Alaska Governor Parnell Doesn’t Want to Protect Polar Bears, For the Sake of Big Oil | Andrew Wetzler. Journey :: Travel Journal - Index of travel journal entries by w. Denali National Park and Preserve - Denali National Park & Prese. Travel Journal - Haines, Alaska, grizzly bears, bald eagles and. Leaving Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, via our Skagway Air flight out of Gustavus and back to Haines, proves every bit as eventful as our trip into the area, but for different reasons. A weather front has settled into the area and we take off eye to eye with ominous skies. It doesn’t take long for us to run into enough turbulence to toss our small plane around like a rag doll. At one point the plane loses altitude so quickly and so drastically that we hit our heads on the ceiling even though we’ve ratcheted our seatbelts down tight.
But we survive the white knuckle trip (honestly, the pilot never even looked very bothered) and find ourselves in Haines once again. If you ever find yourself in Haines (which you should—it’s a charming place, more on that later), we recommend you settle into the Chilkat Eagle B&B. These are not trained performers—no bears on balls or anything horrible like that. But don’t take it from us. Actually, yes. Whittier, Alaska: Fishing with Grandpa, Just for the Halibut - T. One of the highlights of our recent trip to Alaska was going fishing with my dad and son in Prince William Sound.
We chartered a boat through Bread n Butter Charters in Whittier, Alaska, based on a recommendation from an avid fisherman who lives next door to my friend, Susanne, in Anchorage. He told Susanne that Bread n Butter would not disappoint us, and he was right. We got up at 3:45 am to drive down to Whittier so we wouldn't miss our 7 am launch. Fortunately, it was light outside, so it didn't seem as early as it actually was. When my dad says we're leaving at 4:15, by golly, we are leaving at 4:15.
We ended up driving Apollo 14 Astronaut Edgar Mitchell to the airport on our way out. Dr. The reason for the early rise was that we had to catch the Whittier Tunnel opening by 6:30 am, or we might miss the boat. The tunnel was carved out by the Army, to connect their former secret military installation there to the main road for supplies. And it was. Me too, Alex. --Henry David Thoreau. Alaska Native Heritage Center: A Walk in the Woods - The Silent. We had the opportunity to attend a banquet at the Alaska Native Heritage Center while we were in Alaska, as part of Frank's EIPBN Conference. It is a very special place, with living exhibits of Native life in each of the five cultural groupings that are indigenous to Alaska.
There are actually eleven distinct groups, but the Native Heritage Center has them grouped into five, based on linguistic similarities and geographic location. Within the five groups, there are many distinct languages and cultures. At the Center, the main building housing exhibits is situated on a lovely, small lake. I think I went the wrong direction, because I arrived late and went left to go clockwise around the lake. There was a large set of whale bones in front of the Eyak lodge. The Ulax Long Hut shown above is typical of the Unangax people who live in the southwest islands of Alaska. The Athabascan people live in Alaska's interior. I enjoyed my walk around the lake and seeing the native dwellings. The Anchorage Museum: A Great Place for Kids of All Ages - The S. During our trip to Anchorage last week, we spent an afternoon exploring the Anchorage Museum, a modern, glass and chrome structure in the heart of downtown Anchorage. We had the rare treat of having both of Alex's grandmas along to see what the museum had to offer, along with Alex and myself.
It was a wonderful place for kids and adults alike, with a collection of exhibits on history, science, and art. It was like MoMA, the Smithsonian, and the Tech Museum all rolled into one. This is one place I highly recommend for visitors to Anchorage. The museum opened in 1968, and expanded through the 1990's with an infusion of oil revenues. Alex particularly enjoyed the Imaginarium Discovery Center, a hands-on science exhibit on the first floor that introduces kids to physics, biology, and technology. We started out looking at a Rube Goldberg-like contraption of balls, chutes, and wheels that was mesmerizing. Grandma Jeanie got into the act with the hand-held bubble makers. Denali National Park: Where the Wild Things Are. It seemed as though it took days for us to finally arrive at Denali National Park from Anchorage, even though our excursions through Wasilla and Talkeetna only lasted a couple of hours.
It's about a 6 hour drive from Anchorage to Denali, but if you stop to stare at scenic beauty and have snacks in cute towns every few miles, it takes quite a bit longer. At any rate, we made it to the Denali Bluffs Hotel by 10:00 pm. Due to the far north setting, the sun was nowhere near setting, so we felt like we were right on time. Or maybe it was 8:00 pm. Or 1:00 am. The next morning or later that night, or whatever, we got up and boarded a converted school bus run by Tundra Wilderness Tours, to take a ride through Denali National Park.
Our bus was half-filled with people staying in our hotel, who were all instructed to sit on the left side of the bus. Just as we pulled into the park, our guide, John, spotted a moose mother (cow) and baby (calf) by a stream by the side of the road. Surprise Glacier in Chugach National Forest. Now We're Talking: Talkeetna. We ventured off the main Parks Highway to check out Talkeetna, Alaska, population 1,064, plus a busload or two of tourists. If you were charmed by the 1990's television show Northern Exposure , Talkeetna would be right up your alley. In fact, the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska was supposedly based on Talkeetna, although the show was actually filmed in Washington State. The resemblance between the two was unmistakeable. Frank insisted on having lunch at the historic Talkeetna Roadhouse, built in 1914. The Roadhouse was originally a stopping place for miners working in the Alaskan gold mines, but of late has become a respite for mountain climbers taking on various nearby peaks, cruise ship denizens who take the Alaska Railway train to see a bit of the interior country, and tourist families like ours.
Most of the other diners were tourists like us, with a heavy sprinkling of wiry, scruffy dudes with long hair who looked like they hadn't seen a bar of soap in weeks. Native Dancers at the Alaska Native Heritage Center - The Silent. You Say McKinley, I say Denali. We left Wasilla after a brief stop for provisions and headed down the Parks Highway toward Denali National Park. I was impressed by the mountains that seemed to surround us on all sides, stretching out as far as the eye could see. We decided to take a short detour to Talkeetna, about 15 miles off the main highway. Alex and I were happily snoozing while Frank drove on toward our destination.
All of a sudden, Frank yelled, "McKinley! " and veered off the road to a scenic overlook. I woke up with a start, thinking he was avoiding a moose or a bear or a Hell's Angel. I looked around and didn't see any wildlife, so I quickly figured out that the elusive Mt. The Mountain Formerly Currently Known as McKinley is that tallest peak in North America at 20,320 feet.
It's hard to describe seeing the mountain emerge in the distance, since most of the time it is shrouded by cloud cover. Mmmm...Alaskan seafood. Pasties -- Alaskan Style. What's in Wasilla? After spending the morning hanging out in Anchorage with my friend, Susanne, we loaded up the rental car to head to Denali National Park, via Wasilla and Talkeetna. We were meeting up with Frank's stepmom, Chris, and her sister Ruth and Ruth's husband, Ralph, for a day tour of the national park.
The trip from Anchorage to Denali is about 250 miles on the two-lane Parks Highway. The Highway (Alaska 3), runs right through Wasilla, the town most famous for being the headquarters of the Iditarod and hometown of Sarah Palin. Longtime readers of this blog know that I am not a Palin fan, but I was curious to see what exactly was in Wasilla, perhaps looking for some explanation for why Palin is so unique. Susanne warned us in advance that there is not much to see in Wasilla.
We made it to Wasilla in about an hour, and what the town lacks in architectural charm, it makes up for in spades by the surrounding natural beauty. Anchored Down in Anchorage. Our first morning in Anchorage came far too quickly. We didn't get to bed until almost 2 am, but sleeping until 8 am seemed like we were waking up at noon. The weather was gorgeous, and the first days of 70 degree weather seemed to make the residents a little giddy.
We met up with my dear friend from law school, Susanne, a resident of Anchorage since we graduated in 1987. Susanne married a local man and has worked for the Alaska Judiciary and courts since we graduated. It is always great to see her, though our visits are too few and far between. As a local, Susanne advised us on what to do and see while we're here, and full of information about the area. We walked from the Hilton a few blocks to the Snow City Cafe. The Cafe was crowded, and the crowd had spilled out onto the sidewalk. Just down the block from the Cafe, we found a viewing platform with a large statue of Captain Cook, famed 18th explorer who made his way to Alaska from Britain. North to Alaska. In case the last couple of pictures weren't enough of a clue, we've headed north to Alaska for the week.
Frank is chairing a technical conference in Anchorage, so we decided to make the trip a family affair. My parents are coming from Ohio, along with Frank's stepmom, Chris from Indiana, and her sister Ruth and husband Ralph from Michigan. We traveled with Chris, Ruth, and Ralph on another adventure involving bears on our trip to Churchill, Manitoba, to see polar bears in 2002. Frank had to leave early, so Alex and I caught an Alaska Air flight after school and work from San Francisco to Seattle, with a connection on to Anchorage. Alex asked if he could meet the pilot, and they obliged, showing him the hundreds of buttons, lights, and knobs on the control panel prior to take-off. We landed in Anchorage at 1:00 am, and as we descended, the fellow across the aisle from us exclaimed, "Look! Flying at odd hours, you don't get much in the way of food on these flights. Midnight in Anchorage. Prince William Sound Cruises: 26 Glacier Cruise | Phillips Cruis. Chugach National Park: Ice, Ice, Baby.
On our final day in Alaska, we had the opportunity to take the 26 Glaciers Cruise out of Whittier. This was a special excursion for the people attending Frank's EIPBN Conference, and there were some special buses chartered for the attendees to drive them down to Whittier. We opted for the van, so for the second day in a row, we headed down to Whittier from Anchorage. This time, there was a line of traffic waiting to go through the Whittier Tunnel, so the experience was quite different than being the sole car through the day, as we were on our fishing trip.
It was pouring rain in Whittier, and it didn't look good for our glacier viewing extravaganza. Nonetheless, we boarded the double-decker catamaran Klondike Express with high hopes of seeing some cool glaciers in action on our trip. Since Frank was in charge of booking the tour, he scored the best seats in the house on the top floor in the front of the boat for our various family members.