Chicken and Top of the World Highway

July 30 & 31, 2012  CHICKEN  AND TOP OF THE WORLD HIGHWAY

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The Chicken chicken

Barb and Gary's rig was finally finished about mid-afternoon, and we headed up the Taylor Highway for Chicken.  It was a dusty, bumpy ride with soft shoulders and some steep drop-offs, but really not a bad trip at all.  About 5 pm we arrived in Chicken AK   (it was supposed to be named Ptarmigan but no one knew how to spell it so they named it Chicken instead) which has a population of 7-20 people in the winter.

The Goldpanner RV Park

Huskie puppies for sale

 We did a quick set up and went to the local restaurant (a trailer with a covered picnic area beside it) so Barb could fulfill her wish to "eat chicken in Chicken."

Eating chicken in Chicken

Jim and Lana had arrived earlier in the day and were panning for gold in the stream beside the campground while we ate dinner.  We were all tired, so we delayed out sightseeing and gold panning until the next day.  Bad idea!


 When we woke up the sky was black with clouds, and Gary and Steve decided that we had better try to beat the storm across the Top of the World Highway, so we did a quick pack up and hit the road.

Goodbye Alaska,  : (

Top of the World Highway

To tell the truth, I did not enjoy the ride on the Top of the World Highway.  In fact, it was very nerve-wracking to be on that partly paved, partly gravel, slippery road with clouds below us and the rain pelting down.  We didn't get to enjoy the views this highway is famous for because of the clouds and rain.  We had to pull over and stop for long caravans of RV's  and some huge trucks coming from Dawson City.  Steve seemed tense to me, but once we reached the end of the road he said it wasn't "too bad."

Boarding the ferry

Disembarking the ferry.

At the end of the road, there is a tiny little ferry that takes you across the Yukon River.  With our two RV's on board there was only room for about 3 cars.  Fortunately the ride across the river is short, only about 10 minutes, but getting on and off the ferry was an adventure in itself.

We checked in at the Bonanza Creek RV Park where Steve immediately washed the RV and the Jeep (even though it was still raining) which were both covered in mud and muck.  After getting set up we celebrated our successful crossing with a much needed happy hour.

3 days in Tok

July 27-29     THREE DAYS IN TOK

We had a leisurely ride from Kenny Lake to Tok, stopping frequently to admire the view of the Wrangell Mountains and the Copper River.

Mt. Sanford--16,237 ft. 

Mt. Wrangell, an active volcano.   14,163 ft. 

When we arrived back at the same campground where we stayed in Tok a month ago, Gary discovered that he had a leak in his radiator.  Fortunately, he was able to contact a RV repairman nearby and make arrangements for a repair tomorrow.

After dinner, we all settled in to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

July 28

Steve and Gary took the RV to the shop this morning, and poor homeless Barb and I spent the day together.  We had seen about all there is to see when we were here before, so we watched the Olympics and shopped at the 3 Bears Grocery Store.  We had a nice lunch with the guys at the Eager Beaver Cafe.

The shop finally got the radiator out and discovered a hole made by a rock, but it can be repaired.  Their RV will have to stay in the shop until Monday for the repair to be complete.
Folks from California parked near us, and we were inundated with dogs, especially shih thus!  It was fun to see them all together.

 We had a great fish dinner cooked by Steve, and now Barb and Gary are roughing it aboard their rig at the RV shop while we are luxuriating here in our 50 amp campsite.  Jim and Lana arrived this evening from Anchorage, and later in the evening we saw a beautiful rainbow.  

July 29

We walked over to see Gary and Barb at the RV Repair Shop this morning.  Steve and Gary love being around all those tools and engines and greasy stuff, so they were well entertained.

We spent the afternoon swapping RV stories with Gary, Barb, Jim and Lana, and watching two caravans arrive and get settled in.  We all had a great dinner at Fast Eddy's then went to hear two very good singers here at the campground.  They were very entertaining and we all enjoyed our evening.  We  hope to head for Chicken tomorrow if Gary and Barb's rig is ready.

Dinner at Fast Eddy's

McCarthy-Kennicott

July 26, 2012  McCarthy-Kennicott

Gary and Barb decided to stay home and do chores today, so Steve and I set out on our Wrangell-St. Elias National National Park adventure without them.  The weather was spectacular--sunny and low 70's.  We headed back to Chitina,  and then  up the McCarthy Highway to the communities of McCarthy and Kennicott located within the Park.   What a trip it was!

It is 26 miles (paved road)  from our campground to Chitina, and another 60 miles of  narrow, unpaved, very rough road that once was a railroad track up to McCarthy. The bridges are all one lane.

Kuskalana Bridge over a 238 ft. deep gorge.

The drive was further complicated by road construction involving huge trucks and construction equipment.  In the first few miles we stopped to help a young couple whose car was stuck in mud having been forced to the side by a road grader. We did not have a tow strap, and although Steve tried to help push it out, the car was not moving.  We stopped and told the construction worker who (we hope) radioed for help for them.

Kennicott Glacier from the parking lot.

The pedestrian bridge.

The road ends at a $5.00 parking lot.  Then you walk across a pedestrian bridge over the river and up a 1 mile road to McCarthy.   As we paid our $5.00 parking fee, the attendant noted that our right rear tire was very low, as indeed it was.  This fact worried Steve the whole time we were in McCarthy and Kennicott, but more about that later. The attendant also told us that 3 days ago a rush of water from a lake above the Kennicott Glacier had wiped out 20 feet of the river bank!  Notice the restroom on the bank of the river!

After almost getting run down by an ATV on the pedestrian bridge, the 1 mile hike up to McCarthy was pleasant enough, and there were several amusing signs along the way.

We did not drink any of the local water.

Slow,  Saggitarians ahead?????

McCarthy is an old town that was established to support the  copper mine and it declined following  closure of the mine  in 1938.  Several of the buildings have been restored, and it is really quite charming in spite of the fact that there is no central electricity, water, or sewer in McCarthy or Kennicott.  Generators provide power and water is pumped from wells or hauled by hand from nearby streams.  Outhouses and septic systems are in use.

 We boarded a rickety shuttle van for the bumpy 5 mile ride up to Kennicott to learn about Copper Mining in the early days of the 20th century.  The discovery of high grade copper here in 1903 was followed by heavy investments in the development of the mine by Guggenheim and Morgan.  This mine led the world in the production of copper for 30 years and made a profit of over 100 million dollars.

Kennicott concentrator mill

At the mine's peak of production, the town had over 100 buildings serving over 600 mine employees, and a 196 mile long railroad connecting it to Cordova where the copper was transported for shipment.  The largest building was  the 14 story concentrator mill.   This town and copper production was an amazing feat because, except for ore and water, Kennicott had to bring in everything they used from the outside under incredibly harsh conditions.  It was very interesting to learn about this monumental human achievement.


We returned to McCarthy on the shuttle, then hiked back to the hot, gravel parking lot.  This is where Steve had to change to the tire which was very flat by this time.  This was not easy on the rocky surface, but he managed it.

We drove about a mile back up the road where we had seen a sign that said "tire repair."  This  place had several small airplanes in the yard and a sign that said "Keep off the runway" which seemed to BE the yard.

Tire repair/airport runway

 A sign on a shed instructed Steve to call a number, and a guy soon came out of the house to help us.  He had to start a generator to run his equipment, but he had everything he needed to remove the large concrete nail from the tire, repair the tire, and help  Steve to put it back on the Jeep.   For this he charged us only $25.00!  In addition, he gave me a old railroad spike from the Kennicott railroad.  I plan to tell people that the spike was what caused the flat tire!!!  LOL

On the long, hot, dusty drive back down the McCarthy Road, we had to navigate around many more large construction vehicles.  One big Peterbilt truck hauling a rock filled trailer had run off the side and was deeply embedded in the soft shoulder!

When we arrived back to the campground we were delighted to find that Barb and Gary had prepared a delicious dinner for us.

Kenny Lake

July 25, 2012  Kenny Lake

Woo hoo!   The sun was shining and it got to about 70 degrees today!   I got my wish to see the mountains around Valdez, and they were awesome!  I said goodbye to my new friend, Nancy, and we headed north for Kenny Lake.  The thing is, these mountains were beautiful in the fog and rain and they are beautiful in the sunlight.  Pictures cannot do them justice.

We stopped at the Tsaina River Bridge to admire the deep scenic gorge called "The Devil's Elbow," before turning onto the Edgerton Highway.

Devil's Elbow Gorge

We are camped at the Kenny Lake Mercantile and RV Park.  It isn't much, but it is good enough for two days, and as an added bonus, Jim and Lana are also here.

After lunch we decided to drive the 26 miles to Chitina (pronounced Chitna).  There were some beautiful views of the Copper River, the Wrangell Mountains, and the Chugach Mountains on the way.   We stopped at Liberty Falls to stretch our legs and saw a couple of young guys actually swimming in the icy water below the falls!   They didn't stay in long, but we were impressed anyway.

Gary and Barb hiking at Liberty Falls.

Crazy kid swimming in Liberty Creek

 Interestingly enough, we also passed a farm that had yaks grazing in a field.

Chitina isn't much of a town.  Just a few buildings and the O'Brian Lake.

We visited the Ranger Station for the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park www.nps.gov/wrst/ which begins here and is the largest in our National Park system.  It is bigger than Switzerland and has taller mountains!   Six Yellowstone Parks would fit inside this one and it contains 6 of the 10 tallest mountains in North America.  It has the largest concentration of glaciers on the continent, and one of them is bigger than Rhode Island!  They are very proud of the size of the park here, and it is indeed impressive.

The Copper River

We drove across the Copper River and out on the mud flats to see the fish wheels catching salmon.   Only Alaskan citizens can do this type of fishing legally, and they can take 300 or more salmon each year for their family use.  While we were here, Jim and Lana showed up, having turned back from trying the McCarthy Highway to Kennicott because it was too rough.  We also met a couple from Holland who were traveling Alaska in a rented RV.

International group meeting on the mud flats. 

Salmon fish wheel

Fish wheels on the Copper River. 

 After leaving there, we drove about 6 miles up the McCarthy Highway and decided that the Jeep could handle it tomorrow.

Corky drinking beer...a habit our daughters taught her and Gary continues. 

Back at the campground we had happy hour and dinner outside.  Gary grilled some great burgers and they tasted even better because we could enjoy the warm weather while we ate!

Valdez

July 24, 2012  Valdez

Nancy and me.

I started the day by having coffee with the mother of one of one of my on line friends.  Lee and I discovered while playing a game that I happen to be staying in the campground that his mom manages here in Valdez!  Talk about coincidence!  Nancy and I had a lovely talk and she gave me lots of interesting info about Valdez.  She lived here for many years and raised her family here;  she even served on the city council for a time.  Now she spends the winters in Yuma, AZ and the summers here at the campground.

The tide is out-sea lions were here last night!

While Nancy and I were visiting, Steve, Barb, and Gary went to the earthquake museum in town which they said was very interesting and informative. When they got back, we headed back out to Dayville Road to see what was going on.   The tide was out, and I mean WAY out!  In fact I was able to walk out past where the sea lions were last night!









Even though the tide was so far out, there was a channel close to the rocks (where the bears were last night) that was teeming with salmon.  There were lots of people fishing there and catching lots of big salmon by snagging them.  There were hundreds of seagulls and a lot of eagles hanging around and waiting for leftovers again.

He caught 36 salmon!

After leaving the hatchery area, we drove back up into Keystone Canyon to look at the waterfalls again.  I had fun climbing a little way up beside Horse Tail Falls.

Sarah loves to climb rocks!

Horse Tail Falls


We also stopped to investigate a hand-carved tunnel in the side of the mountain.  It was supposed to be a railroad tunnel, but  the builders got into a fight and one was shot and the tunnel never got finished.  We were amused to discover that someone has painted one of the big rocks inside the tunnel gold!

At the hand-cut tunnel entrance. 

 On the way back to the campground we drove through Old Town Valdez which was destroyed in the earthquake of 1964.  What was left of the town was moved, board by board, 4 miles further south to its present location.  It is strange to see  that where the post office, homes, stores, and harbor used to be has almost completely returned to nature.

After lunch we went to the Crooked Creek Salmon Viewpoint which is run by the US Forestry Service.  There is a great spawning area there, but unfortunately the salmon have not arrived yet.  It was an interesting and informative visit anyway, and I enjoyed another little climb by their waterfall.

Pretty Valdez Harbor

Sea otter in the harbor.  

This evening Steve and I took a long walk around the harbor with the dogs.   We saw several charter boats come in and watched as the catches were displayed and cleaned.  We also looked for a childhood friend of Steve's whom we heard lives aboard a sailboat here.  The harbor master directed us to the boat he thinks belongs to her, but no one was home but the cat.  We left a card with our numbers, but won't be surprised if we don't hear from her as it may not even be the right person.  We saw a sea otter floating around among the boat in the harbor, and several rabbits right in town.

More Valdez wildlife.

Jim and Lana stopped by after their boat trip out in Prince William Sound.   They had a great time and saw lots of wild life as well as a calving glacier.  They are headed to Wrangell - St. Elias tomorrow too, and we hope to see them again.

New friends, Jim and Lana

Steve and Corky near the campground.  Not a  bad view, huh.  

Seen outside a liquor store in Valdez.