Day Nineteen - back to Fort St. John

Image: Signpost forest in the town of Watson Lake

Wednesday June 11th 2008
Drive from Watson Lake to Toad River to Fort St. John
556 miles – estimated 11 hours driving time


Image: An accidental self portrait
Considering how many photos I uploaded to flickr, deleted, or stored on my computer this self portrait is very much a statement on who I was and what I was doing on this trip.


Back on the road again... Frost heaves in the pavement can be quite steep, thankfully the Alaska-Canada highway people put little flags on the side of the road marking the heaves. If the flags are on both sides of the road then you know it stretches across both lanes. I heartily approve of this custom!


Image: Adorable and young mule deer, spotted close to Fort St. John.


Image: The art of clouds
There weather was perfect for driving most of the time we were on this trip. It was cloudy with bits of rain and bits of sun. Not so much sun that we needed air conditioning, nor so much rain that we couldn't see. It was PERFECT.


Image: Of course, it wasn't always perfect, not bugs but the smeared remains of hail on our windshield


Image: Black bear by the side of the road minding his own business, but willing to pose for pictures. Yes of course we stayed in our car.

Toad River Lodge is a place you can get gas, grub and souvenirs. It is completely dotted with trucker hats. They’ve been nailed to the walls and ceilings it is a stupendous array. They are also coated with a nice layer of dust. Still, by the time you’re here in the middle of nowhere dust is not longer a concern.


Image: Momma and baby moose


Image: Big Horn Sheep

Most of the wildlife in these photos were spotted in the Muncho Lake vicinity. I'd love to spend more time in this National park!


Image: And another moose...


Image: Bison

I always think of Bison as being part of the Yellowstone ecosystem. I was a bit shocked to find them here in northern Canada.


Image: Black bear

Eyup it really is. It is missing the grizzly bear hump, is substantially smaller and has the lighter colored muzzle. Other photos show his sleakness so go check out the photoset. Black bears come in all kinds of colors. Brown or Grizzly bears come in a variety of shades too, though never, as far as I know, black.



Image: Remains of a Moose v Car argument

This was a day of driving and looking. I was definitely noticing man made stuff more on the way back than on the way up.

Image to right: Caribou

Best Western Coachman Inn
8540 Alaska Road
Fort St John, British Columbia V1J 5L6, Canada

Receipts:
Belvedere Hotel – Watson Lake YT
Petro Canada – Watson Lake YT
Great Northern Oil (gas) – Toad River BC
Toad River Lodge (lunch) – Toad River BC


Wildlife & Birds:
Black Bears
Mountain Goats
Bison
Caribou
Moose
Bighorn Sheep
Mule Deer
Elk

Image at right: Bighorn Sheep

The small photos are not clickable. They are included in the photoset in the link at the bottom, and come in larger sizes on Flickr.

Common Mergansers
White Winged Crossbill

It’s a little funny that I noticed more mega-fauna than I did birds. Possibly because it is HARD to identify birds at 50 mph.

More photos can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157605667495195/

Day Eighteen - Back to Watson Lake

Image: Evidence of the Fox encounter

Tuesday June 10th 2008
Drive from Haines Junction to Whitehorse to Teslin to Watson Lake
370 miles – estimated 7 hours of driving


Image: The fabulous Stardust Motel


Image: Exhibit at Teslin Cultural Center

By now we knew our money was running very, very low so more McDonalds fare was required. We got lucky in that I had signed up for a Best Western rewards card before my sabbatical started. This card covered the hotel in Golden BC. I used one visa card for the whole trip so it’s reward program paid for the hotel in Great Falls MT. Thank heavens my car gets 45 mpg when you’re going 50 mph, and 38-43 otherwise. I was impressed that excepting the car repair we did this whole trip on close to $4000.


This was another long day of driving. We stopped in Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre watched a video about the local people and poked around their exhibits. Then wandered down to the building where a local artist was working on another boat. Unfortunately he wasn’t there, but his loquacious nephew was. We got to look through a scrapbook of his uncles work and he explained about the boats. It was fascinating. I was particularly struck by the beauty of Teslin Lake, it is a long lake that is quiet narrow.

One of the ponds we suddenly stopped at had a few birds that were obvious but then looking, and looking we realized that there was a small flock of Bohemian waxings. This waxing is another new bird for my list, and one that I have longed to see.

Image: Statues sure to fake you out if you don't know any better.

Belvedere Hotel
Box 370,
Watson Lake: Yukon Y0A 1C0

Receipts:
Stardust Motel – Haines Junction YT
Fas Gas – Haines Junction YT
McDonalds – Whitehorse YT
Nisutlin Trading Post (food) – Nisutlin YT
Cultural Center (souvenirs) – Teslin YT

Wildlife & Birds:
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Rusty Blackbirds
American Wigeons
Robins
Bohemian Waxwings!!
Ravens
Mew Gulls
Canada Geese
Barrows Goldeneye

Image to the right: Teslin Lake

Day Seventeen - Back to Haines Junction

Monday June 9th 2008
Drive from Anchorage to Tok to Haines Junction
610 miles – estimated 12 hours of driving


This was quite the drive. Again, road work, lower speed limits and stopping made this into a 19 hour drive. What was particularly weird was having it be either twilight or daylight for the entire drive. The owner of the Stardust motel was fabulous. I called when I realized that we were not going to get there till after 10:00 p.m. He said which room we’d have and left the door open for us. We paid in the morning. THANK YOU Mr. Stardust man.


On our way to Anchorage we started listening to the unabridged version of Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. On our way out of Anchorage we finished it. Interesting book, certainly made me want to do more yoga.


There were a lot of these road cuts in Alaska, each adorned with messages in white rocks.


We came into Alaska and went to Tok then north to Fairbanks, and then south to Anchorage. On our way out of Alaska we went northeast out of Anchorage to Tok and then began retracing our steps. This meant that we got to see more of Alaska including the enormous, and awe inspiring Matanuska glacier. As the day wore on and we were greeted at every turn by beautiful scenery I finally gave in and slept part of the time. I’d wake up and WOW another stunning vista. It became a running joke. Nick nudged me at one point for a stunning vista plus rainbows.


Image: Matanuska Glacier

At Glennallen AK we pulled over at a diner/gift shop. I was craving a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and while it wasn’t on the menu, the cook/owner made it for me anyway. He had overheard me commenting on it’s absence from the menu. Here is where Nick scored the moose poo earrings for his sister. After lunch we hit the road again. Our last souvenir stop was at Tok.


Crossing the border into Canada this time was much weirder they were really worried that we might have guns, or knives, or ammo, and that clearly we intended to kill their wildlife.


Image: Con artist at work

So we’re driving and driving and this shabby, and damp looking red fox runs up the bank and out into the road. He then stops and heads right for our car. I was rolling the window down to take pictures when Nick barked for me to roll it back up. Good thing I minded because that naughty fox jumped at my window. I had the paw print to prove it for weeks. He then turned and headed for the next car coming towards us. And then we found out why the fox was behaving badly. The people in that van tossed bread out to the fox in order to get the fox to stick around. We pulled up and I suggested they shouldn’t feed it or try to pet it because it might have rabies. They were definitely trying to touch it. I feel bad that humans cannot control their personal desires long enough to understand that they have signed the death warrant for that fox. He will run out on the road looking for food and the driver will not see him and that will be the end of him.


Image: Monolithic domes in Gakona Alaska-home to the Igloo Cabins...

Stardust Motel
Box 5342
Haines Junction, YT, CA



Receipts:
All Alaska Gifts & Crafts (souvenirs) – Tok AK
Hitchin Post (lunch) – Glennallen AK
Young’s Chevron – Tok AK






Image: Home for Beaver


Wildlife & Birds:
Pond By Road in Yukon
Pacific Loon
American Wigeons
Red Tailed Hawk
Ring Necked Duck
Bufflehead
Ravens
Rusty Black Birds
Mallards
Cliff Swallows
Northern Shovelers
Lesser Scaup
Solitary Sandpipers
Trumpeter Swans
American Wigeons
Northern Pintails
Green Winged Teals
Northern (Yellowshafted) Flicker (Taiga)
Beaver
Red Fox

Out of Alaska: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157605628539816/
To Haines Junction: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157605633348348/

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/