Raymond F. Kuhlmann Dec.26, 1913 to Aug.16, 2008

It is with both sadness and happiness that Bucky and I leave Alaska tomorrow. We were notified yesterday of Dad's death. As described to us by Jean McCandless, who was so instrumental in keeping Dad in his own home, he "looked peaceful, as if he was sleeping". Dad was found unresponsive in his favorite chair in the living room after having enjoyed a "fine" cup of coffee with his caregiver only a short time before. We have regrets about not being closer to Burlington at this time, but feel comforted and happy knowing that Dad passed on as he had wished, quietly, peacefully, without illness or struggle, in his "own little house".

SEA CREATURE, BELUGAS AND PORTAGE ICE

seal or sea lion?


Belugas or iceburg?



Ice or dangerous flying object?

Williwaw

We stopped to look at spawning salmon along the Seward Highway in Williwaw Creek. The Sockeye are turning red and green as they approach death.

Wind, Rain and Glacier Ice

Bucky and I left Palmer yesterday and headed south of Anghorage to Bird Creek, looking for Silver Salmon. What we found instead were Beluga whales, many of them. As we drove along Turnagain Arm at low time it was a sight we hadn't expected and allowed us to put another check in the boxes of "must see" sights of Alaska. The waves on the Turnagain were cresting in white tops which at first masked the Beluga's appearance. It was an amazing sight which unfortunately was only captured on video, something that I have yet to master with this blog. Bird Creek provided another opportunity to combat fish, which Bucky didn't feel up for and I haven't ever mastered. It's the synchronized casting that prevents me from being successful. As you stand or sit on the bank, in your lawn chair, you must cast directly at the stranger standing or sitting, in their lawn chair, across the river. This requires accuracy and consistency, so as not to catch the fisherman standing or sitting across the river from you. I've watched as two fisherman have cast into each other and both yank thinking they have a strike. Most of the time the ensuing tangle of line, sinkers and lure or bait is cut without much foul language, but not always. I don't want to be the "not always". This morning we woke to wind and rain. Where to head? We decided to harvest ice from the Portage glacier for our evening drinks. What else would one do on such a day? The Portage Valley acts as a wind tunnel, directing gale force wind and weather up the valley. Bucky and I experienced this first hand during our ice harvest and it wasn't so great. We donned our rain gear and headed for the shores of Portage Lake to harvest ice so dense and powerful that it is said to break a glass when placed in it! It's good we have plastic glasses in festive summer colors. Perhaps we'll take the same approach as when combat fishing and wear our sunglasses. When fishing, this is done to keep from being hit in the eye with flying lures. Now we will save our eyes from possible flying ice. From the camper, we can see a small ice chunk floating comfortably just off shore. Bucky easily retrieved it and rushed it back to the camper freezer for 5pm. During the ice harvest, Bucky remained vigilant to his glacial documentation by taking both visual and mental notes. The Portage Glacier used to be seen off to the side of the Seward Highway. It now can be seen with high powered binoculars slipping silently away into the mountains.......I'm sure it will advance when it feels like it. We continued on for a revisit of Whittier, the town that shares its access with trains using the same tunnel. We waited 1/2 hour for the train to go through and then proceeded on. The weather was such that we left rather hastily and ended up in Hope, AK. Hope sits on Turnagain Arm across from the Seward Highway. I think it's the Western side, but I have been confused since arriving in AK as to where North is. There happens to be WiFi at this camp ground so I thought I would post this somewhat mediocre post and share some pictures. Bucky plans to fish Resurrection Creek tomorrow, still in search of the elusive Silver Salmon.

WAL*MIKE'S

Near the town of Telkeetna, we stumbled upon this unusual business complete with reindeer lawn mower. It was as good as any of the Walmarts we have been in!

THE DENALI HIGHWAY

After canning our salmon and regrouping, Bucky and I thought about where our next move should be. We decided that we needed to try to cross the Denali Highway. This road was opened in 1957 and provided the only access to Denali National Park and Preserve other than by air or train. The Park Highway was completed in 1972 and now provides access from Anchorage and Fairbanks. The Denali Highway is 134 miles long with 110 miles still unpaved. Questioning our judgement, after our lack of success in driving the Mc Carthy Highway, we never the less set out for Paxson, spending the night around Glennallen. As the weather was cold and rainy we felt we had nothing better to do, so why not drive. Once on the highway, we sensed we would be able to dodge the potholes and perhaps make it the entire distance. We were stopped for ongoing road construction which occurs during the summer months in AK. After several of these stops, we realized that all the flag girls had dazzling white teeth and perky good looks. Quite different than what we were familiar with from home. After they stop you, they come to the window and chat, letting you know how sorry they are for your delay, where are you headed?, where are you from? how long have you been in AK? and such. We chatted so long with one girl we felt we should offer her some of our snacks which we had retrieved from the back of the camper along with a cold drink. She said she couldn't. When I commented that it must be awful standing in the rain, she said it wasn't so bad. She said she just kept thinking about lying in the sun in Mexico where she spent the winter, not working. We later found out that flaggers are paid very high wages and go to flagger school, competing for these highly sought after summer positions! I would say they are also chosen for their looks. Anyway, what started as heavy rain gradually turned to snow resulting in our taking a break at Naidine and Jack Johnson's Tangle River Inn. It was here that we learned the secret for cleaning salmon. According to Jack, the best way to clean the exterior slime and silt off our salmon is to pack along a pressure washer. By using the right nozzle attachment and by holding the nozzle at the correct angle and distance one can in fact blow the scales and slime right off. One must however, be careful not to hit ones own skin as a serious wound could result. After blowing off the exterior grime of the fish, the power washer can be used to clean the fillets, your cutting board, the camper, your hip waders and even your dog, that is if you have one along. However, you must carry along fresh water for the power washer as the river water is too silty. If you run out of fresh water, you can usually refill at a fire station. Naidine and Jack have lived in the Tangle Lakes area for 60 years and Naidine even has a mountain named after her. Jack is quite a hunter. He delighted in telling us about a recent wolf hunt during which he removed a Fish and Game radio collar which had been placed on the wolf and put it on a wolverine which he and his son had trapped and then painted flourescent green. It was obvious to Bucky and I that these people have spent too much time in the bush. Naidine does however make an excellent cinnamon roll. As we traveled on, the snow ceased and the sun decided to grace us with a beautiful afternoon of viewing mountains, caribou and ptarmigan. We were able to cross the 134 miles in a long day of driving, but enjoyed every minute of it. Another box checked off the list of Alaskan roads traveled. Following this, we had the chance to float by raft, with the Vickaryous family (dog included), Willow Creek to its confluence with the Little Susitna River. We had hoped to catch some silvers on the way, but it wasn't to be. Floating the river provided us with a chance to see the interior of the land. It was a fabulous experience and one we would love to do again.

Doing the can-can

We have managed to accumulate enough fish to start processing. Following the Vickaryous fish processing technique, this is a 24 hr. procedure which involves much beer and little sleep. While the canner is doing its thing, fillets need to be cut, brined, layed on a rack to dry before being placed in the smoker. The smoker needs to be monitored for the correct amount of shavings and water so the strips cure properly. All of this involves setting up work stations both inside and outside the house. We're excited to feel like real Alaskans putting food up for the winter and Christmas gifts for all of you.

Norman Lowell

Norman Lowell in his Anchor Point, AK Gallery.

Mount Iliamna as seen from Anchor Point and painted by Norman Lowell.

Advancing or retreating?

Is it making a quick exit? Coming or going, it's beautiful.

Bucky's continued mission to validate the advancement of the world's glaciers was dealt a severe set-back upon our visit to the Exit Glacier outside Seward, AK. Seward is surrounded by the Harding Ice Field and Kenai Fjord National Park. These same ice fields had been visable to us from Homer and it was apparent to Bucky after cocktail hour in Homer, that the glaciers we could see, high in the Kenai Mountains, were indeed significantly advancing. However, after our visit to the Exit Glacier, this may not in fact be true. Perhaps even more disturbing to glacier experts like Bucky, is the terminology currently being used to describe the front edge of a glacier. On the signage around the Exit Glacier, this leading edge was labelled "the toe" when according to Bucky it is more aptly named "the tongue". Afterall, it distinctly resembles the human tongue when extended out of the mouth, which is often the reaction of people after hearing Bucky's theory of glacial advancement.

LOVE ALASKAN STYLE

From Homer, back up to Anchor Point and on to Seward

We were greeted in Homer with sunny, clear weather making the mountains that surround the town visable at every turn. We ventured out onto Kachemak Bay for a visit of Halibut Cove, a very small artist community, a short boat ride away. We rode on the Danny J. a converted fishing vessel holding about 25-30 people. Bucky did well braving the somewhat rough seas that we faced on our return trip. While in Halibut Cove we enjoyed an excellent lunch at an outdoor cafe and met an artist named Dianna who paints with sepia colored ink extracted from octopus, or is it octopeii? She went into great depth telling me of inserting the syringe needed to extract the ink into an oriface lying beneath the octopus. This is done after enticing the animal from its rock hiding place and flipping it over onto its back. She told me all this while her eyes danced with sadistic excitement. I found her to be interesting in her insanity and her sepia toned artwork to be very beautiful. I was particularly fond of one stark piece with black stylized crows and long legged cranes flying over the canvas except for the fact that Dianna herself emerged naked from the painting's background. She delighted in pointing this out to me. Unkown to us, our trip was to take on an artistic theme, one of the dangers of traveling itinerary free. We were next to meet Norman Lowell, Alaska's best known artist. As much as the octopus ink was appealing, the knife and brush paintings of Mr. Lowell were more so. He and his wife moved from Iowa in 1948 crossing on the Alcan highway to build a cabin and homestead in Anchor Point, AK. They now have open to the public their lovely studio which houses Norman's life's work. They also welcome visitors to view their original log cabin and flower gardens. We had the pleasure of meeting both Norman and his wife. We found them to be lovely and gracious in the way of all the Alaskans we have met while on the road. After stopping for a beer at Clam Gulch, AK, not part of the "artist trail", we were made aware of the upcoming "minus" tide. This tide is lower than low and allows for clammers to access the razor clams which stay out deep. We made the decision that we needed to harvest the allowed 60 razor clams each provided by our sportfishing licenses. We camped on the beach so as to be ready to head to Cook Inlet an hour before the minus tide with our rented shovel and pail. After watching and practicing different shoveling techniques, Bucky became quite good at digging, grabbing and not breaking the fragile shells. The hardest part was cleaning the 90 or so clams we ended up with. Thanks to the help provided in this area by the campground host, a Middlebury College grad., Bucky learned the proper cleaning technique and within two hours we were done and the clams frozen.