Saturday, 5/24 – Finally, Fairbanks!

Another clear, sunny day with forecasted high in the 80’s in Fairbanks, and plenty warm at the Denali Lodge already.  With the early bag pickup, we figured we’d get a good breakfast and then just repair to the main lodge until bus time.  Good plan, as service at the main restaurant was … well, just about absent.  When the table team was in sight they were friendly but mostly they were gone.  Very odd, we were glad we weren’t on a tight timeline.  We did have time to notice that the railroad we’d taken up to Talkeetna was running across the bluffs on the far side of the river.  Eggs, bacon & reindeer sausage with a nice buttermilk biscuit – pretty good eats, once we got them.  And we were privy to the fact that a bear had been roaming the grounds very early, as the restaurant staff starts things up at 5A and saw him moving from building to building, including the music hall where we’d dined our first night here.  Glad WE didn’t run into him!

One reason we tried to build in time was to try to print boarding passes, and we feared a big wait for the local PC’s.  As it happened, we found one available immediately BUT … you had to answer a lengthy questionnaire before you could go about your business.  Bad day to ask (see above) but I got it done and ultimately got my boarding passes – pleasant surprise, printed on one piece of paper!  I also paid my bag fee, and though we were beginning to close in on bus-departure-time, managed to get Angie done as well.  Printed out her receipt and gave thanks that at least THIS time one of the airline confirmation codes was actually recognized.

Up to the main level, where there was an impressive variety and quantity of seating in a pleasant, open environment.  As we moved outside to enjoy the air, a lady came up to me and told me that I had given her COURAGE – she had brought mostly sandals but it had been cooler, and she wanted to wear socks.  Her husband had told her that was strictly forbidden … but I had on (beautifuly hand-knit) socks, so she knew it had to be OK.  Well … happy to help!

The bus was right on time, though there was a bit of a delay … we were to be entirely full, including 5-across on the wide rearmost seat.  But the poor gentleman who went back there came forward again, reporting that a lady had told he she’d “be squished if he sat there.”  Off he and his wife go, hurried consultation between the driver, the dispatcher, and then up to THREE additional Princess folks.  Somehow they whistled up a pair of seats on the coach ahead of us (did you know that a coach has a loo, where a mere bus does not?) and off we went.

There were no advertised stops between Denali Lodge and Fairbanks, but a few occurred anyway.  We noticed that gas stations were few and far between (just one between the two towns!), and passed a number of local sights (Skinny Dick’s Halfway Inn, anyone?).  There was a rest stop in a hamlet that seemed to exist entirely on the sales of sodas and candy, as the handcrafts that were offered were at stratospheric prices.  Onward to a major overlook with a panoramic view of the valley below (where Fairbanks is) as well as the snowy ranges in the distance, including a final glimpse at Ms. Denali herself.

As we approached Fairbanks, we passed the local U of A which is the only university to operate a rocket-launch pad.  Who knew?  We were reminded that one in 60 Alaskans is a licensed pilot, an important skill in a primarily-roadless environment.

We were a little startled to learn that we’d be delivered directly to the “riverboat tour.”  We certainly had intended to take it, as it’s included in the tour bundle, but this seemed a little pushy (or we’re getting tired).  Rather than indulge in “miner’s stew” we sampled some mighty good ice cream, and perused the gift shop.  Happily we were pretty well shopped out already.

Soon we were in queue to board the boat.  While it was a very warm day, we didn’t want to sit in the sun so we took front-row seats on the lower, glass-enclosed level.  It was really quite fun as the helm was several levels up so we enjoyed an unobstructed view.

The boat was a true paddle-wheeler, and had been built-to-order by a gentleman whose 4^th and 5^th generation descendants were now running the business.  Originally he had run freight up and down the river before the railroad and some limited trucking improved that delivery system.  Fairbanks is home to some serious dog-mushers, and in fact this year’s Iditarod started there due to lack of snow further south.  We were treated to a presentation by a woman who breeds and runs the dogs and who’s finished that big race; she carries the mantle of Susan Butcher, who won the race three consecutive times and established a new school of thought on training & handling the dogs.  (Sadly, Susan passed away several years ago.)  It was interesting – and encouraging – to hear how the dogs are socialized, picked for specific spots on the team, and exercised to keep their “born to run” instincts sharp and happy.

Off we went downstream, where we saw the confluence of this meltwater-nourished river with a glacier-fed and silty river.  Turning around, we stopped at a reconstructed Athabascan village, with native interpreters to acquaint us with Native living both before and after contact with European explorers.  As with the young lady at Denali National Park and Preserve, these are high school kids who were very professional in their presentations to our large group.

There was some free time, so we went off to see the dogs and their handler up a little closer.  The first thing was the lady looked sharp at Angie’s t-shirt (a UWM logo) and asked if she was from Milwaukee.  “Yes..”  “WHERE in Milwaukee, I’m from Whitefish Bay!”  Well, go figure – the Bay is the very next suburb north of Shorewood, where I lived until recently and Angie still does.  Small world!

Much too soon, the boat’s whistle told us it was time to re-board.  The dog handler was power-boating back upstream and well-tested to outrun her charges, who were chasing up the riverbank at top speed.  We were treated to a salmon-and-creamcheese spread which was truly delicious … but we weren’t prepared to meet the price to bring the salmon home to you.  Sorry!

Back on the bus, we were missing two persons who some folks could identify by name.  Turns out they’d succumbed to the blandishments of the ice-cream stand; they received a hearty round of applause when they boarded quickly.  The airport time-and-temperature sign showed 89* … a few minutes earlier the driver had seen it saying 91*.  The heat is due in part to Fairbanks being a mere 460 feet above sea level, nestled as it is in this broad valley.

Again we were pre-checked into the hotel, and found our room without incident.  We were DELIGHTED to discover that we could check our large suitcases this evening and not have to wrestle them in the morning.  It took some doing to untangle the fact that we had already paid the fee (the fact that I had printed Angie’s receipt led to the solution, and my defensive double-payment -- the first person didn't know how to find proof of payment without a receipt -- was refunded thank goodness!).  We need to be on the 4:30A shuttle to the airport; though it’s a short trip there, we don’t want to get entangled and be late for the plane.

Tomorrow you may receive a coda … I have a scary-long list of little things I’ve not worked into these notes as yet.  But know we have had the time of our lives; despite that, we’re looking forward to being back in accustomed domestic surroundings.  We’ll talk with you soon!

Friday, 5/22 – the whole gamilla (or menagerie?)

We were up at a reasonable hour and returned to the music venue for an all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast.  Happily, the music had been dialed back to a background level; unhappily, the food had not improved and sanitary precautions were in place, so everything was served (even the coffee).  We got into gear, but without any thrill.

We had a little time before the bus into Denali National Park and Preserve, so we identified the “shipping cabin” and a couple other places and got the room organized a bit.  It was another beautiful day (we hope we haven’t used up our lifetime supply of beautiful travel days!) so we opted to hang around the front of the lodge until our bus arrived.  We had a LOT of time, it turned out, as additional buses had been added by the Park scheduler, so ours was delayed a half-hour.  No matter, eventually it did come and we took seats on the driver’s side again.

The entrance to the park is very nearby, so it was a short jaunt to the welcome center where we enjoyed a 20-minute film on the early days in the area and how the Park and Preserve came to be established.  Many old photos, and some interesting commentary from people who had actually been here back then.  Gradually, we re-filled the bus.

The buses travel in pairs, and we had to scurry to catch up to our lead bus.  Our driver has been here and on this job for 23 years, so had answers to very many questions.  The first stop was at a cabin which had been built in the early days to shelter rangers on winter patrol, complete with very long nails driven from the inside out to deter bears from opening the shutters protecting the windows.

Going forward, we saw a moose rambling around in a parking lot and pair of caribou grazing in a field.  A little while later, another moose darted in front of our bus and the driver had to really stand on the brakes.  Unfortunately, that moose pretty much disappeared into the landscape after the near-miss.

Better news, though – The Lady had now revealed herself on this clear, sunny day.  The peaks near us were all brown, but she was shining pure white in the distance – very special.  The local lore is that only 30% of all visitors get to see her clearly, so our luck has come through again.

But the best was close to our last stop … someone spotted critters on the far side of a wide, shallow watercourse.  Turns out they were mother bear and cub, rummaging around for roots and the youngster splashing, tumbling around, and playing with Mom.  They headed slowly upstream.  As our attention turned from them, a lone caribou emerged from some high grass.  We were a bit surprised to see him in such proximity to the bears – weren’t they supposed to be really hungry right now?  Our driver solved the riddle:  the bears would have the interest, but would lack the capacity to take down such a massive beast this early in their feeding season.

The caribou meandered downstream and came over the shallows to a gravel bed in mid-stream.  That’s when a shorebird dive-bombed him, literally making him jump.  He backtracked a bit, then went forward to be threatened again.  He KNEW he wanted to be downstream, so he trotted quickly past what probably was the bird’s nest, and was left in peace then.  When we rounded a turn and proceeded over a low bridge, we could practically reach out and touch him!

We now needed to make some serious tracks to our final stop, Primrose Point.  Here there is another fine view of Denali, though some clouds were beginning to assemble again.  A native Athabascan woman, whose parents have made a point of teaching her their language and customs, made a nice presentation on Athabascan culture.  They are the Native peoples of central Alaska, and are credited with being excellent stewards of the land over the centuries.  We were standing in good hunting grounds (panoramic vistas to spot game), but not in a good place to establish a village (rolling land, no water source).  Each village had several sub-tribes; hers was the Red Clay clan.  One always married outside of one’s clan, as clan members were family (whether blood kin or not).  She rued the fact that the traditional songs were rarely sung now, and as a gift to us, sang a sort of lullaby for a small child.  THIS was the music I’d hoped for LAST night!  Beautiful and touching.

Our driver had cautioned us at the beginning NOT to apply insect repellant, first there weren’t that many bugs out this early and second, we were traveling in an enclosed space and the stuff stinks.  Got it!  But up here there were some mosquitoes, and mighty huge they were too -- at LEAST an inch long.  Though they stayed on the outsides of jackets, we were ready to get back into the bus.

Enroute back to the lodge, we had one more wildlife treat:  a mature bull moose!  These guys are rarely sighted, and (though the driver earlier had quipped, “When did you last see a SMALL moose?”) even he had to admit this guy was BIG.  We were amazed at all we had seen.

Back to the Visitor Center, there was an opportunity to debark and take in various exhibits and presentations, but we came on home again.  Did a little light shopping based on our test-drive last night, and got a couple of send-it-home boxes set up.  Once back in the room, we packed them full and realized we’d need one more.  But the room was so hot I suggested that I muscle the items back to the Packing Cabin so Angie could continue ventilating the room.  Done deal!

Naturally, the staffer was at dinner when I arrived.  But after a short wait, he arrived and we got everything taped up and ready to go.  Our bags are lighter and our shoulders are DEFINITELY happier. We took ourselves to the burger-and-bar place next door for a competent burger flanked by home-made potato chips which were quite nice.  On the way back to the room we strolled over to the river view again.

Tomorrow we head up to Fairbanks; bags to be picked up at 8 and bus at 9:30.  We could indulge in breakfast across the street at Subway, but the plan is to dine in the “good” restaurant on the grounds:  many of the same items as at McKinley, and less pricey than the buffet.  We’re hoping for a good start to the day, as there won’t be much time between our arrival at Fairbanks and the launch of the riverboat tour there.  We will be back in accustomed time zones far too soon now…

Thursday 5/21 -- Denali to Denali

Our “Mt. McKinley” lodge had a clear view of the mountains surrounding The Big One, though she cloaked herself pretty thoroughly.  The lodge is on one edge of the Denali national park.  We travel today to the Denali lodge, which is on a different edge of the protected territory but apparently has better access into the park.

Last night we thought we’d have breakfast late, after strolling along a half-mile path running between the main lodge and the restaurant we patronized then.  But after a really LOVELY night’s sleep – window wide open, enjoying the fresh air – we were ready for breakfast first.  We noticed as we left that there were many suitcases out in the hall with the orange-and-white striped tags to Denali, but we were not ready for that (nor could we find anywhere that we were told to DO that!).  We trotted off to the main lodge and got onto the waitlist for breakfast.  We passed a pleasant 20 minutes in those chairs looking at the mountain range, and got a couple photos of what WAS showing of The Big One.  Good thing too, as the cloud bank thickened and settled over the next few minutes.

Our number came up and we were seated at a table with an equally lovely view.  We ordered up a prospector’s breakfast of eggs, meat, potatoes & toast.  Finally a restaurant that knows how to make breakfast potatoes – heaven!  We were sorely tempted to order up additional servings of those potatoes (crispy brown outside, with a few peppers and onions scattered in … yum) … but we had an attack of good sense and resisted.

It’s another lovely morning – in fact the forecast for tomorrow is mid-70’s – so we found the short trail and followed it down to beautiful overlooks of a river and its flanking bluffs.  At a point a few chickadees seemed to adopt us, hopping a few feet down the trail until we caught up, then leading us a little further.  Guess they recognized greenhorns when they saw us!

Back at the room we finished packing up and muscled our bulging carry-on bags to the lodge.   The lady behind the counter was nonplussed to see the bags, but the next tier up manager came out promptly and confidently assured us that the bags would, indeed, arrive at Denali.  We are still toting our shoulder bags, but that’s manageable.  We’ve been able to get our phones attached to the free wi-fi, but the laptop is resisting, so we’ll try again to post when we get to the next lodge.

We’d passed the time in the pleasant “wi-fi” room which also offered big round wooden card tables (complete with little drawer in the skirt!).  Of course there was a wall of windows in case the lady decided to be less coy, but no such luck.  Got lots of reading & needlework accomplished (for those following the needlework, I’ve stitched in the first color of the waves under the ship).  Then off to find Bus D-10 and trek further northward.

 

The bus ride was several hours, with a gawk-and-stretch-your-legs stop maybe 2/3 of the way through.  Beautiful scenery, and at several points we were close enough to some of the mountains to see how they do rise directly from the meadows below.  A pleasant day, warm and scattered clouds, so nice to be outside.  We did finally hit the advertised construction, and had to wait for our “pilot car” to turn around after having led the southbound procession through the work area.  You know you’re in Alaska when the speed limit in a construction zone is … 65 MPH.

Arriving at the lodge, we were happy to find our building near to the dropoff point so we won’t have to wait for the on-site shuttle.  We’re overlooking a rushing river, where later we saw folks running the rapids in a big inflatable raft, the guide hollering “PULL! PULL!”  Though the craft went a full 180, he righted it quickly and they were on their way again.

We had tickets to “Music of Denali” and a salmon dinner on the grounds at 5:15.  Around 5 we left the room, only to find ourselves at the end of a REALLY long line.  Eventually we all got inside, seated at long tables with their ends to a stage.  A good biscuit and small crunchy salad were already out, and shortly the main meal of fully-loaded mashed potatoes, succotash, BBQ brisket, and SALMON was served.  I’d been hoping for good information on Native culture, but was I wrong … so tragically wrong.  It was kitsch all the way, with the table staff doubling as cast members, and an amplification that could have been cut in half at least.  We were tasked with cheering for our assigned server once he sang, so we stayed that long and fled.  We could hear perfectly well outside.  Sigh…

The remainder of the evening we rambled around the central area of the venue, checking out the various shops.  There also is a “mailing cabin” where we hope to lighten our load again as we did at the McKinley lodge.  So those on sentry duty back in Glenview …watch for a couple of boxes to me/from me, as well as the suitcase that will be FedEx’d to LINDA’s.  

As we began to return to the room, we hung out by the river overlook for a good little while.  Not only was the view very pleasant, but the rushing waters were very soothing to our travelers’ souls.  Though we have hardly scratched the surface of this massive State, it seems almost OK that our time here is getting short.

Meanwhile, back at the room we read and caught up on correspondence.  The materials in the room had some fun facts – Alaska is larger than Texas, California and Montana combined … and if Alaska were divided neatly in half to make TWO states, Texas would then be the THIRD-LARGEST state.  Have we said “vast” before?

Wednesday 5/20 – on the road again

Sure enough, the nice robot lady called us at 4:30 and we actually got up.  There was a healthy herd of us who wanted to be “first” in the buffet line (restaurants are closed today) and a certain amount of chaos ensued.  There’s never been a well-defined route through the buffet, and with the norovirus-transmission-control in effect we couldn’t serve ourselves.  So a lot of swirling and growling as lines dealt with folks coming in from unexpected vectors, and the servers (who usually only have to refill depleted containers) tried to get food onto each plate as well as their usual duties.  Net result?  I lost Angie for several long minutes!  But finally she emerged from the mob, and we finished breakfast in good time to get back to the room and amble down to our usual dining room, to await further instructions.

One thing the printed instructions had made PAINFULLY clear was that we had to have a tiny little tab torn off of the end of a yellow baggage tag, in order to be cleared off of the boat.  Seriously, this thing was maybe an inch by a half-inch.  And we’re supposed to have that out along with our “cruise card,” whatever we’re carrying as a tote, and the spare jacket we don’t need to wear?  

Finally we are told to process out of the room and down the gangplank.  Again our cruise card is scanned and the photo perused to see if we look like ourselves.  Down the gangplank, into a tarp-shrouded tunnel, out to the train.  Did anyone, at ANY time, ask for the little yellow chit?  Sigh…..

A gray day, but no rain and very clement temperatures.  The sun is trying to peek out, and we are assured that once we’re through the tunnels enroute to Anchorage, the weather WILL change – no matter WHAT it was in Whittier.  We feel right at home with THAT forecast!

We were supposed to have boarding passes for the train, and what we DID have was tour tickets.  That did identify us enough to be told we were in car 2, but upon arrival there the agent couldn’t find us on her chart to tell us what table we were assigned.  Back to the entry point, find the major-domess, and learn we’re at Table 16.  Back to car #2, where the agent is falling over herself apologizing as she, too, has found us assigned to Table 16.  So on we go.

There was ever-so-slightly more room than had been advertised to stow our carry-on (“personal item” in airline parlance), but once it was underneath the seat, there was no accessing it again.  The car was laid out as a dining car, with tables-for-four, two facing two.  The table was generous … but totally occluded access to the floor.  So there was some re-arranging to pull out the few things that would be needed enroute.  Our tablemates were a California couple who were celebrating their son’s graduation from Berkeley – HE had sent them on the cruise/tour.  What a guy!  Sadly, the mom was afflicted with motion sickness and while she did her best to be friendly, clearly it was a rough ride for her.

Finally the train pulled out northbound.  There had been an engine on each end, so we found ourselves facing the rear of the train.  Not my preferred view, but sometimes it was helpful as things were spotted we had an extra moment to locate them.  Included in this eventually were some Dall sheep way up high on a mountainside, several trumpeter swans, a bald eagle, and an osprey nest.  Some saw a moose early on, but we weren’t able to find it.  (We also saw a bunch of “stealth” fighters out on maneuvers—impressive planes.)  The windows in the car stretched from elbow height up and curved to the middle of the ceiling, so the viewing was spectacular.  

The first point of interest was a tunnel which was shared by trains and cars – long staging areas on either side for motor vehicles to wait their turn if a train was using the tunnel.  We didn’t really get it figured out, didn’t seem right that the cars would drive right on the tracks, but in any event it was quite an engineering feat.  One perquisite included was a series of actual ROOMS every half-mile or so, where folks who couldn’t proceed past an accident or breakdown ahead could muster and enjoy light, seating, ventilation, even a supply of food and beverage.  Ventilation in the tunnel itself is powered by jet-engine fans, to ensure the air is good.  Welcome to Alaska indeed!

There was plenty of commentary about the various towns and their up-and-down history.  Many, of course, had begun as Gold Rush centers and then survived the major changes as that era ended.  Various rivers were either glacier-fed (silty, no fish) or just snowmelt (clear, good salmon country).  We passed Wasilla and were able to observe a certain lakefront residence protected by a 16’ fence (the Palin Palisade?).  We all waved at Don, who parks his truck on an access road near the tracks and waves at EVERY Princess train going by (he’s rumored to be wooing one of the service team).  We split a sandwich and enjoyed a Klon, OOPS! – Alaska Bar for dessert.

Finally we pulled up a couple miles short of Talkeetna and sought out our assigned motorcoach.  We lucked into an exit row and enjoyed some leg room for a change.  Our driver encouraged us relentlessly to get off the bus in town, but we were just not up for it.  Eventually a smaller group of holdouts was moved from another bus to ours and, reasonably full, we set off for the McKinley Princess Lodge.  Not too far into that trip, we really DID see a moose – an apparent juvenile who seemed to be looking for Mom.  Right by the side of the road, just like he belonged there, and not in the least interested in this monstrous machine buzzing by him.

The “lodge” now has over two dozen buildings.  We were dropped at the main office and waited for the on-site shuttle to arrive.  As it happened, our assigned building was the very last stop, but we found our room without trouble.  It’s very nice to contemplate two DOUBLE beds and lots of space; while the ship’s stateroom was comfortable for its type, this is just PLAIN comfortable.

After getting organized for a bit, we set out to reconnoiter dinner and resolve other questions.  There’s an internet room (wi-fi, naturally, currently was down), several restaurants, a gift shop with a nice range of goods including a generous assortment of Native-made art, and a theater alternating a movie about the Denali area and one about the aurora borealis.  We’ll see that latter one this evening, just in case the show does not occur for us in the natural world.

Ambling back to the room, we hoped to find our luggage.  Not there yet, but it did get delivered a bit after 5P.  We de-tagged the famous yellow tags as well as the tagboard “meet me tonight” one, and put on the snazzy orange-and-white diagonal striped ones.  These guys have crowd control and administration down to a pretty fine point!

The mountain (universally referred to as “She”) has cloaked herself in clouds at the moment, as is her habit.  We’ve put ourselves on the list to be called should she shake off her cloak and reveal a good view.  We’re warned that this call could be at any hour, but with a whopping 30% chance of seeing her, we figure we’d best get up and look if she’s willing to be seen.  I am wondering if she’s off having a beer somewhere with her Hawaiian sister, Pele.

We had a good dinner at the bar-and-grill between our building and the main lodge, and met up with some tablemates from the ship as well.  Angie enjoyed crab-enriched mac’n’cheese and a seafood salad/lettuce wrap … served with a quarter-head wedge of iceberg lettuce so she could roll her own.  I tucked into “NOT potato skins!” (wedges dolled up with potato-skin fixings) and a personal pizza with a sprinkling of reindeer sausage.  That seemed to call for a beer, so I took advantage of our server’s knowledge to discover that the local beer on tap was a light, floral lager and NOT a hoppy IPA.  I need to study up before I join the beer professionals in Pasadena!  Now we’re kind of yawning, but committed to staying awake for the 9P movie – then to bed for sure.

The little theater was downstairs in the main lodge, and tragically overheated.  We had to keep an eye out for each other so as not to nod off.  The show had been put together by a local photographer who was the first to have documented the auroras in panoramic format.  He had set his work to classical music, and it was a dramatic and impressive show.  Some of the frames were video, which was even more impressive.  We were happy we had made the effort to see it.

Tomorrow we have to check out by 11, our bus to the Denali Lodge departs at 2P.  We figure to have a late breakfast, then set up in some of the three ROWS of comfortable chairs set up to view the mountain, and hope for the best.