Cernek.org Blog

Monday, August 8, we are finally underway again. We are going to Carmacks since it appears to be the only spot with camping facilities between Dawson City and Whitehorse.

At the edge of the Dawson, we see a guy about our age with his thumb out. For some reason both Ed and I had the same thought to stop and pick him up.

Craig was an interesting fellow. He and his brother had taken a small boat down a river in the backcountry in Nunavut, Canada. It was a trip they had paddled in a canoe when they were in their early years. Their big motor had given out and they had to finish the distance with their seven-horse motor. Since he was running later than planned, Craig had to leave his brother and get on back to a small town outside of Vancouver to resume his cancer treatment. Yes. He decided to interrupt his cancer treatment for the chance to relive this exciting adventure of their youth.

Craig had thumbed all the way from Nunavut, way up north and way out into backcountry. He had spent the previous night asleep outside. He was tired. Once we had him settled into the passenger seat, he dozed right off. While he slept, Ed and I discussed the merits of driving all the way to Whitehorse tonight instead of stopping in Carmacks. It is only another 100 miles, and the road is a good road. That would get Craig to his final thumbing destination a day early. His brother had given him the money for a plane ticket, and his reservation is for tomorrow evening at 6:00.

So why would we need to go to a gym? Because we just had to go out and get what we wanted of course, I really wanted to go out there it was the most affordable place in town to go and get it. The worst thing would be not working out since we are addicted to and yeah I worry about my health since its my number one priority in life. We went to Weight Loss Scottsdale and it was great because the service they provided was second to none honestly at the end of the day.

If we are going to drive all the way in one shot, we need some lunch. I went back to make a sandwich, waking Craig as I moved by. When I asked him if he would like a something to eat, he lit up like a Christmas tree. Two sandwiches later, he seemed topped off for the moment. I was out of bread, or he might have had a third. The poor guy had lost a lot of teeth so he wasn’t able to munch on the carrots or nuts that I offered, but he didn’t seem to mind. He was a pretty happy fellow when we told him we were going all the way to Whitehorse.

After lunch Craig filled us in a little on his life story. We learned about the cancer, his natural remedy approach that seems to be working very well, and his general positive outlook on life. He apparently went to university at some point in his early life and has worked all kinds of jobs from lumberjack to handyman. We made sure he had some cash in his pocket before we dropped him off at the McDonald’s in Whitehorse, wishing him safe journey for the rest of his way.

It was hard to tell exactly how Craig was making out in this world. He definitely needed a bath, but that would be expected after being out in the wild for a couple of weeks and sleeping rough. He was hungry, but he had $60 in his pocket his brother had given him for emergencies. I hope that was true. He had an attitude that would take him far. Our lives were enriched by having met him. Craig, where ever you are, we hope you are doing really, really well.

After our night at the Walmart in White Horse (it was just as crowded with RV’s and campers this time as it was on our way up to Alaska!) we are on our way to Haines, Alaska. To get there we will travel south in Yukon Territory, cross into British Columbia for a short distance, and then cross the border into the U.S.

We are starting to take these border crossings in stride. They don’t seem to care what foods we have as long as it is in small quantities for our own  consumption. That seems to be true of the alcohol as well. Today seems to be no different. It is a small station and no waiting line. We are back in the U.S. and headed for Haines.

The scenery is starting to become awesome again. We are back into the high mountains and the glaciers. It is gorgeous!

The U.S. got the really pretty part of the highway. We are getting back into the high mountains with glaciers. It is a bit like the road to Valdez but different. We have found that to be true of every place we have been. Each town site has its own special ambiance and features.

Life for the people at the checkpoints could not have been great. If the weather was bad enough to need the checkpoints, the folks doing the checking had to be out in miserable conditions, didn’t they?

The clouds are riding low on the mountains today. Every  now and then we get a glimpse at what is up there when the clouds clear.

Glaciers!

The view across this alpine meadow is so tranquil and beautiful and yet the wild is right there. This is wilderness at its finest.

The Chilkat River flows along the highway. The roads and the rivers usually follow similar paths through the glacier valleys.

Haines is famous for the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. For thousands of years the Chilkat Valley has attracted Bald Eagles in the fall and winter. Drawn by the warmer open water and the plentiful supply of salmon, around 3,500 eagles are known to gather between October and February. The preserve was created in 1982 to protect 48,000 acres of land along the Chilkat, Klehini, and Tsirku rivers. When you see the bald eagle calendars with twenty or thirty eagles sitting in one tree, you are looking at pictures taken in the preserve when the eagles gather.

August 9 we arrive in Haines and the next day we are off to see the American Bald Eagle Foundation Museum.

This small owl lives at the Eagle Foundation. His wing was broken and was not able to be repaired sufficiently for him to be returned to the wild. He now serves as an educational owl. He is a bit sleepy, but then he would normally be asleep in the day and hunting at night. The foundation’s owls seem very calm and somewhat adjusted to their day job, but according to the docent, they do like their naps.

The foundation has one live bald eagle that again has a wing injury that doesn’t allow him to fly well enough to hunt. We have joined the eagle handler to watch him feed this big fellow and to learn more about him. He is still a bit nervous about so many people watching him, but we were told he  is getting more used to his new life.

The foundation only has birds that cannot be returned to the wild. They nursed them back to health and use them as educators.

This little barred owl shares the same fate. A wing injury is normally death to one of these predators in the wild. If you can’t fly, you can’t hunt; so you can’t eat. And there is always the possibility of becoming food yourself.

This red-tailed hawk is keeping an eye on us. He is a bit newer to the foundation’s live bird collection. He has settled in really well according to the docent. He does like to keep an eye on things though. There are signs up to not touch the rope that is the line not to cross. He doesn’t like it when you get in his space, and that is his space.

The Eagle Foundation has a whole nature museum with every stuffed animal in Alaska or so it seems. This moose head is low enough to get a picture with me standing beside him. This really puts it into perspective. Yikes! This animal is huge!

We haven’t seen black bears in Alaska. We have only seen grizzly bears. The black bear is a species of bear that can actually be black or brown. The lack of a hump on their shoulders, the smaller size, and the shape of their nose are the ways to differentiate between the two. The black bear is much more likely to be less of a life-threatening danger than the grizzly.

The arctic red fox apparently comes in several colors as well. These two and the picture below are all arctic red foxes.

We haven’t seen a lynx and probably won’t. They are very, very reclusive. Look at the fur on those paws to keep his feet warm while hunting in the snow.

We haven’t seen wolves either. A couple of times I thought we might have, but I am pretty sure it was coyote. The coyotes in Alaska have a much plushier look to them with their heavier coats than the coyotes in Arizona. It took a while to realize the difference between the coyote and the wolf. We are also just getting a quick glimpse of the coyote as he runs across the road the couple of times we did have an encounter.

Deep plush pile fur separates these animals from their desert cousins.

There is the grizzly we have been seeing. This bear is the one with the bad rep. We have learned though that even these bears can live in harmony with man with a little common sense and bear awareness.

I have been eating my fair share of this fish. It is fun to finally get a good look at one. I have seen a lot of pictures and diagrams, but this is a stuffed one. The eye migrates from the down side of the fish to the middle of his head so he can see from both eyes while laying on the bottom. Asymmetrical looks so weird.

These eagles have talons locked together in flight. This is either a territorial dispute or a mating ritual. This behavior will manifest in either event.

With salmon firmly clutched in his talons, this is a scene I am hoping to see around here in the wild. An eagle’s talons are believed to have gripping strength 10 times greater than the human hand and can exert about 400 pounds per square inch.

Haines is located on the shores of America’s longest fjord. The glacier covered mountains rise up from sea level to create stunning scenery whenever the clouds lift. This Saturday we are lucky. The clouds have lifted, and we have the first sun we have seen since we arrived.

Chilkat State Park is only seven miles from town. On the advice of the lady at the visitor’s center, we are on our way to check it out.

We have discovered this dense forest with a hiking trail running through it. Only a couple of feet in from the parking lot the vegetation is so dense that ground cover is sparse. The sun never shines on most of this forest floor, creating a very dark, magical, possibly sinister, definitely beautiful ambiance.

The path is a bit hard to see in places. It would be easy to get lost in this place.

The numerous varieties of moss and fern on the deadfall is surprising. This is a garden on this one log.

Where the sun does shine down to the ground, the plants grow big and thick.

The demarcation of where the sun shines and where it doesn’t is very abrupt. The big bad wolf could come out looking for Little Red Riding Hood at any minute.

The glacier and waterfall we are on the other side of the valley from where we are standing. There is a lot of water flowing out of that glacier for it to appear this large a fall from this far away.

This is a beautiful spot. The clouds are moving in again however.

Glacier ice is so blue. I love looking at it.

The clouds are creating quite a picture.

I love the name “Buckshot and Bobby Pins” for a salon.

There isn’t a whole lot to Haines. The cruise ships do not come to this town. It is very small and has only a few stores.

It does however have a hammer museum. Unfortunately we didn’t realize it would close on Saturday and Sunday, or we would have come sooner. The owner has apparently figured out some very clever uses for hammers.

Look closely at the wheel spokes. The handlebars are made out of hand axes. Crowbars are the frame. Very clever.

This contraption would have all sorts of things happening if the wheel could be turned in the back. Too bad we had to miss the special artwork inside.

The end of Main Street brings us to the Harbor Bar & Liquor Store with a great view of the fjord and marina behind.

This is a large marina for as small as the town appears to be.

Note how steep the blue walkway is. The tide must be out.

We are standing on a bridge that crosses the Chilkat River. Notice how small the people look in comparison to the landscape. We have felt pretty small and insignificant the whole time we have been in this vast wilderness.

Once you have heard the cry of a bald eagle, it is very recognizable when you hear it again. I heard the very distinctive cry and started looking around. Sure enough. There he or she is. They are very easy to spot in the trees with their white head and tail.

 

We learned in town that a mother bear and her two cubs routinely fish up and down the shoreline of Chilkoot Lake in the early morning and evening. We are at Chilkoot Lake about 6:00 in the evening, and the timing is perfect.

The sow doesn’t seem to be fishing with any urgency and the cubs are somewhat distracted as well. This cub seems more interested in chomping on the grasses than seriously fishing. Kids!

These two cubs have grown past the rolly-polly teddy bear stage and are starting to look more like real bears.

You can tell mama bear easily enough by her collar. Apparently someone has put a tracking collar on her.

The bears are making their way along the shore of the lake. As she and the cubs approach, the people who are fishing on the lake take their poles out of the water, step back about 25 to 50 feet towards the roadway, wait for the trio to meander on down the shore, and then move back to the favorite fishing spot to continue fishing. The bears aren’t paying any attention to the people and the people are giving the bears a little space. This works because both these bears and these people have become accustomed to each other.

Could these bears become dangerous? Sure. Particularly if the cubs got into trouble. Is it likely that the bears will become dangerous? Probably not. Given respect and space, the bears will go about their bear business.

This was someone’s catch that he moved up to the road while the bears went by. One of the bears would have probably loved one of these.

The cubs seem to be staying up on shore, and mom seems to be in the water where there is a much greater opportunity to find fish.

The cubs are distracted and doing what kids do, but they don’t let mom get too far ahead before they hustle to catch up. They are staying on shore, but they are keeping her in sight.

Mom has apparently called the cubs back to the business of fishing.

She seems to be getting a bit more serious about actually finding a fish.

We are starting to see signs of fall around here. That means that these bears need to pack on the fat to make it through the winter. She doesn’t exhibit a lot of urgency though.

That didn’t last long. This cub is back in the grass. That water is cold on a guy’s feet!

I think mom has called them back into the water again. They both decided to get back in at the same time.

Well, maybe not. This cub started for the water but seems to be having second thoughts.

He is staying on shore a bit longer.

Aww, Mom. Do I have to?

The view from the lakeshore is pretty spectacular. The sun is shining on the far peaks, highlighting the grandeur.

Here is my favorite plant, fireweed. It appears to get pretty tall as the season progresses. Most of the petals have fallen off leaving behind the bare pink stalks. An interesting plant. It is still not unattractive as it goes to seed.

The Tlingit people are master wood carvers. Their totem poles are found around town. This pole is in front of the school. It is a beautiful example of their work.

We are staying in Haines a full six days. I think yesterday may have been our one opportunity to enjoy sunshine. The clouds and rain are back. Today Ed is taking the day off from being a tourist. I am off to see the Haines Museum and get some pictures of the beautiful totem poles I have seen around town.

Both the front and the sides are carved.

This pole is in a park by Portage Cove. It has the same beautiful carvings and uses red pigment. I personally prefer the ones with the more subdued colors.

The view across Portage Cove with Haines Marina nestled in behind the breakwater is very picturesque.

This is actually on a side street, but it still qualifies for what I have been calling “alley art.” This is another interesting mural painted on the side of a building, featuring raven.

The Sheldon Museum has been highlighted in the literature about Haines as well as by the folks at the RV park and the visitor’s center.

I am already impressed with the display about the Tlingit people. This looks very interesting.

The Tlingit people were very enterprising people. They are the ones who had established the trade routes with the Athapascan tribes and guarded them from the competition of the Hudson Bay Company. When the Gold Rush started, the Tlinglit men would hire out to carry loads up the Chilkoot and White passes for the miners. Since everyone had to have a ton of provisions (if the miner was five pounds short, the Canadian police would send him back to get it) the job security must have been good.

The idea of owning land was not part of the Tlingit culture. Now they had to become subjects because they didn’t play by the same rules as the newcomers. Why not citizens?

These dishes were a surprise. From what I have seen in some of the stores, they must still be popular.

The blanket hanging on the wall is decorated with buttons around the border and a design in the middle. This is a very popular style I have seen in some of the stores.

The idea of staying as long as it took to get there is an interesting one. At least everyone knew what was expected.

This is an interesting way to control bad behavior within the community.

This is one of my favorite raven stories. Now I understand about whale blow!

Hawk was a very steadfast and brave cousin. We like hawk!

A really bad decision by one man cost 343 lives.

We have decided to use this ferry system to travel to Skagway instead of driving through Whitehorse to get there. It is a distance on land of over 300 miles and would cost about $300 in gas to get there. The ferry is only $209 for both Ed and I, the Jeep, and the RV. The only concern is our long overhang on the RV. Will the loading ramp not be too steep? We have decided to give it a try. We are committed to the ferry back to Bellingham, we might as well give it a go now as well.

You don’t hear much about Pan AM anymore, do you?

Sears and Roebuck brought all manner of goods to rural America. Who knew they also had a circulating library.

Our time in Haines is coming to an end. We have enjoy the people and the small town atmosphere. The folks have sure been friendly. One of the shopkeepers shared with us what it is like to live in Haines in the winter.

Everyone has a four-wheel-drive something to get around in. The town pretty much comes to a stop when it snows until the plows have cleared the main roads. The side streets may take a while; so it may be necessary to dig yourself out. The Halloween trick or treat festivities are held at the school since it is guaranteed there will be snow on Halloween. It is the same school for K through 12. The temperatures are not too horrific because of the proximity to the water; however, it is cold. On a cloudy day in late December, it may seem like the sun has never risen at all. She liked living here. The folks are all good people, and she didn’t want the big city life. She has found her spot in the world and is very content with it.

Life is good.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 20th, 2011 at 18:45 and is filed under North by Northwest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.