small herd of caribou
along the Alcan, south of Haines Junction, Ak.

The same female grizzly as above. Thankfully, she wasn't interested in me taking her picture.

The color and the hump on her back help to identify this beauty as a grizzly bear.

PHOTOS from Joe, May 25,2010

Joe on Pippin Lake, Copper Center, AK. No fish today. 5/25/10

Joe, checking out Pippin Lake. 5/25/10

Distant Peaks to the north east, viewed from the canoe on Pippin Lake. These peaks are 12,000 to 16,000 feet high. 5/25/10

The Tonsina River grows with snow melt daily. The King Salmon will begin their yearly run in a few days. 5/25/10

Joe prefers supper cooked on the camp fire.
5/25/10

Joe, on Pippin Lake near Copper Center, AK 5/25/10

View of distant peaks from Pippin Lake.
5/25/10

Part of a moose backbone Joe found. A "small" moose is the size of full grown horse. This one was not small. 5/25/10

Joe met this young moose on his morning bike ride. The moose are just beginning to get their antlers, so we've only seen a few in velvet. This one is near the Tonsina River, on the way to Valdez. 5/25/10

May 16, 2010

After 1,938 miles in Beautiful British Columbia, we have crossed the border into the Yukon Territories. The majority of our miles traveled in BC were on two-lane highways; many of the miles were on gravel/dirt roads. But, BC is a very beautiful Provence, filled with bear, moose, beaver, wolves, and so many other wild animals. The scenery is breathtaking and ever changing and the citizens are friendly and tolerant of their southern cousins.

Having spent a comfortable night in Watson Lake, YT, we get back on the road. Our goal is to reach Whitehorse, YT before stopping for the night, but the going is rougher than we expected. We topped off the gas tank with 27 liters before leaving Watson Lake, but by the time we reached Teslin, 150 miles northwest, we topped off again. Another 202 miles and we stop for the night at Pine Lake Campground, on the out skirts of Haines Junction, YT. We are 205 miles from the Yukon - Alaska border. We make a dry camp, build a fire and fix a pot of dehydrated chicken noodle soup. After coffee and dish washing, we head down to the little lake, so Joe can test out a new bait caster reel. It's turning colder and we head back to camp, only mildly worried about the bears that might be lurking in the dense woods. At 10:00 P.M., even though it's still daylight, we climb into the back of the truck to bed down for the night. The next morning we will awake to frost on the inside of the camper shell windows.

Stewart, Hyder, Bears & Bear Glacier (PHOTOS)

Joe is on his bike, out of frame to the right of the truck, The bear just ran into the woods on the left.

Looking upriver, to the east, along the Bear River. We are about 10 miles east of Stewart BC on 37A.

Looking at Bear Glacier from the NNE, east of Stewart, BC on 37A.

Large bear trap hanging on the wall of Captain Tony's in Hyder, Alaska.

Joe is on his bike, just out of frame right. I came around him with the truck to ward off the bear. Although, Joe will tell you that he fought it off, single handedly, while singing the ballad of Davey Crocket

A very large, curious and unafraid Black Bear.

I'm following Joe in the truck. This isn't as much to alert approaching motorists, as it is to get between Joe and any curious bears.

Joe goes for his daily bike ride along the Cassiar Hwy. His can of Bear Mace is strapped to the bike.

Bear Glacier, just east of Stewart, BC looking north from Hwy 37A

The Kamloops River in BC

One of the hundreds of rivers we have seen. I think this one is the Telkwa River, In BC

The beginning of Cassiar Hwy 37

Mountain peaks on the north side of Hwy 37A, heading into Stewart, BC

Stewart, BC to Watson Lake, YT May15, 2010

Cold and damp today. Sunrise came at 4:00 a.m., following a 10:30 p.m. sunset. This will take some getting used to. We get on the road about 8:30 a.m., after coffee and an energy bar. We thought we could get breakfast somewhere along the route to Watson Lake, Yukon Territories, (YT), but that thought proved to be wishfull thinking. The Cassiar Hwy runs 620 km (approx. 400 miles) through a very rugged part of Northwest British Columbia; rugged, beautiful and virtually unpopulated. The highway is, more often than not, a gravel country road. The route runs north, over mountains, through forests, around natural lakes, tossed like jewels among the green trees and mountain valleys and ends at Watson Lake, YT on the Alcan Hwy 1. There are very few eateries along the route and the ones we saw, we passed. Foolishly, we thought we would find something better around the next bend. An old adage comes to mind here; something about a bird in the hand...
Finally, after 12 hours on the road, we reach Watson Lake, YT. We check into a pleasant, old fashioned hotel and head straight for the restaurant to overeat. After showers and a failed attempt to get online, and in spite of the 11:00 pm daylight, we crawl into real beds for a soft, warm, comfortable nights sleep.

Joe's Post of May 20, 2010

Hey,everybody, This is Joe (Butch), you will be able to tell it's me instead of TJ doing the writing because I don't use all the eloquent words and adjectives, just plain talkin'. We will be back on the road today for a few days and we don't always have internet so I will tell Ricky happy birthday now. Also May 21st marks 41 years ago that I left for Navy bootcamp.We are having a really good time and I keep thinking that I am glad I didn't wait any longer in my life to do something like this because...................well ,man this road trip stuff can be pretty hard on an old guy !!!!!!!!!!!! All for now.

May 14, 2010 Continued

May 14, 2010 (Cont.)
Northbound along the Cassiar Hwy we spotted our first wolf. He wasn't a real big one, but he looked to be at least eighty pounds with a beautiful coat, very intense visage and an enormous, full, fluffy tail. We didn't try to stop for a photo, as we came up on him quickly and he trotted into the woods as we slowed to look at him.
Fifteen miles further up the road and we saw our first bear! This little guy was on the west shoulder of the highway digging in the grass. When he heard us approaching he looked up from his task and we were able to see him full face, standing on all fours. We slowed to a stop and tried to get a photo, but he headed for the woods before we had the cameras ready. This was a black bear, maybe a year old and two hundred pounds. We would be seeing several more before the day ended.
At the junction of the Cassiar Hwy #37 and Hwy 37A we took our first side trip. Rather than continue Northbound on Hwy #37, we turned west and headed for Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK. Due to the unique shape of Alaska, the eastern tail of the state curves southward along the western edge of British Columbia (BC). This geographical quirk allowed us to enter Alaska long before reaching the official border crossing at Tok, AK on the Yukon/U.S. border, over nine hundred miles to the north. Driving through the valley on 37A we saw half a dozen black bears. We also were able to stop and photograph Bear Glacier, the first glacier either of us had ever seen. The short, sixty mile drive to Stewart was filled with one amazing view after another. Upon reaching Stewart, we found that it was only three miles to Hyder, so we decided to visit the small "town" before making camp along the Bear River for the night.
Hyder, Alaska is straight out of an old black and white movie. It looks like a late 19th century mining town that died, but was then brought back to partial life by a bunch of mountain men. Joe and I figured the only thing we could do in Hyder was get into trouble at the local saloon, so we drove down the dirt road through town, turned around at the general store and headed back into Canada. Another odd thing about this part of the coutry, is that Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK are both on the Pacific Ocean. Having both sailed vast stretches of the Pacific, Joe and I wondered how we had missed this tiny port-of-call during our Navy days.
We drove the three miles, back to the Bear River Camp Ground, made camp, cooked our supper of beans and sausage with black coffee, took a much needed shower and hit the sack. It was 10:30 PM and still light out.

May 13 thru 18, 2010

We've been without computer and phone service, off and on, for the past several days. As of today, May 18, 2010, we are in Tok, Alaska. This will be an attempt to update the blog and review of our trip since May 13.



We left Kamloops, BC @ 10:22 AM, Thursday, May 13, 2010. Picking up the Trans Canada Highway 1, we headed west toward Cache Creek, BC. After about 50 miles on Trans Canada 1, we switched to The Yellowhead Highway (97) and traveled north through Clinton, 100 Mile House, 150 Mile House and Prince George. At Prince George, we turned west on Trans Canada 16 toward Vanderhoof.

Reaching Vanderhoof, BC around 6:00 PM, we decided it to try a campground, rather than the side of the road. Just outside of town there was a sign inviting us to Dave's RV Park. A quarter mile down the dirt road we pulled into a friendly looking, clean, quiet RV park.
Attached to very nice country home was the park office, so we went inside to register and meet Dave. Once parked in spot #52, I got out the stove and put a fire under a pot of coffee, while Joe unloaded the back of the truck and searched for fire wood. Joe got a fire going while I put together our supper of baked beans, fried potatoes with bacon, onion and garlic and a pot of black cowboy coffee. After the dishes were washed and our sleeping bags rolled out in the back of the truck, we secured the camp and headed to bed. We had covered only 380 miles since Kamloops, but it was all on mountainous two-lane and twisted valley roads; we ready for some rest.



Friday, May 14, 2010. We said goodbye to Dave, and got back on Trans Canada 16 rolling north west through Houston, Smithers and New Hazleton on our way to Canada 37, theCassiar Highway. A brief stop at the Telkwa Cafe, for pie and coffee, then on to Smithers and a fuel stop ($4.40 per gallon U.S). Seventy miles past Smithers and we turned due north onto the Cassiar Highway #37 and began the long, two lane, partially graveled trek to the Yukon Territories.

May 15, Stewart, BC

After a cold night in the back of the truck in Ogden, Utah, we headed north on I-15 for Montana. Five hundred twenty four miles later and we were tired and hungry. We found a parking area on the east side of I-15 in the Lolo National Forest, just outside of Superior, Montana, and called it quits. Joe rearranged the back of the truck to resemble a motel room and I got the Coleman stove going. Coffee is a very important part of our trip and we were ready for a hot cup. We had red beans and rice and homemade beef stew in the cooler and the beef stew sounded like a winner on this cold, damp evening.