Saturday 8/30/14
Dropped off the camper van and shuttled back to Anchorage with a couple from Germany. You guessed it..the rain has stopped! In passing the owner said we were at the 'older' end of people renting camper vans, most people our age go for the motor homes. Their camper vans are usually rented by the 20-30 year olds! I am glad we were able to do this part of the trip this way ( still young at heart!) as it got us off the beaten path but I imagine we would want a few more 'comforts of home' in the future! Yup, we're getting old!
The shuttle driver was one of the owners (and the nephew of the shuttle driver who picked us up at the airport) Originally from New Jersey, he was stationed in Alaska while in the service, after leaving the service, he went to school in Virginia but returned to Alaska. His ex-wife lasted in Alaska just about a year. She gave him an ultimatum: Alaska or her. She now lives in the lower 48 and he still lives in Alaska. He currently works for ConocoPhillips on a two week rotation in the the Colville River Unit. Referred to as Alpine, it is located in
the Colville River
Delta on Alaska’s Western North Slope, eight miles north of the Inupiat village of Nuiqsut and 50 miles west of Prudhoe Bay. It is the site of the 429-million-barrel Alpine oil field. Alpine is the fifth largest oil discovery on the North Slope and the first on Native-owned lands. Production started in late 2001. The relationship with the community of Nuiqsut is such that the oil
company using the land, considered to be the property of the native
Nuiqsut residents (Inupiat Eskimos), pay dividends to residents in
exchange for use of the land. For many native residents the dividends
are the primary, or only, source of income. Nuiqsut has a population of 400. Alpine and Nuiqsut have no
permanent road connecting it to other North Slope infrastructure. Air travel provides the only year-round access. Nuiqsut is accessible during the winter via an
ice road and was featured in a season four episode of the
History television channel series
Ice Road Truckers, when a convoy of truckers delivered supplies to the village. In the
winter an ice road is also built
to Alpine to move in supplies for the rest of the operating year.
There are about 500 people working in Alpine. In addition to working two weeks on and two weeks off, there are two 12 hours shifts and you share a room (and a bed!) in the Dormitories with someone working the opposite shift. You have your own sheets or sleeping bag in your closet which you bring out when your shift ends. And on your 2 weeks off , there are 2 other people sharing that room and bed!
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| The Harwoods have arrived!! |
We were dropped off at Midnight Sun Car Rental , picked up a mini-van (Thank heavens it was a Dodge! We never would have heard the end of it ...Terry is a mechanic at a Dodge Chrysler Jeep dealership in Rochester NY) Then off to pick up Kim and Terry at the airport!
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| Lunch at the Peanut Farm |
Everyone was hungry! We had a nice lunch at the Peanut Farm on the deck overlooking Campbell Creek. The Harwoods broke the weather curse! It was sunny, warm and beautiful.
After lunch, we met up with Kim and Terry's niece Diana and kids Kean and Eli at Kincaid Park. (Diana's husband Russ, Terry's nephew, was off on his first day of caribou hunting at Lake Louise..not sure when we will meet up with him since we leave for Seward on Monday.)
Kincaid Park is a 1,516 acre municipal park. The park is bounded on the south by
Turnagain Arm, on the west by
Knik Arm, and on the north by
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. We hiked one of the many trails in search of a moose for Kim! We did not see a moose but the scenery was gorgeous. We had a great time, especially with Kean,4 years old, who informed us his name was Tomato Soup! Such energy. . . we had a hard time keeping up with him!
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| Looking across the Cook Inlet at Fire Island Windfarm. Those are Mountains in the background, not clouds! |
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Anchorage is Alaska's most populous city and contains more than 40 percent (300,000) of the state's total population; among the 50 states, only
New York has a higher percentage of residents who live in its
most populous city.
After getting settled in at Creekwood Motel, we thought we might find a place for some munchies and a drink. The clerk at the motel suggested Moose's Tooth Pub and Pizzeria. (named after Moose's Tooth, a rock peak on the east side of the Ruth
Gorge in the Central Alaska Range, 15 miles southeast of Mount McKinley) Since this place was also recommended to me by Chelsea Hanford that's where we headed! (Chelsea is from Old Forge and has spent 2 years teaching in the remote Alaskan Village of Nondalton. With a population of 164, it is located 225 miles southwest of Anchorage. There is no road access but the
community is reached by private air service from King
Salmon, Dillingham and Anchorage.) The place was packed!! We decided not to wait and ventured further. We found a log cabin neighborhood pub named "Reilly's" that looked inviting. Terry introduced Mike to "Smithwicks", an Irish red ale. Kim and Terry's daughter Meg makes her own craft beers and Terry has become a beer connoisseur! The bartender/owner Jeanne was very friendly and welcoming.
We have to return the camper van tomorrow in Wasilla by 11am so don't want to be too far from Wasilla. After the very rainy week, we decided to spend the last night in a motel ...guess we will fish our way down the Parks Highway and then we'll head for the Roadside Inn where we started our first night in Alaska! Looking forward to a hot shower, (and a hair dryer!!) maybe doing some laundry, rearranging our gear and also straightening up and cleaning the camper van. With all the rain , it did get a bit messy. 
