Athabasca Fallsl in Jasper National Park on the upper Athabasca River just west of the Icefields Parkway is a really loud, fast waterfall that has cut a narrow canyon that increases the noise and the fury of the water. Very cool place.
Studebaker /
This 1949 Studebaker Champion was in the collection of the Alaska Museum of Transportation in Wasilla. Clearly oversprayed at one point with a second color, I think the red. Now rusting away in a field.
Kennecott Copper Mine /
This is my favorite photo of the town of Kennicott and the Kennecott Mine. (Spelling is different for each one!) It was taken on July 4th when almost everyone - rangers, tour guides, tourists, locals were down the hill for the McCarthy Fourth of July Parade. We had the street to ourselves. That is the original train station on the right, this street was actually two lines of railroad track and wagons and such rode a street below or above where we are now. The mine office and assay room is in the house like building just beyond the station.
Tasty Bonus Post /
I’m upstairs working and at the top of my ladder appears this delicious cupcake, hand delivered. The only thing sweeter than the cupcake is the granddaughter who made it specially for me. It was excellent. Thanks, Ellary.
Alaska Recap: The Experience /
This trip was planned over a three year window (and funded the same!) Most of the plans worked and some were complex involving tight schedules and potential capricious weather. Lots of days were tiring. This was not a sit and relax trip - most of ours are not. We were up early, drove a lot, did a lot and went to bed tired. We met a lot of interesting and generous people and saw not just the usual tourist sights, though we did include them and they are well known and often visited for a reason, they are amazing. But we also spent time in small towns like Palmer seeing old farms, in some small parks with few if any other people. We were in some neat homes, old mines, small churches and hikes where the best views were the flowers at your feet or the White-Crowned Sparrow like you had seen scores of times in Raleigh. We spent more than we ever have, drove more, flew more, were gone longer and might have worn out a truck and the trip was worth every moment. The magnificent scenery is not just a park here and there but every mile you travel opens up yet another vista and every hike you take leads to another intimate scene with a small waterfall, a fisherman alone in a stream or a baby duck just learning to swim. We were blessed to be able to take this journey and are enriched by a thousand memories.
“Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.” Psalm 145:3 NLT
Our first view of Denali. You look at the horizon and the thick clouds and wonder where it is then some clouds and blown away and you are awed by the scope and grandeur of this incredible peak that rises well over all the other mountains. And here we did not even see the top. Thankfully we did on visit two to the park.
Alaska Recap: The Numbers /
We were gone 124 days on this long trip. We drove 19,487 miles in 17 states, two provinces and one territory. Seat time in the truck was 480 hours. We also used six ferries, 2 small ships, 1 water taxi, one air boat, five commercial flights, three small aircraft, two flights in a sea plane, three taxies, a train and seven buses (and a partridge in a pear tree). We walked a lot with an average day exceeding 10,000 steps. The farthest we were from Raleigh was 4820 miles in Utqiagvik, Alaska.
Our single largest expense was fuel. We averaged more than 13 mpg but still spent $4,585 for 1474 gallons (average $3.11 gallon). Least expensive fuel was $2.21 gallon and the most costly came in at $7.69 in the Yukon. Our other expenses were close to planned budget. We spent $2,652 for food other than groceries. That is all other food, coffee, ice cream, dinners, snacks etc. That works out to $147 a week, not too bad on vacation mode and we ate very well. Campgrounds added $2,800 and repairs and maintenance $1,435. So, excluding admissions, excursions, hotels etc. the trip cost $10,172 or about $2,500 a month. We of course, did not have regular house expenses during this time and had canceled some things so a significant portion of that amount came from our usual expected expenses, just spent in a different venue.
I spent a lot of time in the driver’s seat.
Alaska Recap Five: The Campsites /
Out of the 124 days we were gone, six nights were not spent in our trailer. That is a lot of time in 90 square feet and a lot of different experiences in overnight stops. We actually stayed in 80 different locations. 20 were free when we stayed at friends or places like Cracker Barrel, Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer and Cabelas. There were 6 Harvest Hosts nights that we pay an annual fee to belong, these were no charge nights along the way at farm stands, museums and wineries. Two of our more memorable places were Harvest Host locations. There were 27 different commercial campgrounds, always the most expensive option but they offer lots of services (or most do). There we can dump tanks, fill water, charge everything and, often, use WiFi. We also camped in nice sites in 8 National Parks (1 Canadian) - very economical and 20 nights at various Forest Service, BLM, Provincial, State or City parks ranging in cost from $5 to $20. Our average weekly cost for lodging was just a bit over $150. Since the average cost of one night at a US hotel is $132 and in Alaska the average is $275 taking the trailer was a huge savings. Even figuring extra fuel costs and maintenance we were able to travel many more days than if we had to pay for hotels. I will be posting under the “camping” tab many of these sites starting on Monday. I will also post a data base of all the sites next week.
A Harvest Host night at Hansen’s Dairy in Iowa.
Alaska Recap Four: The Birds /
My expectations for new birds and better views of birds I have seldom seen were rather low. I intended to see a Willow Ptarmigan and get some good eagle and puffin shots but did not know what else to expect. It was really good and I added 32 new birds to my life list that is now at 393. I will do a Bird Week soon but among the coolest birds I saw were horned and tufted puffins, ptarmigans, jaegers, red-throated grebes, snow buntings and the long elusive Spruce Grouse that I tried to see every time we were in Acadia.
Yellowlegs Lunch in the Fast Casual Category
Alaska Recap Three: The Animals /
Stars of the trip have to be the grizzly bears. We saw 33 over the whole trip most of them in the three big parks, Lake Clark, Katmai and Denali. Several of them were quite close and ranged from a six month old cub to 1100 pound mature males. We saw them catching salmon and failing to do so, chasing a wolf, playing with each other and eating grasses and berries.
Among the other animals we saw were big horn sheep, mountain goats and dall sheep, scores of caribou, about 18 moose, one wolf, two coyotes, bison, mule deer, white tail deer, a large porcupine, elk, several black bear, dozens of sea otters, humpback whales, two pods of orcas, sea lions, stellar sea lions, marmot, ground squirrels, spotted seals, harbor seals, a fin whale and lots of pronghorns.
Alaska Recap Two: The Parks /
The opportunity to visit units of the National Park Service started in Nebraska. The two we stopped at in Northern Nebraska were a bit of a disappointment - the first was in flood stage so very little was open and we viewed the river from a high bluff at Mulberry Bend. The second one included an historic bridge that we made our target for the park, it was underwhelming. In fact, it looked like an ordinary bridge and the superstructure that might have been interesting was not really visible from above and there were no paths to get under the bridge. However, from that point on, the parks were excellent. We visited 31 parks for the first time and revisited an additional eight including Olympic, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Some were challenging, Wrangell-St Elias requires a drive of 59.8 miles on a pitted, bumpy, dusty, bone shaking gravel road, a walk across a long bridge over rapids and a five mile ride in a van to arrive. Lake Clark, Katmai are accessed by air in little four passenger planes, Inupiat Heritage Center requires long commercial flights to the edge of the Arctic Ocean and others, Glacier Bay, Kenai Fjords & San Juan Islands you take ships while Sitka we used both - three plane rides and a ferry. It was good to drive to most of those in the lower 48. We enjoyed more than we expected most every park, save the two in Nebraska and, perhaps, the Agate Fossil Bed and the Hagerman Fossil Beds. Simply not that interested in the fossils. We were touched by the Minidoka Park and the birthplace of George Washington Carver. Pea Ridge, Whitman Mission, Wind Cave and Fort Union were surprising. The Alaska parks are simply breathtaking and magnificent. We now are at 253 of the 419 parks.
The parks in order as we visited:
Missouri National Recreation new
Niobrara National Scenic River new
Wind Cave NP new
Mount Rushmore NM
Jewel Cave NM new
Badlands NP
Minute Man NHS new
Devils Tower NM new
Theodore Roosevelt NP, South and North units
Knife River Indian Villages NHS new
Fort Union NHS new
Klondike Gold Rush NHP Skagway and Seattle units new
Glacier Bay NP new
Sitka NHP new
Wrangell St. Elias NP, North and South units new
Denali NP new
Katmai NP new
Kenai Fjords NP new
Inupiat Heritage Center new
Lake Clark NP new
Olympic NP
San Juan Islands NHS new
Whitman Mission NHP new
Nez Perce NHP (four of 38 sites) new
Hagerman Fossil Beds NM new
Minidoka NHS new
Craters of the Moon NM new
Grand Teton NP
John D Rockefeller Memorial Parkway
Yellowstone NP
Agate Fossil Beds NM new
Nicodemus NHS new
Fort Scott NHS new
George Washington Carver NHP new
Pea Ridge NMP new
Buffalo National River new
Wilson’s Creek NB new
Ozark NSR, Big Springs and Alley Springs new
Natchez Trace Parkway
Looking down from the top of the stamping mill at Kennecott - 15 stories high, in Wrangell St Elias NP
Looking Up, the first photo was taken from that rickety open platform on the top of the mill.
Alaska Recap One, the Moose /
Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint
Good, I have the whole post, this is how things ought to be done.
Much news to share with my vast and rapt audience. I’m afraid one item is going to be sad. The most disappointing news is that I must suspend my Presidential Campaign. I know that hundreds of you are staring aghast at your screen right now, maybe through tears. It was not a choice but forced upon me by an inadequate system. It appears, even given my wildly popular campaign and the clear choice of most thinking voters, that I am NOT on the ballot in ANY state. Who knew of such a thing. So, my campaign strategist team is looking into this farce but so far we see no way forward for 2020. Look out 2024 cause we will be prepared. I will still campaign in the extreme south this year sowing the ground for our next effort.
The campaign suspension notice like the announcement made in the Bull Moose Party tradition, on the rails.
I’m glad to get that out of the way to bring you exciting, wonderful news.
First, I have found my primary calling. Not driving planes, trains or automobiles nor medicine nor rodeo - in fact all of these are among my most outstanding abilities yet there is one place I excel to the stratosphere, food - we are opening up a cafe! Yes, Cup & Cones Cafe will soon be a reality. We will serve excellent, creative lattes, great, unique ice cream and light fare for any appetite. And we will not leave out the entire Moose and other antlered creatures population like other restaurants. We will have lily root soup, light grass salads and maple/endive ice cream, for example. Our first Cup & Cones Cafe will be in Denali. Our second is slated for Raleigh. (Don’t tell anyone but the winter in Denali is a bit harsh, the summer is Raleigh is a bit warmish.) Franchises are in the works.
Which brings me to the best of the news, Ms McFinley and I are getting married. I know, picking a perfect wife is one of my most outstanding qualities. She is the “we” in the cafe by the way.
I know you have a lot of questions.
1. Do I get to attend the wedding?
You will, of course, all be invited to the wedding of the century once we set a date.
2. Will you have birch ice cream
You did not need to ask that question.
3. What happens to Brr Ice?
He missed the open range so we made him our grill chef.
4. Will you still travel?
Sadly, I still have no license so, until MOOSE RIGHTS I will travel with the guides but my focus will be to explore new concepts for the cafe, new flavors for ice cream and latte tastings. The driver is not too competent but he does eat and can find ice cream.
I’m off to Denali and the lovely Ms McKinley. I will check back in a few weeks. Meanwhile lots of work to do, things to organize, recipes to test, gallons of ice cream for evaluation and a wedding to plan. Fortunately all these things are among my most outstanding qualities.
A highlight of the summer -sailing across the sea in this small flower boat.
Here I am doing field work for the new tastes Cup & Cone Cafe will be using.
Emerge /
I so enjoyed walking in the forest like this one, no path, no agenda just a hush and soft footfalls. The beauty of the forest - growth and renewal.
“Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing.” 2 Thessalonians 1:3 NLT
Best Case /
This might be our best case scenario as the bills from this trip are tallied. In a small town north of Haines, AK,
Sea, Forest, Fog, Ice /
This was a quiet moment on the trip to see Columbia Glacier. Simple.
Next week on Monday is Cadillac’s day, Even Bigger Announcements.
Meanwhile, we are still unpacking, setting up things that needed attention and I hope back on the photos soon. I have not done any since I returned. Anxious.
Thanks /
Many of you wrote and encouraged us on our long trip, some of you provided great insight and advice on the way, instruction on shooting pictures and places to see or to eat. We are appreciative of your time and thankful for what you added to our trip. I also appreciate you taking the time to look at this site. I loved the opportunity to share the wonders we were seeing. Over the next few weeks photos from this trip will still be coming. I have a lot not edited (most barely looked at among the 17, 815 images I have shot). So from Cindy and me, thanks.
There were lots of mutual photos, I take yours with your camera and hand you mine for ours. This one was at the Tea House above Lake Louise.
Alaska Journey Day 121, 122, 123, 124 /
Saturday, Sunday, Monday HOME Day
Saturday was a low key bit of rest, clean up trailer and short drive on the Natchez Parkway.
Sunday we went to church at Wellspring in Spring Hill TN, excellent church! Then on to the farmers market in Nashville, where we found Jeni’s, City-Farm coffee and Delta61 for lunch, then to the nice new museum across the lot for the afternoon. On the way back to the trailer we stopped at Loveless Cafe for dinner. Terrific stop. I did mention the ice cream at Jeni’s but failed to tell you I had a cone twice! Atlantic Beach Pie is an amazing flavor and I think, trumpet roll, I’ll move Jeni’s to number one on the Ice Cream Hit Parade, followed by Salt & Straw in Seattle and Cows in Canada. What a shake up in the ice cream world.
Monday was get a couple issues on the trailer fixed, general check up at about 50,000 miles and drool over the newer immense:) 22 foot trailer. We were on our way by 6:30 but did not make Monday’s goal. We ended at a Cracker Barrel in Crossville. Many thanks to the Oliver team led by Jason and Ritchie - they went way beyond the norm to ensure we were safely on our way. Nice to deal with people who care about their product and their customers.
Tuesday after breakfast at CB, we stopped in Knoxville to visit our dear friend Jill. Then on to Virginia where we were able to catch up a bit on Waypoint with Paul. Finally after dinner and two hundred more miles, we were back with Geof, Laura, Kellen, Addie and Ellary whom we missed a great deal. They had our house stocked and perfect.
Thus endth the telling of the Travel Tale to Alaska.
Stay tuned over the next few days to find out:
Stats, Summaries, Places & People, Food, Details and the next chapter of the Moose.
Sun Set on the most amazing four month journey. Thanks for being a part of it with us. Blessings.
Alaska Journey Day 120 /
Crossing the Mississippi Day
We went west and north a bit before we set out to cross the Mississippi to see a different part of the Ozark Riverways. The mill at Alley Springs was worth the short drive just to see the crystal clear water that flows from underground springs at the rate of 81 millions galleons a day. The red, three story mill set off like a jewel against the blue and turquoise waters was a bonus. Then with a short stop at New Madrid, where we viewed the river from a raised platform, we scooted all the way to Hohenwald where we set up outside the Oliver office for the night. Actually three nights as we have an appointment here on Monday. We are going to explore some of the Natchez Trace tomorrow.
Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint
We barely stopped. I can’t give a speech from a moving truck. No ice cream for more days. No lattes for miles and miles. No letters from Ms. McKinley. Going to bed didn’t really help. I guess we are going to land tonight so I will have time tomorrow to campaign in Tennessee. And I will absolutely need ice cream, lattes and, since I have been so deprived, a couple of donuts to sooth my hurt feelings. And a cookie. Or two.
Alley Mill built in 1894 at Alley Springs.
Alaska Journey Day 119 /
Last Two New Parks Day
In the morning we went to Wilson Creek NBP (park 252). I thought I knew most of the major battlefields of the Civil War. In fact, I was excited to go to Pea Ridge because I believed that was the “last one” I needed to see. Not true. I did not even know about this place until last month and it is a large, really well preserved and very well administrated park in south Missouri. A real treat this morning was to visit this place. We then drove west along US 60 East, a familiar road in an unfamiliar place. Our stop was another Wild and Scenic River, the Ozark (park 253). We found a decent US Forest Service campground for $5 and then drove to an old CCC built resort that is sadly fading. There are plans to restore it but it is a shame it got to this state. Lots of springs in this area.
Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint
No Moose for miles. No speeches to give cause no people for miles. No ice cream for days. No lattes for miles. No letters from Ms. McKinley. I’m going to bed wake me when life as I know it returns.
Ray House at Wilson Creek Battlefield. It is 75% original, used as a field hospital and where a dying Union general was brought.
Alaska Journey Day 118 /
Didn’t Start Out Well Day
The plan was to go southeast to Buffalo Scenic River (#251) and then on to Branson for a show. The roads to BSR turned out to be torturous and the trip, 45 miles, took forever. When we got to the river, there were absolutely no places for us to park and precious few to even stop with the trailer. We left with CJH shooting two photos out her window while traveling over a bumpy bridge. We were there but failed to actually see much and taxed the truck to the max. Next on to Branson. Now I qualify for the stupid award, or another one of them. We edge into town and there is a very nice building “Branson Visitor Center” and we have been using them all across the US and Canada. In we go and get “help” to find a show we would like. We are passed off to a second person who can get better discounts. I still don’t catch on. After 15 minutes we decide on a show, decent prices and we are now told all we do to get this “amazing deal” is a brief visit to this wonderful property opportunity. We said “no” absolutely and left. The sales person was kinda shocked and that made me sad we were the exception. After frustrations with getting shows and prices, reviews etc., we opted to move north and see a movie tonight. Super decision to rescue a poor day. Excellent & abundant meal at Lamberts Throwed Rolls and off to see Downton Abby. We even found some ice cream!
Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint
Here is a bonus photo from a couple of days ago when we stopped to see Harry S Truman’s birthplace.
Someone needs to tell me where we are! I’m off to campaign and I’m not in Arkansas anymore but back in Missouri. Make up your mind. And, by the way, find some decent ice cream. I am starving my brain cells - I need a butterscotch ripple, double chocolate, icy mint triple cone. STAT. Ms McKinley would never let this happen to me. Never.
The coyote at Yellowstone along the Yellowstone Lake
Alaska Journey Day 117 /
A Triple Day
First light saw us cross town to Fort Scott. This is a well-resourced park with an extremely well done history in one of the old barracks. The grounds were immaculate but we did not linger because it was raining quite vigorously. We crossed into Missouri and headed south past Joplin to the George Washington Carver NHS. This park, number 249, was well worth the trip. Large grounds with a well marked walk that had statues and panels about GWCarver’s life gave you a peek at the enormous obstacles he overcame. Astonishing man. We also saw a bit about him at Tuskegee Institute, another park in Alabama, where he did most of his research. I challenge you to get a book about him and be enthralled. Tripping further south into Arkansas, on narrow, winding, hilly roads we emerged at our third park, Pea Ridge National Battlefield Park. Fitting for our 250th park as the first park I can remember visiting on my own was Gettysburg NBP. This was a Union victory and secured Missouri for the North. Most interesting aspect is how intact the field is, they own the entire 200 plus acres and the views are basically unchanged from the era. Also the old Butterfield Stage Route to the West ran across here and portions are still visible. Long tiring day.
Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint
OK, enough. I am having trouble keeping up with these states. We are in Kansas, we are in Missouri, we are in Arkansas and it is barely lunch. I guess I need to get out and speechify a bit but no ice cream and one latte tells me we are not really in a civilized part of the world. Oops, can’t say that in campaign mode. I believe I will write a note to Ms. McKinley and ask for counsel. At this rate we will finish these 50 states in a few more days and I will see her in the Minnesota one. Maybe we can go quicker.
A statue of G. W. Carver as a boy in the woods he loved.
75% of the Pea Ridge battlefield is visible in this shot.