Month: August 2019

The Big One!

The Big One!

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08/11 -08/13 Our Journey took us next to Denali where we had scheduled a Natural History tour into the Park by Bus. As we drove north we were blessed with clear sunny skies and a fantastic view of Denali from the South. It is my understanding that due to it’s extreme height of 20,308 ft. It creates its own weather and is only clearly visible about 30% of the time. We were lucky enough to arrive on one of those days. We made the Cantwell RV Park our home base for our time here found it to be clean and well maintained with good WiFi a nice selection of books to exchange and hot showers. We hiked around the Denali Visitors Center and were amazed at the variety of mushrooms growing. We met our bus and our tour guide Chris who took us into the park for our tour. There are a number of choices for tours but we chose the shorter one. When the bus arrived it was already pretty full and we wondered if there would be space for us all but Chris has roped off some seats for our group as we had made reservations in advance. This tour took us approx. 23 miles into the park and we were able to photograph both Cariboo and Moose. The Park itself was set up specifically to protect the wildlife in this area and is a great place to study the natural behavior of the animals. Everyone is encouraged to keep their voices low when the bus stops for wildlife. We were also treated to a talk by a native Athabaskan about his culture at one of our stops in the park. The rangers here patrol year round and use dog sleds in the winter. Again we were hoping to see some bear or wolves but were not lucky on this tour.

Cooper Landing

Cooper Landing

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8/08 – 08/10/19 Traveling north to Cooper Landing where Jackie has friends she has been in contact with who have given us recommendations on things to do and places to fish. We camped at Quartz Creek Campground next to Kenai Lake. The campground had a very nice boardwalk that looked out over the Creek where we found a large number of Sockeye Salmon spawning. The area also seemed very popular with fly fisherman as well. We rode our bikes through the woods and took Sierra for a number of long walks and swims in the Lake. Jim and Jackie got to do some gold panning in this area and found a little color! We enjoyed a really good meal at the Sunrise Inn where Jackie’s friend works. She was really great and set us up with Lures we could use to do some “Flossing”, a way to catch salmon who do not eat when they are traveling upstream. We followed her suggestions and after a missed turn and a slight detour of about 10 bumpy miles we arrived at the location she suggested only to find new signs posted “No Fishing”. Not to be deterred we pulled off the road on our way back to the campground where we had seen some other people fishing across the river and proceeded to enjoy ourselves as we caught a few Coho salmon. We took a drive another day and hiked up to the Russian River Falls where we found a massive amount of Salmon at the base of the falls trying to make their way upstream. It is amazing to watch them make these really big leaps up the falls through rushing water and even more amazing is that many succeed. On the way back from our hike we stopped again at our same fishing spot. We were told by some other fishermen that showed up that there was a brown bear up the road fishing in the river. We hopped in the truck and headed that way. Mike was able to Snap a couple of pictures but I only caught his backside heading into the woods. (Seeing a Grizzly in the wild is still on my bucket list). We still have a ways to go and places to see. I am not discouraged.

Homer Spit

Homer Spit

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08/05 -08/07/19 We made a brief stop on the way out of Seward at a small Weir where we watched the Sockeye salmon leaping to swim upstream to spawn. We headed across the Kenai Peninsula and on down to Homer. We drove out to the Spit and although very touristy it is a fun place to visit and heck we are tourists. Homer is know for it’s marvelous Halibut fishing but at over $300 per person for a charter we opted to fish from shore. No Luck. We did however purchase some wonderful fresh Halibut and Scallops and spent time bike riding, watching the local fisherman, SUP surfers, and taking walks along the elevated boardwalks through the many shops that line the Spit out to Lands End, the southern most point of the Kenai Peninsula. We all enjoyed and admired the unique and unusual sites around the Spit each in our own way. Of Course our visit was not complete without a required stop at the Salty Dog Saloon where we added our names to the thousands of others who have tacked a dollar bill up on the walls, ceilings, and doors of this infamous bar.

On to Seward

On to Seward

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08/02 – 08/05 As much as we have enjoyed Williwaw it was time to continue our journey. We headed south to Seward, AK. We had a small delay when one of the tires on J&J’s 5th Wheel blew, but the pit crew jumped into action and we were back on the road in minutes. The town of Seward offers camping right along the bay as the structure of the soils there were found not to be stable enough to support buildings in the event of another earthquake. The 1964 9.2 Earthquake destroyed many towns along Kenai peninsula. The city did not rebuild on the waterfront and has wisely installed fee stations all throughout the area and now charges $20 per night to camp there. We can’t complain as they have a lot of amenities to service the ever increasing number of RV’s that travel here in the summer. Dump Station, Potable water, bathrooms and hot showers and areas for Tent campers as well. We spent a the next few days riding our Bikes around town, fishing, and sampling the local fare. Sierra and I even joined a local 5k run to support the Alaska Sea life Center, an aquarium and sea mammal rehab. I figured it was at Sea Level and a good one to ease back into. I came in 5th in my age group. Of course I did not see how many in my age group ran the race there might have been only 5 but it was for a good cause and I got a T-Shirt and admission to the aquarium on that day. This is a popular stop for Cruise ships as there is a vibrant downtown and lots of little shops and restaurants. I even caught a glimpse of Bigfoot here! We had a great burger at a popular local burger joint named Reds that operates out of busses and a fancy dinner at Ray’s Waterfront. We would heartily recommend both. I spent one day just riding around photographing the murals around town. Although very busy, this colorful town has lots to offer.

Light at the end of the Tunnel….again & again & ….

Light at the end of the Tunnel….again & again & ….

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07/28 –08/02 Bob headed out early to get his Radiator repaired in Anchorage. J&J will be meeting with their friends Greg and Becky at an RV Park in Anchorage and we were headed to what we thought might be a campground on the outskirts of Anchorage called the Kincaid project but when we arrived we only found a large parking lot next to a dog park and a paintball park and no campground. We opted to drive down toward the town of Whittier as there are a couple of USFS campgrounds that offer good bicycling and hiking opportunities. We were delighted to find the wonderfully maintained, clean, paved, and spacious sites at the Williwaw campground. It has a Salmon viewing platform over the Williwaw creek which we checked daily and finally saw some red sockeye salmon swimming upstream to spawn. There were numerous nature trails to hike and bike on. With his new radiator in place, Bob joined us a few hours later. We rode our bikes and made plans to ride the Alaska railroad on a day trip out of Whittier, AK. J&J along with their friends, who came along for a day trip, joined us at the campground along with their 2 king Charles spaniels the next day. We all enjoyed a walk out to the Begich-Boggs visitors center on the Northwest Shore of Portage Lake. From this vantage point we could see 5 different glaciers surrounding us. The visitors center was very interactive and had many hands on exhibits and Audio, visual, cultural, and historical displays. It also had a beautiful and informative film on the natural history and culture of the area. As the filmed ended the screen lifted in the theater and a curtain opened to windows looking out over a stunning view of the lake and glaciers. Very well done! We really liked all this area had to offer and so kept extending our stay. We rode out bikes out to Moose Junction (no moose) and then picked up Sierra and gave her a run on the trail out to Byron Glacier. On our final day there, we loaded up our Camper, aka the party bus, with all 5 of us and 2 dogs and made the drive through the longest train/single lane vehicle tunnel 2.4 miles through the mountain to the deep water port of Whittier where we spent some time exploring the town. We left the dogs in the camper and boarded the train for the round trip scenic ride back through the tunnel and through the mountains past Spencer Glacier. At our turn around stop at Grandview station we paused for a bit to stretch our legs and pick wild blueberries. We did not have much luck seeing wildlife but did enjoy the ride and the scenery. Upon arriving back in Whittier, the Dogs were happy to see us and we made our way back through the long tunnel for the 4th time to the Willwaw campground. We all agreed this was a wonderful place to call home for a few days.

Jynxd

Jynxd

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07/26/19 – Well, It looks like we have pushed all of our vehicles just a bit too hard on this trip and they are all finally complaining. I noticed water leaking out of Bob’s truck in Valdez. Jimmy also noticed he had a possible fan clutch issue on his Truck as well as having to purchase a couple of tires for his trailer due to irregular wear. We joked that the only vehicle that hadn’t had any problems was the oldest, our little Toyota RV. We should have known better than say anything! We had just left our beautiful little campground next to the Nelchina River and were headed to Eagle River outside of Anchorage, where Bob has arranged to have a new Radiator put in, when Jack, our Toyota RV, began coughing and sputtering and then quit completely. So much for our bragging rights. Fortunately Michael had the forethought to purchase towing insurance from Good Sam. We contacted them and they arrange a tow truck to come all the way from Wasilla, AK to take us to a mechanic. We waited approx 2 hours and Stan from Towz R Us showed up and put or Toy up on his Flatbed Wrecker and strapped her down. It was pretty spooky watching our little RV rocking and rolling over the frost heaved hwy on its way to the Repair Shop. We were taken to E.G.M. Auto Repair in Wasilla, home of Tiny the Tow Dog, where just getting the Toy off of the wrecker onto the lift was a challenge but the folks and E.G.M. were professionals. After placing the Toy on the lift, the mechanic reached down and turned the key and it fired right up! WTF!? He began by putting in a new fuel filter and took Jack out for a test drive. He had not gotten far when it quit again. So while we waited for another wrecker to bring it back to the garage, they ordered a new fuel pump that they will install tomorrow that will hopefully, solve the problem. Watching these folks work together was like watching a TV Reality show, what a bunch of characters. They told us we would not be charged extra for the entertainment.

07/27/19 – Bob Dropped us off at a motel and after spending $140 for $60 quality room we hung around until approx 1:00pm when J&J came to pick us up and we went back to the Repair shop only to find out that the parts store had sent the wrong fuel pump and they had sent someone to Anchorage to pick up another and were not expected back until 4:30pm. We hung out at the Lake Lucile Park where Bob and J&J were camped, toured the Headquarters of the Iditerod Dogsled Race, took some walks, and played some games. We went back to the repair shop at 5:00pm to find the Camper still on the Rack and only one person at the shop washing the tow trucks. We grabbed some sheets and blankets out of the RV and spent the night in Bob’s little 2 man tent as we could not see overspending on another hotel room. I think Sierra is wondering what is up with these crazy hoomans who keep downsizing her accommodations. House to RV to Hotel Room and now a 2 man (+1 dog) tent. The rain was steady last night but the temperature was not too cold, and the tent kept us fairly dry until morning when it began to seep in around the base. Not bad for a 20 year old tent.

07/28/2019 – I woke up early and took Sierra for a walk and then crawled back into the tent and slept for another couple of hours. Bob and J&J have been very accommodating and offered us their couches but we are already relying on them for rides and meals and so opted to at least try the tent gig. If the RV is not repaired and it continues to rain we may need to take them up their offers. We are blessed with good friends and their morning coffee was hot and welcome after a damp night. Mike and Jim drove over to the Repair shop but as expected for a Sunday, no one was around and things were locked up tight. We decided to take a drive over to Palmer to explore the town. They are known for their enormous vegetables in this farming community. We walked through the garden next to the visitor center and museum. This area was settled when the US government offered land in the newly acquired territory of Alaska to anyone who was willing to build a farming community there. While at the visitors center, Mike’s phone rang and he almost didn’t pick it up as he did not recognize the number. Our RV was repaired and ready to be picked up. Thank goodness for this unexpected but very welcome news. We cut our tour of Palmer short and drove back to Wasilla to pick up the RV. With a new fuel pump, filter and seal on the inside of the fuel tank, we gratefully climbed back into our little home and drove her over to the Lake Lucille campground to rejoin our Caravan. Just a couple of days ago I was feeling like she was a bit small for this trip but after that night in the tent she felt spacious and warm. Thanks to the folks at EGM Automotive for their excellent service and going above and beyond to work through the weekend to get her back up and running.

Valdez

Valdez

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07/20 – 07/25/19 Since we wisely chose not to make the 60 mile trek to McCarthy-Kennicott we arrived the day before we were due to check into the our home base at Chena RV Park in Valdez AK. It was still cloudy and misty but the waterfalls were amazing as we made our way into town. J&J stopped by the RV park and were given a recommendation by the owners Judy and Everett to drive over to Allison Point campground for the night and she would call us as soon as our spaces became available in the morning. Allison Point also had a special allure as the Pink Salmon were running and that is where many local go to snag fish. We bought some snagging hooks and made our way over to the campground. We parked overlooking the bay and watched the locals technique for snagging the salmon. We rigged our poles and were soon catching salmon too. What Fun!!!! There was a small black bear that would come down to the edge of the bay and grab the carcasses left by the fisherman along the shore. The wildlife in and around the bay was incredible. As we fished the otters and Sea Lions did their own fishing offshore. Every creature it seems takes advantage of this abundance of food when it is plentiful. We had a wonderful fresh salmon dinner and hosts at the RV Park smoked the rest of our catch for us and treated us like family. It turns out they too spend time down in Parker, AZ in the off season. We spent the next few days exploring the town of Valdez. We really enjoyed the Valdez Museum and the Maxine & Jesse Whitney Museum. We also booked a Boat Tour out to Meares Glacier with Stan Stephens Cruises. We were a bit worried the morning of the tour as we woke to a heavy fog and thought we wouldn’t see much but as the boat pulled away from the harbor and into the bay, the fog began to lift and our eyes were on overload with all the beauty and wildlife. We were visited by a humpback whale, Orcas, Harbor Seals, Sea Lions, Otters, Puffins, and numerous other shorebirds. When we arrived at the Meares Glacier the Captain stopped the boat approx a ¼ mile from the base and we were entertained by the harbor seals basking on the large chunks of Ice that were floating beneath it. We were even lucky enough to watch a large chunk of glacial Ice calve into the bay and the Captain had to turn the boat into the wave it created. Wow!!! Valdez has definitely won our hearts as one of favorite places so far in AK.

Yes we can…well maybe not!

Yes we can…well maybe not!

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07/18 -07/19 With it not getting dark here until after midnight, perhaps our decision making ability was a bit impaired. The first couple of photos were taken the night before we left at 11:12 pm. We were headed down to McCarthy & Kennicott to explore these remote towns in the Wrangel-St Elias National Park. We had heard the 60 mile road into the area was rough but we figured if we took it easy, our rigs could probably handle it or perhaps we were just feeling a bit cocky after driving the road to Chicken. We stopped outside of Chitina and loaded up on fuel and water and proceeded carefully and slowly onto the McCarthy Road through a single lane carved through solid rock that was a portent of conditions to come. Well after about 10 miles of bone jarring, teeth rattling, screw loosening, rough road, Jimmy thankfully got on the radio and brought us all to our senses. We were happy somebody said something as all of us were thinking the same thing. “We can’t keep this up for another 50 miles!” We drove just a little further to find a place to turn around and came to the turnout for Sterling and Vann Lakes. We decided we would just make camp in the turnout for the night and head back to the highway in the morning. We walked down to the lake. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was warm so we took a swim and did some fishing. Mike caught and released an Alaskan Grayling. We slept well and Sierra and I woke early and took another walk down by the lake. In front of me a large bird took off silently from a nearby tree, then and second and a third and flew a short distance before landing. Sierra sat quietly while I spent the next 20 minutes filming and photographing this wonderful family of Great Horned Owls. I got some fun shots and wanted to let the others know what I had found, so I went back to the camp and brought Jackie down to see them. She held Slim as he would have made a nice meal for these guys. On our slow drive back to the Highway we stop to watch some subsistence dip net fishing for Copper River Salmon, They used nets on long poles as the river currents are very unpredictable and dangerous and can pull a person under quickly. The fish is supposed to be some of the most expensive and delicious salmon on the market. We were really happy to be back on asphalt and headed down the road to Valdez. We stopped just past Thompson pass at Blueberry Lake State Recreation Site and were able to see some beautiful and dramatic vistas just before the clouds settled around us.

Strategizing

Strategizing

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07/16 – 07/17 Throughout our travels we have been kept informed by other travelers as well as friends here in AK on the status of numerous forest fires and their effect on the air quality as well as the ability to see some of the vast scenery of these places. We got word that Fairbanks had been experiencing a lot of smoke and our friends Charlie, Robin and Tory Boulding, who we are hoping to meet up with, would not be back in that area until August. So, upon reaching our Camp spot at Moon Lake we broke out the maps again and decided we would turn south and see the sights of southern AK and the Kenai peninsula before turning north, towards Denali and Fairbanks. We drove to Delta Junction and stopped at the restored Sullivan Roadhouse. These roadhouses were essential during the early settling and gold rush days of AK. They operated in the capacity of a Hostel, Restaurant, and Mercantile for weary travelers along the trails. This one also had a garden just as it would have in the summer months tended by many volunteers. We were even given vegetables after touring the place and seeing all the interesting stories and antiques. We made our way down to Fielding Lake State Recreation Site where we were met with crazy windy conditions but thankfully no bugs. We were told by a local that there was a great hike with a suspension footbridge, not too far away, out to the Gulkana Glacier. We all packed into J&J’s truck and drove the very bumpy road to the trail head a few miles away. The glacier was amazing and we were able to reach part of it after crossing the roaring runoff from it using that bridge. It definitely took some concentration, deep breaths and careful placement of our feet to make it across. Sierra did great with only a couple of minor slips of her rear feet on her initial crossing. It was a warm day and rocks from the top of the glacier kept tumbling down the hillside which was a bit nerve wracking. The amount of movement & melt was astounding. We made it down the mountain safely and can now say we touched ice that was thousands of years old. Too much fun!

Chicken AK

Chicken AK

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07/14 -07/15 Located 77 miles northeast of Tok down a bumpy gravel road. Why go to Chicken? cause it’s finger lickin good!? Naw, just because it was a funky name for a funky place. We found out that the folks named it this because no one could spell Ptarmigan, which is the state bird of Alaska, so they just decided to call it Chicken. It is an old gold mining camp and has displays of lots of mining equipment and historic cabins. There is still some mining going on outside of town but it is primarily set up just for tourists and offers an opportunity to pan for gold and tour the historic buildings along with hosting the annual Chickenstock festival that we missed by a few weeks. We passed on the panning but did stay the night in Chicken, hiked out to the river, took a walk around the town, perused the gift shops, and took lots of touristy pics. Watch out for the attack chickens!