Soldotna, AK

We did a little sightseeing in Soldotna today. We went to a chain saw carving display. They had a merry-go-round done with chain saw carvings. I most like Grant in the giant rocking chair. Next we went to the visitor’s center where they have a public walkway for salmon fishing. We watched the fishermen try their luck for awhile. We stopped at a coffee roasting shop where Grant got ¼ pound of Bolivian coffee to try for free. He is anxious to go back and try some more. We also went to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and walked on a couple of their trails.

We returned for the orientation meeting with the other couples and got the details of what we can expect this week. They have a Chuck Wagon Camp here for Junior High kids. There are big canvas covered wagons that have bunks in them for 8 kids + 2 counselors per wagon. There are 4 wagons. Near the wagons there are a number of old town style buildings including a “hotel”. Grant is to work on the electrical, insulation, sheet rock and spackling for that building. I will work in the office on a huge mailing.

Glenallen, AK to Soldotna, AK

We plan to make Soldotna today for the SOWERS project. We are supposed to arrive on Friday or Saturday to get set up, attend an orientation meeting, and be ready to begin work on Monday. We are driving from Glenallen, AK to Soldotna, AK along the Glenn Highway, the Seward Highway and then the Sterling Highway. There was a Musk Ox Farm along the highway. We stopped at the visitor’s center, where we got a good picture of a stuffed musk ox, and got a few pictures of the live musk ox from a distance through a fence. We didn’t have time to stay for the tour, where you get to feed them. The Nelchina Glacier was huge, and the river was muddy but beautiful. We stopped at Beluga Point on the Seward Highway. We didn’t see any whales. The tide was out.

We made it to Soldotna and got our trailer set up. We will be here for 3 weeks working the project and then a few days with Janine and Kristy here. This camp has electric but no water or sewer. It will be a challenge to not run out of water with our little trailer and it’s 16 gallon gray water holding tank. There are 5 couples here for this project. We will have our orientation meeting tomorrow.

Unstuck - Glennallen, Ak

This is Janine again.

Mom and Dad made it out of McCarthy today. The bridge was opened for limited traffic at about 1pm this afternoon. Up until noon today, they thought the bridge would not be opened until Monday!!!

They are in Glennallen for the night and will drive to the Camp in Soldotna tomorrow.
They are relieved to be back, but still had a nice 2 days while they were stuck.

Mom will probably post on Saturday.

McCarthy, AK to Glenallen, AK

It’s Thursday morning and they don’t believe the bridge will be repaired until early next week. The overhead cross members were bent by a piece of equipment that was too tall to cross the bridge. We decided to arrange to get a shuttle to the bridge where they are allowing foot traffic across the damaged bridge to a shuttle on the other side of the bridge. We need to get to our clothes and medications in our trailer, even if we have to leave the truck behind. When the bridge is repaired, Grant plans to fly to McCarthy and pick up the truck. Our shuttle leaves at 1:30pm. So, we walk across the bridge to McCarthy (about ½ miles) to pick up groceries at a little store and have a bite of breakfast/lunch.

While we are in McCarthy, we learn that they have decided to open the bridge from 1pm to 7pm today for vehicles less than 6,000 pounds. We quickly head back across the bridge to the hostel to cancel our shuttle and pick up our truck and head for the bridge, hoping to be among the first to get across. What a relief to be back across the bridge. We pick up our trailer in Chitina, and head for Glenallen to spend the night. We plan to drive on to Soldotna tomorrow.

Stuck in Wrangell-St. Elias Preserve and Wildernes

This is Janine - A quick update.

Mom and Dad are stuck till at least Friday afternoon in a McCarthy, in the Wrangell-St. Elias Preserve and wilderness, part of the largest National Park in the country (I think).

This morning, after a 3 hour drive on 60 miles of dirt road to do a hike on the glaciers, they found out a bridge they crossed to get there was out (washed out?, i don't know). The bridge won't be fixed before Friday afternoon.

They did not intend to stay overnight, so they have had to find accommodations and food. They talked a B&B owner into making them a pancake dinner because there was absolutely nothing else open. There is not much in this remote location. They only have internet because it just got installed today at the hostel they are staying in. There's no electricity in the hostel room, but they do have internet!!! There is no cell reception either. There is a very pretty view out the windows.

But. they still had a great day - 5 hours of walking, some of it on glaciers with crampons strapped to their feet. They are sore and tired, but saw some beautiful scenery. I'm sure Mom will update us when they get to Soldotna.

We can pray that the bridge gets fixed by Friday. They are supposed to be at Solid Rock Bible Camp by either Friday or Saturday. Its about 13 hours from where they are now to the camp.

Wrangle Mountain- St. Elias National Park (McCarthy and Kinnecott)

We left our trailer in Chitina and drove our truck from Chitina, AK to McCarthy, AK this morning. The road was dirt with a lot of potholes. One of the old railroad bridges that had been turned into a vehicle bridge was damaged yesterday evening, but they were allowing vehicles under 6,000 pounds across the bridge. The road from Chitina to McCarthy is about 60 miles. At the damaged bridge, we were about 12 miles from McCarthy. There is no road, available to the public, into McCarthy. We had to cross Jumbo Creek bridge once we got close to McCarthy, and then a second bridge, to reach McCarthy on foot. From McCarthy, you can walk or take a shuttle about 5 miles to Kinnecott. The glacier walking tour that we wanted to take leaves from Kinnecott.

When we arrived in Kinnecott, we learned that the Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) decided to close the damaged bridge we had come across that morning! That left us stranded with our truck across the walking bridge from McCarthy and our trailer another 60 miles away in Chitina. We were able to secure lodging at a hostel across the walking bridge from McCarthy. Then we went on our ice glacier walking tour.

We used ice crampons to allow us to walk on the glacial ice. We really enjoyed the experience.

When we returned, we learned that they didn’t plan to open the bridge before the following Monday. That meant we would have to spend several days in the hostel with no change of clothes, no food, and no medicines. At the hostel, we had a cute little cabin with no electric and no plumbing, but access to wireless internet that had just been installed that day. We slept very well. We were very content to have a place to sleep.

Tok, AK to Chitina, AK

We decided to go to Kennicott/McCarthy to see the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. It’s the largest National Park in the United States. We were very interested in the possibility of waking on a glacier. So our goal for the day was to get as close as we could to McCarthy to spend the night and drop the trailer and drive into the park tomorrow. The road to the Park is unpaved. It is about the same as Italian Bar Road at its worst. We didn’t want to risk taking the trailer on that road. We left Tok and drove along the Glenn Highway which parallels the Copper River. We spent the night in Chitina in an unmanned RV park where you drop your money in a drop box.