mhwarner
Explorer
Joined 16 years ago
User Profile
User Widgets
All Activity
Re: On the Road with "Roll Call Alaska 2013"......
Surprised that nobody mentioned the really ugly huge power poles for the Northwest Transmission Line being put up along the Cassiar. It might be progress but it sure will ruin a scenic drive. They aren't all installed yet, but there is a section about 70 miles north of the junction with the road to Stewart where they are right on the highway. In other places, the trees have been cut for the R-O-W several hundred feet back with a road buffer but as tall as they are, the poles will still be visible and pretty much screw up any photo ops. Glad we've had the chance to travel the road twice before the line is completed. Other than that, the Cassiar was fine, although my driver/hubby said it required much more concentration than most roads. Saw several bears including one traffic fatality. Gas available at Baby Nugget at the Alaska Hwy junction ($1.55/liter for regular - ouch) and Dease Lake. One of the caravaners said that most other places were out. We'll fill up in Stewart tomorrow and make it to Smithers with no problem. On a more positive note, we saw a grizzly and several wolves at Hyder with only a limited number of folks jockying for position on the platform. The last of the Adventure caravans left Hyder this morning. We will head toward Jasper in the morning.312Views0likes0CommentsRe: On the Road with "Roll Call Alaska 2013"......
We are heading out this morning. Just passed through North Pole. We will be going down the Cassiar with a stop in Hyder and will post if we can. We've done the road before about 3 years ago and saw stone sheep and lots of bears. Had a wonderful time in Denali but only stayed at Tek for 2 nights as the weather turned rainy and the clouds were very low, with some fresh snow at the tops that we could see. However, during our first 4 days in the area (including a half-way trip out and back the Denali Hwy. We had incredible views of The Mountain. I even did a flightseeing trip from Talkeetna with a landing on a glacier where we did some sledding (with Sheldon Air on just a walk in as I wanted to make sure it was clear)! We were the only plane there and only 3 of us on the plane. Lots of animals in the park as well, though we didn't see any wolves. For anybody left or future travelers, I highly recommend The Turtle Club restaurant in Fox just north of Fairbanks. Prime rib to die for! After Hyder we will head to Jasper and then start treking east for family visits on the east coast. That probably makes about 7000 more miles to go before we see our AZ home. But we are enjoying every minute of it! If you're even thinking of an Alaska trip, stop thinking and start planning! It's worth every penny and every bit of hassle it might take to get here. This has been our 4th trip (2nd in the RV).359Views0likes0CommentsRe: On the Road with "Roll Call Alaska 2013"......
Pouring rain in Talkeetna as well. :( But we're hopeful for better weather next week when we go into Denali. Just wanted to add a few suggestions for Anchorage for those still around or for anybody planning for next year: Gorgeous sunsets - take Northern Lights Boulevard all the way to the end (Point Woronzof). On the way out, stop at Earthquake Park and the Airport Overlook (both on your right) for nice late evening views of Anchorage's skyline. A possible added sight while you are waiting for the sunset is wildlife viewings. We saw several young bull moose one evening half-heartedly practicing pre-mating behaviors. Go out of town to Eagle River Nature Center and at least walk a few of the easier trails for some beautiful views of Eagle Peak and possibly a bear (we didn't see any). If you're into architecture and/or churches, just beyond Eagle River there is an interesting geodesic dome church (St. John Orthodox Cathedral) which has a beautiful interior. Even more interesting is their little chapel which is about a 1/2 mile moderately strenuous hike through the woods. It has beautiful gold onion domes on the top and a grounds keeper at the church will give you a key if you want to peek inside. If you travel out this way, or have time to stop on your way over from Glenallen, definitely do not miss the Eklutna Historical Area. It's about $3 to get in and there are a couple of small Russian Orthodox churches plus some very interesting "spirit" houses over the graves in the cemetery out back. It's also well worth the drive up to Eklutna Lake. It's a beautiful, glacier-fed lake surrounded by mountains and some distant glaciers. If you have bikes, you can ride about 12 miles on the lakeside trail. We hiked it for several miles on one of the few sunny days last week. For a fun dinner out, try City Diner at Minnesota and Benson. Typical diner decor (checkered tile, lots of neon and stainless steel), and good food. The Reuben sandwich was huge and the corned beef was pretty decent (not the Carnegie deli in NYC, of course, but not bad and almost as large). All kinds of milkshakes, sundaes, banana splits, etc. Great breakfasts at the Alaskan Bagel on Northern Lights around C Street. Not sure if it will be there next year but if you're still in town, consider the Aurora movie at the AK Center for the Performing Arts Sydney Laurence Theatre. Beautiful photography and enjoyable music. Probably not for kids. We camped at Golden Nugget and loved the location. Besides being across from Costco and near Northland Mall, there are some great walking/biking/running trails at Russian Jack Springs Park one block away which connect with a whole network of trails which mostly take you through wooded areas and make you forget you are in a city. If you're looking to cut back on expenses and don't mind boondocking, check out Alyeska Ski Area parking lot at Girdwood (5 night limit but hardly anybody was there so we stayed longer). No facilities except a trashcan but if it's relatively clear, the views are spectacular and you can run your generator 6am to 10pm. We were fortunate to have the Blueberry Festival taking place during our stay, which was a fun event with lots of interesting food, crafts and some entertainment. You can dump and fill up with water at the Tesoro gas station just at the turnoff from the Seward Highway. Good cell phone and broadband internet connectivity as well as a few TV stations off the antenna. Couldn't get the satellite to work, though. Convenient for trips to Portage, Whittier and the Wildlife Conservation Center. It's been said before, but I just want to reiterate that you should definitely see the Wildlife Center. The new bear area was very cool and if you get in the right locations, you can get some great moose, bear, musk ox, elk and caribo shots that don't betray the not-out-in-the-wild location.336Views0likes0CommentsRe: On the Road with "Roll Call Alaska 2013"......
Everybody's not gone yet! We're still in Anchorage -- getting rained on. :( Heading to Talkeetna and then into Teklinika on Monday. We'll be in Fairbanks over Labor Day then we will head south down to Watson Lake and down the Cassier. Hopefully the weather will be better than the rain we have had for the last 2 weeks.336Views0likes0CommentsRe: On the Road with "Roll Call Alaska 2013"......
If anybody is still heading into Alaska, be aware that the weather on the Kenai Peninsular and at least as far north as Anchorage really sucks (very cloudy and rainy) and will continue to do so for at least another week. We were in Seward for a week and had good weather for about 3 days. After that, we hardly ever saw the tops of any mountains and in fact rarely saw the end of the bay due to fog and low clouds. We decided to skip Homer since we are not fisherman and were going for the scenic beauty. Several folks we met said they had just been there and had seen virtually nothing of the scenery. We were there a few years ago, so we are heading north for a while until we get to more sunshine. Hopefully there will be decent weather when we head into Denali on the 26th. We really regret the 19 days we were stuck in Whitehorse with car repairs as that was apparently some of the most incredibly beautiful weather they have had in southern Alaska in many years. But we will make the best of it and see a few sights we have skipped around the Anchorage area due to time constraints. We are even considering heading to Fairbanks and tackling the Dalton Hwy.254Views0likes0CommentsRe: On the Road with "Roll Call Alaska 2013"......
Excellent weather in Valdez for the last few days. Stopped at Blueberry Lake (Alaska SRA about 25 mi. north of Valdez)on the way in. Small area but incredible views from each site and will fit 34' at least. We are now at Allison Point across the harbor from Valdez boondocking. Only $13.50 for seniors. If you are into fishing, it is apparently a great place. We are not, but our neighbors caught 6 large pinks in about 15 minutes. Also, we are only 1 mile from the "free" bear watching of the mama and 4 cubs who frequent the fish hatchery area. We dumped and filled our water tank at the Glacier View city CG for $10 before coming over. I believe there is a free, or free with fill-up dump at the Tesoro gas station on Pioneer St. in town. Excellent halibut or salmon fish & chips at the Old Town Burgers next to the Tesoro. Split a dinner unless you're both huge eaters.293Views0likes0CommentsRe: On the Road with "Roll Call Alaska 2013"......
Finally back in Alaska after an unplanned 19-day stay in Whitehorse. Got the car back yesterday afternoon and headed back up to where we started from on June 29 (Burwash Landing) when we had to be towed. Four new "feet" on the tow vehicle along with 2 new fenders, 3 rims and some wheel well splash guards. Thank goodness for comprehensive coverage but we still had to pay the deductible and for the new tires. Made it to Liberty Creek in the Yukon by 10 pm before the sunset. Nice quiet CG if you don't need hookups and don't mind mosquitos. In Tok at Fast Eddies for late lunch and headed toward Delta Junction and Paxon somewhere. Based on other postings, I guess we will delay our arrival in Valdez for a few days.191Views0likes0CommentsRe: On the Road with "Roll Call Alaska 2013"......
cosninocanines wrote: We are out of Manley and just set up in Denali RV Park for 3 days with full agendas for every day of our visit. Space D-3. Wish we could have attended the memorial for our fallen firefighters in Prescott our hearts and prayers are with them all. Are you from Prescott? We are from Seligman just to the north of you. Have traveled Yarnell Hill many times and sadly watched all the video we could find (which is not great here in the Yukon although we do have CNN). I have some friends whose daughter went to school with some of the guys. Terrible tragedy. How did you like Manley? Any recommendations? We will be in Denali August 19 for 4 days and then will go north. Hope to see some Northern Lights by then. I know it's a bit early but maybe ...1.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: On the Road with "Roll Call Alaska 2013"......
We'll be in #81 at Hi Country here in Whitehorse for at least another week while our toad is repaired. :( If you're passing through, stop by and say hello. We did meet someone who reads the forum in the laundry room 2 days ago. Nice people. This park seems to fill up every night. At least WH has lots of services, public transit and a few attractions to pass the time, although after 4-1/2 months on the road, some downtime isn't a terrible thing. And there are virtually no mosquitos here.414Views0likes0CommentsRe: On the Road with "Roll Call Alaska 2013"......
Unexpectedly in Whitehorse after getting 3 blown (and shredded) tires on the toad just NW of Burwash Landing heading toward AK from Haines. We think the auxilliary brake in the toad malfunctioned and kept the brakes on as we left a stretch of gravel and we must have dragged it about 300 feet. :( At least 2 rims ruined as well. Good Sam had the car towed back to Whitehorse (179 mi in the wrong direction but gave us no other option) but with Canada Day tomorrow we won't even get it looked at until Tuesday. Arrived at Pioneer RV last night at midnight and got the last site which sucked as we were sandwiched between two large caravans (SMART and Adventure) about 2 feet apart. Got a site here at Hi Country and will likely be here several days. Can't get a rental to at least do some sightseeing as they are sold out until at least Friday. What a bummer, but at least the RV is ok and we have a place to stay -- and they have great wifi and decent cable. FYI if you want to avoid them or get ahead, SMART is headed to Skagway next and Adventure is going to Dawson City.286Views0likes0Comments
Groups
Bucket List Trips
Bucketlist destinations you just can't miss. Which spots stick with you?Jan 18, 202513,487 Posts
