Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

VALDEZ TRIP

Steve and I were hoping that Lisa and Charlie would be able to go with us to Valdez, but they had too many things to tend to in preparation for their big move to the Lower 48.  So, instead of spending Steve’s entire 7 days off in Valdez, we decided to just go for four days. The weather forecast for Valdez didn’t look very good anyway, and I didn’t want to spend a week getting rained on.

We left home on Thursday morning, under sunny skies. We both felt a little bad that we were leaving such pretty North Pole weather to drive 365 miles to a rainy place, but Steve was itching to catch some silver salmon, and he didn’t care if there were typhoon warnings!

The foliage as we headed south on the Richardson Hwy was absolutely stunning. With the sun low in the sky, the trees glowed with a colorful light - almost as if they were lit from within. With only slightly hazy skies, the Alaska Range was brightly visible on the horizon; the sun highlighting the crags, and dropping shadows in the crevices. I’ve driven this route countless times before, but I never tire of seeing the mountains. We stopped at Midway Lodge (the halfway point between Fairbanks and Delta) for a leisurely breakfast.

Even though Steve brings five cans of fuel with us when we make these long drives, it is customary to top off the gas tank in Delta - where the gas isn’t priced too much higher than it is here in Fairbanks/North Pole. (By the way, gas here in North Pole is $3.51/gallon - we’re being robbed! But I digress…)

As we approached Donnelly Dome, I noticed a flock of birds in the sky overhead. At first I thought they were geese, but when I looked at them through my zoom lens I realized they were sandhill cranes. And then I saw more large groups of cranes coming into view. There were thousands of them; flying in groups of several hundred. It reminded me of the time we saw the skies darken with cranes over Nenana several years ago - at about this same time of year. We stopped the truck and watched them through the binoculars for a little while. We weren’t the only ones to pull off the road. It was quite a sight to see!

We continued down the highway, listening to music and enjoying the passing landscape. The Rainbow Mountains were particularly beautiful with the multi-colored trees and bushes growing on the bottom half of the mountains. We stopped several times so I could take photos. A little further down the road, we stopped again at Gulkana Glacier, for more photos. We were in no hurry. The weather was beautiful, the sun was shining, and it was a warm 60F.

We drove around Summit Lake, which is quite huge. I was hoping for still water and good reflections, but there were too many ripples. We were on a straight-away and on a slight downhill slope, when Steve said “the truck just died”.  There were no shoulders to pull off on (which is bad, since big rigs use this highway to travel between Prudhoe and Valdez), so Steve let the truck and camper coast about 200 yards, until we got to the Gulkana Hatchery, where there was a wide enough shoulder to pull off the highway.

Steve tried starting the truck several times. It sounded like it wasn’t getting fuel - sputtering, choking, and then dying again.  We looked at each other with a bit of panic in our eyes. We were literally in the middle of nowhere.  The two closest towns (Delta & Glennallen) were about 75 miles in either direction.

I pulled out my cellphone, sure that it would be of no use, and was surprised to see that I had a signal! Imagine that!  I pulled our insurance papers from the glovebox and was thrilled to see that we have been paying for towing service on both the truck AND the camper.

Just then, a car pulled up and asked us if we needed help. In the car was a man wearing a mechanic’s shirt, his wife, and their four children (all looked to be under the age of 12 or 13). The plates on their Suburban were from Wyoming. Dan got under the hood and started tinkering with wires and connectors, etc. and I walked over to where his wife (Tammy) and their children were standing near the river and introduced myself.

I asked Dan if they were in AK on vacation, and he told us that he and his family had left Wyoming about 6 weeks prior, with all of their possessions, hoping to find work here in Alaska. From what I understand, his wife drove the Suburban hauling a U-Haul with their personal belongings, while Dan drove a big rig towing a trailer, which he had converted to a living space - complete with wood stove.  They had been living in this trailer for several years in Wyoming, and continued to stay in it here in Alaska.

The truck and trailer, and U-haul, were/are parked along the side of the road north of Fairbanks.  Dan and his family have been driving the roads every day, in search of a job, with no luck. Dan is a welder by trade, but also is knowledgeable about auto mechanics. It’s safe to say he’s a *jack of all trades*.

I felt terrible for them, and I gave Tammy my business card with contact information. I told her to give us a call in a few days (after we were home) and Steve would direct Dan on sending a resume for future job openings at Fort Knox.  In the meantime, Dan had diagnosed the problem with the truck as being the fuel pump.

By this time, we had gotten through to our insurance company, who had contacted Sparks Automotive in Glennallen. Sparks was sending two vehicles: one to tow the camper, and one to tow the truck. ETA would be 2.5 hours at best.

We thanked Dan and Tammy for stopping, and told them that we would be OK. Before they left, Dan gave us his cellphone number in case we needed anything. What nice folks!

As they pulled away, it started drizzling…

I began to think about the situation, and instead of being upset about the breakdown, I thought about how fortunate we were that things happened the way they did.

• If the truck would have died on the final stretch into Valdez, we would have been on a steep downhill grade, with no shoulder, and Steve would have had a heck of a time wrestling with the steering wheel to keep us on the road.
• We were fortunate in that we were towing the camper. We had heat (runs on propane), food, shelter, warm clothes, and a bathroom.
• We were lucky that we broke down in a place where there was cellphone service. A few miles in either direction, and we wouldn’t have been able to call for help.
• I was never so thankful for that extra $24/year we pay for towing service on both the truck and the camper. If not for insurance, the towing cost would have been in the neighborhood of $1000 (2 vehicles traveled 150 miles roundtrip to come get us and haul us back to Glennallen.)

Steve and I climbed into the camper, made ourselves a sandwich, played a very long game of UNO (I won *grin*), and read a little.  It actually took about 3 hours for the tow trucks to arrive.

The guys at Sparks Automotive in Glennallen were awesome.  I rode back to the shop with the owner and our truck, while Steve rode back with the mechanic and our camper.  The owner told us that he’d let us ‘camp’ in his parking lot, as all the RV parks had closed for the season, which was quite generous on his part. He even told us we could plug into one of his outlets so we could make our coffee in the morning.

As we made our way down the highway, I told the owner about Dan and Tammy and how nice they were to stop and help us. I explained that they were living in a trailer on the side of the road, and desperately in need of a job. The owner said, “I’m looking for a mechanic. Too bad you didn’t get his number.” at which point I exclaimed “I did get his number!”

Steve had it with him, so we later called Dan and gave him Sparks’ phone number and told him about the job.  Steve misplaced Dan’s number (we think it’s in the camper), but as soon as we find it, I want to give them a call and see how they’re doing. I can’t imagine them living in a trailer on the side of the road once winter hits - wood stove or not!

Another stroke of good fortune awaited us in Glennallen when we arrived several hours later.  We didn’t see the camper anywhere in the parking lot. But across the street from the garage, is Northern Nights RV Park - and we could see taillights in the campground.  It turns out that the owners of the campground decided at the last minute to stay an extra week in Glennallen, before heading back to Anchorage - where they live the rest of the year.  When the woman heard of our situation, she gave us a site with full hookups.  We later found out she has a daughter who lives in North Pole.  Alaskans are good people!

Steve and I were exhausted and fell fast asleep almost immediately.

The next day, Steve walked across the street to the garage to see what the situation was with the truck. The last we spoke to the mechanic, he had a full day of work to tend to on Friday, and didn’t know if he’d be able to squeeze us in. Since he doesn’t work weekends, there was a good chance that we’d be spending the weekend in Glennallen and never get to Valdez. Of course, this also hinged on whether the NAPA in Glennallen had a fuel pump in stock.

Steve came back to the camper and said “You’re not going to believe this…. the NAPA store had the pump in stock, and the mechanic was able to get one of the other customers to swap his appointment so he could work on our truck. It should be fixed by this afternoon.” WOW!

We could have driven to Valdez that afternoon, as it’s only about 115 miles, but it was a beautiful sunny day in Glennallen and we knew it was raining in Valdez, so we decided to spend Friday night at the campground and head to Valdez on Saturday morning.

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We had a leisurely breakfast, and were packed up and on the road by Saturday morning checkout at 11am. It was an overcast day, but the subdued light made the colors just pop on the hillsides. We took our time, stopping many times for photos and to enjoy the view.

After setting up the camper, we took a walk down to the marina. It wasn’t raining, but it was a chilly and damp day. It sprinkled on and off, and was just one of those days where the chill seems to go right through you.

Steve watched several Native kids snagging silvers from the bank. It seemed that they were pulling one in everytime they threw out their line.  He asked a couple of people what they were using, and then went in search of a special hook and weights. Snagging was permitted, and that’s pretty much how they were reeling the fish in. They were snagged on their fins, their backs, their tails…

He gave it a go for about 45 minutes and had a few near-catches, but came away with nothing. I could see his disappointment clearly, and I really wanted him to catch some fish and go home a happy guy - especially after all that we’d been through to get to Valdez.

While he fished, I walked around the marina taking photos, and checking out the names on the boats. I love the choices that some people make when naming their boat. Many are named after a loved one, but some have more creative names.  Here’s what I saw on our first day in Valdez:

While wandering around the marina, checking out the sights, I met up with a couple who we ran into in Glennallen. They were camping in the same RV park - arriving late in the evening, and also benefiting from the graciousness of the RV park owners.  Their plans also included Valdez, and we passed each other several times on the trip down.

Ted and Irene are from BC Canada and had been on the road for several weeks, exploring Alaska.  They planned to take the Stan Stephens glacier cruise on Sunday, so I gave them the Alaska Toursaver Book that I generously received from Linda and Rich Kauffman after we met up with them in early summer.  The Alaska Toursaver Book can save you a bundle if you’re traveling in AK - with “buy one get one” deals on lodging, activities, tours, etc.  Many times, just using one coupon in the book makes the cost worth it. Steve and I used a couple of coupons, and it was due to expire in only a few days (the 15th), so I figured I’d pay it forward.

The next morning, we ran into them at the gas station. They decided not to go on the cruise, due to the weather, and planned to continue on their travels to Haines. They gave the book back to me, and I passed it along to a lady I met in the restroom at the campground, who planned to use the cruise coupon for her and her sister.  I hope they had an awesome trip!

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On Sunday morning, Steve and I planned to drive the Mineral Creek Trail. It’s a rough trail that winds through a valley. There are beautiful waterfalls all along the way, and a couple of creek crossings. But first, we decided to drive over and check out the bay near the Dock Point Trail.

When we got there, the fog hadn’t burned off and looking out across the water was quite moody and eerie even. A gentleman was fishing from the bank, but he didn’t have any fish. A few minutes later a young guy came walking down the path with a pretty good size silver in his hands. Steve got the fishing bug immediately, and decided to put on his waders and give it another try. I took a walk along the path, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Just as I was finishing my walk, the rain started to fall. I made my way to the shelter of the picnic pavillion to get out of the rain. A few minutes later, Steve came out of the bushes holding a good size fish in his hand! YAY!! I hoped this meant his luck had changed.

Now that Steve was thrilled to finally have landed a fish, he was willing to go anywhere I wanted him to. *grin* Of course, we couldn’t go too far, because he needed to take that fish back to the camper and clean it! When Steve’s focused like that, I know that I need to give him strict direction to go here, go there, and go home.

I wanted to drive the Mineral Creek Trail.  I ‘borrowed’ this information from the Valdez website:

Mineral Creek Valley is one of the most scenic drives in this area. The rough gravel road begins at the upper end of Mineral Creek Drive and runs for a distance of approximately 5.5 miles before reaching a gate and parking area. With mountains rising to over 5,000 feet and beautiful waterfalls on each side, the scenic vistas can be overwhelming.

About halfway up the road, a fork will be reached. The right hand fork leads to the water where a small tram was used years ago to service the McIntosh Road house (1912 era), which was located on the other side of Mineral Creek. The left hand side continues up the valley.

The W.L. Smith Stamp Mill is located at the end of the Mineral Creek Trail. This mill was built in 1913 and used in conjunction with the Mountain King Mine, which was located about 3,000 feet above sea level on the east side of Mineral Creek.

In the past, we’ve been able to drive all the way to the gate at the end of the road. We’ve never hiked to the old stamp mill, but I’ve always wanted to. Last year, we couldn’t get all the way to the gate because an avalanche had taken out the road and there was no way to continue in the truck.  This year, we found that some idiot had lit the first wooden bridge on fire. Although we could have gone around the bridge and crossed the stream instead, the firefighters closed the road so they could make sure the smoldering fire was completely out.  What a disappointment! Nevertheless, we drove as far as we could, so I could take some photos of the first waterfall.

After our very brief drive, we came back into town and drove to the city dock. The fog was clinging to the hills across the bay. You could barely make out the oil storage tanks at the pipeline terminus. Steve spotted a fish cleaning station, so he decided to clean up the fish he caught an hour earlier.

We made a quick stop at the camper, so he could drop off his cleaned fish, and then drove over to Allison Point in the quest for more fish.  By this time, the skies were spitting rain pretty good, so I didn’t think it was going to be a fun excursion for me and my camera.  But of course, being the supportive wife I am (*giggle*), I went with him.

I pretty much stayed in the truck watching all the guys fishing. There was quite a bit of laughter going on as men ran up and down the bank chasing fish and then flinging their hook out to snag them.  I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. And then I realized that there were seals fishing too! The harbor seals were chasing the fish, and they were swimming toward shore, where they unfortunately met their demise. I loved watching the seals’ heads pop up out of the water. They are so cute!

After Steve caught his third fish, and was wet enough from the rain, he was ready to go back to the camper. On the way to the campground, I asked him to drive down one of the side roads which leads to a secluded part of the bay. The Pioneer Cemetery is also in this area.

In the dead, gnarly trees surrounding the cemetery, bald eagles perched. There were at least a half dozen of them, if not more.  I paused a moment to think about that.  Native Americans believe that eagles are messengers from heaven and spiritual beings. Is this why they were hanging around the cemetery?

There are several waterfalls near Allison Point. When the fish are running heavily, the bears come out and fish there. I was really hoping to see some bears, but no luck. I think the bears are now in that stupor state where they’re past the gorging and are preparing for their winter nap.  The only activity around the small falls were the gulls dining on the horribly smelly fish carcasses. And boy  - there were a LOT of gulls!

We pretty much stayed in and relaxed the rest of the day. It was really chilly  - and wet - and I was tired of feeling damp.  We planned to go to breakfast the next morning at Totem Inn, and then get on the road by 11am. I was really disappointed that I didn’t have the opportunity to take photos of a beautiful sunset over the bay.

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The next morning, we woke to a dense fog and mist hanging low on the water.  I could see the sun out there *somewhere* but it wasn’t doing anything to lift my spirits. I wanted sunshine!

We had a decent breakfast at the Totem Inn - not the best I’ve had there - but agreeable. Before we packed up the camper, I asked Steve to go down to the marina with me for some mist photos. I love when the fog and mist behaves like a soft veil, diffusing the sunlight and creating an ethereal atmosphere.

By the time we were packed up and ready to leave, there was a break in the fog and it gradually settled low on the horizon before blowing out to sea.  As we made our way out of town, the view over the marsh was fabulous. You could see the darkness of the spruce trees in the mist - just peeking up through the top of the cotton-candy fog.  The fog looked like cotton wrapped at the foot of the mountains.

As we climbed in elevation toward Thompson Pass, the sun broke through the clouds, and blue skies showed through.  I was hopeful for a beautiful drive home, and I wasn’t disappointed.

We stopped for a few photos at Blueberry Lake. The water was like glass, reflecting back the hill and the colors of the foliage perfectly.  Although we didn’t stop at Thompson Pass for photos on the way out, I did shoot quite a few photos from the moving truck.  For the most part, I hung my camera out the window and pressed the shutter button. There was so much beauty around us, and I wanted to remember it!

We found that the foliage south of Glennallen is pretty much peaking right now. North of Glennallen, it was hit or miss, until we got to the Paxson area. I was sad to see that the brilliant colors we saw only four days earlier were gone.  In Delta, the colors were bright in some places, and already dead in others.  As we got closer to North Pole, it was even more dismal. Despite the bright shining sun, the leaves are now a brownish yellow, rather than a “highlighter marker’ yellow.

When we got home, I noticed that all the pretty leaves that were on the trees around our house, are now on the ground. Everything looks so bare already. The positive out of all of this is that we’ve regained the full signal for Dish Network (the leaves block some signals) and now have the eight missing channels of summer back.

I just wanted to add in here, that Steve ran into Dan (the guy who came to our rescue on the Richardson Hwy) at the RV dealership today. Dan remembered Steve, and happened to have a resume with him, so Steve’s going to make sure it gets to the right person at the mine. Maybe Dan will have the opportunity to go to work for Fort Knox, and he and his family will be able to find a house to rent rather than living in their trailer. *keeping my fingers crossed that all works out for them*

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CUSTOMER SERVICE

Two entries ago, I complained about the outrageous costs to ship goods to AK via UPS. I later found out through UPS that they have two different rate systems when it comes to CA and FL shipping. If you are shipping an item from FL to CA, it’s going to cost you more than shipping that same item from CA to FL. I don’t get it. It sure makes me look at UPS a whole lot differently.

Anyway, in regards to my studio light kit, I heard from a representative at B&H Photo and they are willing to pay half of the shipping for my light kit. I felt that $30 was fair and was agreeable to the offer. I want to thank B&H for being willing to work with me. Since they were offering free shipping throughout the Lower 48, I feel that this was a fair decision.

I also complained about a situation I had with Kenai Fjords and a horrible cruise Steve and I had with them back in July. (Basically, they only credited us $30 which I felt was not fair - as almost the entire boat spent the cruise with their heads in a barf bag)

I wanted to set the record straight and let you know that after exchanging emails and phone calls with a representative from the Kenai Fjords Cruise Line, I was issued a full refund. This has renewed my faith in the company, and I would definitely sail with them again. However, I do believe I will wait until the day before to book my cruise tour with them - when I can be sure the weather is going to cooperate. I’ve found that there are usually seats available - especially when it’s only two people cruising - and I’m willing to take that chance. Thank you Kenai Fjords for doing the right thing.

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THE STASH

The Stash - the shop where I had my photography for sale - has closed. Due to the economic climate locally, less people are spending money on art and other creative projects. We’re close to winter - and very high heating bills - and warmth and food for the family take a precedence. The Stash wasn’t the only shop to close. New Horizons, which has been open for many years, also closed. I’m sad about the closure, but I feel that in time there will be other opportunities for the creative populace in Fairbanks to get their work ‘out there’ to the community. I do hope things improve.

Now I have an inventory of prints that I need to sell. I was thinking of periodically posting a print or two here in this blog, and offering them for sale. I do not want this blog to turn into a retail venue, and I certainly don’t want anyone to feel obligated to buy any of my prints. But who knows… perhaps I’ll post something here that would make a nice gift. Truly though, it is not my intent to turn this blog into a retail venue. I don’t want to lose sight of the real purpose here - to write about everyday life in Alaska.

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2010 CALENDAR

I have put together a prototype calendar and had one shipped to me. I like the quality a lot. I have been working with a professional printing company, as it gives me more creative license in laying out the calendar. However, the downside is that the cost is higher. Last year, I was selling the calendars for $20 each. I feel that I will have to increase the cost of the calendar this year because of the increased cost to me. My fear is that if I have to increase the calendar to $25 or $27 (which would include S&H within the US), some of you who purchased calendars last year will not be able to do it this year because of the economic climate. It’s a tough call to make.

I think that when I have the final layout on the calendar (hopefully within a week), I will make a blog entry here and gauge the response at that point. For those of you who have emailed me inquiring about the calendar, please bear with me for a little while longer. If I proceed with the calendar, my plan is to get them shipped by mid October if possible. I really don’t want to have to deal with the PO during the holidays!

Until next time…