July 28-29, Wasilla

July 28  Well, Omaha, you were colder overnight than we were here in Alaska!  Our low was 57º, and you set a new record low at 48º!  Next thing you know you'll be hiking on glaciers there!

It was an on-duty day for us today, as will be tomorrow.  Peggy fixed pancakes for breakfast. And since it was Sunday the NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on starting at 9:00 a.m. here.  Peggy not being known as a NASCAR fan went to the laundromat and grocery store.  She got back just shortly after Ryan Newman's victory.

Peggy was also on the phone today making reservations for activities and a campground in Fairbanks. If everything goes according to plan we will be there for five days starting August 6. We are excited to be taking a paddlewheel boat tour, a dredge museum tour, and going to the Arctic Circle!  Getting to the Arctic Circle is one of our bucket list items.  Since we have heard some horror stories about driving the Dalton Highway on your own, we opted to have a tour company get us there.  On the flipside, we have also heard that there is nothing to worry about when driving the Dalton.  We chose to side with caution, and also to alleviate collecting any gravel road damage to our pickup.  And, this time someone else does the driving...a novel idea!!

Speaking of the bucket list, we are looking to reschedule our canceled halibut fishing charter. Hopefully the week of August 12 will hold some promise of getting back in the boat.  And the tides are also favorable at that time.  Keep your fingers crossed for us!

This afternoon I regenerated our camper's water softener while Peggy attended to Joey, the hangar cat.  He bears watching as likes to take off on his own giving whoever watches him some exercise.  Since he is declawed he can't defend himself very well.  A bear might think of him as a snack should he get away from us into some of the surrounding undeveloped areas.  We know that there are moose close by and there have been bears, too.  Two years ago Grant had to dispatch a bear that was attempting to get into their house via a first floor window.

We watered the garden and flower pots around the compound, and then sat outside as the temps and breeze felt good. We grilled our supper and then watched the latest installment of "Falling Skies".  That series will be coming to the season's end next weekend.

There are thunderheads building over the Talkeetna Mountains just north of us.  It would be nice for them to bring us some needed rain.  A walk through the neighborhood again brought closure to another Alaskan day.

Today's Photo Uploaded to Picasa

July 29  No much new to report for the day.  It got into the upper 70s again but no rain.  The clouds continue to build up over the Talkeetna Mts. in the afternoon, but nothing (no rain) for the MatSu Valley yet.

We did the unsavory job of dumping our holding tanks in preparation for our trip tomorrow to McCarthy, AK, and the Kennecott Mine.  This will be new territory for us again.  The area has great historic significance for Alaska especially regarding copper mining and the building of the railroad.

We also finalized and made reservations for our Fairbanks trip and our return to attempt halibut fishing at Ninilchik.  

Grant and Debby returned from their weekend at Hope and Whittier.  They seemed to enjoy their time away.  It was surprising to hear that Whittier's temperature was in the 70s.  Typically coastal locations are cooled by the more temperate ocean temps.

We went shopping for salmon this afternoon.  It is awesomely good when fresh and grilled. However, salmon is to Alaska as the steak is to Nebraska.  As a result it gets top dollar even on sale.  But, it's worth it to those of us who think a rock bass in Minnesota is awesomely good. Actually, in that case, it's the company (charter member Leech Lakers) who influence the flavor!

The salmon fishing is strictly controlled.  In some places the salmon runs upstream have been less in numbers than typically expected.  Yes, they monitor and count salmon.  As a result many streams have either been closed to salmon fishing or the limit has been reduced.  It is all supply and demand.

Grilled our supper again, did our evening walk, watched some TV, and called it a day.

Today's Photo Uploaded to Picasa

July 27, Wasilla and Air Show

July 27  Started the morning helping Grant and Jim disassemble the Beaver.  The engine cowling,  propellor, flaps, ailerons, rudder, and elevators had already been removed.  This left the wings for the next items to go.  With retaining bolts removed and Jim and I holding guide ropes, Grant maneuvered his skid loader and the wings were taken off one at a time.

The next thing to go will be the engine, but Grant is saving that for another time.  When you go to our photos using the link at the bottom, the photos show the sequence of disassembly up to today. However, we only removed the wings today.  The rest was done over the past few days.

After lunch Peggy and I drove out to the Wasilla Airport to attend an air show to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first airplane flight in Alaska.  Several older vintage aircraft were flown in.  Some of them did flybys over the airport.  Once on the ground the public was able to walk among the planes for closer looks.  I was able to take some photos of some of the more unique-looking planes.

Next week Peggy and I hope to go to McCarthy, AK, and the Kennecott Mine, a national historic site where a turn of the century copper mine was located.  It is approximately 270 miles away. Grant loaned me a book, The Copper Spike, depicting the history behind the establishment of a railroad to move the copper to the coast.  It was amazing to think about how the exploits of developers tried to take the railroad right of way away from others, and especially to imagine the large struggles made to lay the track over the Alaskan environment.

I'm not sure, but it may not have gotten to 70º today.  If it didn't, it will break a string of 70º days that was approaching setting a record for consecutive 70º days set back in 2004.

Today's Uploaded Photos to Picassa

July 25-26, Wasilla

July 25  Oops!  Forgot to make this posting last evening so Peggy and I are racking our brains trying to remember what we did...darned sometimers strikes again!

We stayed on the premises here at Anderson Lake.  Even remaining here is fun as there are airplanes buzzing around, and then there is the lake with views of the mountains in the background.  Grant worked on finishing putting floats on an airplane while I "supervised" playing the role of hangar rat.  Peggy played Betty Crocker and made muffins for the hangar crew in the morning.  It was a nice day temperature-wise with mid-70s allowing Peggy to sit outside and read in the afternoon.

Debby had been so kind (again) and given us a salmon fillet.  Peggy found a good recipe (pretty easy for us rookies to do) using aluminum foil, soy sauce, and brown sugar.  The fillet was cut into spatula-sized pieces.  Aluminum foil was cut so that they were just larger than the cut salmon pieces.  A mixture of soy sauce and brown sugar was liberally applied to both sides of the salmon  which were then put skin side down on the aluminum foil.

A low to medium setting on the grill was used.  The fish was put aluminum side down on the grill for 6-8 minutes.  The fillets were then turned.  The aluminum foil was carefully peeled off and with it came the skin!  Another 6-8 minutes on the grill for the 2nd side and VIOLA!!  Awesome eating!!

And another very nice treat we got from Debby was some smoked salmon.  Jim, who works part time with Grant and Debby, has a smoker.  Jim and Debby get fresh caught salmon and cut it into narrow strips, dip into a brine solution, and then hang the strips in the smoker.  And, OMG, is it good!

The evening was spent indoors as the clouds rolled in off of the Talkeetna Mts., and we got a very generous, much needed rain.

Today's Uploaded Photo to Picasa

July 26  Yesterday the bedside window day/night shade on my side of the bed broke.  The string in the blind had broken away from the plastic spool which is attached to the wall.  I had emailed the Jayco support line, and they suggested going to youtube.com and look up shade repairs.

I found a very helpful how-to video.  But in order to make the repair, I had to removed the valance, decorator curtain, and hanger hardware before I could even get to the shade.  Once I had the shade removed it was relatively easy to get the loose string, rethread it, and put it back on the spool.  Luckily having a full working repair facility in the hangar was nice as Grant allowed me to borrow his drill to put a new hole in the plastic spool.  

Then I had to put the valance which contains the shade back up.  It only took 2 screws, but Harry Houdini would've been challenged to do this work.  It would have been easier if I had a phillips head screwdriver with a 18" shank as the screws went in through a bracket which had to be affixed to the inside, underneath part of the bracket.  And everything was black colored, so I could not reference where exactly the original holes were.  

After a few choice words and much trial and error to get the screw to balance on the screwdriver head and then to thread it into the hole, I finally got the valance hung.  Everything else took little time to put back up.  Jayco engineering on this sure leaves a lot to be desired!  And, all this because a small plastic piece that probably costs about 25¢ had broken.

It was now late morning, and as I went out to the hangar, Grant had already removed the rudder, elevators, ailerons, and flaps from the Beaver airplane he is disassembling.  I was able to help remove some access panels and the cowling from around the engine.

In the afternoon we moved some landing gear sets and the parts removed from the Beaver into storages areas so they would not be subjected to the weather.  I was then going to help replace some light bulbs in the ceiling of the main hangar.  Grant was going to put a basket on his skid loader and lift me to the ceiling.  However, the skid loader had a dead battery.  Off Grant went to make a new purchase.

Upon his return he put the basket on the loader and I met him in the hangar.  However, he did not have enough light bulbs to make all the replacements.  With that we called it a day as he'll go get bulbs tomorrow.

Today's Photos Uploaded to Picasa

July 24, The Matanuska Glacier

July 24  The morning came early with Peggy getting up before the alarm.  Guess that girl was anxious to get the day's activity started.  After breakfast we left Wasilla for the Matanuska Glacier located about 60 miles northeast of Wasilla just off the Glenn Highway.

Last evening we researched guided tours of the glacier.  We decided on the MICA Guides company who got very good ratings.  However, since their times were not filled we chose to not make a reservation.

We arrived at the MICA Guides headquarters about 9:00.  We met with the receptionist who agreed that we would be capable of handling the 3 hour hike rather than the shorter 1 1/2 hour one.  We were a little intimidated by the hike as assumed we would be with a group of others and we did not want to slow the group down.

However, the receptionist said there were openings for the 9:30 hike, which we agreed to take.  We had to sign 2 waivers, one for MICA, and the other for the private landowner through whose property we had to travel to get to the glacier.  Grant, our host in Wasilla, knows the owner quite well.

We completed the waivers, paid the fees, and loaded up our backpack.  About 9:15 Reese comes out to introduce himself as our guide.  He takes us to the gear shack.  Upon seeing our low cut hiking shoes, he provided loaner high top hiking boots.  He said that our low cuts would not cut it with the muddy, sloppy terrain we'd encounter.  Once fitted with the loaner boots, we were fitted with crampons.

The crampon fit over the toe and heel of the hiking boots and are are loaded with about 9 steel spikes.  The spikes are necessary to maintain traction when walking on the icy surface of the glacier.  However, we would not use the crampons until we were actually at that point to walk on the ice.

We were also fitted with a helmet.  It became very obvious that MICA Guides take seriously the safety of the client.  Reese went over with us in detail what was and what was not acceptable when hiking on the glacier.  And it was about this time that we realized that no one else was showing up to go on this hike with us.  We were one on one with Reese!

After a van drive to the parking lot overlooking the glacier, we walked a short distance to near the terminus of the glacier.  There we sat and put on our crampons.  After a brief intro on the finer aspects of walking in crampons we climbed onto and up the glacier.

Reese was an outstanding guide.  Not only did he put safety first, he was also very knowledgeable about glaciers.  And he was also very personable.  Even though he was taking a couple who were more than old enough to be his parents he treated us to a fantastic experience.  And, he paced the hike so that we were able to keep up and not get so winded that we couldn't converse with him.

I don't know how to fully describe the experience of hiking on a glacier!  All I can say is "Wow!", which isn't very academic!  I took a number of pictures of the hike and like is often expressed, a picture is worth a thousand words.  So please, take the time to view our photos to get an impression of what we are so enthused about.

After our 3 hour hike (the time went quickly!) we rode back to the MICA office, turned in our borrowed gear and bid Reese a heartfelt thank you.  And, with that, I offer my complete endorsement of MICA Guides.  They are a class act!

From there we drove farther up the Glenn Highway to get views of the Matanuska Glacier's valley and see the ice cap atop the Chugach Mts.  After we got our photos, we went further to the Sheep Mountain Lodge.  Reese suggested having lunch there, and boy, am I glad he did (and I know Peggy would say the same!).  Peggy had a chicken quesadillas, and I their cheese burger.  But it was the dessert that was oo-la-la!  For the first time since we left Omaha, I got to have a homemade rhubarb and strawberry pie!!  And it was awesome!  Peggy opted for their carrot cake and probably would agree that it was very good.


So the day was a big hit!  I could say more about the exhilaration of hiking on a glacier.  To think that the ice we were standing on was 800-1000 years old, and that we could drink directly from its melting clear ice without worry.  To know that many glaciers around our planet are disappearing all made this adventure strike a cord.  So again, I invite you to look at our photos to get a glimpse of what we saw and maybe allow them to trigger some emotions for you.

Today's Uploaded Photos to Picasa

July 21-23, Wasilla

July 21  It was a nice, quiet Sunday for Peggy and I.  OK, not so quiet for Peggy who went to the laundromat during the morning.  Wearing clean clothes must still be expected.

I worked on trying to get our trailer a bit more level as we had a slight lean to the port beam.  It is better now than when I started.

I also worked on trying to fix the glass turntable from our microwave which had decided to take a dive onto the floor of our camper on the way back from Ninilchik yesterday splitting itself into 2 pieces.  We will see if J-B Weld works as well on a rather heavy glass object as it does on other materials.  J-B Weld is the only repair material I have along except for Gorilla Tape, and I know how that would do.  I'm living up to my namesake and doubting my repair will hold.  I have a message into Frigidaire to get the part number so that we're prepared to order a new one if warranted.

Of course the NASCAR B Team (a.k.a. Nationwide Series) raced at Chicago today so I was able to get my car racing fix.  There was no Sprint Cup race today.  They are resting up for the big race at the Indianapolis 500 Speedway next weekend.

We had very nice phone conversations with our 2 daughters back home.  My initial call was from my oldest granddaughter, Macy.  She is 5 years old and going to Kindergarten.  She told me all about their families' camping trip to Rocky Mt NP.  She proudly said that she earned her Junior Ranger badge!  Good for her!  Both daughters report that they are all well but very busy.

I did have a bit of upsetting news from a friend of mine with whom I taught for years and also played fast pitch softball with.  One of his granddaughters was severely injured in a car accident.  I was relieved to hear that after surgery the prognosis for her recovery is very good!  We hope and pray this to be true.

After watching our installment of "Falling Skies" we went for our neighborhood walk and called it a day... a good day!!



July 22  Nothing really new to add to today's blog other than it was really warm here.  We ran our AC for most of the day.  The high today according to our thermometer was 80º!  That's very hot by the usual summer temps here in Alaska.  And I know back home that everyone would beg for a high temperature of only 80º!  It looked like the Omaha area had some strong storms go through this afternoon.  Hope everyone there is OK.

Peggy got up early and watered the flowers and looked in on Joey, the hangar cat, to feed him his canned food.  She was very stealthy as I didn't hear her get up or leave the camper.  She must have given the camper door a little extra slam when she got back as that woke me up. :o)

We washed the pickup and camper today.  While doing the camper I broke off the radio antenna's plastic support for the 2nd time!  Guess I'm a slow learner.  J-B Weld and I are getting to be really good friends.  :o(

Grilled chicken and had fresh cut broccoli from Debby's garden that Peggy had harvested for supper.  And I have to admit, it tasted very good...that coming from someone who doesn't rank broccoli at all close to the top of best veggies to eat.

Some TV for the evening and our neighborhood walk.  Man, life is tough here in the land of the 49th state!


July 23  Another warm day in Alaska, warm enough that we slept with the windows open last night.  But with it near 80º again today it was still comfortable.

Grant started a new project today- the disassembly of a Beaver airplane that was being stored on his property.  This type of plane has been used as a bush plane in Alaska and was built by the de Havilland Co. in Canada.  This model of Beaver was developed in the 1960s and has a turbocharged radial engine.  This particular plane has been sitting idle on Grant's property for about 16-20 years.  Although flightworthy at the time it was parked, it has now fallen into such a bad state of repair due to the owner's neglect that the project is to take it apart and have it trucked away.

The Beaver's wingspan just barely fit into the hangar.  Grant and his part time employee Jim put the plane on the hoist and spent a good amount of the morning removing the floats and putting wheels back on it so that it could more easily be moved around.  The plane was carefully pushed out of the hangar by 5 of us and parked on the concrete pad between hangars 1 and 2.

After lunch Peggy and I went shopping at WallyMart and Lowes.  We got a few groceries, and I needed to get some weatherstripping.  Our camper has a dust leak when it is being towed.  Dust accumulates on the kitchen counter.  At first I thought it might be the entertainment slide not closing tightly, but I have eliminated that after making some observations.  That leaves either the door or the kitchen window.  The evidence pointed to the door which had a couple of 1/2" gaps in its weatherstripping, and there was a coating of dust on some of the interior areas of the outside door.

I took the weatherstripping I had purchased and cut it to fit the gaps.  I also tighten the door so that when shut the weatherstripping is more compressed against the door frame.  We'll see if that is the cure or not next time we tow.

During the afternoon Grant and Jim worked (with my supervision, of course) on assembling a newly painted set of floats.  A plane also recently painted to match will be flown in and converted to a float plane.

After the first phase of their work was completed Debby and Grant came over, and we sat in the shade on the north side of our camper and had a cold beverage.  It was the kind that goes kkssssshh when you open the bottle!

We grilled our supper, watched some TV, took our walk, and today became the 76th day since we left home, if I've counted correctly!  Tomorrow we hope to cool it down a bit by taking a day trip to the Matanuska Glacier located about 65 miles northeast of here near the Glenn Highway.

Today's Photo Uploaded to Picasa

July 20, Ninilchik to Wasilla

July 20  It was time to leave Ninilchik and go back to Wasilla for our on-duty days.  Ninilchik was OK, but it would have been much better had the weather cooperated and Peggy and I had gone halibut fishing.

But we had a very good time in Homer and the Homer Spit.  There was a lot to see and do there, and we especially enjoyed our wildlife tour boat ride to Seldovia.  So, all in all, it was a very worthwhile trip.  And, we can always go back and try our luck at halibut fishing again.

The drive back to Wasilla was rather uneventful.  We could not get over how crazy things get when the salmon are running.  Salmon fishermen call a 1-800 number to get the latest on the salmon runs: from which areas of streams and rivers are open (or not) to salmon fishing, to a timetable indicating when the salmon will be at a location, to how many salmon can be expected in that particular run. And from one day to the next that information changes.  There is much to know to legally fish for salmon here.  One advantage that Alaskans have over non-resident fishermen is Alaskans can use a dip net to fish for salmon!  This creates a great advantage for them!

When we crossed the Kenai River at Soldotna the fishermen were standing nearly shoulder to shoulder at the water's edge trying to fish.  That, plus having to know the rivers, streams, what is open and what is closed to fishing, etc., pretty much turned me off to salmon fishing.  Give me a boat, a rod, reel, and bait, and just let me fish- thus my attraction to halibut fishing!

We were astonished at the traffic going the opposite direction we were traveling on the Sterling and Seward Highways.  Cars, trucks, RVs, boats on trailers, etc., were all heading away from the Anchorage area down the Kenai Peninsula towards Homer.  Luckily, we went towards Anchorage and on to Wasilla so we did not have to contend with the nearly bumper to bumper crowds.

I know on Facebook I referred to getting to Anderson Lake near Wasilla as coming "home".  But that's what it feels like.  The Chapman's, our hosts, treat us like neighbors, and we have the comforts in our 5th wheel RV so that it feels like our home.

Returning to Anderson Lake, our "Home" away from Home

Once we got set up and had visited with Grant and Amy about our happenings, Peggy and I went grocery shopping.  After a dinner of enchiladas we settled down for the evening and called it a day.

July 19, Seldovia, AK

July 19  We got up just minutes before our alarms were to go off.  And guess what?  The wind is still blowing!

We arrive on the Homer Spit around 9:00 a.m..  After parking we went to the tour's charter office and paid for our tickets to the boat Discovery, a wildlife tour across the Kachemak Bay to Seldovia, a distance of about 25 miles.  Seldovia is accessible only by boat or by air as no road goes to Seldovia.

We boarded the Discovery around 10:00 with a 10:30 departure.  Even with the winds creating large swells, the boat was still scheduled to make the trip.  The ship left the Homer Spit harbor on time.  As we left the calm waters of the harbor and rounded the sea wall the boat began to pitch and bob.  Here we go again I was thinking.

The captain reassured us that the boat had enough size to handle the seas and off we went.  Because a major part of the cruise involved wildlife sightseeing the route was not direct to Seldovia.  The first wildlife encounter was at Gull Island, which was aptly named as the rocky island was full of gulls.

There were several smaller rocky outcroppings which had a variety of shorebirds using the islets as rookeries.  We were surprised to see a couple of Tufted Puffins which are quite colorful.  Shortly the captain announced that there was an intruder within the rookery- a bald eagle!

The eagle swooped and swerved attempting to find prey.  But, the Gauchous-winged gulls were fearless.  They countered the eagles every move with dive-bombing tactics of their own.  The gulls were relentless in harassing the eagle, and they had numbers on their side.  Eventually the eagle tired of the constant tormenting and off it flew.

We rode past other islands that were more scenic rather than containing wildlife.  Many had eroded stone arches for decorations.  Another island had a pair of orange beaked Oyster Catchers lounging on the gravel of the shoreline.  Yet another island, called Elephant Island, seemed to morph from having a rock elephant head with the trunk in the water to a head with the trunk curving up and out of the water.

We also observed large number of sea otters.  They were found mainly in the lee of islands or their coves for some protection from the swells and waves.  It is hard to see the numbers of these cute creatures and know that they were nearly hunted into extinction for their furs.

Since we knew it was going to be windy and perhaps a rough ride, Peggy and I decided to sit in the enclosed room of the first deck.  The upper deck was all open.  The stern of the first deck was open on the sides but had a roof over it.

As soon as we got to Gull Island I realized the shortcoming of being inside and sitting on bench seats, you could not easily move from side to side attempting to get the best photographs.  So, I moved to the stern of the boat.  I decided it was a good move since the boat was going into the wind, the second deck was exposed to wind constantly while the stern was relatively protected from the wind and the spray.  And, I was able to move from side to side of the boat depending on the photo opportunity.  Peggy opted to remain most of the time inside the first deck seating.

It took about 2 1/2 hours to go the distance to Seldovia.  Seldovia is an old Russian community that was established because it provided an open port year round for this area of Alaska.  In fact, it used to be larger than Homer.  However, shifting economies and earthquakes took their toll, and Seldovia is now a quiet, quaint community depending on fishing and tourism for its survival.

We had about 3 hours of time in Seldovia.  As soon as we docked there seemed to be a mad scramble by most of the boat occupants to get to the restaurants.  Peggy and I took our time and decided to visit the old Russian Orthodox Church and the historic boardwalk area of Seldovia.  It was a good plan since we were but a few who did not rush to eat immediately.

The historic church, built in in 1891, was on a high hill in Seldovia.  It had an interesting tower containing 8 visible bells.

One area of Seldovia is still visible- the boardwalk area.  Buildings erected along the cove were on stilts so that the high tides would not flood them.  Boardwalks were constructed connecting the buildings with one another.  However, the 1964 massive Alaska earthquake ruined many of these buildings.  The few that survived have been restored for the most part and give you a flavor of what Seldovia looked like.

Another feature of Seldovia is that they have many wood carvings around the town.  I've uploaded several photos of some of them.

Departure from Seldovia took place at 4:00.  The Discovery took the most direct route back to the harbor at the Homer Spit, and we arrived back at the dock at 5:30.  Since we had a late lunch we decided to head on back to the camper after a fun, entertaining day!

Today's Photos Uploaded to Picasa

July 18, Ninilchik

July 18  The alarms went off at 3:30 a.m.  Peggy and I were both up and at 'em!  We were on the road to the Ninilchik Charters shortly after 4:00.  We arrive and checked in.  We would be on a charter boat to go halibut fishing with 4 other clients plus the boat's captain.

The boat was towed by the captain to the Deep Creek launch.  I had described the method by which boats are launched into the Cook Inlet in an earlier blog.  Once we began heading out to the fishing grounds it became apparent that this was not going to be a comfortable ride.  The wind was blowing very strongly out of the south and the swells were increasing in frequency and size.

The following best describes the remaining events and feelings as I posted them in Facebook:

Damn, Mother Nature, damn! How dare you bum us out like this.

Here is a photo of our fishing boat that had to cancel our charter due to high seas with pending small craft advisories and warnings. We went 6 of the 12 miles out into the Cook Inlet to halibut fish only to have to turn back and return to the dock. 

I knew we were in high seas when I looked out the front window of the boat and all I could see was the sky. After a couple of those huge swells our captain chose to return to the dock as did the rest of the fleet with Ninilchik Charters. And although disappointed, I know he made the correct decision.

Now I feel snake-bit as our ocean charter in Florida last year was canceled due to the weather. Waa Waa! I'll have some cheese with my whine!

We could not reschedule for a charter tomorrow as all spots were booked. We may consider a time in August when the tourist season wanes to see about trying this again. The good news is we got a full refund...and we are safe!

So there you have it...no halibut fillets from this trip.  But hopefully there will be other opportunities.  During the excruciatingly rough ride I kept asking Peggy if she was OK.  And each time she'd smile and say, "You bet!".  What a trooper!

We got back to our camper about 9:00 a.m.  Since we had an early rising, I promptly took a nap.  In fact I took a couple of long naps up to lunch time.

After lunch we decided to get out and take another round of self-guided tours in the Ninilchik area.  We drove around the old town of Ninilchik and the shoreline area of it.  We also went to the Ninilchik River overview along with the two Deep Creek viewing areas.  When we were there we just so happen to run into Tim who was a client on our boat!  His buddy Clay was back at their rental cabin resting his back after our jarring boat ride.  Tim was going to fish for salmon in Deep Creek.  It was good to see him trying his hand.  However, when the salmon run you can see them in the water, and we saw nothing.

We then went out to the Deep Creek boat launch.  On Tuesday when we were there the lot was full of boat trailers.  Today there were only 4 trailers because the rough Cook Inlet was preventing any sensible fishing.  However, while we waited 2 boats came in.  I'm sure that those passengers were well beaten up by the waves.

Back at the cabin we talked about tomorrow.  We decided to take a wildlife ferry tour from Homer over Kachemak Bay to Seldovia, a Russian village by origin.  Seldovia is isolated as has no roads leading to it.  Access to the town is by boat or airplane only.  Peggy called and made the reservations with our departure time at 10:00 a.m..  

The tour will take us by bird rookeries, hangouts of sea otters, and hopefully if they are in the bay, whales.  This is a large boat with a capacity of 150 people so if the winds hold it should still be able to safely handle the waves.  The tour to Seldovia and back will total about 7 hours.

July 17, Homer and the Homer Spit

July 17  We left our campground at 9:00 a.m. driving the 40 miles to Homer, AK.  We again encountered a summer's way of life in Alaska, highway construction.  And, like we have found total roadbed replacement means having to drive on a dirt/sand/gravel mix which wouldn't be so bad except for the state of Alaska saying making dust is forbidden.  And how do you abate dust?  Water!  And when water and dirt/sand/gravel mix what do you get?  Mud!  So goes trying to maintain a clean pickup!

However, it still is worth a dirty truck to see Alaska!  Our first stop in Homer was a scenic overlook which allowed us to view the Homer Spit, a sliver of land protruding into Kachemak Bay.  It is believed to have been the creation of glacial action or possibly tides and current activity creating a 4.5 mile long sand bar.  From this vantage point Homer Spit looked barely above sea level.

While I took a few photos Peggy went back to the pickup to get our binoculars.  And are we ever glad she did!  As she scanned the scenery and water before us she asked me to look at the water over there.  She gave me the binoculars and her finger indicated the approximate area so I aimed, focused, and zoomed the binoculars, and I could not believe my eyes!  Are they?  Could it be?  It was a pod of Orcas!  Killer whales!!!  At first I couldn't tell for sure but the telltale large, pointed dorsal fin gave them away.  Later in the day as we related our find, it was confirmed by the resident expert on all things Homer and Homer Spit, a bartender!

As a fog bank began to roll across the bay we left the overlook and drove through Homer which was somewhat reminiscent of most small towns.  We continued driving following the signs to the Homer Spit.  Once on the Spit the neck of land wasn't much wider than the two lane Sterling Highway we were on.  After about 1 mile it grew and become broad enough to have shops and boardwalks on either side of the road and room a marina for small boats and large, ocean-going fishing boats.  The "Time Bandit" fishing boat from Deadliest Catch TV show fame is housed here, but unfortunately it was out of port.

We found parking and walked to a bakery that reputedly has great cinnamon rolls.  We were lucky as they had two left.  Peggy and I both agreed that the best cinnamon rolls we have had were found north of Fort St. Johns, BC, at The Shepard’s Inn.

We drove the remainder of the way to the tip of the Spit called Land's End, marking the end of the Sterling Highway and the Spit.  We walked the beach here and found a memorial to a lady who spent much of her life caring for and preserving bald eagles.

We went back to where the road on the Spit was lined with shops and cafes.  This provided for an opportunity for some pictures of the storefronts and the boat harbor.  We also came upon a shrine which memorializes sailors from Homer and the area who have been lost at sea.

We had walked both sides of the road and came upon The Salty Dawg, built in 1897, and now a bar.  It is constructed of old logs and is about 7' high.  When you enter you need to duck to get through the short door.  Once inside you see the walls and ceiling plastered with $1 bills, each containing the name of a person or a business, or maybe containing a witty saying, along with a variety of photographs.  This is how the bar handles people wanting to leave something behind.  The bartender said it is the only establishment that could be held up with a Bic lighter.  I can't imagine how many dollars are tacked up here.

The bar has 7 stools and there are maybe 4 tables in this small, quaint space.  I told Peggy that it was 5:00 somewhere, which is true as it was noon in Homer.  So we sat at the bar and visited with the bartender (remember he confirmed that we saw orcas!).  People would come and go, many just to take a photo, and a few to quaff a drink.  Since the sign on the Spit said Land's End and we were in this old but famous place, I had to have a T-shirt.  While we were there another lady came in and bought $270 worth of shirts and sweatshirts.

From there we walked back to a restaurant that supposedly had "excellent" grilled halibut.  The menu was posted in the window and to my dismay it listed grilled halibut only on the dinner menu, not for lunch.  But, we had overheard the bartender at the Salty Dawg recommend the "la Baleine Cafe". We walked back to this small, hole-in-the-wall kind of place.  It sported two tables inside and two picnic tables outside.  But they had on their menu salmon bowls containing a generous portion of grilled salmon, a variety of pan cooked mixed veggies and fruits, and brown rice.  Peggy will confirm that the bartender really knew what he was talking about with this place's food.  And, the bowl was only $10 each!  The grill halibut dinner at the other restaurant was $27 for one.

While we ate 2 men slightly older than us asked if they could join us as we ate at the picnic table.  One was from Wisconsin, the other now from Texas.  We joked back and forth about Nebraska being in the Big 10.  When one of them rather boasted about the Green Bay Packers, I had to stand my ground and admit that I rooted for the MN Vikings.  It gave us something to banter back and forth.

From Spit we drove back into the town of Homer.  I was on a bit of a quest to purchase a connector that would allow the sewer hose to connect to another sewer hose.  And, Ace was the place as that hardware store had exactly what was needed.  To complete this part of the story, the site we were camped in had the sewer connection a long ways in back in our site.  My hose alone would not reach.  Bob, the campground host, loaned me a hose to complete the distance to the drain.  I just needed the connector.

From the hardware store we went to the Alaska Island and Oceans Visitors Center.  There we were introduced to a variety of information about sea life around Alaska.  There were very good exhibits and videos shown.

We had time and energy for one more stop which occurred on the way back to our campground.  By driving a few miles on the old, original Sterling Highway, we went to Anchor Point State Park found on the Cook Inlet between Homer and Ninilchik.  What we found to be the most fascinating thing was that the paved ended at the beach and is the westernmost highway found in North America!  I doubt that I'll ever make it to the other 3 direction's outermost highways, so this was impressive to us.

After dinner Peggy and I walked the campground with camera in hand as the views of the 3 volcanoes were better than yesterday's so we took a few pictures.  We also walked a trail which took us up a bit higher on the bluff overlooking the Cook Inlet.

Tomorrow we are off at 4:00 a.m. to make it to our 4:30 halibut fishing charter.  I can't wait!

Today's Photos Uploaded to Picasa

July 16, Wasilla to Ninilchik, AK

July 16  The alarm went off at 6:30 a.m.  We were on the road from Wasilla around 7:45.  The drive took us through Anchorage, around the Turnagain Arm, and then south-southwest along the Sterling Highway.  As we passed a section of the low tide mudflats on the Turnagain we saw a cow moose with 2 little calves.  We worried for them as there are signs all along the Arm warning about the mudflats being dangerous as have quicksand-like properties at low tide.  We passed through Cooper River, Sterling, and Soldotna, paralleling the aqua colored Kenai River for part of the way.

We arrived at the Scenic View RV Park about 8 miles north of Ninilchik around 1:00.  We were immediately greeted by Bob the campground host.  After we got registered he directed us to and into our campsite.  He was a very friendly sort who had suggestions of what to see and where to go.

The campground sits about 200 feet above the waters of Cook Inlet.  Bob forewarned us about getting too close to the edge as areas of the bluff have been undercut and are prone to small landslides all the way down to the short beach.  The views of the Cook Inlet and across to the mountains are quite impressive as long as it is clear which it was to a degree today.

The air here is naturally cooled by the water temperatures of the Cook Inlet.  Daytime highs here are typically in the mid 60's by day and drop to the 40's during the short summer night.

After getting set up and lunch, Peggy and I drove to the small village of Ninilchik.  Our first stop was the Russian Orthodox Church established in 1901.  This small church is well kept with abundant flowers growing around it.  The Orthodox cemetery was also unique in that many of the graves have small picket fences around them along with heavy growths of flowers.

We drove past the office of the outfitter for our Thursday fishing excursion so we know where we need to be by 4:30 a.m..  Don't want to hold up the ship by being late!

Bob told us not to miss the fishing boats coming and going from Ninilchik.  Since the town does not have a protected harbor, boats are launched directly into Cook Inlet using old 4 wheel drive tractors.  The tractors back right into the water until the boat floats off of its trailer and away it goes.  The tractor then puts the trailer up on the shore.  When the boat returns, it radios the tractor service which hooks up to the trailer and backs it into the water.  The boat is driven up on the trailer, a worker then winches it on tight after which the tractor pulls the boat and trailer up to a parking lot where the trailer and boat get dropped off.  The boat's captain then gets a pickup or truck from the lot and hooks up to the trailer and away they go.  I have included several pictures of this activity in Picasa.

Across Cook Inlet, a distance of about 30-40 miles are the mountains of the Aleutian Range.  Several high peaks of the Chigmet Mts, part of the Aleutian Range, are active volcanos.  Mt. Iliamna and Mt. Redoubt are volcanos directly across the Inlet from Ninilchik.  Mt. Redoubt last erupted in 2009 with ash dusting Ninilchik and causing flights in and out of Anchorage to be canceled or rerouted.

We then drove the Oil Well Road going about 18 miles east of Ninilchik.  This road goes up into the Caribou Hills area of the Kenai Peninsula and supposedly moose and bears are frequently seen.  However, we saw no wildlife.  We did find that areas along the Oil Well Road contain sporadic populations of people living in cabins, some of which are very well appointed.  About the last half of the road is gravel and made for a bumpy ride.

After we arrived back in Ninilchik we went to Rosco's Pizza.  The pizza is hand tossed and very good.  Of course it could have been that we were extra hungary!

We got back to our campground around 6:45.  Fortunately, the RV Park has wifi, and I was able to do some business to help get my dad's bills paid and of course, to upload photos and write today's edition of the blog.

Today's Photos Uploaded to Picasa

July 12-15, Wasilla

July 12  Today was a bit of a work day.  We spent a good chunk of the morning changing the oil on the pickup.  Peggy was like a surgical assistant handing me a paper towel on cue along with an occasional tool.  Guess I should have had her dab my forehead during the procedure!

It took longer to dispose of the used oil than it did to do the change.  O'Reilly's Auto Parts advertised on their website that they took used oil but we found out not in Wasilla.  However, they directed us to a recycling center which did take it even though it was about an 8 mile drive.

We checked on the little loon from yesterday's territorial fight.  And there it was in the cove, idly swimming along the dock.  It looked no the worse for wear, but obviously had made no attempt to vacate the area.  We did not see the dominate loon so for the time being this loon appeared safe.

It got quite warm by Alaska standards today- 77º and bright sunshine.  However, when compared to what areas of the lower 48 states have been experiencing weather-wise, I'll gladly take this.  My brother lives in Phoenix and they had a dust storm today, the midwest has had excessively hot weather, and the eastern US has been flooded with rains.

I've been involved the past 10 days or so with my 95 year old father whose mental capabilities have been dwindling.  He was recently moved from assisted living to a nursing care facility.  My sister has been invaluable with making trips to Brookings from Davenport, IA, to see to his needs.  However, as I have POA, I've been getting in touch with caregivers and other entities to see to getting his various bills paid.  Thank goodness for email and its "paper trail" to help keep track of it all.  I am so thankful that Peggy and I made it to Brookings the end of April to visit him prior to leaving for Alaska.

A quick note about the sunrises and sunsets we've been experiencing.  When we arrived the end of May, the sun rose at 4:35 a.m. and set at 11:14 p.m.  On the summer solstice June 21, it was 4:12 a.m. and 11:46 p.m., and today it's 4:49 a.m. and 11:27 p.m.  On September 3, the day we are scheduled to leave Wasilla, sunrise will be 6:54 a.m. and 8:59 p.m.  Thankfully our night shades on our camper work really well to block out the light so falling asleep has not been an issue.

I continue to hope by the latter part of August there will be enough solar flare activity to make some visible northern lights as they say sky darkness happens around midnight that time of the year!  (Hmmm??  I must have thought I need some filler for today's post!)

Addendum:  Just as we were prepping to go to bed it started raining.  Peggy went to close the outside door and said she could see a rainbow.  It was a photographic opportunity!

Today's Uploaded Photo to Picasa

July 13  It was a relaxing day in Wasilla.  Since Alaska is at the height of its tourist season we have generally stayed close to home on weekends to avoid crowds, and today wasn't much different for a Saturday.

Being a weekend and being a NASCAR fan (it's the redneck in me!), I had to watch the Nationwide race on TV.  It started at 11:30 a.m. Alaska time.  Tomorrow's Sprint Cup race begins at 9:00 a.m. here.  I'll have to make sure I'm up and at 'em!

After the race was over Peggy and I went to Fred Meyers "super" grocery store similar to a Walmart.  Peggy had registered online for their rewards card but did not get a card nor a confirmation.  She asked at the store's customer service about it.  When they heard we were from Omaha, they asked if we had a Baker's card because Baker's owns Fred Meyers!  Small world!

It was a fantastic weather day here with temps in the low 70's and a cool breeze coming off of Anderson Lake.  We walked to Grant and Debby's benches along the shore to watch the ducks, gulls, and the occasional loon swimming.  All at once we heard the screech of tires.  We turned around to find an airplane careening down the runway heading towards the lake.  Luckily the pilot was able to get the plane under control and stopped just short of going down the ramp leading from the runway into the lake.  To much excitement!  Grant and Debby also heard the squealing tires and thought they'd see a plane in the lake, too.

We drove to the Sportsmans Warehouse here in Wasilla and bought our fishing licenses for our halibut fishing next week.  Tuesday we drive to Ninilchik to spend the rest of the week sightseeing the southwest part of the Kenai Peninsula and to go halibut fishing.  Peggy and I are pumped as have never fished on the ocean before.  Our other attempt at ocean fishing last spring in Panama Beach, FL, got canceled because of the weather, and we left the coast before we could reschedule.

We grilled chicken for supper, watched some TV, took our evening walk, and called it a day!


July 14  Heard the hangar door opening first thing this morning.  Grant was getting his float plane out.  I poured a cup of coffee and went out to see what was up.  Grant and Debby were heading out to their cabin to mow and deliver some supplies and were only going for the morning.

I watched the NASCAR Sprint Cup car race while Peggy made a recipe of ham and scalloped potatoes in the slow cooker.

When the race was over we went out to check tire pressure on the camper and our pickup.  About that time the Chapmans came flying back and landed on the lake.  I went to the dock to assist with securing the plane.

We visited with them a short while and then went back to the camper.  We washed the pickup which was still dirty from our road trip up to the Independence Mine on Thursday.  Afterward I took a nap while Peggy read and played some games on her iPad.  It was mid-afternoon when I heard a plane start up in the yard.  It was Grant who had his Piper J-12 (?) running.  It had experienced a stuck valve yesterday just prior to his returning from a flight from a friend of his' property on the other side of the Alaska Range.  Before he could fly back it took some effort to unstick the valve, including flying in his friend's plane to another person's place to borrow some tools.

As Grant rev-ed up the engine in the yard, the valve stuck again so he pushed it back into the hangar.  We went out to see what was going on as Peggy wanted some fresh air.  Grant spent a goodly amount of time trying to get that engine valve to open and close, but it would stick in the open position.  After several attempts he resigned himself to the fact that the cylinder would have to be removed and the valve guide reamed to allow the valve to operate correctly.

By now it was late afternoon so Peggy, Grant, Debby, and I retreated to their patio for some drinks.  Debby brought out photograph albums of some of the places they had been to in Alaska, and we visited about a wide variety of things and had some good laughs.

Peggy and I then returned to the camper, had dinner, and watch the last 15 minutes of Falling Skies which we had forgotten was on.  Oh well...you can always watch the boob tube, but you can't always sit outside on a beautiful weather day in Alaska and have fun with new-found friends!

Forgot to mention that I discovered that the rear drivers' side tire had lost air pressure.  And again, I was very lucky to find that the tire has a nail in it!  Better to find it out sitting in the driveway than to have the tire go flat out on the highway.  Guess I know where I'll be going tomorrow morning!


July 15  Got up in time to get to the tire store by 7:30 a.m., their opening time.  I have to give a lot of credit to Diversified Tire as I was on my way home by 8:00.  Amazing how a roofing nail can find my tire!

It was a cool, 60º, overcast day.  Felt very comfortable except that the state bird seemed to like this weather, too.  BTW, I'm referencing the mosquito!

Spent the day getting ready to get on the road tomorrow.  It has been two weeks since we took our camper to explore a different area of Alaska.  Peggy looked up things to see and do around the Soldotna, Ninilchik, and Homer areas of the Kenai Peninsula.  As for me I have tunnel vision focusing on Thursday's halibut fishing adventure.

I spent a part of the afternoon watching Grant begin to reassemble his Piper Cub's engine after it experienced a stuck valve.  He ended up removing all 4 cylinders and getting the exhaust valves reamed to prevent this issue from happening again.

Debby was off processing salmon.  She and some friends get together and hang the salmon to dry and to smoke.  She also brings some salmon home for canning.  For those who process salmon this is a busy time of the year as the salmon are running.

This evening we went for our daily walk which isn't at all unusual.  However, what was unusual was having to step way off to the side of the street to let an airplane taxi by.  Many airplane owners in the neighborhood keep their planes on their property which is within about a 4 block radius of the airport.

Today's Uploaded Photo to Picasa

July 11, Independence Mine at Hatcher's Pass

July 11  I was motivated to get up this morning.  It was Sourdough bread day at a local bakery.  Peggy and I went and got our loaf that was so fresh it was still in the oven.  Have to wait 10 minutes to get it.  In the meantime we bought 4 cinnamon rolls to take back.

We got back to our home and took the rolls into the hangar office and shared them with Debby and Grant, Jim, a friend and part time employee of Grant's, and Mark, a friend of Grant's who happens to be an Alaska State Trooper.  (Yes, he gets my total respect!  Ever see Alaska State Troopers on the National Geographic Channel??)  The rolls and company were good!

Peggy and I then left and loaded up to drive up to Hatchers Pass about 20 miles north of Wasilla.  Located up in the mountains there is an old gold mine which is now an Alaska State Historical Park.  Gold was discovered in the area in 1898.  As the panning for gold (placer mining) waned so hard-rock mining replaced it to extract the gold from rock.  Independence Mine was started in 1937 and continued until 1943.  The history of this mine is worth Googling.

Many of the buildings of the mine still remain or were restored to their original condition when the mine was operating.  Unfortunately, some of the buildings did not survive the years of idleness and are laying in ruins.

We walked the many trails around the mine, snapping photos and reading placards.  It was an amazing process to extract gold from rock.  It is the buildings where the extracting took place that were not restorable.  But all in all, if you ever get to Wasilla or Palmer, this is very much worth the $5 day use fee.

After our self-tour of the mine, we drove the mountainous Willow Creek Road.  This curvy gravel road is a popular summertime destination for many.  One attraction along the road is Summit Lake.  We could not find a place to park so had to drive on.  We decided we will have the chance to come and drive this road much earlier in the morning when things are not so crowded.

It was forecasted to be in the mid-70's in Wasilla so we opened the camper's windows.  As we drove the Willow Creek Road the clouds built up, got darker, and yup, you guessed it...rain, and off and on again hard rain!  Luckily the road is on the north side of the first ridge of the Talkeetna Mts. while Wasilla is in the valley on the south side.  Whew!  Wasilla did not get a drop.

While munching rolls in the morning, Debby described a great place to eat as have the best french fries.  And this place would be on the Parks highway going back into Wasilla from the Willow Creek Road.  And, she was right!  Awesome french fries, but in my opinion, their chili dog is super, too.  Peggy had a hamburger that she said was very good, too.  I have a feeling we will be going back to the blue with yellow trim building called Top Dog!

And, I should mention also that when we got back from the bakery, Debby greeted us with another surprise...a loaf of her Zucchini bread!  WooHoo!!

Since we were both rather full from our late afternoon lunch at Top Dog, we had Debby's bread and a slice of sourdough bread for our supper.

Debby also dropped off our mail to us.  She was telling us about this strange event with a loon at the lake we are on.  The loon was lying in the grass on her property at the water's edge and wouldn't move.  But later it had moved to the other side of a fence separating the property from a ramp to the lake on the other side.  And there laid this loon.

Peggy and I grabbed the camera and walked to the fence.  On the other side playing at the lakeshore was a family with a couple of small children.  About 3 feet away in the water lazily swimming around was this loon.  Very strange behavior!

Peggy had brought binoculars with her.  She had spotted another loon swimming much farther out in the cove.  But this loon kept diving and working its way closer to the shore.  This loon then dove and came up next to the "friendly" loon and beat the holy you-know-what out of it with its wings.  The friendly, and what we then realized, smaller loon clamored its way up along the fence where it hid in taller grass.  We had just witnessed a territorial fight!  And might made right as the resident larger loon reigned supreme.  WOW!

The resident loon swam back and forth for a while and either unable to see the other loon in the grass or sensing victory dove and swam away.  We left the weaker loon alone knowing that nature would run its course.  Hopefully no neighborhood dogs will be running loose.

Thus ended another full, exciting day in Alaska!

A late addendum to the loon saga.  Debby and Grant were good samaritans and used a blanket to pick up the smaller, young loon and moved it to their side of the fence.  This will protect the loon from loose dogs overnight.  In the morning if the loon is still there they will call the local game and parks office to see about what can be done.

Today's Photos Uploaded to Picasa

July 10, Wasilla

July 10  The day started with a need to attend to immediate needs: laundry, and the unenviable task of emptying our waste tanks.  Since we knew there was work to be done we instead chose to spent part of the morning visiting with Grant and Debby which was way more fun.

Peggy and I then proceeded to dump the waste tanks (whee!) which took us until the latter part of the morning considering the late start we had.

After lunch Peggy went to the laundromat.  I went out and swept the launching ramp going into the lake.  Peggy and I had attempted to edge the overgrown grass on the ramp, but we needed a spade.  When I asked Grant about a spade he suggested instead he'd put the bucket on his skid loader and use it to edge the ramp.  After he was done there was some chunks to be swept.

When Peggy returned we went to Walgreens to get some stuff and to fill the pickup with fuel in case tomorrow we want to take a day trip somewhere.  We still have Hatcher Pass and the Matanuska Glacier to visit locally.

We grilled pork chops for dinner in amongst light rain showers.  About the time we left the camper to go on an early evening walk it started to thunder.  The ensuing rain prompted us to say that we had hiked enough yesterday to be able to take the evening off from exercise.  So back to the camper we went where we assumed the couch potato position in front of the TV before calling it a day.

July 9, Anchorage, Etc.

July 9  I could not believe that we overslept!  It was 8:00 a.m., and we were not up yet.  Not that that was significant, but Grant had a customer show up at around 7:00 and drive their plane to the lot directly behind our pickup.  Peggy claims to have heard it, but I sure didn't.

But today, the best part of waking up wasn't the Folgers in my cup, it was Debby's Zucchini bread that she had made!  She even delivered it to our camper while it was still warm...and it was VERY good!  WOW, what a way to start the day!

We loaded up our backpacks and cooler and drove off towards Anchorage to start our day trip.  We intended to first stop and hike up to Thunderbird Falls.  Only problem was, the exit was only for Wasilla-bound cars.  So, we temporarily skipped item A on the agenda and headed for Potter's Marsh on the south side of Anchorage.

If you are into birding, this is one place you don't want to miss.  There is a very nice boardwalk which takes you along the northwest perimeter of the marsh.  From there you can experience two of the three creeks which flow into the marsh.  Within the wetlands are a variety of birds.  Check out the photos that were added today to see some of the feathered friends that we saw.

Peggy was carrying binoculars and said, "There's a moose out there."  And she was right!  After several minutes the moose ambled back into a thicket of trees and disappeared.

From Potter's Marsh Peggy suggested driving on down the Seward Highway to the Turnagain Arm Pit, a BBQ joint, since it was now just past noon.  We had passed it several times when going back and forth from Whittier and again to Seward.  It was about 12 miles southeast of Anchorage and got good reviews in The Milepost.  The BBQ place is not very big only having 6 booths inside.  When the weather is decent there are about 6 or so picnic tables outside to use.  With a threat of rain we chose to eat inside.

We order the day's special: 1/2 rack of St. Louis style dry rubbed ribs, 1/2 rack of their BBQ ribs, cole slaw and baked beans.  I should say we split this order between us, and like Debby's zucchini bread, it was very good, also!

On the way back toward Anchorage, we stopped and walked the McHugh Creek State Park area.  It was once a home to miners.  We took some pixs and headed on up the Seward Highway.

We then stopped on the south side of Potter's Marsh where we got good closeup pictures of gulls and terns.  The neatest thing was watching an adult gull feeding 3 chicks by upchucking food for them.  (I was glad that we had already eaten!)

From there we drove into Anchorage to Earthquake Park on the west side along Cook Inlet.  It was in this area in 1964 that the Good Friday earthquake created much damage and devastation to homes.  The park has a short walking path with many placards describing the destruction.

Then we drove to downtown Anchorage to attend a theater showing of a 40 minute movie entitled "Aurora Borealis" with videos of the northern lights.  It was amazing the shots the videographer had taken.  It would be nice to see firsthand these sights, but the time of year (Land of the Midnight Sun) interferes.  Maybe the latter part of August will provide an opportunity if the sky gets dark enough and Mother Nature cooperates.

After the movie we drove past the monument marking Alaska's Statehood Day, Jan 3, 1959.  It is a bust of President Eisenhower backed by an eagle and 2 flags.

We then got back on the Glenn Highway to drive to the trailhead for Thunderbird Falls.  It was 5:00 p.m. and the drive helped alleviate any homesickness we may have had as we were in the bumper to bumper traffic of Anchorage's rush hour.  It reminded me of making the drive from Center St. to Maple St. on I-680 at the end of the day when I was working.

We made it to the exit for the falls, parked, paid our $5 state park fee, and began the 1 mile hike up to the falls.  We made the walk, took some pictures, and hiked back down.  The short drive back to Wasilla was uneventful with our arrival back "home" happening just after 7:00 p.m.

Since we had such a large lunch, I suggested that I would enjoy some more Zucchini bread for supper.  Didn't know that we would eat the whole loaf in one day!!

Photos Uploaded to Picasa

July 3-8, Wasilla

July 3  Woke up to some light showers around 7:30.  I got up and started the coffee and turned on the fireplace.  Crawled back into bed and promptly fell back asleep!  Guess I haven't recovered from our long but fun day at Seward yesterday.

When we did get up I lounged around uploading yesterday's pictures and writing the blog.  Debby was nice to bring us our UPS delivery from yesterday- a new camera back pack and a lanyard for the camera's lens cover.  For a $30 purchase this bag is very nice with ample compartments and well padded.  The zipper on our former 1985 camera bag had broken.

Peggy and I went for a walk this afternoon.  About the time we returned a plane came in for a landing at the Anderson Lake field next door.  It turned around and then taxied down the street to where the pilot lives.  Although not an odd occurrence, it is none the less unique to see it happening so I had to snap a picture of it.

Debby took us on a tour of their truck camper.  I was very impressed as it has all the necessary appliances and is very spacious on the inside.  I told Peggy when I get to that point when pulling the 5th wheel and tandem towing our boat are not doable that a truck camper would be a very nice replacement to the 5th wheel.

Grant had a client bring in an airplane that had the wing tip clip a hangar and needed repair. Grant is not only a good craftsman, but he is also a good teacher showing Peggy and me the steps used to fix the wing tip.  Sure seems to be a very involved process.

Today's Photo Uploaded to Picasa

July 4  Happy Independence Day!!  Rained throughout the night and much of the morning.  We did go to Lowe's and bought hooks to hang our coats by the camper's door.  We got this idea from Grant and Debby's camper, and the hooks work well!

I watched bits and pieces of the live video streaming of the Mt. Marathon Race up and down the 3000 foot peak located at Seward, AK.  The participants have to be in some kind of great shape to be able to do this feat!  They come back muddy and in many instances, bloody, from falling, etc., on the trail.  An Anchorage TV station provided the online coverage.

The latter part of the afternoon Debby came over and got us and said it was time to celebrate the 4th of July!  We went outside and Grant had 2 cannons out and loaded.  BOOM!  And then Boom again!  WOW!  This was fantastic.  You'll have to watch the videos of the cannons going off!

Today's Videos Uploaded to YouTube
An Alaskan 4th of July Celebration-Part 1
An Alaskan 4th of July Celebration-Part 2

July 5  We had light rain showers over night again.  More chances of rain are in the forecast.  After breakfast we got in the pickup and drove out to the Wasilla Airport.  Today was scheduled to be the arrival of the Alaskan Aviation Centennial Celebration to commemorate 100 years of powered flight in Alaska.  The celebration was an 11:30 a.m. flyover with several vintage models of airplanes.  Once the planes landed, you would be able to walk up to the planes and visit with the pilots.

When we got to the airport, about a half hour before the flyover, there was a marked parking area, but the gate to it was not opened fully, and I found another area to park in.  While we sat waiting a couple of cars squeezed through the gate and parked.  Shortly a police car drove up to these cars.  I decided that the gate must be fully open now so I drove into the assigned parking area.  At the same time, the cars there started leaving.  One of the car’s driver flagged us down and said the aviation celebration had been canceled as the aircraft which were to come could not leave Fairbanks because of inclement weather there.  Bummer!

On our way back into Wasilla Peggy mentioned that Palmer, AK, hosts a "Friday Fling" in which area vendors set up booths and sold their wares.  On we drove to Palmer.  When we got there and parked we found many booths and could hear live music.  Goods from flowers and vegetables to walking sticks, jewelry, food, and tie dyed clothing were being hawked.  We bought a bag of Wasabi flavored almonds.  (The vendor has found that having free samples available does pay.)

During the afternoon we went for our walk to avoid the forecasted evening showers.  We also visited with Grant and Debby.  I helped Grant pry up an antique bucket from a bucket excavator to that it sits straight.  Debby is using it as a flower planter.

After dinner Peggy and I were watching TV when we heard an electric arch followed immediately by a loud boom and the power went out!  It sounded like a transformer somewhere near exploded.  There is a substation about a block away from us that Grant thought could be the problem.

So, at this posting, we are running off of our generator.  Haven’t run it since we were last in Denali NP.  Fortunately the cable TV and Internet are now live, and I can get this posted.  Will update it when the power is back on.

We are back on the power grid.  Electricity was off for about 2 hours.  

July 6   Guess what?  It rained overnight and again this morning, but it was nothing to heavy.  If you were to add up the total rainfall for this past week I doubt it would approach a 1/2 inch.  It would be nice to have a good soaker as the lawns and gardens could use it.

This day's highlight was grocery shopping!  WooHoo!  Much to Peggy's chagrin for the 2nd day in a row we/I watched another NASCAR race.  WooHoo from her. :-)

The temps today made it feel like fall.  We did reach 60º, but there was a rather stiff breeze blowing.  But no complaints as the wind helped kept the mosquitoes at bay.  We did our evening walk and called it a day.

Hopefully this coming week we will take some day trips to surrounding points of interest like the Matanuska Glacier, Thunderbird Falls, and drive the Hatcher Pass Road to Willow and check out some deserted mines.  We've also talked about going to see a movie like White House Down.


July 7  It was a nice, quiet, relaxing Sunday.  Finally a day without some showers so we washed the pickup.  The temps were in the upper 60ºs with a wind blowing out of the Knik valley from the SE.  This may have been the breeziest its been for several days.  Good mosquito control!

We took our walk this afternoon which allowed us to watch Falling Skies.  It's become a priority to view!

Thunderheads are building just to the west  of Wasilla.  Wonder if it will rain on our clean truck?

July 8  And the rains came.  It rained all night with some small hail and continued until late this morning.  Oh well, the truck probably benefited from a fresh water rinse.  We know it was getting quite dry so the plants were glad for it.

Watched Grant on and off throughout the day work on a couple of planes.  Even though we have been here several days since our Memorial Day weekend arrival I'm still fascinated being around these flying machines.

By late afternoon the sun came out turning it into a pleasant day.  Peggy and I walked during the early evening, got the mail from the box and took Grant and Debby their's, and called it a day.

Weather looks favorable the rest of the week for getting out and doing day trips to various places that I had mentioned in the July 7 post.

July 2, Alaska Rail Road to Seward

July 2  All aboard!  That was a major theme for the day as we took the Alaska Rail Road from Anchorage to Seward.  The alarm clock went off at 4:10 A.M.  We made the drive to Anchorage and arrived at the train depot at 6:00.  We were assigned to the last car of the train, and after a slight delay we departed.

As we left Anchorage we were informed that the RR forgot to put on an additional passenger car. Go figure!  So, the passengers who were not assigned a seat are placed in one of the dining cars.  This limits who can go where and when to eat.  After a short wait our car's attendant takes us to an available dining car at the front of the train where we have our breakfast.  Peggy asked me if I left bread crumbs to find our way back.  We were surprised to find that meal prices are not out of line with what restaurants charge.

It was a cloudy, rainy day along much of the route to Seward.  We passed through the western parts of Anchorage and paralleled the Seward Hwy along the north shore of the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet.  The train stopped in Girdwood to pick up more passengers, and we are on our way again.  

Once past the Portage Hwy we entered new territory to us.  We see different glaciers, rivers, mountains, and other sights.  But we never seem to tire of looking at cloud-draped and snow-covered peaks and the chance to see wildlife.

Shortly after 11:00 we came into Seward.  We were forewarned that with the approach of the 4th of July that Seward will be bustling with the influx of tourists (like us?) because Seward has a big celebration including the infamous Mt. Marathon race to the top and back down.  This is a big event here in Alaska and will be televised on an Anchorage TV station.  All five train cars' passengers helped to add to the temporary population increase of Seward.  

One very nice thing that Seward provides was a free shuttle bus service throughout the day.  We boarded the bus which becomes a teeming mass of people and took it to downtown Seward.  We then go to purchase our bus passes to ride to the Kenai Fjords National Park so that we can do a hike up to Exit Glacier.  Our bus time is 1:30 which gives us some time to explore Seward.

We walked main street where in some of the parking lots and alley spaces booths are being erected for the Independence Day celebration.  As we pass parks and parking lots along Resurrection Bay RVs are being squeezed in.  If there is 3 feet between each, it is what looks to be a large space.

We then headed to the harbor.  Typical of places like Whittier and Valdez, Seward's harbor is full of various sizes and shapes of boats.  Most appeared to be used for fishing.  There is a line of small shops lining the shoreline of the harbor making it look very quaint.

We decided that we needed to eat something before heading to the National Park.  We found a bakery/cafe across the street from the harbor where we had a delicious bowl of chicken/wild rice soup.  While we eat I'm entertained by a 5th wheel trailer trying to negotiate traffic.  He takes a wrong turn into a parking lot and then has to back out of it onto the traffic laden highway.  Made me glad we chose to take the train here!

We caught the shuttle back to downtown and walked the couple of blocks to where we got on the bus going to the National Park.  There are about 12 people who took the ride the approximately 20 miles.  The ride is pleasant, but as we rounded a curve going into the National Park the large parking lot comes into view and it is full of vehicles.  There are going to be a lot of people here.

We enter the NP's visitor center and get some info about the glacier and the trails going up to it.  The ranger jokingly says the trail is just fine and you don't need a map.  Off we go!

The first part of the trail is blacktop.  After about 1/2 mile the remaining mile of it is gravel which is in good shape.  We meet lots of people coming and going up and down this trail which is the shortest route to Exit Glacier.  There is another trail that takes you up to the top of the ridge upon which the glacier begins, but that is a 6 mile hike one way.  We finally arrive at the terminal end of the glacier.  It is quite impressive both in size and the fact that you get fairly close to it.  You are not allowed to actually get on the glacier without having signed up for a guide service lead hike which is more time consuming than we have available.

Exit Glacier is part of the Hardy Icefield and was so named because early explorers of the area got up on the Hardy Icefield and found this glacier as the way down to the valley floor.  Thus its name- Exit Glacier.

We hiked down taking a different trail which took us to the meltwater outflow.  The amount of water coming from this glacier is very impressive and helps us grasp that many glaciers are retreating at a fast rate.

Back at the park visitor center we caught our bus back to Seward.  We walked to the shuttle stop only to find that street blocked off in preparation for the 4th, so on we went to the next stop.  The shuttle took us back to the train station where we got our boarding passes taking us back Anchorage.

To our surprise we were upgraded from standard class to "first" class and seating in a domed car!  (We used our TripSaver 50% off coupon which was only good for standard class.)  Remember the missing passenger car in Anchorage?  This was the RR's answer- add a Gold Class car to accommodate.  Why we happened to be upgraded we will never know, but if you can't be good, be lucky!  The only minor problem was that many passengers who got the upgrade got tickets printed with Car A, Row 13, Seat A.  Peggy and I had been assigned this along with Seat B, but we happened to be first onboard.  Possession was 9/10 of the rule, and the others had to find alternate seating according to the car attendant.

Once underway we went downstairs to "our" dining car and had a very good dinner of roast beef, etc., concluded with excellent chocolate desserts.  Afterwards we return up to our dome and saw moose, both a black and a grizzly bear, and even a porcupine!

We arrived back in Anchorage around 11:15 p.m. tired but very happy for the experience.  We got back to Wasilla around midnight and immediately crashed in bed!

Todays Uploaded Photos to Picasa