Wrangell Mountain Center

Carol and I showed up at 6 pm with bells on for our Natural History Field Sketching and Journaling workshop. We are hard to miss, two mid-age females who are very motivated to learn art…..

Wood burning stove

Everyone at WMC was wonderful. Mary made a delicious soup and salad for dinner, we sat in the sales floor of the old hardware store. Long tables with plywood tops and benches all around for seating. It was chilly so Cobi’s dad kept the room warm with the wood stove. Ahhhh, warm dry heat, with the smell of wood stove. Sure beats the chilly heat pump at home.

Main room at Hardware Store

We later went in to the other room for the evenings lecture and sketching class. Yes, I really love this part. I like traveling, but I love doing, making and thinking art.

Skulls to sketch

Kristen Link taught our week long class. Kristen is well organized and really knows her stuff. Carol and I were introduced to our “classmates”, Rita, Cobi, Sam and Michelle. Just like at everyclass I have ever been, with great hesitation… we all introduced ourselves. Very interesting, we all like art.

Feather to sketch

Kristen then went over the syllabus and displayed her sketchbooks. Impressive! A little sketching inside the room. And off to bed….

Main Street McCarthy

Carol and I rode the Kennicott Lodge bus with our luggage down to McCarthy. It is overcast and cool with bouts of rain.

Ma Johnson's Hotel

In front of Ma Johnson’s hotel we unload our baggage. Up on the porch we place our baggage. Out comes Neil the owner to help us. Carol, Neil and I wheel in our luggage. On week three, this luggage thing gets tiresome. Leaving the artcarts on the porch. Neil shows us to our room. How sweet, two twin beds with lovely quilts. Pretty folded towels with handmade soap tucked in and a bag of candy with a little poem next to our sink. The potty and shower is close by… big Yeah!  I plop on the bed for a couple minutes of heaven. Carol was looking for electric plug. No, luck….if you want to charge anything…phone, computer, ipad, camera and such you need to take it to the parlor. Electronic are lined up neatly on a few small tables against the wall.

Ma Johnson's Hotel Parlor

ELECTRONIC WITHDRAW!!! To begin with I was a bit edgey about this, leaving my lifeline unattended. But after awhile you just don’t worry about it. Nobody was touching your stuff and visa versa. The phones and internet just don’t work right anyway. So after a day or so the withdraw subsides.

Not to forget the artcarts, the girl at the desk pointed me in the right direction, told me the Wrangell Mountain Center was in the hardware store and I couldn’t miss it. So off I went with the artcarts. Down the road and into a brandnew building that had hardware stuff in it. Well as it turns out, that was the grocery store. I bought some bottled icetea and a candy bar, I was famished. Back outside with two art carts and bag of food. Down farther a two story very large building with giant letters HARDWARE written on it.

Harware Store McCarthy ak

How stupid can I be. I took the artcarts in and met Kristen, Cobi and Mary from the wrangell mountain center. Later in the evening our class started.
When I got back to Hotel, Carol was ready for our “tour around town”, one street. McCarthy proved to be more than met the eye.

Mcountain Arts Gallery McCarthy Ak

We stoppd at the Mountain Arts gallery that showcased many local
artists.
Then we stopped by the McCarthy-Kennicott Historical Museum. Great history and artifacts.

Kennicott & Kennecott: choose carefully!

Once loaded in the van, Carol and I were off for a 15 minute ride up the mountain side. Passing hikers, bikers and a few trucks or buses onlong the one lane gravel road. The road was heavily tree lined, our only clue that we were on a mountain was the steep incline of the road.

Kennicott Glacier Lodge

Nearing the top the trees gave way to a beautiful vista. Green mountains capped in clouds, a white glacier peeking out from the clouds in the distance. Red buildings with white trim. We knew we were in Kennicott.

Mountain view from Kennicott

Still a little awed the group of us from the van we unloaded and taken into the Kennicott Glaciet Lodge. Just beautiful! Warm and welcoming. It was like stepping nack in time. A brass key ring was our room key with a door that opens to the long porch up front. Just lovely.

Quick water color sketch of toe of glacier moraines

A fire in the parlor was roaring with guests enjoying the leather chairs.
Our had two double/queen beds and a sink.  Two chairs, thats luxury. That ment Carol and I could sit down at the same time.
Everything is super clean. The showers and toilets are shared. This was not a problem at all.

Steak sandwich and potato soup

The food plan was great. Breakfast was included with room. The meal plan included a lunch and dinner. Lunch was a sandwich with soup or salad and a drink from 12-3. Dinner was family style seating promptly at 7pm. Great food and conversation. The other guests are very delightful.
Walking around the town takes mpre or less a day. They have a walking tour of the town 1 1/2hours, but Carol and I missed the 1pm start. Other tours are available, hiking and icehiking.
The National Park Service has a self guided walking tour and vistor center. Very nice. Everyone is friendly and helpful.
Now about the spelling issue, way back when the mines were started someone misspelled Kennicott with and -e- as in Kennecott. So what has occurred is the local residents use the -i- and the Park Service uses the -e- because of the Kennicott Minning Company. Hmmm…..

Tale of Two Cities and One Town

Back long ago Anchorage was a tent city, with new people arriving daily. Not enough supplies to build houses. Shop owners and restauraunts were ran from tents.

Anchorage Then and Now

Anchorage began to boom during the 40’s because of the war and again in the 90’s to become a large city.

Kennicott Then and now

Kennicott was a thriving prim and proper company town from the 20’s through 1938, boasting of all the modern conviences electric, indoor plumbing and hot water. The Kennecott Hospital was the first hospital in Alaska to have an xray machine. Impressive! The town boasted of heated sidewalks in winter, from the steam pipes that heated the houses and stores. All this ended abruptly in 1938 when the copper mining company pulled out.

Down the hill from Kennicott is a not so prim and proper fun loving town of McCarthy.

Golden Saloon McCarthy Ak

McCarthy started as a center of fun and commerce. With places to buy almost anything. Hardware stores, fancy dress shops and mens clothing. Very fancy for a remote town in Alaska from 1915-1938. Saloons and parlors were a plenty.

Old truck years ago

They ran taxis all hours so the miners would not miss their shifts. Just think of that, the bar would take you back to work after a night of fun. When the Kennecott mine closed, it tore up the railroad tracks and left McCarthy abandoned.
Many of the townspeople left. But many also stayed.
To cross the river the town folk built a tram to cross the river.

This was for real......

New walking bridge

My brother Paul in the early 90’s visited by way of the tram. Harrowing at best, can you imagine using the tram in bad weather. Yikes!
Carol and I were lucky enough to have a much nicer way to cross the river. We parked our car at the parking lot, the Seth drove us to the walking bridge. Then unloaded the luggage to a trolley(push cart you guys on east coast) and we all walked and talked over the bridge. Admiring the rushing green glacier river. I know I would have been nuts using the tram. Carol and I were met at the other side by a young man from the Kennecott Lodge. Both young men loaded our very heavy luggage. Talked for a bit and we road to the Kennecott Lodge….
Happy Travels
Margaret

The Road to McCarthy: that’s a story!

After photo-taking event in Chitina, we pulled the car around the corner to see the sign “Pavement Ends”.

Begining of the road to McCarthy

Then another sign that tells about McCathy road.  “Road ends at Kennicott River, 62Miles.
Limited vechicle services.
Drive at you own risk.
Watch out for loose railroad spikes.
Check locally from conditions and services beyond this point.”
Noone seems to know why the misspelling, mystery? The sign make you wonder what you are doing. You can even see the pot holes from the sign.

Well, we threw caution aside and drove the Road to McCarthy. Bless the road guys, except for a few sections with pot holes, the road was good, (not paved, but a good surface for a gravel road). Mostly two lanes wide, no guard rails(bit un-nerveing when a big RV is coming at you).

McCarthy road

Many challenges lay ahead for the we don’t like heights and wobbly bridges …lol.. We drove for 62 miles over hill and dale..or more specific, three bridges.

Lakina Bridge

The Lakina River bridge, wood bridge. The car was making a funny noise, so Carol was driving, we pulled over and I climbed under to see what was stuck in wheel well. 20 minutes later and my whole left side was muddy, I found , nothing. But the sound was gone, thank God for that.(Paul, really nothing happened!) We were on our way. The silty mud sticks like concrete to my sweater.

The next bridge was Kuskulana bridge, 283 feet from river…. vertigo! Wood slats to drive on and the guard rail doesn’t look sturdy. We made it without fainting.
Then we drove to Currant Ridge Cabins.

Currant Ridge Cabins

I walked into the office to pick up the keys, the owner asked if I was a local and why I was covered with mud. It took me several minutes to stop laughing to tell my story.
The cabins were lovely, hot showers,hot room heater and indoor toilet. Very clean! Only a couple miles from the last bridge to McCarthy. More to come…

Dusty Car

Happy Travels

Copper to Copper Aug. 19, 2013

From Copper Center to the copper mines of Kennnicott, Ak. 

Tractor at Willow Lake B&B

What a trip we left Willow Lake after a nice tour of the handbuilt log cabins and a delicious breakfast of sourdough pancakes at Willow Lake B&B . Jim and Linda are great hosts.
We drove south on Richardson Highway to pick up the road east to Chitina.

Copper Center Gift shop

On our way we stopped at the delightful shop run by. It is a mix of Alaskan art and gifts, convience store and a bit of hardware supplies. Found some goodies and a couple bottles of ice tea. My vertigo is still giving me trouble, still bracing as I walk around. On to McCarthy. We drove for awhile on Edgerton highway and stopped for gas at The Kenny Lake Mercantile’s General Store .

Gas and drinks

It took me awhile to figure out how to pump gas on old fashioned gas pump.

Kenney Lake Gas Station

The lady inside really thought something was wrong with me. LOl…she noticed. Remember to stop about here, no more gas stations between here and McCarthy/ Kennicott.
Off like a herd of turtles, we stopped at the Golden Spruce Convienence Storefor sandwiches.

Very good food homemade bisscotti to die for, vanilla with i think walnuts dipped in white chocolate and chocolate with walnuts dipped in dark chocolate.

Then Carol and I drove and drove, stopping to take photos and Go Pro. So many beautiful photos.
We stopped by Chitina, what a quaint town. I loved the Spirit Mountain Arts Art Gallery.

It was a big WOW! Beautiful artwork from artists around Alaska. Prints, watercolors, drawings, jewelry, knitted hats, slik scarves and more. I found a nice screen print of silver salmon.

After a few hundred shots of Chitna, we got back into our car.

The Road to McCarthy

This is where paved roads end.
My brother Paul’s parting words on
The Road To McCarthy: “Drive Slow!”

At Home in Homer

Margaret & Carol in Homer

Carol texted my brother Paul and sister in law Tracy every so many miles from Anchorage.

4 hour trip, it rained and rained and rained. The good news it was Sunday and the road crews were not working and The fog was so dense that all we could do is drive.

Kenei Lake

We love this sign

No stopping for photos ( well maybe a few). No mountain shots,Paul was happy we manage to get here in 4 1/2 hours. Imagine that, Carol and I have a bad habit of stopping a lot. So we usally allow extra time… About 30 miniutes out of Homer we text to say almost there. We stop at Welcome to to Homer sign and in pouring rain take many pictures. This is a favorite spot to take pictures. Any family that makes it up here has a picture here. Why fight family tradition. As we pull in my brother askes what happen?
Taking pictures of course……It still makes me laugh..
God bless  …
Margaret

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Guess what animal is related to sheep? 08-11-13

       

Musk Ox

Musk Ox

Margaret and I stopped by Qiviut Alaskan Handknits shop.  Native Alaskan’s from different tribes knit tribe specific patterns of musk oz wool.  The musk ox (sheep family) sheeds wool.  The wool is gathered washed lightly and spun into yarn.  The wool is lightweight and soft to touch is knitted into a garment.  Don’t let the fine yarn fool you, the items knitted from the wool is incredibly warm. 

May the brushstrokes of God’s blessings paint the canvas of your life,
Carol

Rainy days and Sundays doesn’t get US down. 08-11-13

It has rained every day since we got here in Anchorage.  We have had a great time so far.  A little rain has not us down.

May the brushstrokes of God’s blessings paint the canvas of your life,
Carol

Midnight Sun 08-11-13

It was 11:00 pm, driving back from the Alaska zoo event.  One of the most magnificant sunset I have ever seen.

May the brushstrokes of God’s blessings paint the canvas of your life,
Carol