Seaborgium - Back in the City by the bay

Matanuska Glacier

Seaborgium

The element of the day for the blog is Seaborgium, atomic number 106, not just because we have flown over the sea from Alaska to California, but because Glenn Theodore Seaborg worked most of his life in the San Francisco Bay area to which today we have returned. 

Seaborg was a chemist who was involved in the synthesis, discovery and investigation of ten transuranium elements, and he earned a Nobel Prize in Chemistry because of it. We could have used one of the names of the other 10 he discovered/investigated. But using his named one seems right, as he became the first person to have an element named for him while he was still alive. (The application came from his co-workers, citing his contribution to the work, not from him).

But enough science, back to our day:

Traveling back to Anchorage

I woke up at 5:00am, completed the blog post for yesterday and posted it. Drew woke at 6am, I made coffee, we shower, pack and dress. 

Frost on the car roof and rear window

We leave Old Town Copper Center at 7:15am. Imagine our surprise when we get to the car and see frost on it (it’s August!!). The exterior temperature when we start the car is 34°F (32° is 0 on the Celsius scale - ie freezing). For the first time this visit we have to go from air conditioning to heat!

Junction to the Alaska 1

At 7:25am we had turned off the AK-4 onto the AK-1. We wondered aloud when we left Anchorage where the AK-1 went when we joined the AK-3. Well now we know. 

AK-1 to Anchorage

It was like seeing an old friend again, travelling along the AK-1 which took us to Homer (and which then brought us back to Anchorage). 

The road is flat and straight for most part. Two cars pass us coming the other way in the first 30 minutes. We don’t see anyone going the same way as us, but with cruise control cars might travel all day a mile or so apart as their cruise control keeps them at exactly 65, the speed limit, whereas if you are controlling your own speed it is more likely to fluctuate. 

A very poor picture of a Moose's rear

We saw a moose on the side of the road, he was a big fella. Though given our speed I was only able to snap his rear quarters in a photo that has more wing mirror than moose. 

The mountains are all around us

You can tell we have become blasé about the landscape. The route took us alongside a mountain range with five large mountains and a huge glacier. Maybe because they were south of us, i.e. the driver’s side, we didn’t make an effort to photograph them. They were pretty, but there were no obvious places to pull over and take a photo. 

After Eureka Summit we came down into flatter lands and the mountains became swathed in smoke. After last year when we saw so much fire smoke, we had, until now escaped it in Alaska. But while we had been up North the fires in the south had taken on a new life including the one at Swan Lake  that had been under control when we passed it last week.

The smoke followed us all the way into Anchorage, if we had been a week later than we were many of our mountain views would have been obscured.

Breakfast

Long Rifle Lodge

We stopped for breakfast just before 9am having travelled for 103 miles, but every eating place we saw was closed. Google Maps helped us find an open place, The Ninty-niner diner in Glacier View, but it turned out that while they opened at 8.00am what they served was Pizza, which didn't seem appropriate for breakfast. The very kind owner told us that there was a place three miles back. 

Long Rifle Lodge

We realised when we arrived at the Long Rifle Lodge at  9:03am that Google Maps hadn't picked it up when we had searched for open places 30 minutes earlier!!

The place was run by a young husband and wife, with him doing front of house and her working in the kitchen. After we arrived another ten other people came in, so they got quite busy. 

Stuffed bear - Long Rifle Lodge

As seems to be the case in these sort of places there were stuffed animals and various antiques of homestead life. 

Haydn enjoying the view 

Oh and there was a glacier - the Matanuska Glacier - out the window. Some joker managed to take a shot of me checking our route, claiming I was ignoring the glacier for the sake of Facebook, Twitter or Flickr 😉  <<Co-pilot's note: All in jest, dear readers, all in jest.>>

In my defense I note that the place had neither WiFi nor mobile signal, so all I could access was the map I'd downloaded for the journey. 

Reindeer omelette

For breakfast Drew had a three egg reindeer omelette with potatoes, wholegrain toast and grape jelly

Reindeer burrito

I had a reindeer burrito with grilled onions, cheese, eggs and potatoes. With the spicy salsa and the sour cream it was a great way to start the day's eating. 

Smoke on the mountains

The smoke on the mountains was bad and has been caused by two major fires at present. One near Talkeetna, which is limiting travel on the AK-3 Parks Highway. 

Back to Anchorage Airport

We left Long Rifle Lodge at 9:50am and I drove the 103 miles to the Car Rental place at Anchorage Airport. It was strange to see familiar places in Anchorage wreathed in smoke. 

We arrived at 11:50am and handed over the Car. Walking to the United Airline desk and checking in at 12:10pm. (The bags for this part of the trip cost $60 - $30 each). We then went through security getting our the other side by 12.35pm.

Seafood & Tomato Chowder

It being time for lunch we went to the Norton Sound Seafood House. I started with a Seafood and Tomato chowder which was nice and spicy. 

Crab and shrimp roll

This was followed by crab and shrimp roll with fries and pickle. It was not the tastiest think I have ever eaten, but was fine as something to keep us going for the journey.

Bacon and Cheese burger

Drew opted for a Bacon and Cheese burger with coleslaw and he enjoyed it. 

Following lunch we sat in the airport and transferred this morning's photos from the camera to the laptop. The free WiFi wasn't fast enough to upload them, so we'll do that when we are back at the Triton. 

Anchorage to San Francisco

Boarding began at 1:56pm and the plane departed prompt at 2:36pm. We flew on a B737-800. Six seats per row, we have seats 34A and 34B. Seat 34C is taken by a Buddhist monk. <<Co-pilot's note: I, dear readers, had Mr B's right elbow in my left rib for most of the flight, Mr Monk's left elbow in my right rib for most of the flight. It's a good job I've got inner peace, I can tell you that!!>>

We were served pretzels and coffee on the flight and I caught up with some admin on my laptop during the flight. It seems I haven't checked emails or other stuff (accounts) for most of the week we have been in Alaska. It has been full on, but fun.  

We flew in over downtown San Francisco with great views or the City and of the Golden Gate bridge. Drew is certain it will have reclothed itself in fog tomorrow just to spite him!! We arrived at San Francisco Airport at 8:17pm PST (7:17pm ADT)

San Francisco

We picked up our luggage at 8:40pm and caught a free 'Air Train' from Terminal 2 to the International Terminal where the BART is located. This is one huge airport, as we saw on our trip!!

We caught the BART at 8:55pm (we still had value on our Clipper Cards) getting into Montgomery Station at 9:30pm and checking in and getting to the room in the Hotel Triton at 9:40pm. We are in Room 416, which is the opposite way around to the previous room we were in (beds to the right, not the left) but otherwise very familier.

Jack in comfort - we are now in room 416

We went out again at 10:05 to grab something to eat before heading off to sleep. Drew found a nearby McDonald's and I had a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Bacon and Drew had a Quarter Pounder Deluxe. He was very happy as I'm not a fan of burgers, so having two burgers in one day is a very special treat for him. <<Co-pilot's note: Yum, Yum, Yum.>>

Our food at McDonalds

We got back to the Hotel Triton at 11:15pm, uploaded today's photos and it was time for bed.