We left Valdez on July 12, Sunday. We had the most wonderful time there. The Columbia Glacier cruise we took was wonderful. The sun actually made an appearance and it made a tremendous difference in color and warmth. The glacier calved small bits while we were about ¼ of a mile from it. It is one big glacier too. Interestingly, there is an amazing optical illusion that is created by the sound water and the glacier when you are about 13 miles from it. Suddenly the glacier looks to be twice as tall and huge then as you approach closer the vision pops back to reality. The sea otters were out in force floating on the ice bergs. Although they were wary of the boat, they also were very curious which made for great photos.

The pink salmon were just beginning to run and fishing season for the professional fishermen had just started when we took our glacier cruise. It was very interesting to learn what the duties were of the different types of boats. All were using the “purse seining” technique. This was very interesting to watch how the nets scoop up the fish and get them into the fishing boat. Then the tender comes in…these are the big boats you see on Deadliest Catch…and buys the fish on the spot, siphons them up and eventually takes them directly to the processing plant in Valdez.

While in Valdez, we also went to the Solomon Creek Fish Hatchery to see the salmon returning to their birthplace. It was so exciting to also get to see the sea lions feeding on the salmon. Again, because of the confines of the area, we were able to take amazing close ups of not only the salmon but of the sea lions as well. A few harbor seals were also lingering nearby but they never came in close enough for us to photograph them. This hatchery is a good location to see bears at low tide. Unfortunately, we never were able to get back at low tide. We met an interesting employee of the fish hatchery who told us they actually can tell hatchery fish from wild fish by some rings on their ear bones so they have people at the processing plants whose job is to excise the ear bones from the salmon. The bones are then analyzed to see the ratio of wild to hatchery fish which helps the fish and game people and fishermen know what limits will be set on fish catches.

Because we became interested in the history of Valdez post the 1964 earthquake, we toured both history museums then drove out to Old Valdez town site. To see the photos of the before and after just really made an impact. My husband and I were in high school when the earthquake occurred but all we saw on TV or read in the papers concerned Anchorage. Kodiak, Valdez and Seward lost their docks and many people. Whole communities were destroyed if not by the earthquake then by the tsunami that followed. The movie that the Valdez historical society put together on the earthquake and aftermath was extremely well done.

Valdez is by far my favorite ocean town in Alaska. It is not as funky as Homer and is more friendly than Seward. We loved having our camp spot right on the bay front so we could enjoy all the activity. Between fishing boats, the ferry and private boats there is a lot of activity to watch. Town is small enough you can walk everywhere. There were great places to eat and interesting people to visit with.

So when we left Valdez, we drove to McCarthy, Alaska. Now, in all the guide books this road is hair raising and tire damaging but that is not what we found. Unfortunately, it was raining so our views of the scenery were a bit limited but the road was fine, a little narrow in places maybe. When we reached McCarthy we were a little taken back by the “campground”. Now I use the term campground very loosely…80 acres of glacier debris and two out houses, no garbage containers, no fresh water and showers, forget about it. All for a mere $20 per night or you can just park for $5 per day. After finally locating a semi-level, relatively boulder free spot, we set up camp. People were camped all over the place with no organization to the whole operation. It was interesting to say the least. Now we were surprised to discover the Kennicott Glacier dominating the view from the bridge across the Kennicott River. It is massive and the ice comes down the river almost 30 miles from the glacier. Of course by the campground the glacier looks like huge piles of rock and dirt. It is only as you get closer that you understand the rocks and dirt are on top of 300 feet of ice! We did see photos taken in the 1920’s where there was another 3-400 feet more ice on this gravelly area of the glacier.

The walk to McCarthy, which was the bar and red light district when the mine at Kennicott was in operation, is only about ¾ of a mile. There is a footbridge across the Kennicott River. Not too many years ago, you pulled yourself across the river in a basket dangling from a cable! McCarthy is tiny with all its power provided by a generator, summer and winter. Surprising, about a dozen people live there year round. This is a very isolated town. You must have all your food and other supplies on hand no later than the first of October. The road is not plowed in winter. The airport shuts down for winter. You are totally on your own from October until May.

It has a cute little museum and several small businesses including a bar, restaurant, hotel, coffee shop and a couple of backpacker hostels. We supported the tiny general store where we had two scoops of ice cream for $10! The other businesses deal with glacier hikes and rafts trips or kayak trips or with the airport which flies people to and from the area as well as flightseeing tours.

The foot bridge across the Kennicott River is interesting. It was supposed to be strictly pedestrian but people discovered they could squeeze a Subaru or other small vehicle across the bridge. So the bridge was blocked with concrete and steel posts and people came in and cut the posts off at ground level and threw them in the river…twice. Finally, the National Park put buffers that restricted the width that could use the bridge. Well, then came the small ATV’s that can just squeeze passed the narrow points and race right across the bridge. Pedestrian traffic is “supposed” to have the right away but we were nearly run over by two teens on an ATV in a hurry to get across.

Monday morning, we rode the shuttle ($5/person one way) up to the Kennicott Site to take the walking tour of the mill and town. Kennicott is preserved remarkably well. The recreation hall is still used by the locals for meeting and dances as it was when the mine was in operation. Several of the houses are lived in by park staff and the mine’s management living quarters has been turned into the Kennicott Glacier Lodge. I do not know what the rooms are like but the restaurant is excellent.

Our tour of town and the mill was great. The young man who was our guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. Luckily we had a small group so it was easy to see things and hear the comments. The mill is unique and the Park Service is stabilizing and repairing it so it will last long into the future. We climbed through the trees to the top of the mill where the tram cars from the Jumbo Mine and from the Bonanza Mine delivered ore. The mines were 5 miles up the hill…the very steep hill. The miners actually lived at the mines. There were houses up there for them but during the winter they lived in the mine itself because it was warmer than the houses.

This was a unique mining situation. The copper ore was incredibly pure. The chalcocite was 70% copper and there were nuggets of raw copper in the limestone matrix. This was one rich copper mine. At first the mill simply crushed the rock, loaded on the train and shipped it to Cordova where it was loaded onto ships and sent to Tacoma, Washington for smelting. The silver content was pure gravy and paid all the overhead. A railroad track was built especially for the Kennicott site from Cordova to Kennicott. Two thousand employees kept the track and train in repair and hauled the ore out and supplies in summer and winter.

Once the rich, virtually pure deposits were exhausted, then the mill added chemical processes to extract as much copper from the limestone matrix as they could. Besides chalcocite, the mine had azurite and malachite in great quantities. Several different processes were tried with limited success until they began a floatation process which improved the amounts of copper recovered…remember this was all going on during the early 1900’s. The mine finally shutdown in 1938 because the costs were not being covered by product. A contractor was hired to remove all the structures but luckily he did not fulfill his contract. When the National Parks bought the property some structures still had plates and furniture. The Park Service are currently restoring some structures and stabilizing other. It was a wonderful place to visit for Jerry and I since we both grew up in copper mining towns.

One other point of interest is a railroad trestle, the Gilahina Trestle. This trestle is 90 feet high, 880 feet long and was built in 8 days during a January cold spell of -67 degrees. Can you even believe the hardship the workers must have suffered during the building?

On Tuesday, July 14, 2015, we left the marvelous (joke people) campground at McCarthy and headed to the other side of the Wrangell National Park. We had lunch in Glennallen and camped for the night at the Grizzly Lake RV Park. The little lake is lovely.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015 we took the Nabesna Road into the northside of the Wrangell-St Elias National Park. This road eventually ends at the Nabesna Mine. This gold mine was active until 1947 but is still in private ownership and occasionally still worked. If the clouds hadn’t insisted upon hanging so low, we would have had nice views of Mt. Sanford, Mt. Drummond and partial views of Mt. Wrangell. On a clear day, you can see plumes of steam from Mt. Wrangell, the only active volcano in this group.

We camped at the crossing over Jack Creek. This creek is interesting because it flows north into the Tanana/Yukon River drainage instead of into the Copper River drainage as most of the other rivers in the area do. The camp site was quiet and entertaining. While snacking on peanuts, we had a friendly squirrel climb up my chair and sit on my shoulder begging for a handout. Jerry gave him a peanut and had a buddy. The squirrel would sit on his lap. A group of 4 Whiskey Jacks (gray jays) then came up to join the fun. While they were a little more reserved than the squirrel, they were so close we could touch them. Then a mama spruce grouse brought her brood over to show them off. One was a small male who delighted in fanning his tail and parading around. They all took dust baths and rested for a while under the camper. Later we finally saw Dall sheep…only two…high on the volcanic cliffs across from us. It was a delightful camping spot.

This morning, Thursday, July 16, 2015, we drove to Tok along the Tok Cutoff Highway. This is extremely scenic and we very much enjoyed the drive. The chores in Tok were refueling, washing the rig and lunch at Fast Eddie’s. We had wonderful food there when we first hit Tok way back in early June so we really wanted to try it again. The food was wonderful again! Now we are camped at Border City Campground…not a 5 star establishment by any means but we wanted to be able to cross the border early in the day tomorrow and this is as close as you can get without crossing.

Our stop in Skagway was a shocking experience. We never expected to fight our way through streets clogged with 6,000 cruise ship people the first day we were there and 10,000 the second day. Once we accepted that the gold rush was still going on only now the stampeders were cruisers and instead of 38 saloons there were 38 jewelry shops. However, town was quiet once the ships left port in the evening. Everything is within walking distance or there are buses and tour cars to take you everywhere…for a price. It was extremely noisy where we camped on the waterfront with the tour buses and trains moving people and supplies for the cruise ships. The small boat harbor is very small and there is no fishing activities to watch…besides you cannot really see the ocean for the big ships. There is a great little museum and some interesting exhibits if you are willing to make the effort to fine them. A trip to Dyea, the real start of the Chilkoot Trail that the gold rushers used, is interesting and worth the time.

Hyder, Alaska is the "friendliest ghost town in Alaska". Yes, it is. It is definitely worth a visit for the Salmon Glacier alone but when the salmon are running, the bear viewing center is exceptional. We saw two grizzlies and a black bear. The grizzlies were definitely catching salmon but the black bear was more interested in blueberries. After leaving Hyder, we spent the night nearby at Meziadin Lake. We took a stroll through the campground. No sooner had we returned to our campsite than a black bear appeared at our site. Now, was he following us through the park or was it sheer coincidence? We don't know but a couple walking dogs scared him off. In Alaska and Canada as well, if you plan on any backcountry hiking, I do recommend carrying bear spray and be noisy. Black bear are everywhere and while they seem to be wary of humans, it would be much better not to surprise them or get between mama and cub.

And now for some thoughts about the Alaska Trip.

First, all the young people you meet as tour guides are from somewhere else. All of them come to Alaska for the adventure, every summer then travel or work at ski resorts in the lower 48 all winter. All are bright, passionate about the state and love adventure. We had a young National Parks Ranger explain it all to us. She graduated from college in 2007. No jobs were available at all in her field or any other field. The recession was full blown. So she went to Alaska for grins, became a ranger and spends her summers in Alaska while getting her doctorate during the winter. She hopes the economy will be better when she gets her degree.

Most of the travelers you meet are from somewhere else usually Germany. On our boat cruises, we rarely heard English spoken, except by the people guiding the cruise.

The worst campground-Centennial Campground in Anchorage (although Border City is a close second). The best campground was Bear Paw RV Park in Valdez. It was the friendliest with the nicest showers and best washers and dryers. Plus the view was to die for. Oh, I am not supposed to mention that because then the campground will be too popular.

I cannot pick the best restaurant we ate at because most were wonderful. Fast Eddie’s in Tok is worth a stop. Best halibut meal…the Gold Rush in Seward. Best hamburger…Old Town Burgers in Valdez. We even eat at two Mexican food restaurants…very, very mild but good food, just not Mexican as we know and love. Favorite restaurant...Klondike Kate's in Dawson City.

Most fun town Valdez, hands down. The busiest town, Skagway. Take a small town and add 6,000 to 10,000 visitors daily all summer long and you get pure craziness. The cell services is poor but with that many people trying to use it, you cannot even send a text until the cruise ships pull out in the evening.

Now would I go to Alaska again, sure. Certain places deserved more time. I would love to go back to Eagle. It was beautiful there. Valdez, yes. Seward, yes. Homer…the bagels are out of this world and the beach was a great walking beach…maybe. I did fall in love with Yukon Territory in Canada and would like to see more of it. And British Columbia is fantastic, especially in the National Parks.

All the other campers we met along the way were on their second, third, fourth or more trip into Alaska. They fell in love with a piece of Alaska and go back as often as they can.

I do recommend if you decide to do a blog of your trip that it will be difficult to find any wifi service throughout Canada and Alaska. In Canada you will not have much phone service to begin with anyway even with an add-on Canadian plan.

The roads are in a lot better shape than guide books warn you about. You must be patient though because summer is the only time to get road maintenance done. Check with visitors centers if you have any questions about road conditions. Some roads are just not suitable for pulling a long trailer. They are unpaved, narrow with no place to pull over or turn around. We did see novice RVer’s on roads they should not have traveled and they did survive but we also saw them back into trees and telephone poles too.

Thompson Pass going into Valdez gets 50 feet of snow per year not 550...why doesn't auto correct work for numbers? So does White Pass going into Skagway. Now you see why the highways are closed during the winter. The trip was a wonderful adventure.