On the Road. Again.

ANCHORAGE, AK--We photographed the TV weather report on the last day of our visit. It was particularly amusing to note that, with the temperatures forecast to be in the high 60s, "Summer is Back!"

     ...And back! It was a wonderful 11 days in the Great State of Alaska, visiting family and taking in all the breathtaking scenery and plentiful wildlife! Moose and their babies, grizzly bears, Arctic hares, sandhill cranes, eagles, lots of salmon and so much more! There were so many highlights, that I'll only recount a few.
     We flew into Anchorage on a direct flight from LAX on Aug. 2 and were greeted with rain showers--good thing we brought some much-used North Face rainwear!!! We experienced intermittent sun for the duration of our trip, but then again we visited a rain forest in Seward, Ak., and what do you expect?? It didn't matter to the salmon, who were headed up the Kenai River. But it did keep the mosquitoes at bay, so it really wasn't that bad!

RUSSIAN RIVER--gorgeous scenery but the red salmon proved elusive. Only the experienced fishermen--ok, the 10- and 11-year olds--were pulling them out! We tried our best and had a great time at this spot, but the fish escaped us! They practically would swim right between our feet. I still loved it, and we did get to keep one fish. Yummy!!!

RUSSIAN RIVER--mighty fashionable brown high waders, but they did the job and my feet didn't get wet! That's my sister, Sharon, decked out in the blue in the background. She hooked one in the belly, but had to throw it back because you have to catch it by the mouth! That's the rule!! The water here was about knee-deep, or to the top of Sharon's boots!

     While we were on the Kenai Peninsula, we stayed in a hotel one night and then drove over to Seward and were able to enjoy a remote cabin outside of town that had no running water, no electricity and a rather nice outhouse down a wooded path.  But, it was comfy to sleep in and just a great place to relax. We could play card games until 11 o'clock at night and not have to worry about turning on the
lights!!

SAVAGE RIVER VISITOR CENTER--those antlers were heavy!

     After those three days, we headed back to Anchorage and picked up Jan for our drive up to Denali National Park and Fairbanks, as well as a side trip to Chena Hot Springs. What beautiful scenery! On our trip into Denali, we boarded a park bus at 7 a.m., with our backpacks loaded with food and necessities for 12 hours in the park and no concessions! We saw grizzlies chowing down near the side of the road, moose, and in one memorable sight, a grizzly in a river wash guarding a downed caribou, and protecting it from other hungry predators. The bus driver described the whole story of how two wolves had brought it down, only to have the grizzlies move in four hours later and chase them off. It was truly the survival of the fittest, and rarely seen by tourists on the multitude of buses in the park.

DENALI NATIONAL PARK--Aug. 8, 2011. Blowing snow caused us to cut short our visit to Denali National Park. This photo was taken at the Eielson Visitor Center, the last stop before Wonder Lake, which on a clear day provides the most stunning views of Mt. McKinley. We visited here briefly, then caught another bus back down to the park entrance because of the weather. That would be Ruthie and me underneath the parkas!

FAIRBANKS--we paused in front of a statue commemorating the early settler. Sharon, me and Ruthie.

FAIRBANKS--we rented speeder bikes at a bike and paddle shop along the Chena River, and had a great breakfast the next morning at the home of Nancy and Larry Katkin. Fresh blueberries that Nancy had picked made the pancakes awesome!

FAIRBANKS--beautiful flowers, wide open skies at this commemorative statue.

     In Fairbanks the next day, we were able to rent bikes from friends of my sister, who owned a bike and paddle shop along the Chena River. It was wayyyy awesome! We walked through their shop, looking at mountain bikes, hybrids and cruisers, then spotted a couple of dusty speeder bikes. Aluminum frames, 27 speeds, one was perfect size for Ruthie, and the other one fit me perfectly! In fact, I'm not sure mine had been rented previously, so we dusted them off and hit the trails. We took a 15-mile loop around the city, entirely on bike paths. Alaska has quite a system of bike trails along their streets and highways, but you have to be prepared for the weather!

CHENA HOT SPRINGS--I enjoyed a sumptious meal of fresh spinach, veggies, grilled chicken with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing before we hit the outdoor hot springs. Best meal we ate in Alaska, and the produce was all grown on site using hydro-thermal power to heat the greenhouses. Those are the hot springs in the upper photo.

CHENA HOT SPRINGS--this series of pictures was taken at and inside the Ice Museum. Wonderful ice carvings and a chance to freeze our butts off. We opted out of the chance to have an appletini at the ice bar, complete with a glass carved entirely of ice. You got to take the glass with you--but eventually it melted in the warmer air outside!

SHARON AND JAN--our lovely hostesses enjoying the Ice Museum at Chena Hot Springs!