July 22 through July 26, 2010

July 22 -- July 26, 2010

We pulled into the Homer Elks and found a spot with a great view of Kachemak Bay!  Drove the "East End Road" which goes way back into Kachemak Bay to a predominantly Russian housing area.  The Bay narrows and the glaciers appear to be touchable.  It was a gorgeous area.

We made an attempt to go halibut fishing while in Homer but were weathered out -- very rough ocean.  Pat and Bernie went out in the morning (we tried to go out in the afternoon).  They got 12 miles out before the captain decided it was too rough.  We didn't get away from the dock in the afternoon!  We will maybe try again while in Seward, our next stop.  The weather here has been unseasonably cold this summer.  Even the locals are complaining about the low temperatures.

The glaciers are awesome!










This one is my favorite.  It looks like you could reach out and touch this one but it is clear across the bay.







July 26, 2010:   We were going to move to Seward today but with the driving rain though it best not to make the journey.  The road into Seward is a very scenic one and we wouldn't be able to see much!  We explored the area around Homer some more.  Went up to Anchor Point where they launch fishing boats off of the beach with a tractor.  They also take them out the same way -- very exciting.

I want to go fishing from this beach just to be in the boat when they drive up onto the trailer.  He was hauling!!  There were about five or six passengers inside of the cabin when he drove the boat onto the trailer.

There is a winery outside of Homer and of course we went wine tasting.  Grapes are not grown here but the juice is imported.  A lot of their wines are fruit based, i.e., raspberry, pear, kiwi, rhubarb and many others.  We did buy so hope to share, if there is any left, when we get home!

\This is various stages in fermentation of rhubarb wine!  Surprisingly, it's kind of good.  Other fruits are also used, i.e., raspberry, and blueberry.  They also make an  "Alaskan chardonnay" which is rhubarb and chardonnay from California (Sonoma County).  Most of their wine is a little sweet for us but we bought six bottles anyway (two of the chardonnay!)  Who would have ever thought there was a winery in Alaska.
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The view from the winery -- do you see any vineyards?!

The view from our back window at the Homer Elks.  We turned our big chairs around and enjoyed the view, even in the rain!




Tomorrow we are off to Seward, Alaska.

July 16 through July 21, 2010

View from the deck at the Palmer Elks!

Removing the big pieces!

Bernie doing her favorite thing!  (shopping)

We pulled into the Palmer Elks club for our visit to the Anchorage area.  The first day was beautiful, as you can see from the view over Finger Lake, where the Elks is located.  It rained off and on for the remainder of our time in this area, although we did manage to do day trips into Anchorage.  Our time spent at the Saturday street fair was in between drops -- yeaa!  We took the City Trolly which gave us an overview of Anchorage.  I was totally amazed at the float plane harbor.  One in three people have a pilot's license here!  We ate a local restaurant which had a great view out over the Cook Inlet, albeit without sunshine, but was still beautiful.  The dinner of fresh halibut was not too shabby.  

Of course, we had to go to Costco to stock up.  They have two Costco stores in Alaska, both of them being in Anchorage.  Tomorrow we head down towards Homer.

All vehicular traffic has to yield to the planes in the float plane harbor.  

Here comes the plane we had to wait for!!

Today, July 21, 2010, we explored the town of Kenai and the surrounding area.  Drove all the way out to Captain Cook State Park, 36 miles from where we were staying.  Great views across the Cook Inlet towards Mt. Redoubt.  This is the time of year that every Alaskan can dip net 25 fish each plus 10 for each family member.  The red salmon are running now and it's a zoo around here.  Dip nets are flying out of the local Fred Meyer store.  Campgrounds are very crowded.  People take coolers full of fish home -- it's supposed to be for their own "subsistance" but I find that hard to believe.  We will be clearing out of here tomorrow, heading for Homer.  

                                                                                                                        

Denali visit, 7/11 to 7/14/2010

Our visit to Denali National Park was pretty exciting.  You are only allowed to drive 15 miles into the park, so if you want to go further, you have to take a shuttle, or a guided trip, which we elected to do.  We took the Tundra Tour.  Needless to say, the weather wasn't very cooperative and we did no see Mt. McKinley, but made the best of it.  Saw Dal sheep, which is why this park was made into a national park -- to protect the Dal sheep.  We also saw grizzly bear, caribou, and a red fox -- all from quite a distance, but managed to get some photos.

Our campground was about 10 miles north of the park so we drove in.  This is truly one of the most spectacular places we have ever visited, despite the bad weather.

We also attended the "Alaska Cabin Nite" dinner theater.  It was a most enjoyable show all about how things were during the gold rush days, along with audience participation!  The food was great -- and plentiful -- all you can eat salmon and ribs with all of the fixins.  

We managed to make a hike along the Savage River, a loop trail which was very scenic.

Our very dirty bus!  Everyone would get off the bus and squeegee the windows.

This was the road we took through the park!  One of the kind of narrow spots.  I think it was Polychrome Pass.

A beautiful hike from the Visitor's Center in Denali Park!

The Dog Sled tour was very fun.  The dogs were beautiful and it was a really "hands-on" experience.  Sled dogs are used throughout the park in the winter to patrol the park and take provisions into areas which are not accessible by road.  They love to run!

My favorite dog!  So beautiful.

Gary and Pat taking a break on our Savage River loop hike!

A marmot crossed our path!  He was really close -- and big.

All for now. 

Golfing, July 9, 2010

Played golf at the northern most golf course in the US.  It was an 18-hole course, very rustic.  Hoped to see some animal life but we probably were there at the wrong time of day.  We haven't played since leaving Napa so our games were not too good but we had lots of fun.  I have never seen greens with frost heaves.  The gentleman who was playing with us said the heaves change every year on that green.  It was a real roller coaster.

We are on the road again on our way to Denali today.  I hope the Internet is as good down there.  If not, it will be a while before I can post again!

July 5 through July 9, 2010

July 5 -- ?


We finally made it to the official end of the Alaskan Highway, although Fairbanks claims they are the official end of the road.

Our next  home for 5 days --

Fairbanks Alaska RV Park and Campground at the River's Edge Resort

We arrived fairly early in the afternoon and set up camp.  Pat and Bernie had a screen room, which we immediately set up, although the mosquitos were not too bad!  They seem to like Bernie the best.  Deet is her best friend!  

July 6, 2010:  We went on a Riverboat cruise on the Chena River today.  The boat was a paddle wheeler and we sat on the very top deck for a great view.  We were let off at an Athabascan indian village where we wandered around and learned about how these people lived in this country.  They were hearty souls.  The weather is very severe here in the winter, sometimes reaching -41 degrees.  Fur was their best friend, along with various food stuffs collected throughout the warmer weather months, i.e., salmon and various other dried meats.

A float plane landing and take-off demonstration performed by a local bush pilot occurred right beside our boat.  Pretty exciting!

We observed Susan Butcher's sled dog compound right on the banks of the river.  She won the famous Iditarod dog sled race several times.  Unfotunately, she died of leukemia at age 51.  Her husband and daughters have carried on the tradition with her daughter going to enter the race possibly in 2010.

All-in-all, a very fun and interesting trip aboard the paddle wheeler which is owned by a pioneer family from the area.

Riverboat Discovery - RiverBoat Home Page

July 7, 2010:  Again we played tourist (which is what we are!).  Traveled by van through the city of Fairbanks for the "Fairbanks Historical Tour."  Pioneer Park is a reconstruction of old town Fairbanks.  When President Harding drove the final spike in the railroad, he left his train car here.  They have restored it for a tourist attraction.  Isn't this politics at its best!  Hmmmm -- was he Republican or Democrat!  The tour wound through Old Town Fairbanks and up to the Alaskan Pipeline observation point.  The last stop was the museum at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.  What a beautiful campus.  Engineering is a big course of study here, although they have a very large Health Sciences Department, also.  

July 8, 2010:  Visited the El Dorado Gold Mine.  Panned for gold -- I had $10 worth and Gary had $6.  Pretty exciting.  Pat and Bernie were more successful with about $20 each.  (She had earrings made out of her gold!)  My gold is shown below -- not very much and very hard work!

Replica of a miner's cabin and sleusch (sp) box.

A very fun tour!
  http://eldoradogoldmine.com/

Tomorrow we are going to play golf at the northern most golf course in the US then on Saturday will be leaving for Healy, near Denali National Park.

June 27-July 4, 2010

June 27:  The scenery on the road from Ft. Nelson to Liard Hot Springs, BC, was fantastic.  We wound through the Northern Canadian Rockies.  There was lots of animal life along the roadside; bears, buffalo, and deer.  The highway was friendly up to this point.  It took us approximately six hours to go 196 miles with a couple of breaks for lunch and the usual bathroom stops.  Liard Provincial Park campground was very nice.  The campsites were spacious and easy for us to get into.  There was an abundance of mosquitos but we Deeted up and were saved. We took an after-dinner dip in the springs.

June 28:  Day two at Liard Hot Springs.  We relaxed for most of the day.  I finished my book ("The Girl who Played With Fire").  Took another evening dip in the springs and returned to the rig around 10:00 pm.  The hours of daylight are getting longer!  It was still light outside at almost 11 o'clock.  Leaving tomorrow for Watson Lake, BC.

June 29:  Reached the Yukon border, another province of Canada.  The weather has been rainy for most of the day.  We visited the Sign Forest -- a place where people signs from where they are from.  This place was started by a fellow who was working on the Alaskan Highway and was homesick so put a sign up with the name of his hometown on it.  As of October 2009 there were almost 69,000 signs.  We found one from Napa and scratched our names on it.  Visited the Northern Lights Center -- kind of like an Imax theater with a presentation about the northern lights.

June 30:  Teslin, Yukon.  Beautiful campground on Teslin Lake.  It was very chilly.  Heading to Whitehorse, Yukon, tomorrow for a two-day stop.

July 1, 2010:  Played tourist in Whitehorse.  Visited the SS Klondike, a paddle wheeler used to transporting everything from Whitehorse to Dawson City, Yukon.  It has been painstakingly restored and is now a national monumemt.  Ate dinner at a place recommended by a local.  Pretty tasty chicken and ribs!  It is staying lighter longer and longer.  I'm having trouble with this going to bed when it is light out.  We have darkened our bedroom but it's still not enough for my brain.  I hope I get used to it!  Today is Canada Day -- like our July 4th.


July 2, 2010:  Went for a beautiful hike in Miles Canyon.  The Yukon River runs through this canyon.  Basalite columnar rock formations form the canyon.  Also visited a fish ladder.  No salmon yet; they arrive the end of July.  There were some trout in the ladder.

July 3, 2010:  Destruction Bay, Yukon.  Stayed one night at Cottonwood RV Park, a very nice park on the shores of Lake Kluane.  Hope to stay here again on the way back home.  The lake is the longest lake in the Yukon and is an emerald color.  So far, the highway has been pretty good.


July 4, 2010:  Traveled from Destruction Bay, Yukon to Tok, Alaska.  The road had a lot of breaks and frost heaves.  It took us 5-1/2 hours to go 240 miles.  Marilyn had a rough time -- she knows the true meaning of heave.

It's 10:00pm and the sun is still out!

Tomorrow we are off to Fairbanks and hopefully a five-seven day stay!  I'll be glad to be in one place for a while.  The weather is clearing up -- yeaa!  It is in the upper 60s here in Tok and supposed to be warmer in Fairbanks.