Kenai, AK - Stop 25 on our Trek North to Alaska

Tuesday brought us to Beluga Lookout RV Park, situated high on the bluffs of Kenai overlooking Cook Inlet.  A look out it was—look out for highway robbery without a gun!  At $50 a night for a pull thru—and that’s after a 10% Good Sam discount—this place was tighter than a size 6 bathing suit on Mom!  Some rigs had so little room, they could not open their slides fully.  Others, like us, had to park our trucks and toads in a grassy knoll at the end of the block, which was quite soft from all the rain we have experienced.   This from a place that touts itself as “big rig friendly”.  They offer only 30 amp electric, water, and sewer lines that open up right under the next rig’s front door.  It seems the more we pay for a place, the worse the accommodations.  Campgrounds just aren’t willing to invest in their infrastructures to accommodate the size rigs churned out by the RV industry.

Once settled, we did a Wal-mart run—this time for more fishing supplies.  The campground office says folks are catching halibut right from the shoreline!  Off Dad runs, excited like a kid getting a puppy for Christmas.  He caught one!  No, not halibut, but some stinky little bottom feeder fish —a throw back that could only be used as bait.  But at least something finally snagged the end of his hook!

Dad's big catch of the day

The weather turned out lovely—at about 11:00 at night!  So we went for a stroll to watch the gulls congregate along the shoreline at low tide and chuckled at how they harassed a pair of golden eagles scouting for food.

 

The shoreline view--at 11:30 PM!

More sun at 11:30 p.m. than all day long!

We headed to Soldotna to check out what they have to offer for tourism.  Short answer—not much.  It's really all about fishing here.

Handcrafted fish-themed bench outside visitor center

 

Check out the name at the bottom of this carving.  What a coincidence!

We observed the Kenai River from their boardwalk platform, viewed their exhibits, and took their one tourist suggestion of visiting the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.  Unfortunately, all the hiking trails within this 1.92 million acre wilderness that are compatible with our hiking abilities and offer the best wildlife sightings are more than an hour away.  But we did all the trails around their visitor center and headquarters, which included seeing the Elwell Fishing Cabin.  Mamie and Luke Elwell moved from Ohio to Alaska in 1920.  From 1939 until 1960, they ran a fishing lodge along the Russian River.  After the Refuge received title to the property in 2012, they relocated one of the lodge fishing cabins to the Refuge, taking painstaking efforts to restore it with historical accuracy.  Amazing what were considered deluxe accommodations back then!

Elwell Fishing Cabin

 

Interior of fishing cabin

Dad and Mike decided they wanted to go fishing again—back to Wal-Mart to get more bait!  I think the fish in Kenai must be spreading the word about the great buffet served by these two.  Newsflash:  no fish have made it onto my dinner plate yet.  Dad learned that our M.O.C. friends Curtis and Stephanie, whom we have met up with several times on this trip, have been continuously skunked, too!  Misery loves company.

Meanwhile, Mom, Claudia, and I went on a historical walking tour of Old Kenai.  There are several cabins throughout the area which are now private residences, as well as a selection of one room cabins maintained by the Kenai Historical Society and open for viewing at their Historic Cabin Park.  I especially enjoyed the Russian Orthodox Church with its simple yet lovely architectural design and its beautiful icons.  Built in 1895-1896, it is still in use today, despite suffering damages through the years from earthquakes.

Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church

Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church

Interior of the Church

St. Nicholas Chapel, circa 1906

 

Parish House Rectory (now private residence), believed to be oldest building on Kenai Peninsula (circa 1881)

Miller Cabin, circa 1910

Interior of Miller Cabin

 

Interlocked Moose Horn Club (now private residence)

Today provided the first sunny morning for us in quite some time.  We took advantage of the nice weather and visited Captain Cook State Park, where we did hiking, walked along the waterfront, and had a picnic lunch.  The weather provided a decent view of four volcanoes within the Alaska Range:  Redoubt, Spurr, Augustine, and Iliamna.  We spotted a bald eagle and a golden eagle today, too, while accessing a public viewing platform.

Captain Cook State Park

View of volcanoes from Captain Cook State Park

Bald Eagle spotted from wildlife viewing platform

Would you believe this photo was taken through binoculars!

As I sit writing this blog, Mom is scouting for whales.  I don’t need to tell you what Dad is doing…

View from campground bluff--no whales to be found

 

Tomorrow we are off to Homer.  Talk to you soon!

Seward, AK - Stop 24 on our Trek North to Alaska

Happy Independence Day!  We are celebrating the holiday in Seward, Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula, known for hosting July 4^th fireworks earlier than at any other place in the USA:  At 12:01 a.m.!

By noontime on Saturday we arrived at Stony Creek RV Park, which bills itself as "Seward's only luxury RV Park."  HUH?  Someone needs Webster's Dictionary to learn the meaning of luxury.  Anyway...







After settling in, we rode the motorcycles over to Kenai Fjords National Park, home to the Harding Ice Fields, for some hiking and viewing of Exit Glacier.   The 3 miles we traversed along the Glacier View and Edge of the Glacier Trails demonstrated how significantly Exit Glacier has receded in the last 100 years.

View of Exit Glacier from Edge of the Glacier Trail

Then Dad got a bit too ambitious and talked us into taking the Harding Ice Fields Trail, an 8.2 mile round trip hike that Mom learned later was rated 25 out of 28 for level of difficulty, with elevation gains of 3,000 feet!  WHAT?  Is Dad trying to knock us off?  At 6 p.m., by the 1.25 mile mark, with a 1,000 foot elevation increase in just the first third of the hike, Mom started quoting Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry character, “a man’s got to know his limitations.”  But Dad pushed us on farther still, until we came upon three men from India, one of whom was sitting on the ground with his boot off.  He apparently had stumbled and sprained his ankle.  There were not many folks on the trail at this point, and someone had to report his injury and get him help.  Dad decided that this was our sign--it was time to turn around.  THANK GOODNESS!

View from Harding Ice Fields Trail

View from Harding Ice Fields Trail

We got back on the bikes on Sunday morning and headed into downtown Seward.   We walked along the docks, visited some shops, and had a great seafood lunch at Ray’s on the Waterfront Restaurant.  With its many city-operated waterfront campgrounds, Seward is a popular camping destination for both tourists and local Alaskans.   This is especially true for the July 4^th holiday, when the population of Seward swells from 2,500 to more than 25,000!  Holiday festivities include a race up Mount Marathon, a parade, and of course, fireworks!

We enjoyed the company of friends Kelly and Bill (who are work-camping here in Seward), Steve and Linda (who assisted us with scouting campground sites at Denali National Park), and 18 other RVillagers who travelled North to Alaska this summer season.  Steve and Linda hosted the event since their rig was parked right in front of Resurrection Bay.  Talk about a room with a view!  From their windshield they see beautiful snow-capped mountains enveloped by puffy clouds, ships of all kinds and sizes sailing along the crisp waters, sea otters surfing and frolicking in the waves.  It’s “paradise from the dashboard light”!  Of course, the trade-off is that you are surrounded by hundreds of other folks on all sides in an area that is like party central.  But that’s a trade-off most are all willing to make this holiday weekend. 

Resurrection Bay

Cruise Ship in Harbor

A couple of otters frolicking in the water

Staying to see those fireworks at 12:01 a.m. kept me up way past bedtime, so I slept in today.  But this afternoon, we got back on the bikes to do a little more touring.  We visited Vagt Lake, took a 2 mile hike, and got a fantastic photo of the Alaska Train.  We also spotted two moose cows, and captured some pics for a change!  (I took video of both the otters and moose--waiting for Dad to help me load to my youtube channel)!

View from Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area 

 

Two moose in one pic--priceless!

This one looked right at me!

Vagt Lake was like a mirror!

How cool to capture this photo!

Today we met another M.O.C. (Montana Owners Club) couple—unfortunately not under good circumstances.  Seems their truck pulling their sparkling new 2016 Montana broke down just a few miles away.  Their Good Sam Emergency Service plan could not find a tow service for them.  Don’t know how they got in touch with Stoney Creek Campground, but the campground manager asked if Big Boomer could tow them in.  Sure, Big Boomer to the rescue!  It is just a “pass it forward” for all the camaraderie and assistance my family has received from the RVing community through the years.

Tomorrow we head to Kenai.  Talk to you soon!

Wasilla, AK - Stop 23 on our Trek North to Alaska

We settled in at Big Bear Campground in Alaska’s Mat-Su Valley by midday Sunday and spent most of the day running errands, including getting my hairy tail trimmed at Smart Style. I always strive to be a well-groomed rat!  We had a great chat later that evening with our good buddies Stephanie and Curtis from the M.O.C. (Montana Owners’ Club).

We began on Monday visiting some of Chugach State Park.  This place is huge and quite spread out, so today we focused on hiking/taking in the lovely views at Thunderbird Falls and Eklutna Lake.  There is some nice boondocking at the Lake campground, something we noted for a future visit to Alaska.

View from the Trail to the Falls

Thunderbird Falls

Eklutna Lake

On Tuesday, we hiked in Anchorage at Kinkaid Park, whose 1500 acres of land include the old Nike missile storage site and parts of the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.  Along the way we spotted a mamma moose and her babe taking a siesta and watched a porcupine forage for food.  And of course, we admired more gorgeous wildflowers.

Porky Porcupine

 

Mamma Moose and her babe

Wednesday was so exciting—it was the highlight of my entire Alaska trip!  We visited Twin Lakes within Lake Clark National Park, home to Dick Proenneke’s cabin in the wilderness.  It was in 2004 when PBS first aired a documentary on this naturalist’s life in remote Alaska, entitled “Alone in the Wilderness.”  Since then, it has been rebroadcast numerous times (I've watched it at least 5 times personally!)  A book entitled “One Man’s Wilderness” was also published chronicling his thirty years of basic, simple, pioneering life, which began in the summer of 1967 when Dick was 51 years old!  The place is a wonderful hidden gem, seen by only about 125 people each year (the highest number of attendees was 850 in 2004 when the PBS special aired).  From the cabin, to furniture, to cookware—everything was designed and crafted by Dick, using only hand tools and made from materials found right at Twin Lakes!  White spruce from the trees surrounding the property was used to build the cabin, a sled, tables, chairs, and cabinets.  He would cut metal from old gasoline cans to make baking tins and lids for pots!  Everything was simple, but fully functional.  He would hunt, pick berries, and fish for sustenance, truly living off the land.  Add to this his eloquent writings AND homemade films through which he shared his daily activities, and you have one remarkable story! (you can read more at http://www.aloneinthewilderness.com/ or https://www.nps.gov/lacl/learn/historyculture/proennekes-cabin.htm)

We got a terrific tour from Monroe, the National Park Service Volunteer who, along with his wife, is the caretaker of the property.  Monroe met Dick in 1982, and meticulously restores and repairs artifacts following Dick’s methods.  We hiked up to Teetering Rock, walking the same path Dick would take to film wildlife and pick berries!  Dick passed away at age 86 in 2003, but his legacy and spirit live on.  As I sat in his chair outside his cabin, I could feel his presence.   I silently thanked him for teaching me that the most precious gifts of life don't come wrapped with bows for birthdays or holidays.  They are around us each and every day, if we just take a moment to admire the magnificence of nature.

Aerial view of Twin Lakes

Me Outside Dick's Cabin

View from Dick's window--that's our float plane

Dick's desk from which he penned his journal and letters

 

Bakeware, pot lids, and table handcrafted by Dick

Meat cache built by Dick

View from Teetering Rock Trail

And did I mention we enjoyed flightseeing as well, since the only way to access the property on Twin Lakes is via float plane.   Bruce Moroney of Rust’s Flying Service was absolutely terrific.  His aviation skills are unsurpassed, having more than 40 years of flying experience.  I felt completely safe, even when going through Lake Clark Pass and the more turbulent Merrill Pass on our return trip!  More importantly, he was personable and knowledgeable, and shared great info with us.  We flew over glaciers, volcanoes, spires and chimney rock formations.  How cool is that!

Dad got to co-pilot while I took the rear

Volcano

Tundra

Glacier

Glacier

Gorgeous colors in these rocks

What a spiritual experience.   I shared a oneness with the Almighty while riding the highways of the skies.  Brings me to tears—of gratitude and joy for being given this chance of a lifetime.  I am one lucky Rambling RV Rat!

We visited Talkeetna on Thursday, which is the base camp for climbers of the great Denali.  Would you believe they were expecting 6-12 inches of snow to fall on the mountain on Thursday!  The high temperature would only reach 0 degrees Fahrenheit at elevations above 14,000 feet. This year there were 1,137 climbers registered, and to date they have a 60% completion rate.  Talkeetna is pretty cool—you step back in time with its quaint buildings along the Susitna River.

I now have a moose fetish!

Talkeetna Road House Snow Village

We wanted a taste of what travel would be in yesteryear, so we took the Alaska Railroad from Talkeetna to Hurricane and back.  This is the only flagstop train left in Alaska.  There were a few pretty sights along the way, but we didn’t feel it was worth the $100 per person fare.  Fortunately, we had a B-O-G-O in our Tour Saver book for my parents, so they only paid $50 each and I stowed on board in the luggage box car!  We did, however, meet some really nice folks, which made the train ride much more enjoyable.  We topped off the evening with a couple of brewskies and dinner at Twister Creek Restaurant, home of the Denali Brewing Company, and we were all pleasantly surprised by the tastiness of our meals! 

Denali view from train

View of Hurricane Gulch from railroad trestle

We couldn’t visit Anchorage without stopping in at Wild West Guns of cable reality TV show fame.  They had some gorgeous custom guns there!   Made us immediately think of our wonderful friend Jeffrey in South Carolina!  Couldn’t leave without picking up some shirts for him, Dad, and me!  And eureka, we struck it rich--not with gold, but with wild game meat!  Indian Valley Meats had caribou, elk, venison, and buffalo!  They even had reindeer stew meat.  Don’t tell Rudolph, but we will be having Prancer for dinner real soon!  We were so far down Coastal Highway 1 that we visited Turnagain Arm for some photo ops.  It was a fun day—until we got stuck in construction traffic.  Brought back some bad memories of summer Friday evenings waiting hours for Dad to arrive home from his horrendous work commute.

Dad got some bad news today--his scheduled King Salmon fishing expedition in Copper Center has been canceled due to a change in fishing regulations.  No problem, he thinks.  We’ll get some fishing done today.  We stop at three different fishing places north of Wasilla—the Fish Warden strikes again.  No fishing for ANY type of fish at Willow Creek; can only do boat fishing from Deshka Landing (no dock fishing), and cannot enter the public access area of Thompson Lake because of nesting birds.  You can’t make this stuff up!  Dad’s getting a crazed look in his eye--no telling what he might do if he doesn’t get to fish sometime soon!  Stewey and Dewey are starting to get a bit nervous!

I'm protecting my brothers from Dad

To add insult to injury, our trek down to Beluga Point and Bird Point within Chugach State Park to see the bore tide turned out to be a total bore.  Must have been about 35 of us numbnuts standing around waiting for some tidal phenomenon that never happened (or happened so gradually that none of us noticed).  Oh well, it was a pretty area to visit nonetheless, and we got to see Bird Creek, another place where you can’t fish this time of year!

Beluga Point

Bird Point for viewing the boring bore

 

Bird Creek

On our way to Seward now, where we are looking forward to seeing some RVillage friends!  Talk to you soon!