A Salmon Fisherman is Born (at 65).

We camped for about 2 weeks at a campground near the Kenai River in Soldotna, Alaska.  We became good friends with a Christian couple in the campsite next to us.  They took us to a church in Soldotna and we enjoyed the service for 2 Sundays.  This was their first trip to Alaska, and Dan was there for salmon fishing.  I didn’t plan on fishing in Alaska, but after watching other fishermen I bought a 7 day fishing license and some gear.  When a neighbor, Ron saw my cheap rod he lent me a good salmon rod and reel.  The first day I fished about 6 hours and caught 2 rocks and 3 tiny sculpins.  The second day after about 2 hours when I tried to net a salmon for another fisherman I fell in the river.  Since the water temperature was 51 F that ended my fishing.  The third day I caught the daily limit of 6 red or sockeye salmon.  The fisherman after me at the cleaning table was the man whose rod I broke when I fell trying to net his salmon on day 2.  Since he didn’t want to wait all night for me to filet my fish he offered to help, which I appreciated.  I took a total of 16 salmon home for the week.  Salmon fishing on the Kenai River is called combat fishing.  Where there is public access the water is lined with fisherman, usually too close for comfort.  A bare hook is flipped into the river and a legal catch is when the hook snags a red salmon in the mouth.  Red salmon fight hard when hooked, jumping out of the water.  Other activities included a day trip to Homer Spit and we saw several bald eagles.  We also visited Anchor Point, the most western point on the North American highway system.  Before our visit to Soldotna we took a drive to Seward and Exit Glacier. 

Bob with Red Salmon Catch.

Moose near Soldotna Camp.

Bald Eagle near Homer. 

Russian Orthodox Church near Ninilchik with Iliamna Volcano.

Redoubt Volcano & Cook Inlet at sunset. 

Cruise on Prince William Sound

On July 10 we took the 26 Glacier 145 mile cruise in 5 hours on Prince William Sound out of Whittier, Alaska.  To reach Whittier we drove through the 2.5 mile long single lane Anton Anderson tunnel, the longest vehicle – railroad tunnel in North America.  The cruise was interesting on a large fast catamaran, and we saw glaciers and wildlife we couldn’t see from the highway, however the weather wasn’t great.  We didn’t see most of the glaciers due to the low clouds and light rain.  Please bear with me as I explain something that bugs me about tourist information on Alaska.  What bugs me are the brochures with pictures of beautiful mountains with a blue sky.  What they don’t give you is a realistic picture of Alaskan weather.  Of course this misleading information helps the Alaskan economy.  An example of misleading information is a brochure on Whittier which states that “Whittier has a mild maritime climate with a maximum of 84 F”.  The Milepost travel guide gives more realistic information with the statement that “normal daily temperature for July is 56 F.  For us from PA, a daily temperature range in the 40’s and 50’s with cold rain isn’t great July weather.  However, heat is a relative condition.  To an Alaskan used to sub-zero temperatures this July weather feels hot and we see some wearing sandals, shorts and a t-shirt.  For a glacier temperatures above freezing are too hot.  One of the best indicators of a warming climate is the rapid retreat of glaciers in the north country.  On our cruise we saw an excellent example of rapid glacial retreat.  In 2007 the ends of Barry and Cascade glaciers in a fjord of Prince William Sound were joined.  Today there is a large expanse of bare rock and water between these glaciers and Cascade glacier is a hanging glacier instead of the tidewater glacier it was about a month ago.  My opinion of Alaskan weather is that it appears in most locations during a “typical” summer the number of “blue sky” days can be counted on one hand.  The scenery, when you can see it, is awesome.  On some afternoons the temperature is in the low 60’s and we did experience temperatures over 80 degrees for a few days when we were in Fairbanks.  The interior of Alaska has higher (and lower) temperatures than areas near the ocean.  The annual maximum temperature range for interior Alaska is 100 F to -80 F.  Alaska is not having a drought and a heat wave.  One thing this trip has taught us (that we already knew) is that we don’t want to move to Alaska.  However, if you like cold, rain, snow, wind, mosquitoes and extreme changes in daylight it’s a great state.  The average winter snowfall in Whittier is 24 feet.  Also, Alaska is one of the most active seismic regions in the world.  Whittier is near the epicenter of the 1964 Good Friday earthquake that measured 9.2 on the Richter scale.  Following are a few pictures from our recent travels. 

Cascade Glacier (left) & Barry Glacier (right).

Steller Sea Lions

Sea Otters.

Kittiwake Bird Rookery.

Byron Glacier near Portage Lake (on July 9).

South of Denali

We stayed 4 nights at Byers Lake Campground at Denali State Park.  We saw Mt McKinley on a hike around Byers Lake, and saw lots of evidence of bears but didn’t see any bears.  However, we did see lots of mosquitoes.  We saw a common loon and a trumpeter swan which was too far away for a good picture.  From Byers Lake the south peak of Mt McKinley is about 36 miles away and 19,500 feet above Byers Lake.  We drove to Anchorage and have been here 4 days.  Two places we visited in Anchorage are the Alaska Zoo and Potter Marsh.  At the zoo we saw animals we probably wouldn’t see on our travels.  At Potter Marsh we saw 2 bald eagles and other birds.  We had a flat tire in Talkeetna which couldn’t be fixed.  The flat tire happened at the campground and a camp employee took the tire to the only close repair shop which had a tire we could use as a spare.  We are very blessed we didn’t have a problem on the highway.  After some searching in Anchorage we ordered new tires at Sam’s Club which may take 2 to 3 weeks to arrive at the store.  We’ll go to the Kenai Peninsula for about 2 weeks and then pick up our tires at Sam’s Club in Anchorage.  Anyway we need to return to Anchorage to continue our trip.  Following are a few pictures. 

Mount McKinley from Byers Lake.

Common Loon on Byers Lake. 

Bald Eagle at Potter Marsh, Anchorage, Alaska.

Polar Bear at the Alaska Zoo.

Snow Leopard at the Alaska Zoo. 

Mount McKinley up close.

We can leave the Alaska Range now, because Bob saw Mt McKinley up close and from all sides.  Bob walked on Ruth Glacier high on Mt McKinley the easy way with Talkeetna Air Taxi.  There was one seat left (10 passengers) on the 6-29-12 12:30 Grand Denali Flight.  Bob sat in the co-pilots seat, greatly enjoyed the flight, and took over 400 pictures in less than 2 hours.  Barb didn’t want to go because she has problems with air pressure changes.  About 1200 climbers a year attempt to climb Mt McKinley.  About half of them succeed in climbing to the summit at 20,320 feet elevation.  More than 90% of climbers are flown into base camp at 7000 feet elevation.  The average time to climb Mt McKinley from the 7000 foot high base camp is 3 weeks.  The summer temperature range on Mt McKinley is 10 F to -50 F.  Mt McKinley has one of the greatest vertical distances from base to summit of any mountain in the world.  The Wickersham Wall is one of the highest mountain walls in the world at 14,000 vertical feet.  Mt McKinley is growing taller about ¾” per year.  There are 17 major named glaciers, six of them more than 24 miles long.  

Tomorrow we’ll drive back north to Byers Lake campground in Denali State Park to spend a few days at a beautiful wilderness lake near Mt McKinley.  Following are a few pictures from the flight. 

Mount McKinley

Mount McKinley

Ruth Glacier on Mt McKinley

Bob on upper section of Ruth Glacier. 

In the Land of the Midnight Sun.

We completed the Alaska Highway, and continued to Fairbanks for 3 days and then to Denali National Park.  In Denali we had some good views of wildlife including 2 female grizzly bears with 2 cubs.  The second grizzly bear with cubs was less than 20 feet from the park bus we were on.  We rode the park bus 66 miles (one-way) on a dirt road to the Eielson Visitor Center where there is (sometimes) a beautiful view of Mt McKinley, all we saw was clouds and rain.  To help us feel better about not seeing the highest mountain in North America (20,320 feet) we learned it’s estimated only 15 – 20% of park visitors see McKinley and during the month of June McKinley is visible on 4 days average.  We also visited the sled dogs and saw a demonstration of dogs pulling a sled on gravel.  Denali is the only National Park where dogs are used to patrol the park in winter.  Tomorrow we go  to Denali State Park where good views of McKinley occur along the Parks Highway.  We plan to stay in the area as long as it takes to see McKinley?  We were told winter is the best season to see Mt McKinley, I don’t think we’ll stay that long.  Following are pictures from Denali National Park. 

Grizzly Bear and cubs.

Moose.

Ground Squirrls.

Hello from Watson Lake, Yukon at mile 613 of the Alaska Highway.

At Watson Lake is the Sign Post Forest, we didn’t read all 70,000+ signs in the sign post forest, but we did find a Harrisburg, PA sign.  Highlights of the drive from Dawson Creek were Muncho Lake and Liard Hot Springs Provincial Parks.  So far the highway is in excellent condition and we are enjoying our trip.  Following is a  picture of Liard Hot Spring where we took a soak.  The WiFi connection is very slow and I only posted one picture. 

Stranded in Dawson Creek, BC.

Like many headlines this is an exaggeration.  However, it’s true the Alaska Highway was closed for a few days at two locations due to washouts, mudslides, and flooding.  The weather has been partly sunny and warm here for 2 days and we are seeing points of interest in Dawson Creek.  We’re spending 3 nights at the Mile 0 RV park.  The history of the construction of the 1528 mile Alaska Highway in 8 months, in response to the Pearl Harbor attack is interesting.  Since the completion of the road in November 1942, continuous upgrading and repairs are done.  We’ll continue our journey to Alaska tomorrow.  The length of daylight hours in summer in the far north takes some adjustment.  We’re getting better at sleeping in daylight.  On June 21 in Fairbanks, Alaska, which is as far north as we’ll go, sunset is at 12:47 AM and sunrise is at 2:59 AM, and there is no period of darkness.  At Point Barrow, the furthest point north in Alaska, sunrise is on May 11 and sunset is on August 2.   Following are a couple more pictures from the Canadian Rockies and from Dawson Creek. 

                                             Moraine Lake talus slope (reflection).

In Jasper National Park.

At Mile 0 of The Alaska Highway.