DESPERATELY SEEKING SALMON…

Alaska Scenery

We head down the Tok Cut off.  It’s a patchwork of good highway going bad – frost heaves, damaged pavement and some improved sections.  We keep an eye out for wildlife and see a couple of moose and a lot of spectacular Alaskan scenery.  Sixty-five miles outside of Tok, we turn up Nabesna Road and pull into the Hart D Ranch, a wonderful B&B lodge and RV park with a fine arts gallery.  Owner/ Bronze Sculptor Mary Francis De Hart greets us at the door.  Mary is a beautiful older woman with a quick smile and a sparkle in her eyes.   She gives us a quick tour of the immaculate facilities, gives us the 411 on the Wi-Fi and lets us know that she will be out in the back mowing if we need anything.  Since the place is empty we have our pick of spots.  We choose one that backs up to the forest.  All of the spaces have a picnic table and metal chimera style fire pits.  Colorful rainbow heart flags flutter from poles around the lodge.  Lots of Mosquitoes - but no problem – We have ThermaCELLs!

Trumpeter Swan

Nabesna Road is the Northern Entrance to the Wrangle-St. Elias National Park and one of the only two roads into the park.  This park is the largest National Park in the nation (Six times the size of Yellowstone!) and mostly undeveloped. Nabesna road is a mix of paved and unpaved but is a pretty easy drive. At 27 miles we check out the Kendesnii campground.  It’s a beautiful site at Twin Lake. It’s new with spaces for tents and smaller RVs and it’s FREE!  We chat with a couple of rangers and they inform us that the road may not be drivable in another few miles.  We continue on and sure enough the road is washed out at the 30-mile mark.  So we turn around and head back.  On the return trip we see some Trumpeter Swans and just enjoy the scenery.

The next morning we head back to the Tok Cut Off.  We stop at the Wrangle-St. Elias visitor center and watch a film about the area.  We also catch a Ranger talk about lichen.   It its informative and we now have a better appreciation for the importance of this fungus-algae complex.  Yep you could say, “we be liken the lichen.”  (Sorry bout that LOL)

Red Eagle Cabin

We continue on to the Red Eagle Lodge.  This is a quaint 1920’s Roadhouse establishment with upscale amenities.  Richard and Judy Dennis are wonderful hosts and we feel right at home. There are no specified RV spots but they provide electricity for RVs and places for tent campers. We find a level spot and run a power cord from the bathhouse over to Dimples.  They have a collection of original 100 year-old log cabins decorated to reflect the original period, but outfitted with high quality bedding and upscale amenities.  Some of the cabins have full baths and there is a beautiful bathhouse (for campers and the single room cabins) with a modern laundry facility. There is also lovely a glamper tent and they have plans to add a few more.  For guests who prefer arriving by small plane rather than road bound vehicles, there is a landing strip.  Richard’s own plane sits near the runway.  They use this for personal touring and flying to Anchorage to pick up supplies for the lodge.  Breakfast is offered for a minimal price of $5.00 so we opt to let Judy cook for us the next morning.  At 2:00 AM the power goes out in the entire area and stays off until after we leave.  No hot breakfast, but they heat water on their wood burning stove. Although it’s only instant coffee and yogurt, we enjoy great conversation with our hosts and a fascinating Aleut couple from Barrow (the northern most point in the state.) We are invited back for the 4^th of July if we can’t find a spot further down the road.  They are expecting a full house, but can always make room for Dimples. This lodge is a true gem.

Then we’re off down the Richardson highway with a brief stop for diesel in Glennallen.  We pass by the HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) facility and we catch glimpses of the Alaska Pipeline through the spruce trees.

Early Morning Catch

We end up on the Copper Center Loop and stop to inquire about space availability at the Klutina Salmon Charters located on the Klutina River. (The Klutina feeds into the Copper River - source of the world famous Copper River Salmon.) They have one space left.  It’s near the office and the Wi-Fi works great at our site.  This is a true fishing camp.  Sites are provided with electricity, a community water faucet to fill tanks and a dump station.  Most of the folks come here for the entire salmon season.   Just about everyone is fishing and we chat with a couple of anglers and learn about the techniques used to catch salmon.  The Red (AKA Sockeye) Salmon are currently running and they’re biting… actually they don’t feed while heading upstream and are caught by casting a hook perpendicular to the shore, the fish catch the line in their open mouths and the hook snags the mouth from the outside.  Since the fish swim near the shore there are lots-o-salmon ending up in the possession of the anglers. We’d like to stay longer and maybe try some salmon fishing, but they are booked solid over the holiday so we have to move on. But no problems… In anticipation of not being able to stay we left a message with the Wrangell View RV Park about availability and there is a message on our cell.  Looks like we have a place to park over the 4^th of July holiday (WHEW!)

Edgerton Hwy

Copper River Fish Wheel

So it’s off to the Edgerton Highway toward the town of Chitna. We don’t see a lot of wildlife, but there is a herd of Yak… WTF?  The Wrangell View RV Park is a tribal park with a self-service pay station, full hookups and no other amenities. The park is mostly gravel, but half of the spaces back up to the forest.  Since there is only one other unit parked here we pretty much have our choice of spots and our view out the back is lovely.  There is talk about a bear and her two cubs in the area, so we keep an eye out for her but she never shows while we are looking.  From here it’s a short drive into Chitna.  We check out the fish wheels along the river and chat with the owner of a fish wheel who comes all the way from Wasilla to fish the Copper River.  It looks like pretty easy fishing, letting the wheel do all of the work, but you still have to clean and process a lot of Salmon.  There is also dip net fishing along the river. 

We stop at the Hotel Chitna for hotdogs and burgers.  Only it’s a really tasty reindeer sausage and a Yak Burger (provided by the Yak farm we passed along the highway) that is also quite delicious.

Glad we don't have to drive on this!

For the forth of July it’s off to the towns of Kennicott and McCarthy.  The Edgerton Highway ends at the town of Chitna and the McCarthy Road begins with a narrow single lane cut in the rock and continues over the McCarthy Bridge. This is the only other entrance into the Wrangell & St. Elias National Park. The gravel road was built along the CR&NW (Copper River and North Western, or the local translation of the acronym: Can’t Run and Never Will) railway bed. We’ve heard horror stories about this road and many of the few businesses along this road offer tire repair.  So we start out slow and after a few miles we discover that the road has been recently graded and is actually in better condition that many of the main highways we’ve been on recently. The scenery is spectacular, alpine meadows dotted with wildflowers, pine forests, marshes and ponds with swans and beaver dens, and along the horizon; the Wrangell Mountains covered with snow. A bull moose darts across the road and we’re reminded that although the road is in good condition it’s prudent to keep our speed down.  After about 17 miles we come to the Kuskulana Bridge.  This 525 ft. long one lane bridge, originally built in 1910 crosses 238 feet above the river.  It’s a narrow 3-span steel railway bridge retrofitted with new wood decking and guardrails.  Before the bridge was rehabilitated in 1988 many of the bridge planks were missing and motorists could glimpse the river below through the planks. It’s not as scary as back then, but it’s still a thrill to cross the river here.  The road continues on up and over steep grades and at one point we see another bridge in the distance, this one looks really scary.  Fortunately it has been abandoned and we only look up and marvel, rather than cross the canyon on that rickety derelict.  After 58 miles of gravel adventure the road ends at the footbridge over the Kennicott River to McCarthy and Kennicott. Parking at the bridge costs $5 but we opt to park in the free spaces at the small visitor center about a half-mile away and walk to the bridge.

Kennecott

Once across the bridge we catch the shuttle to take us the five miles to the Kennecott National Historic Landmark.  We hope to take a mine tour, but it’s the forth of July and tours are cancelled due to the parade and festivities in nearby McCarthy.  After stopping at the visitor center and catching a short film about the history of the Kennecott mines we hike around the Concentration Mine buildings and walk around the town taking tons of photos.  We finish our tour of Kennicott with a really tasty elk sausage pizza from Tailor Made Pizzas that operates out of a converted bus and then head over to McCarthy. 

Serious Egg Tossers

The town of McCarthy is best described as quaint and vintage.  Most of the buildings are original, restored and maintained.  Generators provide electricity and there is no trash service so residents have to haul out their refuse. We stop first at the town museum and see artifacts left by the inhabitants when the mine closed.  Seems that, when the mine closed the workers and other residents were given 2 hours notice that the last train was leaving so they had to pack up whatever they could carry and everything else was left behind. In addition to the trappings of daily life, there is a display of handbills and memorabilia from early forth of July festivities.  There were cash prizes for events such as: The Fat Man Fifty Yard Dash, Women’s Nail Pounding and the ever-popular Egg Toss.  We head over to the main part of town to join in the festivities.  Modern times have added some different events like: a Slow Bicycle Race, Hula-Hoops and Paper Airplane Flying but the real crowd pleaser is the EGG TOSS.  There are some really skilled egg tossers and catchers in this town!  For a region inhabited by less that 30 folks in a thirty square mile area they really know how to put on a great 4^th of July celebration.

After the two plus hour drive back to Chitna, we stop for dinner at the Hotel Chitna.  This time we feast on Halibut St. Elias: fresh halibut in a cream sauce with artichoke hearts and sautéed Copper River Salmon.  Service again is excellent and the meal is a real gastronomical delight.

We decide to stay here a few more days. The weather is a combination of clouds, rain and sunshine, which is typical for Alaska Summers.  More time to watch the fishwheels and explore the area.  There is a free Wi-Fi spot in Chitna across the street from the hotel so we can check our email and do some more research about the area.  While we are surfing, a large bull moose wanders by.  Then one day we come across some folks cleaning salmon at their fish wheel. They tell us about a huge King Salmon that was caught in the wheel next to them that was probably over seventy pounds, when caught, the fish just jumped out of the basket and swam on up-stream to pass on it’s DNA for longevity.  They also surprise us by giving us some Red Salmon Fillets and a nice chunk of King. What a treat!  We are really thankful for a tasty dinner that night, and some for the freezer!

Yak Herd

The Edgerton Highway is dotted with ranches, farms and parks. So we spend a day along the road, stopping to take photos and just enjoying being here.  At the Circle F YakRanch, we see a sign “Yak Meat For Sale” and some folks standing around a large black and white yak by the pens.  We pull over, take a few photos of the yaks in the field and go see the man about some yak meat.  Robert Fithian greets us and introduces us to large really mellow bull yak named Drifter.  This yak seems to be content hanging out with people and being petted. Robert explains about the various breeds and his main products: meat, wool and breeding stock.  These huge beasts are surprisingly gentle.  So gentle, that Robert takes us into the field with the cows and calves so we can experience them up close and personal.  Some of the beasts are a bit standoffish, but others come up to be petted and follow us around and the calves are just too cute!  Robert tells us that yaks can be mean and dangerous if mistreated, but he obviously spends a lot of time with his herd, every one has a name. He points out each one and tells us a bit about each animal.  Temperaments are as important as the meat and wool.  He pulls off some of the soft wooly undercoat for us.  It is soft and has no odor, even when wet, unlike wool.  In fact there is very little odor here. Yaks don’t stink and neither do we after petting and mingling with the herd.  Since we enjoyed our yak burger at the Hotel Chitna, we inquire about some meat.  Robert’s wife, Barb gets us a price list and we decide on some yak burger and an assortment of steaks.  Barb also spins the wool and she shows us some of her knitting. These items are light and soft much like cashmere… (I am so jonesing for a Yak sweater!) Well enough yakin about yaks. (OH NO not another bad pun!) Heading back to our home base we stop at Liberty Falls for some more photo ops.

Liberty Falls

We like being off the beaten path, our little freezer is full of Copper River Salmon and Yak meat.  Most of the folks we meet here are Alaskans, only a few travelers like us. The roadhouses, fish camps and small towns have been fun and fascinating. The flip side is the Alaska pipeline and HAARP the spawns of modern technology and science.   We can’t wait to see what’s around the next curve…