Day Sixteen - Hanging out in Anchorage

Sunday June 8th 2008
Hanging out in Anchorage

I slept like the dead and did not get up till very late. We went to breakfast at a great little diner then hung out in an internet café so I could catch up on some writing and upload photos. It was very important to get the notes from the interviews converted to typed notes as soon as possible.


Image: Anchorage is filled with public art featuring fish, this is one of my favorites

Arlene took us birding at a local park and then wrapped up the outing with lunch back at the Moose’s Tooth.

We ate the remains of our grocery store finds that evening and Arlene introduced us to the television show: Greg the Bunny. This is one FUNNY sitcom though you do have to have a bent sense of humor to enjoy it. I was too tired to watch more than a couple episodes. Nick stayed up longer cause he’s got more stamina, no wait, he slept the whole way down to Seward the day before and pretty much the whole way back.


Image: Deluxe dog team and dog sled transport


Receipts:
Jackies Cafe (breakfast) – Anchorage AK
Moose’s Tooth (lunch) – Anchorage AK
FM Fuel – Anchorage AK
Fred Meyer (grocery) – Anchorage AK


Image: Owl pellet

John's Park Anchorage
3 Toed Wood Pecker
Common Redpoll
Boreal Chickadee
Black Capped Chickadee
Red Breasted Nuthatch
Yellow Rumped Warbler
Alder Flycatcher
Robins
Ravens
Magpies

Image: More public art

For more photos see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157605627513148/

Day Fifteen - Seward pt 2

Saturday June 7th 2008
Part 2: Resurrection Bay & Return to Anchorage


I don’t have enough adjectives to describe the trip out onto the ocean, we saw so many things. What has stayed with me is the raucous sound and sheer number of puffins nesting on the cliffs and flying through the air; the sound of the glacier calving ice into the bay; the sight of so many baby seals on the icebergs; the pod of orcas swimming together; the sight of a humpback whale breaching. I had never seen a humpback whale do that before. The first black bear was spotted by the captain, it was on the shore digging barnacles out for dinner. I spotted the second black bear when I was scanning the mountain trying to identify seagulls. There was a big round black rock, no wait, it was a bear eating seagull eggs. I think it was Arlene who first alerted us to the mountain goats, looking like white fluffy bits on the rocks of the mountain. She is also the one that pointed out the ping-pong balls in the trees. Each one of those myriad ping-pong balls was a bald eagle, astounding. We talked and looked and looked and looked and it was wondrous.


This guy was very generous, he had brought a supply of eyeglass wipes and was willing to share. I certainly needed it as the spray from the sea and the drizzle of rain kept mucking up my glasses. Another passenger that I will call garrulous girl was from New York. She works as a self-employed researcher and was very talky, kinda fun though.


Image: Orca fin

After several hours I did have to go into the cabin and get warm. There was another point when headache came and flattened me and my ability to be anything but grumpy. This passed soon and I was back to loving everything. Arlene has both before and after photos of my moods.

On our way back to port the crew made us warm chocolate chip cookies. This cruise was definitely the highlight of our trip north. Arlene gifted us with this trip and we are very grateful.


Upon debarking we headed into town for food! Arlene led us to the Apollo restaurant http://www.apollorestaurantak.com/ and its exquisite cuisine. The food was heavenly, Arlene and I split an order of fish and chips (fresh halibut) and another order of pasta. Nick ordered the baked halibut stuffed with crab, shrimp and scallops wrapped in phyllo dough. I promise that if you ever need a restaurant recommendation and Arlene gives you one, you won't regret going.


After we were completely stuffed we went shopping for a few more souvenirs and then got in the car and headed out again. It was a long and very exciting day.


Image: Birds nesting on cliff, one of the many places that were packed with birds.

Receipts
Once in a Blue Moose (souvenirs) – Seward AK
Apollo Restaurant – Seward AK


Wildlife & Birds:

Pacific Loon
Double Crested Cormorant
Red Faced Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Brant Goose
Long Tailed Duck (Oldsquaw)
Mew Gull
Glaucous Winged Gull
Glaucous Gulls
Black Legged Kittiwake
Common Murre
Thick Billed Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Kittlitz's Murrelet
Rinocerous Auklet
Horned Puffin
Tufted Puffin
Canada Geese
Robins
Northwestern Crows
Rock Doves
Magpies
Ravens
Robins

Image: Grizzly bears heading across the gravel river bed towards the mountain. They're the roundish brown things on the left side of the photo. Click on the picture for larger versions.

Mountain Goats
Dall Sheep
Harbor Seals With Pups
Stellar Sea Lions
Orcas
Humback Whales
Black Bears
Grizzly Bears

Drive to Seward: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157605622954082/
Out on Resurrection Bay: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157605623736900/
Home from Seward: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157605629835815/

Day Fifteen - Seward pt 1

Saturday June 7th 2008
Part 1: Down to Seward
Early to bed, early to rise and in Alaska during the summer the sun will be out.

Arlene was a jewel, gem, treasure, kindness… and did the majority of the driving. We started out with Nick riding shotgun but switched when it became apparent that he was going to sleep whether he wanted to or not.


The drive down was populated with stunning scenery and amazing animals. Arlene is the Head of the Archives and Special Collections department at the Consortium Library, University of Alaska – Anchorage. She said that many collections of photos from people coming to visit Alaska begin with lots of scenery pictures which dwindle down to almost nothing the longer the person stays. I must say it does get overwhelming and how many pictures of stunning vistas does one need…? I LOVE digital photography, no film to worry about wasting and I can take as many photos as I want.



Arlene was able to point out all kinds of wildlife such as the amazing dall sheep on the drive down and the grizzly bears on the way back.

When we arrive at the pier we had the option to switch from the smaller boat with the shorter duration or the bigger boat which was less full for a longer duration. I was all for taking the longer boat ride. This meant we had an hour or so to kill before leaving.

We drove along the edge of the bay and spotted a sea otter, took in the views, and then stopped for coffee and pastry at a local haunt.

The weather was overcast and misty and this state of affairs continued the whole time we were out on the ocean. This turned out to be a good thing because it made the seas FLAT.


We got back to the pier, I bought some seasick pills – better to be careful than sick is my motto. And we went out to the big boat. The three of us went to the upper deck braving the cold and the mist/rain.

Receipts:
Resurrection Art and Coffee House – Seward AK
Helly Hansen, Kenai Fjord Tours (sea sick pills) – Seward AK

Wildlife & Birds:
See pt 2

For more photos:
Drive to Seward http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157605622954082/
Out on Resurrection Bay http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157605623736900/
Home from Seward http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157605629835815/

Day Fourteen - Birding, Touristing in Anchorage

Friday June 6th 2008
Birding and being Tourists in Anchorage


We began the day with a little shopping. Nick had to have an Ulu knife so off to the Ulu factory we went. While there I found an adorable Eskimo girl doll trimmed in mink, playing a drum that will be perfect for the Christmas tree.

Outside of the store we found baby magpies in a tree.


Arlene then indulged me, the birder and Nick the geologist and showed us some of the great birding spots:


Potter's Marsh
Arctic terns!!!!
I saw lots of these graceful, swift, beautiful terns but here they were so close…
Mew gulls
Red necked grebes
Canada geese
Green wing teals
Bank swallows


(I don't know why there's a blue setting on my camera, nor why I accidentally set it to blue either.)

Point Woronzof Park
Here is where Nick took off to hike down by the shore and poke around the rocks. Arlene and I looked out at the scenery, the coast, the ocean, the trees. It was all good till someone came by and said that a grizzly had been spotted nearby earlier in the day. EEEEP. We stayed closer to the car, and I must admit to worrying till Nick came back in sight. He’s so stealthy that he’s likely to surprise a bear, which is NOT a good thing.
Bank swallows
Robins


Glen Alps (Flattop Mountain) (walked the Anchorage Overlook Trail)
Dark eyed junco
I’ve seen so many of these swift little birds that I can now identify them on the wing. WHOO HOO I never though that would happen. The view of Anchorage from here was fabulous.


Anchorage Zoo
This was really a neat zoo. They focus on native wildlife so they had lots of bears. This was the only place we got to see Polar Bears, Wolves, and Snowy Owls.


Ponds by freeway

Mew gulls
Mallards
Canada goose
Greater scaups
Lesser scaups
Red necked grebe
Northern shovelers
American wigeons
Hudsonian godwits
Bonaparts gull
Herring gulls

We ate dinner at Arlenes and headed for bed early, the 4:00 wake up call was going to be coming and I couldn’t wait.

Receipts:
Ulu Factory (souvenirs) – Anchorage AK
Arctic Roadrunner – Anchorage AK
FM Fuel – Anchorage AK
Fred Meyers (grocery) – Anchorage AK

Photo set 'Out and about Anchorage': http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157605628323677/

Day Thirteen - Anchorage Interview

Image: Interior entry to library

Thursday June 5th 2008
Interview University of Alaska Anchorage

This interview was very fun, Arlene walked me through the library then I met with the librarians who were equally great. Nick found a great spot to hang out and read – the gorgeous atrium in the library.

Afterwards Arlene took us to lunch at a fabulous pizza place (The Moose’s Tooth). I have tried to eat spinach salad before, but nothing prepared me for the marvelous baby spinach salad of this restaurant. Tres magnifique.

She led us to a couple of stores. The first New Sagaya is a huge grocery store, only it’s organic, and imported (of course) and has EVERYTHING. We’ve been looking for palm vinegar for a year. We found it in Anchorage. Oh, and ghiradhelli unsweetened chocolate powder, eyup, it was here too. We loaded up on chocolate, cheese and fruit to eat for dinner.

Next was the AK Wild Berry Products where I succumbed to more hand-made chocolates and a magnate or two.

Later we talked and ate and laughed until I called it a night.

Receipts:
AK Wild Berry Products (food and souvenirs) – Anchorage AK
New Sagaya (food and souvenirs) – Anchorage AK

Interestingly, while looking at souvenirs I spotted some art pieces made by a Kent Heindel. I laughed and said I knew a guy named Kent Heindel, we are cousins, sorta. He is first cousins with my first cousins... He used to come and hang out on the ten acres with his brothers and help us have all sorts of fun. Anyway, I just joked that it might be him. Several months later at a family reunion I find out it really was him! He moved to Anchorage years ago where he is an artist (master sculptor). That was very cool.

Photo set from University of Anchorage visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157605565401010/


Image: Atrium at UA-Anchorage

Day Twelve - Fairbanks to Anchorage via Denali

Wednesday June 4th 2008
Drive to Denali to Anchorage & Arlene’s place
359 miles – estimated 7 hours of driving

This was serious driving and it took a LOT longer than the estimated 7 hours. The big distraction was the scenery. We also detoured into Denali park and hiked around a bit. I did not know that Moose can come in a blonde color.



The visitor’s center was gorgeous and the roads were good. Lots of wildlife including many a snowshoe bunny were spotted. We did the walk out to Savage Cabin which is still used by park personnel in the winter. Apparently they still use dogsleds.

There were huge nails nailed through the window shutters so they spiked outward. I laughingly said they were to keep grizzly's out. The ranger said I was right. Eeep.


Image: The low lying cloud that looks like a triangle is actually Denali. Click on the image to get to a larger version.


Driving, and more driving and finally a gorgeous view of Mt McKinley aka Denail. And then back to driving and driving past one stunning scenic view after another. It was kinda overwhelming. We drove past towns with names like Nenana, Healy, Cantwell, Trapper Creek, Willow, Eklutna and Eagle River.

Another monolithic dome came into view, we didn’t stop so I have no details. Still pretty cool looking. Looks a bit like the older ones that were made in the 80s.

Sometimes there are things that make you go WHAT?!? This couch by the side of the road was one of them. It was up a steep bank and it looked like there were no people anywhere so WHAT?!?!

The specks in the sky are helicopters. A whole flock of them heading somewhere fast.

Welcome to Wal - Mikes where you can find anything that someone else didn't want.

As we're driving into Anchorage the road widens and becomes a freeway. The traffic starts behaving erratically and we look to our right and there's a freakin' Black Bear! It's running along the edge of the fence on a grassy area right by the freeway. It would look at the fence, which was the barrier between it and the forest and then at the freeway and just keep running. Lots of people were trying to stop, and we would have been one of those people, but the traffic was snarling and prudence suggested driving on.

Receipts:
Golden North Motel – Fairbanks AK
SFM Fuel - ??
Denali Bookstore (souvenirs) – Denali Park, AK
Windbreak Hotel (dinner) – Wasilla AK
Tesoro (gas) – Wasilla AK





Image to the left: Check out the bright purple light stand in this photo. By now I was really fascinated by man made objects...



Image to below and to the right: Willow Ptarmigan at Denali National Park








Wildlife & Birds:
Willow ptarmigan
Green winged teal
Lesser scaup
Blackpoll warbler
White crowned sparrow
Dark eyed junco
Wilson's warbler
Mew gull


Image: Blonde moose, click on the photo to get to the larger size.

Snowshoe bunny
Grizzly bears
Caribou
Black bear

For more photos of this amazing day of driving see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157605570502845/