September '05 Newsletter

Happy autumn everyone!

We were a bit reluctant to come home after enjoying the cool Alaska summer for the past six weeks. Fortunately for us, Arizona is having a cooler than usual spell right now. Though it may hit triple digits again next week, it was nice to come home to warm pleasant weather and cooler nights. It was also nice to sleep in a real bed again instead of a truck bed. We fired up the hot tub as soon as we hit town and have baked and steamed the damp cold out of our bones.

Exciting family news that missed the deadline for our last newsletter: we are now calling our perpetual student son Scott, Dr. Marley. He received his PhD in June and is now employed as the Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of New Mexico. We are thrilled for him. Tennille is still in Tucson finishing up her Masters before she joins him there - hopefully in December. They just celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary and are looking forward to starting a new phase of their lives in New Mexico. Given Tennille's course of study and heritage she should be able to find a good job in Albuquerque.

Since both Scott and Tennille were off school and work for an extended period this summer, they were able to join us on a July Grand Canyon raft trip. It was too dang hot and the trip was less than perfect, however their presence brought us great pleasure. It was Tennille's first Canyon raft trip and we think she's hooked like the rest of us. Speaking of hooked, Bob was contacted by an Arizona Republic reporter, Ron Dugan, who wrote an article about folk's love for the Grand Canyon titled "A Grand Obsession" in which Bob is quoted several times.

Once home from the Canyon, we had only about ten days to pack before leaving for Alaska. Since we bought a lot of the food and supplies in Juneau and along the way with the group, we didn't have to pack too awful much at home. It's a good thing as it took several days to clean up after the raft trip and we found ourselves throwing our clothes together last minute as usual.

Susan was unable to squeeze in a Minnesota visit this summer but is still entertaining the idea of going home for the Finnish festival of Laskiainen in February. We are planning to spend a month or so visiting her family next summer. We also hope to work in a Boundary Waters canoe trip while we are in the area. Susan's niece, Heidi was assigned a new post at the American embassy in Amsterdam. We'd like to visit her in the next few years though it may not happen in '06 unless we can find a way to pop over from Turkey or Greece.

It seems that most of our southern friends weathered Hurricane Katrina okay. Lou and Debbie Martin haven't been allowed to return to their home yet but they have been informed that their home is still standing. I guess they have to look at it as a good excuse for an extended visit with one of their sons in Baton Rouge. Blue and her stepmother Virginia narrowly missed Katrina in Mississippi where they were readying a house for Virginia to move into. They have heard that a tree fell in the yard and some fiberglass roofing took flight from the back porch but aside from that Virginia's house is in good shape. We haven't seen Blue since April when she traveled to Ohio to tend to her father's failing health. He passed away last month and she is hoping to have his affairs settled and be back in town by November.

All told we put about 7000 miles on the new Toyota this summer, plus an additional 5000 miles on the Alaska Marine ferries. With gas prices what they are, we don't plan to travel much more in '05, so consider stopping in for a visit.

2005 Trip Reports:

Grand Canyon Rafting (7/5/05-7/22/05)

Any resemblance between the trip that was discussed and arranged last spring by the permit holder (PH) and myself and what actually happened this July was purely coincidental! Our friends and we became the victims of some folks with a permit who seemed to be hunting for a cheap Grand Canyon trip while conveniently forgetting about the NPS guidelines requiring self-sufficiency and self-actualization on a do-it-yourself, work and cost shared non-commercial trip.

Of course the PH and I agreed pre-trip that anyone included on the trip should love camping and the outdoors (perhaps I'm at fault for not including they should perversely enjoy 120 degree heat, sand storms, and other forms of hardship). So of course he brought his wife to be, who seemed to absolutely hate the outdoors, spent much of the trip scowling, and ticked off many of the participants within the first couple of days. Her idea of group compatibility was presented to one of our friends as "I didn't come on this trip to ride in a raft with people I don't know". She quickly made us aware that she was a $200,000/year accounting firm partner and accustomed to getting her way. Most of our group, even some of her friends, learned to ignore her and .... continued ......

Participants: Brian Aubin, Susan Groth (Suz), Bob Kerry, Bob Marley, Scott and Tennille Marley, Thuy Nguyen, Ron Youngs, a couple of new friends, & others

British Columbia Exploratory (8/3/05-8/12/05):

On a burn run to Alaska, we left Black Canyon City at 8:30 AM on August 3rd. North of Kanab, a half hour long pelting rainstorm hit us. Other than that we had clear weather and ultimately had to get some shuteye near Great Falls, MT. In 18+ hours we had covered close to 1200 miles and were within easy striking distance of the border. Our destination was Prince Rupert, where we would catch the Alaska Marine Ferry to Juneau to meet our friends.

After some discussion about why we were not carrying our passports, the crossing into Canada went fairly quickly. The lesson being: don't believe everything you read on the Internet! The time was well spent though, as Bob learned he is eligible for a Canadian Passport, which can make travel in some countries a lot easier. Along the way we played tourist in the Canadian Rockies, camping and hiking in both Banff and Jasper. Grizzlies and black bear were out berry picking to bulk up for winter hibernation. One of our campsites was surrounded by red ribbons; Parks Canada used them to mark the berry bushes slated for removal to insure fewer bear problems. Needless to say, we were glad to be sleeping in the back of the truck. Driving along the Icefields Parkway, we came upon our first black bear. We slowed to watch him scramble across the road, rolling up the windows of course. Walking to the ice of the Athabaska Glacier, we passed by plaques marking the glacier's retreat. Whether it is man caused or cyclical global warming, it was interesting to compare the leading edge of the glacier with where it had been when we first visited 17 years ago. We ventured up onto the ice a short ways but .... continued ......

Participants: Susan Groth & Bob Marley

Southeast Alaska Basecamp (8/13/05-8/21/05):

Driving the 12-passenger van that we picked up the previous evening, Bob dropped Susan at the airport to retrieve the second van and the six folks coming in from Anchorage while he picked up the rest at the Driftwood Inn in downtown Juneau. Everyone was there and ready to go. We loaded them up and joined the others at the McCauley Salmon Hatchery. A tour guide explained the various stages of fish ranching (raising them to fry size before releasing them to the ocean so they develop normally) not fish farming (keeping them in pens and feeding them hormones to bulk them up). Only 2% of those released actually return (fishermen, predators, etc.).

After setting up our gear and eating lunch at Mendenhall campground we headed for the glacier and visitor center. The day was crystal clear so many of us walked along the lake to the base of the energetic waterfall. It was 80-degrees, so the locals were out sunning and swimming in a lake that had icebergs floating in it. The water was probably 50 degrees in the shallows. Some of our group also walked the short trail to the top of the falls. Others would have liked to hike the West Trail to the glacier face but there wasn't enough time to do everything.

Up early for a fast breakfast, off we went to the Adventure Bound office for our Tracy Arm boat tour. Overbooked, they scheduled an additional 37' boat for us with Winona (one of the owners) as the driver. There were pluses and minuses to this. The owner Steve is supposed to do a great Alaska presentation as the 10-hour cruise goes along and Winona was pretty Spartan in her presentation. However the smaller boat only carries 18 so we had it pretty much to ourselves. The trip down to the inlet takes around 3 hours so only 4 hours or so of the 10 total is actually spent in the Tracy Arm. There were small icebergs in the mouth of the Tracy Arm. We were in total fog for a short while so it was a great relief when it lifted as we started up the arm. Hitting a truck-sized block of ice at 15-20 miles per hour would .... continued ......

Participants: Carolyn Balliet, Mike Blevins, Suz Groth, Ernie & Sandy Hildner, Jim Laskowski, Susan Lassiter, Bob Marley, Scott McCollough, Carol & Carl Muller, Gary & Trudy Patterson, Susie Raymond, Debbie & John Stenton

Alaska Exploratory (8/22/05-9/12/05):

After sending off most of the group on the high-speed ferry back to Juneau, we went into high-speed mode ourselves and rocketed over to Haines Junction to reorganize for two person traveling mode. Showers, clean laundry, and a good night's rest prepared us for our long drive into central Alaska. Fairbanks was our destination and we hoped to make it in a couple of days leaving ample time for exploring Denali, Anchorage, and Seward.

The day dawned clear but the mountains were draped in fog making a spectacular scene as we started north on the Alaska Highway. It clouded up as drove through mile after mile of spruce forest, much of it under attack by spruce beetle, something akin to our Arizona bark beetle. Wildlife sighted along the way was limited to two adult moose and one baby moose. Coming into Delta, the air was clear and we enjoyed magnificent views of the Alaska Range to the west of us. We mistakenly surmised that one of the peaks might be Denali but were informed by an Anchorage resident that Denali couldn't be seen from Delta. Flocks of Canadian geese flew over in V formation as we prepared dinner at our campsite. The tourist season was coming to an end in Alaska, even for the birdlife.

As we approached Fairbanks there seemed to be more people living on the side roads in the bush. Other than the occasional mountain peak, the landscape reminded Susan of her home in northern Minnesota. Apparently many Iron Rangers end up in Alaska because the climate and countryside is reminiscent of home. The Fairbanks visitor center was located in a rather seedy area of downtown. We availed ourselves of the travel brochures and proceeded .... continued ......

Participants: Susan Groth & Bob Marley

2006 MG Trip Plans:

Start Finish Trip Name Group Size Comments
4/3/06 4/14/06 Aegean Turkey & Cappadocia 12-20 Coordinating with a Turkish tour operator we will travel by first class bus and air. Stay in upscale hotels for twelve days throughout western Turkey. Fabulous Roman and Grecian sites will be visited surrounding Pamukkale, Bodrum, and Izmir. Additional sightseeing in Cappadocia and exotic Istanbul. Cost is expected to be $1,375.00 plus a couple of meals and any gratuities (double occupancy). Contact us for a full trip description. If interested $50.00 deposit now, $300.00 by December 15, and balance by January 15, 2006.
April
September		 May
October		 Grand Canyon Raft Trip 8-16 The rumor mill has the NPS issuing 100 or more new trips in 2006 (in addition to the normal waitlist trips) using a lottery. This may be the chance some of you wanted to get on a Grand Canyon raft trip. Organized for individuals with rafts and some without. Let's get permit applications sent in as soon as the details become known.
June June Idaho Raft Trips
June 5-12 start date for Middle Fork lottery applications
on MF.		 16 If you wish to join this trip we'll need your help during December and January applying for a Middle Fork permit. Two weeks in Idaho on some of the world's best whitewater (Middle Fork and Main Salmon. Organized for individuals with rafts and some without. Possibility of flood flows.
7/15/06 7/23/06 Canadian Rockies Van Trip 12 We'll meet in Calgary, camp in the excellent National Park campgrounds of Jasper, Banff, Kootenay, and Yoho. Columbia Icefield walk. Travel will be in a rental van supported by our Toyota truck. Expect lots of dayhiking and unexcelled photo opportunities.
8/20/06 8/26/06 Boundary Waters Canoe Trip 8 Susan wants to go home to Minnesota and has never canoed the Boundary Waters. We will meet in Duluth. Transportation will be arranged to and from the area of interest. Since gear and canoes must be portaged several times on most loops, physical fitness is manditory.

Notes:

General Trip Information:

We must receive your deposit and a completed Q/AR form, for you to be considered for inclusion on one of our trips. If you are planning to join a future trip and you haven't done this yet, please do it now. If a trip is popular enough to require a waitlist, we will use five criteria to determine who goes. Initial preference will be given to those who have a current mailing application on file, have paid any required trip deposit, and have promptly returned the necessary Q/AR. If this isn't sufficient, we then compare trip deposit dates and lastly Q/AR postmark dates.

We continue to send information to travel friends using email. If you want to be the first to know what's happening, be sure keep your email address current. We'll also continue to communicate unique travel opportunities by 'special mailings' to those who travel with us frequently and who have a mailing application on file.

Best of luck in your adventures, whatever they are, and wherever they may be. We look forward to traveling with you sometime soon.

Susan & Bob

Updated on Thursday, December 8, 2006 @ 4:30 MST
© 1995-2006 by Robert R. Marley