On to Fairbanks

DENALI PARK, AK - - We used to escape Skagway by heading to Whitehorse in the Yukon, now we escape Denali by heading to Fairbanks...120 miles north up the George Parks Highway. For those with low expectations or who have a general idea of what to expect in "The Last Frontier" Fairbanks is not a bad place. Since we plan to escape at least once a month if we have the same days off we should get to know it better.
ONE thing which I did find interesting in Fairbanks was a mileage chart/sign at the tourist center: we are closer to Moscow, Japan, Southeast Asia and the island of Guam - - to name a few places - - than Ormond Beach.
THERE are plenty of places to get coffee only they are all free-standing little drive-thru stands rather than the friendly sit down / take out your laptop and sip and nibble while you blog or search the internet type.
DESPITE having the University of Alaska in town the place is anything but a 'college town'.
GOOD fried okra can be found north of the Mason-Dixon Line...way north.
BILLIE'S Backpacker's Hostel is a very quaint and friendly place where free coffee and warm cinnamon rolls are served in the morning. As usual, and one of the reasons we like hostels, we met a number of interesting people. One such was a young Japanese individual who sported a "Cold Foot" T-shirt of such a tacky design that it surely was on the triple discount rack. Cold Foot is actually a town about 250 miles north of Fairbanks and above the arctic circle. The re is only one road: the Dalton Highway which has the company of the Alaska Pipeline all the way from /to its beginning in Prudhoe Bay on the Beaufort Sea. I asked the Japanese guy, who was about mid-20s, how he got there: "bicycle, with my pack and my tent." Two points: (1) he's one helluva lot braver than the two of us to ride that distance alone on a mainly dirt/gravel road with long, long stretches of nothing and nobody and no services or anything. (2) If I did ride a bicycle all the way to Cold Foot I surely would have gotten a better looking T-shirt.

Catching up

DENALI PARK, AK - - It'a been about six days since I blogged anything so this is a catch-up. If you read Lydia's Blog regularly you'll remember her blog about the big green bus and showing it off in a picture I took of her first run into the park. (I'm extremely proud she passed the rigorous training and more than a bit envious also....more on this later in the blog.) I had dropped her off at Visitor Transportation Service dispatch (VTS) and gotten lunch in the Parkside employee dining room there which Lydia says is much nicer/better/friendlier than the on the (Park Chalet) side of the park we live on. Maybe true. But on this day, there was a problem....probably with the water, maybe with something else. In any event, one hour after I took the blog photo I got hit by a stomach disorder which allowed me to lose weight without trying - - or eating either.

Fortunately the first day and a half were my days off which I spent barfing. Day three i worked 4am - 1pm without eating due to occassional barfing. Heavy doses of Pepto-Bismol helped. Days 4-5 were spent on the same shift but I seemed to be able to eat an energy bar and an apple a day and feel better. Day Six is today and i hope I'm cured.

And now the rest of the story: I also do Visitor Transportation, but in a different area of the park. We call it VTSS or "Sheep Shuttle" for short. Our wonderful guests are "herded" off the cruise ship onto a train and from the train onto the bus to their hotel and from there herded to meals / entertainment / tours. VTSS looks out for the strays; those with normal requests to be taken somewhere; those with abnormal requests to be taken somewhere and those with requests who make them just because they can and because the young squids manning the reception desk are too afraid to actually take a moment to think about what is being asked. In short, drive shuttle sheep long enough and you'll step in sheep shi*. Fortunately, I'm pretty good about bypassing most of the sheep dip and the squids are protected by a big counter which keeps them safe - - for now.

Summit!!

Denali Park, AK - - At 1:30am (Alaska Time) the Dutch mountain climbing team I have written about in earlier blogs reached the 20, 320' summit of Mt. McKinley. According to a dispatch, the team seized the opportunity of good weather on Denali and left their camp at 4:30pm yesterday to make their final ascent. The dispatch makes no note of the definition of "good weather"

A good tip

DENALI PARK, AK - - Sometimes what starts out as a joke turns out to be a good tip. Case in point: I joked with a couple of hikers getting on my transport that they didn't have to bring bribes just because of their large backpacks. The item I was poking fun at was a quart of ice cream. I gave them some insight into trails Lydia and I had already hikes plus other info. When they got off the guy handed me the plastic bag with a new plastic spoon and a half-quart of top brand Cookies and Cream. That $8 a quart ice cream. So I figure I got a $4 tip. Plus I passed almost all of it on to the gang who run the coffee spot where I stop most frequently for them to divvy up. I'll get a good bit of free coffee from that....maybe even an espresso or two.

More postcards from the edge and some scenery too

ON THE DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE ROAD - - So here we are rolling along on the road in a park bus. While I've mentioned the road as a bit narrow it's a part of the reason this whole 6 million acres are so spectacular. The limited access to the interior after the first 15 miles by park bus only is the key to keeping the wilderness wild and visually so imposing. What is a bit frustrating is that there is no way photos can do justice to the sensual overload which comes at you from every direction.

Perspective

DENALI PARK, AK - - Lydia and I got lucky Sunday afternoon and scored standby tickets on one of the Visitor Transportation busses into the park. (No personal vehicles are allowed into the park so if you want to see it you go by bus.) As employees of the park concessionaire, we get to ride for free if there are seats available. This trip was to Toklat which is about two-thirds the way into the park. One of the famous parts of the road is Polychrome Pass where the road is sometimes more/sometimes less than about one and one-half lanes wide....no guardrails and no markers as to where the edge of the drop is.
IN the above photo, a certain someone looks out the window at the drop. We are on the outside edge of the road which can be seen over the right shoulder of the certain someone. I know there are reflections and some shadows but this was the best shot to show: the spectacular scenery and what it's like to sit on the side of the bus that looks down and down.
STAY tuned for more scenery shots in tomorrow's installment.

Dogs 'R Us

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE KENNELS, DENALI PARK, AK - - The usual suspects were on hand when we visited the NPS kennels during a day off. We set out on a hike and ended up here without trying.
THE three Alaska Sled dogs pictured above could be labled: See no evil/hear no evil/speak no evil or Moe/Larry/Curly or Feigned indifference/total indifference/happy-happy to see you. I'll leave the captions up to you.
THESE dogs appear to be a bit bigger than the ones we were used to seeing at Carribou Crossing during our stay in Skagway last summer...probably because the sleds they pull are bigger and heavier. A full NPS kennel would be 30 animals but today there were about 20 in residence. The dogs spend the winter season pulling sleds into the Outback of the park as the Rangers go on patrol. During summer season, the dogs earn their keep by being nice to the tourists and pulling sleds on rollers along a trail.

We spot something bright in the sky

DENALI PARK, AK - - Here's the sight (above) we've all been waiting for...Denali in most of its glory. Once you see it - - and this is the first time it's been visible from any location we can get to in the park due to stormy weather which obscures the masterpiece 80% of the time. Now you know why folks come here. The mountain pictured below is called Double Mountain and is closer to us than Denali so it looks quite a bit more majestic.
I had a morning off and when we looked outside we saw something we hadn't seen for 10 days...the sun. I took Lydia to her work location in the Park, we ate breakfast and then I headed off to drive into the park. Today is the final day we can go past the 15-mile mark at Savage River. Once Lydia sees the Denali pics and if it is still clear then we'll head back into the park tonight. This is being posted @ Noon Denali time.

Working hard

DENALI PARK, AK - - As Lydia mentioned in her blog yesterday, there isn't too much time to get out and do things...yet. The crew I'm with is already out driving busses in training; doing various courses to get "up to speed" with the handling / air brakes / length of the busses, etc. They certain look and feel longer than the school busses we've driven. All in all things are going along ok although it's sometimes frustrating waiting around for your turn to do things. Today the weather was a bir more normal: 42-45-degrees with periods of rain and snow accompanied by wind at times. In all damp and cold.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL

Outside the real Denali

DEBALI PARK, AK - - The Nenana River flows northward. Right now it is in a sort of calm stage as all the ice hasn't broken up yet and there has been little glacier melt. In 10 days the river will be dotted with rafts heading for adventure. This shot shows the area just north of where I'll be working with Alaska Rafting Adventures. Adventures is an apt description ...the water temperature never gets above 40-degrees even on the hottest days.

TO GET all those great scenery and animal pics (check out Lydia's Tuesday blog with the shots of the Snow shoe bunnies) you have to give up something. The area in the shot below is called 'The Canyon'. For about 2 miles Alaska Highway 3 is lined practically wall-to-wall with either lodging or souvenir/food/tour-sellers/restaurants and fast food places. There isn't traffic yet as everyone is still setting up. In about 2 weeks the terms "zoo" and "chaos" will probably apply most of the time. And I and my fellow drivers will be right in the middle of it most of the time.

While you're sleeping, we're blogging

DENALI PARK, AK - - It's easy to forget that Alaska is 4 hours behind the East Coast. The fact that I called my mother in the middle of the night two days ago proves how easy it is to get mixed up thinking that 7pm is a great time to call. Oops, it was 11pm back at the former homestead.

THE REAL purpose here is to tell everyone that while most of you are sleeping we are working hard to keep the information coming This is being written at 10:15pm AK time which makes it 2:15am back in Ormond Beach.

On the park road

DENALI PARK, AK - - Sometimes you get stunning vista when only a few minutes before you were driving in a snow squall. The park weather can change in moments. We also had sunny patches as well. Both shots were taken at about 7:30 p.m. on a drive into the park. We can take personal vehicles to Mile 30 until May 15. After that you can only go to Mile 15 of the 92 mile road. Besides the scenery we also saw a porcupine, some caribou, lots of Ptarmigan and enought snow shoe bunnies to make a stew.

Dutch team ready for Denali

DENALI PARK, AK - - Yesterday's blog about climbing Denali mentioned a second team, one from Holland. The individuals from this team, three from Amsterdam and one from Arnhem, seemed more business-like than the Colorado climbers. Perhaps because they seemed to be a 'tighter' group with nearly all members the same age. And because their climbing experience includes an ascent of Aconcagua in Argentina near the border with Chile and that of Mt. Elbrus, called the Summit of Europe at 5642 meters (or about 17,000). Elbrus, in the Caucasus Mountains of Central Europe, is one of the "Seven Summits" as is Aconcagua. Those two, along with Mt. Everest, Denali and Mt. Killimanjaro make up five of the highest mountains on seven continents.

Denali presents dangers not associated with the other peaks as it is subject to sustained colder temperatures (-40 below is common at this time of year; -20 is considered balmy) than Everest and, being at lattitude 63-degrees North, also has barometric pressure challenges which make the body feel like it is at a higher elevation. The jet stream can drop onto the mountain creating a situation of intense wind and cold which could 'flash freeze' a person even with protective clothing. Still, over 1,000 people have been issued climbing permits for the season and more turned away.

According to available reports, Monday, May 7, did not clear enough for the teams to fly into base camp on the Kahitna Glacier (7,000) which leaves a short jaunt of 13,000 to the top. By one route climbers can expect 65-degree slopes covered with rock and ice.
FYI: an ascent from base camp on Mt. Everest is only 11,000 climbing feet. Of course base camp for jump-off on Everest is at 17,000.

Heading out to climb Denali

TALKEETNA, AK - - Talkeetna is the gateway to Denali for those serious about mountain climbing. We met eight individuals, two teams of four, at the hostel we were staying in. They hadn't planned another night in Talkeetna, but the weather at base camp - - about 120 miles away by plane - - wasn't cooperating. Snow and poor visibility combined to dampen the hopes of setting out for many. In the photo above, taken on Monday morning as we left for Denali, the group from Colorado loads us in preparation for good news from flight operations. I went over to wish the guys good luck and said that "if you're loading up the weather must be breaking." "Maybe" came the reply. "We did this twice on Sunday and actually took off once before the weather changed and we had to scrub the flight." He didn't sound optimistic. I didn't get to ask how much it costs to do the climb. A few years ago guides on Mt. Everest were asking and getting $60,000+
CLICK on the pic to blow it up and see the skis on the wheels. The plane lands on a glacier so they can off load.
If we can find another hot spot tonight I'll blog about the team from Holland i met and just how serious an undertaking the climbing of 20,320' Denali is.

We made it

DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE - - We're in Denali on a cold, grey and sometimes snowy day. Paperwork and more paperwork followed by orientation meetings. This is being done on a company computer as we don't know yet where our personal computers will work.
We spent last night in Talkeetna...and that's another story.

Upon further review

SEWARD, AK - - We're still here in Seward relaxing. Tomorrow it's up the road toward Denali. So, I decided to look again at what we shot yesterday and see if anything seemed to catch my eye. One shot I remembered was an ugly, small boat heading back to harbor as we headed out. The 'headlights' were on and the mountains in the background and the blue water and shadows seemed to tell a story....which you can invent as you like.
THE whales we shot didn't come out 100% sharp as they weren't posing for us. The game was shoot, watch where the whale(s) went down and try to guess where they would come up. This resulted in about 100 digital frames and, maybe 5 good ones. The Orca below is a near miss but still looked good so here it is.
CORRECTION: It's Resurrection Bay and not how I butchered it in yesterday's blog. Why is it called Resurrection Bay? The prevailing story from the National Park Service is that it has to do with the first Russian explorers who chanced upon this area on or about Easter Sunday. At least that's one story. As it was in Skagway last year, if there's one story about how something got its name there are probably another six floating around.

Whale watching

PIC #1
PIC #2
PIC #3
RESERECTION BAY, KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK - - The sun was out but the temperature was hovering just above 45, the wind was blowing and they were selling tickets to a Gray Whale Watch Tours. The tourist season really starts on Saturday so we were lucky to get in ahead of the crowd. We boarded the Glacier Explorer (pic #1) which was berthed next to sister ship Glacier Express. In the background is a 100' Coast Guard Rapid Response vessel. Seward is lucky to have the berthing as not all port towns receive the full CG treatment.
AS we moved outside the breakwater jetty, our high-speed catamaran passed a freighter being loaded with coal from mines nearly 300 miles away. The area near the freighter was congested with seagulls who took our passing as a sign to take flight (pic #2). You can see Seward in the background. It is a town whose economy revolves around the water with tour boats, fishing vessels, fish processing plants, charter fishing boats and pleasure craft for the high rollers.
THERE'S relaxed and then there's just plain wiped out. These seals, with the exception of one, were not interested in us or anything else unless it was food. (pic #3).
NOW, the real question is: "where are the whales?" We saw plenty, but most were too far away to get a good picture although if you check out Lydia's blog you should see the results of our efforts. The tour was well worth the $69 each (plus tax) which included a snack and plenty of coffee and cookies. Not even the rolling seas near the Gulf of Alaska, which brought forth plenty of calls to "Hold On" could mess up a fine day.

FYI update

SEWARD, AK - - In the interest of fair blogging I've been asked, actually prodded with a sharp object, to note that in the blog about the DMV I neglected to put all the facts in. To set the record straight, Lydia answered the first 16 questions on the test correctly. No mistakes, no problems, no sweat. This interesting bit of information is on the tally sheet. We're not competitive, she informs me, rather we just try to outdo each other. Such is life.

Road kill, road thrill, road still

Here's what I would have been if I hadn't passed the DMV test: road kill.
The places we go to get all these neat pics
Just a nice on-the-road shot. We've been surrounded by snow-covered mountains for the past three days. Most were in the St. Elias / Wrangell ranges which sort of morph into the Alaska Range that turns north. Denali lies at the end of the AK Range.

FYI

SEWARD, AK - - We've been out of internet range for the past two days during travel from Tok to Palmer, AK and then on to where we are now: Seward for a couple of days of R&R before starting work in Denali.
One of the requirements of working as a driver/guide is that you have to have an Alaskan CLD (commercial driver license). So we had to 'trade in' our Florida license for the AK version. This requires numerous pieces of paperwork to prove that you were born, you pay social security and you have a job in AK.
It also requires you to take a (written) test on general driving information. Now, being a realist as opposed to being of the optimist/pessimist classes, I immediately knew I was in trouble. I don't do do tests very well. In school if you flunk a test, no big deal. In real life and especially in the Department of Motor Vehicles if you flunk a test you're in trouble.
So, while knowing I could pass with ease, I also knew I would seize up before I even started. I even asked the individual at the DMV when I could take the test a second time ("The next day, once a day until you pass.") Encouraging. She also said it was easy, no sweat. Sweat. That was another thing I could worry about.
The test was 20 questions on a computer screen, multiple choice, with illustrations. All you need is 16 right and you pass.
Questions 1 & 2, no problem. Question 3, WRONG. Question 4, WRONG. 18 questions to go and I was already deep in the hole with the water rising fast. Question 5 & 6, no problem. Question 7, WRONG.
Now, the pressure is really on. you end up questioning yourself time and again before hitting the touch screen on the answer you hoping against all else is correct. Each time I touched the screen my heart rate went up, my blood pressure went up, the air seemed to be sucked out of the room and I could feel the eyes of everyone on me.
I got questions 8-13 correct. I'm on a roll, but it feels like I'm trying to outrun a huge boulder rolling downhill faster and faster. Questions 14, 15, 16, 17; all correct. I have the feeling that this is what playing Russian Roulette is like and that the bullet with my number is about to come up.
I get questions 18 and 19 correct. The screen says: "congratulations, you've passed." I turn and give Lydia a shaky thumbs-up and walk away from the machine not so much with a sign of relief but more the feeling of one who has nearly gone under for the last time buy was lucky enough to get that one last breath to make it to shore.
Funny thing, the questions weren't hard, but sometimes I certainly have the ability to pile the pressure on. Survived Again.