So, we made it to the 49Th! We spent the first night in Alaska at a park, 3 miles inside Alaska, across the Canadian border. Once again crossed customs without any problems. The size XXL mosquitoes were waiting for us! My, they are healthy devils up here. There were many at the campground we stayed in, but they must have all been males, because they would land on you but not bite. Guess the girls were all preoccupied with kids or girls night out somewhere else or something, but we were grateful. We didn't mind a bit that the guys hung around, but we didn't miss those bitin' girls!
As were we each time we have come to AK we are awe struck by the mountains. Being people from a mountainous region you would think it wouldn't be that different, ah, but Alaskan mountains are very different from WY mountains. In WY you go across a mountain range and then there aren't any more for awhile. In Alaska, there are range, after range after range. They just seem to go on forever. The highways seem to be just ribbons, cut through the dense forests. As you can see in the photo here, the forests run right to to foot of the mountains, and the roads are cut into that dense forestation. Most of the trees are birch, black and white spruce and very thick underbrush. It doesn't appear that there would be much foraging for the wildlife in those dense trees, but they must find groceries somewhere. We saw several caribou and moose in the Yukon, and have seen moose in Alaska. The moose up here are very different from the moose in WY, they are very very large. Much larger than their kin folk down south. They are also very light colored compared to the Shiras moose of WY. They have that same ugly mug as their cousins, but much bigger and lighter. Haven't seen any this year's calves yet, they must be keeping them in hiding yet.
The rivers are raging here in AK so we haven't been fishing yet. The lakes are still holding some ice and run off is in high gear, so it appears fishing will be on hold until the 2ND week of June or so. All the rivers right around Glennallen are very muddy as well as being high. Most of them have that opaque look from glacier melt as well. Guess we will have to live with that. We have the fishing licenses at the ready though, so when the waters clear, we will be ready to go!
We stopped at Gakona Lodge to see our friends from Sheridan, Greg and Val Marshall that now own the lodge. It is on the historic register as a historic road house. They have done a tremendous amount of work to it, and my does it show. It sits right on up against the Gakona River, and comes complete with restaurant and bar, as well as the lodge and cabins. I believe there are 5 rooms in the lodge. Greg goes back to Sheridan ever Jan. through April to work as a CPA and Val and the kids live year-round at the lodge. The lodge is about 30 minutes from Glennallen, so I believe after we get settled in, I will bar tend some for Greg, as he is running on the ragged edge, trying to keep up with everything and tend bar every night as well. That should be interesting. It is smaller than our bar, but the clientele is very interesting. They have many natives around Gakona, as the lodge sits between two native villages. You can't see liquor in a native village, but the Gakona Lodge liquor license is grandfathered in. Only such circumstance in Alaska. The Lodge was really a busy place during the construction of the pipeline, (as I'm sure every bar in AK was.) Two people were killed in that bar during that time. The running joke up here is that the Alaskan Pipe Line was built on speed and cocaine, since the days are so long in summer when they could work, no one really slept much. The bar at the lodge is somewhat quieter now. As state law requires bars in WY to close at 2:00AM, up here it is 5:00AM. Can't imagine how that works in the winter, but it is understandable in the summer. Greg says he tries to get everyone out by 3!
The Marshalls tell us they have more trouble with white people in their bar than with the natives, although the natives throughout AK are known to have a serious alcholism problem. They tell us that the natives always bring a designated driver with them and they all admit that they have a drinking problem! The whites on the other hand, drink and believe they are only social drinkers and completely capable of driving.....thank you very much!
Oh, the human race is amazing isn't it? So different in some respects and so alike in others. So, next time I write we will be settled in our new home. Later
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