Day Six -- Thursday -- Denali to Anchorage, AK

Up at 5 am -- luggage outside the room before meeting Patte and Dave for an 8 am breakfast followed by the Husky Homestead Tour at 8:20 am.

Husky Homestead is owned by Jeff King.  Originally from California Jeff came to Alaska when he was 19 and never went back -- he is now 57.   He runs this kennel and has participated in the Iditarod 23 times -- winning 4 times.

We are picked up by Ellen (Jeff's significant other) in a mini-bus seating 22 people.  Ellen explains that we will be greeted by the puppies and encouraged to hold and cuddle them -- next we will have a demonstration of the dogs pulling an ATV (instead of a sled) while we have an explanation of what goes into training the dogs -- and lastly we will hear from Jeff  King who will talk about his experiences in the Iditarod.

For this excursion there are four mini-bus loads of people -- we are indeed greeted by about 20 puppies some very young and others a little older -- all very friendly and waiting to be held and cuddled.

Next Ellen (Jeff's youngest daughter) provides the narration for the harnessing and dog running demonstration.  She is terrific as she explains how the puppies are trained and gradually introduced to being part of a team.  All the while -- the adult dogs are going crazy watching other dogs getting to pull the ATV -- but once the ATV and the team are out of sight all becomes quiet until they return.

We are next invited to an indoor facility with bleacher seating.  Jeff comes to talk about his experiences with the Iditarod.  He refreshes our memories by explaining that the Iditarod is an 1100 mile race from Anchorage to Nome Alaska -- always beginning the first weekend of March.  Jeff sees himself as the caretaker of the team -- and acknowledges that the team does all the work.  However, he gets very little sleep for the 9 to 14 days it takes to finish this race since making sure the dogs are well rested and healthy is his main concern.

Jeff King is a wonderful speaker and clearly loves what he does.  In the winter -- the entire Denali area shuts down -- only about 12 families live through the winter.  Fairbanks is the closest place to get groceries.  It is a very different life.

As she drives us back to the hotel Ellen tells us that during the summer they have about 12 people working for them but in the winter only a couple of part timers and she and Jeff care for and train the dogs.

This was an excellent excursion -- everyone loved it.

By 12:35 pm -- we are on the McKinley Explorer for a 7 to 8 hour trip to Anchorage.  Lunch and dinner are served on the train.   We are not invited to the dining room till about 2:00 pm.  As we sit down to order -- Phil orders the Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon Chowder and the Seafood Salad Sandwich.  The waitress says they are out of the chowder so he says he'll just have the sandwich. The rest of us order butternut squash soup and salads.   The waitress comes back in a few minutes and tells Phil they have no more Seafood Salad Sandwiches.  Having enough, Phil decides not to have lunch.   My soup and salad are mediocre at best.  They do a better job with breakfast than they do with lunch.  Phil and I decide not to have dinner on the train and take our chances in Anchorage.

Our Train Guide, Trey, is a wonderful narrator making sure we don't miss anything along the route --  he also has dinner suggestions in Anchorage. 

Arrival in Anchorage at 7:55 pm -- and promptly taken to the Westmark Hotel downtown. After checking our rooms, we go in search of a restaurant settling on Club Paris on 5th Avenue-- a ten minute walk from the hotel.  Patte and Dave come along even though they did have dinner on the train.  Club Paris is a wonderful local steakhouse that has been around for 50 years.   It is a good choice.

After a nice walk back to the hotel -- it is time for bed -- we are only here one night.  Tomorrow we take a bus to The Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, AK.

Thanks for Reading!

Pat

Day Five -- Wednesday -- Denali, AK

Up at 5 am to meet Patte and Dave for a 6 am breakfast and 6:40 am Tundra Wilderness Tour.  It is raining but mild -- in the 40's.  We will be touring Denali National Park looking for wild animals on the only road that goes through the park --- tour time is 7 to 8 hours.

We meet our driver, Mary Jane, who is a hoot -- she is driving a National Park Service bus which resembles a school bus but not as comfortable -- there is a box lunch on everyone's seat which includes the makings of a cheese and reindeer sausage sandwich.   The bus is full -- the rain has stopped and off we go.

By 7:40 am we have seen a moose and shortly after our 8:45 am rest stop we see six bears (one mother and two baby cubs--and just across the field another mother with two older cubs).   This was a great start to the day.   We continue driving through this spectacular park with Mary Jane narrating and providing us with all sorts of information.

Denali National Park is 6.2 million acres -- the same size as Massachusetts.

Do you know the difference between a Reindeer and a Caribou?  Not much of a difference -- a Reindeer is a domesticated Caribou -- except that of course we all know Reindeer can fly.

What is the difference between Antlers and Horns?  Horns are forever -- Antlers fall off and grow back annually.  Caribou antlers are really heavy -- we were able to hold some antlers at one of the rest stops in Denali --  I don't know how these animals keep their heads up.

About 11 am we stopped at the Stoney Hill Overlook -- there was Mt. McKinley -- again through the clouds but the peak was visible.  This is when we turned around heading back over the same road --which meant we had to go through the Polychrome area again.  This is really scary -- we are on the side of the mountain with barely enough room for two vehicles to pass.

Even though we were going over the same territory -- it looked different and felt different.  We had more animal sightings maybe because the weather had improved.   Just past Noon -- we had an amazing bear sighting as we were waiting on the road for something up ahead -- someone on our bus saw this bear coming down the embankment right next to us.    The bear proceeded as if we weren't there meandering in the direction from which we had come down the middle of the road.

Mary Jane said her record for bear sightings in one day is 12 (she's been driving this route for 11 years).   We ended our trip having seen 12 Bears -- several Caribou -- a couple of Moose -- quite a few arctic ground squirrels and in the far distance up in the mountains several Dall Sheep.  

We arrived at the hotel about 2:30 pm -- long but good day.   Phil and I walked across the street to check out the shops -- nothing worthwhile but we needed the exercise.  

We met Patte and Dave for dinner at the Nenana View Grille on the property.  It was pretty good and convenient.   We sat for a while after dinner in the Nenana View Bar to enjoy this view which I cannot justifiably describe -- it needs to be experienced.    

We tried to stay up but were all tucked in by about 9 pm.

Thanks for Reading!

Pat

Day Four -- Tuesday -- Fairbanks to Denali

Awake at 5 am -- luggage outside the door by 6 am -- and by 8 am we are on the McKinley Explorer for a four hour train ride to the McKinley Chalet Resort in Denali Park, AK  -- just outside Denali National Park.

We are in a domed car with great views -- seating is on the second floor -- dining on the first floor.

Dining is in shifts since the dining car seats about half of the second floor seats.  We are invited to the dining car in the first shift.   For breakfast:  Patte had Breakfast Burrito, Dave had Flapjacks, Phil had Crabcake Benedict and I had an Egg Dish with bacon, cheese and tomato.  All dishes came with fresh fruit and all were pretty good.  The coffee was delicious.

Back upstairs, our Train Guide is Laura -- who narrates our trip pointing out highlights along the way.

We pass through several small towns including Nenana where there is a contest each year to see who can guess when the river will start to break-up -- announcing Spring is here.

We are fortunate to have Mt. McKinley visible today -- it is behind a few clouds but we can see the peak.  We continue through the Alaska Mountain Range arriving at the depot in Denali about Noon.

This resort is huge and owned by Holland America -- we are in the Canyon Lodge.  Our room has a king bed and is on the 2nd floor.  A very steep hill separates us from the main chalet from which all the excursions leave and restaurants and shops are located -- good exercise.  

Once settled Patte, Dave and I take the shuttle to the National Park Service Visitors Center to view their extensive exhibit on the history of Denali National Park.   Phil checks out the rest of the area -- and we meet back at the Chalet.

By 5:45 we are on a shuttle taking us to the Black Diamond Horse Drawn Covered Wagon Adventure.

Since we are a little late -- the last covered wagon is pulling out and there is no room for us so we get to ride in an ATV to catch up to the second wagon where there is room.   We went from one extreme on the ATV to another on the covered wagon -- like traveling a 100 years in a few minutes.  

The covered wagon trip was fun.  Tim, our guide, was a little too full of himself but he was entertaining.  Sean, our driver, was from Southern California -- in Alaska for the summer ---  he's an educator in the winter.  Our horses Joe and Mike were great and so strong.    After 45 minutes we arrive at the Pavillion where a wonderful dinner is served -- ribs, chicken, salmon with potato salad, cole slaw and blueberry cobbler -- it is blueberry season in Alaska.

It was a fun excursion allowing us to see and learn more about the wilderness surrounding Denali National Park.  We arrive back to the Canyon Lodge about 9 pm -- exhausted.   

Tomorrow we will spend the day in Denali National Park.

Thanks for Reading!

Pat

  

Day Three -- Monday -- Fairbanks, AK

We meet Patte and Dave for breakfast in the hotel at 8 am before setting out to explore Fairbanks on foot.

Phil found our first stop -- the Clay Street Cemetery -- which is quite old and a genealogist's dream.  Just inside the entrance is a large bulletin board with a diagram of the entire place and names on each plot.  The cemetery is located in an eclectic section of town -- several of the homes are old cabins and houses built in the 1930's which have been moved here and renovated.  Patte and I both love cemeteries so it is nice of Phil and Dave to indulge us.

We head back to the Morris Thompson Visitors Center to view a film on the science of  the Aurora Borealis  --  why it happens and why it can only be seen at certain times.   It is doubtful that we will see the Aurora since the cloud cover is low and it is light till quite late.  Also at the Visitors Center are some excellent exhibits on the history of Fairbanks  -- particularly the very early days.  As we leave to stroll along the Chena Riverwalk we pass through the Welcoming Arch of Antlers.

Our next stop is a small Community Museum known for its exhibits on the gold mining days around the turn of the 19th century -- and the 1967 flood which devastated the city causing quite a bit of damage to downtown Fairbanks.

After discussion we decide to walk to Pioneer Park -- rather than take the bus -- a couple of miles outside of town.  This is an area -- although somewhat hokey -- has some interesting things to see.   The park has:   Gold Rush Town -- Pioneer Air Museum -- Tanana Valley Railroad Museum -- a Train which travels the perimeter of the park -- A Mining Section -- and lots more.   We get a quick bite to eat at a Greek place inhabiting one of the restored cabins.  After taking the train two loops around the park we visit the Nenana, a paddle boat in dry dock with dioramas of the mining villages surrounding Fairbanks displayed on her first floor.  We take a look at the train car used by President Warren Harding in 1923 when he drove the golden stake for the Alaska Railroad.  Lastly we visit the mining section with the steam shovel which was moved to Alaska for use in the mines after serving in the construction of the Panama Canal.

We bid farewell to Pioneer Park and take the bus -- free for seniors-- back to the hotel in time to meet with Mindy, our Holland America Rep, and have a quick rest.

About 4:30 pm we head out to the Downtown Market which is not unlike the Farmer's Market ---even some of the vendors are the same.  It is a beautiful clear day so it is fun to walk around the booths and admire the fabulous produce and handmade items.  After poking into an antique mall for a half hour we decide to go to dinner early.

Tonight we are dining at Lavalle's just near the Downtown Market.  Lavalle's promotes itself as having over 3,000 wines -- no worries about having wine with dinner tonight.  Liana is our waitress and she answers all of our questions about this wonderful menu with so many appealing dishes.
They have a mystery wine by the glass for $5.50 -- it can be anything -- bartender's choice.  I give it a try and really enjoy it.  Liana gives us the name:  Villa Pozzi Nero D'Avola (Sicily) -- I highly recommend it.

After dinner we walk back to the hotel on this beautiful evening marveling at all we have seen in the past two days.  Tomorrow we take the train to Denali National Park.

Thanks for Reading!

Pat

Day Two -- Sunday -- Fairbanks, AK

Sunday, we are up in time to walk to the 7:30 am Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in downtown Fairbanks.   This small church, located on the Chena River, was built in 1904 and at some point moved in winter across the Chena to its current location.  It is a 15 minute brisk walk from our hotel -- mainly due to the 35 degree temperature.

The service is most enjoyable with Father Fred Bayler-- a big man with a welcoming personality -- officiating.  At the end of Mass Fr. Fred asked if  there were visitors in the congregation -- so Phil and I introduce ourselves and Patte and Dave do the same -- but Dave adds that he and Patte are celebrating 40 years of marriage.    Well -- Fr. Fred cannot let that go so he has them come up for a blessing and then the entire congregation gives a blessing.  It was wonderful --- people were coming up to Patte and Dave congratulating them.   After Mass we had a nice chat with Fr. Fred and found out he went to Pope John Seminary in Weston, MA -- he was ordained just over 2 years ago.  Fr. Fred looks to be in his late fifties.

Our next stop is the Morris Thompson Cultural Visitors Center where we find great info --- including a place to have breakfast -- The Diner.    We walk to The Diner --- we are waited on by Jolene who's husband was born in Barnstable, MA.  Weather is still cool but the sun is shining and it appears to be getting warmer.

Since the buses do not run on Sunday -- we must depend on private transportation.   The visitor center guide recommended Airlink Shuttle & Tours -- I call, speak to Jeff (the owner) and proceed to tell him our schedule for the day.  Jeff is not interested in our schedule and does not want to commit to any prearranged times.   He says,  "Call when you need a pick-up and it will be $14 for four people" -- no matter where we go in the area.  So that's what we do -- twice Jeff picks us up -- he's also the dispatcher.  The other times he sends Linda and Jade.   It works out just fine.

Our first stop is the Farmer's Market --- which is quite successful on Wednesday and Saturday but has not caught on for Sunday.  There are a few vendors -- Patte and I purchase local cookbooks -- Dave buys a sweatshirt -- Patte buys a cute spider to hang from her rearview mirror --- and Phil walks around.   We call Jeff.

Our next stop is Riverboat Discovery -- we have reservations on the 2:00 pm cruise.  Jeff picks us up depositing us at the riverboat dock which is a huge "general store" and restaurant.  We embark on Discovery III -- a four level riverboat -- for a three hour cruise along the Chena River.   Captain Ryan Binkley is at the helm -- his grandfather started this operation by transporting goods on the river at the turn of the 19th century.

The cruise is well done -- although opportunities for guests to spend money are plentiful --  it does not feel like it.  Free coffee, donuts and water are all over the boat as well as salmon dip and crackers at the end of the cruise.   Highlights of the cruise:  a close up view of a 1951 sea plane taking off and landing right next to the boat -- twice,  a stop at Trailbreaker Kennels originally founded by Susan Butcher (from Boston) who won the Iditatrod several years ago, and an hour-long stop at a mocked-up Athabascan Indian Village with guides and free time to wander the site which included a fish camp from before the Athabascans were influenced by Western ways.   We thoroughly enjoyed this excursion and learned a lot about the Alaskan way of life -- before and after western influence.

It has been a long day --   we are looking forward to dinner at the Wolf Run Restaurant to celebrate Patte and Dave's 40th Anniversary.  We call Jeff.

We are picked up by Linda, an interesting person with roots in Sudbury, MA -- she has studied her genealogy.  Upon arrival at the restaurant -- it appears they may not be open so Linda waits till we give her the ok to leave.  It is an odd place -- looks like a house ---- there is construction going on.  Several people have told us this place is known for their great desserts -- in we go.   It's early ---- we have our choice of tables and pick one by the plastic-covered window just across from the fireplace that is not burning.   The chairs are very comfortable.

We are perusing the menus trying to decide on a bottle of wine -- our waitress brings water and asks if we'd like anything to drink --- we say we are choosing a bottle of wine.   This is when she announces that their liquor license is "up in the air" since they are transitioning to new ownership -- meaning no wine for dinner.   I think the four of us just stared at her for a full minute with our mouths wide open. After discussion we decided to stay -- what choice did we have?   Linda has left ---  we are not within walking distance of anything ---  and there would be those great desserts we've been hearing about.

Our meals are excellent and come out very hot -- but the service is spotty.  The waitress is lovely and offers a complimentary dessert to celebrate Patte and Dave's Anniversary -- but she does not seem to understand the basics of serving dinner.  The dessert is beyond our expectations -- a very large piece of chocolate cake with three different layers of chocolate in the middle.   However -- it would have been nice if the dinner dishes had been cleared before we had dessert -- we just piled them toward the end of the table and enjoyed.

Time to call Jeff!  This time Jade picks us up and deposits us at the Westmark Hotel while providing  tips on what we might do tomorrow.   We've been gone for over 12 hours.  

We are exhausted -- even without wine -- but how can we say no to the "jam session" at the hotel billed as   "Alaska's Opry Stars presents Alaska's Ambassador of Country Music Earl Hughes and Special Guests".   There are three guys in their sixties -- very talented -- in the Minto Room --- I last about 30 minutes before my eyes just won't stay open any longer.

A great first day in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Thanks for Reading!

Pat

Day One -- Saturday -- Fairbanks, AK

We arrived in Fairbanks about 8:00 pm on Saturday --- the airport makes the one in Boise, ID look like a thriving metropolis.   Once we retrieved our luggage we spotted a "Holland America" desk with people milling around.   Patte and I went over to investigate and sure enough they were happy to take us to our hotel and deliver our luggage to our room.    

We are staying at the Westmark -- walking distance to downtown so the location is great.  The Westmark is a newer hotel -- like an Alaskan Hampton Inn without the free breakfast but they do have free wifi.

Although we are exhausted (4 hour time difference) -- we decide we better not go right to bed.  A discussion about the next day's activities is in order so so we meet in the bar -- Red Lantern-- for a glass of wine.  Jason, our waiter, joins the conversation and is most helpful about the area and what to do and not do during our stay.

Finally -- we can't keep our eyes open any longer so we're off to our rooms and find our luggage has arrived.   It has been a good day!

Thanks for Reading.

Pat

What's to come!

On Saturday, August 24th -- Patte, Dave, Phil and I are off on a land tour of Alaska taking us from Fairbanks through Denali National Park to Anchorage and on to Seward where we embark on Holland America's Statendam.  We'll meet up with Sharon and John on the ship.  We'll cruise the inland passage to Vancouver where we'll spend two days exploring this cosmopolitan city in British Columbia.  We hope you'll join us as we trek through the land and cruise on the sea surrounding our 49th state.  

If you want to be notified when there is a new post  --- just put your e-mail in the box to right.  The newest post will be sent to your inbox  -- however it arrives without photos.  If you want to see the pictures (let's face it photos are the best part) --- click on the link at the bottom of the post and it will take you directly to the blog page with all the photos.

Let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy coming along on our trip to Alaska.

Thanks for reading!

Pat