Hatcher Pass (08-06-14)

We made a short overnight stop in Anchorage again on our way north.  Aside from a leisurely brunch with Tony and Marguerite, we spent a stressful day dealing with eyeglasses.  I had had a tough two days- a splitting headache that wouldn't quit, and then I dropped both my new camera and my glasses.  The camera survived fine, the glasses didn't. 

There are numerous scratches in my field of vision. I thought I was so smart, bringing Paul’s spare glasses, just in case ( he being the driver and all), but I figured the chances of my breaking my glasses was slim, so I didn't bring my spares.  Mistake! 

So, off to Costco we went.  They were awesome, but can’t get me new glasses for two weeks.  So, off to Lenscrafter, who could get me glasses in an hour, at more than twice the price of Costco, but if I want anti-reflective, which I do, its a special order and takes 10 days. Apparently anti-reflective is not available anywhere in the state of Alaska. 

Ugh.  Back to Costco. Since we don’t plan to be in Anchorage for 2 weeks, the woman offered to hold the glasses when they arrive until I tell them where to ship them.  Awesome!  Love Costco customer service!

We were now free to leave  Anchorage, and we zigged over to Hatcher Pass, a scenic road that passes by Independence Mine, a historic landmark.

This is one of those wonderful scenic drives that everyone says to make sure you drive on a clear day.  We didn't have time to wait.

Only the first few miles are paved-It soon turns into a windy dirt road that we wouldn't have wanted to tow our trailer on.

The weather actually did eventually clear somewhat and the views were pretty spectacular.  We took the guided tour of Independence mine, which does not include a trip into the actual mine itself. Independence was a mine that operated during the 1930s and 1940s. In it’s heyday, 200 workers lived and worked in this small village.

After World War II, the price of gold was controlled by the government and the extraction costs were too high to keep the mine open.  Eventually the land and buildings were sold to the state of Alaska.

I always wanted to see what gold looks like when its embedded in quartz, just so when Paul and I are hiking in gold laden areas we know what to look for!

Many of the side roads in Alaska have numerous places to pull off and spend the night. We found a good one on Hatcher Pass and had a creek side campsite all to ourselves.






While sitting around the campfire for the last few days, we've been putting together our “exit strategy” for Alaska.  Many of the campgrounds close at the end of August, when the weather here starts to change. It’s hard to believe the summer is almost over!

Anchorage- A Fly By Visit (07-27-14)

It would be nice if Alaska was laid out so we could visit it in a nice neat loop, but that isn’t the case.  We didn’t have time to visit the west side of the Kenai Peninsula before our visit to Denali, so we came back south through Anchorage after Denali.

We had called our friend Tony and made arrangements to get together. The weather cooperated so we headed to Flattop mountain to hike to the top, where there are stunning views of the surrounding area.

Part way up the hill, we moved into the clouds.  If you look carefully you can Paul and Tony in this picture.

The last part of this 4 mile round trip trail is rock scrambling.

A couple of hours later we, along with about 50 other people, had made it to the top.  This is one of the most popular trails in Alaska.

After giving Tony a hard time about the lack of view- is Anchorage really there if we can’t see it?- the clouds parted long enough for us to see why people climb this mountain.  Beautiful!

The view didn't last long- by the time we were headed down, we couldn't see more than about 50 feet ahead.  Still, it was a perfect day for a hike- great temperature and no rain!

We made it down the mountain in time to get to the roof of Tony’s office building to see the Thunderbirds perform during the Arctic Thunder Air Show.
Once the show was over, we headed out to dinner to replace all the calories we had used up!






After another night at our favorite Cabela’s parking spot, we hit the road early for the Kenai Peninsula.

Driving from McCarthy to Seward (07-05-14)

After leaving McCarthy Road, we headed towards Anchorage with the intention of driving down the Kenai peninsula to Seward for July 4th.   We've gotten into a loose habit of several days of leisurely travel followed by a few days of staying put in one area.  We knew it would take a few days to get to Seward- we never just drive- we are always exploring along the way.

Our first stop was an outdoor museum in the very small town of Chickaloon.  Someone puts a lot of effort into this place.  With coal mining equipment and restored buildings, it tells the story about the boom and bust of this area. In 1916, when the U.S. Navy found out there was coal here, they paid to have 25 buildings and pieces of machinery built that were necessary for the coal to be extracted and shipped to be used to power their fleet of vessels.  The town prospered. 

Six months after the last building was finished and operational, the Navy decided the coal wasn’t of sufficient quality, and shut down operations.  The town went bust. That happened a lot back then- whether the boom was coal, silver, or gold related, towns came and went it seems, in the blink of an eye.  The town still exists- population: 236

Our next stop was Anchorage, supposedly for a quick shopping stop before heading to Seward.  We had decided we need a better pair of binoculars so we spent the morning looking. It was here that we started hearing stories about the craziness in Seward. We discovered that Seward is the place to be for the 4th, and that in fact, people were paying $20 a night to park in someone’s driveway due to the lack of room.  Oops. We have no reservations.

And that’s how we ended up spending two nights in a Cabela’s parking lot.  It was actually our first time spending the night in a store parking lot.  The first night almost scared us off, with our neighbors partying and playing football in the parking lot until midnight.  But then, it was the 4th of July! The second night was much quieter.

We could have driven downtown for the fireworks (if you know Paul, you know he loves fireworks!!). But the fireworks are done at midnight, and this is what the sky looked like at 1145 PM.  Um, the sun was pretty much still out.  The locals say they have the best fireworks you've ever heard. Hmmm. We decided it wasn't worth braving the crowds.

The next day we did buy some binoculars (not from Cabela’s though). We found a store with an employee who really knew his stuff so we bought a pair of  cheap  inexpensive reasonably priced excellent quality binoculars.  Waterproof, drop proof, lifetime guarantee- Zeiss.

We also decided that if we could get a reservation in Seward for the following 3 days, we would go, and if we couldn't, it was fate, and we’d skip it altogether.  The following day was Sunday, so our chances were better. The first place I called said “no problem” so off we went.

The drive took us around Turnagain Arm (an inlet). This area is home to 20 some odd glaciers.  Amazing, and beautiful.

There are plenty of informative turn-outs and even a visitor center on this stretch of road.  This turn-out describes Beluga whales, which are common in this area, and how to spot them in the water.

There’s a side trip to the small town of Whittier that we decided not to take.  We would have gone through a very unique tunnel to get there.  Instead of spending millions to build a second tunnel, cars and trains take turns driving through the Whittier tunnel, and travel is one directional, so everyone has to have some patience.  It would have been fun, but maybe some other time. Paul consoled himself with pretending to be a train in the tunnel that we did go through.

This area is also known for it’s bore tide- where the tide comes in on a wave.  The height of this tidal bore varies, but it can be 6 feet tall. The day we sat and waited for it (actually on the way back to Anchorage from Seward) it was a no- show.  Maybe some other time.

Our last stop before getting to Seward was the small town of Hope, Alaska. Hope’s boom to bust story is due to the gold rush.  Gold was discovered here in 1888 and Hope became one of the largest towns in Alaska.  Once the gold played out, most people left.  The town population now is 132 or so.

This is yet another town that has done a great job refurbishing old buildings so the town’s history can be remembered and shared. 

Not every place that we explore is “Awesome” but each little place has something to teach and helps me to better piece together the history of the places we visit.