Posted by David Taylor on January 3, 2009 at 3:06 PM
Hey everyone - seems like we've hit a lull in activity lately. Probably just due to our season and slightly "less balmy" temps
Thought we could start a thread with our faves from the past year (I know I had a great time, I'm sure you all did too!), and maybe your plans for new year ahead (in AK, of course). Alaskan's or Alaskan visitors - POST AWAY!
I'm hoping to get over to Cordova this summer for wildflowers and glaciers, and 2 trips to Katmai for brown bears. Back to the Denali Highway (1 trip in June, 1-2 in Fall). Kenai Fjords this summer as many times as I can afford - look out banks, I may be stopping by for an "armed" withdrawal . So many places, so little time (and money)...
Posted by Jim DeWitt on January 4, 2009 at 12:13 AM
Nice to see a little activity on the Forum. Maybe if I recall summer the current conditions won't seem quite so bad or quite so unending.
Highlights: a trip to Chevak, in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. Decent weather, unbelievable numbers of birds and wonderful photo opportunities. I had a pretty decent Denali Highway trip too, on the east end. Audie and Jenny at Paxson Alpine Tours & Denali HIghway Cabins are good friends and give us a base from which to work. And a good trip with Stan Stephens - with Stan as captain - out of Valdez. A trip to Eagle, but just as the rainy bit started, so mostly saw rain.
Plans for 2009: a week on the Dalton around July 4, focused mostly on Atigun Pass and points north, and as many trips as I can manage to the Delta Barley Project in the spring for migration and the Denali Highway in the early summer for breeding birds. And maybe a trip to Denali National Park for a few nights on Primrose Ridge.
Posted by David Taylor on January 4, 2009 at 2:19 AM
Sounds good Jim! Is there a specific time you'd recommend for the Denali Highway in the early Summer? I was planning for June, but haven't been there except for the fall - so I was kind of shooting in the dark with my plans. I'm hoping to see Audie and Jenny again too, but I'll probably be "tenting it" to save some money. But I would like to do a hike with Audie and a float trip one evening too. Atigun Pass sounds great, but I've got to get a better "rough road" vehicle before I attempt that section.
2008 wasn't the greatest year for me photographically. We had family come up this summer and spent a bunch of time finishing up some work on the house before they got here. It rained the entire time they were here. We didn't get in our normal trip across the Denali Hiway this last summer, either. Bummer.
For 2009, we're planning on doing some raft trips with friends; not sure exactly where, and we are hoping to get out more in general. Also hoping to get up to Fairbanks again, and across the Denali Hiway. I'd love to go to Cordova for the migration in the spring, but don't think I can swing the time as I'm back to having a regular job with regular hours...... sigh.
Posted by David Taylor on January 4, 2009 at 3:43 AM
Genny, know what you mean about Cordova. Getting there isn't too bad on the ferry. But lodging in Cordova is EXPENSIVE! For less than a week, it was going to run around $600-700 for a regular hotel room. Probably going to wait until the summer to go, just to tent it instead (usually too cold/damp/snowy to do that in May).
Those darn "regular jobs"... Although, I'm lucky with that - I work 4 10 hour shifts (Tuesday - Friday) so I always have long weekends.
Dave, we had thought about taking our pick-up camper to Cordova, but that ferry trip is really expensive for a big vehicle. I can't remember exactly how much, but I remember it changed out mind about going that way when we were planning on just being there for a day or so. It just seems to me like the Marine Highway people are missing the boat. (geez what a pun! ) Maybe tourists in the summer are going to take the ferry no matter what the cost, but I think more people would actually take the ferry (with a vehicle as opposed to just walking on) the rest of the year a whole lot more if the prices were lower. Maybe they are full all the time anyway......
Posted by David Taylor on January 6, 2009 at 12:41 AM
Genny K -
Not sure if you looked into this, and I'm not sure if it would save much money. But if you drive to Valdez and take the shorter ferry ride to Cordova and back to Valdez, it might be cheaper. Don't know the specifics of your vehicle - but you may want to check it out.
edit: adding to this line of thought... although it might save you money on the ferry ride, the extra gas you'd have to buy to drive to Valdez and back might negate the savings.
Dave, I just checked that.....
Whitter to Cordova for a 21' vehicle $157 plus $89per adult (2 of us)
Valdez to Cordova for a 21' vehicle $138 plus $50 per adult
Those numbers are one way. So from Whittier, round trip = $314+$178+$89=$581, and that's if they let the driver go free on the return trip.
Going from Valdez and back, 138+138+50+50+50=$426
It's cheaper, but it's still expensive, especially if you were just planning on being there for a short time.
Discussion
7 repliesThought we could start a thread with our faves from the past year (I know I had a great time, I'm sure you all did too!), and maybe your plans for new year ahead (in AK, of course). Alaskan's or Alaskan visitors - POST AWAY!
I'm hoping to get over to Cordova this summer for wildflowers and glaciers, and 2 trips to Katmai for brown bears. Back to the Denali Highway (1 trip in June, 1-2 in Fall). Kenai Fjords this summer as many times as I can afford - look out banks, I may be stopping by for an "armed" withdrawal
Highlights: a trip to Chevak, in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. Decent weather, unbelievable numbers of birds and wonderful photo opportunities. I had a pretty decent Denali Highway trip too, on the east end. Audie and Jenny at Paxson Alpine Tours & Denali HIghway Cabins are good friends and give us a base from which to work. And a good trip with Stan Stephens - with Stan as captain - out of Valdez. A trip to Eagle, but just as the rainy bit started, so mostly saw rain.
Plans for 2009: a week on the Dalton around July 4, focused mostly on Atigun Pass and points north, and as many trips as I can manage to the Delta Barley Project in the spring for migration and the Denali Highway in the early summer for breeding birds. And maybe a trip to Denali National Park for a few nights on Primrose Ridge.
For 2009, we're planning on doing some raft trips with friends; not sure exactly where, and we are hoping to get out more in general. Also hoping to get up to Fairbanks again, and across the Denali Hiway. I'd love to go to Cordova for the migration in the spring, but don't think I can swing the time as I'm back to having a regular job with regular hours...... sigh.
Those darn "regular jobs"... Although, I'm lucky with that - I work 4 10 hour shifts (Tuesday - Friday) so I always have long weekends.
Not sure if you looked into this, and I'm not sure if it would save much money. But if you drive to Valdez and take the shorter ferry ride to Cordova and back to Valdez, it might be cheaper. Don't know the specifics of your vehicle - but you may want to check it out.
edit: adding to this line of thought... although it might save you money on the ferry ride, the extra gas you'd have to buy to drive to Valdez and back might negate the savings.
Whitter to Cordova for a 21' vehicle $157 plus $89per adult (2 of us)
Valdez to Cordova for a 21' vehicle $138 plus $50 per adult
Those numbers are one way. So from Whittier, round trip = $314+$178+$89=$581, and that's if they let the driver go free on the return trip.
Going from Valdez and back, 138+138+50+50+50=$426
It's cheaper, but it's still expensive, especially if you were just planning on being there for a short time.