Alaska '06

On the way up we flew from Detroit to Minneapolis/St. Paul, and from Minnneapolis/St. Paul to Anchorage. The kids all did fantastic, and the stopover at MSP allowed Rachel to grab a nap in a quiet corner of the airport.

We rode the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward and back. The train left Anchorage at 8 am, arrived Seward at noon. It departed Seward at 6 pm for the journey home.

Here Trey, (cousin ) Tatiana, Jesse, Lauren and Rachel snack in preparation for departure from the Anchorage Depot.

The Good Friday Earthquake (also called the Great Alaska Earthquake) of Friday, March 27, 1964, was the most powerful earthquake in U.S. and North American history. As of 2006, it remains the third most powerful earthquake measured in modern times anywhere in the world. The small coastal towns of Girdwood and Portage, located approximately 40 miles southeast of Anchorage on Turnagain Arm, were destroyed. Girdwood was later relocated a few miles inland, while Portage, which subsided below sea level, was abandoned entirely. The influx of this salt water killed these trees.

The forward cars of the railroad can be seen as we approach the Spencer Glacier.

SPENCER GLACIER: Just a mile from the train track, Spencer Glacier stands out as one of the most beautiful glaciers along the southern railbelt.

Nicole's Sister Kristen looks out of the train's window as we pass over a river.

As we approached Seward, we came upon a lake with several float planes. The color of the water is common of many glacier fed lakes and rivers.

Lunch would be served on the boat, but we didn’t know when. Just to be on the safe side, we got Rachel a hot dog before we boarded. Nicole cuts up the hot dog while her sister Kristen looks on.

Our sea life tour was a 3 hour trip around Resurrection Bay by boat. Resurrection Bay was named in 1792 by Russian fur trader and explorer Alexander Baranof. While sailing from Kodiak to Yakutat, he found unexpected shelter in this bay for a storm. He named the Bay Resurrection because it was the Russian Sunday of the Resurrection.

The first wildlife we encountered was a group of Sea Lions sunning themselves on the rocks.

Lauren, Jesse and Tatiana decided to strike a dramatic pose on the bow of our boat.

It took about 30 minutes until someone in the group spotted a whale. We followed the whale for about 15 minutes waiting for it to leap from the water, but this whale was content to casually fish for its lunch along the shore on the east side of the bay.

Aunt Chairi took Rachel inside for her nap time.

The boat captain knew where the sea lions and the Puffins would be found, other than that we had to be on the look out for any wildlife either swimming or on land. Here Kristen, Lauren and Jesse look out from the boat’s bow.

Skip with Resurrection Bay in the background.

Trey and Zachary fell out for a nap mid cruise.

It got a little chilly out on the water, especially when the boat was moving at speed.

An Alpine Glacier viewed from Resurrection Bay.

A double waterfall along Resurrection Bay.

Taken just as the city became visible on our return from the open ocean end of Resurrection Bay.

Lauren, Jesse, and Tatiana strike another pose, this time after we got off of the boat at the Seward Small Boat Harbor.

Aunt Kristen entertains Rachel while we wait to board the train.

Zachary and Trey wait to board the train for the return trip to Anchorage.

The he had driven past the highway turnoff many times, Skip last went on this hike when he was in pre-school, and only recalled through old home movies.

Though classified as an “easy” hike, the one mile trip from the lot to the falls was a bit challenging when carrying tired children and pushing Rachel’s stroller up and down some fairly steep hills.

Taken at the Falls’ viewing platform—one of the few shots of our entire travel group. Thunderbird Falls are visiting just over Lauren’s left shoulder.

The path and viewing platform were a few hundred feet higher than the river valley below. The viewing platform had guardrails, but most of the pathway did not. We kept the kids from the edge while hiking.

An ubobstructed view of the falls.

Eklutna lies near the mouth of the Eklutna River at the head of the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet, 25 miles northeast of Anchorage along the Glenn Highway. The Dena'ina Athabascan village of Eklutna is the oldest inhabited location in the Anchorage area, having been inhabited for over 800 years. Russian Orthodox missionaries arrived in the 1840s. The melding of Orthodox Christianity and native practices resulted in the brightly-colored spirit houses which can be seen at the Eklutna Cemetery that Nicole is standing in front of. The cemetery has been in use since 1650.

A closer view of the Spirit Houses in Eklutna.

The kids in downtown Anchorage overlooking Cook Inlet with Mount Susitna visible on the horizon.

Mt. Susitna, popularly known in Southcentral Alaska as Sleeping Lady, lies across Cook Inlet from the City of Anchorage.

The story of Sleeping Lady has traveled by word of mouth throughout the region since at least the 1930's. The source of the original story is unknown.

Here is the folktale retold by Ann Dixon, a librarian at the Willow Public Library in Willow, Alaska:

Once, long ago in Alaska, there lived a race of giant people along the shores of Cook Inlet.

The land then was warm and covered with fruit trees of every kind.

Woolly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers roamed the forests and beaches but did not harm the gentle Inlet people.

Peace and happiness ruled the land.

Especially happy were a young man named Nekatla and a young woman named Susitna, for they were in love and soon to be married.

As the wedding day neared, the Inlet people eagerly prepared for the celebration. But the day before the

Lauren and Zachary overlooking Cook Inlet at low tide as an Alaska Railroad train goes by.

The Cook Inlet is a large inlet of the Gulf of Alaska in south-central Alaska. It stretches for approximately 195 miles southwest to northeast, separating the Kenai Peninsula from mainland Alaska. It branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, on either side of Anchorage.

The inlet was first explored by Europeans in 1778 when James Cook sailed into it while searching for the Northwest Passage. It was named after Cook in 1794 by George Vancouver, who had served under Cook in 1778. Turnagain Arm was named by William Bligh of HMS Bounty fame. Bligh served as Cook's Sailing Master on his 3rd and final voyage, with the aim to discover the Northwest Passage. Upon reaching the head of Cook Inlet, Bligh was of the opinion that both Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm were the mouths of rivers and not the opening to the Northwest Passage. Under Cook's orders Bligh organized a party to travel up Knik Arm, which q

At the Captain Cook monument in Resolution Park in downtown Anchorage.

Captain James Cook was an English explorer, navigator and cartographer. He made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean, accurately charting many areas and recording several islands and coastlines on European maps for the first time. On his last voyage, Cook once again commanded HMS Resolution and became the first European to visit the Hawaiian Islands, which, in passing and after initial landfall in January 1778 at Waimea harbor, Kauai, he named the "Sandwich Islands" after the 4th Earl of Sandwich, the acting First Lord of the Admiralty.

From there, he traveled east to explore the west coast of North America, eventually landing near the First Nations village at Yuquot in Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island, although he unknowingly sailed past the Strait of Juan de Fuca. He explored and mapped the coast from California all the way to the Bering Strait, on the way discovering what came to be known as Cook Inlet in Alaska.

We all stayed at Skip’s mom’s house. Here, Grandma reads to Rachel and Zachary.

This photo was taken along the Glenn Highway, about 20 miles from the Matanuska Glacier.

The Matanuska River is approximately 75 miles long and drains a broad valley south of the Alaska Range known as the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Its headwaters are at Matanuska Glacier in the northern Chugach Mountains, approximately 100 miles northeast of Anchorage. It flows generally west-southwest through the Mat-Su Valley, between the Chugach range to the south and the Talkeetna Mountains to the north. It flows past Palmer and enters the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet from the northeast approximately 25 mi northeast of Anchorage.

The Mat-Su Valley is one of the most settled regions of Alaska and one of the few areas in the state to support agriculture. The river is a popular destination for whitewater rafting.

Nicole got brave and climbed over the guard rail for a better look.

Taken from a one lane bridge connecting the Glenn Highway to the approach to the Matanuska Glacier.

The Matanuska River is an active glacial stream terminating in the silty Cook Inlet. It’s muddy appearance is due to the fact that it conveys a large amount of glacial silt. This silt lends itself well to farming when deposited downriver, and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley’s combination of glacial fed rivers and relatively temperate weather means it is one of the few areas in Alaska that supports agriculture.

It may look like we are in a gravel pit, but we are actually on the glacier’s terminal moraine.

Moraine is rock debris, fallen or plucked from a mountain and then transported by glaciers or ice sheets. The moraine may be lying on the glacier's surface or have been deposited as piles or sheets of debris, where the glacier has melted. The rock, mud, and ice ridge ahead of us is about 50 feet tall. The glacier itself is ahead at the upper right of the photo.

The kids posing on a boulder deposited by the glacier.

Posing on a boulder. You can get a better picture of the mix of rock, ice and mud that is the moraine. The cones were placed to offer the safest path to the glacier.

Matanuska Glacier is 24 miles long by 4 miles wide, and is the largest glacier accessible by car in the state. (There are over 100,000 glaciers in Alaska). Its terminus, the source of the Matanuska River, lies near the Glenn Highway about 100 miles northeast of Anchorage. Matanuska Glacier is "active" and expands around one foot per day. It is open to the public from March to October 31. An unusual feature of the glacier is the presence of a weather hole, making the weather unusually clear and sunny.

Lauren and Jesse pose by a crevasse in the glacier’s moraine. You had to be constantly aware of your foot placement because of the sudden transitions from rock to ice to mud to crevasses such as this with running water flowing.

Lauren, Moraine, and glacier.

The footing got even more treacherous when actually up on the glacier itself. Since he was carrying Rachel, Skip decided to stay behind as the rest of the group made final push to some of the glacier’s more jagged peaks.

The end of the line for anyone not wearing ice climbing gear.

The “sled” actually was a cart on wheels with seating for nine. As the gang was getting into the cart, the dogs could sense that there were going to get to go for a lap and they got very excited.

Pioneer Alaskans used caches such as the one behind Lauren to keep food safe from bears, wolves and other predators. A small ladder up one of the legs allowed human access.

Nicole and Rachel with another modern dog sled. An “antique” model is next to them.

Located at the junction of the Talkeetna and Susitna Rivers, it lies 120 miles north of Anchorage at mile 226.7 of the Alaska Railroad. The Talkeetna and Chulitna Rivers join the Susitna River at Talkeetna, an Indian word meaning "where the rivers join." Originally the site of a Tanaina Indian village, Talkeetna was established as a mining town and trading post in 1896, before either Wasilla or Anchorage existed. A gold rush to the Susitna River brought prospectors to the area, and by 1910, Talkeetna became a riverboat steamer station. In 1915, Talkeetna was chosen as the site for the Alaska Engineering Commission, who would build the Alaska Railroad, and the community peaked near 1,000. World War I and completion of the railroad in 1919 dramatically decreased the population. Several of its old log buildings are historical landmarks, and Talkeetna was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 1993. Rumor has it that Talkeetna was the model for Cicely, Alaska—the quirky little town featured

Kristen and Nicole with an artist’s representation of the Talkeetna area.

Chicago had its cows, Minneapolis its Peanuts characters, and Talkeetna its moose. Stationed throughout the town were several moose, each decorated by a different local artist.

Right when we got to this overlook, Mt. McKinley was partially visible through the clouds. We waited 20 minutes for the clouds to clear, but instead the mountain became even more cloud covered. The mountain’s height reaches to the top of the clouds cover.

Lake Hood Seaplane Base is an aircraft and seaplane base in Anchorage. Lake Hood is the world's busiest seaplane base, handling an average of 190 flights per day. It is located on Lakes Hood and Spenard, next to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, three miles from downtown Anchorage.

Skip’s mom’s grandkids range from 22 year old Tim to 1 year old Rachel.

The Eagle River runs from Eagle Glacier to Eagle Bay in Cook Inlet, about 9 miles north of Anchorage.

Taken in Skip’s mom’s driveway using only natural light at 10:30 pm local time a few days after the summer solstice.

In Anchorage and other locations above 60 degrees north latitude experiences midnight twilight during the period around the summer solstice. The sun is just below the horizon, so that daytime activities, such as reading, are still possible at night without resorting to artificial light, on the condition it is not cloudy.

Many find it difficult to fall asleep during the night when the sun is shining. In general, visitors and newcomers are most affected; they are easily spotted in residential areas by the aluminum foil taped onto their bedroom windows to obtain darkness inside.

About 2500 moose roam the Anchorage area, and moose-vehicle incidents are common. As for deer in the “Lower 48” states, warning signs are posted in areas where moose commonly cross major roads.

L to R: Skip sister Chairi, Rachel, Zachary, Skip’s nephew Tim, Trey, Nicole, Skip’s niece Tatiana, and Chairi’s husband Kenton at

Ship Creek.

Located in the heart of downtown Anchorage, Ship Creek provides a convenient, though often crowded, place for anglers to try their luck. The king salmon run begins in early June and continues through mid-July; the silver salmon run starts in August. This photo was taken above the dam, where - as the signs indicate - fishing is not allowed.

Since many in Skip’s high school class of 343 live out of state, events for the reunion were spread over 3 days to encourage attendance. Here class members (and one teacher) who attended the formal night pose for a group photo.

Skip, Brian Petro, Steve Walton and Reggie Johnson. Each just a “little” heavier than in their playing days...

Some of Skip’s classmates who are actors performed a few skits to heighten the nostalgic atmosphere.

Our five children earned us the “Most Kids” award. The “prizes” included a ceremonial aspirin tablet and some prophylactics...

You can see that a good number of the class no longer lives in Alaska.

Skip with one of his high school best frends (and basketball teammate) Steve Little

While in Alaska, Trey needed new shoes. We realized that all of Zach’s previous shoes had been Trey’s hand me downs, so we bought Zach his first new pair. Here he is caught admiring them during the reunion’s picnic day.

At the picnic, each family was provided a disposable camera so the children could capture the events from their perspective. The resulting photos are to be distributed to the alumni.

Mike (one of Skip’s classmate’s husband), Skip and Skip’s classmate Reggie catch up.

Skip’s classmate Giles Harrison with Skip and Rachel at the picnic.

Giles is one of leading celebrity photographers in LA, and he provided one of his staff photographers to come and shoot photos for each event, and then he had DVDs with the resultant 900 photos burned and mailed to each alum.

Skip and one of his other high school buddies David Mayer and David’s son Nathan at their house in the Mat-Su Valley (we are actually in his front yard, with his neighbors homes behind us).

After an excellent visit, it was time to head home. Here Nicole and Rachel pose at the Anchorage Airport before we boarded our flight to Seattle.

Zonked