Alaska2004

updated: December 29, 2008 hit "REFRESH" for frequent, sometimes daily updates and to reload stubborn photos)

(June-Oct. 2004) Alaska DXpedition 2004

June 19, 2004 ..."Before the Alaska Highway" Oct. 3, 2004 "After the Alaska Highway" ...changed forever !

...not Living in an Airstream, but Living in this country from sea to shining sea.

The Process ...The equipment has been made ready. Hardware cloth rock guards for the Airstream with 2 foot wings to be added for the AlCAN, and a 7 foot rock guard for the front of the truck. Under carriage propane piping covered with garden hose, water drains covered. Clear floor covering runners for the drivers side truck and Airstream.

Ready for ...a "Polka DXpedition 2004" via the ALCAN Highway & beyond

June 19, 20 Mequon, Wisconsin @ Chris & Jamie's for a send off house picnic and Fathers Day Polka Fest

Polka Fest Milwaukee, Wis.

Alyeska the great land, the last frontier June 19 - October 3, 2004

June 29th, Dawson Creek reception center

June 29th @ mile marker # 0 in the center of the intersection, our 11th day on the road ...Dawson Creek & Alcan Highway

(June-Oct. 2004) Alaska DXpedition 2004

...time to drive up the ALCAN & make Ham Radios High Frequency contacts from above the Artic Circle during the Aurora Borealis & as the natives say, you are so far north you have to look south for the Northern lights

July 1 Canadian Independence Day in the mountains @ Mucho Lake (at 7 miles the largest lake on the Alcan. mm489

Rock sheep along the roads mm263

Laird River Provincial Park Hot Springs, 100+ degrees

4th of July ...Kathleen waits for desert @ Mukluc Salmon Bake, free camping & cruise w/dinner & evening bird feeding, moose / bear watch cruise on 70 mile Tenslin lake, Yukon

mm695 Falls Ranchario river falls

Storm clouds form at the Continental Divide altitudes

Good roads s/o Mucho Lake around mm407, a bit narrow and the frost heaves push you around

Mucho Lake mm436, a few modifications to my "work of art" ..."Dances with Wolves" aka Martha (can't get comfortable with the smell of bears, moose, caribou, sheep in the air & on the ground. ...With forest fires out of control to the north, the ALCAN is temporarily closed, very little traffic going either way this evening. Reported 12 mile back up at the fire.

...mm260 rock sheep on the roads ... Laird Hot Springs Provincial Park (100+ degrees)

...Bison sausage for breakfast & on the road ...Watson Lake Sign Forest mm613, at a gas station / grocery store I asked the 19 year old clerk if it is legal to make a right turn on red in the Yukon. He looked bewildered and replied, " I never seen a red light"

Before breakfast hike outside of Whitehorse, Yukon Canada

July 5th, before breakfast hike Whitehorse, Yukon. The sky was clear last night but a breeze picked up and Forest fire smoke filled the valley @ our Yukon Gov. Camp. ...We can no longer see the Northern Lights because the sun no longer goes down. Mom has put sun shades in the bedroom windows so we have a dark sleep chamber. If you get up in the night the rest of the Airstream is like mid day.

Klondike highway to Skagway, Alaska

Abandoned mines on the Klondike Highway on the way to Skagway ...mining town of Carcross

Skagway & morning coffee on the docks with the Cruise ships that arrive during the night ...Sgt. Preston's place (Royal Canadian Mounties Preston of the Yukon was a favorite TV show growing up. (Along with the Texas Rangers and Mosbys' Rangers) The RCMP had a presence in Skagway even though it was a USA territory because of the Stampeders heading over the mountain & into Canada. Sgt. Preston was fictional but the Mounties would not let anyone cross the mountain who did not have at least one years provisions because miners were starving to death in the harsh Dawson winters.

Skagway the turn of the century entry way to the Dawson Gold Fields 600 miles inland ...Kathleen does Pops @ the Red Onion (like an Alaska Sloppy Joes from Key West)

"Back in the USA" for a 3 nights in Skagway, Alaska, a cruise ship port via the South Klondike Highway through the mountains from above the tree line to sea level. Still 2 weeks before we hit the Alaska Interior on the Top of the World highway to Chicken Alaska. Took in the Fanatic Follies stage show & the Airstream is parked 200 feet from the Cruise ships right in town.

July 8th, 250 year old whomping tree in the Avalanche graveyard @ the Ghost town of Dyea, Alaska outside of Skagway ...Dyea tidal flats ...It was the original town before Skagway because it is located directly on the Chilkoot pass over the mountains to the Dawson Gold fields that 8 thousands prospectors took daily. When the railroad came to Skagway, Dyea became a Ghost town in 1 year.

heading back to Whitehorse up the Chilkoot dead horse trail just like the Stampeders a 105 years ago. We will follow the Stampeders trail all the way to the Gold fields of Dawson

heading to Dawson City, Yukon Territory & as far as you can see the reddish pink fireweed takes over the forest floor after last years forest fire. You can tell the date by the flowers that gradually grow up the plant and in the fall will have no where else to go and drops it's seeds for next year.

Rock guards get a test on the Klondike loop to Dawson City through an active forest fire

Dawson City, Yukon July 11, 2004

Forest fire smoke follows us to Dawson City

In town Dawson City Camp with a gold field in the background ...@ claim # 6 I pay for the 3 1/2 month trip in just a few minutes of panning for gold

Dawson City, Yukon, no stop lights, no traffic, a city like no other in today's world. A city like you heard of that existed 100+ years ago before the automobile. A town that uses dog sleds for transportation in a couple months. On the way back from Inuvik we will see stage show at the Palace Grand.

On Warren's birthday the Texas Oblate mission tour unexpectedly continues: @ 9am weekday mass @ St. Mary's Oblate Parish Dawson City, Yukon, attended by a crowd of 3, Oblate Fr. Novak OMI, Kathleen did the readings and the web master (I did not get Father Novak's name but he is the second cousin of Marquette Universities basketball star Steve Novak. As the Texas Oblates traveled by donkey 100 years ago, this native of Green Bay Oblate still travels in the winter (that is not far off) by dog sled in the -50 degree ten foot snows of the Yukon.

Dawson is surrounded by small family Placer mining claim like this one

Artic Ocean / Dempster Highway

July 14th, ...Yesterday at the infamous Dawson City Dempster Highway visitors center we attended our last training conducted by Inuvialuit Peoples aka Eskimos, & after over 3 years of Airstream & Ham Radio seminars, equipment purchases & modification the day has come. (& Kathleen said I can go)

...On the 25th anniversary of the Dempster Highway we will travel the 557 mile perma frost gravel tundra, 205 miles north of the Artic Circle

"66 degree 33", above where trees can grow to Inuvik through the Yukon to the Northwest Territory. The land of unlimited Grizzlies, Caribou, wolfs, moose doll sheep, muskox. We will cross the continental divide twice and take 2 ferries run by Eskimos. After 9am mass @ historic Oblate Fathers St. Mary's Church in Dawson City.

Time to POLKA up the Dempster.

Day 1 @ Kilometer km 15-25 we will drive through the middle of an active forest fire that has crossed the road ...smoke clears on the Dempster

July 14 -21 the 457 mile gravel Dempster Highway, built on the perma frost above the Artic Circle & the Inuvik Art Festival & Invuialuit Peoples competitions

Day 1 on the Dempster, ...The first 20-50 kilometers (notice the Canadian we learned) we drive through a burning forest fire with flames on both sides of the road. With very little wind the flames chute straight up and let us pass.

In the evening @ Engineer Creek Camp the word is in the campground is numerous stories of how 150 miles north or so, north of the Artic Circle & for 50 miles. The road is made of "black crushed shale that will cut your tires to bits." The road crews are working on the mountain passes & flood the road with water making 2 inches of slippery mud making the road extremely slippery descending out of the mountains. One couple said, "turn around, run for your lives, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into." They had made it to the camp ground 30 miles north of the Artic Circle with 2 fifth wheel flats & covered with mud & at times thought they would slide off the mountain cliff from the mud. Kathleen asks a couple, "can you camp on the road side or off on the tundra if it is hard enough to support the Airstream? The answer is, " those are not campers you see, they have flat tires! "

Kathleen's anticipates plenty of 4 wheel drive use tomorrow. We will see soon enough!!!

Drink from the stream

Day on the Dempster 2 ...@ Eagle Plains just short of Artic Circle, an historic map shows how early Russian explorers marked Eagle Plains as on the Artic Circle, Kathleen negotiates to trade the Airstream for this penthouse. This English couple just spent 2 years roaming Africa & South America & their second floor Range Rover bedroom on many occasions have kept the hippopotamus's & lions out.

Today the bar is raised, in that the talk still that the next 50 miles north of the Artic Circle is the worst part of the road. The black Shale (the rock Native First Nation Peoples make arrowheads with) and the Shale cuts the side walls of your tires. Apparently it a flat tire road. We will see????????????

Day 2 ...Where you have been is as interesting as what's ahead, we will spend the night in Eagle Plains

Day 3 on the Dempster Highway, the Artic Circle

Day 3 on the Dempster Filled with excitement we begin this pleasant day, still a bit Smokey from the fires to the south in Dawson City. We cross the Artic Circle & Kathleen hikes on the circle with Dancing with Wolves aka "Martha"

A few miles up the road we stop to pick Cloud Berries, First Nation Native Peoples had showed us 2 days earlier how to pick & eat these berries. Kathleen asked an elder if the Bears eat these tart tasting artic Cloud Berries. He replied, "we share them."

(as published in Airstream Life Magazine fall / winter 2006)

Practicing the RETIREMENT SMILE 5 miles n/o the Artic Circle with 2 Airstream flats, a mile further the a truck tire will puncture. The camp ground word was correct. This 50 mile section of road is made of black shale, the same stone that Native Peoples make arrowheads out of. The ground is covered with billions of sharp crushed arrowhead type stones of all sizes & shapes. 3 Flats, 2 spares on rims. A older gentleman passerby in a pickup truck gave me a tire repair kit. He made sure to say, "you have a air compressor, don't you." I plugged the third tire hole & used a very old DC powered air compressor that gave us just enough air before it caught fire. My late father insisted I keep this old pump in the Airstream & I did so just to keep him happy. Was the passerby in the pickup my father? He seemed to know I had a air compressor. The quest continues up the Dempster, with a new attitude. This is war & "My Marine Corps battle flag will fly high tonight." I still have some Leinenkugel's purchased as we passed through Chippewa Fall Wisconsin a month ago. Lamb chops, a couple Lein's, & round tires (kind of). Can't get better than that. Webmaster

While picking Cloud Berries we can hear the hissing of 2 rear Airstream flat tires. 5 miles up the road. The truck gets our 3rd flat of the day. The campground quote from 2 days earlier is remembered, "run for your lives, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into"

After several hours we are back on the road. The truck tire is leaking but seems to be holding air and the our right rear Airstream tire is only half full of air. My emergency air pump worked for awhile & then caught fire.

Snow on the artic tundra, temps are in the 70's. We cross a river by Ferry and the leaking truck tire goes totally flat about 5 miles from a campground and 8 from the tire repair shop in the up coming outpost of Ft. McPherson. The 3rd tire of the day is changed. We limp short of a town and tire repair. Kathleen's quote of the day, "I have had enough fun for one day, I quit." So we find a Government camp finish the day with a great meal and lots of pops.

Tire repair @ Fort McPherson, no tire balance here in this remote Gwich'in Aboriginal hunting outpost. The most you can get is your tire patched. Check out the tire on the ground & missing from the Airstream. Now that's FUN!

With smiles & functioning spare tires we move up the road to the town of Red River for a Ferry Crossing. We will spend some time @ this town on the way back. It takes a second ferry ride. Ft. McPherson, a very remote .

After kind of fixing 3 flats (2 holding air, 1 still making that hisssssssss sound we move on, this section of the road, a bit less shale is an emergency runway. (the runway in not for planes, it is for Mosquitoes)

Day 4 on the Dempster heading north to the nearest hunting settlement & ferry crossing of Red River. ...Tsiigehtchic, a Gwich'in aka Eskimo community. (Airstream still somewhat clean)

Day 4 on the Dempster The End of the trail. This being the 25th anniversary of the Dempster means that they have their 1st generation of People that is able to drive out of here. There were no roads, none, prior to that.

Day 5 Inuvik, Northwest Territory and the Great Northern Arts Festival. The average piece of art was selling for over $1,500 with price tags of 4 & 5K all over the Festival.

Kathleen again check's out our neighbors Land Rover loft accommodations

Day 6 Inuvik visitors center ...Kathleen believes that the webmaster is picking up some local characteristic

The end of the Dempster Highway. We set up camp on a hill overlooking Inuvik.

This time of year the sun never goes down in Inuvik. @ 0200hrs the sun is like noon. We have our bedroom shaded to keep it dark & a mid night cup of water can be an experience when the sun blasts you as you leave our closed Airstream bedroom.

Downtown Inuvik, Polka Police assist the RCMP aka Royal Canadian Mounted Police in enforcing Polka Regulations, "now this is Paradise" (for an Eskimo) but the Eskimo Tavern tour is pretty cool. Nothing like kicking back of pop with an Eskimo. They are a very friendly people & all backgrounds seem to live together in harmony. The hard life must bond everything together and the Eskimo seem to have the attitude that they lend their land for a few moments, but the land belongs to the Gwich'in First Native Peoples & white man treaties etc. don't mean much to these interesting people who have lived here for thousands of years. It is obvious they are not going anywhere. We will resupply including a new heavy duty emergency air compressor & tire repair kit for the way back.

Day 5 & the Great Northern Art Festival, Inuvik, Northwest Territory. We study Gwich'in Aboriginal People customs. The Gwich'in People have lived here for thousands of years & mark safe campgrounds, hunting grounds, paths, w/stone markers like this called Inukshuk's are seen throughout the landscape. It's meaning is unique to each builder. We have noticed stacks of rocks ever since we entered Canada at International Falls. Especially noticed the Inushuc's when we would stop at a interesting off the road areas. It would let us know that some traveler was there before & it was a safe place to spend the night. This Inukshuk's little man symbol above shows 2 arms & 2 legs meaning the hunting party went off in both directions. One arm, one leg pointing to the left would be a lone hunter showing the direction he went, etc..

Day 6 ...What could be better than a home made Oblate Fathers Igloo for Sunday Mass

Day 7 Head back south a bit dirtier on the Dempster back to the Gold mining town of Dawson City. The trailer rock guard is taking a beating and we now have damage to the windshield. Time for a few repairs tonight.

Day 7 on the Dempster Turn around & head back to the Dawson City,.

Eskimo settlement on the red river

Day 8 on the Dempster Camp again at Engineer Creek where we were warned of things to come.

Day 8 Mile Marker 240 above the artic circle I stop to water the flowers in the same area that we had the flat tires days earlier & right in front of us is a huge grayish brown male adult Grizzly.

30 foot ply wood Eskimo fishing boats, built to go over rapid & hold the fish recovered from their fishing nets.

Day 9 Mission almost accomplished & will be back in Dawson City, Yukon later this afternoon. ...Effects of the trip will surface in days to come with repairs in Fairbanks.

Day 9 on the Dempster & mm100 or so miles to go ...Back in Dawson @ the Dempster Highway visitor center & complete a Dempster Highway questionnaire with the Gwich'in People aka Eskimo representative who helped us decide to make this adventure.

The Planning, Preparation, Time, Effort, 6 flats, tire purchases, rotating tires, broken windshield ????????

The Cost of a DXpedition to above the Artic Circle to Inuvik via the Dempster Highway,

"Priceless"

"...a road is, after all, an extension to the Arctic of an idea developed by a society elsewhere, made for vehicles designed and constructed for a social conditions typical of other climates and places" Byron Nupp, Arctic Institute of North America Symposium, 1969

July 22, Brett & Carrie (our son in law & daughter ) move from Boston back to Wheaton, Illinois and Kathleen gets her Moose Antlers in Boundary, Alaska on the Top of the World Highway. 4 wheel drive in the single lane mud over the mountains.

Officially made it to the interior of Alaska with flat tire # 4 @ Boundary, Alaska on the Top of the World Highway. Rains last night put out the forest fire that has been burning outside of Chicken, Alaska for over a month.

Small Gold mining operations on the road to Chicken, Alaska

Downtown Chicken ...named after the Ptarmigan, the miners could not spell Ptarmigan, thus "CHICKEN" & Kathleen finally gets aboard an Alaskan sled

The people camped next to us in downtown Chicken who obviously were heading south & came from the paved road through Alaska instead of north on the gravel single lane at times Top of the World Highway had clean RV's and were wearing white sneakers. They looked @ the weathered Airstream outfitted for the back country, my muddy hiking shoes & looked me up & down. After taking a moment to think asked, "Do you live around here," guess the Dempster Highway put some whiskers on !!! There are all kinds of trails in this world. Sometimes the difficult ones bring the most memories.

Back on the pavement on the Alaska Highway, Alaska Range in the distance ...the tornado like cloud is a forest fire

Kathleen runs with the Moose

mile marker 1400 & running with a Bull Moose. This young bull popped out of the willows, got scared and ran along side us for some time

Delta Junction & the end of the Alcan Highway "Dances w/ Wolves" guards the gear @ the visitor center

End of the Alcan @ Delta Junction & beginning of the Alaskan USA adventure

Kathleen's living room @ Harding Lake State Park 50 miles or so s/o Fairbanks

July 25th & Dances w/ Wolves" clears the trail at Harding Lake about 50 miles south of Fairbanks, Alaska

Fairbanks Alaska ...Time check the gear, resupply the Airstream, some tire balancing, repairs, & purchases, do a months worth a laundry. Now it is time to kick it up a notch and head north back into the back country in search of Chena Hot Spring. Our last night in Fairbanks we stayed @ the furthest most Elks Lodge in the USA as the rig takes on a new look with tires strapped the Ford F250. Now we really look & feel like the big boys.

Moose, Moose, & more Moose on the Chena Hwy. northeast of Fairbanks as we search for the China Hot Springs for a after dinner dip in the 100 plus volcanic waters. The moose are found by willows & water.

(Jamie, this one's for you) Cow moose w/ calf (a half in inch to the right of momma in the pic)

Rare siting, a very large adult Bull Moose with a huge rack. He would stay under water feeding like a Loon and then pot up in all his majesty

In the mountains at the end of Chena road Kathleen hits the China Hot springs. The 200 plus degree water has to be cooled with constant cold water.

China Hot Spring & Lodge ...most fly into the lodge & hot spring

Kathleen negotiates w/ Klondike Mike trying to trade our Airstream for Mikes RV. She settles for a plaque souvenir that reads,

"Never trust anyone who does not have dog hair on their cloths."

Mike has lived in this tent and truck since arriving in Alaska 18 winters ago. He currently is training the Chena Hot Spring lodge Sled Dogs & camped at the end of the gravel airstrip but when winter comes (next month) will move his tent into the Bureau of Land Management public land in the mountains to spend the winter as usual in his the tent above.

@ the end of Chena road in the Mountains is Chena Springs Lodge ...I build a Inukshuk's to mark are extra special camp @ China Hot Springs

Dances w/ Wolves checks out the view behind the Airstream, but in early morning or evening hours will not come back here unescorted. She is obviously interested in something across the creek this evening (the sun does not go fully down but it is still evening)

Alaskan Sled Dogs @ China Hot Springs and Lodge. The sled dogs have to be part Husky & bread with a dog with speed & endurance, this musher prefers German short hairs. The sled dogs can be male or female, they both work equally well. Short hair dogs wear coats in the winter. His left lead dog in worth $20k & has run the 938 mile Iditarod race from Seward to Nome & the 1,000 mile Quest from Fairbanks through Dawson City to Whitehorse.

Steese Highway & Gold Fields

"Time to kick this trip up a notch, again."

Aug. 1st ...Just north of Fairbanks the Alaskan Pipeline runs next to the Steese Hwy.

The Steese is a gravel road over two summits to the still active family gold mining claims & towns of Central & Circle. This was the Gold Rush area prior to Gold Discovery in Dawson City down the Yukon River in Canada & a reason while the Stampeders that landed in Skagway and hiked to Dawson City, Yukon. Some from places like New York were out of luck in finding claims in that the Miners from Central and Circle floated down the Yukon & staked the prime claims as soon as Gold was discovered In Dawson.

Family run Placer gold mines all along the Steese Hwy.

August 1st & back on the gravel heading to Circle Alaska on the Steese Highway north of Fairbanks. We don't see any big RV's or Caravans in the back country.

Kathleen heads towards the Artic Circle again on the Steese Highway

50 miles from the Artic Circle @ our Steese Highway camp Kathleen has shed the Eddie Bauer look & now prefers Caribou Hide that she purchased yesterday @ Chena Hot Springs

1 Girl Scout Leader & Martha

Kathleen & Dances w/ Wolves knitting @ mountain stream camp on Bureau of Land management public land just below the summit on the Steese Hwy...

mining camps along the way Circle Alaska & Circle Hot springs up the road, at the end of the Steese.

Circle Alaska, 8 miles further is Circle Hot Springs Hotel @ the end of the Steese Hwy.

"Been there, seen it, done that"

August 4th & time to use my Big Bend Tx. walking stick, still the best I have seen, stronger & lighter then even store bought & only 3 bucks for the Senor on the Rio Grand River in February.

Jamie, Jeeps assembly for a 4WD ride in Denali National Wilderness area (photography by Kathleen)

"Dances w/ Wolves" has come 6 thousand miles to claim her title @ Camp Teklanika @ mm29 Denali National Park, our permit allows us to drive to the camp only, then use the camp shuttles and busses to move around the Park (camp warning: closed to tents because of active wolf packs in the camp)

Some stay in town outside the gate, some stay at mm zero by the visitor center, some ride buses. Dances w / wolves came to Polka @ CAMP TEKLANKIA

Dances w/ wolves temporarily on a leash to protect her from wolves behind our Denali camp. 2 days earlier wolves killed and ate a Caribou on this river. Hiking up river Kathleen finds a Caribou skull with velvet on its antlers & some decaying tissue was located.

roadside picture in that afternoons clouds are moving in Visitors Center photo

Taking the 9 hour Denali National Park bus to Wonder lake for the view of Mt. McKinley 20,320 ft., most visitors never see the top, it is visible only 30 days a year. By days end we will see over 10 sightings of Grizzlies with over 17 bears, numerous moose, caribou & Dahl Rams (no private vehicles allowed)

End of our bus trip road in Denali National Park, now for the ride back. A Ranger had also driven out to this remote area in that a hiker just been reported mauled by a grizzly.

Bull Moose

Grizzly Sow with 3 cubs Bull moose Caribou

Denali National Park Sled dog kennel tour

Mt.McKinley Denali National Park Dog Sled Kennel tour

Evening Hike behind our camp. In the morning @ 07:30hrs the Wolves will enter our camp through this area looking for dances w/wolves

hike to Park Ranger winter dog sled cabin ...with Alaskan Sled dog house

Hiking the back country of Denali ...Kathleen has an interest in the Grizzly & Caribou off to our right front. After a couple days living in Denali National Park we are comfortable with hiking amongst the animals. This park has no paths or trails. You just head off into the mountains in any direction you please. Kathleen is concerned if her boots will still fit in in downtown Wheaton.

August 8th & Martha claims her title of Dances w/wolves as the wolves hit our camp, the howling started around 07:30 hrs, 60 feet away. Wet foot prints show that they came out of the stream behind our camp that we hiked last evening. We follow the prints down the road about 100 feet till the howling continues in the brush directly to our left, squirrels run up the trees for safety just in front of us. Time to go!

Caribou cross the road as we move to our Savage River camp. A Denali shuttle bus stops for the Caribou. Only park buses and campers w/permits can move to & from their camps on park roads past mm12 or so.

downtown Anchorage, Alaska Eagle River Camp outside of Anchorage no place for the sea Kayak here

Aug.13th for the 49th annual Seward, Alaska Salmon Tournament ...we are dry camp downtown on Resurrection Bay

Camped downtown 50' from Iditarod dog sled race mile marker 0 Seward, Alaska

Aialik Glacier calving into the ocean on a Tidal Glacier & Wild Life Boat Cruise to in Resurrection Bay & Kenai Fjords National Park

Icebergs from Aialik Glacier calving into the ocean.

Steller Sea Lions Orca aka killer whale

Wild life boat cruise in Resurrection Bay Seward, Alaska for Otters, Porpoise, Puffins Sea, Orca, Gray & fin whales watching

Small World ...Aug. 15 & Sunday mass @ Sacred Heart in Seward. Their Pastor, Father Strauss, a Redempterist missionary had passed away the week before. He had spent his life as a missionary in Thailand and founded a jungle orphanage on the Vietnam border. I had the pleasure of meeting him back home as he visited St. Michael's in Wheaton. Fr. Strauss, a colorful man caught my attention @ St. Mikes in that he from the pulpit openly acknowledged & thanked Vietnam Veterans for routinely saving his life & enabling his jungle orphanage to continue under their protection during the war. The orphanage continues today. ...Small World

hike to Exit Glacier, Seward, Alaska

Seward, Alaska Aug.13 dinner on the wharf for Kathleen's birthday

..Aialik Tidal Glacier ...Tidal Glacier & wild life boat trip to in Resurrection Bay & Kenai Fjords National Park

...hike to Exit Glacier Seward, Alaska

...Kathleen's Halibut catch in Homer, Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula ...Red Salmon Spawning & Grizzly's & Black Bears on the Russian River, fisherman carry rifles here

What's in your living room, Kathleen has Grizzly's & Black Bears & with millions of Red Salmon in the Russian River. In the last week their was a fisherman mauled by a bear and the area is know for it trailer rocking bears. Fisherman carry rifles because so not to share this fish with the Bears. Tonight we go with the Ribs.

Homer Spit, Homer Alaska ...it is Salmon spawning time & this is known at combat fishing as thousands of Salmon enter this pond.

Dry camp on the beach on the Homer Split, Alaska ...I built a Inukshuk indicating a safe camp

Aug 21 on the Russian River, Kenai Peninsula. Know for it's Grizzly trailer rocking and Maulings. Local fisherman carry rifles here.

Another side trip off the main road & Goofy Tavern award goes to Hope, Alaska ...A placer mining town that had 1,000 residents before Anchorage existed. Today has under 100.

Glenn Highway runs along the mountains, we drove a mile or so off the road down a path into the valley to dry camp for the night, lots of Bear scat, but no Bears observed this night !!!

The 60 mile McCarthy Road in Wrangell-St. Elias aka K'elt'aeni National Park

Off the highway again to the gravel of the McCarthy Highway with the usual road disclaimers about NO RV's, untamed wilderness, wild animals, a rifle is recommended, no medical services, carry extra tires needed etc. etc. etc.

Morning hike to the top of the water falls on the McCarthy Highway

dry camping with the fish wheels just past Chitina on the McCarthy Hwy. This is Subsistence fishing by the Sour Dough's (someone who has been here over a year and through a winter) who live here, there are no stores, they hunt, fish for their food with special permits from the National Park and their small cabins dot the wilderness.

The 42 mile Nabesna Road in Wrangell-St. Elias aka K'elt'aeni National Park

After a stop at the ranger station to check on the gravel road conditions, avalanches etc. we head into the largest National Park in the USA on the Nabesna Hwy., we pull off the road at mm28 for the night, no camp ground host here!!!.

We have left the ALCAN highway for the scenic Cassiar Highway & Hyder Alaska. We catch some storm clouds as we hit the higher altitudes of the Cassiar Mountains Range.

Great Breakfast in this Hunting Lodge on the Cassiar Hwy. Bear trap @ Maziadin Lake Provincial Pk.

Stewart, British Colombia Stewart tidal flats

...50 mile mountain road to the top of the mountain & Salmon Glacier outside of Hyder, Alaska

Stewart, BC ...Extra precautions taken to prevent Airstream damage from The GLACIER ICEWORM Vermis Stewartus

Salmon Spawning at the Fish Creek wild life viewing area, Hyder Alaska

Hyder, Alaska & Fish Creek National Forest Bear viewing area ...Salmon spawning up stream to feed the Bears

Winding the 50 mile single lane road to the top of the Mountain to find Salmon Glacier

Kathleen goes for the big Gold Mine on the way to Salmon Glacier

Maziadin Lake on the Cassiar Highway

...Totem Poles in Gitanyow settlement at the end of the Cassiar Hwy.

Ksan First Nation Settlement & museum

DXpedtions to far off places in not about how fast you go down the Interstate, but an adventure, a learning process of far off cultures & different ways of life found only on the back roads, small towns & out of the way places. If you travel & did not see anything you probably did not look.

Jasper National Park Lodge, Alberta on the way home

Icefall Highway to Banfe Coyote come to play with Dances w/wolves in our Yellowstone camp

Hole In the Wall, Wyoming Sept 2002

Hole in the Wall is dead center in this pic, the 1st "V" going from right to left

...Spent the night in the Hole in the Wall with a Mountain Lion, how cool is that?

After a hike / crawl / climb to the bottom of the canyon Kathleen stands lookout just outside the Outlaw Cave just as Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid did years ago.

...from inside the Hide Out Cave of Butch Cassidy & the Sun Dance Kid

...changed forever

Home Link