USA: Alaska - Wild And Beautiful IV.

23. 8. 2011

Homer; Grenwick Glacier, Homer Spit, Anchor Point, Palmer, Talkeetna Mountains, Hatcher Pass

We wake up again in rainy foggy day. Nothing to do, glacier Grenwick, we simply do not enjoy! After breakfast around 10 o´clock we once again return to the Homer Spit, where we are looking for our favourite bald eagles. Going to get a few shots and leave the harbour. On the way back we stop at the "scrap yard" is at the beginning spittle, there are real gems. Here you can find wrecks of ships, cars and some bus. Place has its charm and it wrecks doesn’t ruin it...

We are going for next trip, this time our aim is to Hatcher Pass in the Talkeetna Mountains. We still have a long way to go. I give the Dáša advice and carefully observe everything going on around the road you drive through. Suddenly I see a group of Japanese, as something also. It is not where to stop, swerve or turn off the road and stop just as the other five cars and we know what is happening here. Not far from us, we see hefty moose lady who walks in the water and eat a lot ... We are happy about made shots.

We pass through a town Palmer and we get to the beautiful romantic place in the middle of hills named Hatcher Pass. In the saddle surrounded by green hills is about ten cottages and one main building. So romantic!

24. 8. 2011

Hatcher Pass Lodge - that's the name of our accommodation in a mountain pass Hatcher Pass. This amazing place is located about 12 miles (19 km) from Palmer. The pass is named after Robert Hatcher, a major miner. Robert Lee Hatcher (1867-1950) is credited with the development of gold mining in the area. He built roads and mines, and his discovery of the vein "Scyscraper" changed the former Willow Creek placer insignificant in gold digger´s paradise.

The view from the window is fabulous, all around green valley framed by the peaks of the surrounding hills, and just ahead glacier of Pioneer.

After breakfast we move farther away from our lodge, we visit the Independence Historical Mine State Park. What is now called the park includes two gold mines. First is The Alaska Free Gold (Martin) Skyscraper in the mountains, and Independence Mine in Granite Mountains. In 1906, Robert Lee Hatcher's discovered the first gold vein, and thus began gold mining in this area. We have a gold mine as it looked in the past. Some houses are preserved more than others. Mine was made up of lots of buildings with different uses and the amount of mining galleries. In the wooden construction is described in detail gold mining. Differences are explained in the individual procedures, equipment demonstrations miners, various drills, tools. We scan the house that served to diggers there are rooms for different activities, perfectly described, although no one is in the house and the entrance is free, nothing is lost here. Visitors can see mine with everything that belonged to the original production.

We are coming back to car, plan to see family of beavers, how they build their practical dwelling. Dáša, who confesses castle and finds a beaver dam, but the beavers have a siesta and obviously do not care that there's a bunch of photo passion tourists. We're going to Palmer, where we visit the Reindeer Farm - farm are bred primarily caribou reindeer. The friendly guide welcomed us and all kind of goodness warrants, granules, reindeer are very tasty. First we listen to basic information about the farm and its inhabitants. Expect reindeer, another representative of the animal kingdom which inhabits this farm, is the bison. American bison is the largest mammal American continent.

We are leaving Reindeer Farm and moving to the river, where we can observe the salmon jump out of the water and trying to overcome the barrier.

We are leaving Reindeer Farm and moving to the river, where we can observe the salmon jump out of the water and trying to overcome the barrier.

Next stop - The Musk Ox Farm (Farm muskoxen) near Palmer. Northern musk is a big, stocky animal that covers the hair somewhere up to 90 cm long. There are showed all types of hair that cover this enormous body, and all you can touch. The most quality one is called qiviut - feathery wool, better than cashmere of Asian goats. The inhabitants of the Nordic countries originally used this wave as perfect insulation material in long cold winters. Now it is make from it different hats, scarves and other clothing. Tour of the farm was the last to today's program, we return to the cabins and go to sleep.

In the next part we cross the highest bridge in Alaska and at lake mountain we surprise quite action.

Text/photo: Magdaléna Radostová