By motorcoach through the Yukon & Alaska: Denali to Anchorage and Seward
July 20, 2006: Princess McKinley Lodge to Anchorage – 138 miles
I got up just after 3:00 a.m. to see if I could catch the first light on Denali, but was a bit too early, and the light wasn’t good. This shot was taken at 5:50 a.m., with a fog bank over the Chulitna River adding some interest.
The breakfast buffet in the Cub Café this morning was quite poor in terms of both selection and quality, and grossly expensive at $21.75.
The Mooses’s Tooth at 9:25 a.m.
We were supposed to depart for Anchorage at 10:00, but nobody had told the bag crew, so we were delayed by an hour. Nobody minded – having to spend another day at this beautiful property wouldn’t have been a disappointment!
An easy drive (with a stop at the Iditarod sled dog race headquarters in Wasilla) brought us to Anchorage, where we checked into the historic Anchorage Hotel. This is one of my favourite hotels in Alaska – a charming “boutique” property built in 1936, with exceptionally friendly and efficient staff. There’s no restaurant, but each morning, Kathleen’s Creative Catering brought in an extremely good breakfast – very high quality and great variety that was different each day. This picture of the hotel was shot at 8:35 p.m.
July 21, 2006: Low tide (0.2 feet) and high tide (27.4 feet) at Ship Creek, in downtown Anchorage (these 2 photos were taken from exactly the same spot). Although the fishing for silver salmon was said by some to be “hot” this evening, I saw a great deal of fishing going on but very little catching.
This fellow, one of the few successful Ship Creek fishermen this day, had a fine strut on with a pair of nice silvers on his hip. 1:36 p.m.
For those who would like to give Ship Creek fishing a try but don’t have their own gear, Riverside Adventures will rent you all the gear you need and sell you a license. A rod and reel with all the lures and such that you need is only $5 an hour – rod, reel, lures, boots and net will cost $12 an hour. They’re very helpful, and are located at the far end of the bridge beside The Bridge restaurant.
I really enjoy watching industrial activity, particularly at places such as the Anchorage docks where things are a little unusual. This barge that I shot at 7:44 p.m. is carrying slings of lumber for the village of Selawik, a new rescue boat for Barrow, a large campground-style outhouse, a mobile home, several trucks, and heaven knows what else.
A wide range of transportation types, seen at Cook Inlet at 7:52 p.m.
July 22, 2006: Anchorage to Seward and back – 266 miles
This was the only day of the entire trip that we had bad weather. At the Portage Glacier we were greeted by very heavy rain and strong wind. Though it abated once out of the Portage Valley, the rain continued almost all day. This is the Seward Highway as I was northbound back to Anchorage at 3:26 p.m., after dropping my group off at their ship – for much more information about what that experience is like, see YourAlaskaCruise.com.
In a few hours, I would start the long drive back home by myself.
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