road trip

2019 Trip 5: Alaska: August 27

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Looking north toward the Alaska Range south of Denali along the Parks Highway.

Talkeetna, Alaska. Tuesday August 27

Today was originally planned as a sort of “what if” day. So much is written about how difficult it is to see Denali that we plugged in this day in Talkeetna as a back-up. Denali State Park is nearby and supposedly would have great views of the mountain. Talkeetna is one of those cutesy towns that the tour buses and Alaska Railroad trains stop at for everyone to do some shopping.

Views along the Parks Highway

We left Healy in rain and clouds. The rain continued sporadically until we had left the influence of Denali, then the sun was out and the temperatures were in the mid-60s. Beautiful day. Our first stop along the Parks Highway south of Denali gave us a brief glimpse of the mountain but more of clouds. If we did not know where and what to look for, we would have missed it. Numerous rest areas and waysides were touted as good view points; none fulfilled the hype. Not that the scenery was to be sneezed at.

Views along the Parks Highway between Denali National Park and Talkeetna

Snow capped peaks had left us but the mountains remained. Now the Alaska Range is on our right side, or west. The Talkeetna Mountains which we first encountered over by Palmer ten days ago, have returned to be on our left side, or east. Boreal forest and tundra alternated on hillsides and valleys. Kettle lakes, blue and not gray since they are fed by rain and groundwater, filled depressions caused by glaciers. The Nenana River gave way to the Chulitna River flowing south alongside the highway. Here in Talkeetna, the Chulitna meets and feeds into the Susitna River which will meet Cook Inlet west of Anchorage.

Hiking around Byers Lake

In Denali State Park, we stopped at Byers Lake to take a hike. I am sure a month ago mosquitoes would have made mincemeat of us in this environment. Today it was bug free. The vegetation however was high and the path was overgrown and less than friendly. We cut the walk short and continued our drive to Talkeetna.

Views of downtown Talkeetna

Talkeetna has a population of under 900. The town was a native fishing/hunting region until the early 1900s when a gold rush in the area was followed by the building of the Alaska Railroad. The Spanish flu, the completion of the railroad, and the limited amount of gold emptied out the town. Nowadays the town seems to be mainly tourist stores. We pretended to be tourists who might actually spend money but other than postcards and lunch at an authentic Alaska roadhouse, the Talkeetna Roadhouse, our money stayed in our pockets.

A variation on the tourist theme is the abundance of flight seeing companies who will take you up on a flight to see Denali and the Alaska Range. By air, Talkeetna is closer to Denali than is the main park entrance. Talkeetna is currently the main jumping off point for Denali mountain climbers. They take off from Talkeetna airport and land on a glacier at 7,000 feet. Early climbers made a much longer trek from lower elevations. Today from the base camp at 7,000 feet, they ascend the mountain from what is called the West Buttress, taking two to three weeks to make the climb. Talkeetna has a National Park Service Ranger Station in Talkeetna devoted to Denali climbing.

Some of the flags flown at Denali by successful climbers; from the walls of the Talkeetna Ranger Station

Climbers pay the park service a fee of $375, have to register in advance, list their team members and be approved prior to being allowed to undertake the ascent. Team stop every few days to make camp and adjust to the oxygen level at the new elevation. In 2019, 1226 climbers were approved to attempt to reach the summit. 65% were successful, higher than the average of about 50%. The number allowed is limited and the time period is from mid-April to early July, when the weather is most favorable.

We are staying at a B and B in the hills above Talkeetna. Our room has a deck and a view of Denali which varies with the cloud cover. It is amazing to sit here and just look at it.

View of Denali from the deck of our B and B in Talkeetna, Alaska

Ed and Chris. August 27 9 PM

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2019 Trip 5: Alaska: August 26

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Getting ready to board our raft for the float down the Nenana River

Healy, Alaska. Monday August 26

Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on……. For any of you who know Chris, you can understand that she is telling me, over and over and over again, to hold on to the onboard safety ropes attached to our raft going down the Nanena River early this morning. Not because I am foolish. Not because I could not hear her. Not because maybe I did not remember the guide’s instructions before we left the shore. But just because that is Chris and part and parcel of who she is and who I love.

This easy float rafting trip was offered out of Denali Park Village; a 13 mile trip with Class II rapids on the Nenana River alongside Denali Park. We showed up at 7:30 AM and were fitted into our toe to chin wet suits. We waddled over to the bus to be driven to the drop-in point. The Nenana flows south to north joining the Yukon River on its journey to the Bering Sea. The Nenana is glacially fed; it is cold, dirty with glacial sand, and lacking fish. Thus, one does not see animals drinking or feeding here. The journey is for the view and the experience.

Floating down the Nenana River, photo courtesy of our guide

There were only four of us signed up for the early morning trip. The temperature was 40 degrees and we were bundled up to stay warm. One guide goes solo in front of our raft to catch anyone who flips out and to scout out rocks and obstructions. Our guide does all of the heavy work paddling/steering the boat on its journey downriver. This was his second year working in Denali, last year he was a waiter. He said waiting paid better but who could pass up the opportunity to be trained and certified as a rafter. He was born in Macedonia but lives in Albania and is just months away from receiving his veterinary degree.

Floating on the Nenana River, photo courtesy of second couple on the trip

The raft holds up to eight people and is one of those heavy, rubber rafts. With our wet suits and personal flotation devices we looked like an astronaut and waddled like a penguin. The combination of rubber and latex and neoprene will not be the next big scent in fancy perfumes. The 13 mile journey floats through wilderness canyons. Other than rushing water, you hear very little. The guide relays information as we go along; some historical, some tall tales.

Floating on the Nenana River, photo courtesy of second couple on the trip.

The trip was really enjoyable. A little chilly to be sure but better I believe than being sunburned or attacked by mosquitoes. There was no stopping for lunch, just a trip to watch the mountains and trees slip by. The wet suits are beneficial, you are splashed by very cold water. The rapids were enough to bounce you around. Nobody on our boat fell in nor did the boat flip over. Both actions do happen on this river and on the same type of journey.

Trip finished, we strip off the wet suits and return to the White Moose Lodge for a quick lunch on the patio. The afternoon was spent in a truly exciting way; doing laundry and finishing yesterday’s blog.

Cabaret show

Dinner tonight was a cabaret show. Salmon and barbecue ribs served family style with the waiters doubling as singers and musicians to entertain us while we ate. Food was good as was the entertainment. After dinner was a 30 minute show with Alaska tales, stories, and songs with the usual audience participation. Luckily I was not one of the attendees called upon to join in the festivities.

Ed working on the blog in the cold and rain showers while Chris does the laundry.

Ed and Chris. Tuesday August 27th. 4:30 AM

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2019 Trip 5: Alaska,Aug.24-25, #2

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Denali

Healy, AK Sunday August 25

Fog along the Parks Highway south of Fairbanks.

Heavy fog in the valley below the Parks Highway.

We left Fairbanks Saturday morning driving down the Parks Highway. The Parks Highway is named after George Parks, an Alaskan Territorial Governor, not for Denali National Park. It runs from Fairbanks to Palmer, just north of Anchorage. Fog covered the highway early, lifting as we moved south and into higher elevations. We arrived in Healy around noon and stopped at our small, mom and pop motel, the White Moose Lodge. We were able to check in and obtain our room keys but not gain access to the room. Fine with us, we had only wanted to let them know we were in town since travel up from Anchorage is still delayed due to wildfires.

Our plan was to arrive in Denali National Park and Preserve early enough to scope out the park, take a hike or two, and verify our reservations for the Sunday morning 6:30 AM bus ride 66 miles into Denali. All of the above were accomplished along with attending church with 32 other souls. One would have thought that a Mass with only 32 people would have been brief but this priest liked to hear himself preach so we had a full hour.

Denali’s layout is a little unique. There is a separate bus depot that handles the ticketing and dispatching for the multiple bus options to tour Denali as well as transport campers, hikers, short day users, etc. About a mile away is the visitor center, parking, gift store and cafe, theater, and train depot. Taking the train to Denali for an overnight from Anchorage, particularly for cruise ship passengers, is a big deal. The train had been canceled for a day or two due to the wildfires right along the tracks. People were transferred to buses for the ride instead.

Two views from original Denali visitor lodging area. Top is view that would on a clear day show Denali.

Two views from the Savage River hike in Denali National Park and Preserve

Chris and I went on several short hikes. We walked around the Savage River location where the first visitors stayed in tent cabins in the 1920s. One of the exhibits told us where to look to see Denali. Clouds blocked the view and we saw nothing. Visiting the sled dogs is another popular option but having fed, harnessed, and driven the sleds in winter in Ely, MN several years ago made any visit here a pale comparison. Instead we saw the video, walked to the bus depot, picked up our tickets, and went for another hike along the Savage River at the point where private cars can go no farther. Dinner was at the 49th State Brewery in Healy, a busy, bustling bistro.

Sunday was up early. We were third in line for the bus, one of many school bus style vehicles in the park. Our style of riding was basically without a lot of narration; much less expensive than the narrated trip. The driver gives sufficient information to inform you of what you are seeing and answers questions in depth. Shorter and longer destinations are possible, and one could get off, go hiking, and flag down a later bus to return. This option normally takes 6-8 hours. We thought that was more than enough time to be sitting on a cramped bus.

Buses lined up at one of the overlooks

It turned out that the bus actually had reasonable leg room with overhead storage to hold our backpack and extra jackets. This 6:30 AM bus was the first one of the day to our destination and was full. We thought the early departure time would provide for a greater likelihood to see animals. We lucked out, we saw tons of animals and great views of Denali. Supposedly only 20-30% of visitors see Denali due to cloud cover. Saturday night we did not view it; by Sunday afternoon clouds were moving in with brief drizzles. Sunday evening it rained. Our timing was quite fortunate. We had chosen to stay three nights in Healy and one more night in Talkeetna to improve our chances to have good weather for viewing.

Views of Denali began early with some cloud cover and improved after that. By the time we reached Eielson Visitor Center, there were only wisps of clouds flowing across the mountain. Eielson is still 30 miles from Denali, it is one massive mountain. In Athabascan, Denali means “high one”. It is North America’s tallest mountain at 20,310 feet,

In the bus looking down

Park Road begins in the valley going through boreal forest with conifers and brush. This is favorite moose habitat. After Savage River, the road is only open to permitted buses and begins climbing on a dirt, narrow road. Buses have to slow down or stop and maneuver around each other. The drop-off on the cliff side is frequently steep. It was a pleasure to leave the driving to others. The views change to a grassy, tundra vegetation with the mountains of the Alaska Range showing their peaks, sometimes snow-capped. As a side comment, yes, there are sufficient rest stops on the bus tours and we have not been bothered by mosquitoes anywhere in Alaska yet.

Melting permafrost has vegetation giving way and sliding down towards the road.

Permafrost failures (where the warming temperature has melted the “permanent” frost in the ground) along the road are visible frequently. This is a great concern, both for the changing vegetation but also for the road which will become more susceptible to mudslides and pavement failures.

Between the driver and the passengers, there are plenty of eyes looking for animals. It does take the passengers about 20 minutes to remember to yell “Stop” as a sign that they have seen animals. Most yell “over there”, “bear”, “is that one”, etc. at first. The driver is good and backs up when necessary and feasible given road conditions. People on the side of the animal take pictures first and then give way to the people on the other side. We do not get out, the animals come first and the Park does not want them to get acclimated to humans.

Another view of Denali

Denali

We are giddy about the possibility of seeing Denali. The sun is out and clouds are rare. Our first glimpse comes from way out but we get several other good shots before we reach Eielson Visitor Center where the bus stops for 30 minutes. Here the viewing is great and we take numerous photos.

Alaska Range in Denali

One can, if desired, stay here for a while and take a later bus back as long as they have room. We are one of the ones who take this bus back. Luckily for campers on another bus, many of our bus companions stayed longer. The campers’ bus broke down and we pick up 23 campers and their packs about 1/3 of the way back to the main bus depot.

The return trip takes longer since we had to load up the campers. My legs start to cramp up and am happy to finally get back to the bus depot at 3 PM. We returned to White Moose and had a picnic out on their deck. The rest of the day was checking out where we were to pick up the raft, getting out the blog of just photos, gassing up the car and then crashing. In bed by 8 PM and asleep shortly thereafter.

Two side comments. We have not been bothered by mosquitoes anywhere in Alaska. I believe their season has come and gone. Second, we observed in Fairbanks an item we have not observed for forty years. Electric car heaters and plug-ins were common in Minnesota. When we moved to Pennsylvania in the mid-70s, they they had no idea what we were talking about. By the time we moved back to Minnesota in 2003, they were uncommon there also. In Fairbanks, it seemed most vehicles had them and the Museum of the North had plug-ins all over the parking lot.

Electric car heater and outdoor plug-in

Ed and Chris. Monday August 26 3 PM

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2019 Trip 5: Alaska: August 23

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Creamer’s Field Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks AK

Fairbanks, Alaska Friday August 23

We must be getting old. A full day of travel has us tired out by dinner time. The day was good, we enjoyed it quite a bit, we are just bushed. Maybe we got out of travel shape and will find our bounce during the next few days.

Sandhill Cranes at Creamer’s Field Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks AK

The day began at the state-owned Creamer’s Field Wildlife Refuge. Just two miles from downtown Fairbanks, the refuge is the site of a former dairy farm which always had hosted migratory birds even when it was an operating dairy. When it closed up shop in the 1960s, the community stepped in, bought the property, and converted it into the refuge. This weekend, the predominant birds were Sandhill Cranes and Canada Geese. Both were resting and feeding in preparation for continuing their journey southward. We walked around the property, enjoying the walking, the observing, and the listening. A very nice way to start off our day. (We also met and talked to a woman who had been born in International Falls MN.)

Blooming flowers at the Botanical Gardens of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks

Down the road a mile or two sits the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The Museum of the North is located on the campus and it was our primary destination. A minor sidelight had appeared in our planning, the Botanical Garden run by the University. The Garden seemed worth a look-see, being just a few minutes from the Museum. What a pleasant surprise! Although not large in acreage, flowers were blooming delightfully.

dahlias at the Botanical Garden, University of Alaska

Several types of research were highlighted. For instance, Alaska is in a unique position for growing peonies. Alaskan peonies bloom in late summer, after all others around the world. They grow fast and large. The climate discourages insects and moose don’t like the taste. The U of A has worked with growers throughout the state and peonies are now an export market for Alaska.

Museum of the North

Finally it was time for our primary target for the day. The Museum of the North is housed in a dramatic building with a focus on Alaskan art and anthropology. The first floor galleries have a primary exhibit area that highlights each region of the state. In each region, history, culture and natural history are combined. We found it fascinating, informative, and overwhelming. On display were a Woolly Mammoth tusk and skull we can discuss when we are back at the Bell Museum.

I found the section about the Japanese invasion and conquest of two Alaskan islands in the Aleutians fascinating. The military build-up in Alaska can be traced partially to this successful Japanese invasion and follow-up re-taking by the U.S. Even less known is the impact on the islanders who lived in the Aleutians. Towns were bombed; villages on many islands evacuated with some villages permanently barred from being re-settled after the war; homes were looted by soldiers from both sides and from civilians; and no effort made by the U.S. to re-establish the communities. We did vastly more for Western Europe than we did our own citizens.

Behind the scenes at Museum of the North, University of Alaska Fairbanks

To break up the experience, we took in a 30 minute video presentation about the aurora borealis. If we are not likely to see it, we might as well learn a little more about the phenomena. After the video we took an hour long tour that showed us the inner workings of the museum. The guide, from the mammal department, started with the freezers used to kill any pests that might be on any incoming specimens. The new specimens go in the deep freeze, 40 degrees below zero for three days.

The Museum and University have over 1,000,000 specimens and we passed row upon row of rolling file cabinets that house items in boxes, on shelves, and in locked cabinets. Chris got to hold a grizzly skull. We watched a person preparing a bird specimen for storage and two people working on digitizing records of insects. Several people discussed their work and answered our questions patiently. It was time well spent and very informative.

Arctic Research Institute

After the tour, we hustled over to the Arctic research center to look at some displays about climate change. This University plays a pivotal role in research about climate change, given its location and faculty expertise. It even has its own rocket range for sending up rockets for weather observation. You may have read about the massive budget cuts proposed by the Governor of Alaska which would decimate the research efforts. Hopefully that won’t happen. If faculty are cut, the research knowledge and expertise may take a long time to get re-established, if ever.

We returned to the Museum and visited the rest of the galleries. A complete visit would take longer or several visits but we spent the day at the Museum and left knowledgeable and hungering for more. The Museum of the North comes highly recommended by us.

Chris and Ed safely getting close to bears

Ed and Chris. Fairbanks AK. August 24 6 AM

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2019 Trip 5: Alaska: August 22

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Part of the Alaska Range along Richardson Highway

Fairbanks Alaska Thursday August 22

The Richardson Highway stretches from Valdez to Fairbanks and was Alaska’s first major road. Today we drove the 250 mile stretch from Copper Center to Fairbanks. For a major road, we were surprised by light traffic, sections of road with narrow lanes and no shoulders, and portions of road with dips, bumps, gravel, and just plain rough road. We guessed the dips are caused by permafrost problems; slowing down was smart to avoid being tossed into the air. We passed a patching crew on a hill in the section of road with no shoulders and had to stop and wait for them to signal it was safe to pass.

Driving the Richardson Highway

Our scenery started in the hilly areas with black spruce forests around us. We drove along portions of the Copper, Delta and Tanana rivers. The TransAlaska pipeline crossed from left to right and back again. No caribou, moose, bear, etc. made an appearance. Portions of the route were treeless with only scrubby brush. We drove through two military reservations. The show stopper for scenery was the Alaska Range with peaks, glaciers, lakes, and colored rock formations.

Along the Richardson Highway

The route contains only small towns, some where roadhouses used to exist. Despite looking, we missed the remnants supposedly by the side of the road. Fortunately, pull-offs are common, so we could take pictures of the pipeline, the colored talus slopes of Rainbow Ridge, the creek flowing out of Summit Lake where other travelers were looking for fish that normally inhabit the creek, the early fall colors . Unfortunately, seeing the sun was rare; the photos would have been fantastic with a bright blue sky behind the mountains for contrast.

Two vignettes for you. We stopped at Sullivan Roadhouse Historical Museum in Delta Junction. Alaska Roadhouses were an important historical landmark in the early 1900s, particularly on the Richardson Highway. Roadhouses provided food and lodging for people and horses. Given the difficulty of Alaskan life then, the costs were high. For instance, at Sullivans a meal cost $2 when a fancy meal in Seattle cost 15 cents. Roadhouses began a decline around 1917 when car travel became possible on the road.

Interior of Sullivan Roadhouse

But the story at Sullivan’s has multiple angles, two of which we will relate. First comes the beginning of the story. The owners came separately to Alaska in the mid-1890s seeking their fortune in the gold fields. Separately they both traveled during the winter of 1899-1900 from Dawson City to Nome. She hired two men to pull her sleds of goods while she walked in front through the snow and broke the trail. It was only after several years in Alaska that they met in Nome and married in 1900. They built the Roadhouse in Delta Junction in 1905. It was well-known and well-regarded having surmounted all of the hassles involved in running such an establishment in Alaska in the early 1900s.

The Sullivan Roadhouse in Delta Junction AK

The second angle of the story relates to the building itself. The vast majority of Alaskan roadhouses burned, were abandoned and fell apart,etc. The Sullivan Roadhouse survives intact. Why? Well, the Sullivans had to move from the original site when the road moved. When moving, they installed a metal roof, rare at the time, to replace the sod roof. This contributed to the building’s permanence.

But in 1921 the trail was abandoned and the Sullivans did the same with the building. It sat empty even through WWII when it became attached to a new Army base used as a bombing range. Wildfires came close but the building survived. In the 1970s the artifacts in the building were unofficially squirreled away to a private site. Finally a federal program to save historic buildings on Army land, as its last job before budget cuts killed it, moved the roadhouse to its current site by taking each individual log by helicopter to the site it occupies today.

We heard this story while viewing the museum and talking to the guide, a man who still has family land around Portage WI. And, of course, the next people in the museum were from southern MN visiting a son/sibling stationed at the military base nearby.

The second vignette relates to Pennsylvania, our home for almost 30 years. We had a late lunch/early dinner at North Pole, Alaska at Little Richards Family Diner. In chatting with the wait staff, we learned she has been with the diner for nine years, since it was established. The owners, who work the breakfast shift, used to own a similar diner in Camp Hill PA, close to where Chris worked. Chris remembered eating breakfasts and lunches there. Another small world incident.

Inside the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor Center

We finished the day at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor Center in downtown Fairbanks. It is very well done and has a wealth of information available through displays, materials, and volunteers. The exhibits display history on native cultures and life even today. There are 11 distinct Athabascan groups, each with its own characteristics, language, and territory. Also, only 11 of 42 Athabascan villages in interior Alaska are connected to the outside world by roads.

TransAlaska Pipeline

Ed and Chris Fairbanks AK Friday Aug. 23 6 AM

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2019 Trip 5: Alaska. August 20

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Confluence of the Chitina and Copper Rivers

Copper Center, Alaska, August 20 Tuesday

Copper Center. Copper River. Gee, I wonder why the name is used here. Well, today we found out as we traveled long into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The Ahtna Athabascan people who lived here mined copper well before European immigrants arrived and the Ahtna traded copper and other materials with tribes in the region. When the Russians and Americans came to the area and saw the copper usage by the Ahtna, the Ahtna chief told them where copper could be found-although not the best locations. Over time, prospectors discovered copper high on the Kennecott Mountain. That discovery led to the Kennecott Copper Company after more than $100 million of profits were made by the owners (in today’s dollars, about 1.5 billion dollars in profits.)

But I get ahead of myself. After a great breakfast buffet with plenty of bacon, we left the Copper Princess Wilderness Lodge around 7:45 AM. The first stretch of our journey was on paved roads with only a smattering of gravel sections. We had a brief scare with the car. Entering Chitina, where there are vault toilets at a NPS ranger station just before the park begins, we heard a scary dragging noise underneath the car. Stopping and investigating discovered nothing amiss. Starting up the car brought back the noise. Another inspection. Nothing. Driving the car into the ranger station parking lot, the noise disappeared. It seemed some item got caught and then worked its way free. We drove carefully for the next 10 minutes or so but the sound did not return. Good thing, it probably would have taken hours to get auto repair service to Chitina from Valdez.

So why else did we drive carefully? This was the McCarthy Road, written up as a thing of terror for many drivers. A road you should not take per many rental car companies. 60 miles in and 60 miles out, the only way to get to the towns of McCarthy and Kennecott, site of the famous Kennecott copper mine and Kennicott glacier. (As I was informed today, Kennicott with an “i” refers to the glacier and water related objects, Kennecott with an “e” refers to everything else. i=ice, e=everything else-get it?) Discussions of the road are hot topics on the Internet and at the visitor center.

Driving on the McCarthy Road

Warnings are justified but the road was doable. It is primarily gravel with a section of poorly maintained asphalt. The gravel is usually in a washboard state with big potholes only in a couple of miles of the road. There is one dramatic bridge to drive over, a 525 foot one-lane bridge over a river 285 feet below you with a wood plank surface currently under renovation. Portions of the road we drove at 20 mph, much of it was okay at 30-35 mph if you had high clearance and a good suspension. Clouds of finely grained sand dust swirled behind us. I was happy we were in a rental rather than my own car. The drive in was two and one-half hours with stops for pictures, the drive out was closer to two hours. Kennecott is at 2200 feet elevation while Chitina is at 600 feet so there is some elevation gain, most of it in the first five miles. When meeting oncoming cars you normally have to slow down; for larger vehicles (pickups with campers in the bed) one pulls over and stops.

Since Wrangell-St.Elias is mountainous, mountain peaks are all around you. The road follows much of the old railroad bed that was built to haul in supplies and haul out coal; transporting it to the port of Cordova about 120 miles away. Construction of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway was expensive and a feat of accomplishment as the route went over mountains with numerous trestles. Portions of it were built during the Alaskan winter during the years of 1908-1911.

The Root and Kennicott glaciers became visible as we arrived at McCarthy. McCarthy was the private town, providing entertainment to the miners living in the company town of Kennecott just five miles away. 600 people lived at Kennecott, primarily single men but some families. Today the roles are similar, McCarthy has a few bars and shops and a population of 28; Kennecott has the restored buildings and ranger talks of the National Park Service. To reach McCarthy itself after the drive, one walks across a footbridge over the river and either walks another quarter mile to the town or takes a private shuttle. After driving for three and a half hours from Copper Center, a brief walk felt good.

The Kennecott Copper Mill

Chris and I had lunch, finishing in time to take the 1 PM shuttle (they run every half hour and cost $15 round trip per person) the five miles and 25 minutes to Kennecott-the road here is uphill and full of potholes also. Kennecott is full of stories, the discovery of the mother lode, the back breaking work to construct the railroad and town, its abandonment in 1938 (truly abandoned, it was too expensive to remove items so buildings,dishes, food, etc. were all left here), the lives of the miners, the huge profits made here by the Guggenheim and J.P. Morgan families, the years of neglect, and finally the resurrection by the National Park Service and the ongoing restoration of many of the buildings. We learned as much as we could from videos, exhibits, and ranger talks before taking the 4 PM shuttle back to McCarthy and the footbridge to our car.

Glacial drift at Kennecott Mine

The glaciers here are receding but our preconception that we were looking at tons of mining waste in the valley was corrected. Down below us as we stood in Kennecott were miles of glacial drift. Remnants of the Root and Kennecott glaciers have become covered with dirt and ground up rock and look like a moonscape below us, stretching out everywhere we look. Even more amazing, when the miners were here, the glacier drift we see now were glaciers towering 300 feet above them. Talk about living next to an icebox, it must have provided summer air conditioning to the entire valley.

We did not stop along the road on our way out although we slowed down frequently as we passed numerous prime moose viewing areas. We looked and looked but no moose came into view. We were feeling pretty despondent. We have seen moose in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons but missed them in northern Minnesota and at Isle Royale National Park. But this is Alaska, moose are supposedly everywhere.

Our moose!

We made a restroom stop at the wayside in Chitina (population of 126), scene of our car scare on the way in this morning. As we left town, standing on the left side of the road was a moose! It ambled across the road, ate some leaves from bushes on the right side and continued on in to the brush and out of view. It took maybe two minutes between sighting and disappearance, just a lucky coincidence in our favor this time.

View from the Copper Princess WIlderness Lodge, 9:15 PM August 20

Ed and Chris Wdnesday 6 AM

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2019 Trip 5: Alaska. August 19

Posted on August 20, 2019 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

We are in Alaska

Copper Center Alaska. Monday August 19

On this, the fourth day of this trip, Chris could finally say that she felt she was in Alaska, that the views matched her expectations of Alaska, not her previous feelings that we were traveling in the Canadian Rockies or even New Zealand. Today was primarily a travel day, a day of observing, a day of stopping to take photos, a day to have the scenery change. Fortunately the weather was pleasant. The strong winds died down as we left Palmer, with sunny to partly cloudy skies. Temperatures are starting to get cooler, highs in low 60s but dropping to mid 40s for part of the day.

The drive begins as we follow the Matanuska River, in the valley between the Talkeetna Mountains to our north (left) and Chugach Mountains to our south (right). The Glenn Highway was constructed in the 1920s, is designated Route 1, and was the first major highway in Alaska. It is primarily two lanes at this stretch with some passing lanes as one ascends hills. The river is frequently visible, still with that braided style of multiple channels and the milky white color from glacial “flour”, or ground up rocks, originating from glacial ice/snow/water moving over the mountains. But the river is below us, not a bubbling creek rushing alongside the roadbed, but a broad river a little distance away.

Roadside scenic overlooks are frequent, we take constant advantage of them, stretching out the time it would normally take to drive the 150 miles from Palmer to Copper Center. Towns are rare, even those are generally a small cluster of buildings, not a concentrated downtown or even a strip mall type of gathering. Traffic is busy with numerous pickups, travel trailers, and RVs.

King Mountain and the Matanuska River

Glaciers appear

It seems about two-thirds of the way into the journey that the snow on the mountains begins. We pass a definite glacier, than a few more; recognizing that we do not know if they are interconnected and just one official glacier with multiple views or separate glaciers. In any event, snow in the crevasses is more frequent and easily visible in the Chugach Mountains to the south. The Talkeetna Mountains are drier and steeper, no snow is visible there. We pass King Mountain, a massive looking mountain that squats ponderously across the river.

The “tundra” area

Finally the Chugach and the Matanuska river veer away from us, angling to the south. We enter an area of what I call tundra, a series of rolling hills and plains with spruce trees and low vegetation. These are black spruce we later learn, heavily infested with an invasive beetle that is killing many of them. We can see the difference, the dying trees are blacker with the needles still on them but not as green. The difference is quite noticeable as the dead and living trees are intermingled.

Again later we learn that even here there is permafrost; that permanently frozen ground that may be just 16 inches or 16 feet below the surface. Black spruce is aptly suited to grow where the soil is shallow. We take a break in Eureka to have a piece of pie at the Eureka Roadhouse, an 83 year old small cafe and gas station with a few rooms to rent.

Mountains or clouds??

As we leave and continue our drive, to the east appear either clouds or a new mountain chain. As we get closer it is clear, the view is more mountains but more massive than the Chugach or Talkeetna. This is our first, far off view of what will be Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. We drive to Glennallen, a slightly larger community with a grocery store and three gas stations. We gas up here as the Glenn Highway meets the Richardson Highway. The Glenn will continue on to Tok and the Alaska (Alcan) Highway. The Richardson travels between Valdez to the south and Fairbanks to the north. Here the Richardson is our choice as it follows the Copper River which forms the western boundary of Wrangell-St.Elias.

Lunch at the visitor center of Wrangell-St.Elias National Park and Preserve AK

The main visitor center for Wrangell-St. Elias is 10 miles south of the juncture of the two highways. We spend about two hours here; talking with the rangers, viewing the movie, shopping, viewing the exhibits, having a late lunch that we had packed, and taking a short hike.

Wrangell-St.Elias is huge. It is the largest national park. It is the size of six Yellowstones, bigger than New Hampshire and Vermont combined, bigger than Switzerland. 20% of the park is covered by snow and there are only about 100 miles of road in the entire park, concentrated on two spurs that enter the park, one from the north, and the McCarhy Kennecott Road that we will be taking Tuesday. Parts of four mountain ranges are in the park; the Alaska Range, the Wrangell Mountains, the Chugach, and the St. Elias. It has nine of the 16 highest mountains in the U.S. These monsters are over 13,000 feet with Mt. St. Elias at 18,008 feet being the second highest in the U.S.; the Hatcher Pass mountains were only 4-5,000 feet. The park is 150 miles wide and 200 miles top to its bottom at the Gulf of Alaska. This is one massive park, most of which is wilderness and challenging to explore.

We will tackle a small piece of the park Tuesday. Tonight we are staying at the Copper Princess Wilderness Lodge; one of four lodges Princess Cruises has set up in Alaska. It is about the only lodging of substance and size in the area. This one closes in mid-September. Until then though the park service offers talks and walks here on a daily basis. Our ranger presenter tonight is a seasonal with experience in Alaska and Iceland with her home base being a small cabin in Maine.

Our walk around the forest surrounding the lodge discusses the animals and vegetation common in this area. For instance, she led us to a branch that had been eaten by a snow-shoe hare and recounted how one time she had been crouched down to examine some bushes when a snow-shoe hare ran past her without stopping. Moments later a lynx also ran past but as it passed it realized she was there and skidded to a halt, turned around and just stared at her for half a minute before bounding off. Chris and I related immediately to the story, we have a diorama at the Bell Museum in St. Paul that tells the story of the interconnectedness between the hare, the lynx and food sources.

Later, after the walk, the ranger presented a talk and slide show in one of the meeting rooms of the hotel. Open to all, it did seem to have a hard time competing with the bus travelers who headed straight for the dining room. This presentation covered climate change with detailed historical backing to present how the current change in the climate occurs, and how the current increase is so dramatic in such a short period of time without any connection to past changes caused by rotation of the sun, etc.

Our first view of the Trans Alaska pipeline

Of particular note for us traveling in Alaska is the danger caused by the melting of the permafrost. Just one obvious example is the danger posed to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The pipeline is built and heavily dependent on permafrost. If the permafrost melts, the stability of the pipeline is threatened and pipeline breaks are likely; threatening the supply of oil, the economics of the companies and of Alaska, and the resultant environmental damage.

Part of her presentation discussed Wrangell-St. Elias. Between her presentation and the movie, we could understand the beauty and majesty of the park, most of which we will not be able to see firsthand. Snow, ice and glaciers abound here; actually there are more glaciers in this southeastern section of Alaska due to the effect of the high mountains stopping the Pacific storms. Parts of the park receive over 60 feet of snow per year; the areas down around Juneau and Sitka can receive up to 100 feet of snow. The more northerly parts of the state, while colder, are drier.

Wrangell-St.Elais houses a building showcasing the Ahtna native culture but it was not open today and has not been most of the summer. It was unclear if funding or staffing was an issue but we will miss learning about the Ahtna. They are part of the Athabaskan group of indigenous peoples and were well-known as a trading people. Just east of Palmer as we started off the day, we were able to visit the Alpine Heritage Park in Sutton-Chickaloon. It is a small but well-maintained grouping of buildings that serves a historical purpose and as a community park. The Dene’ branch of the Athabascan tribe lived in this area.

The Alpine Historical Park in Sutton, Chickaloon AK

The Alpine Historical Park related the native culture and the history of the Russian and American coming to the area. Coal had been discovered in the area and a railroad spur was constructed to provide coal to the U.S.Navy. Unfortunately, the Navy switched to diesel fuel before the coal could have a major impact on the economy here. The park has numerous building well-preserved with descriptive information available about each one. We were impressed with the quality of the work, particularly for such a small community.

Ed and Chris. Copper Center AK August 20. 6 AM

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2019 Trip 5: Alaska: August 18

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Independence Mine State Historical Park near Palmer AK

Palmer, AK. Sunday August 18

Today will be a day that justifies our Jeep rental. Yesterday, Chris was a little hesitant to drive the Jeep through a water crossing along the Knik River. Today, however, we will be driving Hatcher Pass, a gravel road with sharp switchbacks and only open from July 4 to mid-September. Now, we could come here in the winter and do dog sledding, skiing, snowmobiling, or even backpacking, etc. but for now our adventurousness is limited to driving a few remote roads.

Hatcher Pass leads into and over the Talkeetna Mountains. Miners looking for gold found flakes in the creeks flowing from these mountains and explored the mountains to find a mother lode. In 1906 the first mother lode was discovered and mines operated here until 1951 when the high cost of underground mining forced the decision to close the last mines. Today, Independence Mine State Historical Park maintains the mine site and buildings.

That is the plan as we sit here at 6 AM listening to the wind howl, marveling at the mountain peaks across the valley, watching the almost full moon in the sky, and waiting for official sun rise. Yesterday our guide was talking about the wind in Palmer. There are three mountain ranges that produce strong winds throughout the year and we experienced it during the day. During the night one could hear it blowing even stronger. We have not yet explored if there are any wind farms here.

The day started with instant oatmeal and church. The local church was well attended for 8 AM Mass with several large families. Two people came up to us and discussed their St. Paul background. (Chris stood up and introduced us when they asked if there were any visitors present.) After the service ended, we were off to Independence Mine and to Hatcher Pass. A bright blue sky accompanied us although the winds were strong, giving a slight nip to the air as we left Palmer.

Driving up to Hatcher Pass

The drive to Independence Mine is paved. There is a lush green color on the agricultural fields which continues as one goes up the mountains. The mountain tops are at 4-5,000 feet. Some are granite, rocky, and steep. Others are still steep but covered in green trees or grass. Somehow, despite reading, seeing, and hearing otherwise, one still expects to see snow everywhere in Alaska. The green mountainsides, in this area, were a constant source of amazement.

Independence Mine State Historical Park, Alaska

Independence Mine jumps out at you. The buildings are abandoned and many are falling down. However, the first impression is of the mountains. The first gold claim was near the top of Skyscraper Mountain, to the left as you drive up. There is a gap in your view and then Granite Mountain takes over on the right side. The buildings, creek, waste piles, etc. are bunched in the middle gap between the two peaks. Information boards give the history of the mine and of each building.

The mines here produced 141,000 ounces of gold, at today’s prices that is 210 million dollars. But of course, for much of the time the mine was operating, the price of gold was fixed at $35 per pounce, so only about $5,000,000. At its peak, 203 miners worked here, with only Christmas and the 4th of July off. The 38 mines around here were the second most productive gold hard-mining area in the state of Alaska.

Some views of Independence mine State Park

This mine was costly to operate. Supplies were shipped to Seattle or San Francisco from the east and then re-shipped to Seward. Finally supplies were placed on trains to Palmer where the final leg brought them up to the mine site. Some families lived here; a school was begun to teach the children. One young girl raised here learned to ski the mountains and went on to be on the 1956 U.S. Olympic Alpine ski team. Generally miners and other workers were single men living in bunk houses and were fed at the commissary. Huge quantities of ore had to be extracted from deep in the earth, with machinery to pulverize the rock before separating the gold.

Today it is abandoned. As we walked among the ruins, the wind increased in intensity. We had to wear both a fleece jacket and a down jacket to stay warm. While we could enjoy the views while warmly dressed, the miners would have had to work even during the worst of the winter.

Hatcher Pass

Hatcher Pass

Hatcher pass

We left the mine and looked forward to our drive over Hatcher Pass and a nice meal at the Hatcher Pass Lodge with potential scenic views of the valleys and mountains. Unfortunately, the lodge was accommodating lodgers but the cafe part of the lodge, supposedly open according to the web site, was closed. Chris and I each had a granola bar for lunch instead.

The Hatcher Pass Road was not as bad as its reputation. I think the most difficult part of it may be the likelihood the road will be closed due to snow. The road is wide enough for two cars and only the first few miles (of 23) were washboardy. There is a drop-off at the sides of course, but we have experienced much worse.

Dead trees on west side of Hatcher Pass

Numerous pull-offs provided opportunities for short hikes and for picture-taking. We frequently observed groups of people picking berries in the fields along the road; off road vehicles could be seen off in the distance but rarely on the road itself. After the pass, as we went west and down, the Little Susitna River was frequently by the side of the road. No moose were seen grazing along its banks. BUT, remember those nice comments about the lush green grass and trees?? On the west side of the pass, dead trees were everywhere. I am not sure what insect or disease is at work here, but the result was devastating.

At one of the overlooks, we met again two brothers (they were at the mine site earlier) originally from Miami (although one now lives north of Anchorage) who warned us that fires and smoke were closing portions of the Parks Highway connecting Fairbanks and Anchorage, usually right in the Denali area. We will have to monitor that, it could be a major disruption in our plans.

Hatcher Pass Road took about an hour but now we are west of Palmer. It took us another hour or so to return to Palmer. We could smell smoke in the air and traffic was heavy on the Parks highway. Eventually we made it back to Palmer and had a late lunch downtown at the same small cafe we enjoyed Saturday. Sunday is a much busier day for them, lucky to find a table.

But after lunch it was off to our last stop of the day, the Musk Ox Farm. Chris and I were particularly interested in this since our docent work at the Bell Museum in St. Paul includes a display of a musk ox-and a wooly mammoth. Both existed in Minnesota thousands of years ago. Musk ox became extinct in the U.S. but were re-introduced from small herds still remaining in Canada and Greenland. Our admission includes a 30 minute tour; our guide, a young man, made a nice presentation about musk ox, the farm, and fire plans for the farm-which is located on one of the Great Depression colony farms.

Musk ox in Palmer AK

This group of about 80 animals are domesticated and raised for their hair, called quivut. Pound for pound it is the warmest material on the planet and the quivut combed and gathered from the oxen are provided to indigenous women to weave into scarfs, mittens and hats. The techniques replicate the traditions of their heritage. Nowadays one can buy the finished products-although at a hefty price. The musk ox calves born each year are named after a theme: cheese (Gouda and Munster), national parks (Zion, etc), trees (larch, maple, oak), etc.

Dinner was take out from the local grocery store; fried chicken with two sides and a roll. Good food and we came back to our lodging and relaxed.

Matanuska River north of Palmer, looking toward Chugach Mountains

Ed and Chris Palmer AK 9:30 PM

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2019 Trip 4: New England: June 17-18

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

The Robert Shaw Memorial-original in Boston Commons-from the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish NH

Grantham, NH. June 18

Decades ago when I first drove through Connecticut I was surprised by the hills and greenery. I just had this vision of the state as all urban concrete. I thought of that long ago memory Monday as we drove from Gloucester MA to Cornish NH. My sense of the geography of this region has certainly become more accurate but my pleasure at viewing the hills and greenery has not diminished. The rocky coast along Gloucester gave way (after the Boston urbanization area) to the hills, mountains and forests of New Hampshire. Along I-93 as we crossed into NH, there were several stretches where wildflowers must have been planted in the median. Combinations of white intermixed with yellow flowers were followed by a blueish-purple tinged flower. The woman at the NH information center was not aware of them, not driving that way to get to her job. They were profuse enough that they reminded us of our drives among the bluebonnets of Texas highways.

Driving along New Hampshire highways

Trying to be accurate, I did some Internet research to discover the types of flowers. Well, I found out that they are lupine, oxeye daisies, black eyed Susans, and coreopsis. The state has planted them for erosion control and visual impact. Evidently the seeding occurred before this spring because the same article indicated that due to budget cuts, state roads were having streetlights turned off, grass not cut, pavement marking lines not painted, and less guardrail maintenance. Ironically, at another stop, the cashier proudly stated that NH has no state income tax or general sales tax.

We are in New Hampshire and Vermont to visit two National Park sites. Monday we visited Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish NH, along the Connecticut River which forms the Vermont border. (And we passed a section of road where one of the two lanes had washed out.) Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) was a great American sculptor who came to Cornish for summers beginning in 1885 and to live year-round from 1900 until his death. This is only one of two National Park Service sites dedicated to the visual arts. The property was donated to the National Park Service in 1965.

The property includes his home, studios and galleries and is situated on 195 acres of woods, gardens and farm land.Our plan was to catch the 15 minute presentation at noon about sculpting but the in-residence sculptor had the day off. We walked along the ravine trail listening to the gurgling brook and enjoying the cool forest air. The park offers an 18 minute introductory video about Saint-Gaudens, his life, and works. (The video did not mention his mistress or the son he had with her.)

Two of Saint-Gaudens major works

Saint-Gaudens came as an infant to America from Ireland and was apprenticed early to a cameo maker. He attended classes in New York, Paris, and Rome where he met his wife. Returning to New York, he received his first major commission, a statue of Civil War Admiral David Farragut. When completed in 1881, it received overwhelming adulation. Over his career, he created several monumental sculptures still well-known today: The Shaw Memorial on Boston Commons, the Sherman Monument in New York’s Central Park, the “Standing Lincoln” in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. The Shaw Memorial took 14 years to complete and features Col Shaw leading the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the first all African American regiment from a Northern state. The individual features of the numerous soldiers is striking.

Saint-Gaudens created numerous smaller sculptures, miniatures, and cameos over his career. President Teddy Roosevelt made him the first sculptor to fully design an American coin; the one cent coin, and the 10- and 20-dollar double eagle gold coin. He died in 1907 from cancer.

Aspet House, Saint-Gaudens home in Cornish NH

Aspet House, his home in Cornish, was open for visitation and we explored it thoroughly. We took a tour of the grounds with a ranger whose presentation focused on Saint-Gaudens influence on the Gilded Age, that period from after the Civil War to about 1900. The Gilded Age was marked by rapid industrialization, wage growth for all but still with great concentrations of wealth and marked poverty. The people who commissioned Saint-Gaudens were among the very elite and had no problem with demonstrating their wealth.

Dinner (and lunch) was a quick bite at Wendy’s and a large ice cream at Fore-U Ice cream, a local store in West Lebanon. Our lodging is a wonderful AirBnB in Grantham, NH; out in the country surrounded by woods and gardens. The unit is a two bedroom stocked with multiple options for breakfast.

Tuesday we drove 40 miles to Woodstock Vermont, home to the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. The site has three names to reflect the three families that lived here and who each played a role in the national conservation movement and the evolving nature of land stewardship in America.

George Perkins Marsh (1801-1882) grew up here on the farm, was a U.S. Congressman, and a long-serving American ambassador. From the vantage point of overseas postings, he realized the impact humans made on the land. The timber industry in Vermont denuded mountainsides of trees, with no tree re-plantings and increased erosion. He advocated for a new, more caring focus on land stewardship. In 1864, he wrote Man and Nature, a book still in publication and which became a bedrock for future conservation efforts.

Frederick Billings ((1823-1890) grew up in Vermont, about 20 miles north of Woodstock. Trained as a lawyer, he made his fortune resolving land sales and issues in California during the Gold Rush era. He returned to Vermont, purchasing the Marsh family farm in 1869. By the time of his return, the Vermont mountains were stripped of trees, erosion had filled rivers, and farm fields were unproductive. Billings created a model farm to help educate farmers and revitalize Vermont agriculture. Sustainable, scientific forestry was a major focus of his life.

Inside the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller mansion

After Billings death, his wife and daughters continued the commitment to sustainable forestry. Eventually the property passed to his granddaughter Mary French who married Laurance Rockefeller, grandson of John D. Rockefeller. The Rockefellers had played a major role in U.S. National Parks and Laurance continued that tradition in many ways. Here, he and his wife transferred the land and an endowment to the National Park Service and this became a National Historical Park in June 1998.

walking the grounds at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller

Besides the park video, we participated in two ranger talks and hikes. During the tour of the mansion, besides viewing the interior, the ranger explained in greater detail how the three families played an important role in creating and sustaining a view of improved stewardship of our natural resources. On our ecology hike through the forest, we discussed with the park ranger the damage still being done to forests by man, creature, and climate.

Two Minnesota notes. One of the volunteers, while living in Vermont now, had a connection to Minnesota as his grandfather lived in North St. Paul, one of the towns of my youth. His grandfather started the Ramsey County Review, the local newspaper. Frederick Billings had a strong role in the development of the Northern Pacific Railway, which fueled the development of the U.S. from the Dakotas to the Pacific Ocean. The Northern Pacific was constantly plagued by financial issues and eventually was absorbed by the Great Northern. Billings time with the Northern Pacific was well-regarded, and the town of Billings Montana is named after him.

Ed and Chris. Grantham NH. June 18

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2019: Out and About in the Cities

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

St. Paul MN May 22, 2019

Museum of the Moon at the Bell Museum St. Paul

Almost all of our blog posts are travel adventures; trips away from the Cities, whether elsewhere in Minnesota or more likely, around the U.S. or Canada. In the past two weeks however, we experienced a diverse set of activities that seemed worthy of mention. The activities  reflected the non-standard activities available to a person in the Cities, not just the museums and historical locations.

The Noecker group marching

Our tale starts on Saturday May 4 for the 34th annual Cinco de Mayo parade on the West Side of St. Paul. This year, we marched with a group sponsored by our St. Paul Councilmember, Rebecca Noecker. As is our style, we arrived plenty early and had chatting time with other parade marchers and volunteers. The West Side of St. Paul is actually south of the Mississippi River since the river here takes a bend and changes from a north-south orientation to an east-west orientation for about eight miles. Thus, here the city is considered to be on the west bank of the Mississippi. It is the only section of St. Paul located on the south or west shore. Historically, this area was Dakota land and as treaties removed the Dakota from their homeland, French-Canadian, German and Irish immigrants settled here. (My German father’s house was on the West Side.) Later Eastern Europeans moved in and then it became home to a thriving Mexican immigrant community, which it still is today.

Cinco de Mayo parade St. Paul MN

The Cinco de Mayo festival and parade here is reported to be one of the ten largest in the U.S. But as a parade participant, we saw more of the crowd and less of the parade. The day was pleasant and the crowd numerous and relaxed. Families with children and grand-parents composed the large majority of the people lining the street.

The crowds at the Mayday Parade Minneapolis

On Sunday, May 5, we traveled compass-west and river-north to Minneapolis for the 45th annual MayDay Parade, Ceremony, and Festival sponsored by In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre. Boy, this was the time to really see diversity in Minneapolis. The parade runs down Bloomington Avenue to Powderhorn Park where festivities continue all afternoon. Knowing there would be an even bigger crowd for this parade, we arrived with plenty of time to people watch. We were the unusual ones; we did not have a dog, did not ride a bike, did not color our hair, did not have a tattoo, did not have a child present, did not wear clothes with a message, etc. Once again the crowd was polite; maybe more boisterous and jolly, but still uneventful. The parade is self-managed, no police cars leading the way. In fact, no motorized vehicles are allowed in the parade, unlike Cinco de Mayo which has a large crop of public organization vehicles. The crowd lined the sidewalks and curb area, leaving a small walkway for people to get through.

Mayday Parade

Mayday Parade

Mayday Parade Minneapolis

Mayday Parade Minneapolis

Mayday Parade

This year’s theme was Beloved Community revolving round reconciliation and respecting our earth. Community groups are encouraged to participate with their own display that ties into the overall theme. After the parade, there is a community festival at Powderhorn Park.

Como Park Conservatory

Inside the greenhouses at Como Park Conservatory

Thursday, May 9 brought us back to a familiar site but with a different focus. We have visited Como Park, Zoo, and Conservatory frequently. Today, though, we had a catered breakfast in one of the gardens followed by a behind the scenes tour of the greenhouses. The Conservatory grows many of its plants and will rotate specimens during the year. Rotating exhibits are designed by horticulturists and other Como staff. In the off-season for that plant, many plants are stored in the greenhouses at the appropriate off-season temperature.

Inside the greenhouses at Como Park Conservatory

The greenhouses are awash in colors, row upon row of plants in various stages of their growth cycle. Drip irrigation systems contrast with overhead irrigation. Large tubs of water host the first growth of the large pond Victoria Water Lilies that will appear outside Como come late July. Winter blooming plants are kept chilled until they are ready to pop. The chilling goes so far that the combination of cold and moisture sometimes creates a few flakes of snow. Would this not be a great place for someone to volunteer if they are into gardening?

Saturday May 11 we switched gears again. For 8 hours we saw and heard about the history and significance of several places of cultural, religious and historical importance to the indigenous peoples who lived here prior to European immigration. While the Dakota people were not the only indigenous people to live here, they were the ones present when Americans started moving here from the Eastern states in the 1800s. Fur trappers preceded the settlers and while the fur trappers did not take the Dakota land, their pattern of trapping the native beaver to near extinction created long-term destruction of natural habitat that still persists today. The treaties signed by the U.S. were never sufficient in the eyes of the new settlers. Treaty violations and treaty non-compliance by the U.S. government drove the Dakota in 1862 to declare war on the settlers, killing hundreds. The state raised an army and defeated the Dakota. After the war, 38 Dakota men were hung in the largest mass hanging in U.S. history. The remaining Dakota were shipped out of state after forced marches and winter imprisonment in camps. This fulfilled the demand of then-Governor Ramsey of Minnesota that, “the Sioux (Dakota-note Ed) Indians of Minnesota must be exterminated or driven forever beyond the borders of the state.”

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Mounds Park

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Wakan Tipi

During the daylong event, we listened to speakers and visited several sites. Mounds Park (Kaposia) is the site of six remaining burial and spiritual mounds; others have been excavated and bulldozed with the relics sold to museums. Wakan Tipi or Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary is located below the bluffs of Mounds Park. The site remains a Dakota sacred site today even after the railroads bulldozed the front portion of the cliff entrance to the cave for more railroad tracks. At Fort Selling historic site and at the overlook to the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, we heard how the Dakota used to converge on this spot for mothers to give birth. Unfortunately, this spot was chosen by the U.S. soldiers for a fort and was used as the internment camp for Dakota people during the winter after the Dakota War of 1862. (The actual internment site is located in Fort Snelling State Park on the river below the Fort and the park was closed due to high water.)

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Looking from Pilot Knob towards downtown Minneapolis in the distance

Finally we stopped at Pilot Knob. To the Dakota the prominent hill was known as Oheyawahi, or “a hill much visited.” It was here that the Dakota buried their dead and Dakota villages dotted the river below during the early 1800s. The hill remains a sacred place to the Shakopee Mdewakanton Dakota. All in all, it was an awakening experience to learn the beliefs of the Dakota people who preceded us here and who still fight for respect and treaty rights.

Wednesday night, May 15, the Voyageur National Park Association hosted an event in Minneapolis. (You will read more about Voyageurs on this blog come October.) It was held at Open Book’s auditorium and about 60 people showed up. The speaker was Ben Goldfarb, author of the award-winning book “Eager, the Surprising, Secret Lives of Beavers and Why They Matter”. Ben is an environmentalist journalist, editor, and beaver believer. We were surprised; the author was an excellent speaker and provided in an interesting way new information about beavers.  There is a movement in the country to allow beaver freer rein to build their dams; improved water retention, fishing, and decreased flooding are likely to result if we can resist our emphasis on man-made answers to the problems we have created in our environment.

 

From the beaver diorama at the Bell Museum

Beaver pelt were the only export early American settlers had to pay for their English made goods. Beaver hunting fueled the economy, drove westward expansion and settler anger at British limits on expansion, and by the late 1800s had practically exterminated beavers in North America. This over hunting resulted in topography that is drier, has less animals, and is more barren then pre-1700s. The impact is still felt today and the American instinct to build man-made structures to replace what nature does on its own continues to haunt us. We bought a copy of the book and suggested to the Bell Museum store that they stock it.

Just one interesting tidbit: The Catholic Church, in 17th century Quebec, after discussions with theologians in France, declared beaver a fish since even though a mammal, it swims. Therefore, Catholics could eat the red meat of beaver on Friday during Lent without a guilty conscience.

Last weekend, May 18-19, was the inaugural Doors Open Minneapolis event. 115 buildings throw open their doors and invite the public to visit and take a peek behind doors normally closed. Venues included historic buildings re-used for hotels and offices, public works locations like a hydro plant or recycling facility, churches normally open only to their members, public yet private areas like the Federal Reserve or Post Office.

St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam was one of the 115 venues open to the public. Each venue had its open staff or volunteers welcoming guests. In addition, Doors Open planned to have two volunteers at each of the 115 venues, working in two shifts of four hours each. Doors Open needed 900 volunteers. I do not know the final result, but it seemed like they came close to reaching their goal.

On Saturday, I was a volunteer for the National Park Service and Army Corps of Engineers (not a volunteer for Doors Open) at the St. Anthony Lock and Dam. We had over 400 visitors between 10 and 2, on a blustery dreary day.

Sample artwork at the Intercontinental Hotel MSP AIrport

On Sunday, Chris and I were volunteers for the Doors Open program. Our shift was at the Intercontinental Hotel at MSP airport. It opened in July of 2018 and has a very nice collection of art work. The hotel manager gave us a tour, visitors received a hand-out for a self-guided tour. Our gig as Doors Open volunteers required us to greet visitors pleasantly, answer questions, guide them as to the best route and provide them with complimentary parking garage passes. During the other half of the day, we visited two sites.

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Danish American Center

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Pancakes

First, we stopped at the Danish American Center, a building we have passed innumerable times along West River Road in Minneapolis. Over a hundred years ago it began as a home for seniors, today it is a community center and offers overnight lodging for out of town visitors to members. All Doors Open visitors received a personal tour and a serving of Danish pancakes, a round pastry called an Aebleskiver.

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Minneapolis Rowing Club boathouse

Our second stop was at the Minneapolis Rowing Club. Their boathouse along the Mississippi, after their previous A-frame building burnt down in the late 1990s, is designed to resemble a duck in flight. Inside we were treated to a tour and discussion of rowing; single, double, four and eight person. Note: if a rower uses two hands to hold two oars, it is sculling. If a person holds only one oar with both hands, it is called sweep rowing. As you walk in, you are overwhelmed with the rows of boats, the lined up oars, and the second floor exercise room. The exercise area can have one wall opened to provide fresh air and an up-close view of the Mississippi River. All ages are welcome, we talked with one woman who had just begun rowing three years ago when she retired.

In an interesting note, at St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam on Saturday, numerous visitors asked about the publicized study being undertaken by the Army Corps of Engineers to determine the fate of the lock which was closed four years ago. No answer is expected for 18 months; implementation will take longer no matter the recommendation. One option discussed has been to remove the lock and allow the river to flow freely. This would likely eliminate the ability of the rowing club to practice on this stretch of the river.

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Flood waters at Crosby Farm Regional park in St. Paul on April 26

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May 20th at Crosby Farm park

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May 20th at Crosby Farm Park

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The family swimming in Crosby Lake

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The flood residue is over 7 feet high on this tree

Monday night I explored Crosby Farm Park, located across the street from our condo. The trail has been closed for weeks due to high water. On my visit Monday, the water has receded in most places leaving behind muck and debris. The woods were full of bird songs, chirping and tweeting and honking. A few hardy bicyclists had taken the path, I could see their trails in the mud. One couple was walking along, when they reached the inch or two high water crossing the path, the woman climbed on the back of the man who carried her over to the next patch of dry pavement. One pair of Canada Geese were perched on washed up grasses on the path, they moved into the water and swam away as I approached. 100 feet further on, another pair did the same only this time they had their eight or so chicks in between them. With more rain coming, it will be a while until the paved path is free and clear.

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Wolf diorama at the Bell Museum

Wednesday night, May 15 we returned to the Bell Museum to listen to a talk about wolves. Two University of Minnesota researchers have been studying wolves in Voyageurs National Park. This multi-year study was one of the first, if not the first, to capture wolves on film catching fish in a stream.

As a supplemental treat, the Bell has a three week exhibit on the Moon, closing Sunday June 9th. The view of the lighted moon is spectacular. A 20 minute presentation was offered to tonight’s visitors so we added two experiences for just one trip.

We hoped you enjoyed this post, just a note about different activities that are available to one, even in your home town.

Ed and Chris  St. Paul May 23

Como Park Conservatory, St. Paul MN

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