Wednesday, July 31, 2024

July 30


What a day! We were up early early to get on the ferry, but not early enough to arrive before hordes of other passengers. Most of them were folks who had come for a weekend at the fair and they were going home to Juneau, Wrangell or Petersburg. I always think of the ferry as a great way to see the inside passage as a tourist, but it actually serves as everyday transportation for the local residents. 

We got all settled in for our long ride in our palatial accommodation and promptly fell asleep. Woke up and spent most of the day reading. We took a break for lunch in the cafeteria - bowls of chili and chowder with a big salad on the side. Very good! Now that my expectations of ferry food are updated, I’m actually impressed. We spent about an hour in the lounge as the ferry docked in Juneau  but our books were calling to us and the fog outside made scenery watching less than ideal. 

Speaking of fog, it’s been around all day in various forms. Most of it dense. These pictures were taken over a thirty minute period. 



Sandwiches from our little fridge for dinner.

Buenas noches!



Tuesday, July 30, 2024

JULY 29

 It doesn’t take long to see the city of Haines AK. An eclectic selection of homes ranging from mini mansions to run down shacks, a handful of businesses with more than a few sporting “For Sale” signs, the ferry dock, the small boat harbor, and best of all The Bamboo Curtain which I discussed yesterday. 

The main attraction is the scenery and when the mountains are completely shrouded in thick gray clouds it doesn’t take long to see that either. 

In an effort to extend the viewing possibilities, we drove out the ferry road to the very end, passing two large gravel borrow pits, nearly vertical streams of melted snow water, huge clumps of Devil’s Club, a mystery red berry bush, a couple of fishermen, preserved buildings of Fort William H. Seward, the original bridge to nowhere, and some gigantic spruce trees. 

And clouds. Lots of clouds!







Yesterday’s halibut was so good, we had to go back for seconds. We met one of the owners and visited with her about the trials of operating a business with insufficient staff. The business is for sale and we teased her a bit by telling her that we couldn’t make an offer unless we were sure the halibut cook came with the building. She seemed tickled to know we had liked the fish so much. 

We did some shopping for our ocean voyage supplies, repacked some stuff to make establishing our ship board camping a little easier, retrieved some cash from the local ATM, and did a bit of planning for the last few days of our trip. Since I have very limited access to the internet on the ferry, I wanted to take care of everything that was internet dependent before we leave. 

The alarm is set for 5:30AM. 

¡Buenas noches!

Sunday, July 28, 2024

JULY 28

 Just for the record, this is our coolest temperature this trip. Nippy, to say the least. Time to pack up and leave Destruction Bay and go farther south  


When we left, there was actually no fog, but there were clouds. A lot of them. Most of the clouds were sitting right on top of the mountains I wanted to photograph. This is common with very high mountains. They actually make their own weather. At any rate, I had beautiful material to work with: world class mountains and Kluane Lake. Now, if I could only get the clouds to cooperate. Here is the best of the lot. 











The road between Destruction Bay YK and Haines AK has some of the most dramatic scenery we’ve seen this trip. It was a wonderful experience.

However, by the time we reached Haines, I was starving. According to the booking agent I had reserved the last room in Haines so we thought it best to check on that before food. At the registration desk I learned why it was the last room. This weekend was the Southeast Alaska State Fair. 




The woman at the desk suggested we go to  the Bamboo Room for lunch because it was the only restaurant open in town. All the others were participating in the fair. Off we went. 

The place was packed. We finally found a tiny table at the very back of the restaurant. The staff was totally flustered and rightfully so. There were about half enough employees for the crowd on hand. 

After waiting a looong time for a server, I borrowed a menu from the table next to us and we decided what we wanted. The next time the waitress came by, I insisted she sit down and catch her breath while I told her our order. I made it super simple. 1 IPA, 1 Diet Coke and 1 order Halibut Fish and Chips. 

She was back moments later with the drinks and again to bring us water, and again to assure us our plate was coming soon. A few moments later we saw her outside smoking a cigarette. And then she disappeared. Just a short time later another server brought our food. It was delicious!

While we were waiting for our food, we read the story of the restaurant. What a hoot. Over the years the building had served as a hotel, a bar, a gambling establishment, and even a bordello. When the restaurant first opened, the owner hung a bamboo curtain to separate the food service from less savory activities. Who knew Haines had such a rowdy past?!?!


THE HALIBUT WAS FIRST RATE!
And thinking about the cast of characters we saw at the Bamboo Curtain, I doubt seriously we could have seen anything more interesting at the fair. 

I did see our waitress again as we were leaving. They had her tending bar. I gave her a very generous tip. 

We’re having sandwiches and chips for dinner. 

¡Buenas noches!

JULY 27

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom. You are still a very real presence in our lives. Your love of life still inspires all of us who knew you. 


Today, my driver needed a rest. 

So . . . We slept in. Checked on the news. Had cottage cheese and blueberries for breakfast. Philosophized. 

 Watched it rain. Read a bit. Napped. Had a bowl of chowder for lunch. Philosophized. 

Visited the two subdivisions in the area. Took pictures of the lake. 



The school


And the mountains. This is a beautiful place. 



Back at the motel, we read a bit. Napped. Had a cheese and cracker snack. Wondered how this place got such an off putting name. Googled. Found this:


Read a bit more. Watched it rain. Had a sandwich supper. Watched the swallows dance. Philosophized. 

Enough of this resting shtick. Back on the road tomorrow. 

¡Buenas noches!

Friday, July 26, 2024

JULY 26

 First, kudos to Hyde Away B&B in Tok. What a great place to prepare mentally for the next stretch of road that you know is going to be brutal. Robert and Laura, you are the best! Thanks for a good night’s rest and a great breakfast. https://www.google.com/search?q=hyde+away+B%26B+tok+ak&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

We started with raindrops. 


Which quickly cleared.

The scenery was magnificent the whole way. 

Mountains

Water

Clouds


Fireweed



But the road? It was terrible. Especially the Alaskan part. Actually we thought the part in Canada was somewhat better than it was earlier. Stressful!

Glad to arrive in Destruction Bay at the Talbot Arm Motel and Restaurant. 

Called Frosty. He is in Lake Louise. Jasper is burning. 

Dinner: Smoked Salmon, Crackers, Cream Cheese, Huge Salad, Chocolate! 

Thursday, July 25, 2024

 Have you ever spent four hours in a green hallway with a blue ceiling? No? Me neither, but I came close today. 

The Tanana River and it’s tributaries have spent eons carving out the flat valley between North Pole and Tok. 


The spruce, birch, alders and aspen painted the entire area with various shades of green. Engineers cut a hallway through it for the road and God’s sky supplied the high blue ceiling. That’s the road we traveled today. 

For miles there was nothing except tress on both sides and sky above  

And then   . . .

Just a few miles out of Tok we got our first glimpses of the Wrangell St Elias Mountains. 

Closer and closer.


 And then we were in Tok and the mountains were behind us. We are all settled in at the HideAway B&B. 

THANKFUL THURSDAY

Stanley: We are back to Tok. A very eventful and safe trip through south central Alaska. A total circle. We had a review of a former life, visited friends and family. Lesson learned: There is no credit for having lived here. There is no cheap place to stay. Lodging costs a fortune. 

Dona : What a wonderful week this has been. On Friday we went up Hatcher Pass to explore wedding memories. On Saturday a mass of folks showed up to celebrate Sean and Erin. On Sunday, we had the three boys and their families all to ourselves. On Monday, we packed up and had one last good-bye. On Tuesday, we drove to Healy on the most beautiful sunny day imaginable with totally unexpected views of Denali. On  Wednesday we drove to North Pole and visited the world famous Santa Claus House. And now we are headed home. Only 4000 miles to go. 

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

JULY 24


Just 5 months until Christmas Eve. 

We are in North Pole AK in a hotel located on Santa Claus Lane. About three blocks away the world famous Santa Claus House is found at 101 St. Nicholas Drive. 



Inside, the place is sensory overkill. Anything you can imagine being produced with a Christmas feel is on display in at least three size options. The store is ablaze with twinkling lights. The air is filled with the smell of chocolate and cinnamon. Rudolph, the Herald Angels, and Frosty are all singing their theme songs, and every piece of fudge in the candy case is whispering, “Pick me!” 


 I didn’t last long  I made a few purchases, left the fudge right where it was, and escaped before the elves captured me.

The trip between Healy and North Pole was short, uneventful, and a bit of a letdown after yesterday’s spectacular scenery and weather conditions. Today was hazy and mostly flat.

The one thing that has been consistent across Alaska on this trip is the fireweed. All the wildflowers have been beautiful this year, but it has been a banner year for the fireweed.

At mile 355.5 of the Parks Hwy, just as we entered Fairbanks, we reached the most northern point of our trip. The road took a dramatic sweeping turn to the southeast. We are on our way home.  

Gotta finish up the chicken so tonight I’m going to mix it up with some grapes, cherries, lettuce and cheese.