Exit Glacier

Our weather for the past couple days has been just gorgeous and it promises to be so again today.  With lots of sunshine, bright blue skies, a slight breeze, and temperatures in the low to mid 60s, we couldn’t ask for more.  Add to the perfect weather good friends to spend the day with at a National Park and you have the essence of “life is good”.

Exit Glacier is a tiny part of Kenai Fjords National Park which encompasses much of the area around Seward.  To get an up close and personal view of the National Park you really need to take one of the wildlife cruises offered by several companies.  Two cruise companies, Major Marine and Kenai Fjords, offer cruises accompanied by a park ranger.  On the Major Marine cruise, a ranger is present for the entire trip.  These cruises are expensive, but are well worth the money, especially if using the two for one coupons in the discount book.  Since we did that on our last trip to Alaska, we’ll pass on that adventure this time.

Exit Glacier is about 6 miles from the waterfront in Seward.  We packed our picnic lunch and spent several hours at the Visitor Center and on the trail leading to the Glacier. Exit Glacier is receding rapidly and now the trail which leads to within a few feet of the glacier is about 1.3 miles in length.  After looking at the displays at the Visitor Center we joined a large group on a Ranger led hike to the edge of the glacier.  The ranger was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the glacier; we really enjoyed her hike.  She is also a former RVer so at the end of our hike we spent several minutes chatting with her about that aspect of her life as well as volunteering at a National Park.

For a little relaxing time before dinner, we arranged our lawn chairs in front of our rigs at the water front.  To our delight, and a little surprisingly, a float plane landed right in front of us.  That was pretty exciting.

Another great view from our rig

This morning holds the promise of another beautiful day.  Gene and I will continue our quest for a few more Christmas gifts and some fresh salmon and halibut for our freezer.    I think Tony and Diana will be taking in the Sealife Center which is excellent and perhaps one of the wildlife cruises this afternoon.

That’s it for now.  Thanks for tagging along.

Our Drive to Sewarad

We were anxious to start our drive toward Seward this morning.  Capt Cook State Recreation Area just didn’t do it for us.  This is the first place in Alaska in which we were disappointed.  As soon as breakfast was over we were busy getting ready to move.

Our drive from the end of Kenai Spur Road to the end of Seward Highway was both a beautiful drive and a hectic drive.  The ten or so miles from Capt Cook to the small town of Nikiski was a fairly rough ride.  That didn’t get us off to a good start.

Once we made our turn onto Sterling Highway and were headed toward Seward we had numerous rivers and lakes which are just lovely.  We were also getting more mountain views which are our favorites.  However, that stretch of Sterling Highway between Kenai Spur Road and Seward Highway is very curvy and narrow.  It’s also a hot spot for fishermen so the traffic was, as usual, heavy through that section.

After we made the turn onto Seward Highway and headed south it was smooth and pleasant driving the rest of the way.

We made one stop and that was at Tern Lake.  The lake is named, I’m sure, for the many arctic terns which fish it’s shallow water.  We saw many today during our short break.

We have arrived in Seward and plan to be here three nights.  Our friends, Tony and Diana, will be joining us tomorrow.  We are parked in the municipal campground right on Resurrection Bay.  I’ll have to admit this is much prettier than where we were on Homer Spit.  More about Seward tomorrow.

GAS REPORT:  We filled up this morning in Nikiski at the local Tesoro and paid $4.14 (diesel was $4.52). This is the cheapest price we’ve seen since we got to the Kenai.

CRITTER COUNT:  We saw a moose this morning.  That’s the first one we’ve seen in a long time.  We’ve seen a lot of wildlife, but not nearly as much as we did during our trip in 2004.  We’ve heard other people say the same thing.  One new friend we’ve met this trip has been to Alaska five times and he also thinks his wildlife sightings are down from previous visits.  Besides the terns, we’ve seen a sea otter in Resurrection Bay and several cormorants.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Captain Cook State Recreation Area

Our last day in Homer was another beautiful, sunny day.  The weather is more often cloudy and rainy than sunny, so to have another nice day is worth mentioning.

We stayed an extra day in Homer in order to join Luke, Judy (aka Cool Judy), Frank, Gloria, Tom, and Paula for dinner at the Elks Club Friday night.  Frank and Gloria were at Teklanika Campground in Denali while we were there; the rest of the group we met at Riley Creek Campground.  It has been nice getting to know these folks (all Escapees) a little better and look forward to seeing them again somewhere down the road.

Old Inlet Bookstore

It was also great to learn a little bit about the Elks Clubs.  Many RVers are Elks members and many Elks Clubs allow overnight parking in their lots.  There are some clubs which even have partial hook-ups for RVs.  This one in Homer had 4 or 5 RV sites with electricity.

We were there to eat, of course.  They were serving steak, baked potatoes, and salad at a much cheaper price than we could have gotten anywhere else in Homer.  Since the dining room was not crowded, we were able to stay for a couple hours enjoying the conversation and the great view out over Cook Inlet.

Having the extra day also gave us time to stop by one of the bookstores in town--The Old Inlet Bookstore.  There were two bookstores on our list.  This one sells used books.  Unfortunately, the store was not open when we got there.  It is located in a small building which is also a small cafe.  The cafe didn’t open until 11 AM, but there was a gentleman sweeping the porch who explained that the bookstore owner was on vacation and the lady in charge was not there for some reason.  Gene chatted with the porch sweeper for a few minutes and we left.

Saturday, we enjoyed an uneventful drive to the other end of the road to Capt Cook State Recreation Area.  This campground had been recommended by 4 other people we’ve met on this trip and since we’ve never been to the end of the Kenai Spur Road, we thought we’d give it a try.  We are somewhat disappointed.

The campground is heavily wooded with large sites--just what we like.  However, the sites are very uneven making it difficult to get level.  The interior roads are gravel.  Since there hasn’t been rain in a few days, it is very dusty.  The campground appears to be full or nearly so this weekend and I have to tell you, I can’t figure out why they’re all here.

The campground sits high on the bluff above Cook Inlet so getting down to the beach is not an easy task.  With all the trees, it’s even difficult to see the water from our site.  We scrambled down to the beach yesterday afternoon and were surprised there were no gulls, no eagles, no seals, no sea otters.  After all the wildlife at Homer Spit, this is really a let down.  We didn’t even see anyone fishing.  What we did see were ATVs.  We finally figured out that’s why folks come--they bring their ATVs to ride on the beach when the tide’s out.

Also within the park is Swanson River.  When we first saw the river, it was little more than a ditch, but after the tide came in, it looked more like a river.  Fishing is not allowed in the river at this time; I’m not sure why.  We found a canoe put-in.  That may attract some folks.

Stormy Lake

There is also a large lake--Stormy Lake.  From what we saw, it’s aptly named.  With a slight breeze the water was very rough.  Must be pretty shallow.

We’ve paid for two nights, so we’ll be here until tomorrow.  There is a short nature trail near the campground which we’re planning to investigate today.  Looks like I’m going to have plenty of time for reading.

That’s all for now.  Thanks for tagging along.

Another Day in Homer

I had thought we’d have some time to relax a little while here, but yesterday turned out to be yet another busy day.  Several folks told us there not much to do in Homer, but we can’t seem to get it all done.

Before going to the library yesterday we stopped at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center again.  There is a short loop trail there which we wanted to do.  From the Visitor Center, it goes out on the wetland of Beluga Slough to Bishop Beach then back to the Visitor Center.  It’s very short--less than a mile, but offers the opportunity to see the slough up close.  This is where we saw the cranes the other day and they were out again yesterday, but way on the other side.

The trail goes right by Two Sister’s bakery.  Since Two Sister’s is always crowded and it’s difficult to find a place to park, I thought it would be good to park at the Visitor Center and walk the trail, stopping for coffee and pastry along the way.  Next time we’re in Alaska, we’ll do that.

Our library experience was so good, we’re back today.  We also lucked into a book sale.  I think we’ll get to leave today without spending any money, but yesterday we bought 4 books.

We walked along the spit yesterday afternoon.  I’m still looking for those Christmas gifts.    I’m making some progress with that project.  The shops along the spit fall into three categories--gifts, fishing charter companies, and restaurants.  In the gift category, there are a couple of what I call “T-shirt” shops with T-shirts, sweat shirts, and trinkets with the word “Alaska” or “Homer” somewhere on them.  The majority of gift shops on the Homer Spit are high-end, quality merchandise, mostly handcrafted by local artists.  There were some really beautiful things and I could have spent a ton of money, but alas, I live in an RV and like my home, my purse is very small.

We were not the only ones on the spit shopping yesterday.  The wind came up and blew the water into some kind of maddening rage.  So much so, that the charter companies couldn’t take out their fishermen.  It was a beautiful blue sky day and the wives of all those fishermen wanted to be out and they had obviously drug their husbands along with them.

After we had wadded through the crowds for a couple hours and fingered all the merchandise, we stepped into the Salty Dawg.  What husbands weren’t standing around the shop fronts were crowded in the saloon all talking about the 25 foot waves and hoping to go fishing on Friday.

Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center

Since this was to be our last night in Homer, we decided to go to Captain Patties for dinner.  Everybody in town had the same idea.  We had an hour wait, but it was worth it.  Of course, Homer is famous for its halibut and that was what I intended to get--fried, of course.  It was so late by the time we were seated that I decided to get the jumbo grilled shrimp instead.  I was not disappointed.  Gene got the fried halibut.  He was not disappointed, either.  Never fear, I’ll have my fried halibut again before we leave the state.

Looking out over Beluga Slough

We had planned to leave today and head up to Capt Cook State Recreation area, but last evening Cool Judy (the same Escapees Forum Cool Judy) stopped by to invite us to go out to dinner with them tonight.  Might as well stay another day.  We’ll go to Capt Cook tomorrow.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Just to Catch Up

Well, to say the least I am frustrated with the internet connection.  This morning we loaded up computers and headed over to the library in Homer.  This is a very nice facility which is certainly geared toward technology.  If it weren’t so convenient to have everything you need right there in your home, I’d come over here every day.

Chocolate Lily

Electricity is another factor playing a role in my frustration.  As you might imagine, I make several photos everyday.  Weeding through those to pick out the best takes a considerable amount of time.  Then there is the second pass to get everything labeled.  If I don’t do that right away, I forget what’s what and where’s where.  The third pass is to select the few photos for the blog.  All that time just drains my battery.

I’m happy with my battery.  I can get a couple hours out of it before it turns red to warn me that I only have an hour left.  That’s much more than what Gene gets on his battery.  However, when it comes to writing a blog and organizing photos, that’s not much time.  The slow internet connection just compounds the problem.

Homer Small Boat Harbor

Recharging takes about the same amount of time.  We usually run the generator for an hour a day, so I’m not recharging as much as I use.  I’m good for about three days, then I need a long period of time with electricity.

Two Sister's Bakery

While I was trying to post last night, I lost my connection altogether.  So, I have uploaded the rest of the photos I meant to include on yesterday’s post.  This post is to upload the things I’ve left out this week to conserve battery power.

Pratt Museum in Homer

Over breakfast this morning, we discussed a short term plan and have come up with the following ideas.  We’re going to stay two more nights in Homer then drive north to the city of Kenai and beyond to Captain Cook State Recreation Area. This was not on our agenda, but several have told us how nice it is, so why not just go check it out.  After that, we’ll go over to the other side of Kenai Peninsula for a few days in Seward before heading eastward.

This will be it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Ninilchek, Alaska

Tuesday started out with low clouds and rain.  Being too cold and wet for anything outside we headed off to the Pratt Museum.

There are a couple bakeries in town we want to try and, since it was a little early for the museum to open, we stopped in at Two Sisters for a cup of coffee.  Two Sisters has a reputation for good fresh bread.  We were too early for the bread so we were just forced to get a little something to go with our coffee.  I selected the apricot-fig muffin and Gene got the brownie.  If you’re on vacation, it’s never too early in the day for a brownie.

View from our rig

Pratt Museum also comes highly recommended.  The current rotating exhibit is on birch trees by two different artists.  One was black and white photographs and the other was hand crafted objects using birch bark.  Both were very good.  The permanent exhibits include Bears in Alaska, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, marine life, and pioneer homesteaders in Homer.  They also had a small wildflower garden with flowers from the different regions around the state.  The museum was small, but very well done, especially for a community as small as Homer.  There’s an admission fee of $8 ($6 for seniors).

We’ve also been to the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center.  This is the visitor center for the largest seabird refuge in the world--Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.  We did a relatively quick tour around the exhibits before attending a presentation on the eruption of the Kasatochi volcano.  This center is outstanding and it’s free.  We’ll be going back there again before we leave.

There is a short trail behind the visitor center.  That’s where we saw the pair of sandhill cranes with their two colts.   They are really the gray color of all sandhill cranes, but these had been rolling in the mud of Beluga Slough which has given them the rusty color.

Ninilchek Small Boat Harbor.
Really crammed in there with very little water at low tide

Monday afternoon we went out for a walk along the spit.  We hadn’t hardly gotten started before we felt a few sprinkles.  The farther we walked, the harder it rained.  We ducked into the Salty Dawg until the rain passed.  I think everybody on the Spit had the same idea.  There was standing room only.  That’s another place we’ll visit again.

Today, we drove up to Ninilchek, about 40 miles north of Homer.  It is a tiny village of about 500 people.  The first people to live in the area were the native Athabascans. The first permanent residents were Russians from Kodiak Island who arrived here in 1847.  We came to Ninilchek to photograph the Russian Orthodox Church and cemetery.

I think I’ve given most of the highlights of the past couple days.  Since we have no hook-ups here, I am continually in a race with my computer battery to get photos downloaded, sorted, labeled, and a story written and posted before the red warning light comes on.  We run the generator about an hour every day for recharging, but it just isn’t enough for all I want to do with the computer.  Besides that, we have a very slow internet connection here, so uploading photos to the blog is taking forever.   We’ll catch up later.

View of Cook Inlet from Ninilchek

So, that’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Homer, Alaska

There are a couple towns at the end of the road in Alaska.  Homer is one of them.  The other is Seward and it’s at the end of that other road.  Homer is where we are for today and probably about 7 more days.

Homer is a village of about 5000 residents (one of which is Tom Bodett of Motel 6 fame who promised to leave the light on for you) located on the ridge above the Gulf of Alaska and Kachemak Bay on the southwest side of the Kenai Peninsula.

The fishing is good here, halibut especially.  So much so that Homer claims to be the Halibut Fishing capital of the world.  Fishing supports the economy here, both commercial fishermen and sport fishing.  Everybody else supports the fishing.  That’s what it’s all about in summer.  I’m not sure what they do in winter--shovel snow I suppose.

Town is located high on the ridge overlooking the bay, but for the tourists and the fishermen, the Homer Spit is where the action is.  The Spit is really a long gravel bar which extends out into the bay 4.5 miles.  There’s a paved road down the center and campgrounds, restaurants, shops, and the small boat harbor line both sides of the road.

We are parked at one of the two city campgrounds along the spit.  We are at Fishing Hole Campground on the east side of the road with a better view of the mountains across the bay.  This truly is just a gravel parking lot; sorta like parking on the beach in Texas. The cost is $15 a day and for that you get a fantastic view, the smell of salt water, and all the gulls and eagles you can count.  The city has a dump station and potable water here.  There are Laundromats with pay showers in town and on the spit.

We’re considering our time in Homer our “vacation”.  We want to roam the spit ducking into the shops for items on the Christmas list, sampling the local flavors at the Salty Dawg Saloon, whiling away an afternoon or two at the bookstores, and visiting the Pratt Museum.  It’s our last chance to sit back and enjoy before starting the long trek home.

After moving to the Spit and getting settled, we went for a drive about town.  The view from Skyline Drive of the Bay and the Spit was awesome.  On the way back, we stopped across from the McDonalds to view the eagles.  There is a nest with at least one eaglet, perhaps two.  We got there just in time for a late morning snack. Mom was feeding the baby while Dad watched with an “eagle eye” from a nearby tree.  All that just about made my day.

Our campground has a fish cleaning station and the gulls and eagles wait for the easy food.  I turned my head from the eagles and gulls briefly and found a seal swimming in the bay in front of our rig.  Some say there’s not enough to do in Homer to warrant a long visit.  I think I’ll be content just to watch the wildlife show out my front window.

This is going to be a fantastic week.

That’s all for now.  Thanks for tagging along.