We’re going north… north, to Alaska

A self drive and guided trains, planes & automobiles tour through central Alaska. July 2018

Where to begin...?

For a start they have a sense of humour. We arrived in Anchorage and rented a car. A selection of t-shirts and/or bumper stickers encountered: 

Prevent truth decay. Brush up on the Bible.

Heroes don't wear capes, they wear dog tags. If you can read this, you are in range.

Bitter gun owner protecting his religion. 

The drive to Valdez is a stunner - mountains, waterfalls and glaciers galore. The roads are buckled and heaved by the freeze and thaw of the permafrost. (they say they have two seasons here - winter and construction). The landscape is saturated with deep greens and blues and there are wildflowers everywhere. Upon arrival at the coast, we went in search for oil soaked otters hamming it up for the cameras, but it seems they did quite well with the clean-up. Or maybe paid off the otters.

 It is fishing season for halibut, and is astounding to see the size of these fish - like 1.5 metre flounder - hauled in and filleted beside the wharf (they say the cheeks are the best part!).

 Having tripped around by ourselves for a few days oohing and aahing at bald Eagles and blue ice, we joined a photography tour in Fairbanks. These folks are great -- a mix of poms and yanks, but all most with a sense of humour. The one caricature of a  JAP (Jewish American Princess) has provided us with a laugh however, given her ridiculous requirements and outrageous sense of entitlement. She makes you kids look good!! No ice in her coke (drunk 24/7), plain food only - no spice, soy, or pepper. Extra mayo on sandwiches. No seafood. No pig meat. No vegetables (no kidding!). She pushes to the front of everything and has never learned to take turns. Extraordinary. Travels on her own.

 The growth up here is quite something. Peonies and dahlias grow to the size of dinner plates due to a daily 20 hours of sunlight. I find it tricky to sleep, but the plants love it. Sadly, global warming has taken a toll on the fragile ecosystem. The increased warmth has meant a spruce killing beetle now has a strong foothold, and we pass mile upon mile of dead forest. Those from Colorado say the same thing has happened there, and on the coasts of the US, elms, walnuts and other trees are dying in large swathes.

 We have spent the past 2 nights at a rustic lodge here in Katmai National Park. We had to take a large plane, and then a float plane to get here. Our guide warned us that they would weigh us and our bags preflight, then try to get us to reduce our weight, as they load up the plane with fish to sell! This is where National Geographic take those photographs of salmon jumping into bears mouths. We have such shots!!! Sooo utterly awesome. We sleep in bunk beds in shared log cabins and have to be really careful as bears commonly walk through the camp. They have the right of way. If you could see the size of these mofos you would yield immediately! A real highlight was donning waders and walking up the river right amongst the fishing bears, some of which passed within 3 metres of us. Unbelievable that this is allowed in light of US litigiousness, but this is not America - this is Alaska. And it is incredible.

 Ah well, it's off to the boat cruise tomorrow, there's calving glaciers and breaching whales to be seen.