A Wonderful Night

Last night I spent the night on tour in Talkeetna. It is getting dark enough this time of year that it was worth putting in a Northern Lights wake up call. Last night at about midnight, I got the call in my room. Me and two other tour directors raced outside, knowing the window of opportunity could last just minutes. I ran out barefoot in shorts and a t-shirt (it was about 40 degrees outside) to see it. It was a tremendously unimpressive display, largely due to the fact that there was too much light around us (the sky was dark enough, kind of). But it was a really awesome evening, in the sense that it was a full moon, the big dipper was perfectly visible, and the outline of Denali (Mt. McKinley) was visible in the distance with the Northern Lights dancing just above the mountain, however faintly. The two other tour directors and myself discussed whether it was worth running down the trail to get away from the lodge and the bright lights from the lobby, but also decided it was dark enough that we wouldn't see any bears if they were present. It was worth freezing my feet off for, I can say that. No pictures, as they were too faint to see anything, sorry.

A Tough Job Sometimes

Sometimes this job is just rough. This last week, I had picked up a tour that spent the morning at the largest public aquarium, then the afternoon on a cruise on the Resurrection Bay that included a free salmon bake lunch (with the option to buy a 1/2 lb of king crab for $8). Then spending the night at a lodge located in a secluded area off the Resurrection River.

The next day, I had to stay at a 4-star ski resort hotel after going to a wildlife conservation center that had bear, musk ox, moose, and other big game animals that were being rehabbed. Then spending the evening going on a hike through the Winner Creek trail (see last post). Really, really rough.

Ok, so the serious stuff. Wednesday afternoon I had some time free after taking care of guest luggage and prior to departing on the train to Anchorage. So, I went to the Talkeetna Roadhouse with another tour director. I had long decided that I would eat their full standard breakfast skillet, which consists of 8 scrambled eggs, 1 lb of potatoes, 4 strips of thick cut peppered bacon, and 2 thick slices of toast.

This is basically what it looks like, though I had eaten the first slice of toast before I thought to get a picture taken.

About 2/3 of the way through, I needed a break.

And...done! Except the last slice of toast. Couldn't get it down. You guys proud of me?

Fishing on the Kenai

Last Wednesday me and a buddy from work went fishing on the Lower Kenai River, down in a town called Soldotna. I bought a cheap fishing rod and some tackle at Sportsman's warehouse. I caught two sockeyes (red salmon), pretty decent size. I wasn't able to take pictures, as the section of the river wasn't conducive to taking any. So, here are some pics from online to give you an idea of what it looks like.

The Kenai River.

And about what it looked like on the river when fishing. Yes, lots of people. It was hard to find a spot, but it was nice since when you yelled "fish on!" there was always somebody nearby with a net to help out.

Hiking Days

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. I've been busy. I'm nearing the end of a 24 day stretch where I've had 1 day off.

I've been trying to stay in shape on the road this season, so I've started taking up hiking when I get the chance. Two hikes I've done in the last few weeks were Sugarloaf Mountain in Denali, and Winner Creek Trail in Girdwood. The Sugarloaf trail I did with my friend Andy, a fellow tour director. It was a day after it rained in Denali, so the trail was a bit tricky, and the trail was pretty steep, but it was a great hike - it gave us some great views of the Nenana River Canyon.

The Winner Creek Trail was in Girdwood, and passed through rainforest, over creeks, bridges, and even a gorge with a handtram to get across.

The hand tram going across the gorge.

It had a nice drop into the river below.

On the train to Seward

Friday (June 11) I got to take the train from Anchorage down to Seward - easily the most beautiful rail leg of the Alaska Railroad. Check out the pictures I took.

Potter Marsh, just south of where I live.

We saw Dall Sheep in the Chugach Mountain Range! The little lambs were very active, jumping from rock to rock on their way up.

The Turnagain Arm, with the Kenai Mountains just behind it.

More of the Turnagain Arm.

The view from the back of the train. Up in the Chugach Mountains, there was still plenty of snow.

And coming out of the mountains into Chugach State Forest.

Crossing over a bridge over Kenai Lake.

A great view of Kenai Lake.

One of many tunnels we went through.

A great overlook of Resurrection Bay in Seward.

Having finished off the day yesterday, I went 11 days in a row without a day off. Today, I get my first one since I started the season, and I go again tomorrow. By the time it hits the 18th of the month, today will still have been my only day off. More to be posted.

Anchored In

The conclusion of the trip from Vegas to AK!

So, Saturday (May 29) I arrived in Anchorage. On my way in I stopped in Wasilla to eat lunch with my friend Carleen, who moved up from Vegas. She was unaware of the fact that I drove up from Vegas, so when I told her we should get lunch as I'd be passing through Palmer/Wasilla, she was confused (she thought I flew up the week before). I delivered something to her that her brother Jacob told me to give to her, then I made my way into Anchor-town.

After a quick stop at the office (where, since it was a Saturday evening, virtually nobody was there, so no warm welcomes or reunions or anything like that). After that, it was off to my house! I was given a contact for somebody who'd be having rooms available, so I went to check it out. Looks good to me.

The house

The front yard

More of the front yard

The side

The backyard

They have a hot tub (pictured above), front loader washer/dryer, internet access, plenty of yard space as you can see, lots of freezer space, and right by the highway, so it's not far from work at all. I definitely made out this season.

Things I've learned from being on the road for 10 days:

1) Skippy makes a mighty fine jar of peanut butter (Natural with honey)

2) 2 weeks is enough time for the last bits of snow to be melted/cleaned up so the roads looks even more beautiful than they did last year

3) Driving 800+ miles in one day will burn you out from driving

4) "Crazy Memorial Day" traffic in the Matanuska-Susitna River Valley area and Anchorage looks like a normal day in Vegas

5) The concept of "Morning Metallica" is genius

This concludes my trip from Las Vegas to Anchorage. I start training Monday, and an actual tour Tuesday. I'll keep posting from the road.

Tik-Tok (backlog 3)

I ended Friday (May 28) in the little town of Tok, AK. This day was my longest trek, driving 810 miles, from the Liard River Hot Springs. So, off my day began! Not five minutes out of the hot springs campground, what did I run into in the distance?

A buffalo crossing the road!

He took his time, but I and the other cars waited...due to it's massive massiveness.

And the others never took notice of the cars. I have to say buffalo have to be one of the dumbest animals I've seen.

So, while most of the road up to and through Canada was paved, in several instances the road was not paved, so you can see me kicking dust up behind me.

This dust was only slightly exaggerated by my very slight fish-tailing.

Of course, one of the places I had to stop and spend a bit of time in was at Watson Lake, up in the Yukon. Here lies one of nature's most fascinating phenomenon: Signpost Forest!

The entrance!

Ok, so it's not so natural. During the construction of the Alaskan-Canadian Military Highway, a signpost signifying the distance to Alaska was damaged by a bulldozer. The private who was ordered to fix it decided to personalize it by adding a sign pointing back to his hometown, and the forest has grown since.

There are now signs from everywhere, be it street signs, welcome to signs, whatever.

The forest literally goes on for acres and acres.

It's so big it now engulfs the actual forest that is/was there.

And if you look long enough, you'll find something from home!

I didn't have enough time to look at everything, but in just my short adventure, I did find some signs that reminded me of friends, be it in name, hometown, or mission areas.

Just a few people who I was thinking of.

Speaking of signs, I saw the best one ever when I was getting breakfast in Watson Lake.

I need one of these for the upcoming season.

So, continuing on, I began experiencing something many Alaskans are familiar with - frost heaves! There is frozen water in the ground up north. The areas where it water stays frozen is called permafrost, and more precisely, continuous permafrost. It's officially considered permafrost if the water stays frozen for more than 2 years. Now, there are areas called discontinuous permafrost, where some of the water will thaw out in the summer, and refreeze in the winter. We call it frost heaves when it distorts the roads and causes them to be uneven and unsteady. Here is what the ride looks like.

I did take it a little bit on the faster side to better illustrate what it feels like. Any faster than what I was doing and you can bottom out your vehicle. I don't recommend doing that.

And back in the US!

This concludes the Canadian portion of the journey