I did 1, 2, 9 and 10.
Perhaps it's time for a return trip....
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Showing posts with label Travel:US Northwest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel:US Northwest. Show all posts
Mar 16, 2012
Talkeetna Alaska, Air Taxi Glacier Tour
Today's FlashBack Friday goes back a couple summers to when some friends told us we should go to Alaska with them. It didn't take us long to pack our bags. Turns out "Ya'll come go with us" is just a southern cliche' and isn't to be taken literally.
It's a southern way of saying "Good Bye."
We Jersey folks didn't know that.
So we went with them.
In Talkeetna, we took an AirTaxi over the glaciers. This is an expensive outing, but one you must do if you go to Alaska. It was breathtaking. At some point during the trip, we landed on a glacier, got out and walked around. Enjoy the photos.
Aug 23, 2010
Alaska: The Red-Eye
Our final moments in Alaska could have been anywhere -- Busbee's driving around the city, me and Tom sitting at a Barnes and Noble, turning in the rental cars, baggage check-in, impatiently going through security. Could have been any city, any place. Except maybe for all the coolers being checked in with the baggage.
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Flying home at 37,000 feet & 561 mph, the gulf to our right, gigantic snowy mountains to our left & beneath us; beyond that, the Yukon. Approaching Sitka, Juneau, outside temps hit -74 degrees. My headset's on with calming music. A toddler's in the seat behind me, screaming, kicking my seat repeatedly, occasionally singing. Tom smiles, "Isn't he adorable?" He mocks.
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The pilot should be hanging a left soon.
Yes, I'm watching. It's the red-eye so many people are sleeping, but I'm glued to the window.
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Places below me: Elfin Cove, Dobsons Landing. I wonder what they're like. Will I ever get back?
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At 37,000 feet these mountains look like I could reach out and touch them. I think back to when we peeked over the hill on I-26 just after Spartanburg, at Summer's promising beginning, and the Smokies just appeared, looming above. Tommy drawled "¡Las montañas! and sighed with awe.
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At 37,000 feet, Summer's End, I look out and breathe "¡Las montañas! "
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-We've boated to the very foot of these mountains. We've flown up near the tops of these mountains. We've zig-zagged through them on a tiny plane with their jagged walls cradling us. We've landed in the middle of them like kids at a playground at 5,000 feet. We've listened to the thunderous roar of the glaciers shifting, we've crunched through the snow, we've watched Dall Sheep and Grizzlies and Wolves pace the grassy slopes of these mountains. We've watched the Bald Eagle soar over these mountains. We've seen the clouds creep in and swaddle the mountains. We've seen Dr. Seuss-like trees secure the perimeters of these mountains. We've seen climbers hike and artists paint these mountains. These mountains leave us worshipful, breathless, longing. and now, sadly, we leave them.
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In my tiny airplane seat, I draw back, look around, lean forward to peer over at Doug and Jackie. Doug is gaping out his window snapping photos much like I am. Here's his view on his side of the plane:
In my tiny airplane seat, I draw back, look around, lean forward to peer over at Doug and Jackie. Doug is gaping out his window snapping photos much like I am. Here's his view on his side of the plane:
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What a trip.
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It's a good, good thing we had such sweetness waiting for us back at home.
My Other Alaska Posts:
Kenai Fjords, Seward
The Seward Highway
Kenai: Dipnetting
Seward: Exit Glacier
The Sterling Highway
Capt. Cook State Recreation Area
Anchorage AK: Paragliding
Talkeetna, Alaska
Talkeetna Glacier Tour (my favorite part of the trip)
Denali
Travel Info:
Talkeetna Roadhouse
Talkeetna
Talkeetna Air Taxi
Mahay's Riverboat Service
Denali National Park
Aug 18, 2010
Alaska: Denali National Park
-Denali National Park, for the average visitor, is one huge, long bus ride. And while it was a fun experience to remember, I just don't think I'd recommend it unless you are going to get off the bus, backpack and camp a little. From what I've heard, Denali State Park might be a better visit.
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The theory is that there are a ton of buses carrying ticket holding tourists for 4, 6, 8, 12 hour bus rides through the park, allowing you to get off the bus at any point and walk freely through the park, while your bus moves on and you catch another bus whenever you are ready. (Best done in raingear) The Park consists of 6 million acres, spotted with man-eating animals, don't get lost.
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Each ticket holder will see wildlife along the route. But most of it's going to look a lot like this:
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Did you see the two caribou in the valley, toward the right in the photo above? Aren't they adorable? Yes, we think they are. That's why the minute someone spotted them, they screamed "caribou!!" and the bus driver pulled over. We all shifted to that side of the bus, scrunched up against the windows and peeked through our binoculars to see the caribou. Which (removing tongue from cheek) was pretty cool. Once I had the binoculars in hand, the whole trip kicked up a notch. We had two different bus drivers and they were both outstanding, friendly, knowledgeable and patient.
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On our visit, the Dall Sheep were the most visible wildlife. Often they came right up to the bus, sometimes crossing the road and moving on. We saw 23.
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Did you see the two caribou in the valley, toward the right in the photo above? Aren't they adorable? Yes, we think they are. That's why the minute someone spotted them, they screamed "caribou!!" and the bus driver pulled over. We all shifted to that side of the bus, scrunched up against the windows and peeked through our binoculars to see the caribou. Which (removing tongue from cheek) was pretty cool. Once I had the binoculars in hand, the whole trip kicked up a notch. We had two different bus drivers and they were both outstanding, friendly, knowledgeable and patient.
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On our visit, the Dall Sheep were the most visible wildlife. Often they came right up to the bus, sometimes crossing the road and moving on. We saw 23.
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We saw 4 caribou, all very far away. We saw two wolves, one of which was white and our bus driver was so impressed. He said there are only 40-50 white wolves known in the whole park territory. We saw one snow shoe hare, 2 arctic ground squirrels and 1 bald eagle.
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The highlight, of course, were the 7 grizzlies we saw. They were all blonde. They were all mamas and cubs, adorable!!, and all very far away.
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For instance, can you see them in this picture:
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For instance, can you see them in this picture:
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You'll enjoy the park/ride much better if you set your expectations properly. Don't expect tons of animals close to the bus. Don't expect tons of animals at all. Do expect some animals. Look for tiny specks of white in the landscape, don't look for dark animal shapes. Do bring a sandwich and beverage for the trip, as well as binoculars. Don't expect too many restrooms or bathroom stops. You will stop to see animals as much as you want. You will stop for bathroom breaks only a few times. Do expect beautiful scenery. Do expect rain.
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Let's see how well you've become at wildlife sightings. On the picture above, do you see any wildlife? Would you yell for the bus to stop?
If you happened to be at one of the pull-over rest stops, you could use this to spot your wildlife:
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And if you did that, you would then see something more like this (photo to the right). BTW, In the hidden picture test above, there were several Dall Sheep and a mama grizzly with two cubs. I dug out my bincoulars and watched them for quite awhile.
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Don't expect to see Mt. McKinley, but if you do, it'll be on the 8-hour trip, not the 6-hour. Don't expect much help from the park staff in the office and on the phone if you call ahead with questions. They are not helpful. When you arrive, they still won't be very helpful, you'll have to be a bit pushy.
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You'll enjoy the park/ride much better if you set your expectations properly. Don't expect tons of animals close to the bus. Don't expect tons of animals at all. Do expect some animals. Look for tiny specks of white in the landscape, don't look for dark animal shapes. Do bring a sandwich and beverage for the trip, as well as binoculars. Don't expect too many restrooms or bathroom stops. You will stop to see animals as much as you want. You will stop for bathroom breaks only a few times. Do expect beautiful scenery. Do expect rain.
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Let's see how well you've become at wildlife sightings. On the picture above, do you see any wildlife? Would you yell for the bus to stop?
If you happened to be at one of the pull-over rest stops, you could use this to spot your wildlife:
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And if you did that, you would then see something more like this (photo to the right). BTW, In the hidden picture test above, there were several Dall Sheep and a mama grizzly with two cubs. I dug out my bincoulars and watched them for quite awhile.
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Don't expect to see Mt. McKinley, but if you do, it'll be on the 8-hour trip, not the 6-hour. Don't expect much help from the park staff in the office and on the phone if you call ahead with questions. They are not helpful. When you arrive, they still won't be very helpful, you'll have to be a bit pushy.
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The Savage River is that gray milky water from glacier run-off that I found so fascinating in Alaska. The mountains viewed in the park are part of the 600-mile Alaska Range.
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-The Savage River is that gray milky water from glacier run-off that I found so fascinating in Alaska. The mountains viewed in the park are part of the 600-mile Alaska Range.
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-Maybe you will get lucky, as we did, and have this great view as you pass back through the lower boreal forest, which by the way, is the scientific name for what Tom called "The Dr. Seuss Trees" of Alaska.
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As we were leaving the park, back safely in our own vehicle, we spotted our only Red Fox of the trip. I've seen red fox around SC, but not nearly this big:
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And then, totally outside the park, totally for free, we came across the lusciously dark, big as a car grizzly:
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We quietly pulled over and watched him or her for a moment. He humorously hefted his big rump over the guard-rail and began walking back towards us with great stealth. Tom rolled down his window to grab a picture when suddenly, the grizzly stood up and, if he knew English, I swear he would've said with exaggeration, "Rawr!" Tom and I jumped, I screamed and the bear just ambled off.
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That (again, 10pm) was our final day in Alaska and could we have asked for a more perfect ending?? Well yes, you could, and we did. We pulled over at the Creekside for our usual late dinner and got some home made chicken pot pie that was awesome. However, they are famous for their Moose Burgers, so you might want to try that. Then we drove back the 2-3 hours back to Talkeetna, crawling into bed around 1 or 2 a.m. when it was just starting to get a teeny bit dark outside.
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-As we were leaving the park, back safely in our own vehicle, we spotted our only Red Fox of the trip. I've seen red fox around SC, but not nearly this big:
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-And then, totally outside the park, totally for free, we came across the lusciously dark, big as a car grizzly:
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-We quietly pulled over and watched him or her for a moment. He humorously hefted his big rump over the guard-rail and began walking back towards us with great stealth. Tom rolled down his window to grab a picture when suddenly, the grizzly stood up and, if he knew English, I swear he would've said with exaggeration, "Rawr!" Tom and I jumped, I screamed and the bear just ambled off.
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-That (again, 10pm) was our final day in Alaska and could we have asked for a more perfect ending?? Well yes, you could, and we did. We pulled over at the Creekside for our usual late dinner and got some home made chicken pot pie that was awesome. However, they are famous for their Moose Burgers, so you might want to try that. Then we drove back the 2-3 hours back to Talkeetna, crawling into bed around 1 or 2 a.m. when it was just starting to get a teeny bit dark outside.
My Other Alaska Posts:
Kenai Fjords, Seward
The Seward Highway
Kenai: Dipnetting
Seward: Exit Glacier
The Sterling Highway
Capt. Cook State Recreation Area
Anchorage AK: Paragliding
Talkeetna, Alaska
Talkeetna Glacier Tour (my favorite part of the trip)
Travel Info:
Talkeetna Roadhouse
Talkeetna
Talkeetna Air Taxi
Mahay's Riverboat Service
Denali National Park
Aug 11, 2010
Talkeetna, AK: Glacier Tour
This is the post I've most wanted to share with you. My favorite activity in Alaska, the best part of my trip: Denali Flightseeing.-
We flew out of Talkeetna via Talkeetna Air with what had to be their youngest pilot, who turned out to be absolutely adorable, very friendly and very knowledgeable (or he faked it real good). Asked when he started piloting, he stuttered and finally said, "Ummm, 16, when I could get my license." I had the distinct impression he really started at 7 or 8. He is the one who said these planes are like their "pick-up trucks," everyone has one and uses it without a second thought.
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We're showing you our booties here in this photo, they simply slipped on over our shoes, but made us feel like macho climbers and adventurers.
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We were enjoying the outdoor music at the park in Talkeetna when Doug tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Do you want to fly up to a glacier at the foot of Denali and walk around? If so, we have ten minutes to get on the plane."-
It took 2 minutes to convince Tom to leave the live music, 2 minutes to use the last facilities we'd see for awhile, 2 minutes to grab my pad and pens, water, glasses and phone, & 3 minutes to drive to the airport, where, {{gulp}} we had to weigh in.
That wasn't part of the deal.
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I hesitated. Having gained 50 pounds in five years (honestly), I wasn't eager to look truth in the face. And, really, thinking this through.... we have to weigh every single item we are taking on the plane? Seriously? We're going to load the plane that close to it's limit? I put my hand on the counter, tap, tap, tap, thinking this one through. I prayed. I weighed. I boarded the plane.
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What a trip. My nerves settled soon and it was awesome, of course.
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The first part of the trip was over the Talkeetna River and surrounding lakes. We saw cabins and houses on the edge of lakes in the middle of swamp and no-where's ville. The only way they could get there was four-wheeler or plane, or a combination of both. Then we got up into the glaciers and learned that a good portion of the lower parts of the glaciers are underground. They looked like dried riverbeds or dried, melted glaciers, when in fact, there was a ton of ice under the dirt surface. As the glacier creeps forward, picture a bulldozer pushing dirt forward and soon it has accumulated so much dirt that some of it goes back over the top of the blade, scattering the ground on the trail behind you. So it is with the glacier ice. It pushes gravel and stones, which sometimes accumulate on the surface behind.
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It looked like a narrow riverbed, but it's 3-miles wide. Gauging distance was difficult from the air.
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And look here, can you see it? A t-tiny little plane landed, you can see it's t-tiny little tracks, too!
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After we landed, we walked around and stood there gazing at the mountains for a long time, maybe a half an hour. It was about 9 pm during this time. Our plane was late, the pilot would be reprimanded, he said, but he enjoyed it as much as we did and it was the last flight of the day... so.... we stayed awhile. Mt. McKinley even peeked out a few times while we were there! See, above photo, it's hiding right behind us. Below photo, it's peeking out.
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It looked like a narrow riverbed, but it's 3-miles wide. Gauging distance was difficult from the air.
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-And look here, can you see it? A t-tiny little plane landed, you can see it's t-tiny little tracks, too!
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-After we landed, we walked around and stood there gazing at the mountains for a long time, maybe a half an hour. It was about 9 pm during this time. Our plane was late, the pilot would be reprimanded, he said, but he enjoyed it as much as we did and it was the last flight of the day... so.... we stayed awhile. Mt. McKinley even peeked out a few times while we were there! See, above photo, it's hiding right behind us. Below photo, it's peeking out.
-We got back at Talkeetna at 9:45pm. All the restaurants would stop serving dinner by 10 pm, so we RAN to a burger shack nearby, recommended by the pilot, breezed into a seat to the huge dismay of the wait staff, and ordered burgers and fries for everyone because they didn't give us time to peruse the menu. :) The burgers were incredible. Dinner at 10 pm was very common to us by that stage of the trip. Daylight at 10 pm was AWESOME! Who needs sleep??!!
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Here's a video of the flight. NOT for those who get seasick easily.
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Here's a video of the flight. NOT for those who get seasick easily.
Aug 9, 2010
Talkeetna, Alaska
Travel Info Listed at bottom, below video.
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On Day 6 of our trip to Alaska we drove clean out the other side of Anchorage and headed upstate. We crossed the Yentna, Trapper Creek, Eagle River, Answer Creek, got in a plane and flew across the Talkeetna River and right smack up to its source, massive glaciers. That flight, my friend was the best part of our trip. And that will be my next Alaska post.-
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Today.....
Let's enjoy the drive to Talkeetna.
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Today.....
Let's enjoy the drive to Talkeetna.
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-The scenery up here is a little different than the coast.
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--Fill your gas tank when you leave Wasilla. After that, there isn't much of anything.
There are a few signs of life, such as this car, scattered here & there, but they didn't do much to instill confidence in us.
And then, verrry cool, we passed Bat Man.
Have you ever passed Bat Man?
No, I didn't think so.
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-After a few hours of driving, somewhere around mile 99, we hung a hard right and entered Talkeetna. I mean, "downtown" Talkeetna. Which had more than a few similarities to my town.
This -- and beyond -- is the area of Alaska where they use float planes like we use pick-up trucks. The Alaska Train swings through here and this one highway does. Go any further and you get around by 4-wheeler, snowmobile, dogsled or float plane.
As we conquered Alaska, town by town, one image was constant: Doug approaching a stranger, hand extended, saying "Doug Busbee. South Carolina. Nice to meetcha." And then he'd talk for 30 minutes or so with his new friends.
So as we rounded the bend into Downtown Talkeetna, windows open, the whole town a festival, we heard revellers outside our window. One said, "Did you see who's here?!?" Tom & I exchanged a glance, smiled and said, "Doug Busbee. From South Carolina."
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Seriously, the town was in mid-festival when we arrived. This little country town having an outdoor concert in the park with everyone in lawn chairs - oh man, Tom and I thought this was Heaven.
As soon as we parked, we headed over to hear some local music.
Doug and Jackie nested a little and then walked around town to see what we could do. One of Doug's new friends urged him to take the Glacier Flight Tour, I'm so glad he did.
The men outnumber the women by 3-1 in this part of Alaska. We were staying at The Roadhouse. Our waitress (Sue) had been there 20 years; one of Doug's friends, 27 years. The friend fondly recalled, "Yeah, I remember when Sue came to town. There was a bidding war for her."
The activities around Talkeetna make it worth the trip. If you go to AK, spend a couple days in Talkeetna. The town has one strip with a few restaurants, a little outdoor seating, and a couple of Inns. The food we had was outrageously good. The Roadhouse breakfasts are incredible. I'd probably skip Denali Nat'l Park, but I'll do a post on it and you can decide for yourself. In the Talkeetna area, there's fishing, hiking, boat tours and flight tours that can take you to see Mt. McKinley, bears and wildlife. We didn't see a whole lot of wildlife at Denali Nat'l Park, but it was pretty scenery. Denali State Park is also nearby and I've heard good things about it.
-We stayed two nights at The Roadhouse and it was just good, old fun. Our cabin was surprisingly tiny and we had to sleep 6 in it. The bathrooms are in the main building and all guests share the bathrooms and showers. I had to wait one day, maybe 15 minutes for an empty shower, but otherwise, it wasn't too inconvenient and was well worth the fun.
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-Our unexpected Friday Night Fun in Talkeetna:
-My Other Alaska Posts:
Kenai Fjords, SewardThe Seward Highway
Kenai: Dipnetting
Seward: Exit Glacier
The Sterling Highway
Capt. Cook State Recreation Area
Anchorage AK: Paragliding
Travel Info:
Talkeetna Roadhouse
Talkeetna
Talkeetna Air Taxi
Mahay's Riverboat Service
Denali National Park
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