Farewell to AK...

After McCarthy and Kennicott we headed out of interior Alaska and down the Haines highway. A spectacular drive (despite the fact that we almost ran out of gas... ha!) and a fun port town to visit.

Fantastic Mr...

Upon leaving Alaska we cruised through British Columbia and camped at Kinaskan Lake. We decided to do some fishing and of course we got the lure stuck on some rocks. So Chris put on his trunks and waded out into the frigid water. Ya can't let a four dollar lure go to waste!

Near the end of the Cassiar Highway in BC is a short side route to Hyder, AK. This was our final stop in Alaska. This amazing photo is of Bear Glacier en route to Hyder.

After leaving Hyder we cruised east through BC and onto Okanagan Lake where we spotted Ogopogo the 'lake demon'.

We are currently in Victor, Idaho and will be visiting a few more spots before arriving home by the end of the week. The final batch of photos when we return. We hope everyone is having a great summer and we will see you all soon!

More Alaskan Travels

So this post is in reverse chronological order. Whoops. But if you couldn't already tell we are still blogilogically challenged. Anyway, these two photos are of the Kennecott Copper Mine in Kennicott, Alaska. Yes, the copper mine owners erred in their spelling of the mining companies name. This building is 13 stories tall and around 100 years old. We walked the 5 miles down the McCarthy Road to reach the mine and then took a nice bus ride back.

Another fantastic shot of the enormous structure.

In order to reach McCarthy, AK we had to drive down 60 miles of unpaved road crossing two one lane bridges as well as avoiding railroad spikes and sharp stones. This exciting drive culminated at the Kennicott River where a foot bridge allowed for access to the small town of McCarthy. This is located in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve, which is 13 million acres in size (twice the size of Denali.) We loved McCarthy and Kennicott and we even saw a black bear cross our path while we were walking!

Amazing, two-legged Worthington Glacier viewed on our day trip to Valdez, AK.

Sarah, Chris, and Lindsay (with Karyn behind the camera :)) at the Exit Glacier in Seward, AK. Sarah and Lindsay flew to Alaska and we all got to hang out in Seward for a few days. We had a total blast!!

We like to hike

Winner's Creek Trail. A very pretty place.

Hand tram. Karyn watches from safe ground = wimp.

In our tree house for a day.

Seaside Farm at Homer's shore.

Little did we know that the tenting area was also the horses' grazing area. We were afraid of being trampled to death. Hey horse! Don't eat the tent. (or pee on it) [or poop near it]

Homer not home

A full moon in Homer, AK.

Halibut Cove, AK.

The Danny J, our tour boat. No barfing allowed.

On the shore of the Kachemak Bay outside our cabin.

Scottish Babbitt haMMing it up!

Mix it UP!

Ahh, Anchorage.

Sweetest pizza delivery car eveR.. and Sarah.

"Question, um, how do I lower my bionic arm?"

Bird Point. Breathtaking.

Girdwood from Mt. Alyeska.

THE Climb

Halfway up Mount Alyeska.

A sigh of relief after losing the trail. Almost there...

Where's Waldo? (Hint: Chris is the tiny figure in the right-hand corner at 2500 ft.)

The reward: a FREE tram-ride down.

Gobble Gobble.

Solstice and Glacier Jam

We finally got to burn some logs!

For the summer solstice we camped at Captain Cook State Park on the western part of the Kenai Peninsula. We had a gorgeous view as the sun crept behind the mountains for only a few hours during the night.

A great shot of Mount Redoubt across the Cook Inlet. This active volcano erupted in 2009 covering places as far away as Anchorage with ash and debris. It soars from sea level to over 10,000 feet. Whoa!

Aboard the MV Ptarmigan cruising Portage Lake to check out the glacier. We attended a benefit for the Girdwood Arts and received food and drinks. Here Chris is enjoying some hippie sax jams while loading up on cured meats and veggies.

In front of the Portage Glacier.

Have a wonderful Independence Day everyone! We love and miss you all!

Karyn and Chris.

Girdy!

We decided to spend a month on the Kenai Peninsula in Girdwood, AK. This is the front door to the hostel that we are staying in.

This is our kitchen and living space, where we listen to Glacier City Radio 88.9 FM!

The view outside our door. The sound with mountains beyond.

This is a typical, old Alaskan man that lived in the mountains. He was once upset by the local grocer, for being shorted a nickel, and in protest walked 30 miles uphill, literally, to a different town to purchase supplies.

Crazy tides produce crazy mudflats. And beautiful land.

Here we come Fairbanks! Oh no... let's leave.

We stayed at Cathedral Creeks Bed and Breakfast outside Tok, AK where wildfires continued to threaten our stay. In their backyard was the old Alaskan Highway. Here, Chris is walking with our new friends: Sally the dog and Tiger the cat.

*Cue ominous music*

The stucco building in the back - that is about to cave into the earth - is where we stayed in Fairbanks, AK. After searching for a place for hours we ended up at Seven Gables Inn. The manager was probably a child molester, we were housed next to a crack dealer, and we feared for our life on extremely questionable sheets. Hence, our short stay in Fair.. err, I mean Ghettobanks. For further reading on the hilarious, awfulness of Seven Gables Inn consult: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60826-d72242-Reviews-Seven_Gables_Inn-Fairbanks_Alaska.html. (We should of read this before we booked our room.)

This cow moose and her calf decided to find safety from a grizzly bear next to our campsite in Denali National Park. They were so close it gave us moosebumps.

On our hiking trip in Denali. A perfect place to peer through the trees.

On the way to Girdwood, AK (our summer home!). Irresistible Turnagain Arm!

Vagabond Courage! (aka tired of sleeping in a tent)

Karyn with the band at The Pit. The guy on the left was a Yukon native and (the best) fiddle player named Willy. After a few beers, Karyn lost all tact and told him that, "we have a dog named Willy!"

After a night of dancing and drinking with the townsfolk (minus Steve Martin) we returned to the hostel. We climbed a nearby bluff and saw Caveman Bill's (http://www.architrope.com/architrope_vs_3/caveman_bill.html) cave below and a smirking black fox, eerily crossed our path. We can only compare it to seeing a unicorn. It's hard to sleep in the land of the midnight sun.

From Dawson City, YT we drove on the Top of the World Highway back to Alaska. Unfortunately, the "top of the world" views were obscured by "top of the world" mountain mist. This was a one-lane, pot-hole filled, curvy, dirt road that we drove and, as the back of the van states, "We survived the Top of the World Highway and all we got to see was this dirt road."

Upon completing the "top of the world" journey we arrived in Chicken, AK, which has a year round population of 9 (and a summer time pop. of 30).

Heading down the Taylor Highway from Chicken we made a right back onto the Alcan and headed toward Tok, AK. Dry weather and lightning had produced 96 different fires in Alaska. Above, evidence of the damage.