The power eventually came on at 1.40am (most of us had at least one
light on, so we knew!), so it had been out over 11 hours. At least we got a
decent breakfast. We were finally able to access the internet for the first
time in a week.
 |
| power this morning! |
 |
| they have a tradition - expecting snow soon so putting up Christmas decorations! |
 |
| the only view got of the lovely mountains behind the Lodge! |
We visited an Alaskan homestead. Janelle came on board the bus at
McKinley, and talked about her life and her parents on the way to the
homestead. Her parents, back in the 50s, took up the offer (and challenge) to
settle the Alaskan Frontier. They came up from Dakota with lots of belongings
and a caravan towed by a VW Beetle, and three small children (Janelle herself was only three years
old when they set off). They had to stake their chosen free land (100 acres for
this family, if we recall), live on the claimed land for most of five
consecutive years, build and live in a habitable dwelling (a tent or caravan
would not count), and cultivate at least one-eighth of the land. Her parents
cut the timber and built the log cabin. Her mother Joanne was a teacher so they
added a room on to the one-room house to be the school-room and she taught the
children from around the area for a couple of years until a state-run school
was built.
 |
| painting of the photo of Joanne and the children in the school room |
They tilled the land, and farmed cattle and later goats when her father
died (easier and cheaper). The house now fronts a road, but back in the day
there were no roads and just long treks to get anything and anywhere. They couldn’t
get over the river until the winter when it froze over. They did it hard, but
made a go of it and added on to the house as the years went on.
 |
| the original one-room section of the house |
Janelle is our
age, and we met one of her sons, Levi – the original backwoodsman. He’s
probably late 20s, with very long thick hair (but well cared for), a long thick
beard, dirty khaki pants, checked flannel shirt and bare feet. He only wears
boot in winter. We were all rugged up because it was cold! He owns and lives in
a place that is 9 miles down the road, and 3.5 miles in (walking only!). He
parks his vehicle in a safe place just off the road, and treks in to his house,
having no electricity, and a dog for company. While not doing so today, he
always carries a gun – has 16 to choose from. He is the provider for the family
for meat – and will go hunting shortly for a moose now that the season has
started. A moose will feed the whole extended family for a year. He was a bit
of a character, but genuine and caring. The land is largely permafrost – frozen
underneath and hard to grow anything too big, but the surface soil was lovely
and Levi and his grandmother’s veggie gardens were lovely. He runs a nursery to
get his income. We could only listen in amazement and awe at their
achievements, thinking that none of us could face such hardships and succeed.
This was a wonderful visit, and gave us a great insight into the settlers in
the frontier.
 |
| Janelle and son Levi |
After leaving the
homestead we stopped at a ‘stuff’ (junk) shop up the road. Laurel, our tour
director, had always wanted to visit this after passing it so many times, so as
we had a bit of time we went in. (It was called Wal Mikes, a send-up of Wal
Mart, a department store like Kmart everywhere). Not sure what the owner though
of a bus-load of tourists descending on him to sticky-beak, but we all found
his ‘stuff’ so interesting. He had EVERYTHING, some new, some old, some useful
and some junky. If you wanted a spare part for something, he probably had it!
 |
| inside the shop |
We bussed on to
Talkeetna to get the train – Mt McKinley Explorer – to Denali. This is much
like the Rocky Mountaineer, looking and operating the same way but run by Princess.
We had lunch on the train, complementary after Laurel negotiated on our behalf
following the debacle at the Lodge. We travelled alongside the Susitna River
for a time, then later the Chulitna River.
 |
| very old lady in this house always comes out to wave to the train |
We went over Hurricane Gulch, a
chasm with the Hurricane Creek at the bottom.
Much of the area was Alaskan
tundra, growing on permafrost, so trees were sparse and short. Autumn is
approaching and the further north we go the more the colours are changing. Lots
of red and yellows in the tundra.
We went through Cantwell, a flag stop and
which was the film set for
Call of the Wild
and
Star Wars IV.
The bus met us at
the station to take us to the hotel at Denali. This is a tiny town, seasonal
(summer only) and with mostly gift shops and adventure tour offices.
We dined tonight at a
dinner-show, where the food is served family-style (full dishes on the table
and you help yourself). The servers ere also the performers and they told the
story of Denali (the mountain) and climbing it, in song. Over dinner we swapped
tomorrow’s excursion with a couple who have been sick with colds – ours was a
sedate afternoon one and theirs a very early morning active one. They need the
sleep-in and rest to help get better.
No comments:
Post a Comment