Final few days

Our time in Alaska is drawing to a close, but we've been able to continue our adventures. Saturday we drove through Anchorage, visited the downtown market, and headed down to the ski/tourist town of Girdwood. We stayed overnight at the Crow Creek Mine, and tried our hands again at panning for gold. No luck this time. But we have a great hike. We came across a hand tram over a raging river gorge, and tested our bravery and our upper body strength.


We also visited another glacier -- this time we went to the Portage Glacier, which calves icebergs into Portage Lake. The boat tour we took brought us close to the face.

Yesterday we spent a good deal of time cleaning up the RV, dropping it off and shuttling to the hotel. But we did fit in a late afternoon horse ride in a cross country ski park. All went well for man and beast, and Jason even got his wish to try galloping when his horse bolted!

Today we pack up, and spend some time downtown while waiting to board our overflight flight. All in all, this has been a once in a lifetime adventure for our family, and for it we are truly and deeply grateful. But we're all also ready to return home.

Down through Alaska's Interior

Tuesday morning we left our campsite early to go to the Eldorado Gold Mine. After getting some instruction on the history of mining and the how to on finding gold, we got to pan for gold on our own. We were all intently focused on the task at hand, and struck gold. Each of us had at least a few flakes in our pans, worth a total of $77!

After all that work it was time to relax. We drove northeast to Chena Hot Springs, where we relaxed in the different hot (and regular) pools. This one pictured below had a jet of hot water that gave a terrific massage.
At the end of the day, a number of forestry pickup trucks arrived, and crews climbed out and started putting on gear. Then a helicopter arrived, with a sling and a huge water bag underneath. Turns out a wildfire started just a mile away, and crews were scrambling to get it contained as soon as possible. While we ate dinner, we watched 3 water bombers fly back and forth over the resort site.

We got a beautiful site just down the road, at a state recreation area--the campsites were well spaced from one another. Wednesday morning, we woke to an eerie yellow daylight, caused by the smoke from the nearby fires.

As we drove south from Fairbanks to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the smoke numerous forest fires filled the skies. This is the 'scenic view' from a roadside pullout, along the Tanana River.

A highway sign at Delta Junction, right at the end of the Alaska Highway. A number of Alaskan warning signs place a high value on clarity.

Much of the drive south from Fairbanks was alongside the Alaska Pipeline, from Prudhoe Bay on the Beaufort Sea all the way down to Valdez on the Gulf of Alaska. Here Jason lends his presence to help with perspective.

Thursday morning we went to the visitor center at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, the largest of all in the national parks system -- more than 12 million acres. Then we headed back east toward Anchorage on the Glenn Highway, stopping for the night at the Matanuska Glacier. The glacier is more than a mile in the distance behind the RV.

After dinner we hiked out to see it at closer range. once we got past the hills and valleys of silt and gravel deposits, we could walk on the ice -- a surreal bluish colour due to its density and suspended particles.

This morning (Friday) we went up the Hatcher Pass and spent most of the day at Independence Mine State Historical Park. It was Alaska's number one producing gold mine in the 1930's. Many of the buildings and structures are collapsing, but some have been preserved enough to show how deep, hard rock mining was done. We tried panning for gold here too -- no luck.

Denali and Fairbanks

We spent four wonderful days in Denali National Park. And because its been so long since I’ve been able to post anything, I thought I’d test the posting limits of blogspot and send up a whole bunch of my favourite shots.

The first day was mostly taken up with a bus trip into the park, which allows private vehicles only a limited distance along the only road. We rode through some incredible scenery, such as appropriately named Polychrome Pass.

But we were especially keen to see the wildlife. In our time at Denali, on the tour and otherwise, we saw many, including ptarmigan, golden eagles, caribou, coyote and some grizzly bears, such as this one that crossed the road right behind our bus.

At the Toklat Interpretive Center, we had a great visual aid dealing with the question of whether or not bears could deal with canned food.

Off and on throughout the first day, we kept getting partial glimpses of Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America. Finally, late in the day, we rounded the corner on the way to our campsite and there it was in all its 20,320 feet of glory.
We camped three nights at Teklanika campground, as far in the park as we could go. We had a great time hiking and playing among its many meandering, icy branches. This shot with Laura gives you a good idea of what the river is like.

On a ridge above the river, I got new wallpaper for my laptop.

Together we built an Inukshook. This is a kind of stone monument in human shape that Inuit and Inuk hunters would built on the open tundra, to remind others who followed that they are not as alone as they might feel out in the barren open.

On our way out of Denali, we stopped at the park kennels to see the dogs that work all winter on the dogsled patrols. We listened as a ranger gave a talk about the sled dog program, watched a demonstration, and had a chance to meet the dogs in person.
After Denali, we were planning to stay at an RV park in Nenana, but nearby wildfires made the air so smoky that we continued on to our next destination: Fairbanks. Here is downtown Nenana, with the air, sky and early evening sun blocked by wildfire smoke.

We found a great site at an RV park right in Fairbanks, right on the Chena River. One of the attractions in downtown Fairbanks is the Ice Museum, a showcase for the international ice sculpture competition that takes place here every March. There we saw a slide presentation, and then had a tour of the ice sculptures, in coolers set at -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Here’s Christa posing as an ice musher.

We also watched a demonstration of ice carving technique, through the glass so we could warm up again.

Monday morning we went to the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. While the others ate breakfast, I went to the art gallery and saw a number of beautiful and interesting pieces, like this Cup’ik interpretation of the Statue of Liberty.

In the natural history section, we met Blue Babe, a steppe bison that was killed by lions some 36,000 years ago. It was found in the permafrost a few years ago, and restored through specialized taxidermy. They did such a good job that the teeth marks of the lions are clearly visible.

That afternoon we took a riverboat tour on the Chena River. The family that owns this business has been here running riverboats since the Klondike gold rush of 1898.

We stopped off at a recreated Athabaskan village, where we were introduced to different aspects of traditional native life by native guides (college students at their summer jobs). It was very informative. Here a guide shows the traditional women’s parka, and told us the reason for each of the parts. For instance, that darker fur around the inside of the parka around her face is wolverine. Wolverine fur has an oily texture that prevents it from freezing to your face when your breath condenses in the air at -50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Finally, we got back to our campsite for dinner. There the kids discovered that the ducks in the river were so tame that they could feed them by putting bread crumb on their bellies as they laid in the grass. Somehow, this had not occurred to us earlier.

Adventures in the Land of the Midnight Sun

All is well with the Vander Horsts aboard the Alaska Express. We are having a great time (except for the occasional squabble that might be expected among siblings in close quarters). We've traveled north from Anchorage to the entrance area of Denali National Park. Along the way we've explored a modern Russian Orthodox cathedral, taken a summer time dogsled ride at the Iditarod Headquarters, caught huge rainbow trout and arctic grayling in a mountain lake, been rafting through a whitewater canyon and climbed the dusty hills in ATV's. I'd love to post pictures, but the hour is late and again the wifi connection is ponderously slow.

Tomorrow we'll go deep into the national park on a wilderness bus ride and then take the RV to the one of the campgrounds. We'll again be out of contact range until Saturday or Sunday, when we reach Fairbanks. You'll hear from us again then.

Fun and Cultural Enlightenment

Thursday and Friday have been fairly relaxed for us. I toured the Russian Orthodox Museum alone Thursday morning, as I was the only one interested (surprising, I know). That afternoon we all went to the Anchorage Museum of Art and History. Though going through an expansion, the museum's exhibits were mostly open and mostly engaging. They had great miniatures, such as this one of an Aleut village bringing in a whale.

Here's a Haida platter, carved out of stone (argillite).

After a few hours in a museum, the kids were ready to blow off some steam. We found a playground and played tag on the way home.

Friday was very relaxed. We slept in, cleaned up the rental car, returned it, and picked up the RV. 31" looks bigger in real life than on paper. But grocery shopping goes easier, because we can transfer the groceries straight from the cart to the kitchen. We also had Mark and Pam Van Dyke over for Alaskan halibut and salmon--yum! We've had a great week in Anchorage and area, but are looking forward to more exploring with the RV.

Out and About in Anchorage and Beyond

Again, a busy few days. Saturday we said farewell to the Van Kootens and traveled back up the Kenai Peninsula to Anchorage, where we are based this week. Sunday we attended worship at Trinity CRC in Anchorage, where we met up with Mark and Pam Van Dyke. the Van Dykes attend Shawnee Park with us in Grand Rapids, but are up in Anchorage for the summer for Mark's seminary internship. This week he'll be busy with vacation Bible school, but we hope to connect later on.

Monday, we spent a few hours at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, a sort of living museum and showcase of native Alaskan cultures. In the theatre area, we watched demonstrations of competitive Eskimo sports and also some traditional dances. These costumes are typical of the Tlingit peoples of southeastern Alaska.
Outdoors, we saw 6 different traditional homes typical of different regions of Alaska. All of them are permanent construction (igloos were temporary shelters created and used when away from the home village, such as on a hunting expedition). This one is from the Yupik people of the southwestern mainland of Alaska.

We also saw a lot of native art created by artisans, both past and present. This is a women's headdress from the Aleut people.

Yesterday (Tuesday), we left for an overnight trip south. On the way, we stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a place for rehabilitating and caring for injured or orphaned animals. We saw just about all the major Alaskan land mammals here, including elk, caribou, grizzly bears, black bears, muskox, wood bison, plains bison, and moose, inlcuding this baby whose mother was killed on the road.

We made it to the seaside town of Seward, where we spent time at the Alaska Sealife Center, where we saw many coastal birds and animals, from giant sea lions to spiny sea urchins to playful sea otters to diving sea birds. Here's Laura with her hands in the Touch Tank, where you could stroke the starfish (not a leisurely activity, as the water was a chilly 39 degrees Fahrenheit).

This morning we got up in time to head out and explore Exit Glacier. After a short hike, we made it near to the edge, where it towered above us (in the rain).

We went out on a bay cruise later in the morning. Unfortunately, our longer glacier and wildlife cruise was cancelled due to rough seas, so we went on a shorter wildlife cruise. We didn't see any whales or orcas, but a highlight was this group of sea lions gathered on a rock.

A sterling week in the Kenai Peninsula

We've had an exciting and fun filled week in the Kenai Peninsula with our friends Gerry and Jan Van Kooten at their cabin in Sterling. Sorry for the delay in postings. I'll try to post more often this week.

The drive from Anchorage to Sterling took most of the day, because we kept stopping to see the sights. A highlight was taking the Aleyeska Tram to the top of a ski hill, where we could see down the mountain and out to the salt water of Turnagain Arm. We stopped to play in the snow near the foot of small glacier.

We worshipped Sunday with Gerry and Jan at the Sterling Baptist Church, and some of us went on a hike that afternoon to a nearby lake. But the big hike was the next day when we went to the Russian River Falls -- 5 miles round trip! Unfortunately, we left our lunch and water bottles at the cabin, so the kids were especially glad to see the car again at the trailhead. Their efforts were rewarded with a fine lunch at a Cooper Landing Restaurant.

As we returned to the Van Kootens' cabin, we spotted this cow moose and her two calves near the roadway.

On Tuesday we explored around the nearby cities of Soldotna and Kenai. Eric was intimidated by the world record king salmon in the Soldotna Visitors' Center -- over 97 pounds!

At a homestead museum, Jason had a close encounter with a (stuffed) grizzly.

Many coastal towns have a Russian Orthodox Church, since Russians were the first western peoples to build settlements in Alaska. We visited this church in the city of Kenai, and spent some time talking with the priest there.

An icon in the church -- a familiar sight after so much time spent last month in Jerusalem.

We ended up on the beach at the mouth of the Kenai River, where the kids discovered the clay-like properties of the mud there.

We spent a couple of days in Homer, literally at the end of the road. We spent Thursday exploring the town together, but the day before Laura and I went out on a fishing charter and each caught our limit of halibut. Tasty!

On Friday, our last full day in the Kenai Peninsula, we visited a tribal cultural center, where we learned which forest plants can be eaten and why the raven is a scavenger and not a predator (among other things). That evening, Gerry took us out fishing on the Kenai River for rainbow trout. We didn't land anything, but Eric surprised us all by bringing a nice sockeye salmon to the boat before the line snapped. Here he is taking instructions from Captain Van Kooten.