2009 Presidents Journey to Alaska June 24 - July 5

Follow AAA Western and Central New York President Tom Chestnut as he leads AAA members on an exclusive 12 day journey to Alaska. Experience this spectacular adventure of scenic Alaska through Tom's daily reports and photographs.

ARRIVAL IN VANCOUVER

Our Alaskan adventure began with a long set of plane rides to Vancouver, where most of our group arrived a day or so early, and were able to sample the many pleasures of this very livable city. In addition to an outstanding array of affordable shops and restaurants, Vancouver is home to a magnificent wilderness area inside the city limits called Stanley Park. While most of the group took a bus tour of the city, several of us rented bicycles and navigated our way along Stanley Park's numerous bike trails. Here we happened upon a field of authentic totem poles, and later watched a beaver trying to dam up a lake that was much too big for his ambitious efforts.

DAYS 1 AND 2

On departure day, we boarded the MS Volendam in the middle of the afternoon, and after meandering around the ship to get our bearings, our group met for a get-acquainted dinner in the Rotterdam dining room. The ship left the port of Vancouver shortly after 10:00 pm, although it was still so light outside it seemed much earlier. Our Alaskan Adventure was officially underway!

By the time we got up the next morning, we had left almost all of civilization behind, and were surrounded by nothing except water, trees, mountains and sky. Our day was spent mostly in open waters, with occasional views of the mountainous shores, as we sailed north through the "Inland Passage." The most excitement came when several of the group spotted a pair of orca whales actually jumping out of the water. In the evening, we put on our dresses and sport coats and went to the exclusive "Pinnacle Room" for our one and only "formal " dinner on the trip.

DAY 3

On our third day at sea, one of the highlights was supposed to be a passage through a narrow fjord called "Tracy Arms." After a return helicopter ride, we re-boarded the Volendam for our last night on the cruise portion of our trip.

Unfortunately, as we neared the turnoff from the main channel, we could all see what our captain had to reluctantly announce - that the middle of the channel leading to "Tracy Arms" was blocked by two icebergs, making it impassable. Our consolation prize was that we would now get to Juneau, our first port of call in Alaska, a few hours earlier.

In addition to being the home of Sarah Palin, Juneau has the distinction of being the only state capital that can be reached only by boat or airplane. Although there are plenty of cars on the streets in Juneau, it is not accessible by car from anywhere else in Alaska. After a pleasant few hours spent wandering around and shopping, it was time to set off on our first truly amazing adventure - a dog sled ride on an actual glacier.

To get to the glacier, we folded ourselves into a convoy of five-seater helicopters, and made a bee-line for Mendenhall Glacier. After an exhilarating twenty minute helicopter ride, which provided a 360 degree view of the massive glacier field that surrounds Juneau, we reached our destination, which was a small area about two hundred yards square, that was almost invisible on the huge canvas of snow-covered mountains.

The dog-sled camp was filled with ten or twelve white tents and about three hundred Alaskan Husky sled dogs, all jumping around and yelping in a surreal state of excitement. We quickly were introduced to our "musher," or driver, and the six pairs of dogs that would pull our sled. The next thing we knew, we were gliding along at a very brisk pace, with two people sitting in seats, and two standing on the runners behind them. As much fun as we were having, it seemed to pale in comparison to what the dogs were experiencing, as they ran and barked and pulled the sled in unison. Whenever we stopped for a rest, the dogs would jump all over each other, and yelp even louder.

At the end of our thoroughly enjoyable ride, we got a chance to see and hold some "Alaskan Husky" puppies. One of the surprises to us was how varied the dogs looked from one another. It turns out that the name "Alaskan Husky" doesn't really describe a breed of dog at all. It's just a catch-all term for any dog that has been bred to pull a dog-sled.

DAY 4

We awoke to find ourselves pulling into a small town called Skagway, which was originally a jumping off point for prospectors looking to make their fortunes in the Alaska Gold Rush of 1898. It has now found a new life as a destination point for cruise ships, and is one of the best shopping spots for Alaskan artwork and souvenirs.

With the cruise portion of our journey completed, we boarded the White Pass and Yukon Railroad for a two hour scenic train ride through the mountains. As our old-fashioned train rumbled over fifty-foot high wooden trestles and through several hundred year-old tunnels, we marveled at the mountain scenery and caught sight of a small herd of mule deer that crossed the tracks right in front of our engine. We got off the train in Fraser, where we hopped on a motor coach and drove to Whitehorse, which is the capital of Yukon Territory, Canada.

DAY 5

Our adventure this morning took us to the Kluane National Park, which is largely made up of ice pack and glaciers. Most of us took a float trip on the Dezadeash River, which was so cold that even the thought of getting splashed or jumping in was beyond comprehension. Fortunately, while the river was fast-moving, it was mostly flat, and our four and six person rubber rafts were very sturdy, so we were able to spend our time enjoying the winding river, the undisturbed forests, and the snow-capped mountains. Our guide was a native Canadian, or "First Nations" person, whose family has lived in this area for many generations. He told us of how life had changed for his people beginning in 1942, when the Trans-Alaskan Highway was built by the American military to help fortify Alaska against a potential Japanese invasion in World War II.

DAY 6

Today was a total immersion day in the Alaska wilderness, as we drove almost three hundred miles on the Alaska Highway from Whitehorse to Beaver Creek. Because of the time and speed with which the highway was built, it largely followed the natural contours of the areas it was going through, which gave us an ever-changing view of the pristine forests, mountains, and occasional rivers and lakes. There were many stretches of ten or twenty miles where we would see no sign of civilization anywhere as we drove through the landscape.

We stopped briefly at the Uncommon Journeys, where we got an inside look at a very well-run dog-sledding homestead.

We spent the night in a town called Beaver Creek - population 84 - which prides itself on being "301 miles from nowhere," referring to its distance from Fairbanks, Alaska. Nevertheless, we had dinner in a theater-in-the-round, and were treated to a musical comedy show, which began with a plane crashing through the open roof. When we went to bed at midnight, it was still totally light outside.

DAY 7

Today was a picture-perfect summer day in Alaska, with the sun shining, and a temperature of 75 degrees - just right for another 300-mile ride on the Alaska Highway. Once again, we encountered very little traffic on the highway, as we drove through a succession of snow-capped mountains and lakes that were largely light brown in color, due to the amount of silt they get from glacial run-off.

For lunch, we stopped in a town called Tok, at a hotel that had originally been built as living quarters for workers who were building the Alaska pipeline in the mid 1970's. This hotel only operates about four months of the year, because the temperature reaches as low as 75 degrees below zero in the winter. They don't heat the building during the winter, because it would cost too much, so each spring when they re-open the building, they have to repaint many of the rooms, because the prior year's paint has decomposed from the walls and turned into a pile of dust on the floor.

Surprisingly, as pristine and isolated as the landscape was that we were driving through, we saw no major wildlife. We did see a few construction crews, who are still working to straighten and improve the road. The Alaska Highway was originally about 1400 miles long when it was first built, but over the years it has been reduced to closer to 1200 miles.

We finally pulled into Fairbanks about 6:00 pm, and had the chance to take a nice walk around the downtown area. Some of us went to Pioneer Park, where they have moved a lot of old houses from the original gold rush days, and turned them into shops selling local arts and crafts. One enterprising young man has a store called "40 Below," where for $5 he will take you into a freezer where you can experience what it's like at that temperature.

DAY 8

Today was a busy and fun-filled day. It began with a ride on the paddle-wheel boat "Discovery II" on the Chena River, which gave us a good chance to see the wide variety of houses on the banks of the river that modern day Alaskans live in. Not only did many people have boat docks in front of their houses; several had a place on the water to park their planes. Apparently one in sixty Alaskans owns a plane, since the distances between everything are so huge.

On the boat ride we stopped in front of the dog sled camp where Susan Butcher and her husband trained their dogs. Susan was the first woman to win the 1000-mile Iditarod dog sled race (and a four-time champion), who died several years ago of leukemia. Her husband gave a demonstration of a dog team pulling an engine-less ATV around a mile-long dirt track. When the dogs were released from their harnesses at the end of their run, they did what anyone would do after working out on a hot day - they jumped in the river.

We also had a chance to visit an example of an Athabascan village, where we saw and heard a lot about the culture and way of life of these native American people.

Next we got a chance to experience what the Alaska "Gold Rush" was all about.. First we took a tour of Gold Dredge number 8, an actual gold extraction facility that had operated very lucratively from 1928 through 1959. Then we took a short train ride to the Eldorado Gold Mine, where after a demonstration of the proper way to pan for gold, we all were given a pan and some "pay dirt" and had a chance to do it ourselves. Amazingly, virtually everyone was able to find some specks of gold in their pan, with some people coming up with as much as $30 worth.

We also had the chance to see and touch the Alaska pipeline, which was built in the mid-70's, and runs almost 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic Circle to Valdez, Alaska. The pipeline is 48 inches in diameter, and is either raised high enough off the ground to allow animals to pass underneath or buried in the ground.

Our last stop of the day was at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, where we went through the beautiful new "Museum of the North." While the exhibits were very informative and well-done, the star of the show was the architecture of the museum itself, which sits on a hillside overlooking a large valley.

DAY 9

Like any well-planned journey, we saved the best until the end - Denali! Actually, “double Denali,” since we will be spending two nights in Denali National Park, which is home to Mt. McKinley, and the part of Alaska most like a National Park in the “lower 48.”

To get there, we boarded a beautifully-appointed two-story train, with a glass-domed ceiling on the upper level, and a comfortable restaurant down below. The visibility was terrific as we made our three and a half hour journey from Fairbanks to Denali, and the scenery kept getting better and better.

We arrived in the early afternoon, which gave some of us a chance to make our first foray into the park. To keep Denali as natural as possible, cars are prohibited. The only vehicles allowed in the park are reconstituted school buses, which shuttle people from place to place. Everyone on the buses acts the way people do on an African safari, scanning the horizon looking for wildlife, and shouting out “Moose on the left,” or whatever, when they see something. The driver then pulls over, and everyone starts taking pictures.

For our first exposure to Denali, several of us took the bus about 15 miles inside the park to Savage River, where we took a relatively short, but very scenic hike. We saw several caribou, which are also called reindeer, in the distance. Others in our group, who rented a jeep and drove around the outside of the park, actually saw some moose, so activity on the wildlife front is picking up.

DAY 10

Wow! What a day! Today we truly had a chance to experience the heart and soul of Denali.

We began the morning by climbing into several eight-seater planes and setting off on a flight to the mountain itself. Very quickly we left the land of green trees and flowing rivers behind, and entered the glaciated world of rounded canyons, jagged peaks, and endless ice fields.

We started off a hundred miles way from Denali, or Mt. McKinley as it used to be called, but very quickly it came into view and began to dominate the landscape. Although at 20,320 feet tall, Denali is “only” the 25th tallest mountain in the world, because it rises from a base that is 2000 feet above sea level, it is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world.

The weather was picture-perfect as we flew over every imaginable type of glacial feature. When we got within two miles of Denali’s peak, the pilot circled in both directions, so that everyone could get a clear view. We then set down on a glacial field nearby, and had a chance to marvel at Denali from our perch at 10,000 feet. Of course we all took turns getting pictures our ourselves in front of the plane, with Denali towering over us in the background.

If Mt. McKinley is the heart of Denali, the soul of the park is the animals, and that is what we set out to see in the afternoon, on our Tundra Wilderness Tour.

Once again we set off in a modified school bus down the only road in the park. Although our hopes of seeing wildlife were high, it took quite a while for them to begin to reveal themselves. From a size standpoint, Denali is like Yellowstone on steroids, with over three times the square footage. But because of the extreme nature of the environment, it takes much more area to support each animal, so there are many fewer of them. However, with fifty pairs of eyes relentlessly scanning the landscape, they soon began to reveal themselves.

First we started seeing Dall sheep, way up on the mountain ridges. Then we saw caribou, munching on grass in shaded gullies. And then, finally, we saw the first of our soon to be many grizzly bears! The biggest surprise was their color, which was a sort of honey-blondish, which glowed beautifully in the sun. The grizzlies also seemed to be interested in only eating grasses, which makes up approximately 80% of their diet. The remaining 20% is other animals, including caribou and moose.

As the afternoon wore on, we also saw several golden eagles soaring effortlessly through the sun-drenched skies, and a family of red foxes cavorting playfully on the side of a very steep hill.

In the course of our seven hour drive we covered a round-trip of sixty of the ninety miles of available road in the park. The only major animal that eluded us was the moose, but everyone returned home more than satisfied after a wonderful adventure in the Denali wilderness.

DAY 11

Today, after a leisure stroll through the Denali Visitors’ Center, we began our homeward journey in style - on another double-decker train car from Denali to Anchorage. Once again we got to ride in total comfort, as the Alaska wilderness drifted by.

And the good news is, we finally got to see several moose! Or at least everyone but Jeanette did, as she always seemed to be looking in the wrong direction. As slow as the train appeared to be moving, when someone yelled out “moose on the left,” you had to be really quick and lucky to see it, since there were lots of trees to obscure your view, and many of the moose we saw were only partially visible to begin with.

In addition, we also saw a school of salmon, making their way back up a mountain stream to propagate the next generation.

After our six hour ride to Anchorage, and a quick stop in our rooms to freshen up, we all got together for a farewell celebration of our wonderful trip to Alaska. As we went around the room talking about our favorite moments on the trip, it was clear that the individual excursions were the highlights for almost everyone. The flight-seeing trip to the glacier beneath Mt. McKinley was number one for most people, with the dog-sled ride, fly-fishing, and the Tundra Wildlife trip all getting strong support as well.

As we reminisced about all we saw and did, and said our good-byes, everyone seemed to agree that it exceeded his or her expectations. And like any good trip, it already got people talking about where they would like to go next.

DAY 12

Today we all began our separate travels home.

Our Alaska journey involved almost every possible means of transportation: the usual ones - like a cruise ship, jet planes, motor coaches, cars, taxis, and bicycles - and the bit more exotic ones - like water rafts, glass-domed trains, helicopters, ski planes, and of course, dog sleds.

All in all, we drove almost half of the Alaskan Highway, and got a good understanding of why Alaska is called “The Great Land.”

And perhaps most important, we were able to travel with a terrific group of people, who all seemed to enjoy the trip and each other.