Seward, AK (07-08-14)

Seward is located on the Kenai Peninsula, a couple of hours south of Anchorage.  We just had a couple of days to explore this area so  we had to make decisions on what we wanted to see.








One of the debates I have had is whether I want to go on a sled dog tour.  I have mixed emotions about it, but I decided that sled dogs are definitely a part of Alaska that is unique, and I have loosely followed the Iditarod race over the years, so I am interested in it.


The Iditarod is an annual race that runs from (near) Anchorage to Nome, some 1000 miles away. It takes about 9 days of travel to run the course, and that’s for the winner.  The non-winners take longer. It’s an exhausting, sleep depriving race.  No one is allowed to help the musher with the dogs, so they each have to care for the sled, themselves and all the dogs’ needs.

Each musher starts with 16 dogs, but many are dropped off along the way, for a variety of reasons. All dogs are examined by a vet at each checkpoint for any health issues that may have developed and some dogs just don’t like long distance running.

  In 2013, at age 53, Mitch Seavey was the oldest person to win the Iditarod, and his son Dallas is the youngest ever to win- in 2012 he won at age 25.  He won again in 2014.
 
 



 
 
 
The Seaveys use these summer sled dog tours to both condition and socialize their dogs. Since there is no snow here, the dogs pull a sled that has wheels on it.
 
 
 
 






 

Our guide talked about the history of the races, mushing in general and the dogs themselves. I would have sworn that Alaskan Husky was a breed of dog, but as it turns out, Siberian Husky is a breed, but Alaskan sled dogs are mutts. They are bred to run. Any dog that doesn't love to run is not bred for these races. I think Paul and I got a little queasy at the thought only breeding dogs that want to spend all day running and nothing more.

One of the most famous dog sled trips, known as the Great Race of Mercy, took place in 1925 when an outbreak of diphtheria took place in Nome. It was winter, and no planes had ever flown that trip in the winter, so to get the needed serum there, 20 teams of mushers and over 100 dogs relayed the serum to Nome, each driving about 100 miles.
 

Once the history lesson was done, we moved on to the dog yard.  As soon as we walked into the yard, the noise level intensified as the dogs all began shouting "pick me! Pick me!"

 
 




 
 
16 dogs were harnessed and away we went on our two mile trek. Of course, I expected to hear the word "mush" from the musher, but it turns out thats a myth. They actually say things like "alright" or “hike”  to get the dogs moving. The dogs definitely understood the commands from the musher, even when they were told to turn right, or go straight etc.
 
 
 




 
 
 

After our short trip, they brought us over to meet the latest puppies.  They were cute, but neither of us held one- we just watched as they were passed around.

I’m glad we did it, but now I can definitely file it under “been there, done that”.

It seems I can’t get enough of the wildlife adventures here in Alaska. Paul and I bought a coupon book before coming up here- its called the Alaska Tourbook-and its full of 2 for 1 offers. 

One of the excursions we were interested in is in Seward.  Its a wildlife boat tour, but the 2 for 1 deal is only good on their evening cruise.  Since it stays light forever up here, that’s not a big deal. I particularly wanted to take this cruise because I know that a few days ago, they saw killer whales along the way,  and seeing killer whales is still on my bucket list.





As we pulled away from the harbor, we enjoyed the All You Can Eat prime rib/baked salmon buffet.  It was excellent.








It was a beautiful night, and we were using our new binoculars to check out the eagles and Steller sea lions along the shore, but I was just thinking that we weren’t going to see anything of real interest when the National Park ranger on board called out that there were humpback whales off in the distance. 

The captain was able to approach closer so we could get a good look at them, and soon, something really awesome happened.  We had heard about a phenomenon called Bubble Net Feeding, but it is rare to actually see it.

Bubble net feeding is when a pod of humpback whales work cooperatively to capture fish.  They make a big circle under water, blowing out bubbles as they swim in a circle. The fish think that the bubbles are a net, so they stay in the middle.

The whales tighten the circle and work their way closer to the surface. You can tell where they will surface because the seagulls have figured out how this works and they are waiting for the whales.

The whales shoot straight up out of the water with their mouths wide open, gobbling up the fish.








This pod is just learning this behavior- transient whales have been teaching them how to do this, and both the captain and the park ranger had only seen this phenomenon twice before.

We watched them do it several times before they had had their fill.  The boat was pretty rocky and the sun was shining so it was hard to get good shots of it.

So, even though we didn't see killer whales, the trip was certainly worth taking!

Having moved on from Seward, we are now sitting in Anchorage.  For the first time since we left California, the camper is off the truck.  That’s because Dozer and I are sitting in Anchorage but Paul is in California.  He flew out Thursday morning at 1 AM to attend his nephew’s wedding on Saturday. I’m not fond of driving the truck, but it’s a lot easier for me if the camper isn't on it.





Dozer and I have been very busy since Paul left.  We've done a bunch of cleaning and laundry…..and shopping.

I spent a whole day talking to my friends who are professional photographers, getting their opinion on cameras.  I really like my camera for the most part, but it has some limitations.
  As an example, with no view finder, I had no idea whether the whales I was shooting were actually in the frame or not.  Same with the eagles.  I have to guess, and hope my aim is accurate. The LCD screen is pretty much impossible to see in broad daylight. (see what a good job I am doing of justifying this purchase??). And my pictures of mountains!  Really- they are so washed out because I can’t put a filter on this camera!

 OK, enough justifying.  The reality is, when originally I bought this camera, I almost bought a DSLR for the above reasons, but I ended up with my very nice Panasonic Lumix DMC ZS20 digital camera.

After a lot of discussion with my friends (thanks Carol and Wayne!!) I ordered a new camera. My Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 arrives on Monday and I am really looking forward to testing it out!  It isn't really a DSLR, because to get a decent DSLR, I was looking at an investment of about $1400 and I just don’t take enough time playing with pictures to warrant that expense. 

The Sun and the Sea (02-08-13)

Our stay in the Florida Keys is drawing to a close.  We have one more week before we start the (very) slow trek northward.  Our month here has had a completely different feel to it than our everyday life. It’s really felt more like a vacation than anywhere else has felt.  I am sure it has a lot to do with the ocean, the warmth, and that sense of “island time”.  I would love to come back again next winter, but odds are, that’s not going to happen- for several reasons.  First, our Jell-o plan is to head across Canada, from east to west, dipping down into the U.S. whenever we want to, or feel we need to.  That will leave us on, or near the west coast next autumn.  Although I suppose we could run all the way back here, it doesn’t make any sense to do that.  When you add to that the cost of staying in the Keys, which is more than double the highest rate (for a month stay) that we’ve paid anywhere else, now it really makes no sense.  We knew when we came here that it was a treat that wouldn’t be repeated anytime soon. Unless we win the lottery, of course.  Anyway, although it’s been great, there is much more to do when we spend the winter Arizona.

I got my new camera back from Panasonic- it works perfect now, and was covered under warranty.  I haven’t used it much because most of my pictures have been taken out on the water, and although I bring my phone, for emergency purposes, I don’t bring a camera on the ocean.  It can get pretty rough, pretty fast, and  salt water doesn’t mix too well with electronics.

     We have finally gotten to put the dinghy in, and have spent 3 days out on the water, exploring different keys.  The only snorkeling I did was “cheater” snorkeling- sticking my mask and snorkel adorned head over the side of the dinghy.  Not graceful, by any means.

On nearby Duck Key numerous multi-million dollar homes line the beautiful canals that wind their way through the island. We had ridden our bikes all through this key, so it was interesting to see the homes from the water too.

Some of the homes face the bay, instead of the canal.  Prices start at 1.9 million.  Anyone interesting in splitting a house with us? Ha!

The keys aren’t known for their beaches, which became very evident when it took us three days to discover this tiny little beach.  By the time we did, it was late in the day and getting too cool to go for a swim.  Of course, when we get hot, we can just jump in the water, but “jumping” back in the boat is not that easy for me anymore!

For the last few days we’ve been following the Nor'easter that found it’s way to Boston. Anytime there is a snow storm of this magnitude, it reminds many New Englanders of the great “Blizzard of ‘78”.  That storm was one of those “moments in time” that everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing. 

These pictures of 1978 are of Rte 128, one of the major 4 lane highways outside of Boston.  I was on this road, driving home from college, less than 2 hours before this happened. A little later, and I wouldn’t have made it home for 3 days.  Thousands of people abandoned their cars, and sadly, hundreds of people died, sitting on the highway. waiting for help.  A call went out for anyone who had a snowmobile to ride to the highway and help rescue the stranded. 

  

Strangers opened their homes to those who were stuck and had no way to make it to their own homes.  Driving was banned for 3 days, and even after that, people were urged to drive only if necessary. On the first day we could drive, I drove 4 of the neighborhood moms (including my own) to the store so they could each get a few bags of groceries.

that's me, climbing around

Once the snow stopped falling,  the massive job of shoveling began.  It probably took a long time, because it sure was more fun playing in the snow, than it was shoveling it!



my dad, brother Ray and I work on the fort



After the work was done, we built the best snow fort ever. 












my cat explores the tunnel




We had two huge “snow rooms” with a 10 foot tunnel connecting them. It was a family project!

my brother Richie helps with the fort

I have great memories of that storm, but it doesn’t mean I am sad to have missed out on the Blizzard of 2013!

Where to stick Canyonlands National Park (05-24-12)

After typing the title and rereading it, I realized it didn’t sound quite the way I intended, but eh, I am leaving it.  I intended to write about Canyonlands National Park in my last post, but decided it would be one topic too many, so I held off.  Now that we are in Moab and have been to Arches, I am thinking “oops” because Arches will definitely require it’s own post and adding Canyonlands to it just plain wouldn’t work.  So, Canyonlands gets it’s own post!

If  I’ve left the impression that Canyonlands is just a so-so place, that would be wrong.  We really enjoyed Canyonlands but it truly is an area geared toward preservation of resources with a little hiking thrown in, so the average visitor will spend only one day (or just an afternoon) in the park.

   Canyonlands is divided into three sections that were carved over eons by the Green and Colorado Rivers. The most remote section is called The Maze.  Backpacker Magazine just named it one of the top 10 most dangerous places to hike, so we didn’t go there.  The fact that not that many people have died there is due only to the fact that no inexperienced hikers are stupid enough to hike there. That was enough to keep me out! The second most remote area is called the Needles District.  That they have a Visitors Center says that it’s ok to visit here.  We stayed in a nearby BLM campground while we explored this area.
       The spires/needles are made of  clearly defined layers of red and white sandstone. The white sandstone is beach sand that came from an ancient sea that has long since retreated.  The red sand came from the mountains.  Over many years the layers hardened into the sandstone that we see today.  I know that we’ve spent the last few weeks doing nothing but hiking in “red rock” areas, and they all start to look alike, but there are differences.  When I start to think I’ve had enough, I remember that once we leave here for Grand Teton and Yellowstone, our surroundings will change dramatically, so we’ll enjoy the red rock while we have it.


That afternoon we arrived, the temperature soared to 94° and the forecast for the next day was for a high of 96°.  Of course, the campground has no hookup, so things (Dozer) got a bit warm. We had a little time to get to the Visitor’s Center, and asked a ranger for some help picking out a hike for the following day.  We decided on the 6 mile hike to Chesler Park, but given the forecast, we decided we needed to be on the trail by 8 am at the latest.  It worked out well because we were back by noon, packed up, and headed into Moab, where we had a reservation for a week at a park with hookup (thanks for the tip Nancy!!)

From Moab we were able to access the third section of Canyonlands- Island in the Sky.  This is the area that is most accessible, and has a scenic drive to show off the best parts. From the vantage points along the road, you can see the rivers cutting through the stone, creating canyons as they go.

Canyonlands even has it’s own arches, although nothing on the same scale as Arches National Park.








We didn’t have that much time to explore Canyonlands, because Arches was calling our name, but we will come back here because there are definitely more hikes that we would like to do.  Meantime, we have lost two days of exploring.  We are sitting here in Moab being pelted by sand and debris as we endure sustained winds of 24 mph, with gusts into the 55 mph range.  It’s supposed to get a little worse later today, so we are hunkered down with the main slide in for stability. You would think I have no excuse for not getting caught up on my paperwork but actually, my new camera arrived yesterday, and we met some new friends, so I have plenty of excuses for not working on my budget.  We went over to Avril and Dan’s place last night to watch a movie, and are thinking of going out for dinner tonight.  I’ve also been trying to learn about the new camera, which has some features that I am really excited about.  It does panorama shots:
I can’t practice with it too much because I am not going to take it outside with the dust storm that’s going on. It has a GPS, which I have wanted since I saw my friend Steve’s camera, and it takes 3D photos, which I doubt I’ll use for a while. It’s pure digital, not digital SLR, but it still has settings for aperture, shutter speed etc. so all that will be a learning curve for me.  Luckily it still has “intelligent auto” so I can just point and shoot, and the camera decides what setting to use!