Floating on the Kenai

Here we are, all suited up and ready to go!

Our last stop on the Kenai Peninsula was Cooper Landing. It is near the Kenai River where the Russian River enters the Kenai.

We booked a three hour float one rather rainy, cold morning. They supply all the boots and rain suits. That kept us pretty warm and dry. Everything except our feet!

They advertised that you see wildlife, and that was mainly birds. There were several mother ducks and fuzzy babies, and quite a few eagles.

We weren't a threat to them, because they stayed around for pictures.

On our way down the river, we started to see people fishing from the shore. When we reached the confluence of the Russian River, there were lots of people.

This is the Russian River Ferry. For $9.25 you can ride the ferry to the other side of the river to fish. When the salmon come up the Kenai, they are heading for the Russian River. They "pool up" and rest before going on, until the next set of salmon come and push them onward. And that is the place to fish. Shoulder to shoulder almost. Often there is little more than 4 or 5 feet between people. It's called combat fishing, and there are lots of trips to the emergency clinics for hook removal.

The first runs of salmon are really good this year, and within days of the opening of the season the fish and game departmant raised the quota from 3 to 6 salmon per person, and opened up parts of the river that are usually closed.

Back at the RV Park, the men across the road had been very successful and were improvising things to do with their catch.

This is their portable smoker. They can collapse it and use it again. There is a small charcoal grill in the bottom, and the salmon are laying across wooden dowels that are poked through the cardboard water heater box. No fancy outfit for them!




So we are saying good-bye to the Kenai Peninsula, and going on to Palmer-Wasilla area, and then Anchorage. We'll take care of the spare tire there.

The Kenai was wonderful, it's all about the fish and the ocean. It's amazing to see the fish that are caught, and very exciting going on the wildlife and glacier cruises. This is where we say, "You have got to take a trip to Alaska!"

Jim and Sue

Moose on the loose

We arrived at Beluga View RV park on the Cook Inlet only to find out that they haven't seen beluga whales there in about 5 years. Oh, well! But we do have a view of Mount Redoubt. Well, sometimes. We wondered about the cloud that seemed to be hanging around the top, and found out later that the volcano is still venting, and that the outer layer is very unstable, and could crumble at any time, producing a lot of ash. We'll keep you posted, cough, cough.

We are ever in search of wildlife and heard that the flats by the mouth of the Kenai River would be a good place to look. This is a Sand Hill Crane. We had seen several of these in Homer, and found a few here too. We saw a couple more eagles, and we do seem to be in the flight pattern of the seagull rookery. Hmm, it is not so pretty on the side of the RV!












We took a ride out to the beach area on
Cook Inlet to see if anyone was catching anything. There was a whole "city" of campers and RV's and anything else that you could fashion for sleeping in. Out in the water there were nets and buoys, rafts and boats. They were catching salmon and really look like they make a family outing of it. It may have been the wrong tide level, because there wasn't much action while we were there.










While we were out looking for fishing, shopping and somewhere interesting for lunch, we drove through a neighborhood and spotted this mom and her two calves. Quite a surprise at 11:30 in the morning!

But we don't do all our searching during the day. We have gotten pretty good at Moose Trolling at Midnight! Don and Marilyn tried it, with success, so we went out after 10:30 one night, and stayed out wandering down side roads, and through neighborhoods looking for wildlife. Most of it is found munching in people's yards! We're getting pretty good at quick turnarounds and doubling back for pictures.

This fellow was not bothered by us at all, and was more interested in the grass near a parking lot.














When we aren't wandering around looking for four legged residents, we are practicing our culinary skills with halibut and salmon. And we are really enjoying it! A little for us, and a little for the freezer. We have also enjoyed the Farmer's market in town. We have a list of all the Alaskan Farmer's Markets and expect to try many of them. We heard there are BIG cabbages in Wasilla.

Jim and Sue

All the Way West

And that would be Homer, Alaska. This is as far west as we are going to get. Not quite to Russia, although we understand that it can be seen from.........

Homer is the halibut fishing capital of the world. We checked out full and half day fishing trips, but it was decided that the weather wasn't great and we could buy an awful lot of fresh frozen halibut for the price of going out on a boat, having the fish cleaned and packed, and having it shipped home. Sorry!

That is a picture taken from up on a scenic drive. It is the Homer Spit. That's where all the fishing action takes place. It has a bit of boardwalk with shops, lots of fishing charter places, and several restaurants.

Down the road from our RV park was the Alaskan Oceans and Islands Center. It was very interesting and covered several aspects of the ocean research that goes on in the area. After spending time in the center, we went on an Estuary Hike with a guide from the center. We learned a lot about the river and ocean connection, and about how important these estuaries are to our lives. Like shrimp and baby salmon.

We walked out into the estuary on a floating boardwalk. The guided pointed out the grey sandy-dusty residue that clogged the cracks in the boards. Volcanic dust from Mount Redoubt! That explained the dusty look that all the roads and buildings have. It's not in the air at all, and except by the road, the grass and trees and all aren't dusty.

Just out of town, at the top of the hill, there is an overlook that had some gardens. This is blue forget-me-nots, which is the state flower. It is surprising how many flowers there are on the side of the road. You don't think of lots of flowers blooming in Alaska, but with almost 20 hours of daylight at this point, it gives them a whole lot of growing time, which has to happen because it will be cold and dark in a few months!

The small theater in Homer shows three shows a day. One at 4, one at 6, and one after that. they were showing Angels and Demons, so we thought we would go. Turned out to be dinner and a show! For $8, you could buy a piece of pizza, or a hot dog, a beverage, and a bag of popcorn or candy to eat in the theater. Oh, and you had a choice of beef hot dog or reindeer hot dog. No need to ask which one we had. No Comet or Cupid on a bun for us!

We will be heading north next. Back up to Kenai and Soldotna before we head toward Anchorage.

Jim and Sue

A little trouble in Paradise

Well, it's not all roses! We were about ready to leave Palmer, which is right down the road from Wasilla, when Don mentioned to Jim that one of our tires looked like it was a little low. And that was because the inside tire on the rear had gone flat. One tire was doing all the work.

Once again our AAA type service for the RV came through, and within two hours a tire service had arrived, found a screw embedded in the tire, repaired it, filled it, determined that the tire was no longer reliable, put the spare on the rim and put the tire on the RV. Pretty good. So it was off to WalMart for some grocery shopping, and then on to Seward which is on the Kenai Peninsula.

Seward is also a harbor town where halibut fishing is really big and where cruise ships come in. While in Seward we saw three cruise ships and watched a couple of fishing boats unload there catch one evening. One boat brought in a 289 lb halibut, and several others over 100lbs. All the fishermen aboard were definitely ready for Miller time.

It is also the home of the Kenai Fjords National Park. We used our coupon book again, and booked a Wildlife Cruise that takes you to the National Park and to the tidewater glaciers. This was a bigger, faster ship, and held many more people which made it less personal than our other trip. However, each trip is taken with a National Park Ranger which provides a different slant to the commentary. More biology and ecology.

We saw similar animals on this trip, with the addition of a black bear on a hillside, a better view of harbor seals, and lots of puffins.

We did see eagles, and also saw them in town at the harbor when the boats come in. They fight with the seagulls for the fish carcasses.

These are the harbor seals. Learned alot about the differences between the seals and sea lions.

Although we did not see any Orcas, they think they have left the area and gone about 60 miles up the coast, we did see humpback whales. Here are mother and calf. They didn't appear to be feeding, more likely traveling because they didn't dive deeply.

We traveled to Holgate Glacier which comes from the Harding Ice Fields. Unlike the other trip, this glacier is not landlocked. It can calve. Which would have been really cool. Except that it didn't do it while we were there. There was some creaking, and some small pieces dropped off, but nothing too dramatic. It is still really awesome, and very, very big. It is also stable because it isn't retreating anymore than it is growing.

The blue colors in these glaciers is really beautiful.

You can also travel to Exit Glacier by land and take a walk up close to it. This one is in a mountain valley and is retreating. There are year markers where it used to reach to.

We happened to arrive when one of the Rangers was going to make an unscheduled walk up to the glacier and gathered a group to go along with him. He pointed out lots of things that we would have missed.

There was bear in the area the day before, but it wasn't evident while we were there. We did see many signs that moose had been there. There were stripped branches where they had been getting to the layers under the bark.

There were also moosy "nuggets" on the ground. Think of the deer signs, and think of how much bigger a moose is than a deer...... We find it interesting that you can buy them all painted up like Christmas ornaments. Every tree should have one!

As a result of the settlement from the Exxon Valdez, there is the Alaskan Sealife Center in Seward. We spent the morning there on Friday. There were tanks where you could touch underwater stuff, and big tanks where you could see Skittles the sea otter and some really big sea lions. There is also a diving bird section where you can watch the puffins and other diving birds underwater.

Puffins are funny because when they eat too much, they can't take off until they digest enough so they don't weigh as much. Sort of like Thanksgiving dinner! And even when they do take off, they aren't exactly graceful! But underwater they certainly are! They look like they are flying.

This handsome fellow was more than willing to show us his best side.





We will be leaving Seward tomorrow, heading over to the other side of the Kenai Peninsula for a few days. Maybe to do some halibut fishing?

Sue and Jim

Two for One!

For all those coupon cutters out there, you're going to love this. It is the ultimate 2 for 1!
Don and Marilyn had heard about an Alaskan coupon book that was good to get. Sort of an Alaskan Entertainment Book. When we were in Tok, we asked about it and found out that you can buy them in the Safeway grocery stores. Turns out that they cover many of the cruises, site-seeing flights, museums, guided hikes, and a few hotels or lodges.

We did our first 2 for 1 in Valdez. We went out on the Stan Stephens Wildlife Cruise. Wow! It was a beautiful day, very little wind, lots of sunshine, and lots of fun. The boat was less than half full, they made really good clam chowder for lunch, and the captain of the boat was as excited about what we saw as we all were. We picked seats at a table near the captain's bridge area, so we got to listen to all the banter between the captain and his crew besides the information he gave out on the PA.

We weren't very far out of Valdez Harbor when we saw these Sea Otters. They were floating together in a pack just soaking up the sun. These are males, females and young are in more protected areas.

Lots of them thought we were pretty interesting!

Next was a pod of resident Orca. They are mainly feeding on the fish in the area. It's the transient ones that go after the otters and seals. They were able to identify this pod as the A-I pod by the markings and the fins.

After the orcas, we saw Fin whales. They were very big, but the pictures aren't as exciting. Even though we all took lots. I think Jim was on about number 300 by now!

But then these guys came along. Outstanding! There were several humpbacks, and they were diving deep to feed. We had to wait in between, but seeing their tails was worth it. A little later, we came on two more that were doing a different feeding method that turned them on the side, and you could catch a glimpse of their mouths.

Along the rocks in a cove, there were Steller Sea Lions. Lots of them. Some really big bulls in with the younger males. But on the way back, these were on a buoy. Only a few, but the crew said there are sometimes as many as nine all trying to catch a few rays.

We were headed out to the Columbia Ice Fields made by the Columbia glacier. On this glacier, the parts that have broken off are so big that they have made a log jam of sorts in front of the glacier. It has jammed the front, and you can't get in close enough to see it calve. But it has great icebergs floating off in front. Beautiful blue colors.

There are two eagles sitting on this smaller one.

One of the crew netted a small one and brought it on board to show everyone. Very cold!

On the way out of the ice field it was rather eerie, like some kind of movie music should have been playing. It was really wild being surrounded by all the chunks of ice as we were leaving. The captain's comment as we were finally getting through was "I think I could have looked for an easier way out".

Here is one of the landlocked peaks of ice. The captain said that the outside edge is actually stuck on the bottom and when they break loose, they sink down and then bob up into the air.

It was a fantastic day, and really worth our investment. We've marked several more opportunities to use the book.

Onward to Palmer and then Seward on the Kenai Peninsula.

Sue and Jim

Chicken Alaska and on to Valdez

Our first stop in Alaska was a day trip visit to Chicken. As you can see the temperature was quite pleasant. Chicken was one of the old gold mining towns and now it is a tourist stop for a quick glimpse of what one of these boom towns looked like back in 1898. All that remains is the original mine dredging equipment and a few old buildings; a gift shop, a bar and a cafe which serves pretty good food. You can buy any kind of souvenir you want that has a chicken theme. And some that you don't want!







The flowers in the picture below are a another example of the beauty of Alaska, they are wild and grow along all the roads. These are mini lupine.










After staying in Tok for a few days getting some credit card problems solved, we took off to go from the interior to the coast of Alaska. On the way, we stopped at Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Worthington Glacier. It is the closest glacier that you can get to by road.

Our destination was Valdez and on our way we crossed through Thompson Pass, the highest and most difficult pass that the Alaskan pipeline had to go over. As we came down the from the pass we passed by beautiful Bridal Veil Falls.

The small boat harbor in Valdez is very picturesque. All around are mountain peaks. Across the harbor is the pipeline terminal where the big tankers fill. And yes, there are museum displays about the Exxon Valdez. But, taking up more interest and space are the displays, movies, and information about the earthquake of Good Friday in 1964. The old town was built where it was convenient for the early gold rush climb up the Valdez Glacier. But that was very unstable land. When the land shifted, the dock was lost, and the resulting tides flooded parts of the town. A new town was completely rebuilt on land down the harbor on bedrock. When we first saw the town, it has an odd look to it. Many of the homes are identical, the town is very spread out, and has almost a temporary look to it. But, it has a very attractive library, civic center and schools. When you find out about the history of moving the town and even some of the houses and building, it makes more sense.

We are going to stay here for a day or two and check out one of the wildlife cruises.

Sue and Jim

We Made It!

Back in the day of the Gold Rush, Whitehorse was a transfer area between climbing over the mountains and loading equipment on boats to go down the river.



The first evening in Whitehorse, we stopped by Miles Canyon. This was an area of rapids that had to be navigated. Now there is a power plant at the base of the rapids that has deepened the river and reduced the rapids. Still very pretty.



The next morning we took a hike along the canyon to where there had been a town for the people building boats and taking on the rapids.



The campground is very nice, and the weather is really good, so we grilled steak for dinner. Later that evening, we had a visit from a red fox! Probably checking to see if we had a leftover bone!





There were indications that winters must be pretty tough in Whitehorse. Most of the cars and trucks have plugs hanging out the front for heating the engine blocks in the winter.

Doorways and stairs are made with grating so the steps and entryways can be cleared of snow.

We took in some of the local attractions. At least the ones that are open.

It was June 1st, and not the height of the season!

One museum was the McBride Museum. Pretty interesting. Most of it was about the Gold Rush in the Yukon. We're looking forward to seeing some of the Alaskan Gold Rush museums.

In Whitehorse is the Yukon Brewery. Tours and free samples. They brew the beer with no additives, and sell in Canada. Yukon Gold is the only one in cans, each can is hand filled and capped.
They brew a really good Yukon Red, and Chocolate Stout that was really smooth. (no chocolate in it.) We were still a little concerned about crossing the border so decided to stop by on the way home for purchases.

We started to notice that RV's and cars coming into the park were really covered with dust and mud. It made us wonder where they had been.

Now we know!

The part of the Alaska Highway from Whitehorse to Tok is called the Destruction Highway. Very well named! When the highway was built, they ran into areas that stayed frozen. They cleared the top layer off to build the road. Big Mistake. Now the road freezes and thaws, and makes it heave and fall apart, and means fixing it every year.

We got used to these signs, although often they appeared after we had already gone through miles of bumpy roads! Sometimes these signs were followed by signs that said "Loose Gravel" and then "Extreme dusty conditions"

We went through one area that was very dusty, followed by a section that had been watered down to hold down the dust.

Dust + water = MUD!

This is what the Jeep looked like after the first section. Needless to say, it did not improve during the day.

The first thing we did when we got to Tok, Alaska was to wash the RV and the Jeep before we parked in the site and had to take off the cover.

And we did get to Alaska! We arrived in Tok, Alaska on Wednesday, June 3. We are going to hang around Tok for a few days, and then head to Valdez.

Jim and Sue

Bears, bears, bears and an occasional Moose

And so the second leg of the long haul begins!

We traveled from Banff to Whitecourt, Alberta to Fort St. John, British Columbia, to Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Watson Lake, Yukon, and finally Whitehorse, Yukon.

This is Mile "O" of the Alaska Highway. A photo op! We met a man from Vermont here that is traveling to Alaska on a motorcycle. Wow!

When we stopped at Fort Nelson for lunch, we walked over to the Heritage Museum. What a neat place! There are all kinds of artifacts from when the army built the Alaska Highway, and a very interesting film about it. It really showed how difficult it was to build the first road through the wilderness. And history about why it was built for the army to get supplies to Alaska when there was a fear that the Japanese would attack from the north. The museum people were very knowledgeable, and interesting. Jim had quite a long talk with Marl, the owner of the museum. Marl was quite something with his long white beard and hair. Is he left over from the original crew? I wasn't really sure there would be two of us leaving the museum!

After Fort Nelson we ran into some of the steepest hills, and the most wind we have had. Makes for slow going.

The next day was the rainiest we have had, which made stopping at the Laird Hot Springs not as inviting as it sounded in the book, although there were quite a few people enjoying the 100 degree water.

We've been keeping our eyes out for wildlife, and haven't been disappointed. Sometimes they are easy to see ahead of time, and we can pull off and get pictures, and sometimes not. We were really lucky with this guy. He was not about to stop his lunch just because we were there! Others take one look and run off. Jim's new lens really makes them look closer than we were to him.

We did see some moose, but they have not been where we could get good pictures. The bison are settled down along the roadside in small groups. It was all bulls, no signs of females or young. Ahhhh, but many "signs" of many bison.

When we stopped for the night in Fort Nelson, we were right down the road from Sign Post Forest. A lonely soldier hung a sign for his hometown back in 1942. There are now over 60,000 signs! This picture shows just one layer of them. They go on and on! We found one for Corning, and one for Cortland. In the evening we walked across the road to see the Northern Lights Center where they had a film on Canadians and the space station, and then one with a explanation and pictures of the Northern Lights.

I doubt that we will see any of them. We are only in Canada, and it doesn't get dark until after 10:00 at night, and the sun comes up before 4:00. This is practice for the 24 hours of light that we are heading for!

In addition to the animals, sign post forests and museums there is always the scenery to marvel at. Around every corner and over every hill the views amaze us. For the most part the road has been in nice shape like in the picture below. It has had narrower shoulders in some sections. We have run into some construction since arriving in the Yukon and expect some really rough road as we start across the tundra section of the Alaska Hwy.

We are in Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon. We decided that it would be worth it to stop for a few days. There are some interesting things here to see, and some business to take care of. Then it is on the road again.

Jim and Sue