Tuesday, June 26, 2018
I've always been excited about Alaska Railroad artifacts as it gives me a gripping "Land of the Lost" kinda feeling. One of the tales I'd heard was the use of old gondolas for hiking and/or road bridges. Really? Oh people talked about them, but nobody knew where any were located. Enter Stefanie Coppock. She sent me a photo of one in 2016 which I used for a Picture of the Week. In her words, "Over one of the stream crossings sits a riveted gondola car dating from the 1940’s. Number 13802 is still serving Alaskans and visitors alike as a gateway to Chugach State Park." I promised myself the next time I was in Alaska I'd track this one down.
Sometimes I am a pretty big talker. When it came right down to it, could a guy with muscular dystrophy make the walk to the gondola and back? Stefanie believed the distance on the Indian Valley Trail was a quarter mile one way and offered to be my trail guide. Unfortunately, on the day I was available Stefanie was on a plane bound for San Francisco.
So Terry and I decided to strike out on our own. We got a small wilderness safety talk from Curt Rudd who also armed us with bear repellent. Driving down the Seward Highway we turned onto Boretide Road right at the Turnagain Arm Pit BBQ restaurant. Now Terry was already pretty nervous about bears on the trail so what do we see but a large yellow "Bear Alert!" sign. Oh, and not just any bear, but an injured one who has no fear of people. No, we are not turning back.
As we reached the parking lot we spotted a large group of teenagers milling about. Terry went over to investigate and learned they were an outdoor group from the eastern United States. Most of them had never been on an overnight backpacking trip before, but their leaders assured Terry they knew what they were doing and would watch out for the bear.
Stefanie had given me instructions to begin at the locked gate and follow the trail up the hill and follow it to the creek. The problem was the gravel trail went in three different directions all of which seemed like they were going up hill. Now a healthy person would have explored each of the three routes to see which one panned out. As I have a limited range I was in a quandary on what to do. Terry believed we should try the left (north) fork. In that she has an innate sense of direction I decided to head north. After a few minutes we came upon what seemed like an old maintenance building. Terry suggested I stay there while she check out the path ahead. I was touched by the fact Terry was risking becoming bear bait to save me a bunch of steps
After five minutes she returned with a huge grin on her face. She had found the gondola and it wasn't very far away. More importantly she hadn't been eaten by a bear.
After five or so minutes of walking I could hear the sound of rushing water from creek. As the gondola came into view I had much the same feeling John Lloyd Stephens did when he discovered the lost Sacred Mayan Ruins. Oh joy! Rapture! We took a lot of photos knowing I probably would never return. On a lark I checked the Geocaching app on my phone and wouldn't you know there was indeed a geocache here. Terry and I both hunted for it, but as was typical she found it.
Terry suggested following a different route back as she was sure it would be shorter for me. Whenever I am hiking and contemplating similar situations I always feel it is better the devil you know. However, I always trust Terry's sense of direction and decided to follow her advice. The result was a much more beautiful return trail resulting d in half the hiking distance.
As we turned back onto the Seward Highway we spotted some Maintenance of Way (MOW) workers and equipment in a siding. Being an Alaska Railroad addict meant I just had to have pictures of it! Terry was kind enough to scamper down the hill to get closer and clear shots.
With our time in Alaska running out we needed to wrap up some details. First, we stopped by the Pink Elephant Splash and Dash Car Wash Express to give Jim Somerville's Honda Pilot a "Lava Bath". Next, we made yet another trip to Wal-Mart to restock the Rudd's apartment refrigerator. Finally, we returned the Honda Pilot to Jim expressing heartfelt thanks. His vehicle had served us well.
Back at Curt and Renae's I met up with Alaska Railroad railfan Roy Foster who loaned me 348 photos he'd taken between 1973-1980. For the next two hours he delighted me with tales regarding his photos and experiences with the railroad.
Packing for the return trip is always difficult. Friends gave me so many Alaska Railroad items and I must make room for them all. And what about luggage weight? The main bag weight must not exceed 50 pounds. So you remove the heaviest items and put them in your carry-on bags which, by the way, is going on the same plane. Things that make you go, "Hmmmm".
Curt and Renae once again pulled out all the stops and made us a spectacular going away feast featuring halibut and salmon. Without a doubt, they are a very special couple and we greatly value their friendship. The topic of Don "Old Buck" Prince always comes up and we reminisce on his exploits. After saying our good-byes Curt drove us to the airport to catch our flight.
Call me a wimp, but the return flight home was pretty darned brutal. We departed Anchorage at 10:00 PM, landed in Chicago at 7:00 AM, sat for two hours, caught a flight out at 9:00 AM and returned to Dayton at 11:12 AM. I never can sleep on the plane anymore and when I got home I felt like someone took me down to the river and beat me on a rock. It didn't help that at each TSA checkpoint I experienced that awkward moment where my abs of steel set off the metal detector.