Sifton, Manitoba, Canada

Day 749

     Sifton, Manitoba, Canada, really doesn’t exist anymore. We are here to spend the night only, as it is too far to drive from Indian Head to Winnipeg in one day.

     Large influxes of Ukrainians settled this region in the mid-1890s, part of a mass immigration undertaken by the federal government. Sifton is named after Minister of the Interior, Clifford Sifton, who viewed farmers from Eastern Europe as ideal for settling and opening the Canadian West

    Sifton is also the birthplace of Canada’s iconic fashion item of the 1950s, the Mary Maxim sweater. When the company relocated to another area, the town dried up and blew away.

Technical Stuff:

Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Ca to Sifton, Manitoba, Ca: 144.8 Miles

2 hours 56 minutes

10.8 MPG 

Diesel: $1.23 Canadian/liter

Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada

Day 747

     Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada, began in 1882 as the first settlers, mainly of Scottish origin, came into the area to farm the rich soil. 

     According to legend, in 1837 an epidemic of smallpox struck the Assiniboine Indian Village here. According to their custom, those struck climbed the highest part of the land to die. Their skeletons remained there for many years and because of this they called the hills “Skull Mountainettes”, which developed into the name Indian Head. Hence, the name of the town. Only thing is, when I look around, there are no hills, only prairie. 

     William Robert Bell was born May 28, 1845 in Brockville, Ontario. He was a militia officer, farmer, and businessman. He is mostly responsible for the settlement of Indian Head as a result of his experimental farm for growing wheat and other grains. He arrived here in 1882 to build this farm. The most notable structure remaining is the round horse barn, now referred to as the Bell Barn.

      From it’s copula, Bell had a view of his entire farm (see, no hills).

     Although a small town, it’s main industry is still agriculture, mostly wheat and other grains. Grain elevators sit at the head of the town’s main street. 

     Their mall consists of 2 stores, a hardware store, and a convenience store.

Technical Stuff:

Saskatoon, Sk to Indian Head Saskatchewan, Canada: 208.6 miles

4 hours, 13 minutes

10.7 MPG

Diesel: $1.19 Canadian/liter

A Stroll through Saskatoon, Canada

Day 746

     We strolled along the South Saskatchewan River, a tributary of the Saskatchewan. We saw a goose, and since we are in Canada, it must be a Canada goose. 

     We stopped at a museum, part of which was sponsored by the Saskatoon Antique Auto Club. 

     In addition to the standard old cars, they had a section on innovative cars, like this one that burns the gas produced by straw,

     And this one, powered by the wind.

     Or this one, powered by steam

     I particularly liked the Model-T converted into a snow mobile

     You old people remember this:

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Day 745

     Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, now that is a mouthful, was founded in 1882 as a Temperance colony. The Toronto-based Temperance Colonization Society was granted 21 sections of land straddling the South Saskatchewan River. The aim of the group was to escape the liquor trade in that city and set up a “dry” community in the Prairie region. Saskatoon is named after the berry of the same name, which is native to the region.

     The first known European to enter Saskatchewan was Henry Kelsey in 1690, who travelled up the Saskatchewan River in hopes of trading fur with the region’s indigenous peoples.

     The province name is derived from the Saskatchewan River, which means “swift flowing river” in the Cree language.  Why didn’t they just name the province “Swift River”, something you can pronounce?

     Tidbit of Information: In 1803 the Louisiana Purchase transferred from France to the United States part of what is now Alberta and Saskatchewan. In 1818 the U.S. gave the area to Britain.

Technical Stuff:

Lloydminster, Alberta, Ca to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada: 173.7 miles

3 hours 18 minutes

12.9 MPG

Diesel: $1.20 Canadian/liter

Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada

Day 744

     Isaac Montgomery Barr, born March 2, 1847 in Hornby, Canada, now part of Ontario, Canada, was an Anglican clergyman.

     He had the vision of an all-British Colony in the middle of the untapped Canadian west. Intended to be an exclusively British Utopian settlement centred on the idea of sobriety, the town of Lloydminster was founded on May 10, 1903 by the “Barr Colonists”, who came directly from the United Kingdom. The town was named for George Lloyd, who took over the colony when Barr realized he bit off more than he could chew.

     When the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were formed out of the Northwest Territories on September 1, 1905, the dividing line went right down the center of Lloydminster. Therefore, it is the only Canadian city in two provinces.

Technical Stuff:

St. Albert, Alberta, Ca. to LLoydminster, Alberta, Canada: 158.5 miles

3 hours 7 minutes

10.4 MPG

Diesel: $1.20 Canadian/liter

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Day 743

     Edmonton is the Capital of Alberta, Canada. Today, it is just another big city. However, someone had forethought. As the city was expanding, and original buildings were being torn down to make way for new, someone thought to preserve their heritage and move these buildings, with their rich history to a preservation area, now called “Fort Edmonton Park”.

     The Park is divided into time eras: 1846 Fort; 1885 Street, 1905 Street, and 1920 Street & carnival midway.

     Each era contains the original, or rebuilt structure from that time, with character actors recreating the times.

     Starting with the establishment of the settlement, we visited Fort Edmonton, built in 1895.

     I even participated in the Metis (half-breed Indian) dancing of the time.

     Although the day started out sunny, a sudden rain storm came upon us, but we improvised.

     Finally, we visited the “midway”, where Barbara enjoyed the rides.

St. Albert, Alberta, Canada

Day 741

     Albert Lacombe was a French-Canadian Roman Catholic Missionary. He was born February 28, 1827 in Saint-Sulpice, a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River, now known as Quebec.

     Before Canada even existed, the Mission of St Albert was founded by Father Lacombe in 1861 on the Sturgeon River in what is now central Alberta, Canada. I think the river might look a little different today than it did in 1861:

     The Mission was named after Father Lacombe’s patron saint, St. Albert of Louvain. One of the first buildings built was the chapel, the original log chapel is still here and is the oldest surviving wooden structure in Alberta.

     The purpose of the mission was to help the local Indians to a better life. Father Lacombe was assisted by The Sisters of Charity of Montreal, more commonly known as “The Gray Nuns”. Unfortunately, it made them feel good, but killed the Indians. 

     The mortal remains of Father Lacombe are contained in a crypt behind his chapel.

     Tidbit of Information: The crypt was originally made of stone, but was converted to this wood because people were chipping away the stone for souvenirs.

Technical Stuff:

Valleyview, Alberta, Canada to St. Albert, Alberta, Canada: 211.4 miles

4 hours 3 minutes

10.5 MPG

Diesel: $1.30 Canadian/litre

Valleyview, Alberta, Canada

Day 740

     On our way here, we passed through the town of Beaver Lodge. Their mascot greeted us.

     The town of Valleyview is here only because it is at the intersection of two highways. We are only staying here tonight. We did not even unhook our truck from the Sphinx. 

Technical Stuff:

Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Valleyview, Alberta, Canada:  151.4 miles

3 hours and 21 minutes

10.3 MPG

Diesel: $1.30 Canadian/liter

Dawson Creek, British Columbia

Day 738

     We have arrived back at Dawson Creek, mile 0 of the Alaska Highway, and the end of our Alaska adventure.

     We have been together 65 days, have traveled 6,423 miles, with pulling the Sphinx 5,427.7 miles and 995.3 miles sightseeing.

     We have been asked what was our favorite site or thing we did during this trip. The scenery in British Columbia and Alaska is the most spectacular we have seen in the World, including the Swiss Alps. We especially liked the ice-fileds of Jasper, Alberta, Canada. The most exciting thing we did was fly with the mail to remote villages by the Arctic Circle. 

     After that flight, we talked with the pilot for about a half hour where he told us how he became a bush pilot, his job in flying around the arctic, both carrying mail and passengers. When he asked us about RVing, we told him of our plan to travel for 5 years around the US and Canada, and things we have done over the past 2 years. He said “Wow, I would sure love to do that!” And I am thinking, “Wouldn’t it be great to be a bush pilot?” I guess the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

     Well, the old gang is breaking up, each going their separate way back to the States.

     We have been abandoned and are alone in a foreign Country. Oh, woe is me. What will become of us?

Technical Stuff:

Fort Nelson, Yukon Territory to Dawson Creek, British Columbia: 280.9 miles

5 hours 41 minutes

9.4 MPG

Diesel: $1.42 Canadian/liter

Fort Nelson, British Columbia

Day 737

     In traveling in British Columbia, we are seeing our now common sights: bison

     bears

     and we even saw Sasquatch

Technical Stuff:

Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, to Fort Nelson, British Columbia: 317.5 miles

6 hours 37 minutes

10.2 MPG

Diesel: $1.42 Canadian/liter

Watson Lake, Yukon Territory

Day 735

     We are now traveling down the Alcan (Alaska Highway) toward Dawson Creek, British Columbia. We were going to take a different route for a change, but there is only one road, and we are on it.

     We will be here only one night, as well as one night on our next stop. If you recall, Watson Lake is where the sign forest is located (see day 690).

     Because the sign forest was so interesting, we went there again today.

Technical Stuff:

Whitehorse, Yukon to Watson Lake, Yukon: 266.5 miles

5 hours 14 minutes

10.2 MPG

Diesel: $1.49 Canadian /liter

Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

Day 734

     The primary means of transportation for those living in rural Alaska and the Yukon Territory of Canada, is dog sleds and snow mobiles (here they are called snow machines) in the winter, and All Terrain Vehicles, when no snow is on the ground. Since we have already ridden dog sleds and snow mobiles, the only thing left is ATVs.

     We had a choice: ride along the meandering river to fish lake, or ride to the top of a mountain to view the lake. Those who regularly view this blog know the answer.

     Round trip was about 25 kilometers

     Took just under 3 hours

Technical Stuff:

Pelly Crossing, Yukon to Whitehorse, Yukon: 181.2 miles

4 hours 10 minutes

9.8 MPG

Diesel: $3.45

Pelly Crossing, Yukon Territory

Day 733

     Pelly Crossing, Yukon Territory,  did not come into existence until 1950 when the Selkirk First Nation Community (we call them native Americans, or Indians) was established as a ferry crossing and a highway construction camp during the building of the Klondike Highway from Whitehorse to Dawson City.

     This place is actually smaller than Chicken, Alaska. Chicken had 4 buildings, here there are two, in addition to this storage shack.

     Because of all the animals (particularly bears), food could not be stored at ground level. These shacks were built for food storage. The metal rings are to keep rodents from climbing up. 

    We are staying in a forrest, with places to park RVs. No hook-ups at all (no electric, no sewer, no water). We use our batteries for power, and our generator to charge the batteries.

     Aren’t we just like the Indians, we fold our tent and move to the next camp?

Technical Stuff:

Dawson City, Yukon to Pelly Crossing, Yukon: 153.0 miles

3 hours 59 minutes

9.3 MPG

Diesel: $3.30

Dawson City, Yukon

Day 731

     Traveling from Chicken, Alaska, to Dawson City, Yukon Territory, we took the only road, the Top of The World Highway. It was 100 miles of dirt road through the mountains. It really was the “Top of the World”.

     We came across a heard of caribou.

     We then had to stop as a bear meandered down the road.

     Arriving at the Yukon River, we found there was no bridge to cross the river. We had to floated the truck and the Sphinx on a ferry to get to Dawson City on the other side.

     On August 16, 1896 prospector George Carmack stumbles across gold while salmon fishing along the Klondike River in the Yukon, starting the Klondike Gold Rush.

     Joseph Francis Ladue was born July 28, 1855  in Schuyler Falls, New York. On August 19, 1896, a few days after the discovery of gold in the Klondike, he staked a claim to 160 acres of boggy flats at the mouth of the Klondike River as a townsite. In January 1897, he named the new town Dawson, after Canadian geologist George Mercer Dawson. Dawson Creek, British Columbia (Day 683), was also named for him. 

     Dawson City became the hub for those arriving to search for gold. Shortly thereafter, the North West Mounted Police arrived to maintain law and order. The first thing the Government did was construct an elaborate government building. This building was constructed to show the United States that Dawson City belonged to the British Empire. The boundary line between Alaska and the Yukon had not yet been drawn. 

     Dawson was incorporated as a city in 1902. Today, over 116 years later, the streets are still dirt,

     and the sidewalks are still boards. 

     All and all, it was an uneventful day.

Technical Stuff:

Chicken, Alaska to Dawson City, Yukon Territory: 110.5 miles

4 hours 57 minutes

7.9 MPG

Diesel: $3.45

Chicken, Alaska

Day 730

       The road to Chicken

     Chicken is a community founded in 1886 as gold miners came here to pan for gold along the 40 mile river. Prospectors named the river 40 mile, which is the distance of the river’s mouth from Fort Reliance, a former Hudson’s Bay Company post upstream along the Yukon River.

     For several years, the 40 mile mining district was the richest gold mining country in the area. Ten years later, in 1896, many left to seek their fortune in the great Klondike Gold Rush.

     Nevertheless, Chicken is one of the few surviving gold rush towns in Alaska. It’s population today is 17. People still come here to pan for gold. 

     In 1902 the local post office was established requiring a community name. Due to the prevalence of ptarmigan in the area (the ptarmigan is a medium-sized game bird in the grouse family), that name was suggested as the official name for the new community. However, the spelling could not be agreed on and Chicken was used to avoid embarrassment.

     In the wintertime, the population of Chicken drops to 7.

     I want to show you a panorama of the town of Chicken. Oh, that is the panorama. How about an arial view?

     We walked to the suburbs of Chicken to see the housing.

     Our property taxes are due at the end of the month. We will cross the Canadian Border to the Yukon tomorrow, therefore we went to the Chicken Post Office (the one established in 1902) to mail our checks.

      When you go to your local post office there is a notice that mail will be picked up at 10:00 o’clock, 2:00 o’clock, etc., in Chicken, it is picked up on Tuesdays. Since there are no highways here (in fact, the only road in and out of Chicken is the one we took), mail is delivered by plane, like the one we took on day 705.

     In ladies outhouse behind post office

     At one time this building was a school house. Today it is the community center of Chicken.

     With a population of 17, it doesn’t have to be very big. 

     It does have central heat. 

     This door was off it’s hinges, inside.

     They spare no expense in Chicken. This is their amphitheater.

Technical Stuff:

Tox, Alaska to Chicken, Alaska: 79.4 miles

2 hours 13 minutes

8.5 MPG

Diesel: $3.45

Tok, Alaska

Day 729

     Since there are very few highways in the State of Alaska, we have to travel the same route over again. We want to go from Valdez, Alaska, to Chicken, Alaska. (Now, this is a really remote place. You have probably never heard of it). To do so, we have to backtrack on the Richardson Highway. We traveled 251 miles today back to Tox, Alaska (see Day 699), and will travel the rest of the way to Chicken tomorrow. Although it is only 77 more miles, it will take us over 2 hours because it is a winding road through the mountains, with sharp curves and switchbacks, some of which are not paved, and with lots of “frost heaves”. 

     There is no sewer, water, cell phone or internet in Chicken, Alaska. Other than the dirt road we will be coming in on (which goes up steep mountain passes, with no guard rails) there are no roads. So, I might be out of contact for a while. You won’t know if I am dead or alive. 

Technical Stuff:

Valdez, Alaska to Tox, Alaska: 251.1 miles

5 hours 4 minutes

10.6 MPG

Diesel: $3.45

Valdez, Alaska

Day 726

     In traveling from Glenallen to Valdez, we stopped to view a glacier

     and a waterfalls

     The port of Valdez was named in 1790 by the Spanish explorer Salvador Fidalgo after the Spanish naval officer Antonio Valdés y Fernández Bazán. A scam to lure prospectors off the Klondike Gold Rush trail led to the town being developed there in 1898.

     Some steamship companies promoted the Valdez Glacier Trail as a better route for miners to reach the Klondike gold fields than that from Skagway. The prospectors who believed the promotion found that they had been deceived. The glacier trail was twice as long and steep as reported, and many men died attempting the crossing. The deception was promoted because the steamship companies where returning to Valdez empty from delivering their fish from the port.

     Finding themselves stranded in Valdez, they settled there. However the town did not flourish until after the construction of the Richardson Highway in 1899, which connected Valdez and Fairbanks. With a new road and its ice-free port, Valdez became permanently established as the first overland supply route into the interior of Alaska. This was further enhanced when Valdez found itself the terminus of the Alaskan Pipeline.

     The Valdez fire department had a unique tribute to 9-11

     We went to Valdez Port to board a catamaran to take us to the Meares Glacier, which is on the Prince William Sound.

     Barbara was an able pilot

     On the way we saw eagles

     Waterfalls

     Sea lions

     Sea Otters

     Some of them brought their kids along

     Seals

     In fact, lots of seals

     Puffin

     Pigeon Guillemot

     You are probably impressed that I can name these birds. Actually, I have a book, Birds of North America, that helps me. 

     I am glad we are not the Titanic

    We saw whales, both humpback

     and orca

    The glacier is named for eighteenth century British naval captain John Meares.

     Meares Glacier is over a mile wide where it meets Prince William Sound.

     Tidbit of Information: There are over 100,000 glaciers in Alaska, only 800 have names. 

     Valdez is the terminus of the Alaska Pipeline

     Oil tankers come in and go out each day

     I am just a shadow of my former self

Technical Stuff:

Glenallen, Alaska to Valdez, Alaska: 117.3 miles

2 hours 48 minutes

10.1 MPG

Diesel: $3.30

Glennallen, Alaska

Day 724

     In 1899, the U.S. Army built a pack trail for summer use between the port of Valdez and Eagle, which passed through the Copper River Valley. In the early 1900’s, the trail was widened and became the Richardson Highway. We are camping just off that highway.

     Construction for the Glenn Highway began at a camp on the Richardson Highway in the Copper River Valley named Glennallen after two U.S. Army explorers of the late 19th century: Capt. Edwin Glenn and Lt. Henry T. Allen. The highway was completed in 1945. Glennallen developed as a small community around the site of the camp. It is now a commercial center for motor traffic along the Glenn and Richardson highways.

     We hiked a very small portion of the original Valdez Trail. It is now located in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve. The preserve was established in 1980 and consists of a mere 13.2 million acres. The park is named after the Wrangell and St. Elias Mountain ranges.

     The Wrangell Mountains were named after Baron Ferdinand Petrovich von Wrangel, born 1796, who was a Russian Naval officer, arctic explorer, and government administrator. He was a governor of the Russian colonies in Alaska (1829-35), director of the Russian American company (1840-49), and Minister of the Navy (1855-57). He was highly critical of the sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867.

     Lt. Henry T. Allen, born April 13, 1859 in Sharpsburg, Kentucky, was a United States Army officer known for exploring the Copper River in Alaska. He was the one to actually name many of the Wrangell Mountains in his exploration of the Copper River Basin in 1885. He also named some of the peaks we saw today, such as Sanford, Drum, and Blackburn.

     Most of the Valdez Trail is through dense woods, but we did come upon this vista. Mt. Drum is 12,010 feet above sea level.

     Tidbit of Information: The difference between a National Park, and a National Preserve, is sport hunting is permitted in the Preserve.

     We decided we would not have enough time to hike the entire 13 million acres, so we decided to drive the above famed Richardson Highway, looking for the other 3 major mountains in the area. All within the The Wrangell Mountain Range. We saw Mt. Drum from a better view, although the clouds came in.

     Mt. Wrangell is 14,163 feet

     Mt. Blackburn at 16,390 feet

     And Mt. Sanford at 16,237 feet. It looks smaller than Drum because it is further away. It is also an active volcano.

     These pictures do not do justice to these views

Technical Stuff:

Palmer, Alaska to Glennallen, Alaska: 142.2 miles

3 hours 51 minutes

9.0 MPG

Diesel: $3.30

Independence Gold Mine, Willow Creek, Alaska

Day 723

     You have probably notice the snow capped mountains in my Alaska pictures over the last month. In visiting the Independence Gold Mine in Willow Creek, Alaska, we went up into those mountains. 

          Robert Lee Hatcher was born in 1867 in Montague County, Texas. In 1906 he discovered gold at this mountain top of Skyscraper Mountain, nearly 5,000 feet above sea level.

     This claim was sold numerous times until taken over by the Independence Gold Mine which was in operation from 1934 to 1950. At its peak, the Independence hard-rock gold mine was home to 206 workers and 16 families

     At this elevation, we were closer to the eagles.

     The mine closed for good in 1950, and laid abandoned for 30 years until the Independence Mine State Historical Park was established in 1980 and began restoring the area. While they managed to perserve the bunkhouse, mess hall, and some other buildings, the processing plant, railroad and mine working buildings have all deteriorated.

     We hiked up part of the mountain to get a view of one of it’s entrances.

      As we went up to the higher elevations we had to go through the not yet melted snow, even though it is now July.

     Going back down the mountain, the Little Susitna River made a nice view of the melting snow from the mountains.

Palmer, Alaska

Day 722

     Russians came to Alaska in 1741 and brought the Russian Orthodox religious tradition to the indigenous peoples of the region. In the early 1890s, an entrepreneur named George W. Palmer built a trading post on the Matanuska River, near present-day Palmer. The town was later named after Palmer.

     We did stop to see the salmon swim upstream. 

     Here they gather to wait their turn.

     You have to admit, this is cool.

Technical Stuff:

Seward, Alaska to Palmer, Alaska: 165.6 miles

3 hours and 22 minutes

10.0 MPG

Diesel: $3.77

Resurrection Bay, Alaska

Day 721

     To get a closer look at Resurrection Bay, at which Seward, Alaska is situated, we decided to kayak. 

     Resurrection Bay received its name from Alexander Baranov, who was forced to retreat into the bay during a bad storm in the Gulf of Alaska. When the storm settled it was Easter Sunday, so the bay was named in honor of it.

     This is our first time kayaking. Barbara is not sure how to use the oars.

     Now that she is tucked in, how do we get her into the water?

     I think she had the better view.

     Lunch time

     The Bay was very calm.

     Although it was overcast with some sprinkles, we had a great time.

     Tidbit of Information: Alaska is the only State you can spell using only one line of the keyboard. 

Seward, Alaska

Day 718

     The area of Seward, Alaska, was first explored by Russian trader and merchant, Alexander Andreyevich Baranov, born 1747 in St. Petersburg, Russia. He established a fur trade post on Resurrection Bay in 1793 where Seward is today. Seward is situated at the head of Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula.The founders and settlers of the town of Seward arrived in 1903 to build the railroad. They named the town in honor of William H. Seward, born May 16, 1801 in Florida, New York. He was the United States Secretary of State under Andrew Johnson when he negotiating the purchase of Alaska from Russia on March 30, 1867.

     Da-da, Da-da, Da-da

     Why are we in Seward, Alaska? Well Resurrection Bay flows into the Gulf of Alaska, where the whales hangout. 

     And, thar she blows:

     We saw whales,

     And whales

     And whales

     We also saw otters

    And harbor seals

     And puffin

     All kinds of birds

     I was going to delete this photo because I did not think my readers would recognize them as whales. But I was told that I had captured the rare photo of whales bubble netting. (In fact, I did delete mine, this is our leader’s photo of the same thing).

     We also saw three glaciers.

     I can tell you their names,       but do you really care?

     This glacier calved while we were there

     The crew picked up some of the glacier ice

     Which they then used to make margaritas

     Tidbit of Information: John Ben “Benny” Benson, Jr., a native Alutiiq, was born October 12, 1913 in Chignik, Territory of Alaska. In 1927, at age 13, he won a territory-wide American Legion contest to design a flag for Alaska, which is now the Alaskan State Flag.

     It looks like something a 13 year old would design.

     Goodbye:

Technical Stuff:

Homer, Alaska to Seward, Alaska: 160.0 miles

3 hours 49 minutes

9.8 MPG

Diesel: $3.64

Seward, Alaska

Day 718

     The area of Seward, Alaska, was first explored by Russian trader and merchant, Alexander Andreyevich Baranov, born 1747 in St. Petersburg, Russia. He established a fur trade post on Resurrection Bay in 1793 where Seward is today. Seward is situated at the head of Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula.The founders and settlers of the town of Seward arrived in 1903 to build the railroad. They named the town in honor of William H. Seward, born May 16, 1801 in Florida, New York. He was the United States Secretary of State under Andrew Johnson when he negotiating the purchase of Alaska from Russia on March 30, 1867.

     Da-da, Da-da, Da-da

     Why are we in Seward, Alaska? Well Resurrection Bay flows into the Gulf of Alaska, where the whales hangout. 

     And, thar she blows:

     We saw whales,

     And whales

     And whales

     We also saw otters

    And harbor seals

     And puffin

     All kinds of birds

     I was going to delete this photo because I did not think my readers would recognize them as whales. But I was told that I had captured the rare photo of whales bubble netting. (In fact, I did delete mine, this is our leader’s photo of the same thing).

     We also saw three glaciers.

     I can tell you their names,     but do you really care?

     This glacier calved while we were there

     The crew picked up some of the glacier ice

     Which they then used to make margaritas

     Tidbit of Information: John Ben “Benny” Benson, Jr., a native Alutiiq, was born October 12, 1913 in Chignik, Territory of Alaska. In 1927, at age 13, he won a territory-wide American Legion contest to design a flag for Alaska, which is now the Alaskan State Flag.

     It looks like something a 13 year old would design.

     Goodbye:

Technical Stuff:

Homer, Alaska to Seward, Alaska: 160.0 miles

3 hours 49 minutes

9.8 MPG

Diesel: $3.64

Anchorage, Alaska

Day 711

     Anchorage, originally known as Ship Creek, is located in the south-central portion of Alaska, at the terminus of the Cook Inlet.

     In 1784, the Russians, active in Alaska since 1743, established a trading post on the shore of Cook Inlet, known as Ship Creek. They fur traded here for over 100 years. Beginning in 1867, when Alaska was purchased from Russia, and continuing until May 17, 1884, when control was turned over to civilians, the military occupied and governed Alaska. Alaska became a Territory on August 24, 1912, and the 49th State on January 3, 1959.

     To open the Territory, President Wilson created the Alaska Railroad Engineering Commission, the first and only federally owned and operated railroad. Ship Creek was chosen as the Headquarters location. The Postal Service renamed this muddy site Anchorage. The town of Anchorage started as a railroad construction settlement, which actually was only a tent city. The Commission governed the area until November 23, 1920, when Anchorage was incorporated into a civilian run city.

     Few places on earth need air transportation more than Alaska. Towns and villages are isolated, with few roads and even fewer places to build them. It is therefore not uncommon to see these planes flying everywhere we go. 

     We visited the Ulu knife factory, legendary knife of the arctic, which evidently is known world wide. 

     Along the Ship Creek, were numerous fishermen looking for salmon.

     The first permanent building built in Anchorage is still standing from 1915. It was used as a general merchandising store. 

     Today, it is also the site of the start of The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

     In the town square the celebration of the summer solstice has begun. They had a Country Singer perform.

     He was pretty good. 

Technical Stuff:

Talkeetna, Alaska to Anchorage, Alaska: 89.6

2 hours 24 minutes

10.3 MPG

Diesel: $3.32