"We Bicycled
In Alaska"
(Continued from page 1)
of the sunshine we were to see for
quite a while.
Cordova was enveloped in fop.
We walked around in the rain for
a while, talked to a very few peo
ple. then climbed hack aboard ro
escape the odor of fish and the
screaming gulls.
The Columbia Glacier was im
pressive. What else can one say
of such a huge expanse of ice when
one has merely a nodding acquain
tance with glaciers?
It was still foggy when we
reached Valdez which, to us, was
most interesting as the future ter
minus of our trip down the Rich
ardson Highway. It was like peek
ing at the last page of a mystery
novel before reading it. We were
satisfied that we could coast in the
last few miles anyway.
Camera bugs tried to get a snap
shot of Seward through the gal
lons of haze. That was Saturday.
Julv 10, At 9:30 a.m. we were again
on land, feeling sorry for the poor
tourists who had to stay on the
boat for another week.
We were really anxious to get
going after the last few dull days
on the boat. We spent a number of
hours in Seward in preparation,
talked to some of the residents and
looked around a bit. Seward was
an attractive town and its people
were very friendly.
It was well on in the day before
we finally left Seward. We had
been warned of a long hill a few
miles out of town. With all the en
ergy stored up through days of
idleness on the boat, we were
practically to the top of the hill
before we realized we had been
climbing. Bv dinner time we
reached Lawing where we enjoyed
Nellie’s hospitality for the night
Nellie also enlightened us a great
deal in telling the tales behind
each trophy in her lodge.
The next morning we rolled into
Moose Pass hoping to find some
favorable information on transpor
tation from Hope to Anchorage. No
Hope to Anchorage ferry! After a
council of war. the only remaining
solution was to take the train from
Moose Pass to Anchorage. That
was our first contact with The
Alaska Railroad and it was also a
memorable train ride through and
around mountains, by glaciers and
over the famous Loop.
Anchorage was hot and dusty.
Every camp site we picked was
alive with mosquitoes. Two days
of hiking and two nights of fight
ing mosquitoes were enough. We
left Anchorage on the dusty,
gravel-covered road headed toward
Palmer. Before that ordeal was
over some of us were convinced
that the way to see Alaska was by
road scraper or bull dozer.
For two days we bumped over
gravel and hills, through dust and
traffic. In that time we learned
that when Alaska roads were
carefully maintained it meant that
those roads were deep enough in
gravel to swallow up a bicycle.
Road scrapers were more hindrance
than help in our point of view
They just moved the boulders
back into the middle of the road,
covering even the welcomed auto
mobile tracks. When we found out
that the Butte road was in poor
condition it was happy news. For
five miles we rode in comparative
comfort and enjoyed the ride. No
hills, no traffic, no dust, no gravel.
It was a thirty-four mile grind
that day and many of those miles
were spent thinking nasty thoughts
about automobile drivers who
should be boiled in oil. Thirty-four
miles at home would have been a
short spin. Here it was a day’s
work.
We reached Palmer early in the
evening. After that visit in Palmer
we were convinced that Alaska
was a fair match for any locality
boasting hospitality and friendli-1
ness. We gathered enough provi
sions for several days, then left
Palmer toward noon of the next
day. Our crowd was becoming
notorious for getting started at
noon. We took the mad to Wil
low. leaving dust, gravel and traf
fic. But one cannot expect every
thing to he perfect The hills be
came more and more prominent.
Going uphill all afternoon can be
come a hardship. We traveled for
several hours at five miles per |
hour, finally reaching the Little
Susitna Lodge to pause, rest and
converse. One more mile of push
ing up the switch back to the pass
was enough for that day.
Friday. July 16. was a day few
of us will ever forget because of
its extremes. Pushing a packed bi-1
cycle up the side of a mountain j
for five miles was £iot easy. We
sweated that trail. The lack of J
traff^t. the beauty of- the scenery, i
the many species of wild flowers
and favorable weather saved the J
day. Some of us hiked up to the 1
- /
0
Independence Mine to look
around. From there the climb
seemed even worse. In the process
of climbing that trail, most of us
looked as if we were done in. At
the pass, something happened. Bi
cycles littefled the side of the road
while their owners climbed the
mountain.
Coming down on the other side
of the pass was a different kind of
a strain but it did not last quite as
long. It was an effort to stop at
Lucky Shot but no effort at all to
continue down hill.
The next day found us stamped
ing toward Willow to catch the
train to McKinley Park. We met
one moose on that road but none
of the promised bear. The first day
at McKinley Park was most dis
couraging. It rained hard. The road
commission representatives stopped
to tell us that there were usually
two days of good weather at the
park each summer. They had al
ready had two days of good weath
er. For two days we sat listening
to the pitter pater of the rain on
the roof. A few of us were begin
ning to develop a psychosis. If we
ever got the yen to return to
Alaska—oh, unhappy thought—we
needed only to put on a poncho
and push a bicycle up a gravel
covered hill in the rain as we
leaned gracefully over the handle
bars, studying various shapes and
descriptions of boulders and stones.
Between that drab picture and our
growing dislike for army rations,
we dreamed a rough time.
The next day brought some re
lief from the rain. After that we
could not have ordered weather to
please us more. In spite of the
discouraging reports, we saw Mt.,
McKinley in all its glory once and
less gloriously on two other oc
casions. Five of us • climbed a
mountain. Going up was not diffi
cult. Three of us slid back down on
all fives, at the same time, pitying
the tourists riding by in the bus
never having the opportunity to
sec the color of the flowers high
on the mountains, to rest* in the
deep comfortable moss, to watch
huge birds circling below and to
observe the mountain goats at
close range.
Our last ride on The Alaska Rail
road Streamliner left us at College
at 11:00 on a Sunday night. Once
again we were glad for the com
parative lack of darkness in Alas
kan summer nights. We camped at
College with some University stu
dents and a million mosquitoes.
One day was spent at “completing"
The
Seward Light & Power
SERVING SEWARD SINCE 1905
Light - Power - Telephone
Telephone Main 0
O. T. WELCH
General Mgr.
our education in mining gold. Tvvo^
more days took us on a round trip
over the Steese Highway to Circle
City and Circle Hot Springs in a
pick-up truck. On Friday, while
three of the group started down
the highway by bicycle, four of us
flew across the vast Yukon flats
to Fort Yukon. On Saturday, two
more left Fairbanks to begin the
trek toward Valdez. The rest of us
left on Sunday morning.
Going down the highway in
groups brought us into closer ac
quaintance with the Road Com
mission and the “Mukluk Tele
graph.” We did not like the scrap
ers any better than we had before
but the men running them were
such nice fellows that we could
not help overlooking faults. How
ever, our one aim with each new
day was to stay ahead of the
scrapers. The “Mukluk Telegraph"
wfj^ much more efficient than
Western Union. Everyone on the
highway knew where we were
camped, when we brushed our
teeth and when we flew over otu
handle bars. .Scattered as we were
we were kept closely informed on
where the others were and what
they were doing. Most of us man
aged to get together 175 miles
from Fairbanks, with the help of
the “Telegraph,” of course.
We enjoyed a lazy ride down
the Richardson Highway. It was
interesting to compare notes as we
went along. Here the landscape
reminded someone of the Berk
shires and Connecticut. Another
spot might have been transplanted
from Montana or Kansas. One place
looked so much like Northern
Michigan, complete with Indians,
that two of us wanted to jump o.V
our bicycles and call it home. The
south side of Thompson's Pass
could have been the setting for a
western movie. We fully expected
to see great herds of cattle grazing
or cowboys and Indians popping up
from behind the rocks. A leisurely
walk through Keystone Canyon
provided a quiet, relaxing climax.
We coasted into Valdez on Aug.
12 in time to find out that the
Aleutian was to be late. This time'
we had time to appreciate Valdez,
its lovely mountainous setting and
its people. The next day Valdez
was back in form. It rained for two
days.
Returning to Ketchikan after an
absence of six weeks was like re
turning home and picking up old
friendships. We climbed Deer
Mountain one day in the sunshine.
When we left Ketchikan aboard
the Prince Rupert on August 19. it
was with sadness for the trip was
over and we were leaving Alaska,
most of us 'w’ithout having even
seen a bear.
In six weeks we had become at
tached to Alaska and the friendly
Alaskans. We were thrilled by the
beauty of Alaskan scenery — the
comfortable moss-covered moun
tains as well as the rugged snow
clad peaks; lakes of jade and blue,
and the clear, cold- energetic little
mountain streams. .We were espe
cially impressed by and grateful
for the kindness and generosity of
Alaskans who welcomed us so
whole-heartedly and offered us so
much of their time, knowledge and
resources.
CLASSIFIED ADS
FOR SALE: Dodge sedan; Behning |
spinet type piano, like new, excel- j
lent condition: nearly new three-'
quarter rollaway bed: girls’ full j
size bicycle: small girls’ bicycle: |
Thayer baby carriage. See John |
Hay or call Black 150. 21
LOST—1 black traveling bag be
tween Seward and Mile 58. Con
tains “parts” catalogue valuable
only to owner, please leav* with
Seward Polaris. lOtfc
FOR SALE: Infants’ bassinet, col
lapsible and with hood. Good con
dition,^ $10. Mrs. LaPreal F. Bie.
21p
FOR SALE: Three-room, modern
house. $500 down, balance like
rent. Call Adams 159 after 2 p.m.
21-2-3p
FOR SALE: Postcard duplicator
and supplies, $7.00: boys’ bicycle,
British, $25.00; sun lamp, $18.00:
dresser lamp, $2.50; round wall mir
ror. $1.50: set of dishes for 6, $4.50;
J bedroom chair and matching otto
| man, $15.00; blue bedroom rug.
$2.50; blue bedspread and 2 pr.
matching drapes, $7.00: electric rec
ord player, $45.00; used records, 20c
each. Call Main 168 for informa
tion. 21tfc
FOR SALE:— Steel bedstead, link
spings. Inner spring mattress—39
inches. $45. Call Madison 31. 15tfc
Something really high class in
big game rifles. Drop in for a
look at—
f ANDREWS
SURPLUS STORE
13
FOR SALE:— Girls bicycle; new
baloon tires. Call Madison 184
14tfc
WANTED—Small apt. suitable for
two people. Call ' Adams 84 or
Adams 159 lltfc
FOR SALE—Kerosene range, five
burners, reasonable- Inquire at
Polaris. 16tfc
HOUSEKEEPING ROOMS for
rent. Call Main 185. Ocean View
Home. 6tfc
Painting and paperhanging. J.B
Coble. PHONE Garfield 5
82tfc
2 > BEDROOM house completely
furnished on 2% lots, Garage. 411
Third Street.. 13tfc
FOR SALE:— 3-room house with
bath on 3rd Avenue. Call Madi
son 113. 14tfc
FOR SALE—Easy washer with
spin-dryer. Inquire Polaris.
FOR SALE: Quonset hut. fully in
sulated. Inquire Polaris office.
21-3p
FOR SALE: 1946 Willvs Jeep, 15.000
miles total: new throughout. Price
$1250. Terms. Hut 23. Vets Hous
ing. 21tfc
FOR SALE: '42 Dodge personnel
carrier, 1 and one-half ton 6x6 with •
one-ton cargo trailer. Both good
condition. $1350 or to highest bid
der. A. Petrovich, 307 2nd Avenue.
21 2-3-4-5p
FOR SALE: Washing machine.
$35.00: desk, $10.00; Bulova wrist
watch, $12.50: new 12-gauge shot
gun, $35.00: Vacum, $5.00: Spanish
Guitar $10.00. Call Adams 159 after
2 p.m. 21c
DAN RIVER SHEETS
81x108 — $3.50
54x90 — $2.35
ANDREWS
SURPLUS STORE
l-7tfc
FOR SALE: Combination coal,
wood, oil range with shelf and
utensil drawer. All white enamel.
Only sik weeks use. Can be seen
at Apt. 7, Vet’s Housing Area.
20-1-2-3p
FOR SALE: Golden Labrador ae
trievers; Registered: 7 wks: four
males—hurry and get your pick—
$75.00 each, opposite Cozy Gro
Wanted—Copy of Mrs. Sharpie’s
book on Alaska Flowers* for rent
or to buy. Polaris Office. 96tfc
FOR SALE—’36 4-door Plymouth
Sedan. $250 cash. See W. E.
Johnson at Yellow cab stand. 3tfc
264 Square Inches Scotch Tape
15c
ANDREWS
17tfc