Category: Trella Diaries

Sunday, July 2, 1989
82° Sunny- record high for Anchorage.
Left house by 8:00 so Bob could come home from work and go to bed with no distractions. Breakfast at Tony’s, then to Coastal Trail in Earthquake Park to get first glimpse of USS carrier Nimitz anchored offshore for 4-day visit. Then to Kincaid Park WWII bunkers on Campbell Point. Huge natural park with many trails and bike path. Cross-country skiing here in winter. Stopped at Fred Meyers for coloring pencils while Kathi had car washed and cleaned. Then to Costco to leave films- about 15 rolls between us and I still have my seven rolls slides. Home about 2:30 and Bob had gone to pick up petty officer Ernie Gilbert from the Nimitz. Asked us to meet them at the air control tower where Bob works. Nice kid from Visalia, California with wife in Bremerton, Washington. Married last August! Stopped at home to pick up jackets and headed out Seward Highway for Portage Glacier. Again a beautiful drive- Dall Sheep much higher up mountain today. Area around what was town of Portage wiped out by tsunami following 1964 earthquake. Many glaciers among the Chugach Mountains here. Portage receding rapidly, leaving a lake full of icebergs. Spectacular site. Visitor’s Center closed on us at 7:00. Ate at a German deli at Alpine Village. Terrible service and food but all the good restaurants had long waits. Drove back.

Saturday, July 1, 1989
Gorgeous sunny day- temperature about 72 windy at Beluga Point but very pleasant.
Slept until 10:00 helped Kathi garden- fertilized all ground annuals and the wildflower seedlings. Kathi mowed lawn again. At 2 dashed out to Beluga Point on Turnagain Arm to see the boreal tide come in at 2:30- 1 hour after low tide at Anchorage. Ate lunch while watching- could see a trough but not spectacular. But about a mile further the flock of Dall Sheep had the cars stopped. Rams on very top and vertical cliff ewes and lambs clustered on an outcrop. More on the sheer faces of the further cliffs. Counted over 20 and shot that many slides! Including one showing the sheep watchers. Back home by 4:00 just before Bob arrived. Helped Kathi with dinner. Mary fell off bottom step into garage and bruised her left shoulder- so painful for her. Had Kathy Kennedy over for dinner. Beef and noodles, broccoli, salad, rhubarb, and ice cream and cookies. Then to give Bob peace and quiet we headed down to Potter’s Marsh. Arctic Terns, geese, mallards, pintails. but biggest thrill was 3 20 lb king salmon at the culvert outlet. Return there for spawning. Were surrounded by smaller fish identified as fry by some and as trout by others. Met friend Laura and Tom on boardwalk and talked to lots of people. Left there about 10:00 and drove up to area where Kathi looked at houses. Lori said they saw an Eagle’s nest. Mary and I photographed dwarf fireweed at 11:00 p.m. Popcorn bed at 12:25.

Thursday, June 29, 1989
to Arctic Circle Sunrise 3:09
Buffet breakfast at Sophie station $6 each.
7:10 to 8:15 waiting for North Alaska tour van to pick us up. After several calls learned van suspension shot and no tour. Guide stopped by hotel and explained and gave us $20 for lunch.
9:00 packed and checked out to Visitors Center. Bob decided to get haircut but didn’t leave note so here we sit until 10:15. Speece Highway Alyeska pipeline 450 Mi to Prudhoe Bay, 315 to Valdez.
Leaving 10:46.
NRASA Tracking Center 1962 to 1984. 1984 to 1989 to NOAH shutting down. 350 perm. Employees. Two monitors orbits 500 miles above Earth to have more pass time. Rec’ from 10 recorders all solar energy. 100 min. around globe- 18 passes a day. National Weather Service main user- track hurricanes, reindeer, floods, sonar from ships for rescue. Landsat tracked oil spill- shows red- photos from 500 miles. Talk with Raphael Hayes. Fairbanks in the 50s. 85 ft parabolic antenna x and y axis. Radio frequency down and reflected up 25-year-old not operating- using 40 ft one. Valley protects from frequency interference. By noon out Goldstream Road to Dredge #8- Buffet lunch $10- tour dredge- gold settles in chute- strip overburden (1928-1959) each bucket 6’. Machine shop pump 4M gallons minimum up to sluice boxes Mercury amalgam- take out sands- heat and mercury evaporates- leave gold. Dredge moved by two winches. Cost $200,000 1926, now one reduction gear. Control room- levers- 24-hour day, three shifts. Pipes with pumped water 50°. Panning gold.
Leave 2:00 view of Alaska Range
Gas 1.29 gallon
13 gallon Fairbanks Texaco
225 sunny 79°
2:30 leaving Fairbanks 440 Mi to Anchorage
240 North Pole saw Santa Claus and his house.
250 Alison Air Force Base Sac command B-52 50 field Casey 135s (actually like Boeing 707) 2 A10s ready to take off. (Fighter bomber for close)
308 p.m. leaving 4:00
4:21 p.m. turn off mile 40.2.5 Harding Lake – pic – White spruce cones.
505 p.m. mile 67 view of Alaska range and flooded to Nana river. spectacular pictures of Rouge- McKinley and river. roadside a carpet of flowers- Fireweed just starting
541 p.m. to Nana River and pipeline Crossing. view of range-
6:00 p.m. Delta Junction Visitor Center and Volcan Highway 3 pipeline Pig
624 p.m. Fort Greeley Arctic games Warm ass here during January cold spell -71° canceled.
647 p.m. arnica Point Meadows Road Iris Laos work hairbell grounds LS view of Peaks impressive.
6:50 p.m. Donnelly Dome to 10 $3,910 ft
7:00 p.m. pipeline crosses Road views of Mount Deborah in the West 12,339 Ft Hess Mountain Center 11,940 Ft South Mount Haze at 3832 ft
7:18 p.m. Delta River at bus of
Photos of Kathy and Trella and pipeline mile 126 Beaver Dam shots of sweet peas and oxytrope.
8:13 p.m. mile 135. Stopped to photograph. wandered up Road came out on river. Pipeline 575.5 Heavenly smell.
151 Kathy mileage from Fairbanks oxytrope, sweet peas and video of river delta.
827 p.m. restricted black Rapids Falls Creek
. 8:33 p.m. flood control dikes.
8 mile Pump Station number 10.
mile 585 stop to see redhead duck Beaver swam by.
8. video of castner Creek and pipeline uphill.
mile 587 pipeline.
902 p.m. beaver
. 923 p.m. unspectacular rolling hills.
9 Road build go can I Glacier on the left.
9 summ SL Summit Lake Village houses for sale along Summit lake. long tail Jaeger followed it. loon Mary says maybe Summit Lake is a crater. another loom. posts along Road salmon golcana is spawning river. Arctic turn.
Kathy mileage 196
9:40 p.m. Paxton lodge. Junction of Denali highway.

Wednesday, June 28, 1989
Overcast
6:30 breakfast crepes blueberry syrup photos at large with NF shorts.
7:15 bus leaving said goodbye Cross Lake crest. 1200 ft ditch to Eureka drainage from Wonder Lake soap bar on window cuts condensation.
7:30 Alaska range among 27 air miles from here climb from here 36 MI 3 to 4 weeks to climb McKinley river. gravel bed. 1000 climbers this year.
7:40 two loons.
8:00 alarm mold row glacier Bridle fever fog illegible.
8:15 Alison Visitor Center rest stop. Great Smoky Mountain Bear story.
8:45 South and 2 yearling Grizzlies.
8:50 Highway pass. Long-tailed Jeager Pratt Nest two chicks.
9:10 Toklatt River Bridge and Causeway mile 55. Hotel buses turn around. Porcupine damaged trees from [illegible]. [Illegible] Mountain divide Toklatt river.
9:20 Polychrome Pass stupendous pics 21 and 22 passing bus.
9:30 near Marmot Rock golden eagles soaring.
9:40 change to slides
9:42 number one Bears near East Fork bridge.
9:50 5 Mi restricted for Bear use only. All garbage trucked out of park.
9:55 Fox Siding
10:00 25 sheep, ewes and lambs. Back into Spruce “Lady Lying on Back Mountain”.
10:15 Teklanita River rest stop leaving
10:30 snacked. 2 lane road starts #8- moose and calf- bus move ahead- move back. Sun out. Teklanita River there first mountains rose around it.
10:45 Marsh Hawk drunken florist
1047 Sanctuary River 1000? feet pics number eight Primrose Ridge dog sled trail in River Bottom July 1st dog cycle race Don McKinley streets
11:00 Savage River 2550 ft u-shaped and v-shaped
1105 Bob off to drive checking out at Park gate
1127 station goodbye to NFL friends to National Park Hotel Denali book David
12:10 p.m. leaving Park 114 Mi to Fairbanks along ni Nana Road train pulling in from saw it here 48 hours ago roadside a carpet of dwarf fire weed
12:28 p.m. Healy
12:30 a bison herd largest 800,000 T year
1241 oxytrope and sweet pea
1255 Neenah River Bridge daily shower wildflowers, dwarf fire weed tall Fireweed oxy petunia lupine armika sweet pea yellow blossoms
1:07 Larch
125 next Anna lunch leaving 250 huge bowl of chili and coffee $3 Station museum full of Harding pictures and that, manager wants to be sure where Gold Spike, driven here and given to Harding is now located once it back home.
minimal one clerk for four buildings bogs and creeks.
3:00 scenic view of flat muscag
3:07 climbing forSkyline Drive
3:30 p.m. wide view to West Mile 343 to Nana River in Valley below. Green Banks of hills on left. Aspen Forest been showering here.
3:40 p.m. Fairbanks University of Alaska on Hill. cows!
3 Park. Museum.
453 p.m. Northern Lights program on screen five cultures presented. excellent displays. into fairbanks. 1700 number for Sophie station a mystery. SS Lovely Hotel suite/kitchen, living room and bedroom two double beds $110 a night for four people. listed for half hour rested for half hour. dinner at Zach’s in hotel. Mary’s treat. total $75 for four halibut, chicken and steak. pept us up for a drive to Alaska Land only 5 minutes away to see car President Harding used for his Alaska tour. doesn’t said Golden Spike he used had disappeared or perhaps this most Sony and has it? no furniture. it’s still being restored. walked through a Minor’s town original cabins and houses moved to site. some furnished, others gift shops. took a drive around Farmers Loop and found creamer’s marsh, but no Sandhill cranes. Sun still shining when we went to bed at 11:30.

Tuesday, June 27, 1989
7:30 breakfast hike along Moose Creek Road with Mary. Kathi and Bob and Mrs. McEwen rode bikes in rain to Kantishna Mine area. Mary and I Moose River hike. Cloudy can’t see Denali or any other mountains. Video at lodge “Alaska Wilderness”. Lunch laid out for us to pack. At 2:00 -bus tour for wildflowers. another group told us of Bog Rosemary. Flushed a bird and photographed four large Ivory eggs. Also flushed Willow Ptarmigan. At Wonder Lake saw loon on nest. Gourmet dinner. Mrs Terry Cole showed marvelous Wildflower slides. Kathi and Bob walked along Moose River. Light all night, but cloudy. Shopped at gift area of lodge. Jigsaw puzzle, white pine loon, moose antler pin? 2:30 in van to Wonder Lake and moose.

Monday, June 26, 1989
1:00 a.m. leaving Sands 12811 Summer Drive. 58° Anchorage mileage 29932-29677. Sunset ahead of us on Seward Highway. Spiky Black Pines in silhouette. Denali and Foraker against pink sky.
1:37 Marsh at head of Knick Arm. Sign to Palmer
1:39 Knick River
1:41 Matan River. Matanuska Valley area
1:53. Wasilla stop for our doggy bags. Half moon out back window.
2:00 Sky lighter in northeast.
2:27 Willow Vive of D and F [sic?]
3:00 Talkeetna Junction Road to Talkeetna.
3:02 Mary Carey’s house. Roads named. Looking for Heller’s Cabin Road.
3:18 Scenic view!
3:44 Have explored airport and Talkeetna. Road ends at Talkeetna River. Railroad on north. Back to Heller’s Road (viewpoint mile 12 on left)- next road- RT- Pathfinder trailer under a shelter.
5:00 at breakfast of muffin and coffee. Put on glacier clothes. Leaving
4:45 back to Talkeetna for pictures. Sunrise
5:36 Murie study of wolves (Log Sable Pass closed) found preyed on sick – pub 1944. Yesterday wolf pack killedcaribou. Watched by new study.
5:22 Passing bus on Polychrome Pass Road – rain – Glacial Valley with building new “potties”.
5:52 Mile 47! Lot of peaks unnamed. Divide Mt. Shades of brown, sharp folds – Toklat Riverat base-caribou.
6:06 Most tour buses turn around here- Toklat Rive (Did water housing area for park person) Sheep above, caribou & bear in gravel.
6:20 Going up to highway pass 4,000’ Dry tundra flowers [illegible] Caribou on tundra.
6:40 Going up to Thompson Pass. 15 yrs ago 30,000- now 3,000 calving area outside park. View of road & caribou “Terraces”
7:00 Erels [sic?] on Visitor Center – Bear – 2 cubs
7:32 Willow Ptarmigan & beaver. 65 Degrees at Park entrance last gr – only 3’ snow. Talkeetna 60” per. Pk 15” Dry side of range.
23% Alaska dry tundra. 17% we Tundra.
Mile 22 – 3:10 – Sanctuary Campground – closed
Mile 30 -0 3:26 – Rest Satop
3:40 – Talkeetna River. Much gravel, little water. Braided stream – elev. 2,000
(cinquefoile, mertensia) Start of lane gravel road.
5:20. Toured and photographed Talk. Parked at TalkAir Taxi parking in woods. David Lee pilot- 9000 hours.
5:55 taxi Cessna 185- earphones. Take off in the sun warming up. Foraker clear Denali past Talkeetna River Susetna river in Denali 60 mile one pic. Chixchillten River along highway. Talkeetna means where three rivers meet. Lots of moose. Peters Hills- still dozen active mines. Alaska Range eight miles long 30,000 glaciers in it. Glacier flights May June July.
6:18 Tokasisa River. Glaciers and moraines. Takosha Mountain (no trees) snow year round no animals below 6000 ft vegetation- above none.
6:23 15 mi from summit. Land on Ruth Glacier 20 minutes back flying at 5,000 ft. Moose- Trumpet Swan. Land 7:20 breakfast at Roadhouse- Engish Muffin, egg and reindeer sausage $3.50
7:36 Jeff Brown’s bear story 1986- Glacier [National Park]. Kalispell Hospital one month- 25 times in surgery. He and Patty attacked near Granite Lodge.
7:38 Moose edge of pool- behind him is Muldrow Glacier- 35 miles long- up to 11,000 ft on McKinley. Covered with vegetation in 1600’s. Surges every 50 years. Moved 1125 feet in one day in 1950s.
8:00 Beaver Pond [illegible] gull, yellow legs, scaup. McKinley peeking.
8:05 Black scooter, Arctic Tern
8:15 Wonder lake.
8:20 Reflection Pond
8:22 Ansel Adams Point famous photos of Wonder Lake and McKinley.
8:23 Wonder Lake ranger station
8:25 Solar collectors- weather. Kathi and Bob turned around last September.
8:26 Cross former boundary. This added in 1981. Camp Denali Lodge. 20 guest cabins
8:30 North Face Lodge

Sunday, June 25, 1989
[No entry]

Saturday, June 24, 1989
To University of Alaska to Spirit days. Natives of many tribes congregate to sing, dance, sell, eat. Colorful capes decorated with buttons and felt and designs. Walked around Goose Lake. Dwarf Dogwood so plentiful. Watched loons. Half of lake marked off bounds- nesting area. Back to campus to watch dancers. Why the few chairs right in front of them so couldn’t see? Kathi video taped.

Friday, June 23, 1989
Up at 8:00 bath and orange juice. Kathi tripped over dishwasher door and fell on floor so hard Bob said can’t use dishwasher until plumbing under house is checked.
All loaded into Toyota. To store for house paint (stain) then to the Clarion Hotel on Lake Spenard for brunch. Had a smoked salmon egg omelette croissant. Mounted specimens of Alaskan Wildlife impressive. To Spenard Lake behind Hotel watched mallards and Canada geese with chick scalp, widgeon, Northern Grebe. Float planes rim the lake. Each worth about $100,000 used!
Then drove to Elmendorf Air Force Base. Shopped in gift shop for sweatshirts, mugs, laser Art “Thank you for not smoking” Etc $46. Kathy and Bob bought me a uhe knife Hulu (Ooloo Eskimo origin). Through Fort Richardson to Otter Lake. Immediately spotted pair of common loon and two chicks. spent leisurely time watching them. 2 pair of Canada geese and their families. Northern grebe. heard eagle. ate snacks. On way back through wild area of Fort Richardson Kathi spotted a mink near a pool. I wanted to shoot the Lupine and Arctic roses so prolific. As I composed that I noted female mallard in pool dashing frantically back and forth. She suddenly took off and flew right at me and I caught glance of a chick at the edge of the pool. Then almost at my feet the male appeared and took after the duck, who flew up the stream squawking and darting with the mink after her. In the car we drove to where we could see the pool and the duck came swimming out of the shadow and rounded up about 10 ducklings. To Sands for marinated chicken dinner.

Thursday, June 22, 1989
To “The Eatery” for $2.99 breakfast