Alaska Rail

 

Alaskan Museums

 

In Alaska we went to two major museums and also some casual museums. Casual museums were the displays at the train depot or a park or the airport or in some dining establishments. The first major museum was in Anchorage. We got off the plane before lunch, took the city bus into town, got off the bus, walked a mile to a taco stand, ate outside at the taco stand, walked another half mile to the Anchorage Museum at 625 C Street. We paid our admission and stored our luggage in lockers which cost a quarter but you got the quarter back. After all that walking with a backpack and pulling a wheeling suitcase, my back still felt like I was carrying extra weight. Offspring #2 was kind enough to take some of my burden along the way and up the hills but my old bones would not forget the torment. Plus I had a delicious taco in my belly that my body was trying to digest. I was trying to adjust to the three hour time difference. I wasn't at my best at this museum which featured science, nature, native art and a planetarium. The museum was huge and it reminded me of the Science Museum in Saint Paul. I looked and I read display information and I watched video but I could tell the information was not soaking into my brain. After a few hours of walking around and trying to comprehend science and nature and native art and the night sky, I had to sit down and drink a hot cocoa for a few minutes. The gift shop was nice but like all museum gift shops the merchandise was expensive. I was in better shape for the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor Center on Dunkel Street in Fairbanks. This museum was close to the Chena River. This time we left our luggage at Sven's Base-Camp Hostel so we weren't carrying heavy loads as we walked. We were used to Alaska time. And we had just had delicious coffee and crepes for lunch. My head was all clogged from sleeping in the dusty tree house but my back and legs felt fine. I took Dayquil. There is no admission charge for the Morris Thompson Center. Morris Thompson was a native leader, businessman and political appointee. Morris headed the Alaska division of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the 1970's. He did such a good job they named a visitor center and museum after him. I learned quite a bit at this museum because my head was in a better place to accept new knowledge and ideas. I wish we had come to this museum on our way into Fairbanks or even on our way into the entire state of Alaska instead of our way out of town but I'm glad we made it here at all. We saw all the exhibits in a couple of hours and then we had to start walking back to Sven's hostel. We walked along the Chena River looking at downtown Fairbanks and watching motor boats zoom upstream and downstream. When we left the hostel it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit. By 4 p.m. it was 76 degrees Fahrenheit. We peeled off our extra layers and put our hats and mittens away. We walked through Pioneer Park which looked interesting but we had to get going. Pioneer Park reminded me of Deadwood, South Dakota or the Pioneer Park in Seattle, Washington. We walked through a residential neighborhood. We walked through some gift shops and an antique store. We walked past a dog park and an industrial neighborhood. We walked past a high school before coming back to an area with shops and restaurants. We ate at a Mexican restaurant before gathering out luggage and going home. A six day trip is not enough time to devote to such a wonderful state. I could spend an entire summer here (but never a winter). I have to say though that our trip was jam packed full of active adventure. Essentially the trip was designed for a person half my age. I managed just fine even with arthritis and even with a pandemic. What states do I have left to explore? Let me think, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina and West Virginia. Sounds like a road trip east is in order!

In The Market For A New Backpack

I bought this Swiss Gear back pack in 2006. This bag has been to Kenya, Seattle, San Diego, Connecticut, Sicily, Italy, Greece, Georgia, Germany, Japan, Ecuador, Michigan, Montana, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Poland, Texas, Tasmania, New Mexico, North Dakota, Finland, Florida, Alabama, Amsterdam, Australia and Alaska. I didn't take it to Isle Royale. I bought a special backpack for Isle Royale and a strap on that new backpack broke on the second day of the trip.

But my back pack is wearing out.  You can see the fabric is starting to tear. That round hole at the top was the new thing in 2006 because you could thread your ear buds and listen to music playing inside your bag. I never did thread my ear buds through there but I could have.

I kept my cell phone in that tiny pocket on the strap! That was a cellphone where you had to press the 7 key four times to get the letter s.

The strap on the left partially melted when I rode my motorcycle to work. I must have hit the muffler with it before I got saddle bags. Sometimes that strap would whip my thighs in the wind and boy, howdy, that hurt. I am in the market for a  new backpack now. I hope the new one lasts 15 years like this one did. So long Swiss Gear back pack. Thanks for carrying all my stuff. You were real comfy.

 

Alaska Rail

 

Our train conductor on our first ride from Anchorage to Seward was the best conductor. He was jolly and personable and I could tell he loved his job. He said his Dad worked for Alaska rail so he grew up playing on trains. He even said "All Aboard!" He reminded me of Ringo Star on Thomas the Tank Engine. He asked me for my ticket. I hauled it out of my back pocket, all crinkled and rumpled. This conductor didn't mind. He used an old fashioned hole cutter and cut the stars so my ticket looks like the state of Alaska flag. I kept that ticket because I thought it was cool he took the time to do that for every passenger. None of the other three conductors did that for us.

We were always assigned to car D. Cars E and F were behind us. At first I stayed in my seat. I heard all the hospitals in Alaska were full and I didn't want to risk an injury. I know someone who fell down the steps of the train in Alaska and ended up in a coma for a week in Anchorage. By the second ride on the train I conquered that fear. I used the dining car. We spent most of our time in car F because we could go upstairs and see the view from the car with all windows. I guess we weren't supposed to stay there all the time so other guests can rotate in and out but car F was never completely full. Each rail car is old. Our first ride was in a car from the 1950's. My seat reclined completely and I could hardly reach the foot pedals on the seat in front of me. Using my winter coat as a pillow I even snoozed a little bit after the boat cruise. The rail cars from the 1960's were also comfortable but had considerably less leg room. The engineers on the train would spot wildlife and an Alaska rail employee would say, "Look for two moose on the right just behind those trees. Oh, now they are running into the trees. Too late, they are gone." Car F didn't get to see as many moose as the cars ahead. From the train we saw moose, beluga whales, bald eagles, golden eagles, trumpeter swans, mallards, and robins. We saw glaciers and coal mines. The train went through small towns and the view from the train is very different than the view from the highway. The train made both whistle stops and flag stops. People would stand at a flag stop and the conductor would stop and pick them up. Backpackers wanted to get off so the train would stop and let them walk into the wilderness. Three out of four train rides were late in arriving. The train went very slow when we were going around curves or next to rock cliffs. Once I could see the front AND the end of the train in the same view. The voice on the speaker would say, "Once we get through this tunnel, turn around in your seat and take a picture right away because this river blah blah blah." The voice told us how to tell the difference between black spruce, white spruce and tamarack trees. Once, in the F car a conductor came by to chat. He told us the entire town of Ferry, Alaska, moons the train on the 4th of July. Wow! The state of Alaska contacted the police department in the town of Ferry about the mooning behavior and the police said he could talk to them but it would only make things worse. I have not downloaded the pictures and movies from my camera yet but I might have a movie to blog about if I can remember how to do that.

Wanderlust

Here is another great restaurant we went to in Anchorage. We got there at 5:55 a.m. When they opened at six we were the first ones there. We got coffee and scones because we were going to the train depot and heading north to Denali. We knew from our train ride the day before, to Seward, that food was limited on the train unless you paid extra money. The state of Alaska can't seem to find enough people to keep the dining car open for the cheap seats. Even the little cafe where you can buy coffee or soda or corn dogs and other snacks wasn't open all the time because the staff had to take a break. So this coffee and fresh scone was delicious and helped tide me over during the trip. No body has fun when Momma is hangry.

Alaska is so photogenic I just don't know when to stop taking pictures.

I'm glad we rented a car for the national park. Taking the national park bus has advantages. The bus goes farther than where cars are allowed this week. Next week cars are allowed farther in. No one can get past the landslide though. The landslide broke the approximately 90 mile park road in half at mile 45. By using the car, we could get in and out whenever we wanted. We noticed most people in the bus did not get out. The bus has higher seating though so they could see farther than we could. We were lucky to get any cars at all. I wanted a Cadillac but none were available. We had a Ford sedan the first day and a Ford Expedition SUV the second day. There is only one car rental place in the area and I guess they like Fords. We picked up this Ford at the train depot because the previous renter got on the train we just got off. We picked up the Expedition at the train depot too. See those red stemmed wildflowers on the right side on the road with the white fluffy tops? That is fireweed. Fireweed colonizes quickly after a fire. Fireweed grows in Minnesota too but I have never seen it so abundant nor as tall as it is here in Alaska. We saw fireweed in patches that were seven feet tall. The fireweed leaves can be used for tea. The fluff in the fall can be used in weaving or for padding. In Alaska people use the lavender flowers to make fireweed jelly. 

The car rental agency lent us bear spray and binoculars. We could have asked for hiking poles too but I forgot. When she gave us the bear spray I asked if we apply it now like mosquito spray or wait until we see a bear before applying it. I made a joke. She didn't even crack a smile. She ignored me completely. You would think good customer service would mean at least smiling at a semi-funny joke. But, no, she did not smile at me. Also, my hands reeked from holding the containers of bear spray so we kept them in a plastic bag. I was glad to borrow the bear spray because bear spray costs fifty dollars and I could not take it home on the plane. I was going to bring my jingle bells but Offspring #2 thought that was a crazy idea. Bear bells are still for sale at sporting good stores. The National Park decided a few years ago that bear bells are no good and bear spray is the way to go. The National Park still sells bear bells. They also sell bird lists for 75 cents. We didn't see any bears on our trip but we were prepared. The binoculars that the car rental agency lent us were AWESOME! I was surprised when she gave us a quick lesson on how to focus the binoculars. These were Steiner self-focusing binoculars and now I want to buy a pair for myself because I love Steiner self-focusing binoculars.

I guess I have a bad case of the wanderlust. Here is our mascot, Bullwinkle, waiting for our flight out of Fairbanks to go home. We took the red-eye. The plane took off about 11 p.m. Alaska time. Every seat on the plane was taken. During this whole trip I hoped to see northern lights. I hoped we would see them on Offspring #2's birthday. No such luck. We did see northern lights for five minutes while taxiing on the runway in Fairbanks. The seats on the left side of the plane had a better view. I had the middle seat on the right side. Offspring #2 had the window seat. Some other young woman who liked northern lights had the aisle seat. If we ducked our heads and looked to the left we could see the green northern lights better until the people in our row on the left side of the plane shut their windows. Yep, you heard that right. They shut their windows. Passengers on a plane have every right to shut their windows. The seat belt sign was on so we had to stay in our seats. By the time the seat belt signs went off the northern lights show had ended. I have seen northern lights many times but this was Offspring #2's only encounter with aurora borealis so far.

 

Eating Out!

After 18 months of eating at home or a rare take-out meal, we enjoyed some dine in meals in Alaska. We had to wear masks on the plane, on the train, and in lyft vehicles, but masks were not mandatory in restaurants. On the plane and the train we ate meals but had to reapply the mask between bites or sips. In restaurants we could leave the mask off for the entire meal. Our first meal was burritos from a truck in Anchorage. El-Green-Go's food truck is rated number one there and it was good food but expensive. On our second day in Anchorage we were aboard the train and the boat for 17 hours so we brought snacks. Snacks don't/can't replace a real meal so we had Taco Bell delivered to our VRBO at midnight. In Denali we went to the 49th State Brewery which had great food but was so loud I couldn't hear myself think. The next night we went to Prey Pub and Eatery. We should have known better because the first word was Prey so obviously they excel in carnivore food. Our meals were vegetarian but very bland. We went out for brunch at Rose's Cafe in Denali which is a family owned business and very good food. I would go there again. Even the bus boys were part of the family and they looked to be about twelve years old. In Fairbanks we went to a Mexican restaurant by our hostel tree house and that too was very good food. Meals are good in Alaska; pricey but good.

 

Sven's Base Camp Hostel

Offspring #2 booked a tree house for our last night in Alaska. Sven's Base Camp Hostel is located in Fairbanks and it is within walking distance of downtown Fairbanks. This is my view upon leaving our house headed to the bunkhouse where the bathrooms, sinks, showers, laundry, and kitchen are located. That first step onto the rope bridge is the scariest. To get across I had to channel my inner "Jane" and picture Tarzan waiting for me.

Look at the beautiful birch wood railing. I could do that!

Every time Offspring #2 rolled over in bed the whole tree house shook a little. For some reason, I got the sneezes in this tree house. Maybe the pillow had some dust in it. In any case I sneezed seven times in a row and shook the tree house. 

Try hanging on to the rope bridge while carrying your back pack, your fanny pack, and your rolling suitcase!

The temperature was below freezing when I went to the bathroom at 6 a.m. but it warmed up to 68 degrees by afternoon.

Tree houses are fun. We had an electric heater which kept us toasty warm at night.

I would stay here again at Sven's hostel. I met some fascinating people in the bunkhouse at breakfast.

Sven's offers several tree house, several tents on platforms, several cabins, and camp grounds.

I am proud to say I slept in a tree house.

 

The 49th State

Our trip mascot, Bullwinkle, overlooking Canadian Rockies on our flight from Minneapolis to Anchorage.

After a day in Anchorage we took the Alaska train ride south to Seward to go whale watching. We had a five hour train ride, a six hour cruise, and another 5 hour train ride back to Anchorage.

From Anchorage we took the train north to Denali National Park. Do any other states have their very own train system? I love this train!

Parts of the park are restricted due to a land slide and parts are restricted due to Covid. This part is restricted because this is where the moose rut. The moose have a section of the park right along the one and only road to do the deed. 

A willow ptarmigan struts along the gravel path blending in with the background.

A forest service log cabin in the woods is still used by the park dog sledders who go out on patrol. Nails jut out of the wooden window coverings which I guess is to deter the bears from coming in.

Offspring #2 directs me to take a picture of her by that rock near some trees. I know she has navy pants on and a purple jacket but from here everybody looks the same so I take a photo. I take 25 photos. I have no idea which one is her. Later I learn she can see me by our rental car and is waving at me but I just walk away like I don't care about her at all.

 

Our Mascot

Follow the adventures of our mascot, Bullwinkle the Moose, as we travel in Alaska.

Also, this is a sign on the public bus seat on the bus from the airport to the downtown Anchorage transportation hub. Text the bus company if you see overflowing garbage, moose, fighting or drug use.