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Taku Glacier; 2 trips in one week, so very different!

by timistravels

Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012

Harry and I had a certificate for a ‘glacier hike’ that we had won, but needed to use it by Sept. 1. We had tried other days over the summer but had not had a lot of luck, BUT our luck changed on a PERFECT beautiful day in Juneau. We arrived at North Star Treking and boarded the helicopter with 3 Canadian’s that were on a cruise ship. We’d been told that b/c it was SO nice out we’d get to go on Taku Glacier vs on Mendenhall Glacier, Taku is only accessible on perfect days, where the Mendenhall is an option on cloudy socked in days.
We flew over Split Thumb and over some hanging glaciers,

off in the distance we could see Canada and Devil’s Peak.

Both had new snow on the tops!!! We continued over the icefield and up and over towards Hole in the Wall Glacier. Taku Falls was right below us, a waterfall that falls 600 vertical feet feeding into the Taku River system!

It was beautiful. Coming around the corner and seeing Taku Glacier from the front was beautiful. Taku Glacier is the only glacier on the Juneau Icefield that is advancing, so you can see trees, rocks and more that are being moved forward with the momentum of the glaciers movements.

Once off the helicopter,

we got to walk around on Taku Glacier for about an hour.

It was breathtaking to say the least… see all the pictures I have included. On the flight home we flew over Norris Glacier,

saw ice dams, and other amazing views,

until finally we were back to the airport in JNU, what a great day.

Sunday/Monday Sept. 2, 3, 2012

Our friends Matt and Kelly have a cabin up the Taku River and invited us to join them for the long weekend. They took their boat up on Sat. but we opted to fly on the ‘dead head’ flight to Taku Lodge on Sunday. The flight was $65 person, to simply be dropped at their dock. On the flight we saw the normal valleys and peaks but one neat view was that of the water below. In this shot you can see where the river water meets the ocean water. The river because it is made by glacial water is gray and made of fine silt (sand like) which is really just fine ground up rock from the ice moving over it.

Matt and Kelly came on their river boat and loaded us for the ride back to their cabin.

Riding on the river was such an amazing sight! There are waterfalls coming down on all the rocks towards the south side of the ride and 3 glaciers on our north side, Hole in the Wall, Taku and Norris.

We got to the cabin, off loaded some gear and took off again for more exploring! This is when the fun began!!!
We got up near Davidson Creek and thought it would be fun to go to the front where it flows into the river/ocean. We were attempting to find the slough that would lead us there but instead we got into the wrong slough and headed towards the opposite direction. Before long, we were stuck!

Stuck in the low tide, mucky, muddy shallow slough of some other falls. Kelly and Harry jumped turn us around, I hopped out to lessen the weight load and Matt stayed in boat to try to get motor back on and drive it out.

It took a good 45 minutes of pushing, pulling, tugging and such to get the boat out of the slough and to high enough water (1 foot was all we needed) to ride the boat back to the cabin.I basically walked out over the mudflats, but it felt more like cross country skiing! I ‘slid’ across this mud.

Each of us was muddy and wet, most of us got water in our boots.

We laughed a lot during the time, and it was not really scary because we knew the tide would eventually go the other way and get higher. The scariest part was probably after we got in deeper water and took off at a good pace, me up front, Harry and Kelly in the middle and Matt in the back driving, and BOOOOMMMM we hit a rock! Harry said my feet went up in the air and the look on my face was priceless. We were all okay, but it was funny.
That evening we had a nice dinner in the cabin, honkered down for a good nights rest, and awoke to a cloudy, socked in Sunday morning.

Bummer, we could not enjoy the view as much as we might have on a good day.

We hiked the property, looked at the old cabin, sat in the hot tub,

YES, I said hot tub, read for a while and headed back to town mid afternoon.
It was a great weekend, but you will notice immediately by looking at these pictures, the difference between a sunny day and a cloudy day in SE Alaska! These maps might begin to show you where we were… you can see downtown Juneau with the A and then the cabin at the B.

You can also see the glaciers that are feeding the River

Here is a great link to some of the history up Taku River!

http://www.history.noaa.gov/stories_tales/taku.html

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Nenana to ‘end’ the school year in June and Ketchikan to begin anew in August

by timistravels

We used to say summer was our slow time at my office but that can not be said any more!

Nenana, Alaska

I did a workshop in Nenana on June 11-13 and then started the new school year off on Aug. 1-2 doing a workshop in Ketchikan.
Here’s a little about each of those communities!
Nenana: To get to Nenana I flew from Juneau to Anchorage then onto Fairbanks. It was a beautiful day when I landed and I got to visit with my friend Gwenn, we met while we were both working for Galena School District but that’s another story! After lunch with Gwenn I drove the 55 miles from FB to Nenana. It was a beautiful day for the drive.

Nenana is known for a few key things:

1) dog mushing; a number of world-class teams train in the area.

2) The Nenana Ice Classic which has become a popular betting/lottery event each year in Alaska. People buy tickets and pick the date and time to the closest minute when they think the ice will break up on the Tanana River. Typically this happens in April or May. This contest was started in 1917 when people working in the area had to waste time waiting for the river ice to break so that boats could get there with the needed supplies. A black and white striped tripod gets set on the ice during the winter and has a timer on it and when the ice begins to melt, the tripod falls into the water. The winner(s) typically win lots of money, this last year was over $300,000.

3) President Harding drove a golden spike into the Mears Bridge which is 700 feet long and goes over the Tanana River. President Harding died a few days after this visit to Alaska.

I spent a lot of time in Nenana when doing the Residence Life grant b/c they built a Student Living Center for kids that choose to come to a residential boarding high school vs staying in their community. It is a beautiful building and about 80 kids a year come to Nenana to go to school.
Ketchikan, Alaska

To fly to Ketchikan I must either get up super early and fly directly or go mid morning and stop in Sitka on the way. When I googled it to see how far it was the directions made me smile! 99% of this would be on the ferry (Alaska Marine Highway) system!
Once in Ketchikan I was thrilled b/c it was not raining. I was instantly reminded of my first step in Alaska in June 1995 when I flew to Ketchikan and spent 2 nights before hopping on the ferry to get to Juneau. Wow, it has changed a lot. After the mills closed tourism became a big part of the community and more cruise ship docks were put in place to house more guests each day! I miss some of the ‘old’ Ketchikan feel.

Ketchikan is known for it’s rain and is one of the wettest spots in Alaska. Ketchikan is actually on Revillagigedo Island. You may have heard of this place during the 2008 elections because Ketchikan airport is located on Gravina Island and you have to take a ferry ($10 RT cash or $11 other wise) back and forth from town to the airport, there was legislation in at one point to build a bridge, latter to be called, “the Bridge to Nowhere”.
Ketchikan also has a branch of University of Alaska Southeast here and I used to come here often to do leadership classes and other such events for UAS.

I love both of these communities and have been to each about a dozen times. Each time I see something new and experience something different.

: the cost to go on the ferry

: lots of water here in K town

: here is the small ferry you ride back and forth to town on and the airport on, it took 3 minutes from one dock to the other, but it runs from each side every 1/2 hour

: Ketchikan has a lot of totem poles and there is an entire park full of Tlingit totem poles.

: downtown Nenana on a nice summer day!

: this is what the tripod looks like sitting on the ice (this is a winter shot, not from JUNE!)

: downtown Ketchikan with tourists all around

: the eagle helps welcome you to town on the sunny days of summer

: Gold creek is where a lot of older buildings stand. this was known as the Red Light District of AK for a long time.

: as I got off the plane before the ferry ride to town I could see the Taku was about to dock in port!

: for those that were unsure where Ketchikan is, here you go!

: here is the Tripod on its summer non working days

: The Clan House in Ketchikan

: Nenana and distances

: Nenana in the heart of Alasks

: The old bridge that only the train goes over now, there is a different one for cars. But this is the one President Harding put the golden spike in!

Here is what popped up when I googled the directions!!

Juneau – Ketchikan
311 mi, 9 hours 20 mins

Ketchikan,Ak – Wrangell,Ak and Petersburg – Juneau

Driving directions to Juneau, AK

3D2D

This route includes a ferry. – more info »

Ketchikan, AK

	1. Head northwest on Main St toward Dock St
		436 ft
	2. Take the 2nd left onto Grant St
		233 ft
	3. Turn right onto Water St
		0.4 mi
	4. Turn left onto Tongass Ave
		1.6 mi
	5. Turn left
		453 ft
	6. Take the Juneau – Ketchikan ferry
		282 mi
	7. Turn right toward Glacier Hwy
		213 ft
	8. Turn right onto Glacier Hwy
		4.0 mi
	9. Continue onto AK-7/Egan Dr
		8.5 mi
	10. Turn left onto W 10th St
		0.1 mi
	11. Take the 2nd right onto Glacier Ave
		240 ft
	12. Turn left onto W 9th St
		374 ft

Juneau, AK

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Craig, Alaska on the 3rd largest island in the United States!

by timistravels

March 3&4, 2012

Craig, Alaska is on Prince of Wales Island, the 3^rd biggest island in the United States and the 2^nd biggest in Alaska. (#1 is the big Island of Hawaii and #2 is Kodiak Island in Alaska). The island is 135 miles, 45 miles wide and has an area of 2,577 sq mi slightly larger than the state of Delaware. Approximately 6,000 people live on the island. Craig is the largest town on the island and about 56 miles (40 minute flight) from Ketchikan and 220 miles south of Juneau. I took Alaska Air to Ketchikan and on the way landed in Sitka. Once I was in Ketchikan I took a small flight to Craig. I left Juneau around 10 a.m. and got to Craig about 1:45. It was really, really windy flying from Ketchikan to Craig and I was actually happy I had not eaten lunch!

The plane lands in the community of Klawock where I rode with the superintendent (who was also on my plane) to Craig. About an 8 mile drive. As we landed in Klawock you could see some of the clear-cut areas and the mill, which processes the wood. Craig also relies on the timber industry. Fishing and fish processing are the major industry of Craig. There are about 1400 people that live there year round and many are involved in the fishing industry at some level.

I ran to the Dreamcatcher B & B and checked into my beautiful room then to the school where I met up with the board. We did our workshop and I got back to my place about 8 p.m. where I did a quick walk, even though it was raining a bit. (hence the pictures are dingy).

I got up at 5:30 a.m. so I could catch the 7 a.m. flight to Ketchikan (about 25 minute flight going this way) and then the 8 a.m. flight from Ketchikan to Juneau. There were 2 stops on that flight, Wrangell and Petersburg (with an 11 minute flight between the 2 stops), finally getting to Juneau around noon on Wed.

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: the Marina downtown Craig

: as you fly into Craig

: as we landed in Ketchikan you can see one of the AK Marine Highway Ferries, this one has been in dry dock for some work.

: Southeast, Alaska is the home to many wonderful small communities.

: the fishermen are getting ready for a big season ahead, see the net set to catch the fish?

: looking back on Klawock as we took off on Wed. morn

: there is the road to Craig

: my B and B, the Dreamcatcher

: the beach on which I took a walk in the rain, look at all the beach wood, that would never last in Juneau

: This is the area that Alaskan’s call the Pan Handle. What you can’t see here is that Canada is right beside this area.

: landing in Klawock to drive to Craig

: my B and B is the first one you see NOT the green roofed place

: thought this was a funny sign to hang in trees. It was so cold I can imagine swimming here much at all

: can you see how much the wind was blowing, I can’t believe 1 out of all the shots I took did not have my hair in my mouth.

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Cordova, Alaska~ March 12 and 13, still a lot of snow!

by timistravels

I returned to Cordova, AK 2 months after they made national news for snow fall, and they still have a lot of snow! I got out and about this time, so more pics of the beautiful location! I also got to shop at “Copper River Fleece” and the “Ilanka Cultural Center & Gift Gallery (Museum)“. I spent a little too much $ but what’s a girl to do when she can buy handmade seal skin earrings?

Not a lot more exciting to share about this trip, but the pictures are worth 1000 words!

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: last shot looking over the water!

: amazing day in Cordova

: another shot out my window

: street and stop sign still buried from the snow

: UPDATE: The Superintendent of Cordova Schools just sent this picture to me. He said that a company had called him wanting to know if the district wanted to do some playground resurfacing! HAHAHA

: mid shot of the scan from mountain to water

: scanning the horizon from water to mountain

: the Sr. Citizen home in Cordova, ironically there still are handicapped parking signs though still no real room to park.

: looking out over the harbor

: this was looking outside of my hotel window towards the mountains. the ice cycles in the front were HUGE

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Hoonah! A location I can fly to and from in ONE Day!!!

by timistravels

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What a beautiful day to fly to Hoonah. Hoonah is 35 miles from Juneau but of course only accessible by boat or plane, so in these days I travel mostly by plane! It was a BEAUTIFUL blue-skied day and I wish it had been a longer flight actually!

Hoonah is on Chichagof Island, one of the ABC Islands near Juneau, (Admiralty, Baranof, Chichagof). It is the third largest island in Alaska and the 5^th largest in the U.S. Almost 900 residents live here. Hoonah is also the largest Tlingit (pronounced “KLIN-kit”) village in Alaska. The Huna tribe has lived in this area since prehistoric times. Legend says that the first inhabitants were in Glacier Bay but were destroyed as the glaciers advanced. Hoonah translates in Tlingit to “where the north wind doesn’t blow.”

Hoonah is a great fishing port and there is the Hoonah Packing Co. in town. However, in the past few years the town has become a bit more of a tourist destination as Icy Strait Point opened and highlights the culture of the area to cruise ship visitors.

I knew the school board would not be too excited to work inside all day, but they were all good sports and got to work. At one point we had to take a break to allow them to go to City Hall as both their State Senator and Legislator were in town to talk about a proposed new dock in town. It allowed me to take a nice walk through town and take some pictures! What fun as it was a beautiful day.

We finished the workshop and the board was really happy with their accomplishment that day, and I was happy to get them moving along on their goals for improving their school for their students.

: me near the harbor

: looking into the town of Hoonah from the main street

: I love maps like this that not only show you were in AK the place is BUT how big AK is compared to the rest of the US

: me during my walk of town

: Hoonah School

: the other church

: one of my board members dogs!

: one of the churches in town, this did not burn down in the 1944 fire!

: cannery

: the town had a terrible fire on June 14, 1944 where they lost a majority of the townfront.

: these are the Juneau peaks as I drove to the airport in the morn… so beautiful

: totem looking out to harbor

: totem in town

: flying into JNU, the Mendenhall Glacier in the distance

: flying

: busy store in town

: flying home into Juneau

: view from their dock

: waterfront

: store in town; very typical of Tlingit artwork

: flying

: cemetary

: so pretty on that day!

: flying, I actually got a Text while flying home from my cousin! I forgot to put phone on airplane mode

: flying

: this is Lena Point and we live on this point! (not a water view)

Flying home was almost better than flying there… and I have posted a lot of pictures from that trip. Enjoy and watch for my next trip to the Pribilof Islands, St. Paul and St. George, out in the Bering Sea!

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5 moose sightings, 4 hour car ride, 3 books on tape, 2 plane flights and 1 large Ice Tea!

by timistravels

: calf not so sure of me!

: if you wondered where Tok was located!

: as you can see Tok is not far from Canada AND Haines Junction is about a 2 hour drive out of Haines, the town that we can be in after a 2 hour ferry ride.

: you must plug your cars in at night and for any long period in the day time to assure they will start

: this was within the first 30 miles of the trip, it reminded me to go slow.

: this is the view as I drove down the Richardson Highway

: this was on the drive as I was leaving Tok

: These are the 2 major highways I drove on to get to these towns.

: Yep it was colllllddddd when I landed in Fairbanks

: Tok Schools

: mama moose eating

: mom “cow” moose along the side of the road

: yes, these are the pools of dog pee that I woke up to the morning after I spent the night next to a dog team going to race in the Yukon Quest

Left Juneau on early morning flight and it was POURING rain, a huge disappointment after all the snow we had been getting. I got about 3 miles from the house and wondered why the road was so blurry, and suddenly realized I did not have my glasses on! Ran back to the house and grabbed them and still had plenty of time to get to the airport by 6:15 a.m. (reminder, I am NOT a morning person).

Flight flight, Juneau to Anchorage was smooth, with a short stay in the ANC airport before flight from ANC to Fairbanks. Landed about 11 a.m. and it was COLD! Signs were reading -33, but it had warmed up from -50 days earlier.

Stopped at a store where I had hoped I could purchase a “skhoop” down skirt, it is fancier than a pair of snow pants, but serves the same purpose, another layer in the cold weather. Sadly they only had S and M, the same sizes that the store in Juneau had. Oh well, by next winter I will own one!

Off to Tok, (sounds like Coke) a 211 mile drive. Had to balance getting a large Ice tea for the ride with the thought of “where will I go to the bathroom if I have to”, so in the end took a tea with me, BUT only drank ½.

The first 2 hours of the drive is on Highway 2, and there were several other drivers on the road. I passed cars every 10 minutes or so. I also came upon a jackknifed semi-truck who had simply miscalculated how icy the roads were. I slowed as I approached him, but he gave me the thumbs up and I continued on my way.

Once I passed through the town of Delta Junction I hopped onto Highway 1 or the Alaska Highway I was suddenly virtually alone. For the 100+ miles I believe I only saw 2 other cars and those were at the end closer to my final destination of Tok. However, I was NOT alone on this highway. I saw several moose along this ride. There was a cow (female moose) and her calf about 1000 feet down the road. Thankfully it was a bright clear day so I was not worried that I would come upon one in the middle of the road without warning!

Arrived to Tok with no issues and there was still daylight. It was cold but no wind so that helped. My room at Young’s Hotel was basic, clean and nice, and actually quiet UNTIL 11 p.m. when a large truck pulled into the lot beside my room and individuals checked into the room next to me. I began to hear dogs barking and wondered what the heck was going on… it was not until the next morning that I realized it was a “Dog Team” from Canada who I assume were on their way to run the Yukon Quest. The funniest part were the dozen circles of ‘yellow snow” that filled the parking lot in the morning!

Tok is the headquarters of the Alaska Gateway School District. AGSD encompasses 28,000 square miles (about the size of South Carolina) extending north from the Alaska Range to the Yukon River and Canadian border. Schools are located in the communities of

Dot Lake
Eagle, (a fly to only site 7 months of the year)
Mentasta Lake
Northway
Tanacross
Tetlin
Tok

Pictures include, moose, signs around Tok, some of the scenery and my car plugged in so that it would stay charged in the deep cold weather.

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Opps, no luggage and it’s -22 in Dillingham!

by timistravels

I left Juneau on a beautiful sunny day, and got to Dillingham by 6:30 pm and there was still some of the sunset glow in the sky. However, somehow Pen Air (the main airline that flies in/out of here though in the summer Alaska Air does) managed to forget my luggage in Anchorage 😦 and it has all my training materials in it… AND it is -22 degrees with some strong wins coming off the ocean.

Kim, the Board President picked me up and dropped me at my hotel. I stayed at the Thai Inn, the only person in the entire building, so not the same experience I had up north, it was quiet and just me. The Inn is now being leased by a couple from AZ, Pablo and Ceanna, and they serve Mexican food on Sat/Sunday, though not until after I left!

Just over 2300 people live in Dillingham and it has 2 school district offices here, of course Dillingham and then Southwest School District. SWSD is composed of many of the villages that consider Dillingham its hub community. This is yet another community in Alaska that you can only fly or boat into as there are no roads that connect Dillingham to other parts of Alaska.

Dillingham is known for its commercial fishing of salmon. It is one of the sustainable wild salmon fisheries left in the world. Dillingham, in terms of population, is the largest community in the Bristol Bay region and a lot of people commercial fish. I also learned that the largest state park in the US is in this area… Wood-Tikchik State Park.

After our workshop, I was dropped at airport around 3:00 for my 6:40 flight, and please note that the airport is not much more than a small tin building with a few chairs inside. There was plane on the ground headed to ANC but they would not let me on because they had given ANC the count already, I was certainly not happy. In the end, my flight was a bit delayed, but I did get out by 7 and was in ANC by 8:30. Spent a lovely night in ANC and landed in Juneau around 1 p.m. on Sunday though the landing was questionable b/c it was snowing so badly.

Thanks Harry for keeping up on the snow at home. I am home til Tuesday when I leave for Tok and Delta Greely!