8 July 2010
Thursday
Today marked the beginning of our fifth week on the road. The day dawned perfectly clear with warm sun. The lake was like a mirror.
And then we bounced and braked and rock-and-rolled our way to Destruction Bay. We were traveling in the Kluane National Park. [Did I mention that we are back in the Yukon again?] There were so many picturesque lakes and streams and rivers amid the Kluane Range and its forests. I think that Jim took a picture of every one of them!
At Haines Junction we took the Haines Highway south [after getting the poor van cleaned and gassed and oiled]. We thought that the morning drive was gorgeous; it got better and better. Around every curve [and there were quite a few of them] we encounteerd even better vistas. Some of them even merited a MOVIE!
The next thing we knew, we were in British Columbia.
Then we had to go through customs again to get back into Alaska. Now we gained an hour. And still the sun is shining and the views are killing us! I wonder how much space there is on the camera?
Late afternoon found us scooting along another high and raging river. [They all seem to be running at high levels this summer in Alaska due to all the rain they've been having during their normally dry month.] The ride to Haines is said to be spectacular and we would have to agree. Once here we check out the town, get some ferry reservations and find ourselves at the Hitch-Up RV Park [just a block or so from the brewery].
We plan to be here a few days.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Roller Coaster Roads
7 July 2010
Wednesday
Today we retreated from Anchorage and headed back into the Yukon. From Anchorage we got back on the Alaska Highway and drove to Tok. It was time to chart a new course. As we drove through the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge it was sunny. The views were picture-perfect. There were mountains and lakes and forests . . . . .
and then . . .
Road construction: 40 - 50 miles of very dusty roads placated with an oily residue which, of course, stuck like glue to the van. Not a good sight.
Into the Yukon: lose an hour [different time zone].
And then the most bumpity road I have every had to drive/ride on. Minnesota potholes in the spring have nothing on these things called frost heaves. We finally decided enough was enough so we pulled into a provincial campground on Small Lake and got a site right next to the water. A nice breeze kept the bugs away and Jim won another round of Scrabble [only by one point, however].
Wednesday
Today we retreated from Anchorage and headed back into the Yukon. From Anchorage we got back on the Alaska Highway and drove to Tok. It was time to chart a new course. As we drove through the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge it was sunny. The views were picture-perfect. There were mountains and lakes and forests . . . . .
and then . . .
Road construction: 40 - 50 miles of very dusty roads placated with an oily residue which, of course, stuck like glue to the van. Not a good sight.
Into the Yukon: lose an hour [different time zone].
And then the most bumpity road I have every had to drive/ride on. Minnesota potholes in the spring have nothing on these things called frost heaves. We finally decided enough was enough so we pulled into a provincial campground on Small Lake and got a site right next to the water. A nice breeze kept the bugs away and Jim won another round of Scrabble [only by one point, however].
Seward and the Exit Glacier
5 and 6 July 2010
Monday and Tuesday
We returned to Homer spit via the MV [Marine Vessel] Kachemak Voyager on some fairly rough seas. We had already seen a rainbow, some rain and some snow before leaving Seldovia. Along the way we saw puffins, muirs and sea otters. Back in Homer we repacked, hit a bakery for some lunch and coffee and then got on the holiday traffic road. Tony and Mary went back to Anchorage and Jim and I took the road less traveled and headed south to Seward. By the time we got there it was pouring rain [better than the snow earlier] so our ability to see the mountains was limited.
I keep thinking that if this is Alaska, what will rainy Seattle be like?
We camped in a city park right on Resurrection Bay. It was cold and wet so we opted for eating cold food in the van. In spite of the wind and the low temperatures we were comfy and cozy inside.
The next morning we checked out the Visitor Center and decided to hike to Exit Glacier later when it is clearer. We checked out the town and found a coffee shop/art gallery recommended by Mary. After a little window shopping [including a walk on the docks of the small boat harbor], we drove to the Kenai Fjords National Park. It's a huge park by "outside" standards and contains hundreds of glaciers and fjords.
We were directed to layer up so on went the heavy socks, the rubber boots, the wool sweater, long pants, stocking hat, gloves and rain shell. We followed a trail up into the taiga and then the tundra and then bare rocks. There is was: Exit Glacier. It is the only glacier in the park that is accessible by car meaning you can drive up to the trail and within half an hour you can almost touch a real live glacier. By the time we got to the toe of the glacier, we had shed the hat, the gloves, the fleece and wool and had opened the pitty ventilations. After a ton of pictures we followed the trail down to the outwash plain where we splashed our way across small streams to the return trail.
Lunch tasted great!
From here we headed back to Anchorage to stay with Tony and Mary again.
Monday and Tuesday
We returned to Homer spit via the MV [Marine Vessel] Kachemak Voyager on some fairly rough seas. We had already seen a rainbow, some rain and some snow before leaving Seldovia. Along the way we saw puffins, muirs and sea otters. Back in Homer we repacked, hit a bakery for some lunch and coffee and then got on the holiday traffic road. Tony and Mary went back to Anchorage and Jim and I took the road less traveled and headed south to Seward. By the time we got there it was pouring rain [better than the snow earlier] so our ability to see the mountains was limited.
I keep thinking that if this is Alaska, what will rainy Seattle be like?
We camped in a city park right on Resurrection Bay. It was cold and wet so we opted for eating cold food in the van. In spite of the wind and the low temperatures we were comfy and cozy inside.
The next morning we checked out the Visitor Center and decided to hike to Exit Glacier later when it is clearer. We checked out the town and found a coffee shop/art gallery recommended by Mary. After a little window shopping [including a walk on the docks of the small boat harbor], we drove to the Kenai Fjords National Park. It's a huge park by "outside" standards and contains hundreds of glaciers and fjords.
We were directed to layer up so on went the heavy socks, the rubber boots, the wool sweater, long pants, stocking hat, gloves and rain shell. We followed a trail up into the taiga and then the tundra and then bare rocks. There is was: Exit Glacier. It is the only glacier in the park that is accessible by car meaning you can drive up to the trail and within half an hour you can almost touch a real live glacier. By the time we got to the toe of the glacier, we had shed the hat, the gloves, the fleece and wool and had opened the pitty ventilations. After a ton of pictures we followed the trail down to the outwash plain where we splashed our way across small streams to the return trail.
Lunch tasted great!
From here we headed back to Anchorage to stay with Tony and Mary again.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Happy 4th of July!
4 July 2010
Sunday
So how do you celebrate the 4th of July in Alaska? You go to Seldovia! Accessible by boat or floatplane and populated by some amazing people.
Early morning found Jim getting ready for his fishing charter experience. When we got off the ferry yesterday we watched a group of people with their catch and Jim got the bug. He was able to book a charter which left at 7:00 AM and returned at 4:00 PM. All day long we heard people talking about the rough seas outside the harbor area and how no one would stay out there just to fish. But when he got back no one could wipe the smile off his face! We'll be sending ?? pounds of halibut home for later. Fish fry anyone?
The rest of us had a leisurely morning in sunny Seldovia and enjoyed the various activities the town had for the 4th. There was a short parade [about 15 minutes] followed by a craft fair, a rubber duck race [1st prize was $1,500], a log rolling contest, canoe jousting, egg toss, tug of war between the locals and the outsiders [the locals had their end of the rope attached to a pick-up truck], a fish tossing contest as well as children's games and a food court. In between we went for a 2-mile hike called the Otter-bahn Trail which took us through a thick, overgrown woods heavily populated by a variety of berries, then a wetland and a long gravel beach and then back along a winding road to the village. We enjoyed reindeer hot dogs for lunch.
After we watched Jim's catch being cleaned we were invited to a local church supper. Interestingly enough, the captain of the charter boat was eating hot dogs. He said he gets fish six days a week and his most favorite food is hot dogs--no matter what they were made of. We enjoyed the baked halibut [recipe coming from the wife of the charter boat captain], a variety of salads and an array of desserts.
The clouds have covered the village and a definite chill is in the air. If this was Minnesota and February, I would say we were about to get some snow.
Did I mention that one of the volcanoes across the bay is smoking today?
Sunday
So how do you celebrate the 4th of July in Alaska? You go to Seldovia! Accessible by boat or floatplane and populated by some amazing people.
Early morning found Jim getting ready for his fishing charter experience. When we got off the ferry yesterday we watched a group of people with their catch and Jim got the bug. He was able to book a charter which left at 7:00 AM and returned at 4:00 PM. All day long we heard people talking about the rough seas outside the harbor area and how no one would stay out there just to fish. But when he got back no one could wipe the smile off his face! We'll be sending ?? pounds of halibut home for later. Fish fry anyone?
The rest of us had a leisurely morning in sunny Seldovia and enjoyed the various activities the town had for the 4th. There was a short parade [about 15 minutes] followed by a craft fair, a rubber duck race [1st prize was $1,500], a log rolling contest, canoe jousting, egg toss, tug of war between the locals and the outsiders [the locals had their end of the rope attached to a pick-up truck], a fish tossing contest as well as children's games and a food court. In between we went for a 2-mile hike called the Otter-bahn Trail which took us through a thick, overgrown woods heavily populated by a variety of berries, then a wetland and a long gravel beach and then back along a winding road to the village. We enjoyed reindeer hot dogs for lunch.
After we watched Jim's catch being cleaned we were invited to a local church supper. Interestingly enough, the captain of the charter boat was eating hot dogs. He said he gets fish six days a week and his most favorite food is hot dogs--no matter what they were made of. We enjoyed the baked halibut [recipe coming from the wife of the charter boat captain], a variety of salads and an array of desserts.
The clouds have covered the village and a definite chill is in the air. If this was Minnesota and February, I would say we were about to get some snow.
Did I mention that one of the volcanoes across the bay is smoking today?
Seldovia
3 July 2010
Saturday
Awoke to a grey, overcast and drippy day. After breakfast with Tony and Mary, we walked to the Bay Ferry booking office to confirm passage on the 12:15 ferry from Homer Spit to the town of Seldovia. It is an old Russian settlement that is now a tourist area for Alaskans and Outsiders alike. Mary assured us that it is always sunny in Seldovia. The city's name means "herring" and apparently there used to be great fishing for herring in the waters around the island. The only way to the city is by float plane or boat.
As the morning progressed, the skies began to lighten up. It looked almost hopeful that the rain would let up. We parked the vehicles and boarded a new catamaran-type vessel that looked brand new. We opted for seats in the front and got ready to depart.
The ride to the island was a tour of a bird rookery and some of the smaller islands. We saw sea otters floating with their lunch on their bellies. There were puffins and gulls and a type of bird that resembles a penguin called a muir. About 1 1/2 hours later we entered a small harbor and disembarked in Seldovia. We carried our backpacks up the gangplank because it was low tide. There were lots of fishing boats in all sizes moored in the harbor. There was even a boat called the PETER J. After checking in to the Bayview Suites, we took an introductory walk around the town. There were shops, charters, cafes and inns. Part of the city is built on stilts over the slough and the sidewalk is a boardwalk. We walked along the docks and watched the day's catch being cleaned. Mary finally convinced Jim to check out the possibility of a fishing excursion. She is our unofficial official tour guide. AND the sun is out although the skies around the island look heavy and thick. However she managed it, Mary was right: the sun DOES shine in Seldovia.
We celebrated Tony and Mary's 10th anniversary [a month later; 30 May 2000 is the actual date.] with dinner at the Mad Fish where we enjoyed halibut and salmon. On the way back we stopped to take in a local concert in the park.
Saturday
Awoke to a grey, overcast and drippy day. After breakfast with Tony and Mary, we walked to the Bay Ferry booking office to confirm passage on the 12:15 ferry from Homer Spit to the town of Seldovia. It is an old Russian settlement that is now a tourist area for Alaskans and Outsiders alike. Mary assured us that it is always sunny in Seldovia. The city's name means "herring" and apparently there used to be great fishing for herring in the waters around the island. The only way to the city is by float plane or boat.
As the morning progressed, the skies began to lighten up. It looked almost hopeful that the rain would let up. We parked the vehicles and boarded a new catamaran-type vessel that looked brand new. We opted for seats in the front and got ready to depart.
The ride to the island was a tour of a bird rookery and some of the smaller islands. We saw sea otters floating with their lunch on their bellies. There were puffins and gulls and a type of bird that resembles a penguin called a muir. About 1 1/2 hours later we entered a small harbor and disembarked in Seldovia. We carried our backpacks up the gangplank because it was low tide. There were lots of fishing boats in all sizes moored in the harbor. There was even a boat called the PETER J. After checking in to the Bayview Suites, we took an introductory walk around the town. There were shops, charters, cafes and inns. Part of the city is built on stilts over the slough and the sidewalk is a boardwalk. We walked along the docks and watched the day's catch being cleaned. Mary finally convinced Jim to check out the possibility of a fishing excursion. She is our unofficial official tour guide. AND the sun is out although the skies around the island look heavy and thick. However she managed it, Mary was right: the sun DOES shine in Seldovia.
We celebrated Tony and Mary's 10th anniversary [a month later; 30 May 2000 is the actual date.] with dinner at the Mad Fish where we enjoyed halibut and salmon. On the way back we stopped to take in a local concert in the park.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)