August 1
Driving to Homer, AK was another beautiful drive. Mountains, fireweed, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and a treat of seeing an eagle fly in front and over our motorhome. The Kenai River (and its salmon) is the waterfront town of Homer. This area is south of Anchorage along the Kenai River.
Once settled in, we rode our bikes on a bike trail along the "Spit" to Salty Dawg to meet Katy & Mike. Completing the day by walking around, enjoying some of the shops, and riding back to Heritage RV Park.
Salty Dawg: The bar is known for the thousands of dollar bills signed by visitors and tacked on the walls. This practice started many years ago, when a visitor tacked a dollar on the wall, explaining that his friend would be by later.... There are so many dollar bills pinned up, they could use it for collateral for a loan.
August 2
Started the day meeting Katy, Mike, Jody & John at the Alaska Maritime National Refuge Visitor Center for a stroll down to Two Sister's Bakery. Delicious, fresh and homey. After we dropped our pastries that weren't eaten to the car we hiked back down and continued to Bishop's Beach for a lovely 2 1/2 hour walk.
I enjoyed a 16 oz cup of Black Bean Soup and part of a Ham & Cheese Danish along with a bite of a delicious rhubarb scone.
Fun Fact:
The bakery started in 1993 in a former art studio. Two Sisters Bakery has grown over the years to fill a beautiful house with a wrap around porch, right up the street from Tuggeght - Bishop Beach - in Homer's historic Old Town. Landscaped with glaciers and volcanoes surrounding their community.
After our delightful stroll on the beach, Douglas and I headed to Johnny's Corner for a delicious late lunch. We chose the Adak: hazelnut-crusted halibut topped with mango relish and complemented by honey red curry. Johnny who was taking orders and cooking (his helper was out sick) kindly split the meal for us, ensuring we each had a generous portion. It was a feast!
Fun Facts:
Johnny grew up in Homer and spent his early years in commercial fishing. He went to New Zealand and apprenticed with a chef, working on his cooking skills and passion for food. Johnny returned to Homer and opened up Johnny's Corner, where he delights his community by cooking fish he once caught!
Douglas and I walked down to Jody and John's rig and met up with Katy and Mike for a wonderful evening. We enjoyed the fire, sitting by the water, sharing great conversations. And being silly!
Before we left for Saturday's Farmer's Market, we adorned the back of our motorhome with Alaska stickers we accumulated. The farmer's market was fantastic! Beautiful, fresh looking produce, jewelry, and the delectable Udder Delights hand crafted dairy & coconut ice cream made in small batches. We treated ourselves to a coconut dark chocolate orange and dairy mint chocolate chip.
One couple was selling unique breakfast sandwiches with pancake batter as the bread, very unique. Strolling along with Katy and Mike was a blast. Katy bought a Fireweed Rose tea and I opted for a Ginger Mint tea, both were refreshing and tasty. A remarkable 91 years old gentleman crafted beautiful ornaments/window crystal catchers. He proudly shared that he doesn't need glasses!
Back to the motorhome for lunch and a rest. Later that afternoon we took a drive to Carl El Wynn Nature Center for a lovely hike in the woods. Notice the picture with a pile of "liter" from pine cones. This is from the Red Squirrel.
Fun Fact:
The Red Squirrel - subsisting on the tiny seeds found in pine cones, the squirrels occupy an important niche in the spruce forest. They are highly territorial and will defend their feeding grounds with fervor. A high perch allows them to keep a watchful eye on their site while they extract seeds from the bracts of a cone one at a time. Eventually, the litter from their cones will form a massive mound called a median, exacted with tunnels and passageways to safety.
Taking a pause to soak in the breathtaking view of the glaciers, mountains and Katchemak Bay was a treat. Before returning to our motorhome, we stopped at the beach to watch windsurfers dance on the waves. That was delightful!
Douglas took off to the fishing pond that feeds from the Kachemak Bay while I had some "alone" time doing QiGong and tiding up a bit before I joined him. Lots of salmon although no fish for us......
Later did I find out the technique they use is called "flossing". They use a fly rod with 15 feet of leader and a dry hook. The salmon circle this pond/fishing hole in groups of 100 or more. The idea is to throw your line out across them, let the line sink and as they swim by the line is caught in their mouth and it flosses til the hook lands in their mouth, then you land them and drag them on shore. They are beautiful fish 6-10 lbs. They would jump completely out of the water at times.
After lunch we met Katy and Mike at the Pratt Museum. I was enthralled with the Marjories Scholl Inner Stellar Exhibit. https://www.marjoriescholl.org/ The exhibit end September 20, 2024.
Fun Facts:
Inner Stellar is a series of painted portraits that honors the experience of reacquainting with ones "inner child". Artist Marjories School has painted people in her community and co-created a story-like text to accompany each piece.
Each portrait illustrates someone in the bright essence holding the weight of their unique ancestry - hardships, healing and all with an authentically determine outlook.
The figure's posture and gaze convey their true history and committed future and suggests the intergenerational whisperings that lead to insight and strength. Each paining is set in a forest of birch trees, using light and shadow to allude to the adversities and resilience, as well as the loneliness and triumph, that comes from developing the whole self. Each subject has actively participated in the creation of their portrait and the related personal anecdotes.
As part of the series, Scholl includes a self portrait to share her own journey that continues to reckon with generational trauma child reconnecting the her inner child.
We completed our day with a lovely hike outside the museum. Lots of Elderberries, mushrooms and lush greenery.
July 28
Arrived in Seward late afternoon at The City of Seward Campground, nestled right on the picturesque Resurrection Bay. Despite the rain, we embraced the cozy atmosphere with yoga, a delicious dinner, and an then off to bed.
July 29
What a delightful day! We met up with Katy and Mike at the renowned Alaska Sealife Center. Watching the sea lions getting fed and seeing their playful performances was a highlight. We even had the chance to touch various marine creatures, including crabs, urchins, starfish, anemones, shrimp, and some fascinating sea worms (whose names elude me). The atrium, bustling with puffins and other vibrant birds, captivated us, where they circulate fresh sea water every 24 hours.
July 30
We ventured to the dock of the Kenai Fjord National Park cruise. This is the main way to see the spectacular park other than flying over it. Saw the beautiful Holgate glacier. Went to a cove where there were 40-60 puffins flying around. They’re so fast that we couldn’t get a picture of them.
Fun fact:
Puffins are even faster underwater, swimming as much as 200 feet deep!
Puffins are even faster underwater, swimming as much as 200 feet deep!
Kenai Fjord National Park feeds nearly three dozen glaciers flowing out of the mountains, six of them to tidewater. The Harding Icefield is a vestige of the massive ice sheet that covered much of Alaska in the Pleistocene era. The ancient ice gouged out Kenai's fjords, creating habitats for throngs of sea animals.
We woke up at 5:30 to arrive a the dock at 6:30 for a kayak trip and hike to the falls that didn't happen due to the winds. The plan was to launch into Resurrection Bay and kayak to Bridal Falls for a short hike. At 7:20 AM we were informed the winds got worse and it would be too dangerous to go. On the way back we stopped at a beautiful water fall.
As much as it was disappointing, we were thankful to not get out in the water and be stranded for hours. We quickly changed gears and went to Safeway to pick up salad, crackers, jerky and some bars. This extra time gave us the opportunity to clean and enjoy sitting outside eating our lunch.
After relaxing, looking out over the Bay, we went to the library for a compelling 30 minute film on the devastating earthquake and tsunami that stuck Seward in 1964. If you visit Seward this experience is a must. The sheer magnitude of the earthquake followed by the tsunami (moving 100 miles an hour) is truly beyond words.
FACT:
This earthquake was the largest in US history (magnitude 9.2 on the Richter scale) and the second largest ever recorded in the world.
Afterwards we went to the Visitor Center and saw a 20 minute film on Kenai Fjords National Park.
Back to the motorhome for a bike ride on a scenic trail along the bay. We enjoyed eating dinner outside and had the pleasure of meeting and sharing our Alaska adventures with Phylecia and Dustin our "neighbors".
August 1
WOW it's already August! This morning before we got our rig ready to leave we went on a lovely walk along the bay. What you see in the picture below are the remains of the railroad tracks from the earthquake & tsunami in 1964. Seward is also Mile 0 of the Iditarod each year to Nome, AK.
July 24
The drive to Valdez was another spectacular adventure. Mountains, glaciers, greenery, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and wildflowers.
We arrived in Valdez with enough time to get gas, set up our motorhome at Bear Paw RV Park on the Bay of Valdez.
We ate lunch and headed to the Stan Stephens Cruise Ship which was only 5 minutes away for an afternoon cruise. The glaciers are amazing. Along the way we saw eagles, sea otters, sea lions, porpoise, puffins, waterfalls, glaciers and absolutely stunning scenery!.
We met a woman who had a group of adults that was on a camping adventure guided tour. She was setting up food for her group to eat. If you are adventurous and want to learn more about a camping tour check out, Get Up And Go. https://getupandgotours.com/
Fun Facts:
We went over the moraine. How you know you about to go over a moraine? There’s a dark line across the water and that’s where it lies underneath.
A Moraine is material left behind by a moving glacier.This material is usually soil and rock. Just as rivers carry along all sorts of debris and silt that eventually builds up to form deltas, glaciers transport all sorts of dirt and boulders that build up to form moraines. They are like an underwater mountain that are within 50 feet of the surface. The depth of the sound can be over 1,000 feet.
Small Icebergs along the sound melt within 24 hours. The larger ones take 3-4 days to melt.
We experienced hearing and seeing a glacier calving. When a glacier breaks off and falls into the ocean, it's called "calving." Calving is a natural process where chunks of ice break away from the edge of a glacier, creating icebergs. This can create a dramatic, loud sound and results in the formation of icebergs that then float away.
Fun Facts:
Sea Otters have 250,000 hair follicles per square inch, humans only have 50 per inch. They do not have any fat like other mammals to keep them warm. Their hair keeps them warm and because their hair is so thick and they have no fat they have no predators.
July 25
It was lovely taking our time this morning. Off to Safeway to shop and stock up. Had lunch at Oldtown Diner - a hamburger and hand cut fries with a delicious dipping sauce.
The Valdez Visitor Center was informative about the town and the taxidermy displayed was excellent. The gift shop, Northwind Old Fashioned Candy & Soda Store across the street was charming. I'm not sure why "gift shop" isn't included in the name?
Fun Fact:
This Historical Building was the childhood home of Alaska's first governor Bill Egan in 1986.
Off to The Solomon Gultch Hatchery., which was fascinating!
It was so much fun watching the sea lions catch the salmon and the seagulls swarm around them thinking they'll get some. Across the street was a beautiful waterfall.
Fun Facts:
- It's one of Alaskas largest enhancement fishery programs.
- It's mission is to ensure sufficient numbers of wild salmon return every year to increase the harvest of both sports and commercial fisheries in the Valdez area.
- The facility is permitted to incubate, rear and release 270 million pink salmon and 2 million Coho salmon annually!
- It's North America's largest Pink Salmon Hatchery.
July 26
It was a rainy day when we decided to take a scenic drive to Glacier Lake. As we walked around the peaceful surroundings, we had the pleasure of meeting three wonderful people from California. We shared stories about our travels, swapped tips on exciting places to visit, and enjoyed getting to know nice individuals.
We made another trip to the hatchery for some fishing. Despite the rainy weather and our tight schedule—since we had to catch the ferry at 5:30 AM the next morning—Douglas managed to reel in a beautiful Pink Salmon. It was time to get my own fishing rod, so we headed over to Prospector Outfitters. The adventure keeps going!
July 27
The crisp morning ferry ride from Valdez to Whittier started out drizzly and cloudy turned into a beautiful sunny day. Beautiful scenery. We loaded the motorhome & Honda on the ferry. They are very good at calculating every foot of space.
Arriving in Whittier we set up camp and exploring the charming town of Whittier that is on the Prince William Sound. We wanted to book a kayaking trip or rent kayaks. Nothing was available for a guided tour throughout the weekend and they no longer rent kayaks to individuals.
After walking around for an hour meandering in the shops and admiring the boats and the sound, we went for a hike. We drove up the mountain to Horsetail Falls and enjoyed a 40 minute hike. Back to the motorhome to cook dinner and enjoy a low keyed evening.
Leaving Whittier, our journey took us through the renowned Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. This one-lane tunnel stretches 2.5 miles, making it the longest highway tunnel in North America. Driving through it was quite an eerie experience!
July 21
As you know we arrived at Tolsona Wilderness Campground last night. We left the overflow and pulled into our spot about 11:00 am. Great spot on the river & we were excited to meet up with Mike and Katy again.
Stacey & Gary who put the RVing to Alaska group together started this Rally 4 years ago. This year they had 55 sites reserved with 112 attendees from all over the USA.
All the activities were held in the Tolsona Pavilion where we gathered for a delicious barbecue dinner provided by Patriot BBQ. Afterwards live music with the band Tripwire, very good blues & rock, ZZ Top, Tom Petty, etc.
We enjoyed listening to the music outside our motorhome, (we were close to the Pavilion) sitting by the river and playing Pegs and Jokers with Mike and Katy.
July 22
This morning was a breakfast pot luck with lots of amazing food. We made a delicious oatmeal bake that was well received. It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed great conversations with other people.
After lunch we went on a 2 hour hike to Mud Volcano, the description informed us that it was easy to moderate hike, it was anything but that! The trail winded up a hillside and through the forest. About a half mile into the hike, the trail crosses a boggy area. This part of the trail becomes somewhat unclear. ha! It really did! To continue we went across another bog until we reached Mud Volcano.
We were glad to get our steps in! .
Facts:
Hazards: please use caution around mud volcanoes. Some of these pits can be more than 4 feet deep. Bug spray is recommended. We were thankful for our mosquito hats and YL's Insect Repellent!!
Fun Facts:
Some products I love after a long hike or any activity where you exert yourself.
- Arnica pellets
- Young Living's CBD Muscle Rub, PanAway and AgilEase (supplement infused with EO's), Cool Azul Pain Cream
- Magnesium Oil
It was a rainy night and we enjoyed having a nice dinner, doing yoga and going to bed.
July 23
Today we met up with 2 other couples for a fishing rafting trip on the Klutina River that is rated a class 3 river. The 7th fastest river in Alaska. It was quite the adventure! I did catch a beautiful Copper Red Salmon 8lbs, my first fish ever to catch!
We left the campground at 1:30, arriving at the Copper River Guides a little after 2:00. Next we hopped in a van that took us down the mountain. What a ride! It took 1 1/2 hours to go 14 miles. It was slow going, narrow, lots of dips, turns and water on the road. Finally, arriving where we got into the raft with our guide. Douglas and I had the pleasure of getting to know our guide, Teague, 20 years old, he grew up in Wisconsin hunting and fishing. When graduated high school he bought a plane ticket to Alaska. His education is living in the moment and in the wild. His new job starts August 1, being a bear guide for 2 months, living in a tent off grid. He will hunt & fish for his food & drink fresh glacier water. Earlier this summer he kayaked Prince William Sound from Valdez to Whittier with 7 friends. It took 2 weeks camping on the islands. We are taking the ferry and that takes 6 hours. He knows what he likes and is doing it. He's a hard worker through the summer and snowboards all winter. He is very confident and knowledgeable at what he does. He's living the dream and so are we in a different way. :-)
We didn’t get back to our motorhome until 10:00 PM! It was a long day!
July 18 & 19
Leaving Sourdough CG in Tok, AK we arrived at Chitina
Again, the drive was beautiful, wild flowers, mountains, glaciers, lakes and rivers……stunning!
Arriving in (Chit-Na),AK, we stopped to ask some questions about where to camp for the night. The lady in Spirit Mountain Art Gallery was very helpful. We were directed to a campground that was over the Copper River about 2 miles. It was a terrific spot.
The people we meet are so fascinating and that includes Apache Mike. He is a native to Chitna and does everything you can imagine from building log cabins, he has a fish wheel and has to check it 3 or 4 times a day, he can weld, makes jewelry, he loves traveling and the list goes on. We bought Copper River Red Salmon that he just processed, delicious!
Fun Facts:
Little did we know that the Copper River is world renowned for “Copper River Red Salmon”. This is the peak season. All Alaskans are allowed 25 fish for the head of household and then 10 fish per each dependent in the family. This is to get them thru the brutal winters they have here, down to -50 degrees.
We hiked down a rocky steep path to the river where we saw people catching hundreds of fish, most of them 8-10 lbs. Beautiful healthy fish with vibrant red meat.
We were told it is the most expensive salmon on the market. They come to spawn this time every year, after a 5 year cycle. They spend those years 90 miles away in the Gulf of Alaska feeding on plankton.
Fun Facts:
There are two ways the locals catch salmon. The oldest way is “dip netting”. Most locals do it from the banks; it can be very dangerous. These nets are big and the poles are 30 feet long. They put the nets in the water and wait for the fish to get caught in the net. The water is very cloudy and the fish cannot see the nets. If several fish are caught at the same time it can pull you into the river and be dragged down stream.
The second way of catching these salmon is with a “fish wheel”. It’s better if you google it than for me to explain it.
We explored the area on our second day driving 17 miles on the McCarthy Road to Kuskaluna Bridge over the Kuskaluna River. A short hike down under the bridge was awesome!
Fun Fact:
This was built around 1910 for the railroad to bring the ore out of Kennicott Mine. It was built in 4 months in the middle of winter.
We got to visit with Apache Mike again this evening….what a treat!
July 20
Woke up to a brisk 49 degrees. Got ourselves ready for another adventure in Chitna.
First stop “Apache Mike’s” to pick up some more delicious, fresh copper river red salmon, he invited us to his cabin.
What a treat! He has lived in Chitna for 35 years and built his log home out of trees he harvested on his land. It’s like a museum inside. he has found numerous tools from the 1900s. His land is next to a landfill from back then, it’s a trove of treasures. The first floor is a living space where you can walk and enjoy viewing and listening to the creek. He plans on adding a deck that goes over the creek.
The second story is fantastic. Mike has the beautiful white spruce logs that support the ceiling. They have these huge knots that give them an earth character. Here is his full kitchen, full double door refrigerator His bed is crafted out of the same white spruce logs. He is a talented cook/chef.
He loves wine and great music. He played “The Medicine Man” soundtrack form a Sean Connery movie. Great sound system and so much fun to listen to!
The cabin is for sale if you have an interest in living in Chitna, AK. Mike cares for the land and animals. He processes all the salmon in a more loving & humane way. This was a highlight of our trip so far.
Off to Liberty Creek and Falls. Another hidden treasure we enjoyed exploring.
Back to the motorhome to get ready for our next adventure to Glennallen. Along the way we stopped at the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Visitors Center. This is the largest National Park in the US, it’s the size of Sweden. We enjoyed looking through a telescope at Mt. Wrangell and Mt. Drum.
Fun Facts:
Wrangell-St. Ellias National Park a Preserve is remote and expansive rugged mountains and massive glaciers which boasts the world's highest coastal mountain range, including Mt. St. Ellias at 18,008 feet. Mt. Wrongell a steaming volcano provides evidence of the earth's dynamic nature. Ancient glaciers advance and retreat, slowly grinding through rock, adding a powdery silt and milky color to the rivers' flow.
We arrived at Tolsona Wilderness Campground about 4:00 pm. on the river for the RVing to Alaska Rally. We’re in the overflow field since we’re a day early. We’re excited to slow down for awhile.
