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.

Visited Talkeetna a Quaint Little Alaskan Town

We left Denali and headed to Anchorage.  It was an easy drive but, the views were again limited due to the smoke from a forest fire. On the way we stopped at the Veterans Memorial rest area.

There are large stone slabs that represent the branches of the armed services and their service to our country. In the middle is a sculpture honoring the Alaska Territorial Guard which was established in 1941.

Our next stop was in Talkeetna which is a quaint Alaskan village.  This little town was featured in some of the TV shows that described life in the “last frontier”. The town has one of America’s last flagstop trains.  Along the track persons who want to ride the train to town stand beside the rails and flag down the train.  Alaskans use this mode of transportation to ship freight and travel to town and back.  

While in Talkeetna Bettie found another quilt shop where she found some fabric that she liked and plans to incorporate into her travel quilt.

We are now settled in at the Golden Nugget RV Park in Anchorage.

Are You Crazy an ATV

Thursday was another overcast day, we were lucky that we did not get the predicted rain. 

We took an ATV tour on trails near the park.  What fun to go twisting and bumping along narrow rock strewn trails.  Let me assure you this is one of the smoother parts of the trail but, when you are holding on for dear life, it is hard to get a picture.  We did see Mt. Dora, Mt. Margret, and Mt. Russell.  Because there were mostly men, the first two mountains were named by men to impress the ladies that they were fond of.  After the tour we returned to the visitor center to learn more about the history of Denali Park.  It was fun for both Bettie and me.

Denali Where Are You?

Tuesday we left Fairbanks and traveled to Denali Rainbow Village RV Park.  While the road was good, the weather was overcast so many of our pictures of the mountains are obscured by the haze.  On Wednesday we took the bus tour to view Mount Denali but, we were part of the 60 to 70% who do not get to see the mountain.  

The eight hour trip did allow us to see some wildlife including caribou, ptarmigan, and grizzle bears.  Click on the pictures to see the animals because even the 300mm lens did not bring them in view to see them easily.  We were over 2 miles from the animals.  But, trust me we really did see a variety of animals.

From Panning for Gold to Ice Sculptures

Monday the tour continued with a bus ride to Dredge #8 in Fairbanks.  Before the dredge could be used the company had to invest in an electric power plant to provide the needed electricity, provide water, and prepare the area to be mined.  Dirt and gravel had to be removed before mining could begin.  The dredge was operated from 1928 until 1959 when it was no longer profitable.  At this site we panned for gold and we collected gold that was valued at $24. The picture shows our friends getting ready to pan for gold. I also got to hold a large gold nugget that was worth $75,000.

After leaving the dredge site we stopped to view the Alyeska pipeline where it is above the land.  The pipeline runs from Prudhoe to Valdez for 800 miles.  The pipe has a 48 inch diameter, and it is well insulated.  The pipeline was built at a cost of 8 billion dollars, and it took two years to build beginning in 1975.

Next stop was at the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum.  The cars were of preservation quality and
several had won the Concours d’Elegance.  Bettie and I were fortunate to have a picture taken in vintage clothes in an Everitt.  The museum also had many vintage dresses that were worn when these cars were manufactured.  One vehicle that intrigued me was a snowmobile made by the Ford Motor Company.  Notice it has cylinders with spiral fins instead of tracks.

After the visiting the auto museum we took in an artisan who sculpted ice figures.  Several different sculptures were displayed in a large walk-in cooler.  We also got the thrill of sledding down an ice slide, and it was fast.

The day will end with a pulled pork dinner.

Santa Claus House

Today we got caught up on our chores.  Yes, we still have to do cleaning, washing, laundry, and grocery shopping but, the rest of the day was fun.

First we went to Santa Claus House. It has the most Christmas decorations, ornaments, clothing, and other "must haves" for the holidays.  We met Santa who really must be the real McCoy because he was round and jolly and had a full white beard.  We picked up a few items to begin the season early.


After the visit with Santa we toured the Georgeson Botanical Garden.  It has a wide variety of gardens including an edibles garden, a peony patch, a dye garden, and children's garden.  The edibles garden already had huge cabbages which were not fully grown.




We also enjoyed the Lupine,  It is a tall spiky flower that is similar to the sweet pea plant.  You can often see this plant growing wild along the roadside.

And the Lillies were spectacular.  WOW!!