Home at Last

Yes, we did make it home after having trouble on the road.  We had a warning light come up on the dash but, fortunately we were near a Ford dealer in Sioux City that could work on large vehicles.

We were lucky because we could drive to the dealer and did not require a wrecker to get the coach repaired.
 The transmission had to be rebuilt and it was all under warranty.  The dealer could not have been more helpful and we believe that the transmission will give several miles of trouble free driving.

For those of you who have been reading our blog we hope that it has been enjoyable and we will continue our blog when we are off on our next adventure.

Homeward Bound

On our last leg through Canada we traveled on the “Icefield Highway” through Alberta.  The views continued to be beautiful and showcased several glaciers.

Crossing the border back into the United States went quickly with no delay.  We camped at Lewis and Clark Campground again in Shelby, Montana.  That evening we were treated to one of the best

sunsets we have ever seen.  It was glorious!

On Monday we arrived in Bozeman and stayed at the Bozeman Hot Springs campground.  Adjoining the campground were the hot springs which have recently been remodeled. It was a pleasure to sit and let the warmth of the water relax every muscle in our body. We enjoyed our second visit with family including the game Aggravation and soaking in the hot springs.

Thursday was our anniversary and we took a drive to the Yellowstone lodge for our lunch and like clockwork Old Faithful erupted on time.  It continues to be a popular attraction which inspires all who see it.

Today we have been delayed due to a problem with the transmission.  We took the coach to the Ford Dealer who ordered a part and should be on the road tomorrow.  We are keeping our fingers crossed.

Bettie and I are looking forward to returning to Indiana and seeing the Hoosier landscape and home.

Ahh........Back to Civilization

We have learned what it is like to not have cell phone or internet service.  After leaving Skagway we traveled through Teslin, Dease Lake, Stewart, and Smithers.  Even the internet service that was offered in the campgrounds was intermittent.  So, we have gotten behind in our posting of our trip.

The mountain views were awe-inspiring as we traveled to Teslin.  After arriving at Yukon RV Park we visited the George Johnston Museum.  He was a Native American who lived in the Teslin area all of his life.  He was bold and innovative. He was the first person who purchased a Kodak Brownie camera and documented events and activities of the residents.  Today he is still respected for his photos and praised for his efforts in chronicling the life of his clan.  In 1928 he purchased the first car in the Yukon when there were no roads.  That did not stop him.  He had it shipped by ship, and he cut

a road through the bush to get it to the Teslin.  You had to admire his ingenuity.  He took his car to cross the lake to go hunting in the winter but, the dark car was easy to spot against the snow.  So…he painted it white with house paint to blend in with the surroundings, and later in the year he gave it another coat of dark paint to again blend in with the darker foliage. 

On our way to Dease Lake we stopped at Jade City.  I was amazed at the size of the jade stones which were being cut.  All jade that I

had previously seen were small stones used to adorn jewelry.  The jade at this shop were as large boulders.  We watched the jade being cut by large circular saws into smaller pieces that could be carved into small statues or polished and used as jewelry.  We purchased a few items including new earrings for Bettie.

Next we traveled to Stewart which is near Hyder, AK.  Up to this point in the trip we had only seen bears in the distance or quickly moving along the road before disappearing into the bush.  We drove to Hyde which is known for bear viewing.  Hyder Park has a wooden boardwalk which is designed to be a safe way to watch bears close by in safety.  In the morning we saw a black bear catching fish but, no grizzle bears.  We left and drove to Salmon Glacier.  What a rough road….we traveled at 15 miles an hour but, the journey was worth it.  The road took us to a peak where we could look down on the glacier and appreciate the vast area that it covered. That evening we went back and saw two grizzle bears which were no more than 10 feet away.  Now I have a least a dozen pictures.  It was exciting.

We had our last dinner with the group at Smithers and headed to Bozeman on the Ice Fields Hwy. but, smoke from the over 120 forest fires prevented us from taking good photos of the amazing scenery.

Looking forward to the visit with the kids in Montana. 

Flowers Galore

 During our stay at Skagway we took a train ride on the White Pass narrow gauge railroad up to

White Pass also known as Dead Horse Trail because so many horses died on this treacherous trail during the gold rush.  As we wound around the tight curves, passed over trestle bridges, and chugged up the steep grade, we appreciated the challenge the early miners faced on their journey to Dawson City to search for gold.

Back in Skagway we toured the quaint town and enjoyed the sights.  The Old 52 Steam Engine and

the train engine with the rotary snowplow were in a peaceful park. 

Today we visited the Jewell Gardens and Glassblowing Studio.  We had a scrumptious lunch which ended with homemade rhubarb pie.  We strolled through the gardens and admired the variety of showy flowers.  There were also vegetables and fruit growing at Jewell Gardens.  The gardens began in the early 1900’s with the main crop of rhubarb.  The owner grew this crop because many of the early settlers suffered from scurvy which can be prevented by adding fruit to one’s diet.  As we walked along the garden paths, we enjoyed the many whimsical animals of glass which had been placed there.

The glassblowing studio had several hand blown glass pieces for sale that had been produced at this location.  We found one vase that we purchased as a reminder of our visit to Skagway.

Tomorrow we leave Pullen RV Park and say goodbye to Skagway and head toward Teslin.

Juneau - The Capital of Alaska

Traveling from Destruction Bay to Skagway was a glorious trip.  Finally the greens were greener, the blues bluer, and the snow on the mountain top sparkled like glass.  As we rode along Hwy 2 South we saw a spectacular lake which was named Emerald Lake or Rainbow Lake by the Native Americans.  It had a luminous glow that is caused by micro organisms that live in the lake.  

The next day after arriving at Skagway we took a cruise to Juneau which is the state capital.  It can only be reached by boat or plane and in the 1980’s there was a effort to move the capital closer to Anchorage, but the effort died after it was found that it would cost over 2 billion dollars to make the move.  While in Juneau we ate at the Red Dog Saloon which still reminded one of the old west. Inside there was an eclectic collection of items from the past.

On the ride back to the dock where we were to be picked up by the boat, we stopped at Mendenhall Glacier.   We walked a trail that allowed great views and photo opportunities of this huge glacier.  The area receives over 100 feet of snow annually.

After boarding the ship we saw more whales and sea lions, and saw Elder Rock Lighthouse which is the oldest original lighthouse in Alaska and the only remaining octagonal lighthouse.  If you find this interesting, is it up for sale by the Coast Guard.

Prince William Sound Cruise

The next day we took a nine hour cruise through the Prince William Sound.  It was amazing that the earthquake of 1964 and the oil spill of 1989 did not diminish the beauty of Valdez and the surrounding area. 

We were fortunate to see many animals on the trip even though the weather was overcast and rainy.  We saw several Bald Eagles which were perched on the tall pines along the coast.  With the aid of the captain we also saw black bears, Pigeon Guillemots, puffins, and sea lions.

Everyone was in awe as we approached Meares Glacier.  As we

neared the glacier we saw many icebergs with birds and sea lions resting on top.  While viewing the glacier we heard the cracking of the ice just before calving.  The Meares Glacier was breathtaking.

Upon our return we saw fishing boats laying nets to catch salmon.  It involved the fishing boat with a smaller boat pulling the net out into the bay in a circle which surrounded the fish.  The net was then tightened until the salmon were trapped and, it was then pulled into the fishing boat.  It was quite an operation.

Right before we docked the captain described the refinery, oil pipeline, tanks, and the safety measures that are now in place to prevent any future oil spills.

Valdez - A Menagerie of Wildlife

The Mountain View Campground at Palmer had campsites with grass and, and we also saw goats across the road.  We left Palmer and traveled to Valdez.  It was another overcast day but, we did see

Worthington Glacier near Thompson Pass.  We had been told that the road was rough but, everything rattled including my “eye teeth”.

We arrived at Bear Paw Campground in Valdez and the campsites were within walking distant to the docks.  After setting up we visited the fish hatchery which incubates salmon.  When the salmon return to the site where they were born, they are stopped from

traveling on up the river by a dam.  This forces the adult salmon to use the fish ladders which lead them to large holding tanks.  The eggs are harvested from the pregnant salmon and are milked so that the eggs can then be fertilized.  Over 20,000 eggs are harvested a day.  This hatchery is important to the repopulation of the salmon each year.  Later in the day we came back to see the Steller Sea Lions feeding on the salmon near the hatchery. The sea lions can reach a weight of 1200 pounds. Before we returned to the coach we took photos of two spectacular falls which were hundreds of feet high.  The one in the picture is Bridal Veil Falls.

Kenai Fjord and Sea Life Galore

The Kenai Tour Company provides several tours to view the abundant sea life found in the Kenai Fjord.  We took a six hour tour that provide many opportunities to see animals in their natural environment and to see several glaciers.

First, we saw many sea lions basking in the sun along the rocky ledges.  As we watched the sea lions we also puffins on the rocks and in the water.

Next we saw otters floating on their backs relaxing in Holgate Bay and we were fortunate to find a pod of humpback whales.  They swam around the ship, surfaced, blew water out their blowholes, and showed their unique tails as they dove back into the water.














After seeing several animals we saw the Holgate Glacier.  What a dramatic sight.  It was huge!

More Than Seward's Follies

Some of you may remember Seward's Folly which was the nickname given to the purchase of Alaska in 1867.  Today the city of Seward was named after Sec. of State William H. Seward who purchased Alaska for 2 cents an acre from Russia.  Seward is located in a beautiful area of Alaska with mountains, wildlife, and glaciers.  On the way to our campground, Stoney Creek RV, we saw a moose grazing along the highway.

This morning we visited the Alaska Sealife Center.  We were treated to a presentation by an biologist who explained the life habits of the many birds that inhabit the area.  We were especially interested in the cute Puffins who typically have one mate for their lifetime and raise one chick a year.

The center had several aquariums with aquatic sealife that are commonly found in the area.  To name a few, they had rockfish, halibut, salmon,giant crab, sea urchins, and many others.

This afternoon we traveled to the Kenai Fjords which have several glaciers.  It was a sunny day and we hiked up to the Exit Glacier Edge.  On the trail they had placed signs with dates to indicate

where the glacier ended during that year.  It is evident that the glaciers in this area are receding and we felt fortunate to have had the opportunity to see this majestic  feature of nature.

Surf Sailing on the Kachemak Bay

For those of you who are not sure what a spit is, we took a drive and trail up in the mountains to a
cliff which had a awesome view of the spit and Homer.  It was hard to believe that we are camped on that narrow finger of land that looks like a sandbar.  We also saw a few glaciers that were between the mountain peaks.

After supper we looked out the windshield to the bay and what to our surprise we saw someone surf sailing on the bay.  It was cool and we did not expect anyone out on the water.  I still would not have wanted to be out there even in a wet suit.

Head in the Clouds - Homer

Drove from Anchorage to Homer today.  During the trip we traveled through the clouds on our way to the Heritage RV Park. We started with clouds in the mountains.  The weather then changed to rain and dense fog which obscured the views.  After arriving at our campsite the weather started to improve but, it still was overcast.

We have a great site on the spit which a narrow strip of land.  We can look out our windshield and see Kachemak Bay and also see Cook Inlet out the back window.  What a fantastic setting!

We had a great view of the valley in the middle which had a glacier that flows to the bay.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Anchorage Adventures

A bus tour was planned for Saturday and we began by seeing a movie which documented the history of Anchorage.  The first movie was about the heroic trip by several dog teams who were delivering serum for diphtheria from Nenana to Nome.  The native population was facing an outbreak of this disease and was in need of the medicine. This event is still celebrated today with the Iditarod race which is approximately 1049 miles in length.

We continued on our bus ride only to be delayed when the driver tried to turn around the bus and got stuck with the rear wheels in a small ditch.  The driver called for help and they came out with a

20,000 pound jack to lift the coach and place blocks under the wheels.  We waited and enjoyed watching float planes take-off and land on the nearby lake.  Over 400 planes take-off and land each day on weekends.

Sunday we visited a huge farmers market.  Many local artisans displayed their wares.  Bettie bought a couple of items.  After visiting the market we went to Turnagain Arm where we saw a statue of Captain James Cook.

  In his ship the “Resolution”, he was looking for a north-west passage.  During his exploration he found several dead ends and told his crew to “turn again”.  From this frequently used phrase the inlet was named.

After lunch we went to the Alaskan Native Heritage Center where we learned about the 11 tribes who were located in this area.  The museum had many interesting artifacts and demonstrated activities that were common to their culture.  We saw two young men demonstrate a game where sitting back to back each tried to force the other on his stomach.  This game developed strength and agility.  Dancing was also performed to illustrate their entertainment from the past.  A village of native structures has been constructed to represent the buildings and activities practiced thousands of years ago.

Monday, we visited Earthquake Park which provided information about the earthquake in 1964.  It

was a 9.2 quake which lifted and displaced 100,000 square miles.  This not only destroyed many of the buildings but, also caused a tsunami.  The wave was 40 feet high and traveled 100 mph.  The wave was also a flame from the oil that had been spilled and was floating of the water.

The Alaska Aviation Museum was another stop.  The museum had several planes that demonstrated the development of aviation in Anchorage beginning in 1917.  One plane on display was an early plane that crashed but, it was salvage by being repaired on the ice.  After being repaired is was placed in service in Alaska for several more years.

Bettie was pleased that we got to visit the Alaska Botanical Gardens.  It has a wide variety of plants that can be grown in Alaska.  We saw flower, herb, and a rock garden.

We are thoroughly enjoying our trip and encountering a variety of experiences.