Back to Homer, my third visit. Landscape is impressive, as are the fish being cleaned at the charter fishing offices. Sat plenty of 20+ lb lings, some small salmon and just a few smallish Chinooks. Some big canary rockfish but few halibut. Must have gone are wrong time of day to see halibut.

Several days ago, upon leaving Denali enroute to Talketna, passed 26 busses and tour vans between the campground and the main Denali Park road – just 6 miles. Denali is very commercial and not as I remember from 46 years ago.

Talketna was a cute little tourist trap town, with nothing especially alluring.

The pic above, of actual fish preserved by an old style taxidermy pro, caught my eye as we were walking around Anchorage. It is a lost art, as almost all taxidermy shops now use plastic models. These were actual fish. The large Chinooks cost $15,000 each!

Anchorage layover was 4 days in a RV park in town – I am sick of RV parks and can’t wait to return to camping in Oregon and the western US. Stocked up on meat at COSTCO and some veggies at Fred Meyer. Gas was reasonable, about $3.50 a gallon.

First Karen got sick, then I caught it. Lots of coughing and low energy. Now, 5 days later, we both are feeling better and are on the mend. Will go on an 8 hour bear and wildlife viewing trip from 3:30 to 11:30 today via boat, and halibut/salmon fishing tomorrow. Just might be the highlight of the trip. We have been laying low and avoiding many of the repetitive outings scheduled for the trek group. Most are hokey, with young uninformed presenters that know little other than their canned entertainment speels.

Stopped at the world famous Salty Dawg bar on the spit, again for my third visit to marvel at all the $ bills covering almost every possible inch of the interior. The place is always packed.

Have not posted since no one seems to be looking at the blog or commenting other tnan my friends John and Polly. Makes the effort a waste of my time.

Not to be confused with the Denali Park Road, which is 90 miles long and the only road into the 6 million acre Denali National Park and Preserve, the Denali Highway [sic] is 131 miles of gravel road between Cantwell and Paxon.  It is not a highway.   The elevation at our campsite is 2440’.  We are camped at 63.17.40074 N and 148.3.90667 W.

Last PM we stayed in Denali State Park, 50 miles south from here on the south side of Denali National Park and Preserve.  

We had stopped along the way to inquire about DSP and were told, “There are lots of big trees and big ferns”.  Well, there weren’t.  Apparently, the woman has never been to the Pacific Northwest.

DSP was uninspiring, so we backtracked today to be able to explore the Denali Highway.  30 miles or so in, is Brushkana Campground, where we camped on BLM land.  As it is federal land, our Senior Pass entitled us to a 50% discount, so a camping spot was $10.00.  Pit toilets, a well somewhere, picnic table, fire ring and lots of mosquitoes.  

But we both are glad to be here and not still in the Anchorage RV park with the rest of the gang.  We are the rebels of the group and proud that we are both travelers, not tourists.  We are taking a vacation from our vacation.

The gravel road in was OK and I was able to drive 20-25 MPH.  We saw some nice viewpoints and camping spots on the road and may stay tomorrow night.  Or may not.  Travelers never know where they are going next.  There will be no fees for roadside camping. Then back to the group on Saturday.

We both revel in being on our own and away from the group and wish we had just done the trip on our own.  It would have been easy and we could have avoided all the tourist traps.

46 years ago, in 1979, when I came to Denali and went backpacking for two nights in the park, it seemed so different.  It was a year before Jimmy Carter added 4 million acres to the park in the final weeks of his presidency.

We rode the train from Anchorage, slept in a tent, picked blueberries and saw grizzly bears, caribou and Dahl sheep.  Memorable.

Now, the highway outside the entrance is lined with shops, restaurants and tourism offices for plane rides, bicycle rentals, helicopter rides, raft trips, etc.  The cruise lines have their own luxury hotels and there are tourist busses parked everywhere.  Denali has gone commercial.  Glad I saw it long ago when it wasn’t.

We frequently say to each other that we wish we were driving 18 degrees of latitude south of here in Oregon. We are several thousand miles from home.  I hope it is more scenic on the rest of the trip, because so far it hasn’t been all that scenic or interesting – compared to Oregon.

The worst part of the trip, next to the boring landscape is my inflamed achilles tendon.  I am hobbling like a wounded veteran most days and unable to walk as I wish.

I sit currently on the uppermost, open air deck while our vessel makes a planned stop and disembarks most on aboard.  3 flat screen TV screens with continuous ads for food, snacks, the Discovery souvenir store’s TShirts, stickers, furs, knives and every other conceivable item that they can sell to tourists plays continuously on the 3 screens…….

These venues with planned, canned and choreographed scripts – with someone narrating a  memorized spiel to dozens or hundreds of tourists – are precisely the things Karen and I avoid when we travel.  

At 290 tons, the Discovery 3 can carry up to 900 passengers, at $94.50 pp.   4 decks.  Not a real paddle boat, but (the third Discovery vessel) just a touristy 3 hours of “entertainment” on the Yukon River.  

Free blueberry donuts and coffee.

99.5% of the passengers aboard disembarked to see the recreated village of native Athabaskans and Gold Rush Days prospectors, with narrators wearing microphones and broadcasting their script on loudspeakers –  and I didn’t even get off the boat.  Upon disembarking, all the passengers were herded into 3 groups of about 200 tourists each for the show and tell.

Karen returned 1/2 through the onshore events at “The Village” to the boat – before anyone else – and she said it reminded her of Disneyland.  We rolled our eyes and sighed.

I wrote.

I abhor these types tourism inspired scripted tours. 

As we finally get all aboard and get underway, as I sit and write – still on the top deck – in the row behind me is a couple that sound like they are from Arkansas or Missouri – both from their accents and from the simple, untraveled way they are describing their Alaskan experiences.

We wish we were traveling, not touristing.  

As every RV campground has hookups (The Horror, The Horror) we have been to so far has been 50% empty (or full) we wish we had just done the trip on our own.  All we needed to bring that we don’t have is the Honda 2000 watt generator.  

I probably have only stayed in a RV campground 4 or 5 times before this trip.  There are numerous campgrounds in off the grid locations and the 23’ Airstream would have easily fit….but not the mega RVs that are in the RV parks.  

We almost always have one of the smallest and simplest rigs in our campgrounds.  There is a RV not far from us that has a fucking TV at their external, slide out kitchen that is streaming FOX News via their Starlink antenna.  It made me shiver.

Tomorrow the planned group activity is a tour of a caribou or reindeer ranch.  We deferred.  

Imagine coming to Alaska only to go look at domesticated Caribou in what in essence is a zoo – but with a scripted narration from your local wannabe entertainer.  Zoos are despicable to both of us.

We both want to experience Alaska differently……..and just might drop out and……….

To be continued.  Changes are  needed for both of us.

We have contracted “Group Fatigue”. We will depart the KOA campground here Fairbanks in the AM and head to Denali State Park, south and abutting Denali National Park for several days of off grid camping away from the choreographed tour.

See you in several days when we reconnect with the group.

It will be a 180 mile drive to Fairbanks tomorrow, our furthest north campsite, where we will spend 5 nights.

We departed Oregon 4 weeks ago on Saturday, June 14.  All has gone well, with no issues of any significance.  I guess all the planning worked.

Roads today were either very smooth or very bumpy.  Had about 25 miles of gravel and several single file pilot vehicle escorts through road construction/repair areas.   The bad parts were not as rough as yesterday.

Border crossing into Alaska today was the easiest yet.  Only several questions – “Where are you headed?”  And “What are you going to do in Homer?”

“Fish, of course.”  And then the border Agent and I talked about salmon fishing in Oregon.

Only wildlife I saw was two swans in a roadside pond.  

Rocky terrain with zero evidence of glaciation.  Passed through some burned areas, but the fire must have been several years ago.  Scraggly looking trees, small.  Karen read in The Milepost that a 2” diameter spruce tree might be up to 100 years old.

The permafrost makes road building and maintenance especially difficult, with frost heaves that crack the pavement, resulting in lots of potholes. We saw dozens of telephone poles leaning heavily to the side and some that appeared to have sunk about 10 feet.

A brief rainshower or two, then sunshine and high cumulus clouds.  Mild.  Arrived at campsite in Tok at 1:30 PM.

Tundra and Airstream exteriors are filthy from the dusty roads and rain.  Few things are uglier to me  than a dirty Airstream.

“Down The Road”

Well it’s down the road I go

And I got those worried

Lonesome homesick Jones

Way on down the road

Well it’s down the road I go

Well I got the blues

From way down in New Orleans

Way on down the road

And I got to be so far away

Oh don’t you see

All our memories, dreams and reflections

That keep haunting me

Well it’s down the road I go

And I hear those gypsy voices

Calling me

Way on down the road

Well I got to be

So far away in my memory

Dreams and reflections come on

Keep on back haunting me

Well it’s down the road I go

Well I got the blues

From down in New Orleans

Way on down the road

Well it’s down the road I go

Well I ve got the worried

Lonesome homesick Jones

Way on down the road

Way on down the road

Oh down the road

Way on down the road baby come on

Way on down the road

Trying to find my way back home

Trying to find my way back home

Further on down the road

Trying to find my way back home

Further on down the road

Down the road of peace

Down the road of peace

Down the road of peace baby

By Van Morrison

Off to Tok, Alaska and another border crossing. Tok, pronounced “Toke” is about 150 miles. A welcome drive after yesterday’s slog.

There is a small grass airfield immediately adjacent to our campground here in Koidern and several helicopters are buzzing around this AM, ferrying a team of 9 to a site where they are drilling core samples and looking for a gold deposit in the mountains west of here. Spoke with two female geologists last night around the campfire.They said that if concentrations of 1/2 ounce of gold per ton of ore could make a viable undertaking.

Whew, a long drive – 295 miles of the worst roads, by far, so far.  Gone were the smooth, wide shouldered highways of earlier travel in Canada.  

Patched roads, potholes – some filled, most not – and many frost heaves.  Most hazards were identified by signs with a zizzag on them or by red cones or red flags.  There were about 25 miles of gravel roads, but they were smooth, 50 MPH – but dusty.  Luckily, I was not behind anyone on the dusty sections.

Some nice scenery would have been possible, but a 2000’ ceiling obscured the higher peaks, some of which were over 15,000 feet in elevation – all to the west in Kluane National Park and Reserve and in the St. Elias Mountains.  Wide valleys from 2 to 6 miles wide.

Our Milepost book (the traveler’s guide to the Alaska Highway) says that the section we drove the last 3 hours today was the most difficult section of the Alaska Highway to construct in 1943 and the most difficult to maintain today.

Camped at an RV park in Koidern, elevation 2300’ and which is in the middle of nowhere.  All electricity is from a diesel generator, so we were asked to keep high watt usage to a minimum on our 15 amp service.  No cell coverage now or for most of the day.  Had a brief cell signal in Haines Junction, where we last filled with gas. Had a little rain.

We have traveled over 3500 miles since departing Depoe Bay – and over 1100 since departing Dawson Creek – and other than in Banff, have seen little that outshines the natural beauty of Oregon – the Cascades, the Columbia River Gorge, the high desert, the coast.  

But this is empty, wild country.  Lots of trees.  No forest burn scars today, but many dead spruce trees from Spruce Beetle infestation exacerbated by a warmer climate.  The milder winters do not kill the beetles now. The glacial moraines have been much less frequent. The mountains to the west create a rain shadow and much of this region was surprisingly not covered in ice during the last ice age – not enough moisture.

Many times I have asked the locals, “What is the winter like here?”  Every time they answer, “Not as much snow as in years past – inches instead of feet and milder, wetter, warmer.”

Saw a black bear today – about 40’ off the road – but no other wildlife. But we did see road signs to be on the lookout for Dahl sheep, but they were likely up high grazing on the summer vegetation.

Nicest part of the drive today was again through the highlands between Haines and Haines Junction.  Treeless tundra about 3300’ in elevation.  It was nice to not be surrounded by trees everywhere.

As scenery was unspectacular, did not take any photos.  Departed Haines at 7:30 AM and arrived Koidern at 4:45 PM.  We had a time change exiting Alaska.

Had an uneventful border crossing from the US back into Canada.  I was asked by customs if we had any crab.  “No, I will have all the Dungeness crab I desire when I return to Depoe Bay in September and early October”.  

“Have a nice trip”.  

We are.

Nothing planned for the group today, and after yesterday, that was fine for us. A relaxing day to take showers, find things and clean up. Rain started around noon and has been pitter patting on the Airstream all afternoon. Gassed up, read, watched a little TV and rested. Have a long drive tomorrow, 295 miles north to Koidern, Yukon. Will depart Alaska 30 miles north out of Haines and once again enter Canada. Customs has been painless on our two crossings, and have only been asked a few questions. When entering Alaska two days ago, they did not even ask if we had alcohol to declare. They seemed more interested in knowing if we had uncooked chicken or eggs….and for the life of me I don’t know how anyone could raise chickens in the wilderness with bears, wolves, ermine, mink, badgers and who knows what else that would gladly raid any chicken coop. And all citrus and avocados are banned, as if importing an orange and an avocado would infest the orange groves or the avocado crop in Haines. But rules are rules, so we just hid our oranges, avocados and fresh chicken.

Smugglers and criminals – both of us. If you never hear from us again, you now know where to start looking for us. In the Agriculture Department smugglers lockup.

We are 1403 kilometers north of Dawson Creek.  Had a short drive of 101 miles today, nothing spectacular and the road was exceptional.  Lots of big lakes.

Smooth, wide shoulders with the ubiquitous open space on each side of the road where all trees, shrubs and the grass has been brush hog cleared.  The roadside clearing work clears practically all the growth for anywhere from 50 feet to 150 feet from the shoulder over to the forest.  

We believe the clearing of the roadside serves two purposes – for a firebreak and easy access in the event of a fire for firefighters and to protect wildlife crossing the road.  Whatever the reason, clearing up to 150 feet on either side of the highway for 800 miles is a hell of a lot of work for hundreds of people.  We have seen tractors with 4 brush hogs on the PTO, single brush hogs and tracked Bobcats with a super brush hog.  Some of the larger trees are cut with chainsaws.  The effort is impressive.

Saw a black bear and a moose.

Left Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon at 8 AM and headed first to Haines Junction, YK, then another 150 or so more miles down to Haines, Alaska.

Stopped at a little bakery/pastry shop in Haines Junction.  It had some nice breads (the cheddar/jalapeño caught my eye as did the sourdough, but we declined).  It was not anywhere near the bakery in Waldport, OR, which is exceptionally decadent.

As we left Haines Junction for Haines, I saw a sign that said the next fuel was 200 km or 120 miles.  I told Karen ”I think I will turn around and get some gas”.  I then calculated that I had enough gas for 150 miles, so we did not top off the tank.

Onward we went.

Nice road, for the most part, and about 90 miles from Haines the valley opened up and we gained some elevation.  Soon there were only a few trees.  Then we dropped down in elevation, the forest returned with the largest trees I have seen since leaving WA.  

The gas gauge said empty in 29 miles.  Slowed down to increase mileage and luckily had a 6 or 8 mile downhill run, which helped a lot.  I said, “We are about at the 120 mile mark, a station should be close”.  It was.

We pulled in as the gauge read 20 miles of fuel left.  

Whew!  What a relief as I picked up the nozzle.  What a relief.

It was closed.

Looked at the iPhone’s Google map and it was still about 42 miles to Haines.  I said to Karen, “I think we might make it”.   But in reality, I thought there was a 70% chance we wouldn’t.  Drove the last 15 miles with a gauge that read “0”.   If it could have displayed negative numbers, I would have been on about -16 when we finally got to a station in Haines.

Weather was nice until we neared the water.  It clouded up, started drizzling, with a low ceiling.  Through breaks in the clouds we could tell there were some big mountains nearby.  Chilly.

After setting up, Allen and I took off to town – 1/4 mile down the road – to explore all the important things.  Stopped at the Haines Visitor Center, picked up a few brochures and inquired about fishing.  Only one company is running a charter in Haines this year.  Never heard back….yet.

Hit a little distillery and shared a flight of 5 of their spirits.  Then to the harbor and locating the most recommended restaurant.  Then locating the local brew pub.  What else could possibly be important in a town of 2,500?

But, hey, Haines is bigger than Depoe Bay.  At least there is a food store here – Depoe has none……

Tomorrow a 3 hour ferry ride down to the state capital, Juneau, population 31,500.  

It will be good to be on the water.

The trek group met at the small boat docks in the Haines harbor at 7:45 AM.  Karen and I hate fixed time events, waiting lines, and crowds.  Today had an abundance of all three.

Departed on a diesel powered catamaran, headed south to Juneau, 3 hours away, at 30 MPH.  Whales (Humpbacks) were the star attraction of the day for most folks- gawking, pointing, oooh and ahhhing.  

We said ho hum, it is just a whale.  They are a daily sight anywhere around Depoe Bay in the summer.  I see them when salmon fishing all the time.  The Steller’s sea lions were second on the card.  The bald eagles were third on today’s wildlife bingo card.  

Overcast, a 1000 foot ceiling.  Soft ride on the catamaran, but three points of contact were often needed.  A small vessel, by most ferry comparisons.  No vehicles, no bicycles, seats for 50-60 people.  Down and back, 6 hours on the water cost $200 per adult.  The fare was included in our trip cost.

Disembarked north of town and got on a bus for a 15 minute trip to town, with several unnecessary stops before arriving in downtown Juneau.  ¹

We walked around town then settled for a restaurant not far from a giant Princess Cruise Lines vessel. There were 6 cruise lines docked in town today.

Had a lunch of halibut and chips, a Caesar salad and IPAs.  As we sat down, the cruise ship started disembarking passengers for an afternoon in town.  For the 45 minutes we were seated/eating, there was a continuous departing of passengers from the Princess vessel, 4 or 5 people wide on the gangplank.  Several thousand people disembarked.  The vessel had 4000 passengers and a crew of 2000.

Went to the Juneau Tourist office, watched a 25 minute film on Juneau’s history then went to the SOB, The State Office Building.  Up to the eighth floor for a view of the city/harbor.  Lots of shops catering to tourists with kitsch but still found a native store with quality items, especially nice carvings of walrus ivory.

The short bus ride from the boat to town and back was almost unbearable for us – and for others.  The narrating driver never stopped talking – with a stream of consciousness banter and imitating children’s voices (“Tell me the answer, Mr. bus driver”) to the inane questions he would constantly ask himself.  The only enjoyable part of both the to/from ride, was the 30 seconds he shut up on the return ride.  

His stream of consciousness narrations, included “There is our McDonalds (followed by a short singing of old MacDonald had a Farm and an imitation of the Hamburgler) followed by “Yes folks, MacDonald’s is here in Juneau, but I suggest you not eat too much of their special sauce.   Ha, ha, ha!”  Or “On our immediate right is the building that WAS our WalMart, which is now closed”.  And the lamest jokes, one after the other.  All I could think of saying to him was ”Don’t quit your day job to be a stand up comedian”, which I dear would have done if the ride had been just 5 minutes longer.  I would have insisted, vociferously, for his sake.

A pleasant boat ride home, slowing to see whales again and a lighthouse.  Soft water, 31 MPH, clouds lifted, allowing clear vistas of the mountains to the west.

Many nice totem pole carvings around town, but most I saw were carved in the last 40 years.

More pics of today will be uploaded, tomorrow, once photos from my phone are synched in the cloud.