# Where's telracs?



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

As some people may know, but others do not, one of this year's vacations is taking me to Alaska. However, since I couldn't fly direct from NY to Anchorage, I decided to stop for a few days in Seattle and see my friend TJ (who posts here as that weird guy), and try to meet up with Harvey (but that's not working out)

Had a nice flight yesterday, not too much rough air, and touched down pretty much on time. Met three nice ladies who were heading out on a cruise from Seattle to Alaska and who were staying at the same hotel as me. Caught the shuttle from the airport to the hotel and after a yummy dinner at the hotel restaurant, turned in early.

Had a busy day today. walked to the airport, caught the light rail into downtown seattle, about a 45 minute ride, some pretty scenery. TJ was late due to trying to find parking, but eventually we found each other, then we took the monorail to Seattle Center where the Space Needle is. Didn't go up it, but took some pictures. Went to 2 museums. One had the works of the glass artist Chuilly, who did the ceiling of the Bellagio hotel in Vegas. Some incredible stuff there. The other was the EMP [experience music project], which has a nice fantasy exhibit (costumes from Labyrinth, Princess Bride) and icons of Science Fiction and Horror exhibit, as well as some rock exhibits [I liked the women in rock exhibit]. Then TJ showed me the fountain near there, and then we grabbed some lunch. Took the monorail back to downtown, walked around a bit, went down to the waterfront then to the Public Market. And I do mean DOWN. It's a pretty steep walk down to the water and 89 stairs back up to the market. We saw the "first" Starbucks, but the line was insane, so we didn't go in. TJ walked me back to the train station, and I zipped back to the airport. Stopped at Denny's for dinner, then picked up some snacks for tonight and tomorrow.


----------



## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

It sounds like you had an enjoyable day in Seattle. Hope you have a _wonderful_, rejuvenating vacation in Alaska!


----------



## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

You absolutely take the best vacations.


----------



## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

It's going to be lonely in the KB chat room for the next couple of weeks (HINT, HINT, everyone else).

Safe travels and have a wonderful time.  Looking forward to lots of pictures when you get home.


----------



## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Eggggggggggggggggggcellent.


----------



## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

My husband proposed to me at the top of the Space Needle. Thanks for the memory--and may you make plenty of your own!


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

In going North by going Northwest, please stay out of Iowa cornfields....


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

long day today.... TJ picked me up at ten (and today he was on time, and would have been early if his GPS hadn't lied to him), then we drove up to Snoqualmie Falls.  very pretty.  drove to Fremont to see the troll under the Fremont Bridge.  stopped at his parents' place to get a national forest tag of some kind, then quick lunch at quiznos.  drove to and through national forest land, stopping along the way at one of the fish locks/gateways and at one of the picnic areas in the forest land.  drove back to Everett for dinner, then he drove me back to the hotel.  

tomorrow i'm seeing Odd Couple.


----------



## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Looking forward to your pictures when you return.  Enjoy Alaska!


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

TJ picked me up around noon today for the drive to Everett.  Stopped off at Safeway so he could pick up a card and some flowers for his mom since today is her birthday.  And I picked up a salad. Drove to Forest Park and we hung out there trying to avoid the bees which wanted my salad.  Then we drove over to the theater and I hung out at starbucks while he got ready for the show. 

Show was great.  He had been happy thinking I was seeing Odd Couple for the first time, but I told him I'd seen it with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.  Their Oscar was fantastic and most of the rest of the ensemble was also great.  I didn't love their Felix, but he wasn't bad.  They threw in a mention of TJ's mom as a birthday surprise.  TJ  was funny, he played his character as a kleptomaniac and a one point he walked off with a potted plant.  

After the show we met up with his friends Laura and Jamie and I got Oscar's autograph.  TJ was nice and went back into the theater and got me a few more autographs.  TJ, Laura, Jamie and I went out for dinner (Jamie and TJ had this ENORMOUS stuffed potato), then we went by Laura and Jamie's place to switch cars and they drove me back to the hotel.  

I'm really glad I did this stop in Seattle (even if meeting up with Harvey didn't work out).  Off to Anchorage tomorrow.


----------



## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Sounds like your vacation has been off to a great start!  Safe travels to Alaska.


----------



## loonlover (Jul 4, 2009)

Safe travels, telracs.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

morning....

waiting for the shuttle from the hotel to the airport, then flight to anchorage this morning.  3 hours and 40 minute flight time so far.  then about an hour into town to the hotel.

remember, i'm changing time zones again, so i'll be 4 hours behind my normal time.

and once i get there, i will have been in every continental US time zone.  not every state yet....

gotta get to West Virginia.  and north dakota.


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I'll bet you love it! Safe travels....


----------



## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

You had the best weather the PNW has to offer.  We rolled out nothing but the best for you.  I hope it will be the same for you in Alaska.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Tripp said:


> You had the best weather the PNW has to offer. We rolled out nothing but the best for you. I hope it will be the same for you in Alaska.


thanks, Tripp, it was great weather.

it's cloudy here in anchorage and a bit cool, but i have my sweatshirt.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

so, i had a really yummy dinner at a restaurant across from the hotel, and while i was there, i asked the manager if there was a drugstore near by.  she gave me directions, so after dinner, i went out walking in the rain.  got wet from 2 directions, got rained on and got splashed by cars driving by.  

didn't find the drugstore, but did find a gas station and picked up goodies and then watched TV for a bit (i don't have a TV at home). 

slept pretty well last night. 

had breakfast and now i'm going to get my sweatshirt and go wandering.


----------



## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

I missed your whole adventure in Seattle! Love it there. My husbands parents and eldest brothers family all live just outside. We usually get there every other year and it's so nice. 

My husbands grandmother actually lives in Ketchican AK. I've never had the chance to go but heard wonderful things about it there. Only thing I know is to mention to people you like fresh caught salmon. People there go crazy when it comes to farm raised. lol Hope you have a lovely time and post some pics!


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

back at the hotel after a pretty fun day.  because i used the hotel's "green" option (don't touch my room, i don't need anything), i got a 5 dollar voucher to use at the hotel.

the nice thing about this town is that it is laid out on a gird system.  that makes walking and finding things a bit easier.  but it also means nice canyons for the wind to blow down.

wandered down to the center of town and saw the guy selling trolley tour tickets.  the 12 o'clock tour was full, so i kept walking.  went to resolution point where there's a nice view (probably a gorgeous view when there aren't clouds), and a statue of Captain James Cook.  went to the snow city cafe for lunch, then walked over to elderberry park and along the coastal trail next to the train tracks.  found the state monument statue and saw the railroad depot.  then i had a quick smoothie at this little yoga place i passed.  wandered back to the center of town and managed to nab a spot on the 3 pm trolley tour.  it was a fun drive around the city and its outskirts, except for the fact that it was raining and i couldn't really get good shots.

learned something very interesting.  i never knew that anchorage is on a fault line and that there was a massive earthquake here in 1964.  apparently there's a part of town where the entire neighborhood disappeared and now it's a park and there are some chimmneys sticking out of the ground.    

tour lasted about an hour, and i chatted with the tour guide for a bit and it turns out he's originally from brooklyn.  small world, anyone?
we passed a starbucks on the tour, so i stopped off there for a bit, then walked back to the hotel.  Met the tour guide and a few other people from the tour.  First time I’ve ever had a female tour guide with globus.  

Weather today was grey and a bit chilly, I definitely needed my sweatshirt.  Gotta put my gloves and hat in my knapsack. 

Off to dinner now, will try and check in from Denali tomorrow.


----------



## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I remember that earthquake. Alaska just doesn't seem a likely place for earthquakes, so it was a big surprise when it happened.


----------



## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

But you passed on trying the reindeer hotdogs?  I'd try one just to say I had it.

Interesting story about the earthquake.  That would be eerie to see the chimneys sticking out of the ground.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

crebel said:


> But you passed on trying the reindeer hotdogs? I'd try one just to say I had it.
> 
> Interesting story about the earthquake. That would be eerie to see the chimneys sticking out of the ground.


yes, I passed on the reindeer hotdogs. I don't like hotdogs and eating reindeer just icked me out.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Up early to have the bag out by 6:30 and meet in the lobby at 7:15. for some reason, group picture isn't taken anyplace cool, but rather on the stairs of the Anchorage Sheraton hotel. Drove to the Iditarod museum (and gift shop). Since it's the end of the season, decent sales on stuff.... Unfortunately, because we were early, we didn't get to see any puppies.


Then we drove to Talkeetna (which I'd heard of thanks to a Man vs. Food episode) to catch the train to Denali Park. We were in a "private" car with some folks from another tour company. What's funny is that we saw their tour guide when we were leaving the Sheraton and she liked my Wicked sweatshirt. Train ride up was gorgeous, I stood outside for a bit, but it was cold. Grey and gloomy most of the way up, and for some reason, both my camera batteries died before we got here. And really, I did not take THAT many pictures. And I got a free dessert. The waiter from the dining car was showing off the dessert and said that whoever wanted it should raise their hands when he counted to three. Some people raised their hands at "one" but I just said "three", and he handed it to me. Really yummy berry pie with vanilla ice cream. I skipped lunch on the train, nothing really appealed to me.

Train ride was about 4 hours, and in the middle we had to stop and wait for the southbound (Denali to Anchorage) train, so I had fun taking pictures and trying to figure out where the bubbles were coming from.  Spotted a girl on the next car back, she was blowing them.  


Well, I'm gonna go check out my hotel room now, have to meet the tour director back here in an hour for our dinner drive.


Oh, and for those interested in these details, there are 27 people in our group.  Some Australians (I think 5), at least 3 Canadians.  No Brits, so I think the rest are American.  I know there is a couple from Oregon on their 23rd Globus trip.  And one couple is from Florida and another is from Erie, PA.  Oh, and one couple from Boston.  Haven't found any other NYer's yet.


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

It would be strange to see bubbles floating past your window in the middle of nowhere in Alaska!

Personally, I would have had the reindeer....I've eaten reindeer, though not in hot dog form, and it was okay.


----------



## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I heard of Talkeetna from one of Nora Roberts books set in Alaska. One of my faves, actually. When I finished the book, I turned right back to page one and started reading it again.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

today we saw moose and grizzly bears and dall sheep and caribou.  and lots and lots of pretty scenery.  but not mount McKinley.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Last night was our “welcome” dinner even though it was our second night. It was at the Murie Learning Center. Dinner itself was a buffet, with Tuscan chicken, veggie lasagna, bowtie pasta with shrimp and salad. Dessert was tiramisu which was interesting because it was frozen. After dinner we had a talk by a naturalist, which was interesting, but a bit long winded.

Another early morning today, bus for the Park left at 7 am. Converted school bus, so a bit uncomfortable, but it was equipped with a camera controlled by the driver, and some screens, so when we spotted animals in the distance, he zoomed in and we were able to see them.

This place was GORGEOUS. My pictures will never do it justice. The foliage is changing color, so the meadows are a mix of yellow and red, almost a burgundy color that my camera just didn’t capture right. We spotted some moose pretty early on, then we spotted a grizzly bear with cubs and some Dall sheep and eventually some caribou. Dall sheep are white mountain sheep, a species that broke off from the big horn sheep of Wyoming during the last ice age. Our tour guide was quite funny and had a great voice. There is only one road into and out of the Park. Actually, the road doesn’t go all the way through the park, but ends at about the 90 mile mark at a town called Kantishna. We didn’t go that far, we went about 60 miles and then turned back. A bit different than driving through any of the other National Parks I’ve been in.

We got back to the hotel at 3:30 and rested for a while. Bus for the dinner theater left at 4:45. The “theater” is at another of the other hotels in the area, and I had a good time. The set up is that you are Fannie Quigley’s Roadhouse in Kantishna sometime in the 1930s. Tables seat 12 and dinner is family style. It included salad, ribs, salmon, corn (not on the cob), beans and potatoes and a berry cobbler for dessert. After dinner, there is a show, where the characters tell why they came to Alaska. The show was corny, but fun. I felt that the actor playing Joe Quigley was a bit off key, and the girl playing Amber was overdoing a bit. And I was a bad girl and stepped on a line… Amber says that she came to Alaska because she was looking for a man, and there were 10 men to every woman. So she likes the odds. Fannie states that there is something Amber should remember, that while the odds are good…. She paused a LONG time, and I completed the line, that while the odds are good, the goods are odd.

Bus back to the hotel and then one of the other women mentioned that she wanted to walk down to the stores but she didn’t want to go alone, so I walked down with her and we did a little shopping.

Have to be up and around by 8 tomorrow, so time for me to go repack my bag and get some shut eye. Tomorrow morning I’m doing a Husky Homestead tour and then we are off to Fairbanks.


----------



## journeymama (May 30, 2011)

Wow, it sounds amazing. A grizzly bear with cubs!


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Denali is an amazing place, even if the mountain doesn't deign to show herself.


----------



## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

So glad you're having fun!


----------



## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

Sounds like you are having a wonderful time!

I've always wanted to go to Alaska. My husband and I are currently on assignment in Michigan. He told his recruiter, if something good comes up...that's warmer...before winter hits, we're interested unless it's Alaska and we'll take it any season it's offered.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Denali to Fairbanks

First thing this morning was the "Husky Homestead" tour. It's a tourist attraction run by Jeff King, who is a four time (I think) Iditarod champion. When you get off the bus, you get a puppy to hold and they are so cute&#8230; Then you meet Jeff and he introduces himself and some of the staff. One of the other staff members talks about breeding and raising the dogs while Jeff harnesses a team and takes them off for a run. When they get back you move inside and Jeff talks about running the race itself. I'm not sure how I feel about dog racing. I know that dogs love to run, and are bred to run, but it seems that making the dogs run 1000 miles in the ice and snow for fun isn't quite right. The humans make the choice to do the race, but the dogs don't. Our tour guide arranged for us to be dropped off at the Denali Visitors' Center after the Husky Homestead, so got a chance to look around there and to walk a very short bit on the paths. In retrospect, I think I would have been better off taking the morning to walk some of the trails rather then visiting the dogs.

[begin minor rant] Whenever I do a tour, I try and figure out early which couple is going to be a problem. And I pegged one couple the first morning we left Anchorage. And I was right. They are late every time getting back to the bus, and because they complained, Sherry has instituted a seat rotation. Funniest thing, they didn't sit in the seats assigned to them today. We also have 2 know-it-alls on the bus, and from what I found out from one of the other women, one of them is also a big complainer. He felt that the rooms in our hotel in Denali were too small. Okay, Sherry had kind of goofed, she had thought we were upgraded to a different hotel, and this guy of course felt that our hotel in Denali wasn't good enough. He also complained that he felt rushed at our dinner last night before the show. Since I'm used to a 30 minute lunch break, I don't usually feel rushed. And the most annoying thing I found it was that when we were in Denali, he kept telling the driver to move along when we spotted animals. This is their first (and probably last) Globus tour. I like Globus, I think they are good value for the money, and I think their hotel choices are fine. [end of ran]

Stopped for lunch in the town of Healy at the 49th State Brewery. Good food, nice size portions and a rustic look. And it really is a brewery, but they don't do tours early in the day, so we couldn't see anything.

After some time on the road (sitting in construction traffic) we stopped in the town of Nenana. They have an interesting lottery. Well, I guess it's not a lottery, it's more like a betting pool. For $2.50 you get to fill out a form with when you think the ice in the Tanana River will break in the spring. Sherry said that the pot last year was 300 thousand dollars.

Our hotel here in Fairbanks is an extended stay kind of place, so it's like a small apartment. Actually, I think it's bigger than some apartments in NY. Our optional dinner for tonight was an all you can eat "salmon" bake followed by another theater revue. The salmon bake had salad, salmon, prime rib, battered cod, potatoes, potato salad and beans. Oh, and since it was Friday, they also had king crab. That made some people really happy. There was white or chocolate cake for dessert. After dinner, I wandered around Pioneer Park, which is a re-created Pioneer town, but the stores were closed. The show was in the Palace Theater, and it was a musical history of Fairbanks. The funniest bit was a variation of Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First?" using sled dogs instead of baseball positons.

Got back to the hotel around 9:45, turned in quickly since it's another 8 am start


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Fairbanks

Left the hotel at 8 this morning heading over to the “Riverboat Discovery”.  Turns out that’s both the name of the tour and the boat.  Huge 4 deck sternwheel steamer boat.  It goes up the Chena River to where it meets the Tanana River.  On a clear day, it’s probably quite beautiful, but today was grey and foggy and a bit depressing.  Some really incredible houses along the riverside.  As the boat goes along the river, it stops for a bit near the home of Susan Butcher and her husband, who were/are dog racers. Susan is one of the few women to win the Iditarod.  Unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago, so her husband runs the kennel now and does some runs to raise money for charity.  You also see a fishwheel and get a demonstration of how the Athabascans harvested and smoked the river salmon.  After going to the confluence of the rivers,  the boat stops at Chena Village, where there were 3 small talks about different parts of Athabascan Indian life.  What’s really cool is that the tour guides are local young people who work there during the summer.  On the ride back, they give out samples of their private label brand of canned salmon.  It was tasty, but I didn’t buy it for 10 dollars a can.  

After we got back to the pier, Sherry suggested that we stop off at Fred Meyer’s a local supermarket, which has a salad and soup bar.  Since our “hotel rooms” have full kitchens, we could also pick up stuff for dinner tonight and for on the bus tomorrow, since it’s a long coach drive day.  I got some sushi for lunch and some cheese and crackers for dinner tonight, and some more granola bars for the trip.  And a Starbuck’s frappucino.  

Next stop was the Morris Thompson cultural center, followed by a stop in “downtown Fairbanks.”  Normally we would have been able to visit the Yukon Quest headquarters (another 1000 mile dog race), but they are closed on Saturday, so instead I walked along the river a bit.  Last stop of the day was the University of Alaska’s Museum of the North.  They had some nice exhibits and some really pretty paintings.  

As I said, tomorrow is a long day, leaving here at 7 am and getting to Dawson City some 11 hours later.


----------



## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Puppies!  Husky puppies!!  I hope you have a picture or two of them.

Yay that you thought the salmon was tasty since you aren't the biggest salmon fan.  I wouldn't have bought for $10/can either.

It sounds like you are staying pretty busy and getting to see a wide variety of things.  Stay safe and enjoy.


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Dawson City!  Pan some gold for me...


----------



## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

Can't wait for the pictures! 

Sorry about the complainers, they can really ruin a trip! As long as my room is clean that's about all I care about. There's just too much to see in this world to spend all my money on where I sleep! Sounds like Denali would be my type of tour company. 

I'm with Claw...if you've never panned before, you've got to do it!


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Well, long and adventurous day today. Left hotel at 7 am in the grey and gloom again. Drove through North Pole, Alaska, where even the Mickey D's has a candy cane striped pole holding up the Golden Arches. First stop of the day was at Rika's roadhouse, which is a cute place but according to our tour guide will be closing at the end of the season because it's not as popular a stop off place as it used to be. Got a nice view of an interesting suspension bridge, not a car or people bridge, but rather a bridge of the pipeline.

Lunch was at Fast Eddy's restaurant at Tok. If the weather had been nicer, I would have skipped lunch and wandered around (I still have plenty of granola bars), but since it was still raining, I opted for a yummy teriyaki chicken sandwich. Should have told her to hold the fries..... The restaurant is at the motel (note, Motel, not Hotel) where we will be saying in a few days. According to our tour guide, they don't even provide shampoo. I can already imagine the comments by some of our fun folks.

Next stop was at the town of Chicken. I'd heard of them because they've had some of the coldest temps in Alaska. Now, the story goes that the Ptarmigan is the state bird of Alaska. The ptarmigan is a kind of grouse and tastes like chicken. When the folks up here decided to name their town, they wanted to call it ptarmigan, since that was what had gotten them through the winter. But they weren't sure how to spell it, so they just called it Chicken. There were 4 little stores in "downtown", a gift shop, a liquor store, a bar and a cafe. With really big cinnamon buns. Oh, and 4 outhouses, no flush toilets. One of the outhouses was labelled as handicapped.

After that, we had a bit of an adventure.... Our route to Dawson goes on the "top of the world" highway. Well, we got stuck at the top of the world. We were going up a hill covered in mud and couldn't get over the top. So Bill, our wonderful driver, backed up and tried again. No go. So he backed up a bit and tried a third time with us all standing near the back of the bus to try and get some wait in. Still no go. So Sherry our tour director got off the bus and started walking up hill to the border crossing. While she was still in sight, a small truck went past us and managed to get up the hill. We hoped that he would stop for her and help her out, but as we found out later, not only did he NOT stop, he didn't even tell the border guys that we were stuck and that there were other campers behind us. One of the campers tried to make it over the hill after the truck, but he got stuck ahead of us. The other camper managed to turn around and go back to the town of Eagle. Why didn't we just call for help, you ask? Well, there's no cell service out there in the boonies and no one has a satellite phone. Oh, I forgot to mention one interesting thing. We were stuck right near where the highway guys had parked their bulldozers/graders for the weekend. The couple that went back to Eagle managed to get a hold of the asphalt company, and they send out a crew to help us. They graded the road a bit to scrape way some of the mud, then they towed the stuck camper up the hill. Then they towed US up the hill. It was quite amusing to watch. Sherry was waiting for us at the top of the hill, so we picked her up and went on our way. Fortunately, everyone on the bus managed to keep their sense of humor about the whole thing and I didn't feel like I wanted to kill anyone.

Quick stop at Dawson Dome viewing point, then across the border to Canada. The road got a lot better when we were on the Canadian side. And the scenery might have been beautiful, but unfortunately, after our long day in the mud, the bus windows are completely opaque.

To get to Dawson City, you have to cross the Yukon River, by ferry. A bit confused as to why they don't build a bridge, as the river doesn't seem that wide (based on the length of the ferry ride, I couldn't see anything through muddy windows).  But maybe they can't build it high enough to clear the ice that builds up during the winter.  

The people at the hotel were nice and kept stuff open for us since Sherry called them when she got bars and told them we were going to be late.  Tomorrow we are going to be going around Dawson, and yes, we will be panning for gold.


----------



## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

You haven't live until you've use an outhouse at -10 degrees!


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Our announced time for leaving this morning was 9 am. As I left my room, I ran into Terry (the gentleman from Ontario), who told me that we'd moved back to 10 am because there were still problems with the bus and Sherry was trying to get another coach. When we met up at 10 am, she said that she'd gotten a different bus, but it wouldn't start, so no go, regroup at 1 pm.

The town is laid out on a grid, with Front Street along the river, then 2nd Ave, 3rd Ave, etc... The cross streets are named streets. So I wandered along 3rd and 2nd Avenues, then down to Front Street and the trail on the dike along the river. Walked to the Visitor's Center and asked if the ferry took pedestrian passengers. It does, and it's free. So I walked over to the ferry (it was closer than I thought because it curves back towards town on this side) and rode it across and back. It takes longer to load and unload then it does to cross. After that, I stopped at the Firemen Museum, then walked back along Front Street and took some pictures of the buildings. The town has an ordinance that all the buildings have to have 1890's type fronts and they are gorgeous. And the colors are incredible, I haven't seen colors like this since San Francisco. Had yummy vegetable soup at Sourdough Joe's restaurant. Had a nice chat with the waitress, she studied musical theater at university and is in the show at Diamond Tooth Gerties. I was planning on skipping the show, but now I think I'm going.

Headed back to the hotel for our 1 PM meeting. Sherry said that our best bet for now was to walk to the Visitor's Center and then to the Cultural Center. Some of us had already been to the Visitors' Center, so we decided to meet them at the Cultural Center. They have something here nicknamed "The Writers' Block," it is where the Jack London Museum is, as well as a cabin used by Robert Service, the poet, and a house where writer named Pierre Berton was raised. I walked up there with a couple from Australia. It was a small museum, but the woman there clearly loves her job. Met the group back at the cultural center, and our bus was back! After the cultural center we headed out of town to an old gold dredge and then to Claim 33 for some gold panning. Call me cynical, but I'm pretty sure they "seed" each of the pans. I had to laugh while I was there, one of our group is a pretty intense photographer, and I thought we might have to drag her away from the deteriorating farm equipment.

Our final stop of the day was up at the top of the "Dome", a really nice overlook where you can see the town as well as the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike Rivers. Back at the hotel around 6:15. Had planned to walk over to Klondike Kate's for dinner, but have found out it is closed, so it looks like dinner in the hotel then Diamond Tooth time.

Tomorrow we will see the film at the cultural center that we didn't have time for today, then we head out to Whitehorse.

Oh, one more funny.  I seem to be collecting different ways that hotels use key cards.  The standard insert and remove (both vertical and horizontal), an insert and open, a proximity one that you just have to hold near the door, and at this hotel, a swipe.  Annoyingly, it's a swipe down, and I keep hitting the knob.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Today was another long bus day, but fortunately, it was a fairly quiet one.

Dinner last night was maple garlic salmon. They put a lot of roasted garlic on it, i scrapped it off and mixed it into my mashed potatoes. Show at Gertie's was good, but not great. A lot of dancing, and that was a bit boring for my taste.

I'm on the computer at the hotel, and it seems to be set to French, so I can't find the question mark.... And i have to keep remembering where the apostrophe is....

We left the hotel a bit before 9 this morning, to go over to the cultural center to watch a 15 minute film they made. They opened up early just for us. That was nice of them.

As I said, today was another long day on the bus. First stop was at Moose Creek, a tiny spot with a shop, some really yummy pastries and some interesting burl wood sculptures. Second stop was a photo op at the Five Finger Rapids. But there aren't five fingers anymore because the government is trying to make it safer on the river (the Yukon) for canoes and such. Lunch was at the Coalhouse Campground. Owner there has a nice set up, and he also gave us a talk about the coal mining they used to do in the area. They don't mine there anymore because there is a fire in the coal mine. You can't really put out a coal mine fire because the coal provides both fuel and oxygen. And flooding the mine isn't much of an option, because the water will just run out of the mountain. We made two stops during the afternoon, one at a roadhouse historic site. The highway we were on was once a coach/sledge trail and so there were roadhouses every 25 miles or so. This one is just a shell, with trees growing inside and no roof, but it is pretty big. Then we stopped at the Braeburn lodge, which is run by a guy who looks like Santa Claus, but has the disposition of the Grinch. Okay, maybe not, but he seemed a bit stuffy. However, he makes really good cinnamon buns. Enormous ones. One couple bought one and shared it around with us. I enjoyed it, but am glad I didn't buy one for myself, since I still have stuff from our trip to the supermarket in Fairbanks.

Got into Whitehorse around 6:15 local time. Did a quick run to a pharmacy near by to get some juice and some ibuprofen, then grabbed Japanese for dinner. Tomorrow is a full day here in Whitehorse and then dinner with a local family who raises mushing dogs. Hope they're expecting us, unlike that poor family in India.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

as i was about to wrap up, i glanced over my shoulder out the window to see this gorgeous pink sunset over the mountains around whitehorse.


----------



## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

telracs said:


> as i was about to wrap up, i glanced over my shoulder out the window to see this gorgeous pink sunset over the mountains around whitehorse.


What a lovely way to end the day.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

First off, I need to put in a correction to something I said in my blog post about being stuck on the highway. I thought the nice couple in the camper went back to Eagle and told people we were stuck, but apparently, they found the construction camp and that's why the folks who showed up were the ones with the keys to the heavy machinery.

Our first stop today was at the Beringia Center. Beringia is the name of the land mass formed between Siberia and Alaska during the last glacial period. They have a nice woolly mammoth skeleton, as well as a scimitar cat skeleton and a megasloth. They showed us a film about the center, and how the First Nation people of the area have helped in fossil collecting.

Our second stop of the day was supposed to be at the S.S. Klondike, but it has closed for the season. So instead we drove a bit out of town to a scenic overlook for some photos.

Got back to the hotel around 12:30 and were on our own until 3:30. So I went walking down by the river, but it was a bit too windy for me. Stopped off at the Visitor Center for a bit. They have gorgeous stained glass windows there and an interesting mural outside. I walked back to Main Street and stopped off at one of the stores. But the clerks ignored me, so no fudge was bought.


Left the hotel around 3:30 for Muktuk kennels, a kennel owned by Frank Turner, a dog racer who has competed in the Yukon Quest 24 times and won once. Now, I'm sure everyone has heard of the Iditarod, and the Yukon Quest seems to be its ugly stepsister. The Quest runs from Fairbanks Alaska to Whitehorse (or vice versa, they switch the start every year) and has only 10 check points, while the Iditarod has over 20. So, it's a harder race to run, apparently. Frank has retired from racing, and now does sled dog tours. He seemed like a nice guy, but quite long winded, and easy to get off on tangents. Dinner was a buffet of 'local' foods, Atlantic Char, Elk and Bison along with baked potatoes and really yummy carrots.

Tomorrow is another long bus day, from Whitehorse to Tok. As I mentioned early, Tok is a Motel, not Hotel stop, and I doubt I will have any access there. I don't know what the situation will be in Valdez, but I may not get back on until we get back to Anchorage late Saturday night.


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Be safe and enjoy the journey!


----------



## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

There was a spectacular Northern Light Show last night. This photo was taken over the Toklat River in Denali. 
Hope there were clear skies where you were....


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

napcat, i know you mean well, but telling me that there was a great northern light show at denali two days after i left is like telling someone that the restaurant they went to two days ago now has their favorite dish in stock.  doesn't really do much good.

while i didn't get to see the northern lights, i did get to see a bunch of glaciers today.  we had a cruise on prince william sound.  most of us thought it was just going to be a couple of hours, but it was a six hour cruise from valdez to whittier and we got pretty close to the glaciers and saw some bears and some eagles and some mountain goats.


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Sorry you missed the light show!

But glad you got to go out on the Sound. I hope the rest of the Yukon was great.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Whitehorse to Tok to Valdez
Driving, driving, driving....

Okay, I admit that I took this trip because there were no internal flights, but boy, did I NOT realize how much driving there was on it. But again, long day, but not a bad day. Left Whitehorse around 8 am for Tok. We went through Tok on our way from Fairbanks to Dawson City, so I wan't expecting much at the end of the day.

Our first stop was at a historic wooden bridge that was pretty picturesque, but I didn't try and walk across it. Next we stopped at the Haines Junction Cultural Center, which is the gateway to Kluane National Park and Reserve. It had some very nice First Nation stuff as well as a really cool relief map of Alaska on the floor.

We crossed back from Canada to the US with no problems, and then we stopped at a spot where there is a bench that is half in the US and half in Yukon. Fun taking pictures there.

Last stop of the day was at the Tetlin Aminal Reserve. Gorgeous view point.

Sherry, our tour guide, had told us that the place in Tok, Young's Motel was on the rustic side. I didn't find it bad, the room was clean and pretty spacious. And the restaurant, Fast Eddy's had pretty good food.

We left Tok at 8 am for Valdez, passing through some pretty country. Our first "rest" break was in Mentasas, at the small store there. Sherry asked that if we were going to use their facilities, we buy something. Not difficult to do, since their prices for drinks were quite reasonable. They let us use the restrooms in the bar area, and does someone want to explain to me why the powder room was a dime, but the shave was only a nickel?

Next stop was the Wrangell-St. Elias Park Visitors' center. Took a nice walk along the ridge there.

Lunch was at Nummy's restaurant. Sherry had asked us all to give her our order so that she could call them in and stuff we be done and we wouldn't waste time. Unfortunately, her message didn't go through, since the owners were off moose hunting. But the waitress and cook did a great job, and we didn't lose too much time there. And since she didn't make some salads, she knocked some off of the prices.

I can now say I've touched the Alaska pipeline. There's an area where you are allowed to pull off the road near it and take pictures. It's kind of interesting, but got to admit, part of me was underwhelmed.

Got a look at Worthington Glacier before we went through Thompson Pass to Valdez, which at this time of year sometimes has snow in it. Apparently Valdez gtets a lot of snow but they manage to keep the pass open all years.

Had two photo stops at waterfalls before getting to Valdez proper, Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls. Bridal Veil Falls is pretty nice, but Horsetail Falls was even nicer, it's a bit wider and more scenic to my eyes.

Got in to Valdez around 5 pm and went straight to the Valdez Museum. Cute little place, but somehow I went through it the wrong way and went backwards in time. The earthquake that hit Anchorage in 1964 also caused damage down in Valdez, including a number of deaths and lots of damage to the docks.

Our hotel in Valdez was my least favorite of all the hotels on this trip. The room was shabby and just felt a little off.

Walked up the road and went to the local supermarket to get some stuff for dinner. We had to put out our luggage at 9 PM (yes, PM) because Bill, our driver would be taking our stuff to Anchorage by road while we went across Prince William Sound by boat. More on the boat ride in the next installment.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Prince William Sound

Another early day for us (6:45 pick up), but not as early as for our poor bus driver who had to go from Valdez to Anchorage and then on to Whittier to pick us up from the boat ride.

When I saw that this trip had a "cruise" on Prince William Sound, I figured it was a couple of hours in the Sound and back to Valdez. Nope, it's a 6.5 hour cruise from Valdez to Whittier. Since there were only 28 of us (27 tourists and one tour guide who got to play tourist today), the Stan Stephens cruise people put us on the smaller boat, which was just perfect for us. We were joined by one other couple, who turned out to be the captain's parents and were very nice.

I think this cruise was one of the highlights, if not THE highlight of the tour. We saw black bears, eagles, moutain goats, sea loins lounging on a bouy, some sea otters and a sea lion eating an octupus. And we got REALLY close to a glacier. Not close enough to touch, but still close enough for it to be incredible. The boat had a wrap around deck, and I spent a bit too much time outside when we were cruising in the beginning and had to spend some time inside warming up. But the freezing was worth it, I think I got some great photos. Lunch was included on board the ship, and was a decent chicken and rice dish.

Once we met up with Bill on the Whittier side of things, we had to go through a 2.5 mile tunnel through Meynard Mountain. It's actually a railroad tunnel, and they can only allow one direction of traffic at a time, so we had to hustle to make sure we made the 3 pm open time. We were actually the first ones through the tunnel at 3 pm and it was a pretty funky ride. The tunnel is very dark (if I'd known in time I would have sat up front to try and get pics), and the bus had to straddle the railway tracks through it.

Had a glacier photo stop once through the tunnel, then on to the Alyeska resort in Gridwood for our farewell dinner. Once again, it was a buffet, with salmon, halibut and steak and new pototes. Quick ride to Anchorage and back at the Sheraton Hotel.

Have an 8 am pick up tomorrow for an 11 am flight to Seattle, then the red eye back to NYC.

While this trip had some disappointments (no Northern lights or good sighting of Denali, and some pretty grey weather) and a bit of unexpected adventure, I really enjoyed it and would definitely consider coming back up this way.


----------



## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

telracs said:


> napcat, i know you mean well, but telling me that there was a great northern light show at denali two days after i left is like telling someone that the restaurant they went to two days ago now has their favorite dish in stock. doesn't really do much good.


That particular photo was taken at Denali....the Aurora Borealis event was widespread....sorry you missed it, sorry to have annoyed you.


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I'm not gonna bother to look up the time zones for exactness, but would be right about this time 12:43 Central that Scarlet is either flying or getting ready to fly. Safe travels and easy connections!


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

i'm at the ted stevens airport in anchorage.  11 am flight to sestle then 11 pm flihght from Seattle to NYC


----------

