Aurora Borealis gone wild!

March 15th and 16th were very good nights for the northern lights here in Palmer. We were able to take several pictures from the house and Hatchers Pass.  The northern lights are caused by solar flares from the sun, and when the radiation hits the earths atmosphere it produces the northern lights.  You can typically only see these in the winter as it is the only time that it really gets dark enough to see them.

There are websites you can visit that will forecast the chance to see the lights, here is one we use. http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast

There are many Native legends about the lights, below is one of them;

Legends and Folklore of the Northern Lights

The aurora borealis has intrigued people from ancient times, and still does today. The Eskimos and Indians of North America have many stories to explain these northern lights.

One story is reported by the explorer Ernest W. Hawkes in his book, The Labrador Eskimo:

The ends of the land and sea are bounded by an immense abyss, over which a narrow and dangerous pathway leads to the heavenly regions. The sky is a great dome of hard material arched over the Earth. There is a hole in it through which the spirits pass to the true heavens. Only the spirits of those who have died a voluntary or violent death, and the Raven, have been over this pathway. The spirits who live there light torches to guide the feet of new arrivals. This is the light of the aurora. They can be seen there feasting and playing football with a walrus skull. The whistling crackling noise which sometimes accompanies the aurora is the voices of these spirits trying to communicate with the people of the Earth. They should always be answered in a whispering voice. Youths dance to the aurora. The heavenly spirits are called selamiut, "sky-dwellers," those who live in the sky.

Picture from the house here in Palmer.

 Shooting star in the middle of the picture.

Valdez Alaska

Took the time to drive to Valdez this weekend. We have been there in the summer, but never a winter visit. I noticed that Valdez had 92 inches of snow on the ground and over 424 inches so far this year. The record for Valdez is 550.7 inches of snow in one season. The season average is 276.6 inches, so we had to check it out. Valdez known for being the end of the oil pipeline that comes from the North Slope (Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse) and also holds the record for the snowiest sea level town getting on average 276.6 inches a season. Valdez is located about 129 miles east of Anchorage with a population of around 4000.

In March of 1964 Valdez was hit with the largest earthquake in North America. The earthquake shook for 5 minutes and damaged streets and buildings and triggered a huge slide of earth and rocks into Valdez Bay; this sent waves into the city which caused even more damage. The entire city was rebuilt in a new location shortly after the earthquake. They have a marker of where the old city used to be and you can still see some of the old foundations that were not washed away.  It gives a rather awe inspired view of the power of an earthquake.

This town is really a fishing town and they have great fishing charters at a pretty reasonable price.  The only draw back is if you have a weak stomach like my wife, know that they do not bring you back in if you get sea sick, so take your dramamine and you will be fine.  They have some great fishing derbies and the salmon and halibut fishing can't be beat.  If whale watching and seeing wildlife is more your style then the charters to see whales and sea life are also pretty reasonable. They also offer heli-skiing which is a pretty awesome adventure for those who enjoy great powder in the back country on snow that is any skier or boarders dream. 

We left early Saturday morning from our house in Palmer so we could stop and watch the Valdez Mayors Cup. It's a 200 mile cross country snow machine race. The Roads were good until we reached Thompson Pass which is a 2800 foot pass in the Chugach Mountains with the only road access to Valdez. Now 2800 foot doesn't sound all that impressive for someone like me being from the Idaho and Montana area, but it can have blizzard conditions almost all winter long. 

This was our view heading over the pass.

Notice the speed limit sign on the right. (You may have to click on the picture to zoom in)

After making it down the pass we drove through Keystone canyon which was very beautiful in the summer time with Bridal Falls and Horse Tails falls. The winter drive was no different. The falls were all frozen and even got to spend some time watching some ice climbers on Bridal Falls. Below are the summer pictures of each and then a winter picture.

Horse Tail Falls Summer and winter.

Here are a couple more pictures taken in the Keystone canyon area. The rock wall with all of the ice coating on it was spectacular and couldn't be caught with the camera.

Just an awesome site!

Just outside of Valdez I had to stop and take a picture of this opening in the water.

Once in Valdez we had lunch and took a few pictures around town and the Harbor. The Harbor had a lot of ice in it, much more than I expected.

Notice the snow is a couple feet above the guardrail.

 Not sure that boat is going anywhere soon.

Nice view of the Harbor.

View looking out in the open bay. 

This picture was taken from the same position as the picture above. Picture taken June of 2009.

An awesome trip and very happy to finally see what Valdez was like in the winter. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

The Northern Lights

What an awesome morning to wake up to some amazing northern lights. I wasn't prepared with the camera and only had about 10 minutes to get a few shots before heading to work. We have several adventures we are working on and will hopefully have them posted soon.

Monument

Here is a panoramic shot from Monument out by GlenAllen and Eureka, Alaska. This is a dual picture of both summer and winter views from the same spot.  This is a great place to camp, go ATV'ing (four wheeling), hunting, and snow machining (also known as "snow mobiling" for those in the lower 48).  The scenery is great and it is a great place to relax and have fun with the entire family.

We hope you enjoy reading our blog and hope to see you in Alaska!

Road to McCarthy and Kennecott Mine

We decided to do a 3 day trip to McCarthy and the Kennecott Mine. With 4 adults and a dog in a Eagle Cap cab over camper. The camper does have one slide out, so there is a little extra room.

The road to McCarthy from Chitina is 60 miles long and gravel. The road used to be a the old rail road track, so there may be a left over rail road spike to jump up and attack your tires. Although we didn't get a flat tire on the road we did manage a flat tire on a sharp rock at the campground. The problem with the road is some people tend to drive like they are on pavement. Several vehicles went by very fast and kicked rocks up.

Here is a link for the map of the route. Palmer to McCarthy

In the early 1900’s prospectors discovered a rich deposit of copper ore near what is now the town of Kennecott.  Mines, a concentration mill, and a company town were quickly established to support the extraction of the valuable metal. The management of the mine decided that a railroad would provide the much needed transportation and the 196 mile Copper River and Northwestern Railroad was constructed between 1907 and 1911.  Beginning at the coast in Cordova, the railroad was a monumental feat of engineering as it crossed raging rivers, active glaciers, bogs, and impenetrable forests on its way to Kennecott.  However, once completed, the railroad provided the much needed transportation and was vital for the success of the mines in Kennecott. The railroad operated for 27 years until the mines closed in 1938. Over 200 million dollars worth of copper was removed from the area. Eventually, the rails and ties were removed from the road bed and the road was first graded for vehicles in the 1960’s.


A picture just getting on to the Edgerton Highway. The Edgerton Highway is 33 miles long that goes from the Richardson Highway to Chitina. The McCarthy road starts at Chitina and ends at McCarthy.

Looking into the Copper River from the Edgerton Highway.

 Liberty Falls is a small campground a few miles before you reach Chitina. It is very well hidden on the side of the road.

Leaving Chitina going through a single lane hole in the rocks. This was originally just for railroad tracks.

Where the Chitina River flows into the Copper River.

The Kuskulana Bridge, built in 1910, is 525 feet long and 238 feet above the Kuskulana River. Before 1988, vehicles had to pass over wide open gaps on the wooden decking of the bridge with only 18-inch safety rails on either side. Now, this 3-span steel bridge has solid wooden decking and sturdy safety rails, along with gorgeous views of a deep river canyon. 

Looking down into the Kuskulana River from the bridge.

The Gilahina trestle, which is 880 feet long and 90 feet high, was built in 1911 with a half million board feet of timber.

A great view of Root Glacier.

McCarthy sprang up partly because alcoholic beverages and prostitution were forbidden in Kennecott, McCarthy grew as an area to provide illicit services not available in the company town. By 1938 the population of McCarthy and Kennecott fell to almost zero until the 1970s. In 1980 the area was designated Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. 

I think this plane has seen better days.