July 10th to July 21st 2006 We are still having sunny days which blend into a golden dusk and the dusk turns into a gentle morning without any real night to speak of!!! It is going to be difficult not to see the sun shining brightly at midnight!!! July 10th to 11th Seward After we arrived in Seward, Anitra and I went to the town to peek into the shops. Rudy and Chuck as well as Sylvia and Rich met us at a local restaurant for dinner. The next day we visited the Alaska Sealife Center where we saw many animals in their natural habitat and learned a great deal. Then we drove to see the Exit Glacier. Here we actually were able to touch the glacier. I guess they call it the Exit Glacier because it is receding at a high rate. We had lunch in town by the water and then went the library to see the movie “Seward is Burning”. It was about the 1964 earthquake and the effects it had on Seward and the surrounding area. Our next stop was one of my highlights of the trip. I got to go to the Godwin Glacier Dog Sled Tour and go on a sled dog ride. First we got a tour of the grounds and met some of the dogs. A couple of dogs were in the 2004 winning team in the Iditarod. Next we got to hold puppies and then Colonel (a dog of the winning team) modeled some of the equipment that the dogs wear when they are racing. As the handlers entered the dog pen area, the dogs went wild, jumping and barking!!! They wanted to be chosen to be part of a dog sled team. As soon as the first team left, the dogs went quite. In fact, you could hear a pin drop. Then it was our turn and the dogs went wild again!!! As the dogs were jumping and barking, we watched as the handlers put a team of 14 dogs on our wheeled sled and we were off. We rode through the forest sweeping through the trees and flying past the river. We stopped for a few minutes to take some pictures and were told by the dogs that they wanted to run again. These dogs are breed to run and to endure the cold and they acted just like race horses before the starting gate is released!! We went out to eat Alaskan king crab with Sylvia and Rich and then went home to sleep…..it was a long day filled to the brim!!!! July 12th Houston Rudy and I left before any of our groups to enable us to pickup Ken and Chris (Rudy’s brother and sister-in-law) at the Anchorage Airport. Rudy left the RV at the campsite so I could cook for the Pot-Luck Dinner, wash our clothes, wash the RV and clean to make room for our guests. We had a great Pot-Luck and everyone met Ken and Chris. July 13th to 15th Denali After we got started, we stopped for coffee in the town of Talkeetna. We were advised to park all the RVs at the Visitor Center and take (two) cars the 15 miles to the town. Since the “town” is only one block long and very narrow streets, it was good advice!! We had great coffee and delicious apple fritters. Then we went down the street to see if we could see Mt. McKinley or Mt. Denali as it is called today. We were in luck, the clouds blew away as we got there. We took many pictures of this peak. Since it is one of the tallest mountains in the world (20,320 feet) it makes its own weather and 80% of the time the peak is not visible. This was a treat and we were happy that we got a peek at the peak!!! Our lunch stop was at Mary’s McKinley View Lodge, usually a good viewing spot for the mountain. Since the clouds covered the mountain again, it wasn’t such a good view!! However, we got to meet Jeanie who is Mary’s mother and she told us many stories of how her mother came to this area and the hardships and adventures she had. Her mother wrote many books. Her first book was on the best sellers list for 17 years (in Alaska!!). We found out the Ken and Chris do like Halibut and that is what we had for dinner!!!! July 14th we woke up at 5 a.m. to get on a bus for the Tundra Wilderness Tour in Denali Park. This was an 8 hour tour in the 61/2 million acre park (as large as Vermont and Mass.) with 350 Grizzly Bears and Brown Bears, 120 Wolves, 2,000 Caribou, a few thousand Dall sheep, and a few thousand Moose. There are also 130 other species of animals. We saw bears (3), a wolf, caribou (20 plus), Sheep (30 plus) and some moose (5). Seeing these five animals is a rare occurrence, but we did it!! We also saw a Gyr Fallon, a few Golden Eagles (which are larger than a bald eagle), rabbits (snowshoe), squirrels, and the place where they found a dinosaur foot print right next to the road. Some interesting facts: 1. Caribou antlers grow an inch a day and Moose antlers grow a pound a day with no calcium in their diet. Scientists are trying to find out why to help us humans with Cancer and Osteoporosis. 2. The tree line in Denali is about 3000 ft. At the Artic Circle the tree line is at sea level so there are no trees above the Artic Circle. 3. This area gets only 15 inches of rain and I think they got that during our stay!!! 4. There was fresh snow on the mountains. The first snow after June usually means the termination of summer; it is July!! 5. No cars are allowed in the park, but 60-70 busses a day are permitted to use the narrow roads causing some interesting passing situations. 6. Alaska has over 3 million lakes at least 20 acres which are used for float planes. It has the most planes per capita then any other state or country in the world. Fairbanks airport even has a water runway! That evening we had a Caravan meeting and it went to bed early…it was a very long day!!! On July 15th seven of our caravan (Rudy and I, Ken and Chris, Sylvia and Rich and Larry) went White Water Rafting on the Nenana River at 10 a.m. The rapids are rated 3-4 and the ride was about two hours long. Many of our caravan friends stopped along the river at several points to take our picture. The ride was FANTASTIC!!! I wanted the front seat and Rudy was right behind me!!! Some of the waves went right over us!!! That night we all went to the Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre in town. It was a fantastic dinner (the red salmon was out of this world!!) and great entertainment. Rudy volunteered Ken to be kissed by Kitty, the bartender who sold kisses!!! I have pictures to prove it!!! July 16th – 21st Fairbanks After settling into our campsite, we got ready for a night out with the group. Our first stop was food again!!! (I am sure I have gained 20 pounds!!!!) It was the Bunk House Buffet Dinner and they had Dungeness crab and just about anything else we wanted. Next we went to the Northern Lights Show which was another highlight. We now want to go back in the winter to see the awesome sights. Last, we went to the Malamute Saloon Show and Ken got kissed again and so did Rudy by the singer; I think they were too close to the stage!!! On the 17th, we had a tour of Fairbanks and stopped at the Alaska Pipeline Exhibit and then on to the El Dorado Gold Mine. Some facts about the Alaska Pipeline: 1. Oil was discovered in 1968 2. First pipe was laid in 1975 and began to flow in 1977 3. Construction cost $8 million 4. Some 420 miles of the 800 mile-long pipeline are elevated on top of 78,000 vertical support members because of the permafrost 5. The pipeline’s high point is 4,739 feet 6. About 1 million barrels of oil per day currently move through the pipeline at about 4 mph We boarded a train for a short ride to the operating gold mine. We traveled through a permafrost tunnel and stopped along the way for demonstrations on mining equipment and procedures. Then we stopped at the gold mine where the owners put a ton of “pay dirt” into the sluce box. They then used water from a storage pond high above the box to wash away most of the useless soil and rocks. They used some of the residue to show us how to pan for gold. It was really incredible to see how much gold they found!! Then we all got a bag of this residue and every one of us panned for gold. The yields were $8 to $40 of gold for each couple. I had a locket made with the gold we found. The gift shop was huge and we think they make 5 times as much there then the few flakes of gold everyone got!!! July 18th is our last day with the caravan!!!!! This morning we went on the Riverboat Discovery Cruise on the Chena and Tanana Rivers. They even made us wait ½ hour in a huge gift shop before the boat was ready for boarding…..life is tough!!! We sat on the third deck in an enclosed area on the Riverboat. The three and a half hour narrative cruise was most interesting. Shortly after we left the dock, a float plane took off and landed next to the boat a couple of times for our enjoyment. After awhile, we stopped at the river front home of Iditarod Dog Musher Susan Butcher. Since she is in the lower 48 receiving treatment for cancer, one of the other musher’s gave a demonstration and introduced some of her dogs. Then we stopped to see a fish wheel in operation, some reindeer, and last an Old Chena Indian Village. We disembarked for a tour into the village. Alaskan Natives shared their culture as they recounted how their ancestors hunted, fished, sewed clothing and built shelters to survive for centuries in the harsh Alaskan wilderness. We also saw another demonstration of the Iditarod champion’s sled dog team. That night we had our Farewell Dinner. Anitra read her poem and we all sang the song Sylvia wrote. Anitra played her violin and Sylvia played the Omnichord. Then our group surprised the others with a Native song. Sylvia and Anitra played their instruments while Jill and I animated the words with crazy antics that I choreographed. Everyone laughed and it broke the tension of all the good-byes and the sad farewells!!!! On July 19th, only five RV’s were left. Ken, Chris, Rudy and I went to the Ice Palace and saw some of the winning ice carvings from the past years contest. We all took a turn sliding down the ice carved slide that was in the 20 degree ice box. Around three o’clock we took Ken and Chris to the airport and said good-bye. Then Rudy and I, Rich and Sylvia and Chuck and Anitra went to a hill top to see Mt. McKinley (it was misty), went for pizza and played dominoes. (I won!!) July 20th, we were down to four rigs. Rudy and I went to the North Pole to see Santa, the Fur Factory, the Alaskan Museum which is one year old, and to catch a glimpse of Mt. McKinley. (It was visible at 135 miles away, but my camera didn’t do it justice.) Anitra and I went to the bowl factory to see how they make the bowls. It takes 20 days from start to finish and a lot of TLC to make one bowl. That night, the four remaining couples decided to get together for some hamburgers and conversation. On July 21st, the four of us left the campgrounds and headed to Beaver Creek in the Yukon. We all needed to get fuel, so we met at the North Pole. We passed Mt. McKinley which was visible and looked gorgeous in the sunlight. They say that 80% of the time you can’t see it, but we have seen it several times and today was the best!!! We stopped several times to take pictures of the mountain and felt very fortunate. We stopped at the Delta Junction which is the official end of the Alaskan Highway and took some more pictures. We had lunch at Tok (you have to go through Tok to get in or out of Alaska by road) and said a sad good-bye to Sylvia, Rich and Alaska. And now we are three!!!!