Anchorage 30 July 2019

Yes we are back in Anchorage for a few more days.  Today we went out to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and then up to the top of Mount Alyeska.  The Conservation Center is a place that rehabilitates injured or abandoned wildlife.  We saw bears, Moose, Muskox, Bison, Elk, Caribou, Deer, Fox, Coyote, Lynx, Eagle, and even a porcupine.

Seward 28 July 2019

Homer Spit 25 July 2019

I was hoping it would be me, but two from our caravan ran into Jane and Jewell Kiltcher (of Alaska the Last Frontier fame) while here.

Homer Alaska 24 July 2019

We are camped out on Homer Spit, which is a peninsula sticking out into Katchmack Bay.   

Anchorage 21 July 2019

Wouldn’t you know it!  We spent 4 days in Denali trying to see the great mountain without any luck, then as we headed out for Anchorage, we caught a glimpse of it.  We pulled over at a viewing location about 150 miles south of it and was able to take a picture of it.

In any case, I hurt my back again and had to go to an urgent care facility.  They couldn’t do much for me except give me some pain medication.  So we will be back on the road again tomorrow morning.

Denali 19 July 2019

This was our day for an 8 hour trip into the Park.  Unfortunately it was overcast (all week) so we did not actually see the mountain, SO, I will post some of the pictures of animals that we saw and took.

We saw bears, antelope, fox, Dahl sheep, a ton of the Arctic squirrels, and landscapes that will take your breath away.  Note that I will only post some of the pictures here, but I have a bunch more.

Denali 18 July 2019

After a little rest we were at it again.  First we hit the Husky Homestead Tours where we were given a really through explanation by Jeff King (a four time winner of the Iditarod race) himself.  As part of the husky training, they had to be socialized, so we got to play with the 4 week old puppies.  Later that evening, we went to the Alaska Cabin Dinner Theater where I was recruited into playing the part of the miner with a poke of gold.

Chena Hot Springs 16 July 2019

Today was another busy day.  We drove to the Chena Hot Springs for another warm soak, but first we hit the Ice Palace (which is kept at a cool 24 degrees), and we fished off the day with an all you can eat Salmon Bake (they also had prime rib for Lisa) and a show at the Palace Theater.

Fairbanks Alaska 14 July 2019

The next day, we took a three hour tour on a steer wheeler.  During the ride we visited the sled dog training site of Susan Butcher (the female four time winner of the Iditarod).  We also stopped and visited a recreation of an Indian Village complete with a fishing wheel and reindeer.

Fairbanks Alaska 13 July

We visited Dredge # 8 and got on the train to ride around the entire site with explanations about all the pieces of equipment and how they were used.  We also got a chance to pan for gold ourselves.  Then we got up close and personal with the Alaska Pipeline.  Learned a few things about it as well.

North Pole Alaska 12 July 2019

There actually is a village named North Pole in Alaska.  And it has Santa and Mrs Claus there in the Santa Claus House Christmas Store.  We also visited the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska.

Here are some more pictures of both.

Delta Junction 11 July 2019

Well we finally made it to the OTHER end of the ALCAN highway mile 1422.

We haven’t seen many mosquitoes, but I did save Emma from one just before he got to her.

Tok Alaska 10 July 2019

Tok is another two night rest stop, which we all needed after the Top of the World highway.  You would not believe the amount of dust that accumulated on out rigs and towed (toad) vehicles.  A lot of cleaning, but we did manage to have a great pot luck dinner together.

Chicken Alaska 9 July 2019

But first, after leaving Dawson City, we had to take the ferry across the Yukon River to get to the Top Of the World Highway, cross the border back into the US, to get to Chicken.  You could not be hooked up to your tow vehicle for the cross, so Lisa had to drive the Ford Ranger (with the help of Emma) onto the ferry while I drove the RV.  That small white truck on the back of the ferry is Lisa.

Dawson City 7-8 July 2019

We made it into town a little late, but not too late for the Diamond Gertie Show.

More about the show later, I just put that picture up to get your attention.

Carmacks 6 July 2019

Carmacks is just a stop over place to cut the trip to Dawson City in half.  It was an RV park for 11 campers, but we squeezed 21 in like sardines.

On the way to Dawson City (which is back in Canada) we did see some fire off in the distance, but fortunately the smoke was blowing in the other direction.

Juneau 5 July 2019

Today we took a fast boat from Skagway to Juneau to do some sightseeing from high above on the tram, some educational experiences at the Salmon Hatchery, and some whale watching and sea life observations. That is a humpback whale tail you see in the distance.

The day started out with an early trip to the boat, which was a very nice boat and a great captain and crew.  We saw a lot of glaciers, waterfalls, bald eagles, sea lions, dolphins, and other wildlife.

4th of July celebration 2019

What would the 4th of July be without a cookout?

Skagway 3 July 2019

We made it in to Skagway yesterday and into our campsite.  Today we went out exploring and site seeing.  It is not a very big town, so it didn’t take too long.  We did stop at the Red Onion Saloon, which was one of the original brothels.  We took the tour and it was very interesting.

Alaska 2 July 2019

Alaska, we finally made it.  At least Skagway for a couple of days, then we head back into the Yukon to go further north to enter again at Tok.

Canada Day 1 July 2019

Today was Canada’s Independence Day, but they just call it Canada Day.  We went down to the Whitehorse Town Center where they were exhibiting all kinds of crafts.  The event was held in and behind the Adaka Cultural Center.  It was very interesting to see the natives both exhibiting their skills by also teaching it.

Whitehorse YT, 30 June2019

Today we visited the SS Klondike, which was a paddle wheeler that brought supplies over the river to the town and brought ore back for smelting the silver out of it.