Congratulations, Jenn and Kyle!!

Congratulations to my good friends Jenn and Kyle Watkins, who welcomed their new baby boy Anderson Craig Watkins today at 10:40 AM!! I really couldn't be any more excited for you both and know you will be amazing parents! I can't wait to meet him! And, Jenn, you are officially the toughest person I know for giving birth without pain medication! Enjoy this exciting time with your new baby!

Fireweed Festival

Today I went to the Fireweed Festival in historic Copper Center, Alaska. The curator at the museum, Andrew, was nice enough to invite me to go with his wife, Wendy and their three year old son Henry. It was raining as we left Valdez, but luckily the rain cleared as we arrived in Copper Center.

The festival was small, with lots of little tents set up where people sold food, arts, and crafts. We walked around and stopped at all the booths to see what people were selling. The owner of a local bar who is also a model train builder also gave us an insiders tour of his model, which was huge! The tracks wove through several buildings, and there were models of the Kennicott Mine and other historic Alaskan buildings. Henry especially loved it and seemed to be mesmerized.

Part of the train model

We ate lunch at the Copper Center Lodge, an historic roadhouse along the route from Valdez to Fairbanks. After lunch, we checked out the Copper Center Museum and separate Annex. The museum was small, but they had some interesting objects on exhibit, including a snowmobile from the 1950's, iron cramp-ons used by the gold-seekers to cross large glaciers and ice fields, and lots of other gold rush related objects.

Copper Center Lodge

Copper Center Museum

After hitting the museum, we went to a art gallery owned by local painter Jean Rene. Andrew talked with Jean about her upcoming exhibition at the Valdez Museum, which will open in September of this year. I loved looking at her work, and ended up buying a beautiful watercolor painting of a little cabin with fireweed flowers growing all around.

The Wonder of Summer by Jean Rene

We left the gallery and started the drive back to Valdez. I had a great time today, and enjoyed seeing another Alaskan town. The festival was fun, and now I have a great piece of art to bring back with me.

Glacier Island Kayak

Today I went on an incredible kayaking trip along the coast of Glacier Island with Anadyr Adventures, kayaking, camping, and backpacking outfitters based here in Valdez. Glacier Island is located near the mouth of Columbia Bay, where Columbia Glacier is located.

The day started at 8 a.m., where I met the group met at the Anadyr shop and got fitted for rubber boots and rain gear. After a quick lesson on kayaking technique and safety by our guide, Emily, we headed to the boats that would take us to the place we would begin our paddle. The boat ride was beautiful - the water was calm and low clouds clung to the mountains on either side of the boat.

After about an hour's boat ride, we reached our starting point, a beach on the far end of Glacier Island. Everyone was in double kayaks, so I shared with a very nice woman, Ched, who was part of an incredibly wonderful group of five people on the trip. I sat in the back of the kayak, which meant I got to steer the rudder using foot pedals inside the boat. Before this trip, I had only kayaked a few times, and had never steered a rudder before. I got the hang of steering after a little practice, and by the end of the day, I barely had to think about it.

The scenery was pretty similar all day, but it was spectacular - emerald green water washing up against rocky cliffs. Evergreens and other lush vegetation grew up from the rocks all over the island, and moss or algae of some sort grew along the waterline. Lovely sea caves and rock formations made every bit of the coastline unique and exciting. Even though it rained lightly on us almost all day, the scenery was so incredible that it didn't put a damper on the experience.

The water taxis dropping us off at Glacier Island

Beginning our kayak along Glacier Island

As we paddled around the island, Stellar Sea Lions became curious and started following our kayaks. Several groups followed us or swam alongside our boats throughout the day. A couple even swam underneath our kayak - I was a little nervous they would knock into the boat and capsize us, but of course they didn't! What I think I'll remember the most is the noise they made as they came up after swimming underwater - a hoarse gasping noise as the exhaled and then took another breath of air.

Two Stellar Sea Lions swimming near the boat

Another sea lion swimming towards us

After about three hours of paddling, we tucked into a peaceful little cove to have lunch and take a break on the beach. Emily made us hot chocolate, and we relaxed and enjoyed the views and each other's company before pressing on.

Paddling into the beach where we had lunch

My kayak on the beach

The rain picked up a little at lunch, but luckily not for long

We finished eating and continued on towards Bull Head, where hundreds of sea lions spend time on the rocky beaches. The scenery continued to be fabulous as we paddled along.

Bull Head - notice the sea lions on the rocks in the background

More sea lions on the rocks

While we admired the sea lions at Bull Head, someone in the group spotted a humpback whale in deeper water. We paddled out towards it a little, and then realized there were actually two whales as they fluked out of the water in unison. We watched the whales for a while, and then it was time for the boats to come and pick us up and bring us back to Valdez. This entire trip was breathtakingly beautiful, and I feel so lucky to have been able to see everything I did!

On the way home (and on the way out in the morning) I talked to another guide from Anadyr, Kate, and her sister Jenn. They had gone fishing after dropping us off to kayak, and Kate caught an enormous 130 pound halibut! On the way home, she invited me to a get together with some of her friends in town, which just happened to be across the street from where I am living this summer. I met a lot of people, all of whom were incredibly nice and welcoming. I would have to say that all in all, today was one of my favorite days in Alaska so far!

Hiking in Thompson Pass

Today I went hiking in Thompson Pass with Scott and Don. The weather was cool and cloudy, but it was a good temperature to be out walking. The sky threatened rain a few times, but aside from a few sprinkles, the rain held out. We were off trail for the most part, except from an old trans-Alaska pipeline service road at the beginning of the hike. We actually crossed over the pipeline but couldn't see it because it is buried underground in this area, due to a lack of permafrost. The terrain was rocky, with a few areas still under snow. At first glance, the area looked very sparse, but after closer inspection, I discovered the area to be full of tiny, colorful wildflowers and lichens.

Near the beginning of our hike

A glacier in the mountain

Pretty wildflowers

The old pipeline service road

Pretty soon we came to a couple of pretty lakes. One still had ice floating in it, and areas of the water glowed in a glacial green color. From here, we headed off-trail and up over a ridge. From that point on, the terrain was fairly flat. A large mountain rose up to our right, and over a river valley to the left, there were panoramic views of the many mountains in beautiful Thompson Pass. Across the valley, two glaciers wrapped around a mountain and then joined together.

Heading up over the ridge

Looking back from the top of the ridge

Large mountain to our right

A view of Thompson Pass

Two glaciers meet at the bottom of a mountain across Thompson Pass

We came upon a beautiful area with lots of little streams flowing through. A little whirlpool spun around one of these streams and a still lake was visible nearby.

Whirlpool

A few little rapids

The calm lake

We explored the area for a few hours before making our way back. This was an amazing hike with so many wonderful sights. I'm so glad we went off the beaten trail!

Beautiful Thompson Pass

Another glacier in the distance

Tiny plants growing in a crack in a rock

Bumblebee in the flowers

Sunlight hitting the peaks ahead

Photo: Don Bickley