TWO TO THE LEFT

[Hapo]

 

[NORTY]

Tin, you put together a Hell of a thread, here.

Really enjoying the pics.

 

[tinhead]

Out of the rain, into the great city of Fairbanks. Golden Nugget RV park, wifey was thrilled with the quality of the laundry facilities. Full hookup, 25 channels on the antenna, near perfect WiFi. Still overcast but the rain is staying away for now.

We were joined by Tammy's other sister and her husband, they flew in and rented (Turoed) a pickup. They have a hotel for the night, then they'll be staying with us for a few days . Had a simple cookout, grill a package of hot dogs and buns, a can of beans, one of dog sauce, and coleslaw. When we get to Seward, we'll meet up with a cousin of theirs they've never met, he and his wife are full time Alaskans.

Tomorrow a train ride, bring out my inner Sheldon. Nearly three hours to play around on a glacier, we'll see if any wildlife hangs out near the tracks. We've already seen a few eagles. More than we saw of Denali.

 

[tinhead]

A few pics that I couldn't post the last few days...
The bumblebees were buzzing around in the wind and 11°C feeding off the fireweed, they are hardier than their cousins along the paved roads.


The bar at Alpine Creek Lodge was the one place kept hot with a wood stove. The drinks flowed nicely.


It's easier to drink than make skins to warm oneself.

 

[Snail]

Nice pelts! Look around, you might find some native skrimshaw on walrus ivory. I picked up a set in Cordova.

 

[tinhead]

When they say snow machine, it's no wimpy sled.


Nobody beats anybody up with the walking sticks


The bears aren't much impressed by them

Threr is a glacier lost in the mist

 

[tinhead]

Time for bed, sunset has moved back to 11:04 PM with the advancing calendar and continuing to move south,

 

[tinhead]

After dessert

 

[tinhead]

The train trip to the glacier starts in the rain.


At least the 1972 Munich Olympics archery gold medalist brought some good weed. Or flower. Or whatever the dope heads call stoka these days. He grows his own.

 

[tinhead]

Prince William Sound (in the rain). The terrorist funding oil has largely been cleaned up.

 

[tinhead]

One of the glaciers (through the rain)

 

[tinhead]

Real suspension


Real disc brakes

Label everything

 

[tinhead]

 

[tinhead]

 

[Snail]

Checked out PW sound in 1979 by boat. The spotted prawns are succulent.

 

[tinhead]

Met up with never met before Cousin Bill and his wife Marcia in Seward.


They're going through the genealogy of Tammy's family.

Going to take a walkabout, seeing it finally isn't raining

 

[tinhead]

Alaska fish tacos!


Green stuff is fried kale fuk lettuce.

 

[tinhead]

Heavy duty is not problem free.


Another guy from Germany stopped to talk while I was airing up the tires on the bikes. He was delayed getting to the campground by a day when he filled his diesel rig with gasoline. He said the cost wasn't bad, but waiting for the pumper truck to empty the tank was excruciating. He said he wants to try a Harley for his next bike.

 

[Hapo]

...figgers...that was the vehicle I was coveting...LoL...I can sure pick'em...

 

[tinhead]

Gathered around the campfire keeping doggie happy.


On our way to the glacier, we said hi to the eagle

The otters came by

The glacier was a nice hike.

 

[tinhead]

Rain until 3, Bill came by with some excellent smoked salmon. That got my salmon mood going, so it was off to dinner at Salmon Bake. I rode, the rest caged.


Seafood stew for a starter, 5 drops of tabasco woke it right up.


The main course grilled salmon needed nothing.


Played a bit in the river on the way back.

 

[tinhead]

Bill and Marcia took us on an early evening sightseeing tour of Seward. From the other side of the bay, the back of my trailer is visible between the two trees.



There's quite a few eagles around. Thank you Rachel Carson.


Two hours until sunset.


A cool building in the boatyard, the walls are shipping containers.


There were a couple otters gooning in the harbor, and we saw a few mountain goats on the mountain through binoculars.

 

[tinhead]

Stole wifey's fone, she got a nice pic of this bear.

 

[tinhead]

Hey buddy
Need a lift?


Another eagle

 

[tinhead]

Here in Homer, we took a boat tour to Seldovia today.
An otter was napping in the harbor.


Gull island. The white spots are all birds. When the fledglings leave the nest, they won't return to land for 4 years, until they breed


The puffins nest in tunnels they excavate at the grass line. Then off to sea until they, too, return to breed.


Elephant rock


With it's trunk raised

 

[tinhead]

Boondocking on the Glenn Highway north of Sutton. A few pics in between stocking the larder and filling the tank.

Marsh Creek was teeming with salmon.


As well as a few trumpeter swans


Ducks, too

 

[tinhead]

This seems to defeat the purpose of adventure bikes, but to each his own. They look well used, at least.

 

[Hapo]

...so does the truck...!!!...

 

[Hapo]

Even Alaska's Locals Aren't Putting Up With The Alaskan Bush People Cast Anymore (msn.com)

 

[tinhead]

Finished the commute to Valdez today. In the rain. Bridal Veil Falls


Horse Tail Falls


This place was way cool. Salmon hatchery/ processing plant.


They admit twenty thousand fish per day. They spawn, then are slaughtered for meat .

 

[tinhead]

The rest are left to fend for themselves



The sea lions are cooler than moose.

 

[tinhead]

We're here 4 nights, hoping the bears come down to feed another day. Taking a boat tour to glaciers Wednesday. Didn't get a good pic of the otter, he seemed happier than Grandpa at Old Town Buffet.

 

[tinhead]

Look what they still have in Valdez, Alaska.


Plus thousands of dead salmon when the tide is out.



Bought some cleaner/ waterproofer for the Kaw seat in the local sporting goods store. And some thick socks

 

[Snail]

What is the purpose of the stone filled wire structure with the fish stuck in the mesh?

 

[tinhead]

What is the purpose of the stone filled wire structure with the fish stuck in the mesh?

I think it's junk fence. Litter.

There's tons of I beam and concrete everywhere around there.

 

[tinhead]

There's a small hydroelectric plant across from the hatchery.

 

[Snail]

I never got that far ln PW sound but spent two fantastic days exploring the bottom end, out of Cordova. Sheep Bay comes to mind. I had a 40' boat and a zodiac. The spotted prawns are the absolute best you'll ever eat.

 

[tinhead]

Sea lions are big goofy fukkers. I hope we see one get eaten by an orca on the boat trip tomorrow.

 

[tinhead]

Today's highlight

 

[tinhead]

 

[tinhead]

Second place (zoom for the shots)

 

[tinhead]

Tie for third
Playing porpoises


Hungry bear

 

[tinhead]

And I found nomad's forklift

 

[tinhead]

The turnaround has happened, homeward bound. Because of the lack of roads in Alaska, the first step is north to Tok. We're a few miles off the Richardson boondocking a rest area along the Tok Bypass. An uneventful commute through drizzle and fog.

Another pic of that bear in Valdez.


We're all set with the ArriveCan online document: The border station, date to cross, destination, purpose, passport, immunization and travel documents information is all on a QR code to show the Canadian in the booth.

 

[tinhead]

Sunrise is 5 AM now, sunset 10:15. I finally heard what the non night that happens between late sunset and early sunrise is called. Not "night", or "evening", the proper term here in The North is Civil Twilight.

Hunting up a 25mm paintbrush, going to re Flex Seal the top of the front cap to roof seam, been getting a few drops when overnighting in the rain.

 

[tinhead]

We lose an hour crossing into Yukon tomorrow. I hope Canada sent the women with the equipment to smooth that first 20 miles of the Alaska Highway in the country, that was the worst stretch of road encountered on the entire trip.

 

[tinhead]

Back in Canada, phone doesn't work, WiFi is catch as catch can and usually slow. The previous two nights were at Congdon Creek, nice scenery and free firewood. Some of my time was taken up trump rigging the trailer hitch and the moho frame where it mounts. It got pretzelled over a BIG permafrost dip in the Alaska Highway, pretty sure the front wheels got off the pavement.

I did what I could with the 4 out of 6 bolts that didn't snap off, straightened the frame a little using the leveling jacks, stole 2 smaller bolts out of the trailer dolly. Got 6 new bolts, nuts, and a bunch of 1/2 inch washers at a hardware place in Whitehorse. We're camped at the east end of Whitehorse. I used some washers between the hitch and the frame to get it back near level, it was drooped about 8 cm at the ball. Going to check the bolt tightness somewhere between 30-50 km down the road tomorrow, on the way to the Cassiar Highway. Hoping to make Vancouver by the 16th, around 350 km per day.

 

[tinhead]

We're going to drive right by that junkyard calling itself a campground at Johnson's Crossing tomorrow. Rusty crap and mosquitoes were the features of that place.

 

[tinhead]

The loss of sunlight marches on. Sunrise is 5:54 AM PTD, sunset 10:33 PM.

 

[tinhead]

Southward bound, off the Cassiar Highway onto the Yellowhead in Kitwanga. Found a campground where the WiFi works more than 10 minutes at a time.

How isolated is the Cassiar Highway? The town it's named after is abandoned, extinct. Whole lotta nothing, especially cell coverage and WiFi access.

The trailer hitch is holding up, had to adjust the left side wheel bearings on the trailer today.

Tammy had an eagle scare the crap out of her. She was walking down a trail to get a lakeside pic and flushed it out of the underbrush. No idea what it was doing there, but it's a big noisy bird that burst into flight less than 2 meters from her.

Rt. 37A to Hyder, Alaska is worth the 65 km side trip. Fantastic scenery, plus we saw 2 bears, and a mink carrying a salmon.