North and South Dakota

Corn Palace in ND

Crazy Horse Monument In SD

Burning Hills Amphitheater in Medora, ND

Prarie dogs in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

In North Dakota we had a great time at the Medora Musical. Now they have a big dinner, the Pitchfork Fondue before the show. It was all nice -- eating out with warm breezes, seeing the show under the stars and moonlight. Fun.

We know that South Dakota isn't really on the way home, but we wanted to return to see the amazing Crazy Horse Monument that we saw last time we passed this way. It is coming along! Now they have built a new Indian museum, a large gift shop and have paved a great driveway and parking lot. If you have time, goggle this! It's very cool.

Today we stopped at the Mitchell Corn Palace ( the only corn palace in the world!) in Mitchell, SD. Ever year they change the design. Our artist friends would love this.

On our ride today we saw miles of sunflowers -- so pretty but, alas, no more mountains!

Steve and I are in the Mitchell Library to check our email. Nice library here! Central Time Zone today!!

In Medora, North Dakota

Our computer isn't working, but we are in gift shop in Medora. Three computers are set up for custumers to use. The campground lady told us about this!

This afternoon we are going to revisit Teddy Roosevelt National Park, and then tonight we are attending the Medora Musical that we raved about the last time we were here. The show is an extravaganza in the Burning Hills Amphitheater. Cowboys and cowwomen ride horses over the hills right onto the huge raised stage. The show includes hundreds of actors. The audience includes several thousands of people. They serve a big steak supper before the show; we are going to try that as well!

It's hot here, and we are enjoying the heat. Now we are wearing shorts each day. Feels funny after the cold weather up North.

We are wending our way home but are stopping at interesting places on the way. If we plan well, we may be able to make it home for another lobster roll at the Pound. Steve misses his onion rings and, of course, we both miss family and friends.

At some point we may be in a welcome center or someplace where we can catch up on some of the pictures that we have taken. We have hundreds. Everyplace has been so interesting!

We will try to be in touch...

Banff

Photos From Glacier

We had an amazing time in Jasper and Bnaff Nantional Parks. Actually, Steve and I had written a journel each day, but now that our computer is having issues, we can't access our daily journels. Maybe at some point we can.

We also have been to Glacier National Park here in Montana. It's still beautiful, but the galciers are melting. Really.

Computer Crisis!

8/28
We are in the visitor center in Great Falls, Montana. Our laptop is having an identy crisis and we're using theirs in the visitor's center. Perhaps we can send some photos although we don't want to hog the one computer they have!

Rocky Mountain High!

We have seen deer, stone sheep, caribou, Canada geese, snow geese, golden eagles, and 60 bison!

Beautiful British Cloumbia!

We don't need to write anything tonight. Look at what Steve and I saw today as we rode for more than 200 miles in the Northern Canadian Rockies!

Fairbanks

We have left Alaska...

Aug 20,

Left Fairbanks this sparkling morning while temps were still in the 40s. Think that’s cold? When we woke up, the thermometer read 37 degrees. Glad we have our electric blanket to keep us warm. It’s getting cold. Think it is time to head on home...

The ride from Fairbanks to Tot today was magnificent as we followed the Alaskan Range. Alaska’s scenery never fails to impress us. This ride was new to us since when we drove in, we didn’t drive up to Fairbanks. Once we got to Tot, we started to recognize places.
The Native people had it right when they named this state "Alyeska," the Great Land. It is.
Tonight we are in Destruction Bay, Yukon Territories on Kulane Lake surrounded by mountains. Spectacular!

Aug 21,

Last night we didn’t have Internet and may not for a few night now that we are traveling through Canada.

Today we drove a lot, but we made a few stops and saw some surprises and some little adventures. One was the Lady of the way Catholic Mission Church that is made from a Quonset Hut. It was open for people to stop so we did. You can imagine how intimate it is. The stations of the cross are just tiles; along side those are stations of the cross that children have drawn and colored. Charming.

We had small pleasures today -- we found a bakery that had such tasty goodies that after we ate what we purchased, I went back in and bought a few more cheese bread sticks and cookies for the road. We got a few good pictures of a deer on the side of the road. Stopped at the Kluane national Park Visitor’s Center and watched a video. Talked with some nice people. Mostly today we drove by monster mountains and read Shipping News, a book that we have wanted to read for a long time.

Tonight we are staying in Watson Lake, Yukon Territories.

We may not be able to write for a few nights since we will be in Bristish Coumbia where the campgrounds are realy remote!　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

Aug 19,

First thing Steve did today was to wash his truck. Yesterday that Dalton Highway sure muddied it!

When he got back, we set off to explore Fairbanks, Alaska’s second largest city. When you see it, you realize how few people live in Alaska. The city seems to be behind most American cities by about 40 years. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way either. Log cabins are still used right in the city. This is such a small city you can actually email for a greeter, a volunteer who will meet with you when you arrive to share information about Fairbanks. I think that is nice.
　
We nixed the idea of going to the El Dorado Mine tour and train ride, and we decided to skip the river boat cruise that takes visitors to a native fish camp and to a dog sled exhibition. We stated our day by buying homemade bread at the Tanana Valley Farmers’ Market. We bought a lot of vegetables, too.

They we hit pay dirt ( a mining expression!) when we found the Fairbanks’ Ice Museum. Charles Kuralt from the old "Sunday Morning" would have loved this place! Picture it. First, we are greeted by a man who we can’t understand because of his Chinese accent. He takes our entrance fee and escorts us to a rundown theater that would make the old Bridgton Magic Lantern look like an IMAX. At this point, we really aren’t expecting much. "Freeze Frame," the presentation, explains the evolution of ice art. It’s also about the Fairbanks’ annual March International Ice-Sculpting Contest. It’s good.

As soon as the movie is completed, the curtains on the sides of the theater rise and fourteen ice sculptures appear in ceiling high refrigerated glass cases. ( The drawn curtains remind me of Epcot’s " American Adventure," but believe me, the entrance, the seats, the building – nothing is big scale like Epcot or even close to it.)

Our greeter invites us to enter the refrigerated glass cases to examine the fantastic sculptures. We see a musher and his dog team, a gold miner panning for gold, dolphins leaping, a realistic snowmobile. All of this is made from ice and is very good.

Finally, our greeter steps behind another case and demonstrates the art of ice carving. Turns out he has won Fairbanks’ International Festival many times. He’s great! When he is finished, he bows, thanks us for coming and invites us back in March for the festival. This may all sound touristy, but since this guy is running his own business and is so good at what he does, we loved it. Besides, it was such a surprise.We weren’t expecting much and we got a gem.

After that, we went to the Alaska Museum of the North, a 42 million dollar building that was just completed in 2005. It’s up on a hill so the views of Fairbanks is wonderful. The building itself is gorgeous. The architect incorporated all the curves, angles and slants that are found in the Alaska landscape. It’s white; I bet it looks great up on that hill in the winter.

We saw a couple interesting films, lots of fantastic exhibits about Alaskan art and culture and a bison that was killed 36,000 years ago by a lion. He was preserved in the permafrost. My favorite exhibit featured the photography of Micho Hoshing. When he was a young student, he went to live with an Eskimo family; that experience changed his life. Now his nature photography is featured in National Geographic, Time and many other publications. When I get home, I am going to do some research on his work. (He writes poetry as well.)

We checked out the university’s botanical garden, too. They do well considering that in three weeks, Fairbanks probably will be buried in snow.

Who is we meet today? A woman who attended a summer camp in Casco when she was a kid. Where did she eat when she was in Maine? The Naples Lobster Pound. Isn’t life funny?
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

Artic Circle

Aug 18,

I woke up dreaming that I was a character in Doctor Zhivago. That tells you something about the temperature – 44 this morning. It seems strange to read that Maine’s temperatures are soaring into the 90s. It was a good dream. Back in our Anchorage campground I made a dream catcher at a craft night they held. It’s working. I don’t have any bad dreams. Then, again, I rarely have bad dreams anyway.

Today we saw two moose while we were driving to Fairbanks. Steve said he guessed they didn’t know that they were supposed to be inside the national park. We saw them just twenty minutes from the park’s entrance.

Everyone is so nice. Steve was hurtling down the road when he spotted them. He pulled over, but by the time he stopped, we were a little distance from them. An Alaskan guy who was driving in front of us wheeled his car right around so he could go back to see them. He opened his car window and asked if we wanted a ride back with him to see the moose. Since a turn around was right ahead, we just turned around. We wound up talking with the guy. As we drove off, he waved and yelled, "Have a great trip!" Isn’t that nice? It is so great meeting such friendly people and seeing animals that you are not expecting to see.

By noon we made Fairbanks and then decided to drive up to the Arctic Circle. That is a long drive on both paved highway and dirt highway. If we had driven just 300 miles more, we would have made Prudhoe Bay! We had had enough driving for one day though.

We drove right along with the pipeline. Recently a wildfire ravaged that area so lots of trees were burned, but the fireweed has already grown.That comes back first after an Alaskan fire. The hills looked colorful with the red of the fireweed.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

Danali

Aug 16,

At 9:00 this morning, Steve and I left Trapper Creek and arrived at Riley Creek in Denali National Park before noon. This camp ground reminds us of Walt Disney World’s campground in the way it is set up for visitors to catch buses. We aren’t in Jack Rabbit Run the way we were in Disney World though; here in Alaska we are staying in Bear Creek. It’s a beautiful campground the way the trees have been left between all the campers. We have lots of room.

Since clouds are covering Mount McKinley today, we already have decided that we will stay for at least two nights. From what we have heard, only 30% of Danali visitors do get to see the mountain. We have our fingers crossed.

When we took a ride as far as we could into the park this afternoon, we did see a grisly. That was exciting.( They don’t allow you to drive into the park for more than 15 miles. If you want to go further, you have to take a bus.) We visited the Visitor’s Center and saw a couple films about the area, about the beginning of the park and about the native people who have lived here for thousands of years. The building is outstanding.

After supper in our camper, Steve and I took another ride into the park. We had a bit of rain at supper time and then a little rain when we took this trip. We were lucky; we saw a rainbow. That’s a good sign, you know.

Aug 17,

This morning at 9:30 Steve and I were boarding a green shuttle bus for a six -hour trip into the park. Our driver was fun and stopped for us to see wildlife and to take pictures. He talked just the right amount, too.

The hairpin turns here remind us of our driving in Yosemite the time Josh and Dan were following in Josh’s car. No guardrails as you drive over the steep drop offs. The scenery, of course, is stunning.

The ride through the park also reminded us of driving in Yellowstone National Park, but we think that Yellowstone seems to have more wildlife. Our driver explained that the bears here don’t get much protein so they are smaller than bears, say, in the lower 48. Theses bears can’t fish because fish can’t live in the glacial water here. The caribou and moose are smaller as well.
Around 300 -350 grizzly bears, 2,000 moose, 2,000 caribou, 2,500 Dall sheep, 75 fox live here, but the park is larger than Massachusetts! This park is over 6 million acres!

We were lucky. We saw a fox that walked right by our stopped bus, a couple caribou and six grizzlies.

We also were lucky that today turned out to be a sunny day! The temperatures dropped to the 40s last night, but climbed to the 60s today. That was good. It was good that we stayed for an additional day, too. Yesterday, the low-hanging clouds would have obscured our views. Today was clear day.

Being the optimist that I can be, I figured that we would see the mountain. Well, I was partially right. Steve and I saw Mount McKinley’s snowy peak, but the rest was hidden in clouds even on a nice day. The mountain is so big at four miles high, it makes its own weather.

If tomorrow turns out to be a sparking day, we will stay another day. If we have any clouds, we will continue our adventure. We’ve been gone for three weeks and are aware that snow will be flying here soon!
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

8/18 - Fairbanks & Beyond

"Another fine mess you've got us in, Ollie!"

That could have been the title of our day Tuesday, but everything worked out just fine.

We were off and running early from Denali and had our camper set up, lunch finished and were ready for an adventure by noon. I've had it in my head for quite some time that I'd like to visit the Arctic Circle, so Bonnie agreed that today would be the day! Silly girl!

It's less that 200 miles each way, says I. We'll be home in four hours, says I.

Well, I forgot to take into consideration that the road was paved less than half the way. The rest was "gravel," although there has been considerable rain, so "mud" might be more appropriate.

So, 8 hours later we made it back, with pictures of us at the sign and of the truck to prove it!

Remember, this IS our Alaska Adventure!

Watson Lake Sign Post - 3

I forgot to post two photos we took at the signpost. Next time I'll be more prepared, but this time I just happened to have a bumper sticker I'd just picked up before the trip at Springer's Store back in Waterford. If you look closely at the big green sign perhaps you can see our contribution.

Portage Glacier

Aug 15,

This morning after I took a few pictures of the fog on and around the mountains by our RV site and took a quick trip to the Seward Internet Café to check our emails and to have hot drinks, Steve and I headed out for Portage where we took the Portage Glacier Tour on Portage Lake, a lake colored milky blue from the glacial silt. The wind blew blustery so we bundled up and headed out. They offer a nice, warm ride downstairs in the boat. Passengers can opt to stand up on the deck to get the best view. We stood on the deck.
Today we saw Byron, Portage, Burns, and Shakespeare Glaciers. ( Don’t you just love the name of the last one!) Alaska has 100,000 glaciers and the Ghugach National Forest where we were, has 10,000! We learned that the Chugach National Forest is the United States second largest national forest. The Tongas, also in Alaska, is the biggest. Boy, this state is vast.
Our landscapes were surreal. At times, the sun peered out; at times, it rained. The clouds hung lower than the mountains and sort of caressed them. Clouds appeared to be necklaces around the necks of the mountains. What an effect.
After our cruise, we drove back up through Anchorage. We drove through Wasilla, too, but we never did see Ms. Palin. She must be busy.
Tonight we are staying at Trapper Creek which is almost to Parks Highway. Right now, the sun is shining, but tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy. Tomorrow our plan was to go to Denali to see Mount McKinley. My dad used to quote poetry. One of the lines he was fond of quoting was, "Into each life some rain must fall." That’s true. Just wish it wouldn’t rain on our day to go to Denali.　
　
　
　
　
　
　

Traveling along...

Aug 13,

After a great breakfast at Anchorage’s Peanut Barn where we saw salmon jumping out the river that runs by the restaurant, we headed to Homer. From Anchorage, Homer is about a four-hour ride.

Our camping arrangement for tonight certainly is inexpensive. For fifteen dollars, we (and about one hundred other people!) are camping on Homer Spit which juts out in the Kachemak Bay for 4.3 miles. The spit is full of boat launches, little shops, a small live summer theater, a few restaurants, an ice cream shop, a bakery and lots of places to buy fish or to charter fishing boats or cruises, but the spit is more than just a tourist destination. It is a working port. As a matter of fact, the town trucks logo says, " Homer, the city that works." The sign that you see as you enter Homer proclaims that Homer is he halibut fishing capital of the world. I have no reason to doubt that.

Today we overheard another visitor say it reminded him of Cape Cod. Well, yes, but they have these big mountains here!

Anyway, picture our camper (and lots of others!) all lined up on a promontory going out to the bay.As I opened the camper door, I saw a fish jumping out of the water. That was right after I took a picture of one of the five eagles we saw this afternoon here.

After we found our spot on the spit, Steve and I headed over to the Alaska Islands and Ocean Fishing Center. This exhibit offers some of the same information that we gained at the Alaska State Museum in Juneau, but this center offers a wealth of information about the Aleutian Islands as well. This is fascinating to me since I couldn’t fill a page with I knew about the Aleutian Islands. Now at least I can write a page! We had a wonderful, informative visit! ( I think Steve was familiar with some of this information because of his science background, but I wasn’t.)

After we left there, we took two walks– one along the trail that links the site to the beach. From there, we were able to see glaciers. It was good to get out for a walk; then we took a another walk along the boardwalk.

We learned an interesting fact today. After the 1964 earthquake, the spit sank 4 to 6 feet. Hope we have good, stable weather tonight since this is where we are sleeping!

The pictures were taken in Anchorageand in Homer.

Aug 14,

It was raining this morning, but that didn’t deter us. Steve and I found a wonderful little bakery where we enjoyed cinnamon muffins and coffee. By the time we got on the road, it was 11:00! I guess we get a little poky in the rain. From what I understand, it isn’t unusual for it to rain here.

Three hours later, we arrived in Seward. Here we are in another city-run "camp ground." I use the term loosely. Really, it is just a big parking lot, but the view is nice on Resurrection Bay. Actually, we have the same view as the cruise ship that is docked right outside! From our door or window, we can see the ship.

Once we got set up, we went downtown and walked around the town which is lovely. It has to be because the cruise ships dock here. We bought some mantles for our Coleman lantern in case we are in a park with no electricity or in case our battery dies. Our big treat today was our visit to the Alaska Sea Life Center, Alaska’s only public aquarium. This aquarium is possible because of the enormous settlement from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Bet that spill cost them a pretty penney. I might have read 56 million. I am not sure.

We also stopped at an Internet café which reminded us of the Mad Monkey. Great young people work there. The coaches were all covered with slipcovers. They had used books on the shelves and lots of magazines around. It was nice, warm, friendly and fun just as the Monkey was. We checked our email and had hot drinks. Funny – the young man who served us is from Rockport, Maine. Is anybody going to be left in New England? Seems that they are all moving to Alaska!

Let me share a few interesting news reports from " The Anchorage Daily News." It publishes an Aurora report! "Today’s activity level: Quiet. Weather permitting, quiet displays will be visible directly overhead from Barrow to Fort Yukon and visible low on the horizon from Fairbanks to as far south as Talkeetna to Whitehorse, Canada."Isn’t that fun.

The top story in "The Anchorage Daily News" was a Soldotna man was charged with a 900 pound brown bear as the man was walking in the woods with his dogs. Luckily, the man had a pistol that he used on the bear. Today we drove through Soldotna. ( Mom, if you are reading this, Steve and I don’t walk in the woods so don’t worry!) When we read the paper, we know we aren’t in Naples, Casco or Waterford. To quote one of my favorite people – not better or worse, just different.:-)
　
　
　
　
　
　

Anchorage

Aug 11,

Sorry for the crazy spacing in the last few entries. I’ll try not to do that again! I thought I could edit it, but I was afraid I would do something wrong and erase what I had written. Usually when I am writing this, I am in a rush. We have so much to do and see that we really try to be quick.

This morning we left Sutton where we stayed last night and drove to Palmer, right in the Matanuska Valley. We stopped at a marvelous museum which has a great deal of information about the Athabascan Native People. I hope I can remember half of what I am learning.
In addition to the information about the native population, the museum has an film about an experiment here in the 1930s when Franklin Roosevelt was President. This experiment was created to help American families who were suffering during the Depression. 203 families from Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota were selected to come to Alaska to carve out the wilderness, make farms and settle the Valley. These folks had to pay five dollars an acre for their land, but they had 30 years to pay their debt. They lived in tents during the first summer months; some lived in tents right into the winter. The government paid for their trip. If they didn’t feel up to the task, the government paid their way back home. Most of the families were young, industrious and sturdy so most stayed, but some left because the hardships were many.
It sounds as if it were an Animal Farm type project. The farmers were supposed to buy their goods from the government, abide by government housing codes, and couldn’t sell in a free market environment. Reminds me of The Jungle. Regardless, the project worked for the most part– partly since the growing season is 100 - 108 days with long hours of sunshine.

After we left the museum, we visited the Matanuska Valley Agricultural Showcase Gardens which, as you can imagine, offers gorgeous plants and flowers. The cone flowers are almost as tall as I am! My flower-loving friends and relatives ( who are many!) would love this.

Now Steve and I are in Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage. Here we don’t feel as if we are far from home except for the Chugach Mountains which border the city. When you look to the mountains, you know you aren’t in Maine. Anchorage has Home Depot, Applebees, Denny’s, Dairy Queen– you name it, they have it, too. It is quite different from the places we have been visiting for the last two weeks.( It is hard to believe, but we have been gone for two weeks!)

Up till now, except for the occasional warm day, our weather has been cool, but today the temperature was 72. Since we aren’t planning on swimming or sitting on a beach, this is fine with us!

Tonight Steve and I ate at Phyllis’s Café and Salmon Bake in downtown Anchorage. We sat outside under an umbrella on the patio. Even though it was 8:30, we wore our sunglasses! Oh, I bet you know what I had for supper....

Aug 12,

This morning we toured about Anchorage. It’s a good sized city – population about 284,000.We stopped in a few shops and then stopped for coffee and a muffin. We ate outside where we watched the people fishing for salmon. How cool – people fishing just a quarter of a mile from the main street of the city!

This afternoon, we went to a Sled Dog Rodeo which might sound like a foolish way to spend the afternoon, but it was fun!

The young woman who is the host is married to Dallas Seavey who is an Iditarod champian. He is also the son of Mitch Seavey, a winner of the race and the grandson of one of the men who started the annual race in 1973.

Dallas’s grandfather saw that snowmobiles were becoming popular and was worried that the sport of racing sled dogs would fall by the wayside. It seems that the Seavey family has mushing in their blood.

We learned today that women have done well in this 1,000 mile race that takes anywhere from 9 to 17 days to complete. One of the young women in today’s show, Hanna Summers from Georgia, is now an Alaskan musher but is too young to compete in the Iditarod. We’ll have to watch for her name in future races! Maybe this strong, athletic, strong, beautiful girl will be a winner! ( For LRHS folks, she is a dead ringer for Sam Allen!)

The history behind the Sled Dog Rodeo? The Seavey family has to feed their dogs; that takes money. Dallas went to one of those jousting medieval shows in Florida and figured they could do the same thing with their dogs in Anchorage so he and his wife put the show together. Turns out, he and his wife are hams. They have the audience cheering for two competing teams – the men against the women. One team is driven by Dallas Seavey; the other is driven by Hannah Summers. Comedy ensues.

When we had dinner last night, we saw where the Iditarod starts right in the middle of the city! They bring in snow and dump it on the streets for the race. The hotels and restaurants are full for the event just as they are in Quebec for their winter carnival. The crowds line the streets cheering on the dogs. The fire siren screams as the dogs head out for Front Street in Nome. I bet that is something to see.