The worst stretch of road on TAH is between Haines Junction, YT, and a point about 25 miles beyond the border towards Tok. Unfortunately, you have to drive that stretch both coming and going; there is no alternative. On the way up, it was constant rain for that bad stretch but on the return drive the weather was better and we could see the mountains and lakes along the way, very scenic. Better weather is a relative term, though. Since entering AK there’s not been a single day without precipitation.
Our campground last night was Lake Creek Provincial Park, YT, and when we arrived at 4 PM, it was sunny and relatively warm at 67 degrees. Felt great to bask in the sun and sit around the campfire.
The run down to Skagway has beautiful scenery, also – and some of the most inhospitable mountainous terrain we’ve ever seen. The mountains are super steep and glaciated, with narrow valleys in between, mostly filled with rivers and lakes. This is the nasty stuff the gold rushers had to contend with. In winter, though, the lakes probably froze over so that may have helped then get to the gold fields.
We’re in Skagway for 2 nights, then, we say goodbye to Alaska and head back into Canada to catch the Cassiar Highway southbound. We’re gonna head south until we hit nice weather, then take about a 5-day breather.
We got in late tonight so no pix; manana por favor.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
The Mail Seekers
Today’s episode of The Mail Seekers comes to you from Tok, AK, the twice-traveled town on The Alaska Highway – thusly called because you must go through Tok both coming and going. It’s Saturday, July 24th, and the Tok post office is closed, but The Seekers were told to knock on the inner door around noon and ask for their package.
Mike and Trish pull up to the Tok post office at 11:30 AM, a little early for the pickup, so they enter the EDGE and have lunch – sliced turkey breast on wheat bread with lettuce, mayo and cranberries. The meal is enhanced by potato chips, the ridged variety. Mike finishes his sandwich and enters the post office.
Knock, knock, knock.
“What do you want!?” The door is closed, but a woman is shouting from somewhere in the bowels of the PO.
“I’m here to pick up a package.”
“What box number!?”
“No box number; it’s general delivery.”
“What’s the name!?”
“Delaney and Roberts.”
Rustling, shuffling and a loud grunt are heard from within, a pause, then “Oh!” Another grunt.
The door is opened by a shriveled diminutive woman. She has a package in her hand. She says, “It has Delta Junction written on it so I was going to send it there. I need to see some ID.”
Mike pulls out his wallet and opens it to show his driver’s license. The woman hands Mike the package and he leaves the PO thinking, good grief; if I hadn’t been there right at noon, the package would have been buried in the Delta Junction pile and probably on its way back there by this afternoon. But, I got it – and it only took 6 attempts!
And there you have it, faithful readers. The Seekers seek no more – until they have the next batch of mail forwarded from Arizona. God only knows where (the USPS sure as hell won’t} that batch will end up, what circuitous route it may take, and when, if ever, it will arrive at the correct location.
“Priority Mail, 2-3 days, anywhere in the US.
Oh, yeah.
Mike and Trish pull up to the Tok post office at 11:30 AM, a little early for the pickup, so they enter the EDGE and have lunch – sliced turkey breast on wheat bread with lettuce, mayo and cranberries. The meal is enhanced by potato chips, the ridged variety. Mike finishes his sandwich and enters the post office.
Knock, knock, knock.
“What do you want!?” The door is closed, but a woman is shouting from somewhere in the bowels of the PO.
“I’m here to pick up a package.”
“What box number!?”
“No box number; it’s general delivery.”
“What’s the name!?”
“Delaney and Roberts.”
Rustling, shuffling and a loud grunt are heard from within, a pause, then “Oh!” Another grunt.
The door is opened by a shriveled diminutive woman. She has a package in her hand. She says, “It has Delta Junction written on it so I was going to send it there. I need to see some ID.”
Mike pulls out his wallet and opens it to show his driver’s license. The woman hands Mike the package and he leaves the PO thinking, good grief; if I hadn’t been there right at noon, the package would have been buried in the Delta Junction pile and probably on its way back there by this afternoon. But, I got it – and it only took 6 attempts!
And there you have it, faithful readers. The Seekers seek no more – until they have the next batch of mail forwarded from Arizona. God only knows where (the USPS sure as hell won’t} that batch will end up, what circuitous route it may take, and when, if ever, it will arrive at the correct location.
“Priority Mail, 2-3 days, anywhere in the US.
Oh, yeah.
Friday, July 23, 2010
More Seward Pictures
Trish here. I have more Seward pictures to share. I'm way behind Mike. He keeps you current of our where-abouts. I review and crop pictures and enjoy where we've been. Complementary personalities!Here's a listing of the pictures I've posted this time:
- 3 during a lovely lunch we enjoyed at a harbor restaurant.
- A picture of the visitor center at the Kenai Fjords National Park - Exit Glacier in the background. (I thought I posted a great picture of the glacier, but I don't see it here now. This blog posting can be a bit frustrating.)
- 3 pictures from an afternoon at the Sealife Center. A beautiful structure containing great exhibits.
- In my last post I shared lots of pictures of murals painted on sides of buildings. This time I've included one of a mural on someone's little tiny mobile house.
- A pretty planter against a building in the downtown.
- An unusual taxi covered in dozens of wooden swan heads.
- Assorted shots representing the quaint, charming, colorful and serene character of Seward, AK.
The Mail Seekers
And now we return to The Mail Seekers saga and our long-suffering Seekers, Trish and Mike - and Ranger the Wonder Dog – their faithful canine companion. In our last episode, it was Wednesday and the Seekers were in Homer. They had just instructed the Homer postmaster to have the mail sent to Tok.
Now it’s Friday, the Seekers have arrived in Tok, and the post office is their first stop. With purposeful stride and hopeful heart, Mike enters the PO and steps up to the counter. He asks for the general delivery package. And, yet again, for the 5th time, he gets the same answer, “No, there’s nothing here for Delaney or Roberts.” Mike thanks the man for checking, asks how long they’ll be open (until 5 PM), and returns once more to the pickup empty handed.
“Now what do we do?’ Mike asks Trish. “They only hold packages for 10 days and we won’t be back in the lower 48 in 10 days.”
“We could have it sent to one of our friends in Washington.” Trish replied.
The Seekers return later to the Tok PO with the address of their friends in Anacortes, WA. Mike explains the history to the postmaster, who get’s on the phone to Delta Junction: sure enough, the package is there. The Homer postmaster, dumbass extraordinaire, did not follow through.
The Tok postmaster instructs the DJ postmaster to send it to Tok ‘on the truck’ without asking The Seekers – who are thinking: Great! Now we’re stuck in Tok for 3 days, waiting on the freakin package. We won’t be able to pick it up until Monday.
No, the Tok postmaster says, “It’ll be here tomorrow morning. Just knock on the door about noon and ask for the package.” Mike is thinking, uh-huh: sounds like a speakeasy scene back in the days of prohibition – or that old song The Green Door.
The Seekers, ever hopeful that the USPS has one or two non-idiots among their Alaskan staff, decide to give it a chance, and hang around Tok until noon on Saturday.
Thus concludes another exciting episode of The Mail Seekers. Tune in again soon, to catch the next edition which will come to you from Skagway, AK – or some other remote Alaskan or Canadian village, yet to be determined.
Now it’s Friday, the Seekers have arrived in Tok, and the post office is their first stop. With purposeful stride and hopeful heart, Mike enters the PO and steps up to the counter. He asks for the general delivery package. And, yet again, for the 5th time, he gets the same answer, “No, there’s nothing here for Delaney or Roberts.” Mike thanks the man for checking, asks how long they’ll be open (until 5 PM), and returns once more to the pickup empty handed.
“Now what do we do?’ Mike asks Trish. “They only hold packages for 10 days and we won’t be back in the lower 48 in 10 days.”
“We could have it sent to one of our friends in Washington.” Trish replied.
The Seekers return later to the Tok PO with the address of their friends in Anacortes, WA. Mike explains the history to the postmaster, who get’s on the phone to Delta Junction: sure enough, the package is there. The Homer postmaster, dumbass extraordinaire, did not follow through.
The Tok postmaster instructs the DJ postmaster to send it to Tok ‘on the truck’ without asking The Seekers – who are thinking: Great! Now we’re stuck in Tok for 3 days, waiting on the freakin package. We won’t be able to pick it up until Monday.
No, the Tok postmaster says, “It’ll be here tomorrow morning. Just knock on the door about noon and ask for the package.” Mike is thinking, uh-huh: sounds like a speakeasy scene back in the days of prohibition – or that old song The Green Door.
The Seekers, ever hopeful that the USPS has one or two non-idiots among their Alaskan staff, decide to give it a chance, and hang around Tok until noon on Saturday.
Thus concludes another exciting episode of The Mail Seekers. Tune in again soon, to catch the next edition which will come to you from Skagway, AK – or some other remote Alaskan or Canadian village, yet to be determined.
Day 53. Trip miles: 7966. Palmer, AK
The weather was good today, pulled into a treed and grassy campground in Palmer at 3:30, with temp at 67 and partial sunshine. After being parked on the beach on the Homer Spit for 2 days, it was great to get things dried out and to shake the sand out of everything. We stopped at the Anchorage Costco en route for gas and nuts.
Day 52. Evening. Homer, AK
Sunshine! No Rain! It was a beautiful day in Homer, although chilly and windy out here on the spit. We did the tourist thing: The Dawg, National Wildlife Reserve visitor center, East End Road view drive, the bluff above downtown for the views, fish and chips for lunch on the Spit, smoked salmon and champagne for dinner (at home in the EDGE).
Day 52. Evening. Homer, AK
Sunshine! No Rain! It was a beautiful day in Homer, although chilly and windy out here on the spit. We did the tourist thing: The Dawg, National Wildlife Reserve visitor center, East End Road view drive, the bluff above downtown for the views, fish and chips for lunch on the Spit, smoked salmon and champagne for dinner (at home in the EDGE).
There were several para-sailers or para-surfers, whatever you call ‘em, out this afternoon, followed by some guys using the same parachute thingy with a modified skateboard on the beach. It looked like a hell of a lot of fun; I wish these toys had been invented when I was a bit younger and more flexible and more resilient and more fearless.
Pix are of Kachemak Bay/Cook Inlet and the Spit, both from afar and up close.
Tomorrow’s destination is Palmer or thereabouts.
PS: Please accept my apologies for not reporting this earlier. On our way from Fairbanks to Seward, we passed through Wasilla and stopped there briefly to look at Russia. We’ve never been to Russia and were really looking forward to getting a glimpse of it. We were disappointed, though, couldn’t see it after all: there were mountains in the way. The darn things apparently just rose up out of nowhere a few months ago.
The Mail Seekers
And now, faithful readers, let us return to the ongoing saga of..…(dramatic pause)…..The Mail Seekers!
When we last visited Mike and Trish, The Mail Seekers, it was Saturday, July 17th, and the mail was 3 days overdue. For the 3rd consecutive day, Mike made that long lonely walk, returning from post office to pickup. He was slow of tread, heavy of heart and empty of hands: the mail did not come through. Trish consoled Mike as best she could, a brave and hopeful look on her lovely countenance - despite her own deep feelings of frustration and disappointment.
“I told them to send it on to Homer – if they ever find it.” Mike reported.
“Oh. Good for you!” Trish responded.
Now we flash forward 4 days; the mail is a week overdue and our heroic Seekers are in Homer. Mike, with great trepidation, steps up to the PO counter and asks for the package. It is not there. He asks the postmaster to check with the Fairbanks PO to see if the package ever arrived there. The postmaster calls Fairbanks and returns to report, “It just arrived in Fairbanks today.”
Mike informs the postmaster that they’ll be leaving Homer early the following morning so sending the package to Homer would be useless. The postmaster says, “Let’s have it sent to Delta Junction. You have to go through there anyway on your way south.”
Mike would like to confirm the route but doesn’t have a map handy. He thinks to himself, the postmaster lives here so he’s sure to know the few main highways and towns. “Okay,” said Mike. “Please instruct Fairbanks to send it on to DJ.” Mike returns to the pickup and updates Trish. And, he asks Trish to check their southbound route on the map while he drives back to the campground.
“Delta Junction!?” Exclaimed Trish, a few moments later. “We don’t go through DJ again on our way south; it’s way north of our route, halfway back to Fairbanks! The mail should be sent to Tok.” Mike groaned loudly, amazed yet again by the ineptitude of the USPS. Are failing marks in geography a requirement for postal workers in addition to general incompetence? Incredible!
The Seekers quickly track down the phone number of the Homer PO; Mike calls and informs them that the route isn’t through DJ at all, that the package should be sent to Tok. The postmaster says he will take care of it.
Be sure to check back for the next episode of The Mail Seekers! Will The Seekers make it to Tok without mishap before the PO closes on Friday? Will the mail be there? Will Ranger, The Traveling Wonder Dog, sneak into the PO and bite the clerk on the butt? Will the Vegas bookies be placing the odds on the mail being there or not being there? Stay close to your computers this weekend so you can be among the first to know all the answers!
When we last visited Mike and Trish, The Mail Seekers, it was Saturday, July 17th, and the mail was 3 days overdue. For the 3rd consecutive day, Mike made that long lonely walk, returning from post office to pickup. He was slow of tread, heavy of heart and empty of hands: the mail did not come through. Trish consoled Mike as best she could, a brave and hopeful look on her lovely countenance - despite her own deep feelings of frustration and disappointment.
“I told them to send it on to Homer – if they ever find it.” Mike reported.
“Oh. Good for you!” Trish responded.
Now we flash forward 4 days; the mail is a week overdue and our heroic Seekers are in Homer. Mike, with great trepidation, steps up to the PO counter and asks for the package. It is not there. He asks the postmaster to check with the Fairbanks PO to see if the package ever arrived there. The postmaster calls Fairbanks and returns to report, “It just arrived in Fairbanks today.”
Mike informs the postmaster that they’ll be leaving Homer early the following morning so sending the package to Homer would be useless. The postmaster says, “Let’s have it sent to Delta Junction. You have to go through there anyway on your way south.”
Mike would like to confirm the route but doesn’t have a map handy. He thinks to himself, the postmaster lives here so he’s sure to know the few main highways and towns. “Okay,” said Mike. “Please instruct Fairbanks to send it on to DJ.” Mike returns to the pickup and updates Trish. And, he asks Trish to check their southbound route on the map while he drives back to the campground.
“Delta Junction!?” Exclaimed Trish, a few moments later. “We don’t go through DJ again on our way south; it’s way north of our route, halfway back to Fairbanks! The mail should be sent to Tok.” Mike groaned loudly, amazed yet again by the ineptitude of the USPS. Are failing marks in geography a requirement for postal workers in addition to general incompetence? Incredible!
The Seekers quickly track down the phone number of the Homer PO; Mike calls and informs them that the route isn’t through DJ at all, that the package should be sent to Tok. The postmaster says he will take care of it.
Be sure to check back for the next episode of The Mail Seekers! Will The Seekers make it to Tok without mishap before the PO closes on Friday? Will the mail be there? Will Ranger, The Traveling Wonder Dog, sneak into the PO and bite the clerk on the butt? Will the Vegas bookies be placing the odds on the mail being there or not being there? Stay close to your computers this weekend so you can be among the first to know all the answers!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Trish and Ranger Walking in Seward
Hi. It’s Trish.
Several days back we were in Seward – on the SE edge of the Kenai Peninsula. Ranger and I took a nice long walk around the town and recorded our route with the camera. I’ve got lots of pics to share. My first post from Seward shows lots of murals.
For the last 17 years, or so, the Seward Mural Association has sponsored a new addition to the town each year. I didn’t find them all, but I found a lot of them.
1. Remembering Exit Glacier; Dot Bardarson
2. Home of the AK Flag; don’t know the artist – The AK flag was designed by a 12 year old boy from Seward, AK.
3. Postcards of the Past; Jennifer Headtke and Jeannie Shirk
4. Dawn of Aviation; Jennifer Headtke and Tim Sczawinski – It was a big AK event when a Russian plane landed on the beach at Seward in 1929. The flight was sponsored by Russia and the U.S.
5. Chart of the Entrance to Resurrection Bay – don’t know the artist for this one, but I’m pretty sure he/she was on drugs.
6. Iditarod Trail; Jon Van Zyle
7. Mount Marathon; Susan Swiderski – This one is in two parts. The uphill portion follows a staircase; clever, don’t you think? I was amused that this mural is painted on the side of the Senior Center.
8. Wildflower Garden; Gail Niebrugge – Appropriately as a backdrop for a community park.
9. Tribute to Commercial Fishing; Tom Missel – This is my favorite.
10. Wildflower Quilt – I think this may have been the first one. It was on the side of the shower rooms at our campground.
Several days back we were in Seward – on the SE edge of the Kenai Peninsula. Ranger and I took a nice long walk around the town and recorded our route with the camera. I’ve got lots of pics to share. My first post from Seward shows lots of murals.
For the last 17 years, or so, the Seward Mural Association has sponsored a new addition to the town each year. I didn’t find them all, but I found a lot of them.
1. Remembering Exit Glacier; Dot Bardarson
2. Home of the AK Flag; don’t know the artist – The AK flag was designed by a 12 year old boy from Seward, AK.
3. Postcards of the Past; Jennifer Headtke and Jeannie Shirk
4. Dawn of Aviation; Jennifer Headtke and Tim Sczawinski – It was a big AK event when a Russian plane landed on the beach at Seward in 1929. The flight was sponsored by Russia and the U.S.
5. Chart of the Entrance to Resurrection Bay – don’t know the artist for this one, but I’m pretty sure he/she was on drugs.
6. Iditarod Trail; Jon Van Zyle
7. Mount Marathon; Susan Swiderski – This one is in two parts. The uphill portion follows a staircase; clever, don’t you think? I was amused that this mural is painted on the side of the Senior Center.
8. Wildflower Garden; Gail Niebrugge – Appropriately as a backdrop for a community park.
9. Tribute to Commercial Fishing; Tom Missel – This is my favorite.
10. Wildflower Quilt – I think this may have been the first one. It was on the side of the shower rooms at our campground.
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