JUL 24, 14 .. THE ALASKA VETERAN'S MONUMENT ..

The Parks Highway is one of Alaska's major roads. The highway runs basically north and south between Anchorage Alaska and Fairbanks Alaska.  At one-mile intervals along the highway are 'mileposts' indicating where you are along the highway.  The mileposts begin at the Anchorage end of the highway and continue numbering upwards until Fairbanks is reached.

The Alaska Veterans Memorial is located at milepost 147 of the Parks Highway.  With no exception .. when I am traveling the 'Parks' .. winter .. summer .. spring .. or fall .. clear weather or winter snow and cold .. and all weather in between .. I stop at the Alaska Veteran's Monument to pay homage to our veteran's.

The below two roads are named appropriately ..

The grounds are peaceful and beautiful ..

The Visitor's Center is shown below ..

And below is the Alaska Veterans Memorial itself ..

IF at this point .. you turn 180 degrees around .. you will see the view that the above 'military scout' and Patti are perusing ..

Now we will go forward .. walking past our military scout we enter the Memorial site proper ..

 

 

Now looking first to the right side of the Memorial .. we see the United States Coast Guard .. 

My father served in the Coast Guard ..

My youngest son David .. served in the Air Force ..

I served as a commissioned officer in the Navy Seabee's ..

Prior to serving with the Seabees's .. I served as an enlisted member of the Marine Corps ..

My eldest son Robb .. served with the Army ..

These three generations (my father, myself and my two sons) of my family served in each of the five military services.

I have a very personal tradition that I perform on each and every visit here.  Starting on the right with the Coast Guard plaque in front of me .. and then moving one-by-one to the left .. Air Force .. Navy .. Marine Corps .. and Army .. I stand 'at-attention' and formally salute each service .. stating as I do so .. "Ladies and Gentlemen .. Officers and Men .. of the United States Coast Guard .. I salute you!" .. formally and crisply.   

Patti's father served with the Navy and the Merchant Marine ..



The Alaska National Guard is also honorably recognized.

How nice it was that .. as Patti and I traveled the Parks Highway up to Fairbanks and home again to Anchorage .. we enjoyed yet another profound visit to the Alaska Veterans Memorial.

JUL 14, 14 .. INTO FAIRBANKS ALASKA ..

Today is Monday .. 14 July 2014 .. 

I am going to publish TWO separate POSTS today. 

This post (INTO FAIRBANKS ALASKA) is about our drive north from Anchorage Alaska to Fairbanks.

The second post which will follow this post .. focuses upon Denali National Park and Preserve here in Alaska. 

 Please be sure to read both of these posts.

This-being-said .. 

I WILL BE TOTALLY 'OFF-LINE' FOR THE NEXT WEEK .. because ..

Patti and I HAVE driven north from Anchorage Alaska to Fairbanks Alaska arriving this afternoon about 3PM.  Later today the two-of-us will drive to Manley Hot Springs Alaska.  We will stay at our cabin (see my Post below dated 13 JULY 2014 for photos) until Saturday the 19th. Our 'plan' is to then drive back south through Fairbanks to Anchorage Alaska arriving on Sunday the 20th.

And ?? We will be 'off-line' because we do NOT have internet-access up in the rural interior of Alaska at Manley Hot Springs. 

CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN .. you said this to us yesterday and HERE YOU ARE AGAIN ?? .. what-are-we-to-believe ??

When we arrived into Fairbanks Patti and I came straight to the Fairbanks Alaska Library. I 'lucked-out' and grabbed a computer and I am on-line !

BELIEVE THEE THIS ..

We left Anchorage Alaska at 8PM last night heading north and rolled-into Cantwell Alaska this morning at 1AM .. a 'nifty' (Hi 'Zilla) five hour drive covering 212 miles (350 Km).

WELCOME TO CANTWELL ALASKA ! !

"Captain ?  It looks dark and gray and rainy ?"  .. "Welcome to summer in Alaska sports fans !  WE LOVE IT !  It is in the 50s and chilly !" .. 

Dating-back-to 1998 .. I have slept in my truck at the Chevron Gasoline Station here in Cantwell Alaska as I drive back and forth between Anchorage Alaska and Manley Hot Springs and Fairbanks Alaska.  Below are photographs of MY FRIEND .. the Chevron Gasoline Station and Convenience store in Cantwell Alaska !

Below is a photo of my Chevrolet Suburban truck .. his name is Mister R. Richardson Richtoffen .. 

The three photos below show the general scenery of the Parks Highway and are of a very special-to-me Parks Highway Milepost.

Back in the year 2007 .. my son Robb and I were in this area of Alaska.  Robb took a monumental bicycle ride of some 40+ miles round trip from Denali National Park and Preserve to this sign and back.  So I always stop and say hello to Milepost 257 !

Here in Alaska we have some LARGE TRACTOR-TRAILER 'RIGS' ..

OH YES ! YES LADIES ! AND YES GENTLEMEN ! .. HERE IN ALASKA .. IN THE SUMMER .. WE TOO HAVE ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND LONG DELAYS !

OK .. time to close this first post of 14 July 2014 and continue on to a second 14 July 2014 post about Denali National Park and Preserve here in Alaska immediately below .. 

So 'scroll-down' .. Smiles from Cap and Patti ..

I 'know' what you may-be-thinking Gullible .. "Cap .. for one day do one single post!"  Sometimes I like to separate them as I have done here. What can I say to you my Blogspot Guru ! ?  

JUL 14, 14 .. ALASKA'S DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE ..

After Patti and I left Cantwell Alaska (please refer to the above post) we drove 25-miles north to Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve.

For more .. much more .. go to 'Google' and enter .. Denali National Park and Preserve .. have fun !

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Alaska has many parks .. all of them wonderful parks. The most famous single park of them all is Denali National Park and Preserve.  'Denali' is among the top tourist-destinations for visitors coming to Alaska.

The few photos below are a mere touch-base for those of you reading along here ..

The below photos were taken at 'Denali's' Visitor Center.

Below are two close-up photos of the information Kiosk shown above in the left foreground of the top photo ..

OK !  Inside we all go !

Looking down on the main visitor exhibit.

Patti pointed out to me the bowls of fresh blueberries below !

The replicas of the animals look like real animals !

A fascinating scale-model of Denali National Park and Preserve.

Information about two of 'Denali's' most prominent people.

Charles Sheldon ..

Adolph Murie ..

Oh My !  Do I need to apologize 'Miss Denali' for this rapid-fire thumb-nail sketch of you ?

Joy .. Cap and Patti !