July 24th – Tues – Skagway
Once again Margo & I took advantage of a very close laundry room in the RV park to do a couple of loads. Terry washed the 5th wheel & Dave cleaned his MH windows & helped Terry a bit. After lunch and some computer time, we all walked to another RV park to get tickets for another outing to Liarsville Salmon Bake. We were picked up in a bus by Sourdough Sam. He took us on a little tour of downtown and added some interesting history to what we have already heard about the town. Then it was a 3 mile drive up the Klondike Hwy to an old tent “city” – Liarsville. It got the name from newspaper reporters who chose to stay there during the gold rush and file stories based on hearsay rather than make the tough trip to the goldfields themselves. We wandered around, had a beer, watched some entertainment, panned for a couple flakes of gold and had a good buffet with grilled salmon before taking the bus back.
Sam dropped us off at our RV park and we drove to town to take pictures of the 4 cruise ships that are docked here. We stopped for a drink at the Elks club and then played a couple of games of Uno when we returned. I posted the blog and read emails before heading to bed.
July 25th – Wed – Skagway
Since we have been keeping pretty busy here, Dave & Margo wanted to stay for a quieter day and we thought it was a good idea. We went to the old cemetery (where “bad guy” Soapy Smith and “good guy” Frank Reid are buried) and from there took a short walk to a lovely waterfall – Lower Reid Falls. Then we drove to Dyea which was the start of the Chilcoot Trail and which is now nothing but signs, a park service house and a few tourist adventures – zip lines, rafting and horseback riding. The weather was gorgeous so we went back to the RV park to cook Farmers’ sausages on the BBQ for lunch. Next we all walked to town and checked out the stores that we had missed previously. Margo & I went through a great little museum that is part of a gift shop and talked a bit with the interesting owner. The favored ice cream store had a huge line – still 4 cruise ships in town but not all the same ones as yesterday – so we stopped at a different place for our ice cream fix. Back at the RV park it was still plenty warm to sit outside for happy hour.
July 26th – Thurs – to Atlin B.C.
Another lovely day for the 154 mile drive to Atlin. We stopped at Carcross for fuel but the station was closed for some reason. We both had plenty of fuel to get to Jake’s Corner where we filled up, then it was south to Atlin. The road was way better than it was for our trip 5 years ago. We had to wait for a pilot car through 4 ½ miles of ambitious road improvement which included a water truck to keep the dust down and the mud flying.
As Terry was backing into our site at the Norseman RV park, the young man working here and I noticed that a back tire on the 5th wheel looked a little squashy. When I neared the rig I could hear air escaping from the tire and located a hole but no nail or screw in it. So Terry got to remove the tire and take it to be repaired to the tune of $29! The repair cost is determined by the size of the tire. The guy wanted Terry to leave the tire and come back later to pick it up but since we couldn’t set up until the tire was back on and the jack removed, Terry & Dave hung around until the guy fixed the tire.
While they were gone, Margo made sandwiches for lunch which we enjoyed outside. Then we went exploring in the truck. We tried unsuccessfully to find the public gold panning area and found Warm Bay, Warm Springs and The Grotto – none of which were too interesting.
Margo made taquitos and I made crispy green beans for snacks with our much deserved and appreciated happy hour drinks. We bought a couple of small wheelbarrow loads of fire wood and enjoyed a fire even though it was still warm. After a light late dinner, the guys sat outside with the young man who works here – 15 year old grandson of the owner – and a neighbor while Margo & I relaxed & chatted inside.
July 27th – Fri – Atlin
Dave & Margo showed up with goodies from the bakery for breakfast. They got a little ”lost” and walked around quite a bit so they used up calories that would be replenished by breakfast.
We got a map from the museum/visitor info center and found the public gold panning claim which we were very close to yesterday. We tried hard but didn’t find any gold and when it changed from drizzle to rain we headed back. On the way back we toured the entire town which didn’t take too long.
The rain didn’t last very long so we were able to be outside when we weren’t relaxing inside! A couple of nests of mud swallow babies entertained us. We enjoyed burning the rest of our wood before & after dinner and a nearby couple from California came over to visit with us.
July 28th – Sat – to junction of 37 & 1
We got another early start in sunny weather. We were delayed slightly again waiting for the pilot car in the road construction area but otherwise the drive was uneventful. We stopped at Johnson’s Crossing for a cinnamon roll – of course – and Terry got some diesel there as well.
We are staying at Junction 37 rather than the Baby Nugget as my phone worked enough to check prices. It is a no-frills RV park with huge pull-throughs and full hook-ups.
Terry & I finally cleaned the inside of the truck so at least we got something constructive done. Margo & I went for a walk all around the park area, checked out an old motel that had scary-small rooms and then we all sat outside for happy hour. We chatted with a neighbor from WA who is going to visit his son in Soldatna.
We shared a good dinner of halibut, salad & rice and then played a long game of Uno which Terry led for most of the game but which I finally won.
We have not had email for quite a few days – we were too cheap to pay $5 per day in Atlin! We will have email tomorrow so the blog will be posted.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
July 21st to 23rd - Skagway
July 21st – Sat – to Skagway
We had a short drive today so at 9 we moved the rigs to the Superstore parking lot and shopped for groceries. Dave checked the bike shop for a new rim for Margo’s bike – way too expensive – and we were on our way.
The road was so much nicer than yesterday and the sun was shining again. We stopped for pictures at Emerald Lake which is very impressive with bright blue lines and at the Carcross Desert. We spent quite a bit of time at a “wildlife museum and attractions center” which has sled dogs, goats, pigs and a few little shops. The gift shop had some really nice items which were a welcome change from the usual tourist stuff. Margo declared this a perfect day – muffins/doughnuts for breakfast and ice cream for lunch!
We had a couple of strange questions at the US Customs because of my “green” card. What was our relationship and, since I had been in the US since 1977, why not naturalization? We had no questions about food but Dave & Margo were asked about fresh meat and their hamburger was OK. When we got to the RV park, we had to phone the manager to come check us in. We set up, made a sandwich and Terry washed the filthy truck while I did some much needed cleaning in the 5th wheel. Dave washed his little car AND his motorhome.
We went into town to get some information and possibly make reservations for a couple of tours. We were late and stores were already closing so we watched a film in the park visitor center, visited some stores and came back to make baby backs for dinner for us and D&M.
The wind came up in the afternoon but it wasn’t too cold. Terry did his usual great job of cooking the ribs on the BBQ. Dinner was followed by a game of Wizard which I won.
July 22nd – Sun – Skagway
We bought tickets this morning for the train ride and a trip to Juneau and then wandered around some shops. Dave found a wheel for Margo’s bike and Terry got a nozzle so he can wash the 5th wheel. We came back to the RV park to have some lunch and then drove back to town to catch the White Pass and Yukon Route train which goes over the pass that gold prospectors had to climb over. There were 3 cars of “independent” travelers and about 12 cars of cruise ship passengers. It was our 8th day of sunshine (Terry was keeping track) and the scenery was gorgeous. Since we drove the opposite side of the valley yesterday, it probably wasn’t as exciting for us as for people who came in by water. It took just over 3 hours for the 40 mile round trip and we all considered it expensive for what was involved.
We were a little early for dinner so we went through more shops and Margo got some gifts for grandkids. Dave wanted to check out the Red Onion Saloon (bar, restaurant and brothel museum) so we had nachos & pizza washed down with a couple of pitchers of beer. None of us wanted to take the 15 minute “upstairs” tour for $5.
We were back fairly early so Terry decided to start washing the 5th wheel. He barely got going when the faucet blew off the top of the water standpipe. I had him hold a bucket over the “fountain” and phoned the offsite owner. By the time he got there, we had a lake under the back of our site and into Dave & Margo’s site. The owner turned off the water, reglued the fitting and left the water off while it dried. This ended Terry’s 5th wheel washing so we watched a movie (no TV at all here) and had dessert.
July 23rd – Mon – Skagway
We got up early to catch the Fjord Express catamaran which left at 8 to go to Juneau. We stopped at Haines in 45 minutes to pick up more passengers. On the way, the captain kept an eye out for whales and sea lions, both of which we saw. We also saw Dalls porpoises and eagles. The captain was also very good about telling us history of the areas we went through. There were slight swells but when the boat was up to speed it glided through the waves.
We docked about 39 miles north of Juneau and went the rest of the way in a bus, again with the driver keeping us entertained and informed. We had a little tour around old Juneau in the bus and then had 3 hours for lunch and sightseeing, both of which were great.
When we boarded the bus again, we were taken to Mendenhall Glacier and had an hour for sightseeing, going through the visitor center and taking pictures. Our bus was a little late to pick us up because there were 4 cruise ships in town and there were many buses discharging and picking up passengers in the 5 allotted bus parking spots. We had to wait for a pilot car through construction both ways but it didn’t delay us too much.
The weather was cloudy but there was no rain and it wasn’t cold. Apparently this is typical summer weather for Juneau. The Lynn Canal was perfectly smooth when we started back and didn’t get very choppy so we could enjoy our smoked salmon chowder without spilling on ourselves. We arrived back at 8:30.
We had a short drive today so at 9 we moved the rigs to the Superstore parking lot and shopped for groceries. Dave checked the bike shop for a new rim for Margo’s bike – way too expensive – and we were on our way.
The road was so much nicer than yesterday and the sun was shining again. We stopped for pictures at Emerald Lake which is very impressive with bright blue lines and at the Carcross Desert. We spent quite a bit of time at a “wildlife museum and attractions center” which has sled dogs, goats, pigs and a few little shops. The gift shop had some really nice items which were a welcome change from the usual tourist stuff. Margo declared this a perfect day – muffins/doughnuts for breakfast and ice cream for lunch!
We had a couple of strange questions at the US Customs because of my “green” card. What was our relationship and, since I had been in the US since 1977, why not naturalization? We had no questions about food but Dave & Margo were asked about fresh meat and their hamburger was OK. When we got to the RV park, we had to phone the manager to come check us in. We set up, made a sandwich and Terry washed the filthy truck while I did some much needed cleaning in the 5th wheel. Dave washed his little car AND his motorhome.
We went into town to get some information and possibly make reservations for a couple of tours. We were late and stores were already closing so we watched a film in the park visitor center, visited some stores and came back to make baby backs for dinner for us and D&M.
The wind came up in the afternoon but it wasn’t too cold. Terry did his usual great job of cooking the ribs on the BBQ. Dinner was followed by a game of Wizard which I won.
July 22nd – Sun – Skagway
We bought tickets this morning for the train ride and a trip to Juneau and then wandered around some shops. Dave found a wheel for Margo’s bike and Terry got a nozzle so he can wash the 5th wheel. We came back to the RV park to have some lunch and then drove back to town to catch the White Pass and Yukon Route train which goes over the pass that gold prospectors had to climb over. There were 3 cars of “independent” travelers and about 12 cars of cruise ship passengers. It was our 8th day of sunshine (Terry was keeping track) and the scenery was gorgeous. Since we drove the opposite side of the valley yesterday, it probably wasn’t as exciting for us as for people who came in by water. It took just over 3 hours for the 40 mile round trip and we all considered it expensive for what was involved.
We were a little early for dinner so we went through more shops and Margo got some gifts for grandkids. Dave wanted to check out the Red Onion Saloon (bar, restaurant and brothel museum) so we had nachos & pizza washed down with a couple of pitchers of beer. None of us wanted to take the 15 minute “upstairs” tour for $5.
We were back fairly early so Terry decided to start washing the 5th wheel. He barely got going when the faucet blew off the top of the water standpipe. I had him hold a bucket over the “fountain” and phoned the offsite owner. By the time he got there, we had a lake under the back of our site and into Dave & Margo’s site. The owner turned off the water, reglued the fitting and left the water off while it dried. This ended Terry’s 5th wheel washing so we watched a movie (no TV at all here) and had dessert.
July 23rd – Mon – Skagway
We got up early to catch the Fjord Express catamaran which left at 8 to go to Juneau. We stopped at Haines in 45 minutes to pick up more passengers. On the way, the captain kept an eye out for whales and sea lions, both of which we saw. We also saw Dalls porpoises and eagles. The captain was also very good about telling us history of the areas we went through. There were slight swells but when the boat was up to speed it glided through the waves.
We docked about 39 miles north of Juneau and went the rest of the way in a bus, again with the driver keeping us entertained and informed. We had a little tour around old Juneau in the bus and then had 3 hours for lunch and sightseeing, both of which were great.
When we boarded the bus again, we were taken to Mendenhall Glacier and had an hour for sightseeing, going through the visitor center and taking pictures. Our bus was a little late to pick us up because there were 4 cruise ships in town and there were many buses discharging and picking up passengers in the 5 allotted bus parking spots. We had to wait for a pilot car through construction both ways but it didn’t delay us too much.
The weather was cloudy but there was no rain and it wasn’t cold. Apparently this is typical summer weather for Juneau. The Lynn Canal was perfectly smooth when we started back and didn’t get very choppy so we could enjoy our smoked salmon chowder without spilling on ourselves. We arrived back at 8:30.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
July 18th to 20th - Copper Canyon, Beaver Creek, Whitehorse
July 18th – Wed – to Copper Canyon
We had a wonderful lazy day today. Our 8 o’clock departure was delayed a bit when Dave discovered that one of the motor home tires that he checked last night was pretty squishy when he put his jacks up this morning. So he hooked up his little air pump which takes a while to inflate a MH tire. Then we were on our way under high clouds.
We soon drove out of the clouds into blue skies again for the rest of our long 108 mile drive through amazing scenery as usual. We got dry camping sites right on the Klutinia River, made lunch and got down to the serious business of watching people fish. The water is very fast and fishing is done mostly from the banks or wading into the river a few feet. We met a guy from Germany who was there with his family so Terry & Dave gave him tips on fishing when he got to Valdez. They gave him a couple of lures so he reciprocated by giving them individual bottles of a special liqueur.
We went for a drive to see the rest of the area and ended up at a Princess Cruise Line lodge. It was not super impressive initially but we walked around the building to an awesome view & patios and then inside to a very nice facility. We went to the bar where the bartender recommended the national drink of Brazil which turned out to be a great lime & rum concoction. We sipped our drinks in the sunshine on the patio with the marvelous view.
Back at the RV park & fishing lodge, we perfected our people watching techniques aided in a bit by a couple of drinks for happy hour. After dinner when it cooled off (9:00) we went inside and Dave & Margo taught us to play Uno. Let me see – their game and Dave won the first game and Margo won the second!!
July 19th – Thurs – to Beaver Creek
We left at 7:30 for a longer drive today. We stopped for fuel at Glenallen and then turned on the Tok Cutoff road to Tok. The road was quite bumpy and we had to slow down a lot. We were stopped at one construction site for about 20 minutes while load after load of gravel was dumped, leveled and watered before the stretch was open to one way traffic. We thought we were going to have to go all way to Tok to find somewhere for breakfast/lunch but we saw a little café and pulled in. We were just ordering when a guy came in and asked if we were driving the motor home out front (we were the only people in the café) and we all thought it was blocking a driveway or propane tank. Turns out Dave’s bicycle rack had broken and he was dragging the bikes. We all went out to see, get the bikes off, throw away the mangled front tire from Margo’s bike and find a spot to put the bikes. One went in our back seat and the one without the front tire fit in their tow car. We went back in for a good breakfast and continued on our way.
In Tok we went to a service station for fuel and we thought they might have a welder to fix the bike rack. They directed Dave down the road a short ways and he was able to unhook his car, pull his hitch and get it welded. Once again, back on the road and on our way.
The road from Tok to the Yukon border is pretty bumpy & wavy – and then it gets worse! Actually, it is all about the same. According to the Milepost, “there are improved stretches mixed with good highways going bad”. We are staying at the Westwind RV park which has only a few other campers. We really enjoyed our happy hour drinks today! I thawed spaghetti sauce for an easy shared dinner, and then Margo & I did a couple loads of laundry since it is right here in the park. The sun just set at 10:45.
July 20th – Fri – to Whitehorse
Another longer driving day so we left at 7:00! I put my foot down at a suggestion that we leave at 6! The road continued to be a challenge but it was very nice for the first couple of hours to have very little traffic so we could use whichever side of the road that looked the best. We stopped at the Kluane Museum of Natural History at Burwash Landing, then just down the road at Destruction Bay for lunch and at Haines Junction for fuel.
When we got to Whitehorse, we stopped at Kal Tire to get a new tire mounted on the spare since we used the good one when we left Wasilla. We joined D&M at WalMart and then Dave figured he better go to the tire shop as his front tire was low again and he thought he better get a new stem. By the time he & Terry got back it was time for a much deserved rest & happy hour.
Margo made 2 styles of halibut for dinner and I made salad & potatoes. We do eat well! After dinner we went to WalMart but it is not a supercenter so has very little fresh produce which is what we needed. We bought a few items, dropped them off and walked to the Superstore which ended up being closed. We didn’t bother changing our clocks to PDT as we are going back to Alaska tomorrow so it was an hour earlier to us. A bit of TV and lights out!
We had a wonderful lazy day today. Our 8 o’clock departure was delayed a bit when Dave discovered that one of the motor home tires that he checked last night was pretty squishy when he put his jacks up this morning. So he hooked up his little air pump which takes a while to inflate a MH tire. Then we were on our way under high clouds.
We soon drove out of the clouds into blue skies again for the rest of our long 108 mile drive through amazing scenery as usual. We got dry camping sites right on the Klutinia River, made lunch and got down to the serious business of watching people fish. The water is very fast and fishing is done mostly from the banks or wading into the river a few feet. We met a guy from Germany who was there with his family so Terry & Dave gave him tips on fishing when he got to Valdez. They gave him a couple of lures so he reciprocated by giving them individual bottles of a special liqueur.
We went for a drive to see the rest of the area and ended up at a Princess Cruise Line lodge. It was not super impressive initially but we walked around the building to an awesome view & patios and then inside to a very nice facility. We went to the bar where the bartender recommended the national drink of Brazil which turned out to be a great lime & rum concoction. We sipped our drinks in the sunshine on the patio with the marvelous view.
Back at the RV park & fishing lodge, we perfected our people watching techniques aided in a bit by a couple of drinks for happy hour. After dinner when it cooled off (9:00) we went inside and Dave & Margo taught us to play Uno. Let me see – their game and Dave won the first game and Margo won the second!!
July 19th – Thurs – to Beaver Creek
We left at 7:30 for a longer drive today. We stopped for fuel at Glenallen and then turned on the Tok Cutoff road to Tok. The road was quite bumpy and we had to slow down a lot. We were stopped at one construction site for about 20 minutes while load after load of gravel was dumped, leveled and watered before the stretch was open to one way traffic. We thought we were going to have to go all way to Tok to find somewhere for breakfast/lunch but we saw a little café and pulled in. We were just ordering when a guy came in and asked if we were driving the motor home out front (we were the only people in the café) and we all thought it was blocking a driveway or propane tank. Turns out Dave’s bicycle rack had broken and he was dragging the bikes. We all went out to see, get the bikes off, throw away the mangled front tire from Margo’s bike and find a spot to put the bikes. One went in our back seat and the one without the front tire fit in their tow car. We went back in for a good breakfast and continued on our way.
In Tok we went to a service station for fuel and we thought they might have a welder to fix the bike rack. They directed Dave down the road a short ways and he was able to unhook his car, pull his hitch and get it welded. Once again, back on the road and on our way.
The road from Tok to the Yukon border is pretty bumpy & wavy – and then it gets worse! Actually, it is all about the same. According to the Milepost, “there are improved stretches mixed with good highways going bad”. We are staying at the Westwind RV park which has only a few other campers. We really enjoyed our happy hour drinks today! I thawed spaghetti sauce for an easy shared dinner, and then Margo & I did a couple loads of laundry since it is right here in the park. The sun just set at 10:45.
July 20th – Fri – to Whitehorse
Another longer driving day so we left at 7:00! I put my foot down at a suggestion that we leave at 6! The road continued to be a challenge but it was very nice for the first couple of hours to have very little traffic so we could use whichever side of the road that looked the best. We stopped at the Kluane Museum of Natural History at Burwash Landing, then just down the road at Destruction Bay for lunch and at Haines Junction for fuel.
When we got to Whitehorse, we stopped at Kal Tire to get a new tire mounted on the spare since we used the good one when we left Wasilla. We joined D&M at WalMart and then Dave figured he better go to the tire shop as his front tire was low again and he thought he better get a new stem. By the time he & Terry got back it was time for a much deserved rest & happy hour.
Margo made 2 styles of halibut for dinner and I made salad & potatoes. We do eat well! After dinner we went to WalMart but it is not a supercenter so has very little fresh produce which is what we needed. We bought a few items, dropped them off and walked to the Superstore which ended up being closed. We didn’t bother changing our clocks to PDT as we are going back to Alaska tomorrow so it was an hour earlier to us. A bit of TV and lights out!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
July 15th to 17th - Valdez
July 15th – Sun – Valdez
I didn’t sleep very well last night so by the time I got up & going, Dave & Margo had already left to attend a church service on a boat which actually left the dock and slowly cruised around the harbor.
It poured rain last night and continued most of the day today. After a late breakfast, I put a couple of small pork roasts in the crock pot – one would have been enough but I wanted leftovers and I needed to make space in the freezer. None of us did very much today – just visited and complained about the weather! We went to Dave & Margo’s about 5 with our drinks which was the first time that I stepped outside.
Margo made the rest of dinner so all I had to do was slice the meat and open some applesauce. After cleaning up the dishes, we came home as I was feeling puny from my cold and Terry ran out of steam.
July 16th – Mon – Valdez
SUNSHINE!! We all went for a walk around town as it was beautiful today. We strolled along the docks, stopped in a couple of stores and climbed a lot of stairs to a viewpoint on a hill in the middle of town. Dave talked to a guy this morning so he & Terry decided to go fishing early tomorrow morning. Then we discovered that fishing licenses were for 24 hours rather than a calendar day so they bought licenses that started at 4 this afternoon so they can fish this evening and tomorrow morning.
We came back to BBQ hot dogs for lunch and the guys dug out all the fishing gear they needed. At 4 we drove to the fishing area about 5 miles from town. There is a fish hatchery and the salmon return to spawn here. The streams are full of silt from glaciers and the fish cannot survive in them so the hatchery funnels the spawning fish into fish ladders into their facility and starts the hatching & fry rearing process again. Margo & I drove separately in case we were bored and wanted to come back but it was not boring at all. Dave & Terry started catching fish right away but Dave’s line was too light and he kept breaking off the fish and losing lures. Margo & I walked and watched lots of eagles, seals and otters. A mother bear and 4 cubs has shown up here regularly for a few days so after Terry caught his limit of 6 salmon and Dave ran out of hooks – including some of Terry’s – we hung around a bit to see if the bears would show up but no luck.
Dave & Terry filleted the fish and then cleaned up their gear before putting a salmon on the BBQ. Margo had made a potato salad and I added a green salad for an easy dinner. Dave & Margo came in for a bit after dinner until Terry stared snoozing in his chair and Dave said he wanted to go home so he could go to bed like Terry. We were amazed to see it was 10 o’clock!
July 17th – Tues – Valdez
Another clear sunny day – love it! The temperature probably reached 66 so it was very nice.
Dave & Terry went fishing again this morning while Margo & I went to a bakery for goodies. I told Terry he could not keep any more fish as there is no more room in the freezer. When we got to where they fishing, they were having a great time pulling in fish and letting them go. We set up a couple of chairs and watched them, the wildlife and the scenery again.
When we got back, the guys put away fishing gear while Margo & I made sandwiches for lunch. Then we took a drive to Keystone Canyon to take pictures of Horsetail and Bridal Veil Falls. We drove through town and stopped at a bar named the Fat Mermaid for a beer as Dave likes to stop at bars with weird names.
Back at the park we relaxed and did our own thing for a couple of hours until D&M brought over drinks & snacks. We finished just in time to drive back to the fish hatchery hoping to see the bear & cubs. Sure enough, there were a lot of people on a bank looking across a creek where the mama bear had brought her cubs for dinner. She waded into the water and grabbed a salmon which she took back to the cubs on the rocky bank. They all gathered for a mouthful of fish and then they all ambled off and out of our sight. Of course a couple of the cubs were being typical kids and played as they were following mom.
By the time we ate dinner it was already after 8 so not much left of the evening.
I didn’t sleep very well last night so by the time I got up & going, Dave & Margo had already left to attend a church service on a boat which actually left the dock and slowly cruised around the harbor.
It poured rain last night and continued most of the day today. After a late breakfast, I put a couple of small pork roasts in the crock pot – one would have been enough but I wanted leftovers and I needed to make space in the freezer. None of us did very much today – just visited and complained about the weather! We went to Dave & Margo’s about 5 with our drinks which was the first time that I stepped outside.
Margo made the rest of dinner so all I had to do was slice the meat and open some applesauce. After cleaning up the dishes, we came home as I was feeling puny from my cold and Terry ran out of steam.
July 16th – Mon – Valdez
SUNSHINE!! We all went for a walk around town as it was beautiful today. We strolled along the docks, stopped in a couple of stores and climbed a lot of stairs to a viewpoint on a hill in the middle of town. Dave talked to a guy this morning so he & Terry decided to go fishing early tomorrow morning. Then we discovered that fishing licenses were for 24 hours rather than a calendar day so they bought licenses that started at 4 this afternoon so they can fish this evening and tomorrow morning.
We came back to BBQ hot dogs for lunch and the guys dug out all the fishing gear they needed. At 4 we drove to the fishing area about 5 miles from town. There is a fish hatchery and the salmon return to spawn here. The streams are full of silt from glaciers and the fish cannot survive in them so the hatchery funnels the spawning fish into fish ladders into their facility and starts the hatching & fry rearing process again. Margo & I drove separately in case we were bored and wanted to come back but it was not boring at all. Dave & Terry started catching fish right away but Dave’s line was too light and he kept breaking off the fish and losing lures. Margo & I walked and watched lots of eagles, seals and otters. A mother bear and 4 cubs has shown up here regularly for a few days so after Terry caught his limit of 6 salmon and Dave ran out of hooks – including some of Terry’s – we hung around a bit to see if the bears would show up but no luck.
Dave & Terry filleted the fish and then cleaned up their gear before putting a salmon on the BBQ. Margo had made a potato salad and I added a green salad for an easy dinner. Dave & Margo came in for a bit after dinner until Terry stared snoozing in his chair and Dave said he wanted to go home so he could go to bed like Terry. We were amazed to see it was 10 o’clock!
July 17th – Tues – Valdez
Another clear sunny day – love it! The temperature probably reached 66 so it was very nice.
Dave & Terry went fishing again this morning while Margo & I went to a bakery for goodies. I told Terry he could not keep any more fish as there is no more room in the freezer. When we got to where they fishing, they were having a great time pulling in fish and letting them go. We set up a couple of chairs and watched them, the wildlife and the scenery again.
When we got back, the guys put away fishing gear while Margo & I made sandwiches for lunch. Then we took a drive to Keystone Canyon to take pictures of Horsetail and Bridal Veil Falls. We drove through town and stopped at a bar named the Fat Mermaid for a beer as Dave likes to stop at bars with weird names.
Back at the park we relaxed and did our own thing for a couple of hours until D&M brought over drinks & snacks. We finished just in time to drive back to the fish hatchery hoping to see the bear & cubs. Sure enough, there were a lot of people on a bank looking across a creek where the mama bear had brought her cubs for dinner. She waded into the water and grabbed a salmon which she took back to the cubs on the rocky bank. They all gathered for a mouthful of fish and then they all ambled off and out of our sight. Of course a couple of the cubs were being typical kids and played as they were following mom.
By the time we ate dinner it was already after 8 so not much left of the evening.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
July 11th to 14th - Seward, Wasilla, Valdez
July 11th – Wed – Seward
I got up early this morning to make coffee & sandwiches for Terry to take on his fishing trip today. It was rainy & windy when they left so they weren’t sure if they would be going out. Sure enough, about an hour or so later they came back and said there were 15 foot swells and 25 mph winds out in the gulf where they would have been fishing. They had coffee & doughnuts while Marv decided if they would go or not.
I was still in bed reading when Terry returned so he turned on the furnace & hot water and crawled back in bed to wait while the rig warmed up. We were lazy and sat around drinking coffee, watching the rain and waiting for the computer to connect to the internet. Actually, I did get decent reception for a while, paid a couple of bills and cleaned up emails.
We had just eaten a sandwich for lunch when Margo came over and said that she had called and found out that our wildlife tour was still going to happen. Shortly after 1, Dave drove us to the boat docks (raining too hard to walk!), we got our boarding pass and waited a while in a shop. We asked if they were giving refunds and they said the whales didn’t mind the rain and that there were about 40 people on the tour boat. It was pretty hard to take pictures through the rain on the windows and most other wildlife did mind the rain! The waves didn’t roll the boat too much until we headed out the end of Resurrection Bay in search of sea lions. Then the captain said the swells were about 10 feet and she was waiting for the right combination of waves to turn the boat around comfortably and head back. We ended up seeing Dall’s porpoises play in front of the boat (you had to brave the wind & rain like Margo did to be out on the bow to really see them), humpback whales, sea otters, puffins and bald eagles. The captain told us a lot about the history of the area.
While we were gone, Terry filled a propane tank and he & Dave b.s.’d the afternoon away. We phoned when we got back so they could come pick us up as it was still raining. The reason we didn’t just drive a vehicle is that there is very little parking in that area and paid parking is $10 for any part of a day.
We had a drink while we discussed our day and went our own way for dinner.
July 12th – Thurs – Seward
We wanted to walk to Exit Glacier today but thought we would wait a bit and see if the weather cleared. Not our best idea but I don’t think it was sprinkling much more when we finally went.
Before we went I convinced Terry to get a waterproof jacket. He stood outside talking to neighbors last night after they borrowed his ladder and he was soaked.
We walked all the way to the foot of the glacier but couldn’t get onto it as it was too crumbly. The clouds lifted enough for good pictures. On the way back through town, we stopped for ice cream.
After a bit we all went for a walk to the “snagging” bridge. People had caught fish but no one was getting anything when we were there and there was a cold wind so we came back. Dave & Margo brought their drinks over and I got spaghetti sauce simmering. They had some steaks that needed to be cooked so we did our own thing for dinner.
Terry has a cold starting to I dosed him with cold capsules and we went to bed early.
July 13th – Fri – to Wasilla
We returned to the Big Bear RV park in Wasilla as we didn’t want to drive 430 miles to Valdez in one day. We stopped for breakfast at IHOP in Anchorage and waited a long time for our food to arrive. Terry’s friend Marv told them how bad the customer service is in Alaska and we are starting to agree with him.
Margo & I took advantage of the nice laundry room to do a couple of loads each. I love Color Catchers so I can mix all the colors together when I just have a few clothes to wash. We all went to WalMart to get a few groceries and I got plastic bins to put in the freezer to contain some of the smaller items that want to fall out each time you open the door.
Terry got a couple of bundles of firewood as it was nice enough to sit out and enjoy a fire. The wood turned out to be wet but Dave chopped it all into small pieces and we shared the fire with some neighbors. Unfortunately, I caught a cold as well and was not feeling like putting steak on the BBQ at 9 when everyone left. So I made a fajita from leftovers for Terry, I had toast & peanut butter and went to bed after taking a couple of cold capsules.
July 14th – Sat – to Valdez
Our early start at 7 got a little bit delayed when I checked a tire on the 5th wheel that was wearing unevenly and found a small split. Terry took the time to change it to the spare rather than ending up changing it on the side of the road. Dave was leading today as he needed to stop for gas and we didn’t want to pick the place. We also topped up when he stopped and then he continued leading which was good as he doesn’t drive as fast as Terry and a lot of the road was bumpy. We stopped for breakfast – had another wait longer than we expected! – and then came up behind a bicycle ride. Turns out some of the entrants were going to Valdez to ride 400 miles so we passed bicycles for miles. Luckily there is not a lot of traffic on the road because some of the bicyclists would ride 2 & 3 abreast in narrow spots.
We made a couple of phone calls when we stopped for pictures and found a campground (Bayside) that had 2 sites for 3 nights. The campground on the water where we stayed 5 years ago is no longer in operation so we have a mountain view instead of a water view.
After we got set up and Terry tuned in his 42 cable TV channels(!), we went for a drive with Dave & Margo to find where people were catching silver salmon. We went as directed by the campground owner and found a lot of people fishing from big rocks on the shore. We saw a couple of nice stringers of salmon carried up the bank so I think Terry & Dave will give it a try tomorrow,.
We went to have a drink with D&M and then Terry pulled out the BBQ to cook the steaks. It didn’t rain too much today but a breeze is making it very cool and it was drizzling a bit for Terry to BBQ. Dinner, cold medication, TV and to bed early.
I got up early this morning to make coffee & sandwiches for Terry to take on his fishing trip today. It was rainy & windy when they left so they weren’t sure if they would be going out. Sure enough, about an hour or so later they came back and said there were 15 foot swells and 25 mph winds out in the gulf where they would have been fishing. They had coffee & doughnuts while Marv decided if they would go or not.
I was still in bed reading when Terry returned so he turned on the furnace & hot water and crawled back in bed to wait while the rig warmed up. We were lazy and sat around drinking coffee, watching the rain and waiting for the computer to connect to the internet. Actually, I did get decent reception for a while, paid a couple of bills and cleaned up emails.
We had just eaten a sandwich for lunch when Margo came over and said that she had called and found out that our wildlife tour was still going to happen. Shortly after 1, Dave drove us to the boat docks (raining too hard to walk!), we got our boarding pass and waited a while in a shop. We asked if they were giving refunds and they said the whales didn’t mind the rain and that there were about 40 people on the tour boat. It was pretty hard to take pictures through the rain on the windows and most other wildlife did mind the rain! The waves didn’t roll the boat too much until we headed out the end of Resurrection Bay in search of sea lions. Then the captain said the swells were about 10 feet and she was waiting for the right combination of waves to turn the boat around comfortably and head back. We ended up seeing Dall’s porpoises play in front of the boat (you had to brave the wind & rain like Margo did to be out on the bow to really see them), humpback whales, sea otters, puffins and bald eagles. The captain told us a lot about the history of the area.
While we were gone, Terry filled a propane tank and he & Dave b.s.’d the afternoon away. We phoned when we got back so they could come pick us up as it was still raining. The reason we didn’t just drive a vehicle is that there is very little parking in that area and paid parking is $10 for any part of a day.
We had a drink while we discussed our day and went our own way for dinner.
July 12th – Thurs – Seward
We wanted to walk to Exit Glacier today but thought we would wait a bit and see if the weather cleared. Not our best idea but I don’t think it was sprinkling much more when we finally went.
Before we went I convinced Terry to get a waterproof jacket. He stood outside talking to neighbors last night after they borrowed his ladder and he was soaked.
We walked all the way to the foot of the glacier but couldn’t get onto it as it was too crumbly. The clouds lifted enough for good pictures. On the way back through town, we stopped for ice cream.
After a bit we all went for a walk to the “snagging” bridge. People had caught fish but no one was getting anything when we were there and there was a cold wind so we came back. Dave & Margo brought their drinks over and I got spaghetti sauce simmering. They had some steaks that needed to be cooked so we did our own thing for dinner.
Terry has a cold starting to I dosed him with cold capsules and we went to bed early.
July 13th – Fri – to Wasilla
We returned to the Big Bear RV park in Wasilla as we didn’t want to drive 430 miles to Valdez in one day. We stopped for breakfast at IHOP in Anchorage and waited a long time for our food to arrive. Terry’s friend Marv told them how bad the customer service is in Alaska and we are starting to agree with him.
Margo & I took advantage of the nice laundry room to do a couple of loads each. I love Color Catchers so I can mix all the colors together when I just have a few clothes to wash. We all went to WalMart to get a few groceries and I got plastic bins to put in the freezer to contain some of the smaller items that want to fall out each time you open the door.
Terry got a couple of bundles of firewood as it was nice enough to sit out and enjoy a fire. The wood turned out to be wet but Dave chopped it all into small pieces and we shared the fire with some neighbors. Unfortunately, I caught a cold as well and was not feeling like putting steak on the BBQ at 9 when everyone left. So I made a fajita from leftovers for Terry, I had toast & peanut butter and went to bed after taking a couple of cold capsules.
July 14th – Sat – to Valdez
Our early start at 7 got a little bit delayed when I checked a tire on the 5th wheel that was wearing unevenly and found a small split. Terry took the time to change it to the spare rather than ending up changing it on the side of the road. Dave was leading today as he needed to stop for gas and we didn’t want to pick the place. We also topped up when he stopped and then he continued leading which was good as he doesn’t drive as fast as Terry and a lot of the road was bumpy. We stopped for breakfast – had another wait longer than we expected! – and then came up behind a bicycle ride. Turns out some of the entrants were going to Valdez to ride 400 miles so we passed bicycles for miles. Luckily there is not a lot of traffic on the road because some of the bicyclists would ride 2 & 3 abreast in narrow spots.
We made a couple of phone calls when we stopped for pictures and found a campground (Bayside) that had 2 sites for 3 nights. The campground on the water where we stayed 5 years ago is no longer in operation so we have a mountain view instead of a water view.
After we got set up and Terry tuned in his 42 cable TV channels(!), we went for a drive with Dave & Margo to find where people were catching silver salmon. We went as directed by the campground owner and found a lot of people fishing from big rocks on the shore. We saw a couple of nice stringers of salmon carried up the bank so I think Terry & Dave will give it a try tomorrow,.
We went to have a drink with D&M and then Terry pulled out the BBQ to cook the steaks. It didn’t rain too much today but a breeze is making it very cool and it was drizzling a bit for Terry to BBQ. Dinner, cold medication, TV and to bed early.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
July 8th to 10th - Homer to Seward
July 8th – Sun - Homer
I got some laundry going early this morning and was joined shortly by Margo doing the same thing. We were the only ones in the laundry room so got as many machines as we needed and got done quickly. Then we all went exploring & sightseeing.
We stopped at the Alaska Islands and Ocean visitor center which includes films & displays about the huge nature preserve that includes all the Aleutian Islands. It is very informative and well done. We went on a walk through a protected area where a pair of sandhill cranes are raising their 2 young called “colts”.
We drove into the old part of town and “wisely” decided to have lunch at a local place rather than Subway. We were told that it would take a while to get our food as they were very busy but it was ridiculous. We should have known when our server came back at least 20 minutes after we ordered to say they were out of 2 things that we had ordered. We were ready to leave when our server finally appeared with food. There was a young family behind us who were there 15 minutes before us and they didn’t have their food yet so they got up and left.
After eating, we continued on to a road that has amazing views of the Spit and Kachemak Bay and took pictures. We made a loop back to town and stopped at a couple of interesting stores that Margo heard about. We stopped at some stores on the spit that we hadn’t visited yet and drove to the end of the spit before going back to our rigs. We put on boots & jackets and walked along the beach for a while before the guys started a fire. It was cool so Margo & I spent time on our computers, read and did some dinner prep rather than sitting by the fire.
We got together for another halibut dinner but kept it light as lunch was quite late. We showed Dave & Margo most of the jokes & clips stored on our computer. At one point, the sun was shining over the top of the RV beside us and it was almost 10.
July 9th – Mon – to Seward
We left at 8 after dumping our tanks at the campground. We stopped at Fred Meyer in Soldatna for fuel and groceries and enjoyed sunny patches as we retraced our route to the Seward Highway and then turned south.
We filled up our fresh water before looking for a site in the city campground on the beach. We didn’t realize that we were in the water & electric area when we first started looking for spots. We couldn’t find 2 places on the beach so we moved to a non-serviced area where we are a couple of spaces away from Dave & Margo.
We had set up and had a sandwich for lunch when Marv drove up. He is a friend who Terry fished with when we were in Spokane. He now is a fishing guide, he took us fishing when we were here in 2007 and Terry & Dave are going fishing with him on Wednesday. We & Dave chatted with him and his friend Bob for quite a while.
It was cloudy & breezy but we put on warmer jackets and walked towards the boat docks. As we crossed a bridge over a little creek running into Resurrection Bay, we saw some men fishing for salmon. Fishing might be the wrong term as they were snagging them which is legal here. They use a treble hook with a weight on it, throw the line out a short ways and jerk it back trying to snag fish that are heading up the creek to spawn. This is the beginning of the silver salmon run and we saw them catch a couple of fish and saw quite a few fish getting past them into the creek.
We continued on to the boat docks and looked unsuccessfully for Marv’s boat. We saw nice displays of halibut & salmon that were caught on fishing charters today and the halibut weren’t much larger than the ones that we caught.
As we started to walk back it began to rain so we ducked into a bar for a beer while the rain moved through. We went to Dave & Margo’s for another drink and some snacks. It was lovely to watch the activity on the water through their front window.
July 10th – Tues – Seward
We walked to the boat dock area so Dave could get some carburetor cleaner for his generator and Margo & I could make reservations for a wildlife & glacier tour tomorrow. At the hardware store I finally found a waterproof jacket that fit, I liked and was affordable. We also went to Napa for DEF as our indicator is saying we should be looking for it. Strangely enough, this is the least we have ever paid for DEF.
Next we headed into town to the Alaska Sealife Center. It is a wonderful aquarium that also offers lots of informative panels and films. When we left there, we walked along the main street and found a nice place for lunch where we all got too full from large hamburgers. We continued on up & down the street stopping to browse at many stores. We drove south of town to check out a waterfall noted on a map and Lowell Point. It was a very bumpy gravel road and neither destination was anything wonderful.
When we got back, we walked to the little bridge and watched people “snagging” again. One young man wearing shorts waded in up to his knees in the COLD water which made us all feel cold. He finally snagged a big King salmon. Other fishermen were cleaning silvers but no one else had a King.
I got on the internet looking for a recipe for the halibut cheeks that we were sharing for an appetizer. Margo was making a salad that was supposed to happen last night so I made some quick bread with Bisquick and our appetizer ended up being dinner. The halibut cheeks were very good even though I had to substitute bread crumbs for the Panko crumbs that turned out to be rancid.
I got some laundry going early this morning and was joined shortly by Margo doing the same thing. We were the only ones in the laundry room so got as many machines as we needed and got done quickly. Then we all went exploring & sightseeing.
We stopped at the Alaska Islands and Ocean visitor center which includes films & displays about the huge nature preserve that includes all the Aleutian Islands. It is very informative and well done. We went on a walk through a protected area where a pair of sandhill cranes are raising their 2 young called “colts”.
We drove into the old part of town and “wisely” decided to have lunch at a local place rather than Subway. We were told that it would take a while to get our food as they were very busy but it was ridiculous. We should have known when our server came back at least 20 minutes after we ordered to say they were out of 2 things that we had ordered. We were ready to leave when our server finally appeared with food. There was a young family behind us who were there 15 minutes before us and they didn’t have their food yet so they got up and left.
After eating, we continued on to a road that has amazing views of the Spit and Kachemak Bay and took pictures. We made a loop back to town and stopped at a couple of interesting stores that Margo heard about. We stopped at some stores on the spit that we hadn’t visited yet and drove to the end of the spit before going back to our rigs. We put on boots & jackets and walked along the beach for a while before the guys started a fire. It was cool so Margo & I spent time on our computers, read and did some dinner prep rather than sitting by the fire.
We got together for another halibut dinner but kept it light as lunch was quite late. We showed Dave & Margo most of the jokes & clips stored on our computer. At one point, the sun was shining over the top of the RV beside us and it was almost 10.
July 9th – Mon – to Seward
We left at 8 after dumping our tanks at the campground. We stopped at Fred Meyer in Soldatna for fuel and groceries and enjoyed sunny patches as we retraced our route to the Seward Highway and then turned south.
We filled up our fresh water before looking for a site in the city campground on the beach. We didn’t realize that we were in the water & electric area when we first started looking for spots. We couldn’t find 2 places on the beach so we moved to a non-serviced area where we are a couple of spaces away from Dave & Margo.
We had set up and had a sandwich for lunch when Marv drove up. He is a friend who Terry fished with when we were in Spokane. He now is a fishing guide, he took us fishing when we were here in 2007 and Terry & Dave are going fishing with him on Wednesday. We & Dave chatted with him and his friend Bob for quite a while.
It was cloudy & breezy but we put on warmer jackets and walked towards the boat docks. As we crossed a bridge over a little creek running into Resurrection Bay, we saw some men fishing for salmon. Fishing might be the wrong term as they were snagging them which is legal here. They use a treble hook with a weight on it, throw the line out a short ways and jerk it back trying to snag fish that are heading up the creek to spawn. This is the beginning of the silver salmon run and we saw them catch a couple of fish and saw quite a few fish getting past them into the creek.
We continued on to the boat docks and looked unsuccessfully for Marv’s boat. We saw nice displays of halibut & salmon that were caught on fishing charters today and the halibut weren’t much larger than the ones that we caught.
As we started to walk back it began to rain so we ducked into a bar for a beer while the rain moved through. We went to Dave & Margo’s for another drink and some snacks. It was lovely to watch the activity on the water through their front window.
July 10th – Tues – Seward
We walked to the boat dock area so Dave could get some carburetor cleaner for his generator and Margo & I could make reservations for a wildlife & glacier tour tomorrow. At the hardware store I finally found a waterproof jacket that fit, I liked and was affordable. We also went to Napa for DEF as our indicator is saying we should be looking for it. Strangely enough, this is the least we have ever paid for DEF.
Next we headed into town to the Alaska Sealife Center. It is a wonderful aquarium that also offers lots of informative panels and films. When we left there, we walked along the main street and found a nice place for lunch where we all got too full from large hamburgers. We continued on up & down the street stopping to browse at many stores. We drove south of town to check out a waterfall noted on a map and Lowell Point. It was a very bumpy gravel road and neither destination was anything wonderful.
When we got back, we walked to the little bridge and watched people “snagging” again. One young man wearing shorts waded in up to his knees in the COLD water which made us all feel cold. He finally snagged a big King salmon. Other fishermen were cleaning silvers but no one else had a King.
I got on the internet looking for a recipe for the halibut cheeks that we were sharing for an appetizer. Margo was making a salad that was supposed to happen last night so I made some quick bread with Bisquick and our appetizer ended up being dinner. The halibut cheeks were very good even though I had to substitute bread crumbs for the Panko crumbs that turned out to be rancid.
Sunday, July 08, 2012
July 5th to 7th - Soldatna to Homer
July 5th – Thurs – Soldatna
We started with a trip to WalMart so I could get a haircut (marginal!) and Margo & I could look for rubber boots. Margo got boots but they didn’t have them in my size. We picked up a few groceries and went back to Fred Meyer where I found some boots and Dave got waders in anticipation of doing some salmon fishing somewhere.
We drove back the way we came yesterday as Terry & Margo had looked at a road on the map that Terry thought would be interesting. Boring is more the word!! It was a 17 mile, gravel, loop road that went by Skilak Lake which is fed and drained by the Kenai River. There are lots of trailheads for hikes which we were not into. On the way back – finally! – we stopped for lunch at a place advertising ice cream. We waited quite a while for our late lunch and then were all too full for ice cream.
We got diesel at $4.29 before returning to the campground. Terry bought firewood yesterday but it was too rainy & cool for a fire then so we had one this evening. Margo brought out a popper for making popcorn over a fire and that is what we had for dinner.
July 6th – Fri – to Homer
We were going to dump our waste tanks at the campground on the way out until we discovered it cost $15 even if you camped there. So we went to the free dump at Fred Meyer and lucked out with no one dumping. Margo & I went for doughnuts while the guys were dealing with dump detail.
The weather continued cloudy and cool for our short (75 mile) drive to Homer where we are camping in the Homer Spit Campground. We stopped at a few lookouts but the clouds obscured the tops of the volcanoes across the We are in the second, elevated row so we can look at Kachemak Bay over the tops of small rigs between us and the beach.
After lunch we went exploring. We did some comparative pricing for halibut fishing and decided on a trip for tomorrow afternoon. We are doing a half day trip as Margo tends to get seasick but is willing to try a shorter trip that won’t get as far into the open water. We stopped at several shops along the spit and made the mandatory visit to the Salty Dog Tavern. Then we drove into town to check out the Elks club which we had seen on the way in. They have spaces for RV parking but it is not as inexpensive as others we have used. However, the drinks were reasonable and the view superb so we stayed for a couple of rounds.
I put a pork roast in the crock pot when we got here and invited Dave & Margo for dinner. We enjoyed a fire while Margo & I were finishing dinner prep and then enjoyed a nice dinner. We chatted with a couple next door – Bill & Cynthia – from Connecticut.
July 7th – Sat
We didn’t do too much this morning except look for gloves & rain gear, pack a lunch and try to get on & stay on the internet. About 11 we all drove partway down the spit and found a parking spot. We picked up our boarding pass for the fishing boat and browsed through a couple of shops before carefully walking down the very steep ramp to the boat docks. It was very steep because the tide was out.
We were all on the boat when the captain gave his mandatory safety speech and then said that we were waiting for 2 more customers who had called and said they were running late. We finally left about 12:45, 15 minutes late. We went about 1 hour & 45 minutes to the fishing area. It took longer than usual as we were running against a large tide but we –and 24 others! - were on a 57 foot boat so the ride was smooth.
We expected a huge mess with so many people fishing but their system works pretty well. We anchored at the front so the tide was running towards the back of the boat. Some people let out lines at the back of the boat and the rest moved up the sides to the very front. As the first person let out line, he/she moved towards the back and the next person could let out line. When someone caught a fish or needed new bait, the whole line of people moved down to fill the space and the people who had to put out a line again did the “excuse me dance” to the front again. There were amazingly few tangled lines even when fish were caught.
Because of the running tide, we had 3 pound chunks of lead on our lines. They were hard to reel in and really a work-out with a fish on. I caught a keeper halibut early. When I caught my second fish, Terry was right beside me and I asked him to reel it in as my arm was really sore by now. He had a hard time getting it in and said my reel was much harder to turn than his. The rules of the boat (and possibly Alaska fishing regs) say that the fish belongs to the person that sets the hook. Some people had the crew reel in their fish.
Everyone on the boat caught their 2 fish limit – we guessed in the 10 to 20 pound range - and we headed back just after 4:30. The crew filleted the fish as we travelled and we each had a bag of lovely halibut which were heavier than we expected. We came back to our rig and started cutting off the skin, cleaning & packaging the meat. We had 2 fillets left in the 3rd bag when we had to go for dinner.
Dave found out about a restaurant that will cook your catch for dinner and made a reservation for 7:15 based on the usual time that boats get back. We took 3 smaller fillets and had them cooked in the 3 styles offered by the restaurant – grilled, deep fried and baked. This meal cost $17.50 per person and included the normal side dishes offered with their meals – a huge salad, bread and baked potatoes with all the fixings. We got a window table and enjoyed the meal immensely.
When we got back we finished dealing with the halibut before relaxing a bit with the news & weather on TV.
We started with a trip to WalMart so I could get a haircut (marginal!) and Margo & I could look for rubber boots. Margo got boots but they didn’t have them in my size. We picked up a few groceries and went back to Fred Meyer where I found some boots and Dave got waders in anticipation of doing some salmon fishing somewhere.
We drove back the way we came yesterday as Terry & Margo had looked at a road on the map that Terry thought would be interesting. Boring is more the word!! It was a 17 mile, gravel, loop road that went by Skilak Lake which is fed and drained by the Kenai River. There are lots of trailheads for hikes which we were not into. On the way back – finally! – we stopped for lunch at a place advertising ice cream. We waited quite a while for our late lunch and then were all too full for ice cream.
We got diesel at $4.29 before returning to the campground. Terry bought firewood yesterday but it was too rainy & cool for a fire then so we had one this evening. Margo brought out a popper for making popcorn over a fire and that is what we had for dinner.
July 6th – Fri – to Homer
We were going to dump our waste tanks at the campground on the way out until we discovered it cost $15 even if you camped there. So we went to the free dump at Fred Meyer and lucked out with no one dumping. Margo & I went for doughnuts while the guys were dealing with dump detail.
The weather continued cloudy and cool for our short (75 mile) drive to Homer where we are camping in the Homer Spit Campground. We stopped at a few lookouts but the clouds obscured the tops of the volcanoes across the We are in the second, elevated row so we can look at Kachemak Bay over the tops of small rigs between us and the beach.
After lunch we went exploring. We did some comparative pricing for halibut fishing and decided on a trip for tomorrow afternoon. We are doing a half day trip as Margo tends to get seasick but is willing to try a shorter trip that won’t get as far into the open water. We stopped at several shops along the spit and made the mandatory visit to the Salty Dog Tavern. Then we drove into town to check out the Elks club which we had seen on the way in. They have spaces for RV parking but it is not as inexpensive as others we have used. However, the drinks were reasonable and the view superb so we stayed for a couple of rounds.
I put a pork roast in the crock pot when we got here and invited Dave & Margo for dinner. We enjoyed a fire while Margo & I were finishing dinner prep and then enjoyed a nice dinner. We chatted with a couple next door – Bill & Cynthia – from Connecticut.
July 7th – Sat
We didn’t do too much this morning except look for gloves & rain gear, pack a lunch and try to get on & stay on the internet. About 11 we all drove partway down the spit and found a parking spot. We picked up our boarding pass for the fishing boat and browsed through a couple of shops before carefully walking down the very steep ramp to the boat docks. It was very steep because the tide was out.
We were all on the boat when the captain gave his mandatory safety speech and then said that we were waiting for 2 more customers who had called and said they were running late. We finally left about 12:45, 15 minutes late. We went about 1 hour & 45 minutes to the fishing area. It took longer than usual as we were running against a large tide but we –and 24 others! - were on a 57 foot boat so the ride was smooth.
We expected a huge mess with so many people fishing but their system works pretty well. We anchored at the front so the tide was running towards the back of the boat. Some people let out lines at the back of the boat and the rest moved up the sides to the very front. As the first person let out line, he/she moved towards the back and the next person could let out line. When someone caught a fish or needed new bait, the whole line of people moved down to fill the space and the people who had to put out a line again did the “excuse me dance” to the front again. There were amazingly few tangled lines even when fish were caught.
Because of the running tide, we had 3 pound chunks of lead on our lines. They were hard to reel in and really a work-out with a fish on. I caught a keeper halibut early. When I caught my second fish, Terry was right beside me and I asked him to reel it in as my arm was really sore by now. He had a hard time getting it in and said my reel was much harder to turn than his. The rules of the boat (and possibly Alaska fishing regs) say that the fish belongs to the person that sets the hook. Some people had the crew reel in their fish.
Everyone on the boat caught their 2 fish limit – we guessed in the 10 to 20 pound range - and we headed back just after 4:30. The crew filleted the fish as we travelled and we each had a bag of lovely halibut which were heavier than we expected. We came back to our rig and started cutting off the skin, cleaning & packaging the meat. We had 2 fillets left in the 3rd bag when we had to go for dinner.
Dave found out about a restaurant that will cook your catch for dinner and made a reservation for 7:15 based on the usual time that boats get back. We took 3 smaller fillets and had them cooked in the 3 styles offered by the restaurant – grilled, deep fried and baked. This meal cost $17.50 per person and included the normal side dishes offered with their meals – a huge salad, bread and baked potatoes with all the fixings. We got a window table and enjoyed the meal immensely.
When we got back we finished dealing with the halibut before relaxing a bit with the news & weather on TV.
Thursday, July 05, 2012
June 30th to July3rd - Portage to Soldatna
June 30th – Sat – to Portage area
We got up early, all dumped our waste tanks and were in convoy formation and on the road at 7:45. The reason for the early start and driving together was to try to get camping sites at Williwaw campground just out of Whittier. I had tried to get reservations in the 21 sites that are reservable and they were all reserved for the days that we wanted. But there are 79 sites so we figured we would give it a shot.
In less than 2 hours we drove past the “campground full” sign as we figured correctly that it was from last night. We started driving around and we and Dave & Margo passed one back-in site that Rick then nabbed. Then we saw a back-in for Dave and a pull-through which we took. It was reservable but the out date was today. Margo drove us to the entry where we saw the camp host just leaving to put a reserved sign on the spot that we were in. But we saw another available pull-through so I went back to sit at the table while Margo told Terry to move. The site was big enough that Dave & Margo pulled in behind us to share the site as they were quite a ways away. Rick & Pat are just around the corner.
Set up is quick without hooking up electric & water so we all went to Girdwood and took the tram up to the Alyeska ski area. There was a beautiful view from the top and we watched para-gliders taking off and floating down to the valley floor. We had an expensive – but good- lunch and headed back down the tram. On the way back we stopped at the animal rehabilitation center – there was a line of cars to get in! – and walked all around the facility where we saw musk ox, wood bison, moose (including 3 long-legged babies), caribou, eagles, bears, lynx, owls and lovely views of the end of Turnagain Arm.
When we got back it was time for happy hour. Our site was in sunlight and protected from the breeze so we got chairs & mosquito repellant out and enjoyed the outdoors. Actually, the mosquitoes were fairly plentiful but not much of a bother. This campground is wooded and the sites are separated so it is very peaceful and pretty.
July 1st – Sun – Portage/Whittier
We all met up at 10 to go to Whittier just a few miles away. You have to drive through a 2 ½ mile, one-way tunnel to get there. The tunnel is shared with trains so when one shows up it gets priority. Otherwise, the tunnel is opened for 15 minutes for traffic about every half hour. You pay the $12 return trip toll and line up in a staging area like ferry traffic lines. A traffic light spaces out the cars just a bit and you straddle the rails driving through.
Once in the small town of Whittier, we parked and walked. The clouds were hanging low over the mountaintops but there were still beautiful reflections of boats in the calm water of the protected harbor. We chatted about fishing and the town with 2 men from Anchorage who come here for recreational fishing. We got coffee, hot chocolate, doughnuts & cinnamon rolls at a little stand and went through the pedestrian tunnel that runs under railway tracks to “town”.
We eventually lined up for the trip back through the tunnel. We had seen a young lady at the coffee stand and she was working at the tunnel so we talked to her while we waited. She has been here for a little over a year and isn’t real happy with her sister who talked her into coming. She said that most of the 200 or so residents of Whittier live in a 14 story condo & office building and that she does consider her job to be a good one.
When we got back, we had a sandwich for lunch and took the bikes off the rack. Even with the cover they were totally dusty so Terry cleaned them up and we went for a ride with Dave & Margo. There is a lovely paved/boardwalk/concrete trail that runs past the campground. We rode the 1 ½ miles to the visitor center at Portage Lake, took pictures of glaciers & icebergs and went through the displays at the visitor center where our Golden Age passes got us in for free. We watched a film mostly about glaciers and were awestruck at the end when the screen went up and curtains opened to a huge window looking out at the lake, mountains & glaciers.
Back at the campground, we got out chairs & bug spray again, lit a fire and enjoyed our usual happy hour(s). After dinner, Terry watched a couple of movies and I read my book.
July 2nd – Mon – Portage
We went for a long bike ride with Dave & Margo this morning. We went the opposite way from yesterday and went 3.3 miles before hitting the end of the trail at Moose Flats and heading back. The weather was cloudy but we didn’t get any rain during the ride.
After lunch we all went on a one hour glacier cruise on Portage Lake. You can see a very small portion of the glacier from the visitor center but the cruise takes you around the corner and right in front of the glacier. We slowly moved along the front of the glacier a couple of times but it did not oblige by calving.
We had another fire and happy hour and went our own ways for dinner again.
July 3rd – Tues – Portage
We and Dave & Margo went for a long walk this morning. The trails are really nice, the streams are clear and the flowers are lovely but there are no fish spawning and we didn’t see any wildlife. Rick & Pat borrowed Dave & Margo’s bikes and did most of the ride that we did yesterday.
Then we and Dave & Margo went to Girdwood for lunch before going to watch the tidal bore. Rick & Pat had eaten lunch so followed a bit later in their truck. What is a tidal bore? you ask. If the low tide is a minus tide, when the tide comes back in the water catches on the exposed sand and stalls. The water coming in behind pushes the water ahead into a wave which breaks like the surf coming into a beach. Dave had read about this phenomenon and wanted to see it which we all thought would be fun. The charts tell you to adjust by +-30 minutes so we ended up waiting for over an hour before it showed up after 5. Several people were waiting on surf boards and rode the wave for miles. We moved from one turnout to another and watched the surfers and the waves. The wave was not as high as we expected but it was a fun thing to do.
We had a late, large lunch so no dinner accompanied happy hour drinks which were inside due to intermittent rain.
We are very sad to say that due to personal conflicts, Pat & Rick will no longer be travelling with us on this trip.
July 4th – Wed – to Soldatna
We left just after 8 for the short, 2 hour drive to Soldatna which is on the Kenai Peninsula. The king salmon run is practically non-existent this year so rivers have been closed to fishing including the Kenai. This means there were no fishermen lining the banks and parking areas were empty.
We checked into the city’s Centennial campground where there were lots of sites to choose from. After setting up, we and Dave & Margo went for a sightseeing drive. We were detoured by a parade in the town of Kenai so we stopped at a Subway for lunch before continuing north on the Kenai Spur Road. This is a flat part of the Kenai peninsula which borders on Cook Inlet. We drove to Captain Cook Recreation Area at the end of the road and parked for a while. The tide was way out and a lot of people were walking on the exposed sand & rocks. Lots of ATVs and a few pickup trucks drove around a corner and out of our sight. Someone said they had some kind of traps or nets set up and were emptying them on the low tide. People were looking for agates so Margo & I went for a walk but we weren’t exactly sure what they looked like and we liked the different colored rocks better!
When we got back, we went to Fred Meyers to look for a couple of items. Then it was back to the campground, happy hour & dinner which Margo made for all of us. A couple of drinks, a restless night last night and driving suddenly caught up to Terry so we were in bed very early.
We got up early, all dumped our waste tanks and were in convoy formation and on the road at 7:45. The reason for the early start and driving together was to try to get camping sites at Williwaw campground just out of Whittier. I had tried to get reservations in the 21 sites that are reservable and they were all reserved for the days that we wanted. But there are 79 sites so we figured we would give it a shot.
In less than 2 hours we drove past the “campground full” sign as we figured correctly that it was from last night. We started driving around and we and Dave & Margo passed one back-in site that Rick then nabbed. Then we saw a back-in for Dave and a pull-through which we took. It was reservable but the out date was today. Margo drove us to the entry where we saw the camp host just leaving to put a reserved sign on the spot that we were in. But we saw another available pull-through so I went back to sit at the table while Margo told Terry to move. The site was big enough that Dave & Margo pulled in behind us to share the site as they were quite a ways away. Rick & Pat are just around the corner.
Set up is quick without hooking up electric & water so we all went to Girdwood and took the tram up to the Alyeska ski area. There was a beautiful view from the top and we watched para-gliders taking off and floating down to the valley floor. We had an expensive – but good- lunch and headed back down the tram. On the way back we stopped at the animal rehabilitation center – there was a line of cars to get in! – and walked all around the facility where we saw musk ox, wood bison, moose (including 3 long-legged babies), caribou, eagles, bears, lynx, owls and lovely views of the end of Turnagain Arm.
When we got back it was time for happy hour. Our site was in sunlight and protected from the breeze so we got chairs & mosquito repellant out and enjoyed the outdoors. Actually, the mosquitoes were fairly plentiful but not much of a bother. This campground is wooded and the sites are separated so it is very peaceful and pretty.
July 1st – Sun – Portage/Whittier
We all met up at 10 to go to Whittier just a few miles away. You have to drive through a 2 ½ mile, one-way tunnel to get there. The tunnel is shared with trains so when one shows up it gets priority. Otherwise, the tunnel is opened for 15 minutes for traffic about every half hour. You pay the $12 return trip toll and line up in a staging area like ferry traffic lines. A traffic light spaces out the cars just a bit and you straddle the rails driving through.
Once in the small town of Whittier, we parked and walked. The clouds were hanging low over the mountaintops but there were still beautiful reflections of boats in the calm water of the protected harbor. We chatted about fishing and the town with 2 men from Anchorage who come here for recreational fishing. We got coffee, hot chocolate, doughnuts & cinnamon rolls at a little stand and went through the pedestrian tunnel that runs under railway tracks to “town”.
We eventually lined up for the trip back through the tunnel. We had seen a young lady at the coffee stand and she was working at the tunnel so we talked to her while we waited. She has been here for a little over a year and isn’t real happy with her sister who talked her into coming. She said that most of the 200 or so residents of Whittier live in a 14 story condo & office building and that she does consider her job to be a good one.
When we got back, we had a sandwich for lunch and took the bikes off the rack. Even with the cover they were totally dusty so Terry cleaned them up and we went for a ride with Dave & Margo. There is a lovely paved/boardwalk/concrete trail that runs past the campground. We rode the 1 ½ miles to the visitor center at Portage Lake, took pictures of glaciers & icebergs and went through the displays at the visitor center where our Golden Age passes got us in for free. We watched a film mostly about glaciers and were awestruck at the end when the screen went up and curtains opened to a huge window looking out at the lake, mountains & glaciers.
Back at the campground, we got out chairs & bug spray again, lit a fire and enjoyed our usual happy hour(s). After dinner, Terry watched a couple of movies and I read my book.
July 2nd – Mon – Portage
We went for a long bike ride with Dave & Margo this morning. We went the opposite way from yesterday and went 3.3 miles before hitting the end of the trail at Moose Flats and heading back. The weather was cloudy but we didn’t get any rain during the ride.
After lunch we all went on a one hour glacier cruise on Portage Lake. You can see a very small portion of the glacier from the visitor center but the cruise takes you around the corner and right in front of the glacier. We slowly moved along the front of the glacier a couple of times but it did not oblige by calving.
We had another fire and happy hour and went our own ways for dinner again.
July 3rd – Tues – Portage
We and Dave & Margo went for a long walk this morning. The trails are really nice, the streams are clear and the flowers are lovely but there are no fish spawning and we didn’t see any wildlife. Rick & Pat borrowed Dave & Margo’s bikes and did most of the ride that we did yesterday.
Then we and Dave & Margo went to Girdwood for lunch before going to watch the tidal bore. Rick & Pat had eaten lunch so followed a bit later in their truck. What is a tidal bore? you ask. If the low tide is a minus tide, when the tide comes back in the water catches on the exposed sand and stalls. The water coming in behind pushes the water ahead into a wave which breaks like the surf coming into a beach. Dave had read about this phenomenon and wanted to see it which we all thought would be fun. The charts tell you to adjust by +-30 minutes so we ended up waiting for over an hour before it showed up after 5. Several people were waiting on surf boards and rode the wave for miles. We moved from one turnout to another and watched the surfers and the waves. The wave was not as high as we expected but it was a fun thing to do.
We had a late, large lunch so no dinner accompanied happy hour drinks which were inside due to intermittent rain.
We are very sad to say that due to personal conflicts, Pat & Rick will no longer be travelling with us on this trip.
July 4th – Wed – to Soldatna
We left just after 8 for the short, 2 hour drive to Soldatna which is on the Kenai Peninsula. The king salmon run is practically non-existent this year so rivers have been closed to fishing including the Kenai. This means there were no fishermen lining the banks and parking areas were empty.
We checked into the city’s Centennial campground where there were lots of sites to choose from. After setting up, we and Dave & Margo went for a sightseeing drive. We were detoured by a parade in the town of Kenai so we stopped at a Subway for lunch before continuing north on the Kenai Spur Road. This is a flat part of the Kenai peninsula which borders on Cook Inlet. We drove to Captain Cook Recreation Area at the end of the road and parked for a while. The tide was way out and a lot of people were walking on the exposed sand & rocks. Lots of ATVs and a few pickup trucks drove around a corner and out of our sight. Someone said they had some kind of traps or nets set up and were emptying them on the low tide. People were looking for agates so Margo & I went for a walk but we weren’t exactly sure what they looked like and we liked the different colored rocks better!
When we got back, we went to Fred Meyers to look for a couple of items. Then it was back to the campground, happy hour & dinner which Margo made for all of us. A couple of drinks, a restless night last night and driving suddenly caught up to Terry so we were in bed very early.
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