Karla's Kronicles #10

Greetings Kronicle Readers!
Hey, We are "On the Road Again" - Sort Of - Our Canada and Anchorage Adventures (long overdue).
(Note: Larger and More Detailed Photos are in the Photo Albums Located HERE.)

Of course, no trip to Anchorage would be complete without visiting the ULU factory. The factory was within walking distance of the Ship Canal RV Park where we stayed our first week after leaving the hospital parking lot. We were so glad to get a reservation as 2 RV Resorts in Anchorage had either gone out of business or sold out to developments, leaving Anchorage with a severe shortage of RV sites in 2007 for all of us travelers! In fact, two couples we met traveling in their motorhomes from Georgia, ended up in the WalMart/Sam's Club parking lot. We stopped to see them on 6/29 on our way back from our day trip to Whittier. They didn't want to put up with the train traffic going past Ship Canal RV Park and we didn't join them as my recovery was happening and I was not wanting to be without a good hook up RV site. They were nice folks; one an ex-Sheriff. He liked to pull out his "pocket ULU" (a pocket knife w/ULU blade) and show it to Larry. Good ol' boys and gals that liked to chat a bit but ended up feeling short ended for reservations with the closures of the extra campgrounds in the area. With the numerous caravans coming into Anchorage, sites were at a premium.

So, back to the ULU Factory....the ULU knife (pronounced ooloo) is the most renowned knife in Alaska. The ULU was invented by the Native people of northern Alaska centuries ago to use for hunting, fishing, skinning, and filleting by the Inupiat (Eskimo) peoples. We've had an ULU since 1988 when Larry's folks made their trip to Alaska (the year we met!). I need to remember to use it more often, because after you chop or slice with it, it serves as a lift for what you have chopped and sliced! It's tucked away right now as we travel...but soon to be re-introduced to our kitchen!

The photo above is of an Inupiat style ULU with a walnut handle and just one example of an ULU. There are many styles of ULUs and accessories and it was fun to watch them being built right at the factory. Our ULU has an OAK handle with a carved Eagle flying through a forest with 'ALASKA' carved across the handle and since it's also a momento of Larry's parents trip to Alaska, it's very special. The above link will give you a much better overview of ULUs than I can achieve in this journal.

The Musk Ox sheds Qiviut, which is made into a wool that is eight times warmer than sheep's wool by weight. This wool is hand-knitted by Alaskan natives into some of the SOFTEST, most beautiful (but expensive) garments (like sweaters and scarves). But it is SO, SO SOFT and so incredibly lightweight. They had a neck scarf that was gorgeous; the guide passed this around for us to try on and touch. Pure luxury!! This Qiviut is shed naturally by the Musk Ox each spring and collected on the Musk Ox Farm by combing the animal. They get fiive to seven pounds of this rare fiber from each Musk Ox every year. The qiviut is then shipped to Oomingmak, Alaska. There is a Musk Ox Producers' Cooperative at www.qiviut.com . This fur (hair?) is the raw material for a thriving native cottage industry where they produce yarn and clothing. We bought 2 raffle tickets to win a qiviut sweater (worth $1500), but, darn! They never called!

As always, we wish you HEALTH and HAPPINESS
Mote later!...Karla and Larry, the Nomadic Dayhuffs
(but not for long, we did buy a home in Florida - stay tuned for a future Kronicles on our New Home)

See the USA the Internet Way!

The Karla Kronicles - July 2007
Greetings Kronicle Readers! Hey, We are "On the Road Again" - Sort Of - Our Canada and Anchorage Adventures (long overdue). (Note: Larger and More Detailed Photos are in the Photo Albums Located HERE.)
	We took a day trip on June 29th, driving south from Anchorage to a Visitor's Center at Portage on the Northeast side of the Kenai Peninsula. From the Visitor's Center, which was very nice, we obtained a "schedule" to cross from Portage to Whittier. This schedule helps you navigate through a one-way tunnel to visit Whittier Harbor, a quaint fishing village.
The interesting thing about THIS one-way tunnel and why you need a "schedule" is that it was also a multi-purpose tunnel; you had to straddle RR tracks and share tunnel usage time with a TRAIN! The "Tunnel" is 2.5 miles long and cost $12 round trip to travel. Driving through it is an adventure and a bit eerie feeling! You really, really hope that the warning lights and schedule are accurate before entering this tunnel!!!


	PLEASE DUE NOT IGNORE THOSE TRAFFIC SIGNS.... Of course, waiting for the "tunnel crossing": is very much like getting in line for a Washington State Ferry, so you just pay your money ($12), get in line, relax and enjoy the scenery! This sign is warning us that there is TRAFFIC coming our way...be it vehicles or TRAIN. No gates, no DO NOT ENTER; there's just "TRAFFIC". We are so glad we did experience Whittier. It's just beautiful there with more shops and eateries than we thought there would be. We actually packed a picnic because we didn't know what to expect.
We were a bit confined to Anchorage longer than we wanted to be due to my follow up appointments with the Retinal Surgeon. So, we wrote Kronicle's #9, did some shopping, did some exploring.. We felt like Anchorage is just another big modern city; lots of traffic, lots of development, big shopping, but it did have it's own charm, too... So we visited a Botanical Gardens and the Earthquake Park in Anchorage...not staying too long at either location due to the man-eating mosquitoes. This pretty flower is called "Aquilegia" or "Remembrance".

Earthquake Park by "Turnagain Arm" features a lot of history describing the 1964 Earthquake. This was the most powerfully recorded Earthquake in the U.S. and North American history, and the third most powerful ever measured by seismograph. Now the area has many modern housing developments and biking trails following along Turnagain Arm and Cook Inlet. You may want to visit the link above for more information on this major quake that occurred on Good Friday, March 27, 1964. The rebuilding efforts are to be applauded and are a bit overwhelming when you consider the ruins left behind by the 1964 quake.

Of course, no trip to Anchorage would be complete without visiting the ULU factory. The factory was within walking distance of the Ship Canal RV Park where we stayed our first week after leaving the hospital parking lot. We were so glad to get a reservation as 2 RV Resorts in Anchorage had either gone out of business or sold out to developments, leaving Anchorage with a severe shortage of RV sites in 2007 for all of us travelers! In fact, two couples we met traveling in their motorhomes from Georgia, ended up in the WalMart/Sam's Club parking lot. We stopped to see them on 6/29 on our way back from our day trip to Whittier. They didn't want to put up with the train traffic going past Ship Canal RV Park and we didn't join them as my recovery was happening and I was not wanting to be without a good hook up RV site. They were nice folks; one an ex-Sheriff. He liked to pull out his "pocket ULU" (a pocket knife w/ULU blade) and show it to Larry. Good ol' boys and gals that liked to chat a bit but ended up feeling short ended for reservations with the closures of the extra campgrounds in the area. With the numerous caravans coming into Anchorage, sites were at a premium. So, back to the ULU Factory....the ULU knife (pronounced ooloo) is the most renowned knife in Alaska. The ULU was invented by the Native people of northern Alaska centuries ago to use for hunting, fishing, skinning, and filleting by the Inupiat (Eskimo) peoples. We've had an ULU since 1988 when Larry's folks made their trip to Alaska (the year we met!). I need to remember to use it more often, because after you chop or slice with it, it serves as a lift for what you have chopped and sliced! It's tucked away right now as we travel...but soon to be re-introduced to our kitchen! The photo above is of an Inupiat style ULU with a walnut handle and just one example of an ULU. There are many styles of ULUs and accessories and it was fun to watch them being built right at the factory. Our ULU has an OAK handle with a carved Eagle flying through a forest with 'ALASKA' carved across the handle and since it's also a momento of Larry's parents trip to Alaska, it's very special. The above link will give you a much better overview of ULUs than I can achieve in this journal.

Everyone should have a pet bear to hug! Within walking distance of the Ship Canal RV Park was a terraced landscape with staircases leading up to downtown Anchorage. What a treat not to have to move the truck and park, but get in some exercise and see the sites on foot. The large white building is the Railroad station. Ah yes, at Ship Canal RV Park, the passenger and freight trains roared on by. Luckily they didn't run ALL the time; however, you did "feel the earth move under your feet" and hoped it wasn't a repeat of the 1964 Earthquake!
So, we finally caught back up with our traveling companions in Palmer AK; only 40 miles out of Anchorage. Because of my eye problem, we did miss Valdez and Copper Center, but that will have to be another trip. In Palmer, AK, the Musk Ox Farm is nearby and well worth a tour. Musk Ox love fireweed; Jason, our guide, is giving a treat to one of the favorite residents and a treat for us also, to see one up close! Strange looking animals, but they definitely earn their keep....
	The Musk Ox sheds *Qiviut,* which is made into a wool that is eight times warmer than sheep's wool by weight. This wool is hand-knitted by Alaskan natives into some of the SOFTEST, most beautiful (but expensive) garments (like sweaters and scarves). But it is SO, SO SOFT and so incredibly lightweight. They had a neck scarf that was gorgeous; the guide passed this around for us to try on and touch. Pure luxury!! This *Qiviut* is shed naturally by the Musk Ox each spring and collected on the Musk Ox Farm by combing the animal. They get fiive to seven pounds of this rare fiber from each Musk Ox every year. The *qiviut* is then shipped to Oomingmak, Alaska. There is a Musk Ox Producers' Cooperative at www.qiviut.com . This fur (hair?) is the raw material for a thriving native cottage industry where they produce yarn and clothing. We bought 2 raffle tickets to win a *qiviut* sweater (worth $1500), but, darn! They never called!
Since we had a clear view of the southern sky at Mt.View RV Resort in Palmer, AK, Larry tried to see if he could get anything on the Hughes Satellite Antenna. Notice the antenna is up and trying to send/receive signals. But alas, all we could get were a few Satellite TV stations. We had not been able to connect to the Internet with our system since the 2nd day of our trip because we were too far North! However, we found that many of the RV Resorts we visited had Wi-Fi. They may charge you a small fee to get the password and connect, sometimes it was free, so we were able to keep in touch pretty easily during this trip. Now TV was a different situation. Fox seemed to be the one and only station we could get with any consistency and, well, just how many episodes of the Simpsons can one handle? Yikes!
From Palmer, we got pretty much back on schedule with our travel companions and headed back to explore the rest of the Kenai Peninsula (more than our day trip allowed for sure); we opted to skip Anchorage for overnight accommodations (we had seen quite enough of Anchorage thank you very much), but the rest of the travel team needed to re-stock at Costco and do some exploring. On our June 29th day trip to Portage we had discovered a USFS (United States Forest Service) Campground ("dry" camping sites) called Willowaw. Absolutely gorgeous; paved sites in the trees; no hook-ups and pit-toilets, of course, but we are fully self-contained with kitchen, bath, water supply, and our generator, so we had a grand time. We don't have any photos of Willowaw to share here, but remember it fondly! From Willowaw, it was a short drive to re-join our group at the Northern End of Kenai at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.
	This Cabin is part of the original Townsite of Portage that was destroyed by the 1964 Earthquake. It's very near the entrance road to the Conservation Center. There were many such ruins and remnants here and there that remind us, in spite of the gorgeous mountain and ocean views, incredible wildlife and rebuilding, the Earthquake of '64 created some real havoc in this area.

Now those are some impressive RACKS! Along with a small cafeteria for coffee & snacks and a very nice gift shop, you get to view some spectacular animals up close as you were allowed to drive through this conservation center (with your rig!). Nominal charge ($5/vehicle) and no time limit or tours. Just take your time and get lots of photos. Unfortunately, it was raining that day. We had a few cold periods during our trip and this was one of those days. It did limit some of our picture taking and a lot of the animals were hiding out in their shelters and too far away for decent photos with our equipment. These Caribou (on the left) and these sleepy ol' Moose (on the right) really didn't care if it was raining or not...It's a bit easier to see them inside a Conservation Center controlled area then when they are walking out in front of you while driving along the Alaska Hwy. "what was that?".."did yo see that"?..."was that a ?"...
	This was our campsite at the Russian River USFS Campground on Kenai Peninsula. We had an interesting experience checking into this Park. They put everyone into "holding" until 5 p.m. when they could confirm those with reservations; then they assigned sites, but they did it backwards by putting the first RVs in line into the first sites of the loop, which meant while you are backing into your site, you're holding up folks that have sites assigned further along the one-way loop! Well, we made it and had a lovely evening in spite of the late set up. We look crammed into the site, but it was picture worthy, so you know it was not the easiest back-in operation in our many years of travel.. In fact, it appears to be an easy back in, but what you don't see is the very narrow road and the large tree trunks and low limbs blocking some of your manuevering space. Good Job, Larry Wayne!!!!
From the Russian River, we headed southwest on the Kenai Peninsula to the town of Ninilchik. These campers are just along the water parked for the day to do some serious clamming and beach combing.
We stayed at the Alaska Angler RV Resort a short distance away to have hook up sites. This was our RAZOR CLAMMING EXPERIENCE. Unlike Washington State where you are limited to 15 Razor Clams; in Alaska, a daily license allows you to extract 60 clams per licensed person.. A neighboring RVer was leaving the RV Resort and gave us his clam gun, a long tube that you insert over the clam's air hole (showing as a dimple in the sand), then push this 4" diameter tube (or dig with a shove) down faster than the clam can dig himself lower. Then you cover an air hole in the handle of the "gun", creating an incredible vacuum or suction effect and then you pull that clam, sand, and mud out of the hole (which immediately fills with muddy water!); scrambling, you then quickly dig through the muck and get your clam! Sounds simple, huh?
Well, getting the clams is the easy part (sort of). I did not have the strength to pull the clam gun up out of the sand and couldn't be straining my eye so soon after surgery, so Larry did the physical work and I dug through the muck. After you have this edible creature in your bucket (we got 84 clams...not our 120 clam limit, but we were beat); then you get to go clean the little buggers. Fortunately, the Alaskan Angler RV Resort has clam cleaning stations with flat tables and running water. Not my most glamorous photo, but I'm smiling!!!! I'm only a week since eye surgery so in my glasses (steaming up and sliding on my face), wet and sweaty from the clamming process, but, hey, we have CLAM!! Thank goodness, Larry performed the initial rinse and went to the RV to get my kitchen shears, sharp knife, and colander and we did some cleaning! Now, many of our Kronicle readers are Western Washingtonians and know all about Clamming , but this was our first clamming experience, and so I'm adding a link to Clamming on the Kenai Peninsula for your enjoyment.... So far we have made fried (whole) clams (not strips), clam fritters (not a big success), and Clam Chowder; and I have several other recipes (like Linguini with Clam sauce) to try out, but am waiting for better cooking accommodations to unthaw our treasures for indulging. Thank goodness for the food processing vacuum sealing system! I still have a few vacuumed sealed bags of Ninilchik Razor Clams for us to share and enjoy. It will be my revenge on those slippery critters....

It took longer to rinse, shell, and prepare these slippery devils for future use, than it took on the shore digging them up! Of course, while you are "cleaning" them, they are still alive and squirming all around, so this was quite an adventure for me. Now our companions, the Wades, not only got their limit that day, but remained the following low tide morning, parked on the beach, and got another 120 clams to put in their newly acquired 7 cu. ft. freezer that they installed in their RV to keep all the fish they caught on the trip. Now that's thinking ahead! The Wades love to fish and taught us so many things on clamming from how to dig them, clean them, and store them. It was really a neat and special experience. We paid $40 for two "day" licenses and got 84 clams, so about 50 cents a clam; that's Okay! The experience alone was worth the license fee. But I don't think I could have cleaned anymore. Just from the 84 clams we had, I was getting "flashes" in my eye from just too much overdoing, so when the last clam had been rinsed and bagged, I was pooped! As much as I thoroughly love Seafood and Shell Fish; I do not like to hit grit when eating.. I most likely rinse away a lot of good clam nector in our first attempt at cleaning our catch (but we haven't hit any grit either!). Oh well, this is how we learn, from our experiences, and I wouldn't have missed this experience for the world. It was a lot of fun! Now, for the photo of boats. This is a very private little inlet near Ninilchik; fascinating because the boats are all rafted together; not individually tied to dock space, so to get your boat out, or if a neighbor wants to get their boat out...we are assuming this harbor has a very, very "good neighbor" policy that all the boaters and fishermen respect and re-secure everyone's lines as you slip out.....it resembles "Sardines in a Can" because there is no extra dock area to walk up and untie YOUR boat.; being a good fsher-person and good boats-person and all-around a decent person has to be evident here; otherwise, these boats would be floating around all Amuk! To us, this reflected a respectfulness and thoughtfulness amoung those boat owners harbored in this peaceful, beautiful alcove of hard-working, sea-worthy vessels!
So Folks, guess that Kronicalizes another segment of our Alaska adventure. It helps us keep a journal of our adventures before we are too old to remember the details, and provides you the flexibility to keep or delete; read or not read, link or not link as you desire. So I will close this Karla's Kronicles as I always do....read and enjoy, forward to anyone you think may want to read it, email me to delete your name from the list if desired, and most of all remember that we think of you all, even more so when I review my Kronicle's Reader's List and how long it's been since some of us have been in contact. Speaking of contacts, if you email me a change in your email, I do update the Kronicles Group list, so do keep us posted of email changes. The best thing we get from writing the Kronicles (other than it helps us remember our travels) is that when we send out a new one, we get responses from YOU! but BEWARE! Since we have not written Kronicles since our "confinement" in Anchorage; we are in the process of releasing 4 new editions; this is one of those 4 editions of our travels occurring in the month(s) of July and August 2007; Kronicles 8 is about leaving our beloved Marblemount; then Kronicles 9-July 2007 is the beginning of our Alaska adventure until my surgery waylaid us in Anchorage. Now we are playing catch-up with Kronicles 10 (this one); followed by Kronicles 11, 12, 13 coming to your email soon. So, signing off on Kronicles #10, writing this from Eustis Florida, more to come.... As always, we wish you HEALTH and HAPPINESS Mote later!...Karla and Larry, the Nomadic Dayhuffs (but not for long, we did buy a home in Florida - stay tuned for a future Kronicles on our New Home)
So, WHAT'S NEW WITH YOU!!!!!! Let us know what you've been up to.