Friday, July 4, 2025

Alaska, June 19-20, 2025, North to Alaska, 2.0

 I'm finally getting around to posting more about what we did on our recent trip to Alaska with stops coming and going in the Seattle area. I am modifying a post I did on the trip on our first two days below, now that I have more time, so some of it may look familiar.

 Another morning of getting up at 0 dark thirty. The Seattle airport was huge and crazy busy, so it was a good thing we got there early. 

However, the flight was uneventful, and we were met by our friends in Anchorage. We haven't seen these friends, B and Bo, in over 30 years, so we had a good time catching up on the details of our lives.

B and Bo took us to the Alaska Zoo for a low-key activity on our travel day. We thought that was a great idea since we try to visit zoos when we travel. This zoo specializes in Alaskan animals and rehabilitates animals as well as displays them. The star of the day was the polar bear, who was quite active. 



Bears are featured heavily in all things Alaska. This bear was at the entrance to the zoo.

It was also fun to go downstairs and watch the polar bear swimming underwater.


This musk ox was seeing if the grass was really greener
 on the other side of the fence.

The next morning, we headed to Hatcher Pass, a scenic pass in the Talkeetna Mountains located between Willow and Palmer, Alaska. Specifically, we visited the abandoned Independence Gold Mine there. Gold is one of the key factors that drew the US and others to develop Alaska. Independence Mine was active from 1897 to 1950, with a break during WWII. There was more activity in the 1970s. At its peak, the mine had 16 families living there and 206 workers. The mine camp is now a state historic site.

Some of the buildings had been restored, and some were in ruins.


We took a tour of the mine camp, which was interesting. We were a bit surprised by the amount of snow still on the ground. In some places, it was a good 4" deep. The snow was slippery at times, and I was glad I had my boots on. However, B and Bo brought along their springer spaniel, who was living his best life playing in it. 

Bo was showing me the trails they like to hike. However, it was decided that they would be too snowy and muddy for a hike today. Charlie, their dog, was ready to go, however.

Ward loves a train, no matter what kind it is.

The drive home through the Talkeetnas was spectacular. In fact, just about any direction we turned on this trip, the scenery was breathtaking.


Each evening, B cooked a good meal, and we enjoyed relaxing after dinner, chatting about this and that during the endless light of the evening.

 Until next time…

14 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing details of your trip with us. I enjoyed seeing the pictures. :)

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    1. If you enjoyed the pictures, there are more to come. :)

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  2. I'm behind the times and didn't realize you were back. Mines are fascinating places. Now I need to catch up with everything else you have written. Welcome home.

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    1. I haven’t written a lot, so it won’t take you long to catch up.

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  3. Fantastic scenery plus a gold mine to visit! Your hubby wearing shorts, boots in the snow...great shot!

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    1. I think this was our warmest day with temps reaching 70F. I thought it was too cold for shorts, but he was comfortable. :)

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  4. I'm so jealous I'd love to visit Alaska someday. I think during the salmon run so I can photograph some grizzlies (from a safe distance away of course). I'm glad to see you enjoyed your time there.

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    1. There are five major kinds of salmon in AK that run at different times and we were just on the verge of the first ones. This trip's timing is what worked best for us, but I would love to see the salmon and the bears another time.

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  5. Beautiful! And so strange to see snow at this time of year

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    1. The snow was melting while we were there, but some of it stays year round.

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  6. Looks like an amazing country to visit, beautiful scenery

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    1. It was an amazing place. I felt very lucky to have been able to visit it.

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  7. such big country, so beautiful. Got me nostalgic and I went to google maps again to look up Seward, where I lived and Nash Road, off of which is where that make shift cabin sat, on a bluff, overlooking Resurrection Bay and also not far from the Salmon river, where we dip netted hooligan, then smoked them dry for snacking. Its such huge country, makes one feel small.

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    1. We were in all of the places you mentioned and spent a day in Seward. I understand now why everyone I know who has been stationed in AK chooses to stay. Of course, we only had a brief visit during the summer. I don't know if I'd feel the same during the long, dark winters. But one thing is for sure. The magnificent mountains and water are there year round.

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