Thursday, May 31, 2018

Picker

This was our first day of the trip where we didn't have to be anywhere or have our luggage ready early in the morning so we took advantage by sleeping in (well, at least until Jess felt another earthquake just before 6 AM) and not eating breakfast until well after 9. We originally didn't book any land excursions since we figured we'd play it by ear but knowing we had two full days at this lodge, we decided to do something small on Thursday since it may rain and then book a boat tour for Friday when the weather looked nicer. To fill time in the afternoon, we decided on a quick gold panning excursion and it just so happened it was with the same couple we ate dinner with a couple nights ago.

We took it easy until we had to leave and Jess did some drawing and lettering for items she planned to give away to people on our tour. When gold panning time came, we took a shuttle a short distance to a store on the side of the road that does gold panning. We didn't know anything about this other than the obvious but we found out when we got there that's it a place run by Prospector John who apparently was on one of the gold shows on Discovery Channel years back. The way it works is that they get a bunch of gravel from local rivers and then you get to shovel that into a bucket which you then get to sluice. After you're done, you pick out the gold that got caught in the ridges, clean out the fine gravel caught in the carpet and pan that to see if anything was missed.



Because of my expert gold mining ability, I finished first. While everyone else had less than a half dozen flakes in their box, I had about 20 so I figured I was going to be the big winner. I pick them all out and start to show off and not two minutes later, Jess yells out that she thinks she found a big piece - it was so much bigger than other pieces she thought it might be quartz for a second. Sure enough, it was gold and she had to pick it out right away since it was too big to get caught in the ridges of the sluice box and the woman running it thought it might wash out.







I panned my fine gravel but I found nothing else; neither did Jess but by the end, she had about 10 flakes plus the bigger piece that barely fit into the vial that they put the gold in as you leave. They don't weigh it there but it was probably a legitimate $100 worth of gold in that one piece.

Upon returning, we enjoyed the beautiful afternoon on the deck at the lounge and had some drinks with Jack and Deb where we got to hear a lot about the area they're from in Canada.  After we were done, we changed into our hiking gear and took the steep trail down to the river. They had free walking sticks at the top of the trail so we were prepared for the hills and bear attacks.

It wasn't that long of a hike but it was very nice and the river was a pretty shade of blue. We ate dinner at the lounge; at this point I should mention Jess and I have probably gained at least 5 lbs each. With the meal vouchers, we're eating more meals than usual and eating appetizers, entrees and desserts with each meal since they're included and we already paid for them. Of course, we both had dessert and I even tried something new - huckleberry ice cream. I can see why bears like it since it was delicious. I kept telling Jess that Alaska Ryan is more adventurous with trying some new things but I don't think she thought my few small changes were all that impressive.











We have a somewhat early morning tomorrow with our boat tour so we turned in early once again.

As the gold miners say, "Don't brag about your gold until you know you've got the most." Note: No one said this, but I wish they had.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Puppies!!!

Another early morning breakfast with fantastic views came and went and we were once again on a bus towards our next destination. This time it wasn't so bad though because we knew after this, we only had to pack up our luggage once more and that was to go to the cruise ship. Our final stop today would be in Cooper Landing on the Kenai River but first, there would be a big surprise.



We knew the total time to get to our next hotel was about 7 hours and we'd stopping in Anchorage for lunch but what we didn't know was that our mid-morning stop - they try to stop every couple of hours - would be at the Iditarod Headquarters. When our tour director Tia mentioned that they would likely have puppies that you could hold, Jess just about jumped out of her seat. When we arrived, she ignored everything else there and got to the puppies as fast as she could. The first dog she got to hold was very tired and just fell asleep in her arms; I think everyone on the tour who had gotten to know us checked to make sure there was nothing hidden in her coat when we boarded the bus. Eventually she got to hold all three 7-week-old puppies and I think she would have stayed there all day if she could have.








Our next stop was downtown Anchorage. It was cool and gray but at least the rain mostly held off. When we got there, they gave us a map of the city along with places to eat lunch and I'm pretty sure they have deals with them and the liquor store they suggested to visit. We thought about going to the museum but since we had less than two hours, we wanted a quick bite to eat so we picked a place that had some quick sandwiches. Unfortunately, after walking there (which was the opposite way of the museum), it turns out the place was closed along with a cafe next to it. As we made our way towards the museum, the only place left to eat that was on our map was the mall food court. Of course, when you're in Anchorage, you really want to get the local flavor by eating Subway and pizza in a mall.

As we sat there, I looked up the museum and it was pretty expensive considering we wouldn't have much time there so we bagged that idea and just headed back to our motor coach meeting spot, stopping at some shops along the way. We did find a visitor's center in the old Federal Building that was pretty good and we also made our way to the Captain Cook Monument which offers up great views from downtown; on a clear day, you can see Denali but today was cloudy so we didn't see much.





Our home for the next three nights is the Kenai Wilderness Lodge where all of the rooms are basically cabins that still feel partially like hotel rooms (so no repeat of the North Rim here). They even have wood burning stoves and are stocked with wood; however, it was relatively warm in there already so I don't think we'll be getting a fire going. The view outside of our room was amazing and because the lodge is very small and isolated, there isn't much noise.



This is basically what our room looked like at 11 PM.


The rainbow has to be a good sign, right?

After a drink at the lounge they had there that overlooks the mountains, we ended up having dinner with 3 other couples we've met and we split up the guys and the girls. It was a great time all around and I had what I think is the best pork chop I ever ate. It's been great meeting new people and getting to know them so far on the trip.

Dinner took a couple of hours and when we went to bed later in the evening, the skylight windows of the cabin kept it pretty well illuminated. Thankfully we were so tired we were still able to fall asleep with very little trouble.

As they say at the Iditarod Headquarters, "Hey lady, you can't take those home with you. Come back here!" Note: No one said this, but it was close.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Riding the Rails

It's always been my dream to ride the rails hobo-style and I have to imagine today's journey is basically the same thing. I've actually never been on a real train before - I've only ever been on trams or subway cars. That all changed today as we took the train from Denali to Talkeetna and I have to say, I don't get why everyone complains about Amtrak.

Before we boarded though, Jess felt one of the hundreds of earthquakes Alaska has every year. I didn't feel it as I was walking around but she was adamant and sure enough, one wasn't very far from us when we checked the USGS earthquake site a few minutes later. She's basically a seismograph at this point.

The train cars are double-deckers with floor-to-ceiling windows on the top deck (where you sit). It was pretty nice and comfortable...for the first couple of hours as there was a guide narrating the whole thing. We did get to go to different elevations with some lakes still frozen and a fair amount of snow on the ground (which I guess will melt over the next week or so). There was even a place that was a clear river with giant, dirty pieces of ice on the bank where there was an ice jam just two weeks before that was washed out a section of the railroad and closed it down for days.



The trip took about 5 hours, but there are times when the train stops to switch supplies with other trains (there are sections with side tracks so two trains can pass, although most of the time it's just one line) or the train simply has to stop and manually flip a switch if another train has passed on the side rail. When we arrived in Talkeetna later than expected, we didn't have much time between then and our dinner reservations so we ended up not eating there and instead just walked around the town and browsed the shops. We were told it was an artsy town and I guess it was, but it seemed like it was more gift shops than local artists. Of course, while we are loving the trip, much of it is geared towards getting you to the next gift shop.






Here's where it washed out a couple weeks ago.


It had started to rain when we got there and it was pretty cold and breezy as it was so we ended up just walking up and down the town (which is basically two roads) and then catching a bus to our hotel which was about an hour away. As we arrived, we saw the view from the hotel and we were lucky as the clouds were breaking up at that point. Once again, we got multiple views of Denali before the clouds rolled in again - all told, there was about a 10 minute stretch when it was visible and we were lucky to arrive right at that point. The main lodge was really nice but it was a short walk to our room...well, it was really a run because it opened up and starting pouring on us as we made our way. This room was probably the least nice and our view was of the road but since the main lobby's view was so spectacular, it didn't matter.




Our dinner reservations were with a couple from Saskatchewan named Jack and Deb. It was a really nice long dinner (I even tried something new for an appetizer; OK, it was parmesan flatbread but still) and by the time we were finished, we headed back to the room to relax. There was another early day coming up since we were only staying one night there and we had to be up early to have our bags ready.

As they say in Talkeetna, "You like that moose magnet? That'll be eight dollars." Note: They really do they say this.

Monday, May 28, 2018

Denali Wilderness

Yesterday I was really excited to get into some hiking gear and see some National Park glory but I was a little disappointed. We took a shuttle from the lodge and after a quick trip to the visitor center we were off...into the wilderness. We just spent a couple hours walking through trees with no real Alaska views, in my opinion.

Well, that all changed today! From the entrance to the park I was in awe and this was the Alaska I pictured. We saw a mama moose feeding right by the road with her 2 sweet babies laying down in the tree line. Our driver told us facts and stories for almost the whole 7 hour tour and the one thing that stuck out was that this is a "wilderness park" and how it was different than the other national parks we have been to. If you hike out there you really are on your own. No trails, no cars after mile 14 on Park Road and wildlife that is everywhere.





We had an absolutely beautiful day. Leaving at 6 am was a little chilly but cloudless and that made seeing Denali possible from several views. After hearing only 30% of visitors get to see the peak due to cloud cover we felt super lucky and soaked it all in.



While stopping multiple times to see caribou, grizzly bears, Dall sheep, moose, ground squirrels and ptarmigan (the Alaska state bird), the views were breathtaking. This time of year there is still snow around and the green is just beginning on the trees. Our driver said this is the most animals she has seen since the season started 3 weeks ago.









That's our tour bus for the day.









We went 53 miles to the Toklat River where we dipped our fingers in the freezing, clear water. The return trip went a little quicker since after 5 hours most of us were a little tired.

Tonight is some local dinner theater about history and Ryan is really looking forward to it! (Editor's Note: The show was really dumb and I think everyone agreed on that.) Tomorrow is a train ride and Talkeetna. This is only day 3 and I can't believe how amazing this trip has been so far.