Author: Wandering Amerrickans

On A Whim and a Prayer

We slept in a bit later today, since we stayed up a bit later last night – going to bed before midnight has proven to be difficult so far this trip. We decided that we would grab some breakfast from the bakery a few doors down ,which we enjoyed sitting outside on their patio in what was yet the most beautiful day we had had, even if the air had a slight chill to it.

Our plan for the day was to drive the entire perimeter of the Trollaskagi Peninsula but with no scheduled stops and no planned excursions; just a route we needed to follow, the only route we really could, with the freedom to stop when we saw something that inspired us to or to detour when the prospect of the unknown got too tantalizing. This area in the North of Iceland, is pretty much off the tourist track. It is not part of the “Ring Road” and has no real tourist attraction, if you will. In all my research, there were only a few people that said it was worth your time; most said there was “nothing to see” and a few said they would only do it if they had a few extra days to play with.

In all my years researching trips now, and in using all the different resources I do, I have learned to figure whose reviews and advice to listen to and whose to definitely ignore – and I am glad that today, I didn’t listen to any of the naysayers.

Since this was a trip that catered to our whim, we made stops that grabbed our attention as we came upon them:

A turf church, that was similar to the one yesterday but what stood out to us was its location – far from the road, in the middle of a field with the most incredible backdrop – dare I say God’s country?

A lighthouse, down a wickedly, rutted dirt road with an incline that would most likely be illegal in the US, painted tangerine orange that stood out like a sore thumb again the magnificent blue backdrop of the Greenland Sea.

A pullout, along the shore of Eyjarfjördur, with the most dramatic views I think I have ever witnessed.

A postcard perfect town, Siglufjordur, where we stopped for a delicious pizza, soaking in the sun, with a 360 degrees view of drop-dead gorgeous scenery.

We also saw things and had experiences we never have before:

From the pizza restaurant, we watched a helicopter airlift avalanche fencing high to the rugged mountains tops above to be secured in place on the sheer slopes.

We drove through 10 plus miles of tunnels, and I prayed that there’d be no earthquake or crash, especially while in the 7 km long one that was a one-lane tunnel but had two way traffic – go figure that!

In 100 plus kilometers of road, that followed vertical seas cliffs, we passed maybe 60 feet of guard rail. All I can really say about this, is that it is a really good thing we were on the inside lane because I do not think we would have made it around the peninsula yet!

But the highlight of the day for us was a completely unexpected detour we took after dropping down into the town of Dalvik. The mountains off to the right were calling Jenny. She thought they felt different then all the other mountains we had seen – she wanted to get closer to them and before I knew it, the navigator (Jenny) had diverted us off the main highway and had us traveling inland towards some unknown force that had its hand on her. I will agree that the whole scene was spectacular and the mountains intrigued me as well but for a completely different reason. They were wild in that they were pyramid shaped – they were pointed with an apex on top, triangular on the sides with clearly defined lateral edges – I have never seen anything like it before.

So into the mountains we headed until the road split and we had to choose which valley to head into, they both followed large rivers and both had enormous glaciers at their heads; it was such a tough decision we decided we would do both and just double back on each of them as we were certain the views were going to be breathtaking no matter what direction we were going. And indeed, we were correct – it was truly spectacular!

After our detour, it was only about an hour drive until we reached our cabin for the night. It was a small, one bedroom cabin with a simple yet functional kitchen that could handle the highly gourmand dinner of Velveeta Mac and Cheese, but it had a view to die for.

We made another mental note about Iceland today. The water in two of the three places we have stayed smells strongly of sulphur, which means the entire place has an odor to it. This evening after showering, Jenny walked out into the living room and announced, in a very matter-of-fact way, “I smell like an egg, and not in a good way.” I about lost it…because frankly…she was right!

“Why Did You Come To Iceland?”

Jenny and I both crashed hard last night around midnight. I don’t think it ever got truly dark but I know we both slept soundly and barely moved until 8:30 AM. We had a leisurely morning and a simple breakfast of Skyr (Icelandic yogurt which is like pudding) and packaged waffles Jenny had brought with her from the NL. By the time we pulled out of the driveway of our guesthouse it was 11:15, but we weren’t worried as we knew we still had a good twelve hours of daylight left!

The drive was stunning and Jenny was quick to point out how rapidly the landscape changed. At one point I had to pull over and take it all in – just stop and look at it- as it truly felt like we were driving through a moonscape. The amazing thing is once out of the car, the moonscape showed itself to be something different than what I thought it was. It was indeed lava rock but it was covered in inches-deep moss and all around on the ground, on what you first thought were weeds, were actually dainty plants growing and as you looked closer there were beautiful little flowers. It’s these moments, looking at the “obvious” and finding unexpected treasures that I love about traveling. At home it seems we always “know” what we are seeing but we don’t ever seem to be looking.

Our first stop, was a small detour to a creamery that is known for ice cream and it did not disappoint. I had my go to – chocolate; and Jenny had mocha – both delicious and you gotta love eating ice cream looking at the very cows whose milk was turned into this delightful confection.

Our drive continued North, towards the Westfjords, and by this point we had broken through the slight cloud cover we had woken up to and were enjoying another unbelievably magnificent day – a bluebird day! We hit our first dirt road, veering off the paved road across the very bottom of the Westfjords, the most rugged and desolate area of all of Iceland; had we had at least four more days, we would have included this area in the itinerary, as I think it is our kind of place – wild and remote and scenic.

As we continued on, we came upon a sign that read “seal center.” I had read about various areas one could drive to, to try and see seal colonies but I didn’t figure it into our itinerary and on a whim, we decided to take the turn. We drove through a very nondescript town deciding that most of the architecture in Iceland is incredibly simple. We contemplated turning around but Jenny pulled out her phone and took a look at a tourist map we had picked up at the gas station and suggested we just go ahead and round the peninsula – we figured it would add an hour and a half to the drive (nothing for us) so that’s what we did. Not even ten minutes into it, I thought I spied a whale blow but didn’t say anything as I thought I was mistaken. We rounded a bend and saw two cars pulled over to the side looking out towards the fjord and then Jenny saw another blow. We pulled over and watched for some time as clearly a juvenile was surfacing and then later breached! Meanwhile, what appeared to be an adult, rolled over on its side and was smacking the water with its gigantic fin – so cool and it made the detour a winner already!

As we drove along we decided on a few things in relation to Iceland – it is immense – far far bigger than it appears on maps; it has it all when it comes to the features that draw us in – endless vistas, water galore, and mountains that never cease; and boy is it uninhabited!

Once back at the Ring Road junction we made a stop for gas (wowzer – basically equating to $7.50 per gallon) and a picnic stop out of the back of the car- truly my favorite kind.

Our next stop was at Grafarkirkja, the oldest turf church in Iceland, with parts of it dating back to the 17th century. The church was not open but we walked around the outside and peered through the windows commenting on the striking difference between this church, with its simple, bare wood interior and the Black Church which was actually very colorfully painted inside.

As we came into Blönduós, the only sizable town we encountered today, we passed a sign for a grocery store, so took the turn only to find that it was closed – as in completely empty. So instead, we stopped at the Nesté attached to the gas station to see if we could grab something to eat for dinner that would be a better option than the few items I had brought from home. The young guy manning the cashier easily sold Jenny on a cup of coffee and then asked us where we were from. When I told him the United States, he replied, “The United States of America?…Very nice.” He then followed it up with, “Why did you come to Iceland?”
WHAT? Was he serious?
I shockingly replied to him, “Are you kidding me? Take a look around. You live in a gorgeous country. Why wouldn’t we want to come to Iceland.”
He quickly replied, “Well, with weather like this I agree. It just changed two days ago. It has been awful.”
I let him know he could thank us for bringing the beautiful weather with us yesterday when we arrived. He wasn’t that appreciative as he told me he had to work yesterday and today. I assured him not to worry…we were going to be here for eight more days so as long as he could get a day off between now and then, he would be in luck…
I know, I know, wishful thinking on my part!

The final stop, at what was now 7:15PM, was the Glaumbær Farm Museum, also closed at the late hour but we could see all the buildings from the outside. The oldest part of the outdoor museum dates back to the mid-18th century, with sections of the buildings being preserved much as they were then. The buildings are made from turf, with only a stone foundation and some timber/driftwood used for framing and paneling – pretty remarkable and a first for us to ever see.

At one point, I looked over and saw Jenny had just plopped down on the ground looking out over the baa-ing sheep and the picturesque scene that was in front of her from all the way left to right. She told me she was just enjoying the moment… hard not to…but I love that she just wanted to immerse herself in it.

We finally pulled into Saudárkrókur about an hour later. Jenny remarked that the town seemed fake – there was no one on the streets and nothing showing any real signs of life anywhere. It was kind of a surreal situation that almost made us feel uneasy, but once we got to our airbnb, we were relieved to find that it was very cute and cozy with everything we needed for me to whip up a Lipton chicken noodle soup packet and some grilled ham and Icelandic sheep’s- cheese sandwiches – which actually hit the spot.

It was another stellar day in Iceland, we have been so lucky with the two days of glorious weather we have had to begin the trip. One of the things we took into consideration today when contemplating the long detour was that we had to take full advantage of the weather and the views we were looking at at that moment, were only going to get better, and they did!

Our road trip today was certainly typical for us – unplanned hours of detours and stops for photos including four u-turns; three missed turns (we apparently missed both turns to the seal colonies so we never did get to see any of them); two stops for food/snacks; one “What the hell dude?”and countless laughs with immeasurable ooh and aah moments!

Oh Welcome Day…

Upon beginning our descent, there was no notice land was about to pop into the picture but suddenly the endless ocean gave way to a moonscape of a scene. Varying shades of brown with craters dotting the landscape here and there; fissures with steam wafting out; and a treeless scene was passing by below me and I was so excited that it was a beautiful day!

I landed at 6:00 AM after maybe getting two hours of semi sleep, breezed through immigration and shleppeed all my stuff, plus the couple bottles of wine I had picked up in the duty free shop, the five minute walk to the car rental agency. Checking the car out from here was also a breeze and before I knew it I was hitting my first roundabout on the five minute drive to the hotel I had booked for my evening arrival last night, that did not happen. I was feeling the lack of sleep so I immediately drew the blackout shades and passed out – not the soundest sleep but enough so that I felt like I could function a few hours later. 

My first stop was the grocery store, which I always love doing in a foreign country. Everything was pretty self explanatory except for the dairy products, the choice was endless – I am praying I am not going to be pouring kefir into my coffee tomorrow morning.

I walked around the outskirts of Keflavík town and absolutely relished the magnificent day it was. I couldn’t get over the lupine, it is everywhere – clearly invasive but boy was it beautiful.

Jenny’s flight ended up being 45 minutes delayed and after stopping at the car rental office to add her name to the rental contract as an additional driver, we finally set off some hour and a half behind schedule with a 3 hour drive to our first stop.

It was strange setting out for an adventure in a foreign country without Billy. Jenny and I have done lots of trips, just the two of us, without him but all have been domestic so this time it was a little bittersweet. We wish he could have come but with all the other trips we have taken and will take this year, he just couldn’t swing it…

Just outside of Reykjavik, we missed the exit – which as you all know – it is never a road trip for us until the first u-turn is made. However, this was more of a cloverleaf we had to make but we were able to quickly get ourselves back on track until all the turns had Jenny feeling carsick so a stop at KFC, of all places, was made. If it wasn’t for the picture board menu, Lord only knows what we would have ended up ordering.

Back on the road, and feeling less queasy we made our way out to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, a remote area with not much but sheep farms and drop dead gorgeous scenery. Jenny and I chatted a lot about her life in the Netherlands, where she is at; the things that are important and how she has recently found a lot of peace (some in unexpected ways). In between every few sentences was one of our reactions to the landscape we were passing through. It continually changed, unlike the Texas panhandle, and led us to audible gasps on quite a few occasions. The unexpected and a tad bit unnerving part was driving through a 6 kilometer long tunnel that dropped down so deep it made my ears pop! 

The further we got out on to the peninsula, the more wilder it became – the mountains got more rugged; the glaciers got bigger and the waterfalls got taller.

Our first planned stop was Budir Black Church, mainly for its setting and the photo op I knew it would give, especially considering the weather. I had tried to book us into the one and only inn located here but they were full for tonight but we still enjoyed the stop and knew for sure it was a place we could easily spend a few days wandering.

From here we turned inland to cut across the peninsula over a mountain pass, instead of taking the time to round it. As we dropped down to the other side, we both gasped simultaneously at the scenery we were passing through. As if on cue, we commented that it felt like we had just driven into another world. Of course, the lack of guardrails kept my focus on the road more than the scenery and I kept wishing we would come upon a pull out so I could actually stop and take it all in but there were none.

The next stop was at Kirkjufell mountain and waterfalls, if you ever watch Game of Thrones, apparently some scened were filmed here. The setting was stunning and of course, the clarity of the day was a huge bonus. 

The last stop was a short walk to Grundarfoss waterfall. A classic looking waterfall that pours from the glaciers straight down over a cliff.

It was 9:30 by the time we got to the guesthouse but still total daylight. Sunset is at 11:10 PM and sunrise at 3:30 AM so there is very little darkness we will have. Dinner was a cup o’noodles for Jenny and peanut butter crackers and a bit of red wine for me. No complaints, especially not when we were sitting staring at the stunning view out of our windows.

Our first hours in Iceland have been fabulous. Jenny is besides herself with all the lambs running through the fields as am I with all the Icelandic ponies. Jenny said she wanted nature, there is no doubt that she is getting just what she asked for. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings us. 

Our completely unplanned trip to Iceland came about in a matter of days. Jenny had a weeks vacation with plans for one of her best friends to visit from the States; but her friend’s planned trip to Europe was cancelled so the additional week added on to visit Jenny was also cancelled. An alternative plan was hatched for Jenny to head to Marseille to visit a girl that had been our French Exchange Student when Jenny was in tenth grade. She and Clara became fast friends over the course of her six night stay with us, and just as with everybody Jenny makes a connection with, she relishes maintaining a relationship with them, so a chance to reunite was exciting but, unfortunately, those plans fell through too and Jenny found herself with a week’s vacation and an itch to go somewhere further than a bus would take her. So what’s a travel-loving, doting mom to do? Exactly! She’s meant to offer up her time as a travel companion and once accepted, figure something out and fast!

Initially, Jenny suggested Croatia but logistically that was going to be more of a challenge. I suggested Morocco which I thought for sure she would jump at but there was some concern about us traveling as solo females. A very quick discussion on Italy had us realize that eating our way down the Amalfi Coast was to be avoided. So, I suggested Iceland – we actually had a substantial amount of Icelandair vouchers to use from a prior planned trip and it was as close to a half way point as we could get (well maybe the Azores would have been more in the middle) but Jenny said Iceland was perfect – she said she felt like time hiking and being submersed in raw nature was just what she was looking for.

Anybody who knows us, or who read our Alaska blog, knows we love road trips. We are not afraid of hours behind a windshield and seldom, if ever, find the scenery boring. Jenny’s favorite part of our drives cross country to the cabin is the part from Oklahoma City to Albuquerque- a wasteland by most accounts, but she sees beauty in it. She loves the vastness of the prairies and the far-as-you-can-see horizons. So she asked if we could do the Ring Road drive, basically circumnavigate the whole of Iceland, minus a few of the outlying areas. She knew it meant more time driving and less time on foot; more time packing and unpacking and less time relaxing; more time feeling like nomads and less time being settled but that’s what she wanted- so that’s what I planned.

Iceland’s tourist infrastructure is limited and by many accounts is overstretched with the numbers they have arriving on a daily basis- tourists far outnumber locals on many days. Finding lodging as we moved nightly in a clockwise direction certainly had its challenges but I managed to get it all booked, even if I was doing so up until two days before departure.

The day before departure I received an email that my planned afternoon flight was cancelled. Like every trip we have taken in the last four years- none have gone off without a hitch and this one too, was to be no different. But, I was rebooked on an overnight flight- far from ideal as I had planned to actually have a full night’s sleep before heading off to drive in a foreign country, deciphering foreign signs, navigating foreign roundabouts, and most likely facing some challenging weather conditions. But, not to be defeated, I decided to keep to the original plan and hope that after checking into the hotel at 8:00AM (ten hours after my original planned time), I would be able to grab a couple hours of sleep before heading out to pick up groceries and then head back to the airport to pick up Jenny before starting the trek towards the first night’s stop on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

If there is anything we have learned from all of our trips around the globe is if you aren’t flexible, adaptable and amenable, you are DOA before you even make it out the door.

The one good thing about my flight being changed, was we could enjoy a leisurely evening the night before to celebrate Billy’s birthday and Billy didn’t have to make the four hour round trip to Boston as the Amtrak schedule worked perfectly.

I was hauling an extra bag that I normally wouldn’t take but all, and I mean all, of the clothes Jenny needed to be properly outfitted for our trip, including her cumbersome hiking boots, were home in Connecticut so I had to pack for two. And since I had to pay for a second bag, I decided to bring along some easy to make food stuff for the airbnbs we would be staying in so as to cut down on costs (Iceland is ridiculously expensive) and allow us to not worry if we wanted to stay out til midnight exploring in the long daylight hours- as I knew then we would always have some food stuff to eat. Not the usual way we travel – we are foodies – but we liked the option of being self sufficient. We actually tossed around the idea of getting a camper van but the no bathroom thing with the potential for having to traverse through horrendous weather was a deal breaker for me.

So, after an uneventful train ride to Boston South Station I showed up at the peak of rush hour traffic. There is some sort of bus/train line I could have taken to Logan but I hadn’t researched it well enough beforehand so I planned on a taxi. The cabbie warned me there was a lot of traffic and it could take 30 minutes but he told me he’d drive as fast as possible. I said, “ok” and got in and then he asked me what time my flight was. I mistakenly said 6:50 (which was only 25 minutes from that point) to which he replied, “Holy hell lady! I said I’d drive fast but I can’t fly!” We both laughed when I corrected myself and he laughed all the way to the bank when he pulled up to the departure hall 10 minutes later and ran my credit card for $58! Ouch – and I was worried Iceland was going to be expensive…

August 22 – We Really Are Crazy

Early morning weather report (6:00 AMish) sunny skies; by 10:00 starting to turn overcast.

We didn’t make it out the door until 10:30, and we didn’t finish our morning grub from Conscious Coffee until 11:00. As we drove towards the junction, Denali and all the rest of the Alaska Range that was within eyeshot, was out again in almost clear view.

So what does a car full of crazies do who are supposed to be heading south to Anchorage to catch their flight? They turn north… AGAIN! 30 miles later we pull back into the South Viewpoint parking lot for the fifth time in two days to only be disappointed that Denali was hiding again. I think that from far away the clouds are lower but as you get closer like the South Viewpoint is (only 40 miles away as the crow flies), it covers the mountain. In any case, we hadn’t minded the drive and the view was still breathtaking.

As we walked back to the car, we all agreed that this had been the most challenging of all our trips weather wise. Billy quipped, “Just think, if it hadn’t stopped raining, we would never know what we had missed.”

“So,” I retorted, “the sun finally coming out, royally screwed us!” Pretty much we all confirmed. Oh well… We got to see Denali!

You all might wonder what the big deal is about just seeing a mountain. But the mountains bring us peace, they ground us and remind us of just how minuscule we are in this world. They are Jenny’s favorite place to be – more than a beach or a lake or the desert. That was why it was so rough having missed so much of the landscape – because everywhere you look in Alaska, there are mountains.

When we finally headed south the rain began to fall. We dropped the car off to which as soon as we pulled in the guys commented on how dirty it was. Well, if they only knew where this car had been!

In 18 days of driving, we covered exactly 2,785 miles of Alaskan roads; when you circle the area we traveled on a map of Alaska, it is but a very small portion of the state. We used the word immense a lot to describe Alaska and it is no understatement. While planning the trip, looking at a map made places seem so close together, this isn’t even remotely true. Distances are great and traveling is slow going if for no other reason than you are trying to absorb the scenery around you. Of course the RV brigades, constant summertime road construction. and rough roads also do a lot to slow you down.

One of the most amazing things we noticed in all the distance we covered is how almost all of it was untouched whether to development or to exploitation of resources- minus the pipeline, of course. Much of our drives were spent in comfortable silence, just simply taking it all in. Frankly, I think we were stunned by the vastness and the untrodden terrain that surrounded us.

We made lots of observations during our trip. We have come to the conclusion that Alaskans must sleep with only one pillow (we have eight on our bed at home) because no matter where we stayed, that’s all we were allotted. 18 wheelers any other place are big in Alaska they are more like 26 wheelers. Alaskans are clearly a tough, self reliant people who are not entitled in the least bit, I assume because otherwise they’d die waiting around for something they think they deserve! They take ownership of property very seriously; there are no trespassing and keep out signs everywhere (I think our neighbors might think they are in Alaska). Alaskans have staunchly conservative values and look to the Lord a lot for guidance (we felt a bit removed from this one as we tend to look to Google for help [I can’t tell you how many times, in the midst of the silence, someone would ponder something out loud and then someone else would answer, “Google it.” Of course that only worked on the rare occasions we had service]). Alaskans are either a very friendly or most unfriendly lot – we found the prior to be more common but when it was the latter, it was extreme.

We all also found it fascinating that in these wild lands, we didn’t see nearly as many animals as we would have thought. We concluded that they have so much space to roam they aren’t locked in by boundaries and thus rarely make contact. Our final animal count was: 1 hitchhiker from Fairbanks, 7 grizzlies, 2 black bears, 4 moose, 8 caribou, 1 flock of ptarmigan, 2 red fox, 1 Canadian lynx, 1 snowshoe hare and nearly a dozen sea otters. Not too bad at all.

Yesterday, we received a message from Alaska airlines to get to the airport three hours ahead as lines were long. When we got there, we walked right up to the check in counter and right up to the TSA officer- oh well. I would have gone and checked out all the float planes at the Lake Hood plane basin but instead we had a front row seat watching 747 after 747 landing and taking off as Anchorage is the fourth busiest cargo airport in the world! It was actually very entertaining to help us kill time. We even watched as a flight aborted its landing only to hit it the second go around.

The scenery on our way to Seattle was marvelous, with the most resplendent views from a flight I might have ever seen. We had an clear views of the entire Alaskan coastline, peak after stunning peak. Jenny and I commented on the size of the mountains realizing that even from 37,000 feet they looked huge, yet we noted they were all smaller than Denali – now that’s perspective!

There is no doubt we will all return to Alaska and while Billy would gladly return to where the grayling can be found, Jenny and I would love to go even more remote – and yes, I realize that that would involve a bush plane or two.

Alaska certainly drew us in. We really felt so very comfortable there, almost at home. Billy said the ruggedness and remoteness reminded him of Greer- I can see some similarities but they are really not on par with one another. I like the fact Alaska lends itself to the need to be self sufficient. There are very few whiners here; it really marches to its own drummer when compared to the lower 48. Its nickname as The Last Frontier suits it well; it gives no illusion of something it isn’t- we like that, we really really like that…

August 21- Merci Henri

First things first- We woke to a blue domer, just as Jenny had predicted. Departure day and it was gorgeous. Go figure.

We also woke to chaos as Hurricane Henri was closing in on Connecticut and both us and him were scheduled to be arriving at the same time tomorrow – not good! We tossed around ideas on what to do- just go with it and hope we can make it in? go with it knowing we could get stuck in Seattle or Chicago? Book new flights out for tonight? But as we discussed it and we realized we had the most gorgeous day of all, we had no desire to go sit in an airport stuck when we could just take the delay ahead of time, just in case, and stay on an extra day in Alaska. We would be able to make sure we have flights that shouldn’t get cancelled and roll with it. So, we rebooked our flights and will fly Anchorage to Seattle (spend the night) and then on to to Philadelphia where we need to rent a car and drive home – not the best but better than the more than likely alternative ( at least what the weather people were making it out to be).

We packed up and headed out not knowing exactly what we would be doing until we dropped out of the woods and came to the first clearing – audible gasps followed by some, “Holy sh@ts!” Then when the shock settled we couldn’t stop talking about how incredible the view was – the mountains clear as day were right there! When we checked in yesterday, the owner said, “I wish it wasn’t so cloudy so you could see the view.” Yeah, yeah I know…Now I know what view she was talking about!

It didn’t take long for the “if onlys” to start followed by a bit of a depression at all the time we had put in driving all over to have such limited views. But it also didn’t take long for Jenny to ask if we thought Denali was out too. And it took even less time for us to point the red baron in that direction, call the hotel we had stayed at before and hit the gas pedal hard when he confirmed not only a room but that Denali was out!

What, we thought, is another couple hundred miles detour, if we could get to see Denali -remember it was the one thing Jenny had wanted to see before we got here and had eluded us for the most part.

When the great one first came into view, the car went wild. We were giddy with excitement as I put the pedal to the metal. It was really overwhelming to finally see it and amazing that at over 100 miles away it took up our entire viewpoint!

As we raced north, we slowly watched the clouds coming in and start blocking the mountain. By the time we reached the Denali State Park South Viewpoint there was little left to be seen. We sat for a long time watching to see if maybe the clouds might move while coming up with a game plan to increase our chances of seeing it. And here’s where we went a little crazy.

We decided to go 30 miles more to the North Viewpoint but we didn’t have enough gas to get back to our destination to do that so we traveled south 18 miles to the nearest gas station, turned around went 18 miles north, had a big old black bear cross the highway right in front of us, stopped at the South Viewpoint again to see if it popped out, parts were visible but not all of it. We then drove the additional 30 miles north to the North Viewpoint where we saw nothing, we couldn’t even figure out where it should be with all the clouds. Turned around and drove south 30 miles to the South Viewpoint again, still only parts were visible. We then drove 50 miles to Talkeetna to check in and find dinner.

Wait times at the sit down restaurants were running upwards of 1 1/2 hours so we ordered tacos from the taco truck, grabbed a six pack of beer from the liquor store and sat at a picnic table chowing down on some delicious grub! We all agreed that we can say we saw Denali, even if it wasn’t from as close as we would have liked.

We started chatting with a family that was dining the same way as us. They were in a camper and were asking about where we had been, where we would recommend etc. Nice family from Minneapolis who we ended up giving our bear spray to as they hadn’t secured any as of yet – not such a good idea around these parts!

As we were getting up to leave, we commented on how perfectly clear the skies were now. Billy walked ahead with the family to hand off the bear spray while Jenny and I grabbed ice cream cones. While we were waiting in line, Billy texted that he could see the mountain. He got the car, picked us up and we drove 1/4 mile down the road to the viewpoint in Talkeetna where indeed, Denali was out!

As we sat looking at it, savoring our ice cream cones, Jenny turned to us and said, “We have to go to the South Viewpoint! We have to go! It will only be two hours round trip. We have to!” “Well…What else do we have to do,” I said. “Let’s go!” And this is where we went nuts…we jumped in the car and took off, stopping to grab a small bottle of bourbon, a bag of ice and two empty slushy cups. The lady told Jenny, “Welcome to the 30% club!” Only 30% of the people ever get to see Denali, so we were considering ourselves lucky!

On Jenny drove, arriving to the Viewpoint by 9:30PM, the sun still up and the mountain sitting on her throne of majesty for all to bow in awe at. The scene was spectacular and we sat there while the few remaining clouds slowly dissipated. After 30 minutes or so, we decided to see what the view was like up a trail that was off to the right.

Up we walked, hollering out to the bears, especially since we had given away our only line of defense. When we crested the hill, we all just about cried at the view. Unreal! Wow! Holy Cow! Mercy…

We sat and watched in utter disbelief that we were finally seeing not only 20,310 foot Denali, but a huge swath of the Alaska Range, as far as the eye could see, pretty much cloud free! As we and a few others sat in silence, marveling at some of Mother Nature’s finest work, a lady calmly, quietly said, “Look, there are three bears down there.” Sure enough down along the riverside we could see three bears, two cubs running wild and their mama!

Jenny, very calmly, very observantly noticed, “We are sitting here, looking not only at Denali, amazing on its own, but we are watching grizzlies too. Can it get any better than this?” “Welcome to what must be the 10%,” I responded, “Because honestly…what are the chances?”

So, merci Henri, for taking aim at Connecticut. Without you, we would not have seen her; we would have left completely defeated, instead we hit a high note, a super high note, on what should have been our departure day. Merci beaucoup Henri…merci!

August 20 – 250 Feet of Fun

Well… morning weather report brought rainy skies back. Such a bummer.

This morning we packed up and started the drive back towards Anchorage, with our destination being along the route at an area called Glacier View. Leaving Wrangell allowed for a bit more scenery as the ceiling wasn’t as low as it had been on our arrival day, so we were pleased for that. We again marveled at the fact we passed 3 campers and maybe 4 cars on the 60 mile park road – just so crazy!

We made a quick stop for gas and ice. While I was parked, looking down reading the map, someone backed into us. ARGH! It turned out to be an Israeli national who had bought his own car while he was here. The rental car sustained minor damage and after checking with them on what we should do, we continued on down the road.

We made it to our planned stop with about 30 minutes to kill, almost enough time for Billy to try and talk his way out of the activity or try and convince Jenny she didn’t need to do it for his sake.

I had signed him up to zip line with Jenny today. It was only two zips but the second one was to be a doozy. I have zip lined a handful of other times and had fun each time but this one seemed a bit over the top, so to speak. Besides, I did class IV rapids with Jenny; it was Billy’s turn to do some adventures with her!

After getting rigged with protection gear, harnesses and the piece of equipment they are suspended from, we made our way to the first drop off point (they let me ride along since the tour wasn’t full). The weather was threatening rain, but held off up to this point.

The first line required a climb up a tower that you then launch from, sending you through trees, maybe 30 feet off the ground. Billy volunteered to go first – having no issues whatsoever; Jenny followed behind. There were six other people zipping, including a hot shit 80 year old woman!

The second and final line was where I had drawn the line. It starts from a hut 15 feet back from the edge of a cliff, 250 feet high. Seconds after take off you clear the cliff’s edge and are suspended over the river valley, flying along at speeds up to 60 miles an hour, for half a mile. The lines are tandem so Billy and Jenny were able to go together, at the same time.

Billy ended up having a blast; I knew he would! The entire time took only about one hour and when it was done, we headed to our cabin for the last night in Alaska.

This little cabin was in the woods on a piece of property the owner’s parents had homesteaded. We loved chatting with guy, born and raised in Alaska, and hearing some stories about how they live and how everything there came to be.

We cooked a yummy dinner and had a Yahtzee throw down. We were also pleased to see the skies cleared. We joked how fitting it would be that the day we leave, will be the best day of the trip, weather wise!

Aug 19- Finally!

Morning weather report… guess what? Skies were clearing!!! There was no rain (I bet you didn’t think I was gonna say that)!

Our morning was a bit chaotic. Even though I had said out loud to my crew last night that our activity was to be from 9-3 today, none of us paid attention; I said we needed to leave at the same time as yesterday’s plan for a 9:30 meeting. It wasn’t until 8:15 that I reread the email that said the activity was from 9-3 and that they would meet us at 8:30! SH@T!!! That was in 12 minutes and we weren’t dressed etc, and we had a solid 10 minute drive to the parking lot… Needless to say our morning started off a bit stressful!

The driver, Zach, was very patiently waiting, as was the rest of the van full of people. I made our apologies and off we went 4 plus miles north of McCarthy to Kennecott to get fitted for crampons for our hike today on Root Glacier.

Kennecott Mines National Historical Monument is super super cool. It is operated by the National Park Service and is located in Wrangell St Elias National Park. It started off in 1900 after the discovery of copper ore. At its height there were 76 buildings, many of which are still standing. There is one hotel there and a few guide operators as it is the jumping off point for many of the backcountry excursions and day treks.

Our group today consisted of the three of us, Dale and Claire, a couple in their 60s from Cincinnati and Jan, a 68 year old Belgian guy who recently underwent quadruple bypass surgery.

We set out on foot from the center of Kennecott, immediately passing the historic mine buildings. All the buildings are in a varying state of existence- some completely preserved, some in stabilization preservation, some succumbing to the harsh Alaskan elements.

After exiting the historic sight, we were immediately struck by the vast moraine field – the same one we kayaked next to yesterday, but today we had gained elevation and could actually see just how immense it is. The scene was surreal, like an exaggerated 3-d drawing – like nothing we have ever seen before.

The hike to the edge of the glacier alone was beyond spectacular. The views were stunning, and we were all so excited to finally see some of the mountain peaks surrounding us. The trail tracked along the edge of the valley until it took a turn and headed out towards the glacier, zigzagging down the debris field left on the sides (lateral moraine).

The trail was 2.4 miles down to where we donned our crampons to start the trek across the glacier. We have trekked on a glacier one other time, in Patagonia, so at least we were familiar with walking with crampons on – walk like a cowboy with your feet further apart than normal, shorten your stride, and always point your toes uphill or downhill – no sidestepping.

Root Glacier is enormous – full of crevasses, moulins and blue pools. The glacier undulates reminding one of endless sand dunes. Parts of it are covered in a thin layer of fine rocks and are parts are white or blue. There are streams running over the top, the perfect place to refill your water bottle and I can assure you, there is nothing as delicious as fresh glacier water!

Zach did a great job leading us up and over the glacier. There were a few challenging sections that Billy later said he almost opted out of but after the other folks made it, he did it. Frankly, I was beyond impressed with all of their athletic capabilities.

All told, we trekked about 1.5 mile on the glacier itself, spending about 2.5 hours out there. We all agreed the experience here far exceeded our experience in Patagonia. Here, we were able to walk relatively freely, not following the leader in a single file; it was just our group out there the majority of the time versus group after group; and the surrounding scenery was more spectacular here. All in all, a fabulous day, and the weather finally cooperated!

On our return trip we were free to ascend to the rim trail at our own pace. Billy and Jenny led the charge while I followed closely behind taking pictures. At one point, I looked down the switchbacks to see the rest of the group stopped and Jan checking his heat rate via his neck pulse. I offered to come down and take his pack, even though I was wearing one myself, but he said no. When I caught up to Billy and Jenny and relayed what had happened, Jenny, who was not carrying a pack, headed back down the trail to offer the same as me but Jan wouldn’t let her carry it for him either. I tell you what, our group members were impressive. They trudged on right behind us, bad knees, surgically repaired arteries and all!

We grabbed lunch at the same spot as yesterday and it was even better, or maybe we had worked up an appetite but whatever the case we certainly enjoyed it again.

By the time we started for the pedestrian bridge, the skies had cleared even more and we could make out the tops of a few peaks we hadn’t seen earlier. We beelined to the bridge, the best vantage point, and we’re thrilled to see almost the entire Root Glacier and a good part of its mountain peak staring back at us.

Back in the cabin, Jenny and I were sitting in the living room, while Billy took a little nap, when we both quickly looked up at each other. “You feel that?” I asked her. She nodded yes. “Earthquake,” I said. “No way,” she replied, “maybe someone just hit the cabin.” I laughed, “There is nobody out here!” Nope, definitely an earthquake. Google confirmed it about 20 minutes later – a 4.1 ( small by earthquake standards).

As the evening progressed and the skies cleared more, Jenny and I drove back down to the bridge to see if the last peaks above the glacier had cleared. They hadn’t but the peaks of all the other surrounding mountain ranges had. We kept stopping the car to look out at the sheer beauty we saw. We have traveled to a lot of places in the world but never ever have I seen anything like Alaska; and now that the full scope of just this one area has come to light, we want to see more. I

told Jenny we might just have to come back to Alaska. She turned to me and said, “Oh.. I’m coming back.” “When?” I asked. “I don’t know exactly,” she pondered “but I’ll be back.”

August 18 – Weather Be Damned

Morning weather report… exactly the same…

One of Jenny’s requests for our trip to Alaska was to get remote – easily done in Alaska if you are happy to hop in a bush plane; not so easily done if you avoid them like the plague. So, since we all know I fall into the latter category I got us remote on our trip to McCarthy. On the two hour ride in we passed only a few other cars. So the best way to experience the remoteness was to get out and experience being here.

After coffee and cereal we hustled out to meet our guide for the day’s adventure. Today we would be doing a 1/2 day tandem kayak with St Elias Guides, on a glacial lake fed by the Kennicott Glacier. We drove the last three miles to the end of the road where we parked and walked across the footbridge, the only real way for tourists to get into town. Years ago you had to pull yourself across in a handcart but the bridge is certainly a bit better!

Our guide Clint got us outfitted in a neoprene layer, over which we could use our own expedition clothing. Billy had forgotten to bring his rain pants but Jenny and I had ours. He also gave us rubber boots and gloves to wear- none of which were remotely warm!

We did a small hike up to the lake where there were two inflatable tandem kayaks waiting. We warned Clint about Jenny’s canoeing history at 2 for 2 with flipping; he said there are four rules for kayaking, rules 1,2 and 4 are – don’t flip the canoe. Rule 3 is have fun. I told him we are rule followers and as such Jenny had every intention to not flip the kayak. I then volunteered to tandem with him!

The kayaks were a bit tricky to maneuver as they tend to want to go in circles. Jenny and Billy did a great job with theirs, considering it was a new experience. We crossed the lake, steering clear of where it empties to become the raging Kennicott River and kayaked along the terminal moraine of Kennicott Glacier. The glacier starts on top of Alaska’s 5th highest mountain peak, Mount Blackburn, some 16,390 feet up, and has its terminus just about at the town of McCarthy.

As we kayaked along, debris was falling down along the ice and into the lake. As we looked 60’ up the glacial wall, we hoped the monstrous glacial erratics didn’t come loose and tumble down – those would certainly create a small tsunami! We have seen glaciers before in Patagonia and watched the ice valve but we had never seen the process of glaciation at work. The crazy thing is we were really kayaking on the glacier as the melt waters filled in a low spot on the terminal moraine, creating a lake, so the glacier was under us. It was so cool;

The whole experience was otherworldly but it was quite cold and somehow, Billy was drenched in his boots and under his borrowed rain pants – a not too comfortable situation. So, we called it quits a bit early and headed for lunch at Potato, one of only a few places to get food in McCarthy.

The place was great, with a huge beer selection and amazing food. We really enjoyed this local filled joint as we tried to dry out. McCarthy has a year round population of 28 people (and I thought Greer was small); but it swells to a few hundred in the summer. We chatted with a girl who had just graduated from William & Mary and came to live in and work in McCarthy for summer – her first time in Alaska. It is a really neat place – lots of history, a totally chill vibe, majestic scenery, and a real sense of community. Both Jenny and I said we could easily do it for a summer; Billy said, “No way.”

After lunch, we walked around town, taking photos and loving all the character there is here. The rain stopped briefly and for a split second, we could see our shadows. We stopped into the historical museum and marveled at the hardy pioneers and how they managed to survive out here.

The running theme of our trip seems to be…”just imagine what it would look like with blue skies…” Today was certainly one of those days but thankfully the weather didn’t completely wreck it-the drizzly, foggy, chilly weather actually added to the mystique of it all!

Following a bit of exploring, hot showers and dry clothes sounded appealing. We drove back to the cabin and hung out for a bit. Jenny wanted to go back to town to the saloon and listen to the live music that was posted on flyers in town and was on the calendar for this evening. We obliged her and forwent our planned dinner in to check out something local.

On our drive back in, I spotted a creature running across the road. It took me a few seconds but I realized it was a lynx! Such a cool spy – they look like they have a cat’s head on a small bear’s body.

Seeing as it is a small town, the crowd was minimal but the guy was good. Dinner was acceptable but we were able to sit outside, the beer was cold and the company (for Billy especially) was good – so that made up for it

A few correction points: Wrangell St Elias National Park is also a Preserve and it is over 13,000,000 acres. There is one other road access point all the way in the north

August 17 – Detouring

We made it through the night – With Jenny and I snuggled tightly together in a twin bed, window open all night and brave Billy taking the room the mouse ran out of!

Morning weather report- Windy, very cold, clouds blocking everything but not raining (there is the plus side). Coming in last night, we had the faintest, faintest outline of the mountains with their snow-covered caps and oh how marvelous they looked. This morning- nothing!

We made a few pit stops as we headed south – gas, grocery store, coffee, etc. We had no plans but to make our way across the Edgarton Highway (aka the MCarthy Road) to stay for the next three nights to spend time in Wrangell- St Elias National Park, the largest of the parks in our NPS at 12,000,000 plus acres (twice the size of Denali).

We had talked to one of the owners at the lodge we stayed at last night about maybe driving to Valdez before heading to McCarthy. She emphatically said, “Go to Valdez.” I told her that I had read it is the most beautiful drive in all of Alaska, and that I had read that it in multiple places. She told me that that is so and again said, we should go to Valdez, even if the clouds are low.

Continuing south, we pulled into the park headquarters and saw something we have never seen at one before- a totally empty parking lot save for one car. We got out to at least take a look at some displays as we assumed the visitor center was closed but there behind a window was a park ranger. How crazy is that? One of our national parks at 11:00 AM and the parking lot was empty. All three times we had to park at Denali, there were only a handful of spots available. We chatted with the ranger a bit and then asked him about Valdez. He also said we should go to Valdez, so what did we do? we decided to drive to Valdez – a mere 90 mile detour (each way as it was a turnaround detour).

Again, this is the way we roll, changing plans on a whim, driving where our interests take us and never hesitating to take a detour if there is something we enjoy on the other side (In January we made a last-minute 500 mile detour to Houston to see some friend). So in the grand scheme of things, a 90 mile detour to see Alaska’s most beautiful drive was a no brainer.

The low lying clouds held on for about half the way, to the point we did quickly discuss just turning around – not much sense detouring to see the most beautiful drive if we couldn’t see much but we held our course. There were intermittent breaks in visibility and the rain which had also started, at one point we were in some pretty thick fog but as we descended from Thomson Pass, the rain stopped, clouds were breaking and the sun was trying its hardest but visibility above 1,000 feet or so was almost nonexistent.

Ok, so the drive. I am sure you are curious as to whether or not it was worth it. The answer, a resounding definitely! It was spectacular! Prior to the Thompson Pass we were getting scenes of Ireland and Iceland, after the pass it was like Hawaii with hundreds of waterfalls pouring down out of the soaring cliffs. Truly breathtaking scenery!

We headed for lunch, since we never had breakfast, after which we made a run to the brewpub (something we have done in almost every town to get some local beers to go). Jenny then suggested we go check out the salmon hatchery to see if we could spot seal lions or otters.

We drove around the head of Port Valdez to the east side where Solomon Gulch Hatchery is located. Holy Cow, we were blown away by the scene we watched unfolding in front of our eyes – thousands upon thousands upon thousands of salmon were either struggling to make their way upstream, stuck in side inlets of the river and slowly dying or were already lying dead being feasted on by thousands upon thousands of seagulls. Honestly, probably the wildest natural phenomena I have ever witnessed – totally surreal!

We couldn’t help but sit and watch and listen (the shrieking of the gulls was insane), for quite some time. The chaos and madness of it all was somehow, a bit addicting.

Once we were finally able to pull ourselves away from the macabre scene, we began our return trip north. The weather had lifted in some parts and even the tops of the mountains were clear- a sight we haven’t seen in more than a week. But, that was not to last long.

While we were in Valdez, I had called our hosts for the upcoming three nights, and they said it had been raining since last night and was forecasted to continue for the next week… great. With that news, we were all even happier we had gone to Valdez because at least it wasn’t raining and we had some views, if not limited.

Scenes from around Valdez:

Our drive along the Edgarton from the Richardson was pretty uneventful but interesting in the fact that it was the first time in all the miles we have been that we saw any farming- in this case cows.

The end of the Edgarton brought us to the beginning of the 60 mile McCarthy Road, the only road into Wrangell-St Elias. Again, most rental car companies do not allow travel on this road, keeping most tourists out. Actually the sign at the beginning of the road is an additional deterrent to a lot of tourists I imagine; we cracked up and kept on driving.

The drive in was not a particularly stunning one. Now maybe if it wasn’t pouring, and we could see something above the tree tops it would be but again, we saw nothing. It took us two hours to travel the 60 mile, pothole rutted, washboard of a road, arriving at our cabin at 8:00.

Scenes from our drive:

The cabin was very nice with a great big wrap around deck overlooking what we assume is a beautiful vista in the distance. Jenny whipped up some scrumptious tacos for dinner and we all hit the hay hard!