http://danwright.local/news Dan Wright spouts gibberish. en-us 23 Jul 2006 22:48:36 -0800 23 Jul 2006 22:48:36 -0800 http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska7 http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska7 23 Jul 2006 22:45:56 -0800 Today was an easier driving day, with only about 4 hours of actual driving, though the last two hours (60 miles) were on the dirt/gravel McCarthy road. The road dust seems to be starting to get into everything in my car! McCarthy is a town located within the boundary of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park -- the largest national park, by far. The region is immediately adjacent to Kluane National Park in Canada, and these two parks combined contain seven (? from memory) of the ten largest peaks in North America (one is in Mexico, the other two -- of course including #1, Mt. McKinley -- are in the Alaska Range to the northwest). The tallest peaks within Wrangell-St. Elias include Mt. Wrangell and Mt. St. Elias (in the extreme southeast corner of the park). Mt. Logan, Canada's highest peak, and the second-highest peak in North America, lies a short distance away, within the borders of Kluane. The vast majority of Wrangel-St. Elias is completely inaccessible by car; there are only two roads into the park, one in the north, and one in the south, the McCarthy road. Near McCarthy lies the ruins of the town of Kennicott, a former copper-mining town whose heyday was in the early twentieth century. Today, I rode the shuttle bus up to Kennicott, photographed many of the buildings, then hiked up to Kennicott Glacier (not quite a 3 mile hike each way). I had scheduled a flight-seeing flight with Wrangell Air, joining a couple who were going on a custom-designed two hour flight (normal flights are 35-90 minutes and follow set paths; they require a minimum of two passengers, and a maximum of three or more, depending on the plane). Unfortunately, the couple, who were on a trip in the back-country today, decided they didn't want to go up today, so they postponed... Hopefully, I will still be able to go up tomorrow. Who knows whether I'll be able to shoot through an open window/door -- probably not, but I'll ask. The clouds that were mostly concealing the mountains yesterday were mostly gone this morning. They started to come back as the afternoon wore on, but I'm optimistic that conditions will be better in the morning -- and maybe a bit less hazy. Spotted today: • rabbits • bald eagles • annoying, chattering squirrels that didn't let up until 11:30 PM last night, and resumed promptly this morning at 4:30 AM. • an owl... I think. I need to consult my bird field guide to identify it. Did not get a clear look at its face (it was flying away), so I need to go by the feathers (a bit like a snowy owl, but with streaks of gray). I'm not 100% convinced it was an owl (after all, it was flying out in the open at midday), but it was definitely a bird of prey. The Alaskan birds of prey include the bald eagle, the great horned owl, the snowy owl, and ... two others, which I do not remember. One of those may be my bird. • a brown bear (grizzly) cub, near McCarthy, around 8 or 9 PM! No sign of the mother. Didn't get a picture, though I had my camera with me... it wandered off while I was getting my camera out. I think it was taunting me. Also, I forgot to mention it in previous entries, but several times in the Yukon a spotted a small mammal on the road, vaguely like a squirrel or chipmunk, but clearly neither. I now have a suspicion they were lemmings. My cell phone still isn't getting reception. I may not get it until I reach Anchorage (late tomorrow or Tuesday). The morning started quite cool, but by midday it was getting quite hot. Tomorrow, I will try again for flight-seeing. I'm considering another, longer hike to one of the old mines above Kennicott, but if it is as sunny and hot as today, I think I may pass. Either way, I will probably leave McCarthy before evening to start the next stage of my journey, to Anchorage. Departed Glenallen, Alaska (Dry Creek campground) about 9 AM ADT Arrived McCarthy, Alaska (61°26'N, 142°57'W) about 1:45 PM ADT Elevation: 1,430' Sun: 4:32 AM - 10:38 PM Daytime temperatures: 55°F to toasty-hot Distance to Seattle: 1,332 miles Distance driven: 127 miles Total driven: 2,834 miles 23 July 9:30 PM ADT http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska6 http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska6 22 Jul 2006 22:41:57 -0800 Road conditions deteriorated greatly today. Bad bumps, enormous potholes, and interminable construction made driving much less fun. However... Kluane National Park (Yukon) and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (Alaska) made driving much more scenic. Immediately south of Tok, the roads were completely torn up for construction... mile after mile after endless mile of roadbed consisting of packed dirt and small rocks (not gravel) gave me a headache. So far, no flat tires (knock on wood...) Spotted today: • caribou • mountain sheep (in Kluane) • a porcupine (road kill) • a fox (Arctic? not sure; at the Yukon/Canadian border) • more ravens • tracks of a large, hooved animal; I'm guessing moose? Camping tonight at Dry Creek State Recreation Area campground, just outside Glenallen. Heavy clouds have plagued views of the Wrangell and St. Elias ranges; very annoying. I'm hoping they will clear somewhat tomorrow. Tomorrow: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. If lousy weather persists, I may stall by driving down to Valdez to see if Exxon shows any signs of paying its fines for its oil spill many many years ago. Departed Haines Junction, Yukon about 9:30 AM PDT Arrived Tok, Alaska at 3:00 PM ADT (Alaska Time) Arrived Glenallen, Alaska (62°9'N, 145°28'W) at 7:00 PM ADT Sun: 4:38 AM - 10:58 PM Distance to the north pole: 1,926 miles Distance to Seattle: 1,351 miles Driving time: 10 hours 30 minutes Distance driven: 435 miles Total driven: 2,707 miles 22 July 2006 10:12 PM ADT http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska5 http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska5 22 Jul 2006 22:41:51 -0800 Began the day by getting the car washed (removing much road dust and a 2-3" layer of insect carcasses). Drove to Haines Junction, Yukon, then headed south for a one day visit to Haines, Alaska. The Haines highway skirts the eastern edge of Kluane (clue-ah-nee) National Park. Lots of good mountain views that would have been much better without the clouds. Kluane's best known geological denizen is Mt. Logan, the tallest peak in Canada, and the second-tallest peak in North America. Logan cannot be seen from either the Haines or Alaska highways, there are too many mountains in between. Closer to Haines, the south-eastern most peaks of the St. Elias range loom overhead. Photographed another bald eagle near Haines. This was the first productive day of photography on this trip (despite the clouds). AAA estimates of driving times have proven completely unreliable. Many routes take much less time than suggested by AAA (several hours less). Departed Whitehorse, Yukon at 9:30 AM PDT Arrived Haines, Alaska at 1:50 PM ADT (2:50 PM PDT) Departed Haines at 4:30 PM ADT (5:30 PM PDT) Arrived Haines Junction, Yukon (60°45'N, 137°32'W) at 8:50 PM PDT Sun: 5:17 AM - 11:15 PM Distance to the north pole: 2,023 miles Distance to Seattle: 1,094 miles Distance driven: 428 miles Total driven: 2,272 miles Daytime temperatures: 49-65° F 21 July 2006 10:25 PM PDT http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska4 http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska4 20 Jul 2006 20:50:21 -0800 It rained sporadically today, heavily at times in the morning. The rain cut down on the dust and on the insects (until the rain stopped, anyway). Soon after the pitter-patter of the rain on the windshield ceased, the splitter-splatter of the insects resumed. No sensible wildlife spotted today. No photography, either: terrible conditions. Next: Haines Junction, then a detour south to Haines, Alaska. After that will be Kluane National Park (Yukon). Departed Dease Lake, BC at 9:30 AM PDT Arrived Alaska Highway Junction about 12 PM PDT Arrived Whitehorse, Yukon Territory (60°43'N, 135°3'W) about 5 PM PDT Sun: 5:05 AM - 11:07 PM Distance to the north pole: 2,027 miles Distance to Seattle: 1,040 miles Elapsed time: 7 hours 30 minutes Distance driven: 413 miles Total driven: 1,844 miles Daytime temperatures: 50-65° F 20 July 2006 6:45 PM PDT http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska3 http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska3 20 Jul 2006 17:45:41 -0800 This was a very long driving day. In the morning, I headed west from Terrace to Prince Rupert. I hiked and photographed near Prince Rupert for about ninety minutes before resuming driving: east, past Terrace, to Route 37. Route 37 was in very good condition overall in the southern half, with lots of gravel/dirt in the central portions. I stopped for the night at Dease Lake. Spotted today: one deer, three ravens (all near Prince Rupert), and a number of bald eagles. Weather was overcast and dreary in the morning, changing to partly cloudy in the afternoon. Unfortunately, by this time the sun was in a bad position for photography, so I wasn't able to get any good photographs of the mountain scenery here. It does not get dark here until midnight. Next: Watson Lake, then northwest to Whitehorse, YT. Departed Terrace, BC at 8:40 AM PDT Arrived Prince Rupert, BC at 11:00 AM PDT (est) Arrived Dease Lake, BC (58°26'N, 129°59'W) at 8:40 PM PDT Elevation: 2,700' Sunrise-sunset: 5:02 AM - 10:29 PM Distance to the north pole: 2,186 miles Distance to Seattle: 813 miles Elapsed time: 12 hours Distance driven: 526 miles Total driven: 1,431 miles Daytime temperatures: 58-72° F 19 July 2006 9:25 PM PDT Expanded: 20 July 9:00 AM PDT http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska2 http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska2 18 Jul 2006 21:53:03 -0800 Today's drive featured an hour and twenty-minute delay due to a logging truck accident. Most of today (and late yesterday) covered territory devastated by pine beetle infestations. Thousands and thousands of dead trees (their needs changed to red but not yet dropped) are scattered across the countryside as far as the eye can see in all directions. Spotted two major animals today: a large deer buck, that was about to cross the highway, but thought better of it; and a black bear, foraging in the ravine between the road and the forest, only about an hour east of Terrace. Next: West to Prince Rupert, then north to the Alaska Highway. Departed Quesnel, BC at 9:30 AM PDT Arrived Terrace, BC (54°31'N, 128°35'W) at 7:40 PM PDT Elevation: 260' Maximum elevation: 3,950' Sunrise-sunset: 5:21 AM - 9:59 PM Distance to the north pole: 2,455 miles Distance to Seattle: 549 miles Elapsed time: 10 hours 10 minutes Distance driven: 430 miles Total driven: 905 miles Daytime temperatures: 60-70° F 18 July 2006 10:12 PM PDT http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska1.1 http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska1.1 18 Jul 2006 21:15:14 -0800 About dates: My trip began ("Day 1") on Monday, July 17, 2006. The date (see above) on each of these entries reflects the date the entry was last posted to the server, and not necessarily the date it was written, or the date described. Further, the date should reflect the posting date in the Pacific time zone (PDT), but for some reason that is not working correctly right now. The server is in the Eastern time zone (+3 hours). I'll fix that eventually. Bear in mind that some entries may be posted one or more days after they were actually written (I can only post as I have access to the Internet). The Route So Far The terrain/climate zones of southern BC will be very familiar to anyone who has traveled (east-west) across Washington or Oregon: cool, moist, and green near the coast, with mountains on the coast (Olympics in Washington, the Coastal Range in BC), leading to more mountains (Cascades in Washington, Oregon, and southernmost BC); an extremely arid region in the rain shadow of these mountains, and so on. BC has two major mountain ranges: the Rockies, in the eastern part of the province (straddling the border with Alberta), and the Coastal Range, which as you might expect follows the Pacific coast. The Cascades, that so dominate Washington's geography, start to dwindle north of the border. North of Cache Creek, the terrain is no longer mountains, but fairly flat with some gentle, rolling hills. The region is scattered with small farms and orchards, and many lakes or streams. It is mostly forested (primarily coniferous trees). The Road Ahead At Prince George, the road forks. Northwest lies Dawson's Creek (home of beautiful yet surly teenagers, apparently). Dawson's Creek is the southern (actually southeastern) terminus of the Alaska Highway. However, my path heads instead west: towards Prince Rupert, on the coast. 18 July 2006 8:38 AM PDT http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska1 http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska1 18 Jul 2006 21:14:48 -0800 A slightly late departure, heavy traffic, and construction delays slowed my progress today. I stopped for the night in Quesnel instead of Prince George, BC. Today started with freeway travel (I-5 and TCR-1), but was primarily on winding, 2-3 lane highways. No photography today. Next: North to Prince George, then west to Prince Rupert. Departed Seattle, WA (47°40'N, 122°20'W) at 10:35 AM PDT Sunrise-Sunset: 5:27 AM - 9:02 PM Arrived Quesnel, BC (52°59'N, 122°30'W) at 8:15 PM PDT Elevation: 1,590' Sunrise-Sunset: 5:04 AM - 9:27 PM Distance to the north pole: 2,566 miles Distance to Seattle: 369 miles Elapsed time: 9 hours 40 minutes Distance driven: 475 miles Average speed: 49 mph Daytime temperatures: 62-87° F Measurements Latitude, longitude, sunrise, and sunset times are recorded from a Garmin 60cs GPS receiver. Direct distances are calculated from the latitude and longitude. 17 July 2006 Revised 18 July: corrected distance driven and speed, added date. http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska0 http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/alaska0 14 Jul 2006 15:22:37 -0800 From time to time during my trip to Alaska I expect to post updates and news to this page. Stay tuned! Most of my photography from the trip will not appear until a later date. ... Waterfowl Lake Banff National Park, Alberta, September 2005 ... Perito Moreno Glacier Patagonia, December 2005 http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/sitenewsJuly2006 http://danwright.local/news/index.php/danwright/sitenewsJuly2006 14 Jul 2006 15:08:38 -0800 The design of the software site (banasmoo.com) is complete. The photography site has been further revamped, in particular the galleries. I created a news/blogging module for the software section, which I'm also using here. This replaces blosxom. The supported browsers for my sites are Safari (2.0 or later), FireFox (1.5 or later), and Internet Explorer 6 for Windows. Internet Explorer 7 will be supported when it is released.