Newspaper Page Text
PACE 8B
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2008
North to Alaska... continued from page 7B
ADDS SIGN
Ralph McConnell is shown hanging a sign at Watson Lake Sign Forest, where over 70,000 other
signs are located. His wife, Phyllis, made note of another Georgia couple listed on a sign and
contacted them when she returned home.
adventure could we stand!
The next town we stayed in was
Talkeena, my favorite thus far. A town
full of individual little cabins that housed
different shops and businesses. The train
stopped right at the edge of the RV park
where we stayed. We could take a round
trip through the area. Anyone wanting to
be picked up just holds up a white flag
anywhere along the way and the train
would stop, or you could ride to a certain
place and float down the river. We took a
small plane flight and landed on a glacier
a fourth of the way up on Mt. McKinley.
This was the most awesome thing any of
us had ever done in our entire lives! We
flew between two mountain peaks and
we let out some muffled sounds but our
pilot assured us a 747 could fly through
there. I’m telling you, I’d never seen
anything more beautiful.
While I was there, I tossed out a small
stone from each of the graves of two
friends that had died the past year. I
wanted to honor the special memory I
had of them in this amazing place. They
are Kathy Cash that taught at the school
where I work and Blair Ferguson from
Charlotte, North Carolina. We saw an
avalanche as we stood there in awe! Our
pilot had us make quick loud noises so
we could hear them echo three different
times. It was so breathtaking. I could not
hold back tears, I was so overwhelmed!
As I write about it now the tears fall
again! Talkeena Air Flights rock!
We drove up Glen Highway to
Chickaloon to visit some friends of
David and Margaret. Henry and Ann
Tipton live in Georgia six months and
Alaska six months. We parked in Grand
View RV Park and it certainly lives up
to its name. Snow capped mountains all
around us and the Lions Head featured
on front of an Alaska magazine was right
outside our window. The Tiptons have a
mountain top log cabin with the same
views and mountains right up to their
back yard. They can see big horn sheep
from their window and have moose with
their babies come in their yard. Once a
lynx took up there.
Ann has the inside decorated so pretty
and cozy. The first thing you see when
you walk in her kitchen is a sign that
says Martha Stewart doesn’t live here.
It makes you feel at home right away.
They had a tasty supper of baked tur
key, spinach casserole, mashed potatoes
and rubarb pie with ice cream. We had
so many sandwiches coming to Alaska
we kind of forgot our manners and ate
seconds. The next day, we took the jeep
and drove down to Valdez and took a
six-hour boat trip to see some glaciers.
Along the way, we saw sea lions, otters,
eagles and whales. There were icebergs
everywhere! I felt like I was on the
Titanic dodging all of them. We were
served clam chowder or vegetable soup.
We enjoyed our day very much.
We saw the pipeline while we were
at Valdez and as we went over Jackson
Pass we saw banked snow or glaciers
three times our height. We saw more
waterfalls than we’d ever seen in our
lives. Lowell called to let us know they
were in Sterling at Moose River RV
Park. We were heading that way and had
missed seeing them for a few days. The
owners of the park, Dennis and Anita
Merck, have such an adventurous family.
They have a cafe at the park office and
cook breakfast for all the locals. It was
so much fun being around all of them we
wound up staying seven days.
We were close to the Kenai River and
the sock eye salmon were running. We
hiked a total of four and one half miles
to Russian River Falls to watch the
salmon jump back up the falls. We were
hoping to see a bear after the salmon as
we have seen on TV so many times. We
did not but it was so worth the hike to
see such beauty. Many pink, white, and
yellow blue blooms. After we got back
from the falls, we decided to walk back
through the campground to where there
was a lot of fishing going on. Ralph and
I sat down a minute to rest and David
and Margaret went ahead of us. On the
path right in front of them was a black
bear. Margaret froze in her tracks and
David kept pulling on her shirt. She
started taking pictures as if she were in
a safety zone of a zoo or something. As
Ralph and I approached, all they could
do was whisper “bear, bear” and point.
I am talking just yards away! Everyone
told us if we saw a bear not to run. Well
I did not run but let me tell you I walked
pretty fast. When we were walking to
the falls, we had a plan. Let’s all stick
together and yell loudly if we see a bear.
I don’t know what happened to that plan
but everybody scattered. I went up on a
short fishing pier to the river. The bear
went under the pier to the river to get a
salmon. He sat there eating his salmon
and we got some good pictures. He
started walking again and we started
toward the steps. I looked down at him
and a man said to me, “The bear does
not like you looking at him.” About that
time the bear made a growling noise
and threw up his paw at us. We got the
message and got back to the jeep. David
later asked me, “ Phyllis what would you
have done if the bear had went on the
pier after you? The only place you could
have gone is in the river.” I should not tell
you what I was thinking but I will. I was
really thinking maybe if I go out where
some men are fishing the bear would eat
them instead of me. Now I said it. I have
it off my conscience. Ha! Ha!
We left there and were on a back road
headed back to the park and spotted four
more bears. One had two baby cubs. We
stayed in the jeep and watched them as
they climbed a tree and walked around
as though we weren’t there. The next
morning the paper told about two bear
attacks in this area. That is when we
really got scared. A woman was attacked
while picking mushrooms from the back
and she just played dead and lived. A
fourteen-year-old girl was attacked while
on her bike. The paper said it was the
worst attack they’d seen in years. We
were feeling pretty lucky. Now Lowell
was so disappointed he had not seen a
bear so we went down the same road
three times where we had seen four and
did not see any more.
We took a day trip to Homer Spit which
is a narrow strip of land that stretches five
miles out into Kachemak Bay with a
horizon of snow capped mountains. It is
a very peaceful fishing village known for
Halibut fishing. Homer Spit is also the
home of The Eagle Lady Jean Keene.
She has fed bald eagles in the winter
for 20 years. She started with two and
now over 300 bald eagles ascend on her
backyard as she feeds them fish scraps
from a nearby seafood plant. There is
a book about her and Margaret and I
wanted one. Well leave it to our friend
Lowell. He goes up and knocks on her
door. A neighbor comes out to see what
he needs. He tells her he wants some
books. She tells him some sad news. The
eagle lady is in the hospital and may not
recover. She is 80 years old. The neigh
bor goes in her house and brings him out
the last two books Jean had signed. What
a treasure we’ll always keep.
The next day, we stay close to the river
watching men fish. They call it combat
fishing during the salmon ran. They
stand shoulder to shoulder to cast and get
their lines all tangled up. It is something
to watch. I could sit and watch them all
day long. I got to know a lot of people in
the mornings at the cafe. Two men went
home and brought me two salmon they’d
caught and one they had smoked. I told
them the only salmon I’d ever eaten was
out of a can. We cooked it on the grill
and had fried potatoes and slaw. Lowell
had an awful day trying to catch a fish. I
shared one with him. No bear, no fish.
One lady I met at the cafe was Cynthia
from Tennessee. She heard me say yard
sale and the next thing I know me, her
and Margaret are going. One sale we
were at we saw moose and two babies.
When we left and was at the end of the
driveway, Margaret was talking to some
body and the moose came close to our
car. We were yelling, “watch the moose,”
and she thought we were yelling come
on and she comes walking within feet of
the moose. We were told if a moose had
babies she would stomp you to death if
she felt her babies were threatened. If
Margaret gets out of Alaska in one piece,
it would surprise me.
Lots of people at the cafe talked about
how they lived in Alaska during the sum
mer and had another home somewhere
else, and all the other places they’d go.
I told them I had to figure out how they
do all of that because I had to eat a lot
of baloney to save money to just come
and visit.
Ralph and I celebrated our 36th wed
ding anniversary while at Moose River
Park. Anita, who owns the park, made
dinner for us and invited all of our
new friends. What a celebration! Dennis
cooked steaks on the grill and we had
baked potatoes, salad and can you
believe king crab legs? She also made
homemade cherry pie, blackberry pie
and my favorite pecan pie. On top of all
that, Joyce and Lowell bought choco
late cake. That is the best anniversary I
can ever remember having! Being on
my dream vacation and sharing such a
special day with such special people.
We will not forget Moose River Park in
Sterling.
The next day was very sad. Ralph
and I were flying home leaving behind
our friends we came with and Lowell
and Joyce who we’d been with since
Idaho. All the bear hunts, hikes, tour
ing, dinners together and just plain
fun. All of the local people told me to
eat lots more baloney to save money
so I could start saving money to come
back. They thought I was kidding
but I wasn’t. I’ll let them think what
they want. As we pulled out heading
toward Anchorage, Joyce and Lowell
were waving a white handkerchief
yelling bye and I was crying my heart
out. Alaska was not what I thought
it would be, it was more than I could
ever dream it could be! Thanks David
and Margaret Ledford for having
Ralph and me along on the journey
of a lifetime.
Who do you want protecting
your family from criminals?
v^Brad Smith
11 Years Experience as Assistant DA
• Numerous trials successfully prosecuting rapists,
murderers, child molesters and drug traffickers
• Assisted on every death penalty case in past 12 years
• Presented thousands of cases before grand jury
• Endorsed by District Attorneys
• Endorsed by Police Benevolent Association of GA
Donna Sikes
NO Experience in DA's Office
• NO experience prosecuting criminals
• ZERO criminal jury trials in past 10 years
• NEVER presented a case before the grand jury
• Not endorsed by ANY District Attorney
Brad Smith Is the ONLY Candidate
With a Proven Record of Protecting
Our Community from Criminals.
Brad Smith
The Obvious Choice for District Attorney
www.BradSmithforDA.com
VOTE AUGUST 5 IN THE RUN-OFF
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