It was a boisterous reunion as the Rainbow Glacier Adventures family gathered in the “bus” for the first meeting of 2012. Many of my fellow guides had grand adventures this winter. Above you see Deborah Marshall, she went sailing 1200 nautical miles in the Pacific Ocean before being marooned on a nearly deserted coral atoll. She was rescued by a supply schooner and later became part of the crew on a cargo ship through the Cook Islands. What a wild winter for a wild woman.

Jen Reid spent 3 months in Baja Mexico.

As we were introduced to the two new employees, Lindsey Moore & Shannon Green, we each spoke about how special it is to work for such a unique tour company as Rainbow Glacier Adventures. Joe’s tour guides are an eclectic group of artistic characters that call Haines, Alaska home year round. That also makes us a bit eccentric. We are the type of people that give Haines its colorful personality.

Robert Chadwell & new RGA guide, Lindsey Moore, enjoyed the beaches of Maui, Hawaii this winter.

Robert pointed out our tours are normally 2-6 people tops. The intimate setting creates unique and lasting impressions on our guests. It is like hanging out with a few choice friends while seeing the “Real” Alaska.

Judy likes that we customize our tours to our guest’s desire. People get to do what they want in Haines when touring with Rainbow Glacier Adventures.

Tom & Carol Ganner missed the first meeting due to a 3 week rafting trip down the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon. Poor babies.

Bruce Blake had foreign travels in India but said his real highlight was singing in a gospel choir in the ghetto of San Francisco.

Nelle Jurgeleit-Green also travel far away…to Italy.  Yes, I’m envious.

Ron Horn captured Blue Whales in Loreto Mexico.

Our most “mature” guide, Bob Adkins, found himself in Las Vegas for the first time ever…that is the same destination my husband and I visited as well. Bob was not as impressed as we were with Vegas.

He summed up his Vegas experience with one image that will haunt him for a long time:
Picture a long row of slot machines in a dark, smoky room with a lady sitting down at the far end. She had a mini skirt on that looked more like a belt, with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth…she could not have been a day under 80. As she numbly pulled at the slot machine arm over and over again Bob thought,
“When your face has more wrinkles than your skirt, it is time to quit wearing them”. Bob stated it was his first and LAST time in Vegas.

I loved Vegas…go figure.

RGA Owners, Joe & Edie, had a different kind of adventure this winter. They had their 2nd daughter after eight years, cute little Sapphire. Stella is a happy big sister now.

All of us have the bragging right of surviving a Southeast Alaskan record-breaking winter. Thirty feet of snow (that is 360.7 inches folks) in Haines, Alaska is something to be proud (scared) of for sure. Judy captured it nicely with this shot.

Joe emphasized the fact our company stands for eco-tourism, having minimal impact on the environment and how we are positive community members by taking tours to establishments in Haines like;
Dave & Carol Pahl’s Hammer Museum,

John & Sharon Svenson’s Extreme Dreams Art Studio,

Paul Wheeler & Jeanne Kitayama’s Haines Brewing Company,

Dejon Delights Smoked Salmon emporium,

Schnabel’s Big Nugget Mine.

We support our local businesses and people.
Deborah said it was wonderful that we are a mature, middle-aged group of locals instead of college students from Colorado up for the summer. Everyone piped up in disagreement at being called “middle aged”. Doesn’t she know 50 is the new 30? Besides, a few of us haven’t reached that yet…but we knew what she was getting at. We are the real deal in authentic “Alaskan Lifers”.

People in the lower 48 do not understand why people would CHOOSE to live in a location that does not get cell service, electricity from the city, or even water in some cases. Outhouses are not a thing of the past here in Haines, Alaska. Embrace that and you might be ready to move here too, or just come visit.

The Rainbow Glacier Adventures Family is ready for a wonderful summer!

Rainbow Glacier Adventures had our first tour on Friday, April 6th.  A few of us RGA Guides got to go along to help Joe Ordonez while he treated a group of 24 French Canadian high school students from Montreal to a highly entertaining two day tour.  He is a very knowledgeable guide.  I guess that is why he owns Rainbow Glacier Adventures Tour Company, which has the bragging rights of having solely Haines, Alaska locals as guides.  Joe O. is an animated man and tells Haines history with an adventurous spirit.

We started at Sheldon Museum where RGA Guide, Barb Blood, led the group through the informative displays of the museum while giving them an overview of Haines. Barb is a great historian and articulates it well.  The French speaking students were able to follow along with ease.

We drove toward our morning destination, the Chilkoot River, with a few scenic stops along the way. Picture Point is the pride and joy of Haines locals.  There may be more photos from that view point than any other in Haines.  The stop was packed with snow berms from the winter plowing but that didn’t stop Joe Ordonez.  He just climbed right on top of the snow berm to tell his fascinating stories of Haines, Alaska.

Next we drove to the Tanani Bay look out.  Joe shared geological knowledge as we looked out over Lynn Canal, which is really a fjord, the deepest fjord in North America at 2,000 feet (610 m).  Joe told how the fjord came from glaciers carving deep gashes out of the mountains, then melting and filling the gashes with glacial ice, causing the river water to meet the saltwater.  Joe made the area come to life as we could see what he was talking about before our very eyes.

Then we drove 7 miles to Chilkoot River.  That is a favorite area of mine for many reasons.  The group of 24 seemed to echo my feelings of joy as we stood out in the 45 degree (7 c) sunshine and listened to Joe’s compelling rendition of the Chilkoot and Chilkat Tlingits of Haines, Alaska.  These were the stories the group came specifically to hear.  They were journeying to places to hear the history of the “First Nations”, as the Canadians call the native people of this land.  Joe brought out his scope to give the group a close-up view of some bald eagles that were watching us from the trees.

Many of the stories I had not heard before, as only a Tlingit can tell them. I heard they do not like others telling certain stories of theirs. I can see why, there is something special about hearing of Tlingit warriors from their own descendant. Our imagination was ignited while sitting on logs at the beach, with Lynn Canal and mountains in the background, listening to a Tlingit sing and chant the stories of his ancestors.

The next day we continued learning about the culture of the Tlingit people by driving through the Bald Eagle Preserve, 22 miles from Haines, to the last active village of Haines Borough, called Klukwan. The Chilkat people still live off the land there and have much of their heritage preserved.  We were greeted by a villager, Daniel Klanott, who took us to their Long House for traditional songs and dance by some of the locals of Klukwan.

 

 

Lani Hotch, a local Chilkat blanket weaver/traditional artist, led the songs with her drum beats while they danced with beautiful Chilkat blankets wrapped around their shoulders showing the clan they each belonged to. At one point they invited our group to join in.  The French Canadian high schoolers were quick to comply, dancing in the circle like they were born doing it.

 
 

We also visited a talented local, Kim Strong, at the rivers edge.  She taught us how they cleaned the salmon which is rich and plentiful to the area.  All five types of salmon swim right up to the doorstep of Klukwan Village, which was ingeniously built next to an area where three rivers converge and do not completely freeze during the winter;  the Chilkat, Tsirku, and Klehini Rivers. Kim pulled a fish right from the water and showed us her skilled technique with the knife.  Then she asked if any of us wanted to try our hand at it, there were a number of takers.

She offered us smoked salmon samples and eulachon oil to dip it in to.

Eulachon is pronounced hooligan.  Eulachon oil was a rich commodity for the Tlingit people historically.  They used it to trade for goods and were very prosperous because of it.  It was used to preserve food and is full of minerals to keep people healthy. They still use it today.  Some claim it tastes good too.

I wanted to try it because I talk about it so much on my Gold Rush to Porcupine Tours.  I wanted to be knowledgable on what I was talking about.  I heard it was an acquired taste… but I was not prepared for the putrid fish taste that overcame me after first contact with the gooey oil.  Have you ever smelt decaying fish that have been laying in the sun rotting on the side of the river for weeks and weeks?  That is NOTHING compared to the repulsive offense of fermented fish that breached my mouth.

 

It was beyond disgusting.  I am sorry if I offend, but it was.  Even as I write this (two weeks later) the smell and taste come back to me with overwhelming repugnance.  WOW!  That stuff is not to be taken lightly.  No wonder it made people healthy, every living bacteria in Alaska would be scared to come within 30 feet of a person who ate hooligan oil.

John Schnabel once told me he would pick up hitch hikers and bring them into town on his way home from Big Nugget Gold Mine and he would always know when he got a person who was on a rich diet of hooligan oil.  John said he would roll the windows down, stick his head out and drive 75 mph all the way to Haines to try and escape the smell.  I appreciate that story much more now that I have partaken.

I’m sorry to say, that was the end of the tour for me.  I had to leave quickly and find the nearest store where I drank a bottle of the hottest salsa I could find, but the rotten fish taste and smell still didn’t leave me for another two days.

 

I heard the tour group got along fine without me.  They saw the totem pole carvers at work and they had a mighty fine salmon lunch.  Over all, it was a great two day tour to kick off our 2012 season.

 

 

Haines Alaska is a great place to visit…but proceed with caution when trying new foods.

Posted By: Holly Jo Parnell, RGA Guide & local blogger.  Opinions and views of this blog do not necessarily represent the opinions and views of Rainbow Glacier Adventures.

Rainbow Glacier Adventures has exclusive access to give tours to one of the most famous gold mines in America right now.  Yep, The Schnabel’s Big Nugget Mine at Porcupine Creek in Haines Alaska!

We took tours out to Big Nugget Mine last year, where some fascinated guests saw first hand what it is really like at the Schnabel’s Gold Mine on Porcupine Creek.

Travel Writer, Roy Stevenson & Photographer Linda Popovich with John Schnabel in 2011 at Big Nugget Mine

Travel Writer Roy Stevenson came on the tour with his wife, Linda.  He wrote a great article on Haines and told about how our Gold Rush to Porcupine Tour was a highlight of his Haines Alaska visit.  He even mentions me!  It is going to be published in a magazine called Lost Treasure later this year.  You can get a sneak peak at the link below.  Reader be warned, it will make you want to live here.

http://www.travelpostmonthly.com/archive/volume_5_issue_1_january_2012/haines_alaska_one_of_the_last/

The Good Stuff

I am looking forward to guiding the Gold Rush to Porcupine Tour at Big Nugget Mine again.  Hopefully the Schnabel’s hit the Mother Lode this summer!

I took a quick kiss – Grandpa John Schnabel is a sweetheart!

With gold sky rocketing over $1700 an ounce recently, our Gold Rush to Porcupine Creek Tour is starting to be more than mere entertainment to our tour guests. Even small gold nuggets are worth something. Young and old, People want gold!

John Schnabel telling young prospectors; Mike, Farris, Errol and Matt how to pan for gold.

I have become a pretty good gold panner since I get to show tour groups how to pan for gold almost every time we visit Big Nugget Mine at Porcupine Creek. In fact, I became a little over-confident about my gold panning technic and lost my gold in the water trough on one of my tours. My happy tour guide persona quickly vanished and was replaced by a gold fever lunatic who just lost their fortune. I rolled up my sleeves and told all the guests to step back while I franticly panned the mud at the bottom of the trough. Everyone kept silent as they could tell I meant business. It only took me seven times of scrapping mud from the bottom and panning it to recover my lost gold nugget. I breathed a sigh of relief as I dropped my sweet gold nugget into my “poke” and came back to Tour Guide mode, all fun and games and happiness again.
I was pretty embarrassed about that incident until a few tours later when John Schnabel himself (Big Nugget Mine owner) lost his gold during a panning demonstration. He looked at me and said, “In 25 years I have never lost the gold”. He didn’t bother panning it back out of the trough, he just went to his safe and got some more gold. I noticed him eyeing the area he lost the nugget though. I’m sure he panned it out after we left.

Rainbow Glacier Adventure Tour Guests; a couple from Canada and locals Kim & Hunter get a rare gold panning demo from a “real” Gold Miner of Porcupine Creek,
John Schnabel of Big Nugget Mine

This last tour I found out that losing my own gold is not the worst thing that could happen…..losing one of my guests gold is. I was panning with a nice couple, Julie and David, from Virginia when I saw a gold nugget come into view in Julie’s pan.
I exclaimed, “Julie, you got gold!”
She said, “Where?”
“Right there!” I pointed excitedly at a beautiful round yellow nugget that looked decidedly different than the one I had discovered while giving them a gold panning demonstration. That was why she didn’t believe it was gold I guess, it looked really yellow, my nugget had more iron in it and caused it to have a reddish tint. Julie’s gold looked very pure.
She said, “That is just a yellow rock.”
“No, it’s gold, and a pure piece of gold…less iron in it than mine!”, I exclaimed.
She looked at me skeptically.
“Its gold alright, look here, see…”, To convince her, I picked her gold nugget out of the pan and started turning it over in my fingers when – PLOP – down it fell, out of my fingers and into the watery trough! Oh My Goodness! We both looked at each other in dead silence, then down at the murky water.
“Ah…hopefully your right Julie, maybe that wasn’t your gold” I backpedaled, wishing I hadn’t made such a big deal about how pure and pretty her gold looked compared to mine.
“That looked like my gold.” Julie proclaimed with a 180 degree turn from a few moments ago.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it back” I said as I started digging into the bottom of the trough with my pan.
“You better”, she said, somewhat teasingly, somewhat not.
I cleared my throat and confidently told her, “No problem, we will get it back in no time.”
We both started panning the bottom of the trough to no avail. After multiple attempts we asked David to join us in the search and I mentioned to Julie that if we couldn’t find her gold she could have the nugget I found. She said she wanted “her” gold piece, not mine. Oh shoot, any gold nugget was not going to appease her. She wanted the pretty round yellow nugget that was meant for her. Ugghhh. I panned more furiously.

My gold nugget to the right there – the one I offered Julie as a
consolation prize, but was rejected. Mine is long and flat
with more red coloring, hers was fat and round and pure yellow.

After scraping the mud from the cold water over twenty times my hands started to feel numb. We are on a real Placer Mine at Big Nugget Gold Mine in Porcupine Creek….we don’t heat our water.
I began losing hope, and started talking seriously about the possibility she may have to take my gold nugget as a consolation prize and when I found her gold I could mail it to her. The look on her face told me that was not an option. I was going to find “her” gold…or die trying.
So I said a little prayer. I know, this is not really a praying matter, but I could not think of anything else to do and my back was getting sore, my hands were pass the numb stage and starting to grow icicles. I just wanted the nightmare to be over, so I prayed a silent little prayer in my heart to help me find this reluctant gold nugget.
Presto! Like magic, that round yellow gold nugget appeared on top of the mud I had just scooped up from the bottom of the trough. I didn’t even need to pan it out. It was gleaming on the top of the panned mud like it was King of the Mountain! How cool is that?

Julie’s shy little gold nugget safely found at last!

Now I don’t want to turn this into a religious blog or anything, but I believe in giving credit where credit is due. That is how I got Julie’s gold nugget back to her. She was a happy gold panning tourist again. All was well in the Tour Guide World.

Jenny Lyn Smith with her daughter, Sabrina & family,
visiting from Utah – they were all successful at Gold Panning!
Sometimes we Tour Guides have to go to extreme measures to insure the guests have a wonderful experience. This was one of those times…and frankly, I wish I had thought of praying sooner. My hands wouldn’t have froze and I wouldn’t have to be rubbing “tiger balm” on my back every night since then.

Excerpt from RGA guide: HainesAlaskaTourguide.blogspot.com

Kir & Pacific found some gold!

We had three Gold Rush to Porcupine Tours last week.  Each one was a unique experience.  My first tour went out last Monday with a local Haines family.  They had the cutest 4 year old, Pacific, who loves to gold pan.  She brightened up like the sun when that yellow nugget popped out of the dirt.  The family took me out to eat at the famous 33 mile restaurant afterward – sooo good, yum.  It sure is great being a tour guide in Haines!
On Wednesday I stood at Port Chilkoot Dock trying to drum up gold lovers to take my Gold Rush tour.  My husband, Joe, made me a felt sign (he is “The Feltist” Artist, his art is on exhibit at Sheldon Museum right now) and an easel.  He is a very handy man!

My hunky honey and the sign he made out of felt.

My parents are in town visiting from Arizona and hung out at the dock with me to watch all the action.  Having a big Holland America cruise ship in little Haines is entertaining in and of itself.  My parents stood in for me when I took a little break just after 11am.  Wouldn’t you know it, when I returned my Mom was beaming, they got a couple who wanted to go pan for gold.  They are natural salesmen, I wish I could have them do that all summer.

Mom & Dad at Port Chilkoot Dock in Haines Alaska

50th Wedding Anniversary for both couples who married on the same day. They met this day for the first time.

I had two couples for our 1pm departure.  My parents, along with Thomas and Mary.  We found out they were on their 50 Wedding Anniversary Cruise and what a coincidence to find out they were married on the exact same day as my parents, both of them 50 years ago!  Coincidences are so……mysterious?  My parents said they would call this trip their 50th celebrations also.  We panned for gold at the Schnabel’s Big Nugget Mine on Porcupine Creek.  It is so fun to see people get into the spirit of gold panning….especially when they start seeing big yellow gold nuggets.  They don’t call it Big Nugget Mine for nothing.
We took a drive around the historic Porcupine City townsite and what do you know….the film crew was beside the road filming a person in a big white trailer.  When he stepped down and out of the trailer we saw it was Jack Hoffman himself (the father in Gold Rush: Alaska)!

Jack Hoffman

Jack must have come back for their white trailer that has been parked in the historical townsite of Porcupine City, because when I drove through there again on Saturday the big white trailer was gone.  Must be back to the Yukon for him.  I didn’t take a photo of Jack at the trailer since the camera men were there and they were in the middle of shooting.  This photo is from Jack Hoffman’s visit to Haines in May (see early blog on Tourism Night in Haines).
On Friday I took two families that had a cruise ship stop in Skagway.  I picked them up from the fast ferry after their 45 minute catamaran ride on the Lynn Canal.  One family was from the Disney ship and the other from the Carnival ship.  We don’t sell our tours on the ship.  These people searched the e-net ahead of time to find the Gold Rush to Porcupine tour.  That means they are big fans of the TV show Gold Rush: ALASKA, the same show Jack Hoffman stars in.  My parents came on the tour again as well.  I think they have Gold Fever….big time.

Visiting at the 27 mile pull out

I could feel the excited anticipation of the group as we drove through the Bald Eagle Preserve, on our way to Porcupine Creek and the Big Nugget Mine. When we pulled into the mining area we were met with a great surprise….John Schnabel got out of his truck with his grandson Parker and welcomed us to their mine!  He is such a cool and lovely man at his ripe young age of 91.  He has been under the weather and had not been to the mine lately.  Parker said John was not completely well yet, and he should be at home recuperating.  John said he just cant stay away.

John Schnabel greeting a Gold Rush: ALASKA fan

John let us take photos with him.  He chuckled at the thought we even wanted to.  We told him he is a celebrity now, he better get used to it.  He laughed and made us all feel welcome.

The Valdez family from Texas with Parker and John Schnabel

Parker gave us pans with some dirt and pebbles in them and taught us how to pan for gold.  Everyone found Gold Nuggets in their pan! Some of the tourist are into gold panning so much they even brought their own pans and sniffers.  It was great fun.

Gold Panning at Porcupine Creek’s Big Nugget Gold Mine

Parker took us up the river a little bit to show us where they are getting the dirt.  Parker is such a cute kid, being a 16 year old gold miner, I think he is going to steal the show next season.  He said he can’t talk about the Gold Rush: ALASKA show.  He has signed some confidentiality papers, but I heard rumor he is being filmed a couple of times a week by the Discovery Channel film crew.

Parker Schnabel is the big boss at Big Nugget Mine

We stopped at Schnabel’s veranda for a nice view of the Discovery Channel’s Gold Mine.  We couldn’t see anyone working the mine or walking around that day. Everyone had hoped to see Dakota Fred, whom it is rumored is the guy working the gold mine this summer.  We took photos of the location anyway.

New equipment coming to the mine

On our way back to town we got stopped by a truck blocking the one lane dirt road we were on.  As we pulled closer to the truck Dakota Fred himself got out of the vehicle and waved at us to stop as he came up to my window. My bus load of fans exploded with excitement!

Ken & I are having fun with Dakota Fred from TV show Gold Rush ALASKA

Tina, Eloy and Natalie meeting Dakota Fred

They may have thought it was all staged because it was so perfectly timed, but it was just good luck and perfect timing.  Fred was all business when he kindly let me know I would need to pull over to the side for 10 to 15 minutes as a semi-truck was on the road coming our way, pulling a low boy with a heavy load.  I said that would be no problem if he would be willing to take photos and sign autographs while we wait.  Fred seemed as tickled as the guests at such a suggestion.

The Albertson’s from Utah with Fred Hurt A.K.A Dakota Fred

We pulled to the side of the road and piled out of the bus.  Everyone got a photo with Dakota Fred (Fred Hurt) and an autograph.  It was the perfect end to a Gold Rush to Porcupine tour.  I cant wait to see what this week will bring!
Happy Panning!

The Valdez family with Dakota Fred

A nice miners creed on his hat. If you can’t grow it, you GOTTA MINE IT! Metal, Oil, Coal.

The Martin’s from Arizona meeting Dakota Fred

All you miners may know what this equipment is… It came all the way from Texas

Getting hugs from my favorite miner, John Schnabel

 

There were four big ships in Skagway today, so there were people everywhere. One thing I noticed is that they were all crammed along the eight blocks along Broadway. I got one or two blocks off of Broadway, and it was like being in different world. Its as if Skagway has two different worlds- the world along Broadway and then the world off-Broadway. And I preferred to be off-Broadway. Its residential. Small houses with nice lawns and gardens, interspersed with a random old building…..what was it? An old warehouse? Something to do with the gold rush? The railroad? Some buildings have interpretive signs from the National Park Service, others don’t. I enjoyed my walk.

When I got hungry, I headed back towards Broadway. I know the restaurants in Haines, and there are some good ones…..Mosey’s, Fireweed, the Lighthouse, the Klondike, to name a few. But I live in Haines and many of those restaurants are open just during the summer, so I felt like something different. I saw a sign….Bombay Curry, and headed inside. That’s something different, an Indian restaurant. I love Indian food, and was pleasantly surprised. Not only by the food, I had a nice curry and they weren’t afraid to spice it up, but also by the ethnic diversity in Skagway. The couple that ran the restaurant were definitely from India. I went in to use the internet and the guy running the shop was from Bulgaria. Haines just doesn’t have an international crowd like this. And since I’m Guatemalan/Italian and have been fortunate enough to have traveled extensively, I appreciate diversity.

I first came to Skagway in 1983, and first came to Haines n 1986, so I have friends in both towns. They are different, and I like that.