Alaska trip

[trottigy]

Our highlight of Fairbanks - other than seeing Dorothy and Tom was meeting up with some of the friends and havig some salmon and a salad from the backyard garden.

 

 

Can you believe this is only a few months old? Apparently when the sun shines 24 hours a day - plants grow 3 times faster.

 

The whole yard was a huge garden:

 

[trottigy]

Then the next day - on to the Denali national park. It was a few hours drive, but it looked just like this everywhere! Incredible!

 

 

More about Denali later. Till then - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denali

Edited August 14, 2013 by trottigy

[GrumpysWife]

Nice pictures, Jerry. I always wanted to go to Alaska but Grumpy hates the cold.

[surfergirl]

Jerry incredibly magnificent.

P.s.

When I say cruise. Its in reference to a small boat that takes you up river.

Nothing major to the Islands.

Have you been to Deadmans Forrest? I have heard a lot about it.

Grizzly bear.

How's the Salmon?

[SUNRAY]

Great photography......hmmmmm...yummmmmm..Salmon!.Thanks for sharing!

[surfergirl]

How was the Salmon cooked.

I guess it is one that John West won't be rejecting. Or getting. Lols

[trottigy]

The salmon? I think she baked it with a BBQ sauce. It was very good - meaty and firm.

[DLM]

And we just couldn't believe this is OLD carpet. It looks brand new - as does the rest of the hall

20130725_171722.jpg

I'll add a note that we built this hall as a 4 day project way back in Aug. 1988. Then a month later an arsonist burned it and we rebuilt it exactly as it was. When we rebuilt, we got the same carpet that we originally had installed so this carpet has lasted since about the first of 1989 and it still looks GOOD. You can imagine all the wear it gets with 3 congregations using it! Good stuff. 

Edited August 15, 2013 by Chena345

[DLM]

 

 

Off to their house. Which Tom started building when he was 75 years OLD!!! - Concrete slab with concrete walls. They only ran into trouble when some scaffolding fell while Tom was on it and messed up his shoulder. So, at 75 he had to finish it WITH ONE HAND!!! - she can post pictures of her house, but here is the view.

20130725_174700.jpg

 

Just beautiful! - All of Alaska was like this

Well, here is "the house Tom built" I design them he carries it out!

Edited August 15, 2013 by Chena345

[trottigy]

Amazing! thanks Dorothy. Good to see you again.

[Joey]

I love all of your pictures and comments and I especially love how your visit there was made even more special with you getting to meet Dorothy and Tom!How wonderful!

[trottigy]

Before we got to Denali we say the glacier rivers and they surprised us:

 

They looked like large rivers of cement. I hadn't thought about ALL the silt these rivers pick up as the ice melts - but wow they were seriously grey and NOT clear. We asked about them and discovered that NO fish live in them - too full of silt. Salmon do swim up stream in some of them, but they like the edges as small streams of fresh water (no silt) flow into them and the salmon can clean out their gills in the fresh water.

 

 

 

 

[trottigy]

Denali - http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

 

 

Denali is six million acres of wild land, bisected by one ribbon of road. Travelers along it see the relatively low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America's tallest peak, 20,320' Mount McKinley. Wild animals large and small roam unfenced lands, living as they have for ages. Solitude, tranquility and wilderness await.

 

And it was ALL of that!

 

 

We took a bus in - as it is the only way other than hiking to go in. Many in fact, take the bus in, then get off it and camp and various places along the way. Then after a few days of camping take the bus back out.

 

Debbie and I spent the whole day there hiking around it was beautiful. Too bad Mt McKinley wasn't "out in all its glory". But we had seen it from different locations and we were able to see it well from our next stop in Talkeetna.

 

What we did see vs what we could have seen:

 

Yes we did see a couple of Grizzly bears and Caribou - wonderful animals.

Edited August 15, 2013 by trottigy

[trottigy]

This was one of our bears

 

He came much closer than this - right up to the bus and then he started walking in front of the bus - like HE owned the whole road. Well, I guess you could say he did. After all the park is not just there for humans, but it is mainly there to protect the animals.

 

[trottigy]

Next stop Talkeetna.

 

We stayed at this beautiful little bed and breakfast - Denali Overlook INN (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g31136-d2149096-Reviews-Denali_Overlook_Inn-Talkeetna_Alaska.html )

 

 

I loved all the wood work inside. This is the main living / kitchen area, but the whole house was like this.

 

Talkeetna isn't much of a town. I stood in the middle of the road and took a pic one way and then the other. But, it is where many stay who hike Denali. They fly from here to a base camp and then a few weeks (yes weeks! ) later they are near the summit, but only 50% of those who climb it actually make it to the VERY top - due to weather conditions. We have good friends of ours that did this and spent months preparing and getting equipment. It is a climb that changes people's lives and outlooks.

 

The town:

[trottigy]

Here Debbie spread her wings and tried a "Zip Line".

 

 

 

 

That was a lot of fun - flying through the tree tops.

Edited August 15, 2013 by trottigy

[trottigy]

Of course we had to try the 5lb burger (NOT) as shown on Man V Food - here at this restaurant-http://www.westribpub.info/

 

 

And they do except gold and furs as payment:

 

 

Browsing in a book store I found this book and thought - how interesting is that - a book about a DOUBLE Musky written by Bob  

[trottigy]

Then ON a train and down to Anchorage for our last few days. The views along the way were incredible - what a beautiful place our planet is. I can't wait to see what Jehovah will do when deserts blossom and his blessings are everywhere!!!  

 

 

I found this while looking for a story about a bartender arrested due to a "America's Most Wanted" show. - http://thirdagetraveler.blogspot.com/2009/12/all-aboard-for-some-jaw-dropping.html

 

 

There are several little towns with a population of 100 or so.

[trottigy]

In Anchorage and before I post more pics - this is for the conspiracy theorist out there. Notice the name of this Judiciary Office bldg:

 

I am CERTAIN this is just a coincidence  

[Jewelz]

that's funny! Great pics!!!

[surfergirl]

Cool Grizzly bear. Did you see any eating bacon or McDonald's?. Lols

Wow absolutely beautiful country. I want to see the place.

[trottigy]

Apparently Grizzly's don't eat bacon as there are few pigs around, but they DO like Moose meat    On our zip line tour there was a spot where a grizzly had left a moose kill. Sometimes they leave an animal they have killed rather than dragging it back to the den - if the distance is far. They will just return several times until the animal is eaten. 

 

If you really are interested in this try Googling - YouTube  "Brown bear kills moose in driveway" . Someone took a video and posted their account of this happening in their own driveway. WARNING - graphic!!!!  

 

Me - I prefer Vons or Costco.

[surfergirl]

Thanks Jerry it's breakfast time here.

I can only imagine. I have seen dead dear washed up on the beach and enough dead roos or road kill.

I just learnt what Costco is. Huh. They are planning to build one near my mums place.

[trottigy]

We stayed at a fantastic hotel and landmark in Anchorage - the Captain Cook Hotel - http://captaincook.com/

We were right by the water. I'll post this now - but on our last day we took a bike ride that went right along the water from the Hotel around the airport and down to Kincaid Park. It was breath taking.

But we wanted to try the flight around Denali and we also wanted to do a one day cruise out to the glaciers and see the whales.

The glaciers won - so off to Seward ...... And if we have time the plane ride.

Edited August 16, 2013 by trottigy

[surfergirl]

Ooooh!!!! La La!!!!..A fine lodging me matey!!!..

 

 

Very nice indeed. That Captain Cook sure did get around....   ....

Thanks for all the fine pictures.