updating

Okay, this is the first time I've had internet since Denali, so there's a lot to post. I'm going to put each one in a separate post, however, to make it easier to read. Here's the first one:

Travel to Anchorage

Have already been in touch with Kate; she was almost to Fredonia when Steven called. It’s now almost 9:00 here so she should be pretty well unloaded by now.

Today was a day to sleep in, but as usual, we were up early anyway. We had breakfast at the same Courtyard Café and I had a cheese blintz! Never had one before and it was good!

Steven and I checked our emails, uploaded pictures and updated the blog from the lobby of the Chalet and soon we’ll be boarding the train for Anchorage. I was able to send an email to Tielle St. Clare and we might be able to get together for drinks tonight!

Hard to believe it’s only been since Tuesday that our adventure began. We’ve seen so much already. I may sleep on the train, or read a book (I’m leaving a book behind here, not because I’ve read it, but because it’s boring. It’s one I found when cleaning out the closet – and there was a reason this one never made it to the shelves! Ah well…one way to lighten the load!). Steven’s got his stuff to do as well and said what I’m thinking. That the scenery will be more of the same. Beautiful to see, but one’s senses can only take so much at a time. There’s a good case for traveling slowly!

*****

Oh, my. We’re on the train headed south to Anchorage. We wondered why a trip of 160 miles would take 8 hours and now we know. We are wending our way through the mountains at about 20 miles an hour. Very slow, and very beautiful.

I said to Steven about how the mountains were deceptive and how they really didn’t seem all that much higher than the ones in our area. I now stand corrected.

We’re going through a canyon with the mountains directly on our right and left. We’re still following the Nehana River, so the mountains on the left are a little further away. Think the Susquehanna river valley where it goes past Lewisburg on the way along Route 15 to Harrisburg…only triple the size of the mountains and change the trees to white and black spruce.

We’re passing Panorama Mountain, one used by climbers to practice on before tackling Mt McKinley. It’s only about three times shorter than McKinley, but McKinley’s base is sixteen times the width. Since we’re at the very bottom looking up and can see how huge this one is, it’s mind-boggling to think of a mountain that spreads out sixteen times more!

I don’t have enough words in the language to describe the immensity of these mountains. Since we’re so close to the tree line, what we’re mostly seeing brown rock with streaks of grey from the anduvial flows of shist. And that last sentence should show you how much science I’m learning!



So much hasn’t changed here in eons. I know scientists would disagree with me, and would cite all the earthquakes and glaciers as evidence, but I look at these mountains with the braids of the river winding through and around the canyons between and can almost see Ansel Adams with his tripod in the water framing up a picture. I half expect Teddy Roosevelt to plant his booted foot on a ridge and survey what he wrought, although its to Harding we owe our thanks. Bush pilots still fly to homes that have no running water or electricity and gold miners still pan for gold. The bear hold sway with the moose, fox, caribou and wolves.

And still the mountains stand, the lower tops rounded, the peaks triangled and dusted with snow. In fact, it’s snowing on a mountain peak to my left right now. We can see the snow falling on top of the mountain while here below we’re warm and snug.

At one point Steven said something about how much clearer the atmosphere is. It’s because of how high we are. I’m not sure of our current elevation, but when the tree line is just a little above your head, you know you’re pretty high. None of us have had any trouble breathing, although the air is dry and I’m using the Chapstick on a regular basis.

You know how kids pile dirt up when they’re playing? They mound it, making tall piles that slope from a point. Then they pour water on the pile and it flows down in rivulets making ripples in the surface of their “mountain”. Then imagine a huge giant doing the same thing and you’ll get an idea of what these mountains look like. Throw a few rocks into the kid’s pile and you have the pieces of rock that occasionally jut out from an otherwise smooth surface of pulverized rock and dirt. Add a good strong wind to smooth our the edges and voila! Alaskan mountains in miniature.
They speak a lot here of glaciers, as if this is the only place on earth where the glaciers carved their mark. But in fact, the kettle ponds, formed from melted glacier water, are just small versions of the Finger Lakes. Alaskans poke fun at Texans thinking their state is big…well we New Yorkers could have some fun with their kettle ponds!

I’m amazed at the number of people who stand beside the train tracks and wave. In the bush, it’s understandable. Only two trains go through each day…one headed north and one headed south. In the winter a single train runs north on Saturday and south on Sunday and nothing in between. It makes sense to come out and wave and get at least a modicum of human interaction.

But even in Wasilla people stood in parking lots and at the ends of roads, waving at the train as it passed!

9:16 pm

Have arrived at the Hilton only to discover Internet access is $2.95 for 15 minutes and twenty-five cents for every minute after that! This trip cost $5000…are you telling me I can’t get free internet at that price??? I can go to the nearest McDonald’s and get free WiFi. And I have to PAY for it? At the HILTON??? I am SOOOO not impressed.

1:30 AM

Yes, I know it’ technically Sunday, but since I haven’t gone to bed yet, I’m counting this as still part of today. I just got back from meeting up with Tielle and we had a great time! We talked shop a little, then Steven joined us and we talked Alaska in general, then he left us when our talk turned to shop again. She’s such a sweet person and of course, it’s always fun meeting up with another Scribe! For the record…we closed the bar.