Alaska Journey Day 46

The Due North Day

We were a looooong time getting out of Wasilla. First we tried another section of the vast Palmer Hay Flats to find moose but found people salmon fishing in a small tidal stream. Saw them catch a few and one guy wanted to know how we found their spot. “This is a local spot” he said. Back to our parking lot and we toured the Alaska Transportation Museum. A collection in need of shelter and repair. Talkeetna the next stop was an hour north. Quaint collection of homes and businesses and much to look at. Might go back. We did find an interesting business where they make syrup from birch trees. Of course we bought some and tried the birch ice cream. Rather good, actually. Now we are in an over look for the night where - if the weather would cooperate we could see Denali. 

Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint

Well I did a lot of stuff today but I had Paper Birch Ice Cream. What a find. Spectacular. We have birch trees all over Maine. I love my maple but add birch for a change and wow-wee. I am just thinking about birch lattes, birch pancakes, birch toothpaste, birch pasta, birch soup. I might just have to start one of the stores the HP like with lots of ice and birch t-shirts. I will be rich and can hire a driver who will go where I want to go. Not some mountain there are prattling on about all day. Birch ICE CREAM. Oh, and Moose Rights too.

Poised to Plunge and In! (3 photos)

Alaska Journey Day 45

The Nearly Boring Day

Not much today, we left late from the campsite, stopped in town at the weekly outdoor market and, fortified with coffee, set off for Wasilla, home of Ms. Palin. Stopped on the way, again, at the Palmer Hay Flats and shot some more photos of the grebe, now with two hatchlings. At least one more egg in the nest. We missed a moose by a few minutes, rats. Arrived in Wasilla. A bit of a disappointment. Busy with traffic and strip centers. We did try the ice cream at Little Millers a famous stop on the way from Anchorage to Denali. Pretty good. And we are staying free at the Museum of Transportation courtesy of Harvest Hosts. 

Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint

What a fabulous day. We went to a place where they sold t-shirts in tents. You would think that there were enough of these places but no, the have temporary set ups. I think I am getting close to cracking the code, the sorting is a key. I got to do a lot of HP-O while the guides engaged in the tent ritual. Then we went to a very Moosey area and I talked to a few distant cousins, while the driver “peered” more than usual. One of them, Bernard, seemed to get the Rights idea. Progress. Finally we stopped for ice cream but it was soft serve, not my favorite. Yet, I quickly reorganized my frozen treat plan and ordered a milk shake, chocolate with a butterscotch syrup - genius. Perfect combination. I have an innate skill. Really, flavor concoctions are one of my most outstanding abilities. I am still famous in Maine for my Wild Blueberry, Water Lilly root, swamp water stew. The secret is a touch of muskrat fur oil. I wonder how my friend Tsion is doing, he would like my stew.

Sea Lion Symphony

Older

Me, not Cindy. Here we are on the prow of the Lu Lu Belle. Lovely Day.

Alaska Journey Day 44

GOLD! Day

The morning was crisp and thick fog had settled over us. We went up the mountain in the fog to Independence - a gold mining ghost town that is now a state area. Lots of neat old buildings and mining cast-off equipment strewn about. Two or three buildings have been restored but not to a pristine state. The fog would lift a bit and then back so it was an interesting experience. We went back to the trailer for lunch than loaded up and moved to Palmer. Touring some of the colony buildings. In the 1930’s the government moved many people here to start farms. The colony was one of many across the country but one of few that worked. Some of the farms are still operating and one with the original family still running the farm. We also went out to a large marshy lake area known as the flats. Huge place. We were in search of moose, saw none, but I did get a series of photos that I think are my neatest ever of any wildlife. A Red-throated Grebe family who just hatched a baby - such fun to watch their interaction and see the baby take his first dip in the lake. Amazing.

Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint

Spent the day on the HP-O project. No ice today, but lots of people evaluating t-shirts. What is the code? BdB turned up in town - he came in here for a latte, vanilla, but still my comportment work is nearly complete! Watched small planes lifting off the ground over and over. I need to fly. I think the Moose Rights effort is stalled. I need a breakthrough. Soon.

Alaska Journey Day 43

The Civilized Day

Feeling better, not quite well, we set off from the campsite to complete the trip to Palmer. The ever-present smoke still filled the sky so all we could see were outlines of what must be incredible views of mountains, lakes and glaciers. We will exit Alaska by way of this route and I hope the fires are a memory by then. Meanwhile our trip to Denali next week will not result in a great (or any) view of the mountain unless we get a lot of rain. Some is forecast. We arrived in Palmer and found the VC to get oriented. Good choice as the people were very helpful. We are in a campsite tonight up a pass that we would not have tried without their direction. Beautiful and right beside a fast flowing glacial stream. Great to hear tonight. We also ate lunch at the Noisy Goose and got not only very good meals but excellent pie, first in days to even try. I was having an issue with iCloud that I could not fix so we went to a coffee shop with good wifi and Apple got it straightened out. Thankfully as it made getting a photo up to post a chore. We also shopped at Fred Meyer a grocery chain here that felt like home both selection and prices. We were happy. A second stop at a farm marked produced some local produce. This area is known for large vegetables - twenty hours of daylight helps! Good food, coffee, dessert, shopping. Different from the last three weeks for sure. More to come tomorrow so stay tuned on this your all Alaska, all the time channel. 

Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint

I have done a careful analysis of the T-shirts. They seem to hold messages; some clearly coded, some to throw others off the path. There are also lots selling things. That must be how HPs make some of their money. I am not sure when you wear which kind or exactly what they mean. Still sorting out the possible ways they are used. The one thing I have concluded is you do not need to be tasteful or use reasonable grammar to be a part of the HP T-Shirt Ritual. So, while BdB failed in his major objective I was still able to use the issue to move forward. 

We also spent a lot of time in a town (I get sort of uneasy when half the people are wearing camouflage clothing - the unpleasant T-shirts are more palatable.) So I have broadened my HP-O population. The miniature HP are inscrutable, noisy and move too erratically for me to be near to them so I am focused on the larger ones. Besides the larger ones appear to support the miniature ones and choose their shirts. Lots of stuff to digest. Speaking of which we had some lovely pie today. I had pumpkin, maple/walnut and raspberry/peach. Pies not some measly slice of a pie. Hope we go back tomorrow so I can get BdB a slice. He was off somewhere again today. I may need to get a tracker for him. 

Alaska Journey Day 42

The Abbreviated Day

We started up the Keystone Canyon through the Thompson Pass planning to stop at two waterfalls and take a hike on the Goat Trail or the Wagon Trail - both leftovers from the 1899 and 1902 attempts to build pathways from Valdez to the interior and gold fields - first highway in Alaska in 1905. They have only improved slightly since then:) Beautiful waterfalls - Bridal Veil Falls is 600 feet tall. We donned our gear, sprayed for bugs and started out up the trail. The Pack Trail and Goat Trail dicey - slides below us, loose dirt and unstable rock. After a short distance on a forested cliff edge over the road, it got very steep and required some hand holds. We retraced and went a distance on the Wagon Trail until we found large clumps of brown fur on the ground that to our inexpert eyes could have been bear. So we turned around again toward the parking lot. We did get nice views of the falls and I spied and photographed a new bird, the Gray-Cheeked Thrush. New Bird 12 if you are keeping score. A stop at Worthington Glacier revealed loose rock with warning signs on the viewing platform but CINDY, wanted to go another quarter mile toward the base. After safely returning to the car we worked our way back Glennallen entering new territory on the Glenn Highway west toward Palmer. Dinner at an overlook turned into a migraine stop but arrived at Mantanuska Glacier Rec. Area for the night. A day of changed plans.

Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint

We were getting ready to leave but unlike most mornings the Guides were not in a hurry so it was pretty late and just before we left he comes BdB ambling into camp toting a stack of shirts. He completely misunderstood my careful and well-presented instructions (one of my most outstanding qualities) and showed up with a load of T-shirts he foraged from someplace. I did not want them I just wanted him to locate the best place to observe the behavior of the HP gathering ritual. Of course I was not too hard on him but I was disappointed. And he was back with his burps and grunts. I really need to modify his manners. So now what to do, we are off and I did not fully explore this aspect of the HP and still don’t know how to capitalize on this odd need they have but it might have something to do with the writing on them. That might be the key. I guess I can go through the stack and see what clues are there. Also we stopped to see more ice, I know that is a critical HP belief. Adding that to the list of ways to secure Moose Rights.

I am not sure where we are going but we are passing great Moosey areas and I am sad about the rallies. But I still have two later ones on the books so by then I will have most of the HP-O done and can move forward with a great plan. Moose Rights, Now!

Gray Cheeked Thrush

Alaska Journey Day 41

The Extra Day 

We decided to spend one more day in Valdez. It was still likely not long enough. Both of us loved it here. Streams, trees, birds, mammals and mountains towering over every vista. Breathtaking - today in more ways than one as the smoke from Alaska fires drifted more fully into the valley obscuring the views. Still warm and dry here but welcome rain expected end of the week. We explored the town a bit, a nice museum as part of the small college here was well done and showed off a collection of artifacts collected by one woman over a 70 year time frame. We poked in a couple of shops, bought canned salmon from the same place we purchased our fresh seafood and then we went out to the salmon hatchery. The sea lions had taken over the inlet six, eight, twelve of them at a time catching salmon. We also bumped into another Oliver owner - nice folks. He is a legend in the Oliver forum for helping folks. After dinner in the trailer we were off to the other side of town to walk the Shoup Bay Glacier trail. We went part way just to a meadow and then to the beach across from where they store the crude from the pipeline, about a 2.6 mile round trip. Very pretty and I got a nice shot of a Yellow Warbler. Not a first bird but a first photo. Nice day. Oh, and we got ice cream at the two places in town. One small cup split and one messy sundae split. Good ending for the day.

Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint

No ice today on the Human People Observation process but the kind Guide did buy a Tee-shirt. I think it is a critical ritual of the HPs. How to incorporate that into Moose Rights. 

BdB still not back, not that I am worried or anything I mean if he doesn’t come back I’ll be fine. Yup, not worried at all about him and his poor manners and his grunts. 

We did little movement today so it was a good day for HP-O in the town. Lots of HP with long poles in the water, sort of obsessive about it kind of like the peering device the Driver uses. Seems to take all of the HP’s attention. Not unlike some Moose back home and the salt lick on the road side. Disgusting habit. 

I did observe some huge non-antler animals in the water whose grunts remind me of BdB but even worse, maybe I ought not to be so hard on him. Where is he? I did end the day with a fabulous ice cream cone of Wildberry. 

Alaska Journey Day 40

The Day the Ice Fell

We were up early and into Valdez to attend church on the Lulu Bell, a neat old boat. The captain took her out of the harbor a bit and church service was about 45 minutes. Music, prayers and a short “sermon” were delivered by the minister from First Baptist. We returned to dock and Cindy and I had breakfast across the street at the Fat Mermaid. Slow service, mediocre food. 

Back to the Lulu Bell for a tour boarding at 10:30. We travel a long distance on this beautiful boat ending at the Columbia Glacier miles from port. The Captain has been doing this for four decades. Everyday all summer and he talks nearly the entire time with entertaining descriptions and history and gentle humor. The boat is full of teak wood, nice seats, galley with reasonably priced food and nice viewing all the way around and up to the second deck and the flying bridge. There were about 40 people on board so it was not crowded at all. We first encountered a raft of about 20 otters and spent a bit of time there, then we sailed about 30 minutes to watch a commercial fishing boat and crew complete a catch with a narrative by our captain as to how it works. Interesting. Then we passed brownies over to the crew of the fishing boat via a long handled net. Soon we were along shore with scores of sea lions. Noisy group. And then we nosed into some sea caves to see puffins. He put the front of the boat into the cave and it was tight. Super neat. We actually did two caves. The puffin were hard to photograph, dark spaces, small twitchy birds and a rocking boat. Moving along we spotted two mountain goats, mom and her baby on a cliff and he idled us right up to the edge. We also saw dolphin and dozens more otters lounging on ice bergs. About 3 hours in and we round the bend to see Columbia Glacier. We are still five miles out and it is huge. Ice bergs large and small dot the sea. We approach the ice wall and sit less than 1/4 mile from the 200 - 300 foot ice cliff that stretches across the bay. He says we will sit for an hour so we get a good event. Well the event occurred in less than 20 minutes and it was huge, according to the captain the largest he ever saw in 41 years of leading tours. It lasted several minutes and a massive wave ensued. The boat was up and down and the bay so filled with ice that the Lulu Bell had to push the ice away with the prow of the boat. People were visibly nervous when the large berg turned over and the spray rose high in the air. We did not see too much on the return and no whale, the only minor flaw in a nearly perfect day. 

The other aspect to the trip is the personnel of the boat. Captain Fred has been doing this for 41 years. He is a delight to listen to and you are confident you will see everything you can on the trip. No short cuts, no time is up, if there is something to see you will see it. A relaxed atmosphere prevails on the ship. HIs wife working the desk and taking care of details is kind and thoughtful. The young folks working on the boat were excellent and efficient. The boat was clean and well maintained, the wood shined, the signs current. To be treated well and fairly, to enjoy the whole experience, nobody says, “Well we saw a lot but…” - is just immeasurable. I think the Lu Lu Bell is a type of vanishing institution in America and if I could say there is a “must do” in Valdez it is this trip hands down.

Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint

The conundrum of ice. I don’t get HP at all. Ice seems to be nearly as important as T-shirts but not in the home territory. Since we have been on this journey they bought ice in a little bag, have walked on ice, they have flown over ice (I actually did a great job there) and now they went on a boat to watch ice fall in the water. In the Moose world ice is a problem that keeps you from the finest of roots and grasses and hurts the nose when you don’t see it on the top of the pond. Still, I guess I will be pro ice since it is so important to these HPs. And not just the guides there were other people oohing and pointing and even peering like the Driver. The good thing about the day was I got to drive a boat for miles and plow over ice and stuff. I am a great captain. As soon as I figure out the HP thing and get them to promote Moose Rights, it is back to the air and sea. I think I need a boat that flies, how perfect would that be? No word from BdB yet on the project. Where could he have gone it was not that hard.

The blue vertical you see is about 200 feet high, the berg that broke off is upside down with a small portion of the black bottom showing.

Alaska Journey Day 39

The Hot Gravel Buggy Nice Scenery Day

We are on slow today. Very. We did laundry in the AM and Laundry in the PM and Laundry at supper time. Which by the way was left over salmon and scallops with a nice green salad. In the afternoon we did a 4 mile or so hike up a valley on the Mineral Creek Trail. We pictured something along the river under trees. Not quite. It was a gravel road that had a wash out that we could not cross but ATV’s and 4wd could so they would pass us in a cloud of dust. Mostly we were by ourselves. It was hotter than expected, we had no shade, it was full of black flies and more. Oh, and we wore Alaska Sneakers to get across the water. Fashion setters for sure. The sides of the canyon were covered in green with streaks of water and scores of waterfalls pouring down both the western and eastern sides. Really neat but did I mention the bugs? Or the Heat? Or the dust?  The afternoon really got fun as we washed the truck, repacked the storage boxes, washed the trailer floor, changed the sheets, took out trash etc. And you thought we were not having fun. Tomorrow is a very special day on the water. 

Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint

Day 2 of HP-O did not go too well. BdB never returned. The guides stayed mostly near the capsule except for a long dusty hike. They were 200 yards from a wonderful refreshing stream and chose to trudge up rocks and dirt. This effort to understand HP might be challenging for a lesser Moose but I will get them even though there is no rational reason to behave like they did today. For my Observational Records I will just list this under Driver Aberration. Hmmm, may need a better, easier to write title for him. Anyway they hung around the capsule nearly all day. The one saving grace we stopped at an excellent coffee place for iced lattes. Well nothing more to do on the HP-O front, guess I will go over to the marsh and munch a few lilies. Human People are exhausting.

Chill

Alaska Journey Day 38

The Down the Pipe Day

Leaving Kenny Lake we traveled south toward Valdez. I don’t need to mention the frost heaves and the 16 miles of construction, right? Once again leaving the interior plateau we drop down to the coast amid stunning lakes and towering mountains. One difference on this leg was the wild river along the east side of the road and the pipeline viewed occasionally that runs on the west side of the road. We could not find a campsite open by calling ahead in the morning but we stopped at the KOA leading into town and she just had a cancellation so we got a nice spot. Today is an easy day, short drive, slow pace. One half mile walk around town and out to a high point over the harbor. Didn’t see much there. We bought fresh seafood at the dock and groceries at a Safeway. Expensive! We did secure tickets for Sunday on the Lulu Bell. After a great dinner of grilled salmon and scallops we drove to the fish hatchery along the sound. There we saw thousands of salmon shoulder to shoulder (fin to fin?) Fighting the current to get up stream. Lots of people watching or fishing. Tomorrow is laundry day. And a hike up a valley. 

Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint

Day one of Human People observation (HP-O) went well. I made the decision to focus only on the Nice Guide (and other candidate HPs) and discount the Driver, his decisions being impenetrable. Half the time he simply peers through a device while the rest of the HPs seem to enjoy things. There are a few others who exhibit that strange peering instinct but clearly they are outcasts from the normal HPs. My first observation is that most of the HP are destined only to eat or stroll around small spaces where they buy t-shirts. At least most of the structures are designed for that purpose. I am guessing that a shirt only lasts one or three days because of the great quantities they consume. Not sure how that helps advance Moose Rights yet. There are also tons of HPs in capsules that tend to cluster in packs. The Driver has the smallest of these so he must be the least capable. Of course, that is an easy observation. Well, off to a nice marsh I saw near the Capsule Cluster Cache and really get observing tomorrow. I’ll get BdB to scout out a good location with lots of T-shirts. This might be a great time to practice my captain skills as well as I see lots of boats in the water.

Nevermore!

There are ravens everywhere here. One tribe divided into two primary parts, one raven one eagle. You only married into the other side, ravens/eagles and you joined your wife’s group. There were subsets of the two primary as well.

Savannah Sparrow

And yet another new bird for me.

Alaska Journey Day 37

The “On the Rocks” Day

Today was the Fourth of July (I know it is not for you reading this delayed blog, but stay with me here it might be needed for Moose understanding). The celebration in McCarthy is the stuff of legends and goes on until the very wee hours. Cindy and I skipped the trip back down the mountain to watch a very dusty parade. We are glad we did for the Kennicott was extremely quiet and serene. We had the street to ourselves, wonderful time walking about and photographing. Plus we had special plans for the afternoon. So after a relaxing lunch on the porch at the lodge - including super key lime pie, we headed to the St. Elias Alpine Guides for a tour of over four hours on the Root Glacier. There were only five of us on the tour. You start with a 2.4 mile walk to the glacier and once there put on the crampons you carried and the gloves you will need. Then after a brief bit on how to walk with giant prongs on your feet. Off we go. After about 15 minutes we all seem to have a rhythm and it is really fun. And different. The glacier we are on is about 250-500 feet thick and is formed from a close by ice field, Stairway Ice Fall, the third largest in the world. We explored streams, pools, falls, small fractures, long lines in the ice that I forgot the name of already while our guide, Robert, took care to explain a lot of aspects about glaciers while trying to keep us safe. Robert also made hot chocolate for us (or tea or coffee) at our break. I could not sit still, too many things to see. We were done too soon and made the trek back to Kennicott. The walk on the glacier was remarkable and we will not forget the other-world we got to glimpse. Cindy and I were just barely in time for the 6:30 shuttle and then back down the mountain, cross the pedestrian bridge, back to the truck and back over the McCathy Highway to the RV with crackers and dried fruit for dinner. TIRED. For a change I have included only people in the photos of the glacier trip. I will post some of the others as days go along here. None can truly capture how the experience felt.

Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint

Things did not go according to my well-crafted plans today. In fact not a single Moose showed up for the event. But it was a great success. Let me explain. Early in the morning I made my way down from the mountain to the boggy marsh at the edge of the river. BdB had things well prepared. (He is proving a bit useful under my careful tutelage.) I went back to the little village near the site for an extra latte (maple flavor, of course) and to wait for the crowds of Moose to arrive. You really want to make an entrance for this kind of event. Well, as I prepared to exit town to head out to the Moose Rights Rally, the whole town and hundreds more turned out to line the streets. They were cheering and waving American flags & had decorated cars, bikes and wagons. Even the fire department shinned all their trucks. It was amazing. I was overwhelmed. At the end of the street, still thronged with cheering supporters, I eased my way across the crowds and off to the bog. Not a Moose in sight. I will admit, introspection being one of my outstanding qualities, to being chagrinned. So I retreated to a nice marshy bit and contemplated the day. It turns out, at least my working theory is, that Moose don’t understand the idea of rights but the human people do. So they seem to support the idea but Moose don’t realize what they might be missing. Under that assumption my revised plan to secure Moose Rights, still the goal, is to rethink how best to do that and therefore I will take a few days or even a whole week to study human people completely, maybe explore some of the ridiculous places the Driver puts us to figure out how to advance the cause. The human people who turned out to cheer me and support Moose Rights were inspiring so I cannot give up.

Our group at the hot chocolate break

Robert, the guide extraordinarie.

Exploring the edge

Traversing the moraine as we approach the glacier.

Nikki getting her drnk stirred the ice fields way

Our glacier companions from the Netherlands, wonderful folks.

Monet Inspired Duck

Alaska Journey Day 36

The “Hi Ho, Hi Ho” Day

Off we head, east toward Chitina and the start of the McCarthy Highway. Why they call it a highway is up for speculation. The first thing we saw leaving Chitina was the river where we watched net and weir fishermen. Alaska natives only. The river is very wide and dark green/gray and surging. The roar of the current is heard for a great distance. The next three miles of road are dirt, ruts and washboard, speed about 10 mph and you wonder how bad it will be later. But it actually improves - slightly. We raised clouds of dust at 20 or 22 mph - those coming toward us were usually going faster with much more dust. Roads in AK are either snowy, icy, dusty or muddy. If they are paved, they are full of frost heaves and construction. Adventure. We passed lots of forest, lakes both large and small, vistas of mountains and snow and several rivers. One bridge is 286 feet over the river and one lane. Cool. There is a trestle no longer used that has a sharp curve that we walked around. We passed one place that once was a way station now has a couple of ramshackle houses and the requisite number of rusty not longer viable vehicles. As we approached McCarthy there were a smattering of private houses, small and rough. There is a foot bridge - end of the road at mile 59.8. Found a place to park (fee) and walked across footbridge. Still a very dusty mile to McCarthy. We were fortunate that staying in Kennicott Lodge included van transport from the bridge. So, five bumpy miles up to the old mining town. We check in, neat place and explore a bit of the town. Discover there is a mill tour at 2:00 so we signed up. We were amazed at what we were able to see. You go through couple of buildings, sort of normal stuff and then hike a hill 200 feet or so up and enter the top of the mill building - 14 stories up. Most of it appears to be ready to collapse but we get hard hats, so we are good:) We get a great tour down to the train tracks (lost track of the number of steep and narrow stairs we walked). The train is where they loaded the finished copper ore. The mill is designed to break big rocks into little pebbles and separate limestone from copper. They collected the ore from five mines and the mill ran 24/7 from 1916 to 1938 processing about 300,000,000 dollars worth of copper in pre-WWII prices.  After the tour we ate dinner at the Meatza a food truck installed on the lower level of the town. One lower street, one upper street and the main street that was double train tracks before they were removed. Despite the name and location it was excellent food by a CIA trained chef. Really good. We got washed, rested a bit and took a nice evening walk ending with lemonade and a molasses cookie on the porch. 

Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint

As usual my instincts are excellent and my plan to hold the rally tomorrow instead of arrival day was correct as we took hours and hours and minutes to get to this place. The Driver usually scoots down the highway (Paul Simon reference) but not today - the day I need to be somewhere. But we did arrive. My signs look super. My speech is ready. The time is ripe. Moose Rights are about to begin in earnest. I calmed my self with a latte from a street vender. I also met Mary and Andrea who adored me and allowed me (as a celebrity of course) to stay in this amazing old inn and gave me lemonade. I am pretty excited about tomorrow. I gave BdB some food and he did not belch. Improvement! 

Alaska Journey Day 35

The Strategic Positioning Day

Tomorrow we are going to drive the infamous McCarthy highway. 60 miles of former railroad bed to reach Kennicott and the main part of Wrangell St Elias NP. To do that we only drove about 90 miles today to a small park at Kenny Lake only 30 miles from the start of the road. After we found the park we set up the trailer and went to the M-SE NP VC where we took a walk with a ranger though a small trail in the boreal forest, informative. Nice place with an excellent movie on the park as well. Lunch in the parking lot and then we found a nice trail to a cliff overlooking one of the many raging rivers crisscrossing this area. We spent the evening packing for the short distance / long drive and our overnight at the lodge. 

Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint

Well we are dilly-dallying around instead of getting to the Moose Rights Rally Bog. I am using this time to fine tune the speech - but not surprisingly everything is excellent. BdB reports the signs are in place. Also excellent. One worry is the weather, no rain and lots of heat, not the best for the more feral of the Moose World. I’m sure they will come, who can resist? One small victory the Kenny Lake Mercantile where the guides landed the oval capsule has good coffee and lots of ice cream in little paper packages. Not the finest but I can handle less than perfect in a crisis. Adaptability (one of my most outstanding characteristics) once again on full display. I am sure that will serve me well day after tomorrow as likely something or someone will not follow my careful planning.

Moose Rights Rally Signs are UP!

We watched this fly fisherman catching Grayling, with it’s large dorsal fin

2 mile hike to this bluff, no person anywhere in sight or sound. Stunning view.

In Kenny Lake this is Sheetz, Walmart, Blockbuster, Hampton Inn, KOA, Cracker Barrel, Starbucks and more.

Unnamed Waterfall near Sitka