From Valdez to Haines

Scenery along our journey has been fantastic, beautiful and inspiring. New friends we have met along the way have been equally as fantastic. We added Jay and Tara Yunker to our friends list. Former Wisconsin residents now Alaskans and living in Valdez. Tara's sister is Maggie's vet back in Wisconsin. They welcomed us into their life with fishing and a guided tour of Mineral Creek canyon. We challenged the rocky canyon trail with their electric golf cart "Bumble Bee." We ran a little low on juice and had to push the "Bee" up a few hills but the adventure was way worth it. Four "North of 8" folks had lots of laughs about the "Bee."

Tara showed us where to pick wild blueberries near Thompson pass. We ate lots of them before the bears did. They are busy fattening up on salmon down by the ocean.

We want to return to Valdez, pan for gold to help pay for Jay's new boat when he gets one. Gold mining and fishing in Valdez, I can dream, can't I. Thank you, Yunkers, for the great memories!! Come see us if you ever end up back in Wisconsin - North of 8!

Lorraine says "we need to come back with a bigger lens on our camera."  I checked the SD card in the camera this morning and she has used 21g on the 32g SD card. She is closing in on 7,000 pictures. That is not a miss print.

Valdez to Tok then Kluane lake and now parked in Haines - our drive has taken us through beautiful country. Fall is slowly descending on Alaska and the Yukon. The Fireweed blossoms have died out, a sure sign of the end of summer. Trees are starting to change color giving us a sneak preview of what is coming. Life on the road is still an adventure. When we start out in the morning and we never know where we will end the day.  We are getting good at boondocking and camping without electricity. Thanks to Bob Keller who loaned us a small Honda generator to our arsenal of camping gear. Fire up the "Genny", make a pot of coffee and down the road we go. Maggie the third member of the "Three Amigos" is doing great. 

We have been "North of 60" for awhile now but that will change soon.

We are headed to Juneau on Saturday. Taking a ferry down that way hoping to see more Humpback whales. We spotted a Humpback whale near Homer and two of them near Valdez.

Maggie doesn't know it yet but she is spending Saturday with a Russian woman named Ivanka (she is the "I Do Paws" lady) in Haines.

We will be in Haines until Sunday then head towards B.C. There are more sights to see down that way. And how can you beat this already! But it can! What a place to be, it never ends. Then into the "lower 48." Maybe by mid-September we will be back in Wisconsin, maybe!

"Happy Trails to you until we meet again"!

Bob and Lorraine (the one Maggie loves best!)

Columbia Glacier  and ice fields - what a sight!

Jay with his 2 beautiful silver salmon!

Tara, Jay and Bob with the "Bee" and lunch - subs are delicious!

Beautiful falls and 2 happy campers at Mineral Creek Canyon.

View of Kluane Lake at campsite in Congdon Creek Park, Yukon.

Fall colors displayed on the mountains - gorgeous scenery.

Arrived at Valdez about noon today

The road to Valdez is spectacular.  Camped at Bear Paw campground right next to the harbor check out the pictures
We will be here for a few days.

Worthington Glacier - on the road to Valdez

Bridal Veil Falls

Valdez Harbor (where we are camped for the night)

Kalutna river last night

Backed right up to the river a few miles from Glennallen AK.. Met 2 nice guys from New Hampshire who were camped there and fishing salmon.  Father and son both named John. They gave us a red salmon fillet and directions on how to cook it. Salmon now resides in our freezer for a later meal.

Mt. Alyeska

We camped in the Mt. Alyeska parking lot after leaving Homer. We rode the tram to the top and had lunch.It only took us three years to get to the top! What a view! And lunch was great.
We even got a triple discount.  Lorraine had a coupon for 1 free ride and we got a discount for being over 60 and another for being over 70. Sometimes it pays to grow old!
Yikes! !!!

Maggie loves me best!

Brunch in Homer with new friends

Lorraine, Marty, Rod, Amanda (and baby daughter), Jax, Luke, Kevin, Kari. All Alaskans and all originally from WI, Cumberland, Madison and Chetek except Lorraine and Kari. Kari and Kevin welcomed us into their home for a delicious Sunday meal. We camped next to Rod and Marty on the Homer spit. Kari would not have us leave until we had a trip to her garden - fresh Kale, Swiss Chard, lettuce, potatoes (even a few purple potatoes), carrots, broccoli, tomatoes and beets - WOW, filled our frig! Such great people!

Kevin and Kari's place overlooking the Kenai mountains across from the Homer spit - beautiful views. The Homer spit is the second largest spit in the world.

Seldovia

Seldovia

We took a boat out to one of our favorite villages. Seldovia is about 1 hour by boat
west of Homer a neat little fishing village. We had lunch and walked around. No roads reach this place either a small airplane or a boat will get you here. This was the main fishing port in the area until the road made it's way to Homer.

Deadliest Catch fans

Look what we found in the Homer harbor.  Rumor has it that the ex owner /captain
Elliot was seen wandering around town.
The Saga is one of the crab boats on the show Deadliest Catch. Dave check it out.

Homer the end of the road

We went halibut fishing today and look what we caught. We just got back from the fish processing center and frozen halibut fillets will be delivered to Dan and Lisa next Tuesday. We expect to pick all of then up when we get home as long as Joey and Noah keep their hands off of them.

Headed out to Seldovia by boat tomorrow. That is even farther west from here. We are now way past the Hawaiian islands. It is the end of the road here so we might start to head home. That will probably take another month. More to do up here yet.

                                            Almost surrounded by mountains even here.

 Met two new friends today Annie and Nate from Alaska. He caught the biggest fish on the boat about 55 lbs. That's what Lorraine thought we had on but no they were considerably smaller.

Just a few dollars

Homer

We hit the Salty Dawg to celebrate our arrival in Homer. We are camped  right on the spit $15/night.  We left a dollar bill stuck to the wall with our names and date. There were just a couple of other dollar bills on the wall

Seward

Our second night here then on to Homer in the morning and the end of the road.
This is the Coast Guard ship Healy the biggest and most up to date ice breaker and research ship in the USA.
Last winter she made in to the north pole unassisted.  Seward is the ships home port

This was in a shop widow here in Seward

One turn of the steering wheel

After 3 days of sitting in the rain at Talkeetna we gave up hope of seeing Denali or landing on a glacier. This was definitely a bucket list adventure item.
Monday morning we had decided to head out to the Kenai peninsula and give up on seeing Denali, the highest mountain in North America. We stopped at the intersection of the airport and the south bound highway. OK let's take one last check on a flight. Skye the girl in the Sheldon office said they might be able to fly about 10 a.m. so we decided to hang around. Yep, Skye is her real first name. Holly Sheldon, Don Sheldon's daughter came into the office and asked why we choose them for our flight.
I replied because of Don Sheldon. You can find out about him just goggle his name.
We squeezed into the Cessna 185. I got to ride as the co-pilot. Because of my flying experience I could help him spot aircraft. They had pulled the co-pilots yoke(steering wheel) so I couldn't get us into trouble, I guess. We toured around the area towards Denali and and from 9,000 feet we coud see the mountain. Descending down through mist and clouds we tried to fly up the Eldridge Glacier but it was socked in.
We continued on to the Ruth Glacier. Flying up the glacier we had granite walls on both sides of us.
Light rain and flat light was a challenge but our pilot made a great landing. We bounced and slid to a stop at 6,000 ft and on top of 4,000 ft of ice.
We spent about 25 minutes walking around and taking pictures in the rain. Climbed back into the 185 and down the glacier we went. The engine at that altitude develops about half the horse power but the glacier falls away at 500 ft per minute. Bob.

Yes, what a thrill of a lifetime we had just experienced! I would have given my eye teeth to do this and I would also do it in the rain if I had to again. You can't imagine the beauty of nature when you see it at 6,000 feet. If I sound mushy - I am. It almost brings tears to my eyes when I think about those few hours of flight. Denali is such a mystery to me as it has alluded us 3 years ago and again this time - but not by air! So beautiful and only the 1/3 of the top!
Also met some wonderful people, David and Holly, owners and daughter of Don Sheldon Skye, the receptionist, Jock, the pilot - he was so interesting to listen to as he described what we were seeing; Tilly, the young granddaughter of Don Sheldon, who was Bob's hero in a lot of ways. And then, there was Daishi Sato, a young photographer from Japan. We took to him instantly as he was such a personable young man who has such an adventurous life. I believe a young man who is living his dream. And Daishi, if you see this - we truly send our best wishes to you on your journey through life - you have the right idea and would love to meet you again sometime soon.
"We will see you down the road somewhere."

Denali we did it a dream come true.

                                            Denali on the left the south peak on the right

Lorraine and Daishi

                                                                         Denali 20,310 ft

Bob, Lorraine and Tilly, Don Sheldons granddaughter 

Flying out of Ruth glacier

Our ride a Cessna 185 with 4 of us and the pilot

A turbo beaver about to touch down near us

Bob and Daishi

Roadhouse

Old Talkeetna air strip

Joel and I landed on this air strip in town in 1992

Good pasty

Inside

Roadhouse

no room at denali

We couldn't get a camping spot at Denali so we pushed on to Talkeetna and found a spot here. Near town back in the woods next to the Susitna river. We split a pasty and washed clothes at this road house. Joel Strate and I stayed here 24 years ago and it is still the same. Really old and rough. It's a hang out for climbers and locals. Rain, rain, rain for the next few days. We are waiting to catch a flight and land on a Denali glacier, maybe. The weather is an issue.

denali

Headed for Denali tomorrow no reservations just trusting to luck. 

old neighbors

We had breakfast in Fairbanks  with Barb and Jim Nelson.  ex neighbors on Dueholm drive. they have been full time on the road for 3 years

scary

Alaska pipeline

Alaska pipeline just north of fairbanks

The 3 amigos at Delta Junction the end of the Alaskan Highway

Finally, moose

Chicken AK

Welcome to the town of Chicken AK

Panning for gold

ferry crossing

crossing the yukon river on the ferry with our truck and camper.  wild ride

walmart parking lot fairbanks

dawson city

next to the yukon river across from dawson city