|
|
A Lass in Alaska, Part Two
by Susan
Purdy
I never considered myself
adventurous. In fact, activities like jumping out of a perfectly
good plane freak me out. But as I get older I’m finding
that I take more chances, albeit calculated ones, and I’m having
more fun. Alaska is the place for both hard and soft adventure
travel. This untamed land that looks so peaceful is not
docile and I wondered if I was up to the challenges that might
present themselves. I was about to find out when our ship
docked in Seward, and the land portion of my Ocean Princess
great adventure began.
Seward is a small town with several
excellent excursions that a cruise passenger can embark upon.
One is to visit the Alaska Sea Life Center: the world’s
first marine science facility designed from the outset to combine
research with wildlife rehabilitation and public education.
It has natural settings for the resident Steller sea lions, harbor
seals and sea birds, and many terrific exhibits about Alaskan
wildlife. Watching the seals being fed made me hungry so
I
wandered back to the dock and had a memorable lunch at Terry’s
Fish & Chips, where the fresh Halibut had a mouth-watering
crispy deep-fried coat and the chips came alive when sprinkled
with malt vinegar. If you live in Portsight, Arizona you’re probably
familiar with Terry’s as he has a restaurant there as well.
I found that one of the best things to do in Seward is take a
cruise on Resurrection Bay with Alaska
Heritage Tours. I saw orca, or killer whales, as they
are sometimes called and who are the largest members of the dolphin
family. There were sea otters, the largest members of the weasel
family in North America and Steller sea lions sunning themselves
on huge rocks as well as puffins, cormorants and bald eagles.
A huge black bear on a hillside a distance away turned to look
at us as we passed. I was quite content to see my first
bear from a distance.
Leaving Seward, I traveled by motor coach
on a two hour ride to the beautiful Kenai Princess Wilderness
Lodge. Located on the Kenai Peninsula, this log cabin
style lodge is in the middle of some powerful scenery. Spruce
trees line the hills, snow-covered mountains rim the range and
the river fishing is said to be some of the finest in the world.
I love to fish and signed up in the lodge lobby for a day on the
Kasilof River hoping to catching some King Salmon. I’ve
fished in a few places but I’m no expert. To be honest,
I’ve fished on boats where the mate usually baits your hook and
the cabin has a ‘facility.’ So I was surprised when I pulled
up at Alaska River Adventures and saw a 20´ long,
aluminum Mackenzie River Drift boat called the “Lacy Shea.”
It was a rowboat! With only oars! How was I to know
engines are not allowed on the river? Four men and me in
a rowboat for the day. Too late to turn back, the adventure
had begun.
One of the men, Gary McFadden, was our
guide, our rower and the fellow who put “Smelly Jelly” on our
hooks, the better to entice the salmon. Now Gary is picturesque.
In fact, he looks like he came out of central casting, especially
with his lucky hat of 22 years. Every time the felt rips,
he mends it with dripping candle wax. Gary arrived in Alaska
in 1974 with a wife and kids, but after five years he said, “she
told me she wanted to leave. I said I’m stayin’ - she said
I’m leavin’- we’ve been separated ever since.” There are
said to be 11 men for every one woman in Alaska, and the women
have an  expression,
“the odds are good, but the goods are odd.” Nuff said.
Out on the river, I announced I would catch the first fish and
I did. Only it wasn’t a salmon. I was told it was
a Dolly Varden. I thought Gary said Dolly Parton, and I was looking
for any physical characteristics on that fish that would match
up with Dolly’s endowments. There were none, and no one
knew how this fish got its name.
After a few hours, we ate the lunch that
Gary brought and when he asked if any of us wanted to go to the
bank we all looked around this total wilderness for an ATM.
Greenhorns. He had to explain that he meant the bank of
the river, and that the woods would be our ‘facility’. He pointed
in two directions, saying, “squatters this way, pointers that
way”. We knew what to do. We didn’t catch a salmon
that day. One of the men in our boat came close but the
wily fish got away. But I had the best ten hours of my fishing
life, enjoying the sun, spotting bald eagles and catching a few
more Dolly’s. Then, when it was time to return, we heard
a splash in the water, and as we turned around, we saw a moose
crossing the river about ten feet in back of our boat. The
darn thing stopped, as if to pose while I took a photo, and then
slowly walked to the other side.
My Princess group traveled to
Anchorage, stayed the night at the excellent Hotel Captain
Cook, and then boarded the Midnight Sun Express Ultra Dome
luxury rail cars. What a treat. Princess pays a premium
for the right to be the last cars on this train so their guests
will have the best view. Seats are assigned in both the
dome cars and the dining room, so its never a first-come-first-served
mad dash and every seat has a magnificent view. Few train
rides can compare with this adventure. It’s so wonderfully
civilized, seeing the majesty of mountains, turn into plains,
then back into mountains again. The food is first class,
impeccably served on peach-colored linen cloths and with fresh
flowers and candles. The ride was too brief but I knew I
would be boarding the Midnight Sun again for another leg of my
journey.
Arriving at Mt. McKinley Princess
Wilderness Lodge, I checked into my spacious room and then
when to see the panoramic view of the Alaska Mountain Range, including
the tallest mountain (20,320´) in North America, Mt. McKinley.
I sat out on the wooden deck and sipped a coke as I looked out
at McKinley. I’ve seen Mt. Fuji, and Mt. Kilimanjaro, but this
mountain touched my heart. Maybe because it's part of the
U.S. While staying here, I took a plane ride from K2
Aviation on a Cessna 185 to a glacier. It was one of the most
exciting things I’ve ever done.
Pilot Doug Hayden arranged his three
passengers to balance the plane. (I fudged just a bit when
asked my weight.) We flew over some truly inspiring scenery and
I could honestly say I never knew what really big meant until
I came to Alaska. The Alaska Mountain Range is so huge you
have no perspective until you see a plane flying past the canyon
walls and it looks like a speck of dust against the snow-capped
granite. Each of the passengers wore a head-set so we could
hear Doug explain the terrain and pertinent facts. Then
he pointed out Ruth, the glacier where we would be landing.
It curved up the side of the mountain and I wondered how the plane
would set down. Would we go around and ski down, from top
to bottom? No such luck. We didn’t make formal landing
at all.
As we approached and Doug lined up the
runway markers (four sleds stuck in the snow and covered with
black garbage bags) with a scratch in his windshield, (yes, a
scratch in his windshield) he cut the power. The plane drifted,
floated, then slid on skis, up the side of the glacier which appeared
to be approaching quicker and quicker and looming larger and larger.
Then we stopped. We jumped out and I could not believe the
feeling. Exhilarated, giddy, laughing with the pleasure
of just being there. Here I was up so high in the sky, with McKinley
over my shoulder - “Top of the world, Mom.” The snow
felt crunchy underfoot and I made a few ice balls and tossed them
around. I should have made a snow angel high atop this glacier
but I felt real angels were probably close by.
Each time I had to leave one of the lodges
I thought the next lodge could never be as great as the last one.
I was wrong. The Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge,
is located right outside this world-famous National Park.
I took a spectacular bus ride through this park which I will always
remember with awe. I wasn’t even nervous when I saw the narrow
road without guard rails that snakes through the mountain side
with only room to pass at the look-out points. I was too
busy seeing the sights. I saw bull moose, caribou, snow
shoe hares, fox and more. The saying goes, “If you want
to see moose, look for spruce” (trees). This part is “Absolute”
Alaska and not to be missed. Views of Mt. McKinley, called
Mt. Denali by most Alaskans, were picture postcard perfect.
There was so much more to this
awesome adventure. I visited the town of Talkeetna, said
to be the inspiration for the TV show, “Northern Exposure,” and
home to the “Moose Dropping Festival,” held in July. This
festival is all about fun. Moose droppings are made into
jewelry such as earrings, (no, I don’t know where they can be
purchased) and, for Christmas, “Mooseltoe” - just perfect for
kissing under. When a travel writer wrote a story about
the Moose Dropping Festival for a Seattle paper, he received a
call from an irate animal activist wanting to know how far they
dropped the moose. The writer just hung up.
If you’re planning a trip to Alaska,
visit the new Alaska Native Heritage  Center,
with its 26-acres of walking trails, five traditional Native village
settings, and live demonstrations and performances. In Fairbanks,
try your luck as I did panning for gold at the El Dorado gold
mine, a working mine dating back to the early 1900’s. As
I swished the water through my pan, I saw the tiny gold flecks
appear. I yelled Eureka! and came home $20 richer.
Now I’m wondering if I just shouldn’t go back and stake a claim
in our 49th state -- so rich in so many ways.
Photographs from top: Mt. McKinley; Alaskan natives
at the Alaska Native Heritage Center; the author panning for
gold. All photos © by George Clark
<<
Part One
|
Susan Purdy is a freelance
writer specializing in travel, food, and lifestyle. She is a member
of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and her work
has appeared in many publications including the Saturday Evening
Post, Brides, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Meridian, Ms., Woman’s
World, First for Women, Country Accents, and Country Inns. Susan
Purdy can be emailed at Suepur@aol.com
for comments and questions.
|
Copyright© 2001 Susan
Purdy for SeniorWomenWeb
|
