Post 7-31-2014 Palmer to Valdez

Post 7-31-2014 Palmer to Valdez

UGH!, SPIT! And whatever. Got up feeling like a drunken bum. Sore throat from coughing all night, sinuses clogged up,high temperature. Just felt horrible. Not much sleep because of the coughing and bladder wanted to empty every Hour. Around 5 A.M. I took more medicines and finally slept til almost 10 o'clock. After getting up I had a banana and still felt queasy.Splitting headache to go with it.

Then I had my extra medicine and my coffee. World starting to look better. Yesterday evening after Tom ‘s concert, we drove a short while until we found a nice wide pull off and got ready for some sleep. Was in bed over 10 hours feeling miserable.

As the morning wore on, I started feeling better so we got underway for Valdez. Still had a couple hundred miles to go. The road spanned across the tundra  and through mountain passes and of course we had up and down and  swerving left-right  to go straight because of the thawed permafrost under the tundra .

 We were rewarded with some spectacular sights of the mountains, lakes  and glaciers and even drove close by a couple. The wind turned chilly as it came off the glacier even though the temp was up to 68 degrees. Just another beautiful Alaska day.

Glacier

Writings in the mountain with rocks-lovers

Gypsum & Iron Oxide  

Bridal Veil Waterfall

This glacier within touching distance from the road. It's mud filled

A real shocker!. I glanced at my fuel gauge and it read “ZERO”. We were about 80 miles from anywhere--nearest town was Glen Allen. No service stations anywhere. After frantically checking everything I could think of, I shut down the engine. When I re-started it, the gauge started working again. I almost had a heart attack but GOD came through again. I’m so blessed.

Arriving in Valdez, we first decided to stay in a RV park. Actually, we couldn't find a pull off close by. So tonight we will enjoy full comfort in the bus.  I was able to hold down some dinner and now feel a little groggy from my medicationss. So, I quit. See you tomorrow at the earliest.

I did talk with a close relative about their  situation and I ask you to pray for that person. I’ll reveal later the reason. Just pray for their recovery. Also spoke to my son and he is doing well, he says.

Post 8-02-2014 Around Valdez

8-2-2014 Around Valdez

I think the “bug” got me. I've had a fever, coughing, sneezing, feeling horrible and any thing else you can think of. Yes, that too.

Anyway, the day itself has been just wonderful. Warm (75) clear and bright. Humidity around 45 %. Ideal day. Actually had a couple hours of diminished light last night.

Spent most of the morning in bed. Same as above plus a headache. Was going to the doc but all of a sudden I started feeling better. So didn’t go.

Nita fixed one of my favorite breakfasts, chipped beef on toast. One of my favorites from Navy days.

Valdez is a small town of around 5,000 and is the most Northern Port that does not freeze over, thus making it the ideal place for the oil tankers.  An average of four tankers fill and depart Valdez weekly. The Exxon Valdez sailed from here and caused the oil spill 25 miles away. Remember that?

 The city is a local and tourist fishing port that is popular for tourists from the world over.  It is a beautiful little town and has a year round population, unlike some of the tourist towns. 

The city experienced the 1964 earthquake and tsunami,  starting at the town dock and traveling westward. The ground under the dock gave way. Due to the deteriorated soil base the city was relocated some four miles westwards to save it.  

 

Prowling around town we visited the pier front and saw the ship “Cornelia Marie”.  If you watch “Deadliest Catch“, it was (is) one of those.  It wasn't configured for fishing, they were in from “Kodiak” for a few repairs.  We also swung by the visitors center to see what’s happening in Valdez and watched a film of the ‘64 Earthquake and the damage done throughout the state.

We drove up a canyon out to a secluded place along a glacier creek and were able to walk up to the glacier itself.  Mostly dirty but was identifiable. There was a beautiful waterfall on the mountainside above the ice.

some of the glacier

Don't know what kind.

glacier river

In the city there was a open market of about ten tents. A ha, ha . Half of them were used for political reasons and only a few with merchandise, souvenirs,  to sell or food wagons.  We had a reindeer dog and listened to some local singers.  They were pretty good. At one stall a lady, Linda Tousignant, handed me a Willow Rose, a really pretty one. I immediately gave it to my love. 

Yesterday, we drove out to the fuel docks where they load oil aboard the tankers. This is where the “pipeline” (that runs from Prudhoe Bay up North at the Bearing Sea to Valdez) ends. All along the route on Highway 1, there were no pull offs or places to enjoy the pipe and the scenery unless the pipe was underground or far away. Security reasons, I guess.  We did see the area where the pipe ends at the dock, but there are posted signs and the road ends for the public.

Along the road there was a very pleasant surprise for us. There were several good pull offs, lots of fishermen and a hatchery. There were hundreds of salmon visually that had spawned and were lying dead on the banks.  There were also thousands trying to go upstream by the hatchery to spawn.  You can see them in the photos. We were told that a lot of Black Bears are in the area, so be careful. Plenty of signs posted as well. Actually, one crossed the highway in front of us but we weren't fast enough to take photos. Looked like a 2-3 year old.

Dieing Salmon

Shades in water are Salmon

Salmon swirling behind Nita

Trying to go upstream to spawn. 

Thousands os Salmon

Boomer amazed at what's happening

Playful seal feeding 

We drove to a glacier creek where there were several small bergs floating in the stream and you could see where they had broken off the main glacier. It was very dirty from taking dirt with them when they move.  Most of the little bergs are dirty also, but some are beautifully white.  They have turned over, the berg bottoms are clean.  A sizeable tent camp was set up so we didn’t stay long.

The grey in the background is glacier












Small bergs

Post 7-30-2014 Palmer Musk Ox Farm and Tony Furtado

Post 7-30-2014 Palmer Musk Ox Farm and Tony Furtado

Oh what a beautiful morning! We awoke around 9 a.m and had our morning coffee and a light breakfast. Sun was shining brightly, temp was around 70 Degrees, little to no wind and low humidity. Got underway and headed toward Valdez, but it’s about 240 miles away. 

As we drove through Palmer, we saw a Musk Ox Farm and of course we had to pull in, and what a wonderful stop it was. They offered free tours with admission as well as touring the museum building where we learned the history of this farm and the bringing of Musk Ox to the area.

The Musk Ox is an ice age mammal that roamed the earth along with Saber-Toothed Tigers and woolly mammoths. Known to the Natives as “Oomingmak” which means “The Bearded One”.  This once endangered animal produces an annual harvest of “qivuit”, the finest wool in the world. It seems that the Musk Ox was virtually extinct in Alaska, having only two throughout the state.   

John Teal took on the project to farm them and bring them back.  In 1964 he imported 35 Musk ox from Greenland, gained support from the University of Alaska and started a Musk Ox farm in Fairbanks. The animals outgrew the area and were moved to another area that did not suit them before they came to the Farm.  They have been in this location for 30 years and the heard has grown from 35 to over 80. They send some to cold climate zoo’s and swap breeding stock with other farms. They have selective breeding, are well fed, properly medicated and their “qivuit” is harvested. The project includes teaching Native women from all over the state how to knit.  They must only knit the unique lacy patterns (different for each tribe) for the beautiful qivuit garments.  The project is an ongoing experiment but has been highly successful.  They contribute greatly to the restoration of the Musk Ox and give the Native women an income.

Scarf made of qivuit 

Adult 

Two year old

Two/three year old

Our tour guide- Jennifer

One year old 

One Year olds

One Year Old

The University started another Musk Ox program apart from the farm.  We went there when we were in Fairbanks, but it was closed. The UAA had a feeding problem that caused several to die, so the opportunity to see them today was a blessing.

Tony Furado

After reading his poster, we decided we would attend and especially since it would be there at the Musk Ox Farm, and boy, were we glad! Tony hails from Portland, OR. He is on his summer tour and Palmer was his first gig in Alaska. Apparently married with a 22 month old son and spoke dearly about him.  The show stopped, with laughter, when a man got up to take his little one away to care for him and in mid-song, Tony said “Hey, we've got the same diaper bag”.  We all cracked up!

Tony’s style of guitar and banjo performances was decidedly different from any I have ever heard. I was drawn to his poster thinking he must be a bluegrass musician and you all know how I dearly love that music. Tony’s style is very hard to describe. It sounds like blues in one instance and Woody Guthrie the next and when he played a Beatles tune it was totally different. He uses a bar and calls it “slide guitar and slide banjo” and that gives it some dobro and/ or Steel guitar sound. Whatever it is called we like it. Brought home a CD and we play it often. Tony, you’re already successful but if you keep your style going you will became famous. Thank you for such a wonderful evening of entertainment.

Tony Furado

1915 Model "T" Ford

Our background picture

 When you play Fairbanks, or anywhere for that matter, don’t forget our military. They are the reason we, you, I and everybody else enjoys our freedom today.  “Hobo Jim” played the national Anthem as a closure to his program in Soldotna. Everyone loved it. Fairbanks is about 1/3 military or retirees.

Keep the faith.