Our Glacier/Wildlife Cruise

Connie...

Today we took a cruise to view glaciers and wildlife.  What a wonderful time.  We headed out on the Valdez Spirit around 10:00 a.m. and it was rather cloudy and cold.  It looked like we might get some rain, as the clouds hung low over the mountains around the harbor.  We didn't care though as we were hopeful of seeing beautiful views and ocean wildlife. We were not disappointed.

This is the view we had as we looked behind us traveling out of the harbor.  The clouds were still hanging about halfway between the tops of the mountains and the shoreline.  Sometimes when we would look out our window of the trailer, you would swear the mountains had disappeared, because the clouds were completely covering the mountains from top to bottom

 

 As we sailed along the beautiful waterways, we continued to take in the beauty all around us.  From sea to mountains to tree landscaped shores, it was something to behold.  

Below is a photo of the Meares Glacier.  If you look closely, you can see a portion of the ice breaking off and crashing into the water.  At times we could hear the breaking from the opposite side.  It was tricky getting pictures, because we would hear it before we could see it.  Constant back and forth monitoring with the camera lens was crucial for a good photo.  Absolutely spectacular!!

Sights From Glennallen to Valdez

Stan . . .

Traveling from Glennallen to Valdez the Richardson Highway goes over Thompson Pass.  Near the summit of Thompson Pass is the Worthington Glacier.  The above picture is the parking lot area near the trail that leads to Worthington Glacier.  The Thompson Pass area gets an average of 900" (that's 75') of snowfall each winter and we were told that three weeks earlier this parking lot was still covered in 5-6' of snow.

The pathway to the viewing area of the Worthington Glacier is only about 1/4 mile and this was our first opportunity to get "up close & personal" with one of the many glaciers in Alaska.

After descending Thompson Pass toward Valdez we traveled thru Keystone Canyon where the above waterfall named Bridalveil Falls was located.  The falls were right next to the highway and the roar of the falling water was extremely loud, but was an awesome thing to watch.

Our RV Park was located in downtown Valdez right on the harbor front.  The small boat harbor pictured below is filled with boats of all types and sizes, many going out into the Prince William Sound waters daily to fish.  The mountains surround the Valdez harbor on all sides and made for a very picturesque setting.  Valdez gets an average of 300" (that's 25') of snowfall each winter.

On our return trip back to Glennallen en route to Anchorage we were able to pullout along side the Richardson Highway and get to view the Alaska Pipeline.  The pipeline was built between 1975 and 1977 and travels 799 miles from Prudoe Bay to Valdez harbor.  In places where there was a danger of avalanches the pipeline was buried under ground, but in areas where there was danger of the heated pipeline melting or causing damage to the permafrost the pipeline was elevated as shown in the above picture.  The supports for the pipeline are spaced approx. 60' apart and the pipeline takes a zig-zag course in order to allow for expansion & contraction as well as movement due to seismic activity.  The pipeline can shift as much as 12' side to side and as much as 3' forward or backward on the skid plates located on the bottom of the pipe at each of the support locations.

Arrival in Valdez

Connie...

We arrived in Valdez, AK on June 18. After setting up in the campground, Bear Paw RV Park, we decided to take a walking tour of the town. We were camped just a stone's throw from the harbor. Seeing the boats docked with the mountains behind was a beautiful sight. As you see in the picture below, a lot of people take to the sport of ocean kayaking.

As were walking along the main drag almost every landscape had huge flowers in bloom. I couldn't resist getting these poppies in the picture. The photo really does not do them justice.

Someone was a lucky fisherman. This was a halibut just brought off the boat; what a catch. I would love to try for something that large. After that, we found a good seafood restaurant and enjoyed the fare of the ocean.

Tolsona Wilderness Campground & Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Connie...

Our campground at Tolsona Wilderness was without a doubt, one of our favorites. The view above is out our back window. A babbling stream and the calming breeze through the swaying trees was truly a way to enjoy the outdoors.  There were plenty of places to walk and explore.

Stan & I were sitting having breakfast one morning and when we looked out the back window this little duck swam up. He was splashing around in the water and stayed on the little rock island for quite a while, allowing us to take his photo.

                                       

While staying at Tolsona Wilderness, we took a day trip into the  Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. This is the nation's largest national park; 13.2 million acres.  It also is home to the second tallest mountain, Mount St. Elias at 18,000 feet.  The mountain pictures above is Drum Mountain which is in the same range.  This picture was taken from one of the lookouts within the park.

                                       

Below is a fish wheel used to catch fish in mass quantities.  This was located at the visitor's center which was very interesting.

Tolsona Wilderness Campground, Glennallen, AK

 Stan . . .

The picture of the sign to the right is along side the Glenn Highway about 6-7 miles west of Glennallen, while the second picture is taken from the same spot looking east back toward Glennallen and the Wrangell Mountains.  The mountain tops are shrouded in clouds, but if you look close you will notice that the bright white areas within the clouds are actually the continuation of the mountains up into the clouds.  The enormity of this mountain range is quite impressive to say the least!!

The Wrangell Mountains are located within the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park which is the largest National Park in the entire United States.

Leslie, Robert & myself enjoying happy hour around the campfire at our campsites here at Tolsona Wilderness Campground (Connie was enjoying happy hour too....she was the one behind the camera taking this picture).

The view of our "backyard" as we sit around the campfire shown in the earlier picture.  This picture was taken just after  8:00 pm and the sun was still about 2-3 hours away from setting.

First Day in Tok, AK

Connie...

We arrived at the Tundra RV Park today in Tok, AK. Our rig and truck was so filthy, that we practically had to chisel it off. The campground had a vehicle & RV wash center, so after three hours we were squeaky clean. That included our rig as well as Robert and Leslie's.

Tok is a quaint little town with an amazing visitor's center. They are equipped with any kind of literature you could possibly want for Alaska. We picked up additional information for our upcoming trips.

The RV park is densely wooded and it is nice being back in the trees. However, being so far removed from WiFi, we will spend time at the office/lounge to spend time on the computers. Tomorrow will be a down day after two days of rigorous travel.

Beaver Creek to Tok, AK

Connie...

We left the Border City RV Park(we refer to it as mud hole) this morning traveling toward Tok, AK we stopped at this wonderful Wildlife Refuge. Above picture is a cache where the meat will be stored after the fall hunting season. It even included sod on the roof for insulation. We thought it was pretty neat. The view (picture below) was spectacular. They also had a large deck and viewing area overlooking  the wildlife refuge. From here we were on our way to Tok and found the roads to be less than desirable, but not near as rough and dirty as the trip from Haines Junction. It's all part of our adventures and gives us lots to talk about.

GRIZZLY in the Wild at Kluane Lake

Connie...

Today was such an amazing day! We were enjoying the beautiful Kluane Lake when all of a sudden there he was...our first grizzly. What a sight. He was pretty unaware of our presence as we started snapping picture after picture. For a while he was down in the ditch digging up some tender roots and then he decided to give us a better look and walk across the road. As you can see, he sure is a beautiful sight. It made our day for sure.

As usual on this wonderful highway, there are always mountains more spectacular than the ones before. It never ceases to amaze us. Of course my new camera doesn't hurt either.

This is the Kluane Lake which goes on for about 25-30 miles. With the morning sun glistening over the mountains it was quite a site. The lake was so blue and crystal clear. All in all the drive today was certainly one of the top on our list.

Haines Junction, YT

Stan...
Don't have much to report today and don't have any pictures to post.  Traveled today from Carcross, stopping in Whitehorse for fuel and groceries and a quick bite of lunch.  We left Whitehorse around 2:00 pm and arrived in Haines Junction around 4:00 pm.

The road conditions on the Alaska Highway between Whitehorse & Haines Junction seemed to be the poorest we have yet encountered.  Didn't come across any gravel stretches with repair work being done, just a lot of small frost heaves and other spots where frost heaves had already been repaired but the surface was still "bumpy".   It didn't create any problems---just resulted in traveling a bit slower and slowing down even more for the frost heaves.

We are expecting tomorrow's stretch between Haines Junction and Beaver Creek (last stop in the Yukon before entering Alaska) to be rougher as this has typically been the case for all early summer travelers in the years past.

2nd Day Trip to Skagway, Alaska

Stan...
One of the many beautiful lakes found between Carcross, YT and Skagway, AK. Lake was completely calm making for a nice mirror image picture.

Statue in the White Pass & Yukon Route train depot area depicting the adventurers on their way north to Dawson seeking their fortunes of gold.

Typical street scene in Skagway looking north from the South end of town near the White Pass Train Depot.

The Skagway Visitors Bureau in currently located in this building located near the south end of Broadway Street.

Day Trip to Skagway, Alaska

Stan...

Connie & I along with Robert & Leslie left Carcross shortly after 8:00 for a day trip to Skagway (65 miles) not realizing that we would be gaining an additional hour once we entered Alaska, so we arrived shortly before 9:00 even after stopping multiple times in route for photo ops and also going thru U.S. Customs. Skagway is a wonderful small town with dock facilities to handle 4 to 5 cruise ships at a time if necessary.

Skagway is homebase for the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad and the first picture is of an earlier vintage snowplow engine used by the railroad to keep the tracks clear during the bitter winters. The White Pass Summit area (approx 20 miles out of Skagway) receives and average winter snowfall of 24 feet.

The Klondike Gold Rush only lasted 3 years (1897 - 1899) with approximately 100,000 adventurous souls coming thru Skagway seeking their fortune of gold along the Klondike River in the Dawson area (500 miles north). Many didn't survive the initial winter in their attempts to travel north up the Chilkoot Trail route or thru the White Pass route and were returned to Skagway for burial in the Gold Rush Cemetery as shown in the second picture.

Two of the cruise ships docked in Skagway are shown in the third picture taken from a vantage point on a trail across the river from the harbor area.

Carcross, Yukon Territory

Stan...
We travelled from Carmacks, YT (about 110 miles north of Whitehorse) down to Carcross, YT yesterday (about 45 miles south of Whitehorse). We plan on spending 3 and possibly 4 days in Carcross and make at least one or more day trips further south thru a small section of British Columbia and then back into the U.S. at the Skagway, Alaska customs checkpoint.

We have had several packages sent to the US Post Office (via General Delivery) in Skagway and we plan on picking those packages on Monday as well as do the typical tourist site seeing things while there. Skagway is a major stopping point for the many cruise ships that travel the Inter Passage Waterway between Vancouver, BC and the Anchorage, AK area each summer, so we might be elbow to elbow with the cruise tourists in downtown Skagway if a cruise ship happens to be in port while we are there.



 
The above picture as well as the second picture are taken at a beautiful little lake along side the highway between Whitehorse & Carcross. Emerald blue water, snow capped mountains in the background and several log cabins along the banks of the lake made for a very tranquil setting.

Enroute to Carcross

Connie...
On our way from Whitehorse to Carcross we stopped for a photo op at this beautiful lake. The blue green water and snow capped mountains were breathtaking. What a great place to stop and reflect.

Dawson City to Carmacks, YT

Stan...
Today was a travel day from Dawson City down to Carmacks, YT (about 110 miles north of Whitehorse).

This picture is of a forest fire we passed by several days earlier on our way north up to Dawson City which was still burning when we again passed by on our return trip south to Carmacks.

This forest fire appeared to be much more intense and concentrated in a much smaller area further to the west of the first burn area. We did not see any signs of this fire when we were headed north to Dawson, only seeing it several days later when we were headed south back from Dawson City.

This is the Five Fingers area of the Yukon River that presented one of the more intense navigation problems for the sternwheelers that used to travel the Yukon River between Whitehorse and Dawson City before there the road to Dawson City was built in the early 1950's. Many sternwheelers travelled the Yukon during the summer months transporting supplies between Whitehorse & Dawson City. The Yukon River flows north and the trip from Whitehorse to Dawson City would take about a day and a half, but the return trip back to Whitehorse would take 4-5 days as the sternwheelers battled up river fighting the swift currents of the Yukon River.