Alaska Day Six: Float Planes and Eisenhower

Monday morning we both managed to finally sleep in, our exertions of Sunday catching up with us.  We lazily got up and got packed and ready to check out of the hotel.  For the first time since arriving in Alaska, we had no car or hotel room to call home. 

We started by finishing up some souvenir shopping in downtown Anchorage, with the highlight of that journey being me breaking the mug I bought for mom about 37 seconds after I bought it and about 3 inches in front of the store.  We went back to our go-to Starbucks, and were waited on by a barista who had just come from living in Bartlesville, OK for a few years while she went to school.

Our next idea was to go to Lake Hood to see the float planes, so we went to the Visitor Center to figure out how to take a bus there.  They were not too helpful but did point us in the direction of the bus station and a post office.  The route to the post office took us by two guys smoking pot and hanging out on the stairs.

At the Transit Center, we bought day passes and were off on a bus to find Lake Hood.  By following our route on my GPS, I was able to tell when we needed to get off the bus.  We arrived a couple blocks away from Lake Hood and walked in the rain to find the planes.  We saw several take off and land, and a dog named Kiki jumped up on me and got muddy footprints on my jacket.

Our next destination was Earthquake Park and we determined we could get back on the bus we got off and make it there, but there were about 30 minutes before the bus came.  We opted for lunch at Wendy's with frosties for dessert.  The frosty sounded better before we had to wait in the rainy cold for 10 minutes as the bus was late.

Earthquake Park turned out to require a very long walk before you could even see anything, and we wound up going way farther than we wanted to on our post-race day.  Eventually we reached the coastal trail and had a nice view back toward downtown Anchorage.  Other than, not much to say about Earthquake Park.  To get back to the bus, we had to walk uphill several blocks through a residential neighborhood and when we finally reached the bus stop, we learned it would be 50 minutes before the bus came.

At this point we had basically run out of energy and things we wanted to do, but we had nowhere to go.  We browsed a few of the shops again and visited the Eisenhower Monument.  Frances was excited to see somebody else besides the state of Kansas interested in Eisenhower.  Alaskans like him because he made them a state in 1959.

It started raining again with a very ominous sky so we opted for the dry seats of the 5th Avenue mall food court.  It was a relief to sit down and be dry with access to a clean bathroom.  We chose Humpy's, an Anchorage classic, for our last Alaskan meal.

From there, we returned to the hotel to pick up our luggage and get a shuttle to the airport.  The desk clerk told us when we checked out that he couldn't pass along our request for a shuttle, that we'd need to do that ourselves 30-60 minutes before we needed to leave.  We waited 60 minutes and when the shuttle driver came, they told us he couldn't leave because he was the only one that knew how to fix the dryer.  Finally we were on our way to the airport, and I was no fan of the service from the desk clerks.

Our flight departed Anchorage on time at 10:40 p.m. and arrived in Denver at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday Denver time.  I managed to get a little sleep on the flight as I was not interested in watching Cars again.  After a brief layover in Denver, we headed for KC, arriving at 9:30 a.m.  Cindy picked us up, and the highlight of the ride home was Frances discovering she had gum on her arm, which she then got on the car seat.

And that's the end!

Alaska Day Five: Race Day

Frances and I both woke up before the alarm, around 7:00.  I reluctantly looked outside as a high chance of rain was forecasted.  It was drizzly but not raining heavily.  We got dressed in our running clothes and headed to the starting line, about a half mile walk from our hotel.  By the time we got there, it was 53 degrees and not raining.  There wasn't much to do so we went to Starbucks to stay warm and wait for the races to start.

The marathon- ers started off at 9:00 a.m. so I wished Frances luck and waited my turn.  Next were the half marathon- ers at 9:20 a.m.  I waited as long as possible to check my bag so I could hang on to my jacket.  We in the 5K were the last to go at 9:40 a.m.  The race went a few blocks on city streets, then down a hill and out along the coastal trail.  It was a little narrow as the trail wasn't very wide and there was two-way traffic with the lead runners coming back towards us after the switchback. 

As I got to the hill back up to the streets, it started raining lightly.  I managed to finish just under my goal of 36 minutes, so I was happy with that.  I collected my medal and started off to find the 16 mile mark of the marathon where I was to meet Frances.  It ended up being about two miles to get there, and I was there about 20 minutes ahead of when I expected her.  I had to walk along a trail with the half marathon runners because I wasn't sure how to go any other way.

Frances came along at 11:35, about 5 minutes ahead of schedule.  She said she was doing well but was having trouble finding someone to pace with.  After she was off again, I headed back to downtown to wait for her to finish.  It started raining so I went back to Starbucks again.  I was expecting Frances around 1:30, but around 1:05 the rain had mostly stopped so I went over to watch the finish line.  Luckily I did because within 5 minutes she came crusing in, about 15 minutes ahead of her last run!

We had someone take a picture of us with our medals to send home for the letter, and then we started off back to the hotel to shower.  A unique feature of the hotel bathroom is the light switch - which is a timer knob you have to turn to get the light to come on.  Of course there are no numbers on the knob so you have no idea how long you have it set for.  Frances and I both had the experience of not setting it long enough and having the lights go out on us in the shower.

We probably should have stayed put longer, but we were hard core and after a brief rest, headed out to browse the Sunday Market.  We hit up a few gift shops but I quickly realized I was too tired to shop.  We had dinner at the Glacier Brewhouse and then went to see the AurorA movie at the Alaska Performing Arts Center, a show with images of the Northern Lights.  It was just us and another couple in the theater.

After the movie, we finally headed back to the hotel for good.  I checked my fitbit and found I had my highest number of steps ever - almost 31,000.  It was tricky to get all my steps in because my fitbit was still on central time and I had to get them in by 9:00 p.m. before it reset.

Alaska Day Four: Glaciers and Otters

Early Saturday morning, Frances drove to the north side of the city to watch for the lights but no luck.  In the morning, she ran two miles, the last step of her training.  Our first stop of the morning was Walmart again so Frances could get a watch for the race.

Then we headed out again on the Seward Highway towards Whittier.  Since we weren't crossing into Alaska so no welcome sign, we opted for the photo op with the Alaska Scenic Highway sign for my collection.  Several more photo ops along the way, with few clouds in the sky and no rain.

Outside Whittier, we paid $12 and got in line to go through the one lane Anton Anderson tunnel, which is 2.5 miles through the mountain.  The tunnel is open in each direction only once an hour, and we went through during the 10:30 opening.

We paid $5 to park in tiny Whittier, where the skies were beginning to be overcast again.  We walked around and checked in for our glacier cruise.  Because we had opted out of the buffet on the boat, we grabbed some food in one of the tiny shops.  There isn't much to Whittier, but a lot of boats. 

There was a cruise ship in port.  In the shop where I bought my pizza, there were some guys who had been up in the mountain hunting and seen 3 bears, but as it was not bear season, they had to leave them alone.

After lunch we boarded the Fairweather Express II.  The boat was only about half full which was nice.  The tour was narrated by a Chugach National Forest ranger named Mary.  From the time we left Whittier, the sky was cloudy, drizzly, and cold, but we had a great time anyway.  Mary pointed out some valley and hanging glaciers, identifiable by their blue ice.

We passed several fishing boats, and we weren't able to visit the fish hatchery because the boats had their nets stretched across where we needed to go.  We went out around Esther Island and traveled through Esther Passage.  We came upon a whole bunch of sea lions "sunning" themselves on rocks. 

After the sea lions came the sea otters, which are bigger than the otters I've seen in the zoo - around 100 pounds each.  Frances was able to get good pics using her zoom lens.  We spent time out on the deck of the boat but got too cold and wet so went in for awhile.

The highlight of the cruise was our arrival at Surprise Glacier, a tidewater glacier, meaning it touches the water.  The boat stopped near the glacier and we had lots of time to take pictures.  Most people gave up and went inside, but there were a few of us still out there when a harbor seal popped his head up between the ice.  He came up one more time and then disappeared before anyone could get a photo. 

We finally had enough of the rain and cold and went in to have hot chocolate.  The crew had fished glacier ice out of the water to make glacier ice margaritas.  I was too cold, but Frances did try some glacier ice water.  On the way back to Whittier, some junior rangers were sworn in and brought around an otter pelt for everyone to feel.

Near Whittier, the captain announced some whales had been spotted, and we were able to see a whale a few times.  Frances, who is scared of whales, did OK and called it "exposure therapy."  The last stop was at a bird rookery just across the water from Whittier.  Once we got off the boat, we hurried back to the car to make sure we were in line for the 6:00 tunnel opening.



 The drive back to Anchor- age looked complete- ly different than that morning - overcast, drizzly, low tide with low clouds.  We took a picture at Beluga Point to show the difference from just 7 hours earlier. 

We arrived back in Anchorage around 7:15 p.m. and both thought Panera sounded like awesome pre-race dinner.  Unfortunately Panera has not make it to Alaska and we finally stopped at a Schlotzsky's, which had horrible service.  We had to return our rental car and called the hotel to get a shuttle.  They told us to call when we had our luggage, so we waited until we were done checking in the car.  When we called, they told us it would be 30 more minutes.

While we were waiting, I discovered I had left my phone in the car.  I called the rental company and started walking back over there.  The guy said he would go up and check and call me back.  When I got to the car, it was still there with my phone in it.  I told the guy in the booth I had it, to let the other guy know when he came to look for it.  Apparently he had already been there.  He didn't even look in the car - just asked the guy in the booth if anyone had turned it in.  Seriously!

I made it back to the shuttle stop before the bus arrived, and we finally got to the hotel at 9:30.  The room was clean but the customer service was lacking.  Frances studied the race map and made her final preparations, and we went to bed.

Alaska Day Three: Fall and Scenic Drives

The day started off at 4:30 when Frances woke up later than planned to look for the Northern Lights.  Turns out she set her alarm for 12:30 p.m. instead of a.m.  She did not see them.  She did get to see the sky starting to get light.  After logging our names in the Aspen Haus guest book, we headed back to Denali National Park.

We parked at the Science Center and headed out the Horseshoe Lake Trail.  On the trail, we saw what we decided are moose tracks.  We also noticed lots of trees starting to turn yellow, and we both agreed they seemed even more yellow than the day before.  At one point the trail crossed the Alaska Railroad tracks so we paused for a photo op.  The sky was overcast but did not rain on us during the hike.

Near the beginning of the trail was an overlook with a view of the lake, and the Subway and other shops outside the park.  From there, it is a steep walk down to the lake itself.  There was a sign that beavers live here and we saw their dam, but none made an appearance.  Other than rabbits, we did not see any wildlife.  Unfortunately the return trip was back up the hill we came down. Again we felt like we were in the Twilight Zone because there were no people or animals, just stumps that look like bears.

After our hike, we headed out of the park to do some souvenir shopping and partake of free fudge samples.  We stopped at the Mt. McKinley Chalet Resort to check it out and partake of their restrooms before heading out on the return drive to Anchorage.  About 15 miles outside the park, we met up with the intermittent rain which followed us most of the way.  We visited the same Subway near Talkeetna where we ate lunch the day before.

We stopped at the South Viewing Point overlook and checked for Mt. McKinley.  Of course we did not see it.  For those counting, this is the third time we did not see it.  You can see in the center of the photo where they claim it should be.  We got back in the car, convinced it was just a ruse to get tourists to drive out looking for it.

A little north of Wasilla, we encountered one lane traffic and were halted for about 20 minutes, of which Frances slept the first 19.  She woke up just as we were moving again.  There were more than 100 cars waiting for their turn to drive on the road.  Traffic continued to be heavy until we were through Wasilla. 

After Wasilla, we noticed all the mountains that we weren't able to see the day before because of rain and clouds.  Back in Anchorage, we stopped at the race expo to pick up our packets for Sunday.  We took a quick look around the expo but it was not very interesting.

At this point it was about 4:00 and we figured we needed another activity before we made a repeat visit to the Qupqugiag Inn, so opted for a scenic drive along the Seward Highway.  We stopped at Walmart and picked up snacks for the remainder of the trip, something we should have done the day before.  There was rush hour traffic as we were trying to get out of Anchorage but not too bad once we left the city limits.

Our first stop was Potter Marsh, offering views of birds from the boardwalk.  It was a little scenic but not being too interested in birds, we headed on to the south.  One thing of note - Potter Marsh is located directly across from the Rabbit Creek Rifle Range, so while you are chilling on the boardwalk checking out birds, rifle fire makes up the background noise.

We drove as far as Beluga Point, taking advantage of many photo ops.  We stopped at McHugh Creek and went for a walk along the Turnagain Arm trail towards Potter, hoping for some scenic vistas.  We followed signs to Boy Scout Rocks, which proved not to be very scenic.  We did find one spot where we could see out and used the camera self-timer to get a photo of ourselves.  No wildlife here, except a trail runner who came racing out of the brush ahead of us and scared us half to death.  On our return trip, he was coming back at us, startling us again. 

Here the sun was stuck in the sky again at the same spot we noticed it on Thursday night.  It looks like if you hang out for 30 minutes, you should get to see an impressive sunset, but it never moves.

We checked into the Qupqugiaq Inn for the second time, this time with a room on the noisy front side.  After checking in, we headed to downtown in search of food.  We ended up at Rumrunners for a quick dinner and were back at the hotel at 9:00 p.m., still sunny, and made it a little longer before going to bed.  Frances made sure to set her alarm correctly this time.

Alaska Day Two: Sled Dogs and a Moose

Thursday morning we both found ourselves awake at 6:30 a.m., given that it was 9:30 a.m. in Kansas City.  It was pretty rainy but slowed to a drizzle while we loaded the car.  The hostel/inn offered cereal and waffle mix for breakfast.  What they didn't mention was they don't offer any dishes.  Technically they do, but they were all being used and we had to improvise.

We made our first gas station stop of the trip for drinks and then headed north.  Most of the morning was rainy and we couldn't really see too much of the mountains around us.  We did pass through Wasilla, home of Sarah Palin, but nothing to write about there.

We took the Talkeetna spur road about 15 miles into Talkeetna, a tiny town with little shops and cafes and a view of Mt. McKinley.  We walked around, purchased a few souvenirs, and then did NOT see Mt. McKinley due to clouds.  This is the first time we didn't see The Big One.

After returning to the main highway, we had lunch at Subway as we weren't sure when the next opportunity to eat would be.  As we drove along, there were fewer and fewer radio stations and more and more RVs.  Frances provided encouragement and I on multiple occasions overcame my fear of passing them.  We also crossed the Alaska Railroad tracks many, many times.  The rain continued to come and go throughout the drive.

We arrived at Denali National Park at 2:15 p.m. and had our picture taken to prove we made it.  Our first stop was the Visitor's Center, which fascinated me by looking brand new.  In fact all the buildings did. 

The bus for the sled dog demonstration was leaving in about 20 minutes, so we did a quick hike on the Spruce Forest Trail.  This took about 7 minutes giving us ample time to get on the bus!

At the sled dog kennels, we had a chance to walk around and see the dogs, almost all of whom were sleeping either next to or on top of their houses.  Three were celebrating their 8th birthday.  These are the only working sled dogs (canine rangers) in the National Park System.

Range Jamie led the demo and told the history of how they dogs came to be in the park and what kind of work they do.  Then he asked us to clap if we were ready to see them in action.  As soon as we started clapping, ALL the dogs came to attention and started barking and jumping around.  Only 5 could go on the demo run, but they were all excited and no longer interested in naps.  They hitched the dogs up and make a quick loop run on gravel, ending right in front of us.

After the tour, we took the bus back to the Visitor Center.  A train filled with huge rocks was rolling through the station, so we stopped to take a few photos.  The park road is closed to private vehicles after mile 15, so we figured we'd drive out that far and look for a hike.  Mile 9 is supposed to be a great place to see Mt. McKinley.  We stopped but could not see it.  For those keeping track, this is the second time we didn't see it.

We continued on the road and saw two caribou along the way.  We opted for the Savage River Loop Trail.  It was about two miles and easy going, without much climbing.  We did veer off the trail to climb a hill and get some photos of the valley before heading back.  On the hike back, we came upon another caribou and Frances was ready with her zoom lens.  The "loop" part of the trail was a bit of a misnomer as it lands you on the opposite side of a bridge from where you parked, so we had to climb up and walk across the bridge.  Frances wants to write them a letter about this.

Along this hike was where we first noticed the lowering in the sky and then just stopping.  It is a bit of a Twilight Zone feel, especially since we were about the only people around.

On the drive back, we spotted a moose and Frances again got him with her zoom lens.  From the park, we drove north to Healy, about 12 miles.  We missed the turn the first time and had a little trouble navigating but ulimately arrived at Aspen Haus.  We were checked into the Southview Suite by young Dylan, son of the proprieters.  He was very professional.  The room was nice and had a small kitchenette. 

We ate dinner at the 49th State Brewery in Healy.  I ate approximately half of the GIANT burger they served.  We were back to our room at 9:00, with the sky bright as day.  Dad, to answer your question, it was not dark enough to go to bed.

Frances set her alarm for her first attempt to view the northern lights.

Alaska Day One: The Uneventful Day

Our story starts at the beginning.  Unfortunately the beginning is boring but what are you gonna do? 

After carefully extricating myself from work, Mom delivered Frances and I to the airport for our late afternoon flight.  Perhaps the most interesting thing I saw on the flight to Denver was a man with a large bald spot on the top of this head.  In this bald spot, he had a tattoo of a man cutting the grass with a lawnmower.  Other than that, he appeared to be your average 70ish man.  I tried to take a picture but found it to be too awkward.

We had a quick dinner at McDonald's in the Denver airport and then boarded our flight to Anchorage, leaving Denver around 5:30 p.m.  The flight attendants were all older males, which you don't see very often.  Apparently one of them hugged Frances as she was getting off the plane.  She did not appreciate this.  Movies shown on the flight were Cars and Avengers.  I did finally watch cars all the way through.

I entered my 49th state about 9:45 p.m. in time to find the sun just getting ready to set.  We picked up our rental car and found our way to the Qupqugiaq Inn.  That's really it.  Told you day one was boring.  Day two is better so stay tuned.