Near Clearwater Mountain Lodge on the Denali Highway

Mileage:  44,832

So, the day started like this…oil dripping from the RV.

Tim and Kyle investigated and the oil filter was loose.  First Tim and then Kyle tightened the filter.  YAY!  It worked!  We knew now though that we did not want to take the RV and further on the gravel Denali Highway.  We turned around and took the RV back to Cantwell RV Park.

We left it safely there and we packed the Jeep for an overnight outdoor adventure.

The views were pretty enough for the first 30 miles but then suddenly it was spectacular.  The Alaska Range was visible, the sun was shining, the sky was brilliant blue, the clouds billowy and pillowy and cottony and fluffy.   We marveled at the scenery as we drove further east.

We found several potential camping spots…one more beautiful than the next.  Lunch was along the way at a scenic view overlook.  This is a favorite spot for many Alaskans.

One more stop at the Clearwater Mountain Lodge and the Sluice Box Bar.  We decided to fill the Jeep with gas – $6.00 per gallon!

Tim wanted an ice cream and Kyle wanted a beer.  We met Clee (or Lee) at the bar.

He once shot and killed an 11 foot grizzly bear in Cordova, Alaska.

Once Clee (or Lee) warmed up, he had a lot to say.  He has a dollar bill collection from many of his patrons.  It’s how he decorates the place.

And ours…

Clee (or Lee) was a bush pilot for more than 30 years before giving it up.  We met two women who were going to hike 16 miles into a glacier and then they were going to take a river raft back to the bar.  Clee (or Lee) wanted to know where they had hiked before…Colorado…okay they have done some hiking then…but he wouldn’t go out there without a loaded high powered rifle.

We told Clee (or Lee) that we hadn’t seen much wildlife…only a beaver and some quail.  He set us straight.  First of all, beaver are a real problem  They build their dams in the culverts designed to direct water flow under the gravel roadway.  When storms come, the culverts are completely blocked and the road washes out.  For this reason, there is a mandate allowing anyone who sees a beaver building a dam in a culvert to shoot and kill the beaver.  Secondly, we didn’t see quail but rather ptarmigan.    After explaining that we hadn’t seen much wildlife for many days he said that the male moose are growing their new antlers so they like to stay hidden.  When the antlers are growing they are covered with a velvet and the antlers are very innervated and sensitive.  Clee said that mother bears are very protective of their young cubs at this time of year.   He also said that the caribou are so bothered by mosquitoes because their skin is very thin that they move high up into the mountains and sometimes will even lay in the snow to avoid the pests.

He asked how much further up the road we planned to go.  In reality we had planned to turn around and head back to find a camping spot.  Clee said…don’t turn around yet.  Go at least 2 more miles to see the view of the Susitna River and the valley surrounding it.  When he learned that we were looking for a spot to set up out tents he said we should go past the bridge, over the hill, and to the right.  “You should see some moose from there.  They come out in the evening.”  Clee is an honest man.  The views of the valleys and the river were stunning.  Perfect is a high standard but the campsite we chose high on the ridge just as Clee directed was perfect!

Within minutes of being there, Tim yelled “moose.”  Within 100 yards we saw a female moose moving quickly through the trees.

We passed the afternoon watching the clouds.  There were several storms moving around the Alaska Range in the distance.  We were in an amphitheater of mountains.  Fortunately for us, the storms seemed to follow the outside of the ring of peaks.  We were protected in the center.

We saw two cyclists pedaling up the hill past our campsite.  We had seen them 25 miles away earlier in the day.  They worked hard to get so far.

We drank Sangria and cooked beans and hot dogs over the fire.

We were guessing where the sun  might set.  I saw movement in the valley below…a bull moose faraway in the distance.  With the binoculars, we could see him drinking from the lake.

 

Turnout on the Denali Highway  Cantwell, Alaska

Mileage:  44,825

Today was Kyle’s first day with us.

Some pictures from his flights yesterday.

We were so excited to have Kyle here and we cannot wait to share Alaska with him.  Tim was up at 8 am and he was ready to go!

We are headed north on the Parks Highway toward Denali National Park.  We stopped at the Denali State Park South Viewpoint to try to catch a glimpse of Denali.  Only 30% of people who visit actually get to see the mountain.  This is because the Alaska Range has peaks so high that it generates its own weather.  The tops of the mountains are most always shrouded in clouds.  Today was no exception.  The scenery though is gorgeous.

 

Denali would be behind this string of mountains.

We traveled to the town of Cantwell where we were looking for a place to stay.  The only campground in “town” was really just a gas station…not too appealing.  We decide to drive down Denali Highway.  The first 5 miles is paved and then the next 100 miles is gravel road.  We were not sure we wanted to take the RV down that way…but we did it anyway!  In Alaska, you can camp on any roadside turnout for free as long as there is no signage indicating that there is no overnight parking.   We hadn’t done that yet but we found a beautiful spot on a little lake and we decided to give it a try.

We left the RV and took the Jeep down the gravel road for 30 miles.  Tomorrow we will pack up and go further.

We grilled our dinner and Kyle fished for a while.  It was a great day!

Centennial Park Campground Anchorage, Alaska Day 2

We slept late and then we rushed to get to my hair appointment.  This took the whole morning.

We took the laptop to Best Buy completely anticipating that it was going to be a costly trip.  I had imagined that I would need to get all of my files off the laptop somehow…and probably need a new computer…

Harley helped me.  He held the power button for 20 seconds and the laptop restarted and it is fine!!!  I was so relieved.  So now I am catching up on 3 days worth of posting.

We are waiting for Kyle to get here.  This is his first flight from BWI to Portland.

We finished our chores and decided to drive to Earthquake Park and ride our bikes.  The Earthquake of 1964 was a 9.2 on the Richter Scale.  Anchorage was partially destroyed by the quake.  Lots of buildings toppled and were destroyed.  In the park area  a large bluff sheared off taking many houses with it.  Many hours later a subsequent tsunami took even more house and lives.  The existing bank is still unstable and unusable, even for foot traffic.

The side of the trail was dense with trees.  We saw bear scat…yikes!

These pictures are across Cook Inlet.  On the other side of the road is the International Airport.  We stood watching planes approach and land.

  

Not Kyle’s plane…his plane lands tonight at 11:46 Alaska time.  That is 3:46 am back home.

If it were a sunny day we would be able to see Mount McKinley (Denali) 135 miles away across the inlet…not so sunny today…

Our ride was cut short because Tim’s tire was really low on air.  We saw an REI on our way back to the RV.  We stopped to get some camping pads for tent camping.

We went home and I fixed those steaks to celebrate Tim’s birthday…now we are just waiting!

He’s here!!!!!!

Centennial Park Campground Anchorage, Alaska

Mileage:  44,611

We left Quartz Creek early and made our way up the Seward Highway to Anchorage.  The sky was blue and it was sunny and warmer.

Truck of the day!

While we are in civilization we have a long list of things to do.  We got propane and diesel on the way into the city.  Tim got set up and I left to start our errands.  I went to Walmart, got groceries, gassed up the Jeep, and washed clothes at the Laundromat.  Kyle arrives tomorrow and we want to be stocked up and ready to go.

I was going to make steaks on the grill for Tim’s birthday dinner but he had another idea when I got back.  He heard on the radio about a collegiate level baseball game.  The Alaska Baseball League has 5 teams that play in the summer (really just July and August here!) .   This league gets a lot of attention and pro scouts frequent the games and try to recruit the better players.  Apparently Roger Clements, Randy Johnson, and Mark McGuire all played in the Alaska League early in their careers.    Tim loves old trucks and he also loves baseball!

We packed some sandwiches and headed for the baseball diamond.  It was a fun way to spend the evening!

We tried to post the blog when we got back from the game…oh no…the black screen of death on my laptop!!!

Quartz Creek Campground Cooper Landing, Alaska

Mileage:  44,507

We left Homer and traveled back up the Kenai Peninsula toward Anchorage.  We did stop and take a picture of one of the volcanoes since the sky was temporarily blue!  This is Mount Iliamna. This volcano has had recent earthquake activity but no recent eruptions.  The other volcanoes were still swathed in a layer of clouds.

We were driving through Soldotna and saw that there was a vendor festival of some sort.  We found a place to park the RV and walked over.  It was actually a craft fair.  There were lots of lovely things…but we don’t need any things!

Some of the sights…this poor dog.

And a mermaid.

Hey, doesn’t Sasquatch live around here somewhere?

We did get a nice lunch from The Hearth Eatery.

We found a nice place to stay at the Quartz Creek Campground.   There was a bear sighting here on July 2nd.  Being bear aware as we walk about.

We were able to go out and walk and then ride bikes before the rain began again.

We will be in Anchorage tomorrow.

Mariner Park Homer, Alaska

Mileage:  44, 379

We decided to move down the road a piece to the beginning of Homer Spit.  We have a beachfront site, though there are no hookups here.  We are dry camping.  We have enough battery power in the coach to get us through at least a day and we can use the generator for backup.  We have enough fresh water in the tank for another night so we are going to enjoy the view.

After we were settled we decided to go for another excursion.  The weather is chilly and wet so sitting in the warm car was good!  We first toured around North Fork Loop, another scenic ride.  It was a ride in the country…very hilly with lots of trees and wildflowers.

The house up on the ridge was a log cabin with a green roof.  They are everywhere.  They belong here!

Because we had been on such a fun ride yesterday…this was a little tame.  We decided to do the Skyline Ridge Road.  The views of Homer Spit and the town of Homer and the valley below were magnificent.

That skinny piece of land jutting out into the water is the spit.  Earlier this week we were at the very tip.  Today we are camping 4 miles away, closer to town.

The views of the glaciers today were stunning.  The sun shone on them.  Even though it was very cloudy and grey, the clouds above the glaciers were lifted.

We found our way back to the beach.

You can see the rain cells moving across the water.

We saw this old truck while we were out and about.  Tim loves old trucks.

We stopped at a seafood store and bought red salmon…oh so delicious!  What a treat to have fresh fish!

We have the front window of the RV facing the beach.  It was raining and we were watching it rain.  We saw this eagle land on the beach.  We were able to watch him for a long time before he flew away.  The pictures were taken through the windshield.

Goodbye to Homer.  This was a great place to be!

 

Homer Spit Campground Homer, Alaska Day 2

Tim slept until almost 10!  Some much needed rest is part of the healing process.

Steroids…breakfast of champions!

We spent our morning exploring.  We had no destination…we were just out to enjoy the ride.  Years ago Tim and I used to go to a bed and breakfast a couple of times a year.  We would get in the car and Tim would want to go for a ride.  Where?? It used to drive me nuts.  I needed to know the plan.  We found a lot of cool stuff though while just driving around…festivals, farmers markets, live music, and I grew to love the freedom of just cruising around without an itinerary.

When we get to a new town, we like to go exploring.

We started out on a scenic road that took us way out of town.  Before long the road was gravel and then it was dirt.  Lots of times when we take these back-roads we get to a place that forces us to turn around…a dead end or a no trespassing sign.  That’s kind of frustrating because you never get to know what is really at the end of the road.  Today the road started like this…

We saw lots of beautiful scenery and some nice views of the glaciers.

The glacier is in the center in the picture below.

My favorite image of the day.  The wildflowers in the foreground with the meadow behind and the black spruce trees…the mountains and the glacier with  the gray windswept clouds…too pretty for a picture!

 

The road got like this…

and took us here!

It was great fun!

In the picture above…notice the blue area in between the mountains.  That is the glacier.

We went back to the RV and packed a lunch and took it to the deep water dock.

These gulls are nesting.  There were hundreds of nesting gulls.  Some have chicks but the mothers were not too keen about my presence there…so I let them be.

We saw a sea otter being tormented by gulls flying over and trying to swipe his lunch… it was amusing to watch.  The otter would get tired of the gulls and dip down underwater to swim a short distance away where they would ambush him again.

We rested for awhile this afternoon and then went out to the fish and chips place for dinner.  Halibut fish and chips is a thing here…so we had to try it.

 

 

Homer Spit Campground Homer, Alaska

Mileage:  44,375

We are so thankful for the excellent care that Dr. Chet provided yesterday.  We were in a place where we were lucky enough to see a good doctor and where there was a pharmacy.  Tim felt much better today and he was ready to move on!

The morning was chilly and misty.  The dramatic clouds made for some cool pictures.

The scent of wild roses hung heavy in the air.

We drove on the Sterling Highway on the Kenai Peninsula.  We were surprised that there was tons of traffic, but this is an area where the avid sport fishermen come for the spawning salmon.

As we made our way toward Homer, we encountered a marine layer.  This is a picture at the scenic turnout that has amazing views of the “Pacific Ring of Fire”  or the group of volcanoes across Cook Inlet.

Maybe we will get a better picture on the way back to Anchorage!

Mount Redoubt erupted in 2009, Mount Douglas has fresh lava flow, Mount Iliamno has had some earthquake activity, and Mount Augustine was active in 2006 with 13 eruptions in a 2 week period.

We stopped at the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center.  A neat place with great exhibits and educational and fun stuff for kids…of all ages!

Route 1 in Alaska ends at the end of the town of Homer.  Homer Spit is probably the remains of an ancient moraine from a glacier.  If people had not intervened, this piece of land would have washed away a long time ago.  Now it is a popular fishing spot.  There are also lots of shops and restaurants.  It’s a very neat place to be.  We went out for dinner and walked around a for awhile.

We saw a mama eagle with 2 eaglets in a nest.  As we approached, she moved in front of her babies to block our view.

Papa eagle sat on the next pylon keeping watch.

We are quite literally at land’s end!

Resurrection Bay RV Park Seward, Alaska Day 2

We were at the Seward Community Health Center before 9 am.

We met Chet, the doctor who cared for Tim.  He walked in wearing a plaid button down and jeans.  He looked like the very image of a small town doctor.  He was a kind and gentle man from Tennessee.  We wished we had taken his picture, I am sure he would have obliged.  Tim had a fever of 101.5, wheezes, and rattles.  Diagnosis:  pneumonia.  Dr. Chet treated him very aggressively with a nebulizer and injections of antibiotics and steroids.  He sent us home with two kinds of oral antibiotics, oral steroids, an emergency inhaler, and steroidal inhaler.

We knew we weren’t going anywhere today.

Lots of rest and fluids and soup for dinner.  Tim is already feeling a little better.

Resurrection Bay RV Park Seward, Alaska

Mileage:  44,201

As we traveled toward Anchorage today we felt like we were in a bit of a culture warp.  We were on a real highway with real interchanges, and exit ramps, and smooth roads and everything!  You could move this highway to the middle of Ohio and we wouldn’t know the difference.

Except for the moose crossing signs…

Anchorage has everything you could want…malls, cinemas, a major airport, Home Depot and Lowes.  We couldn’t wait to get out of all of the congestion and traffic.

We were headed to Seward.  This picture was taken at Beluga Point.  The drive from Anchorage to Seward is really pretty.

Tim doesn’t feel well at all so he stopped to nap along the way.  His allergies are out of control and what usually helps are steroids and antibiotics.  I went into town by myself.

I did a little shopping.  I got some halibut for dinner and a couple little things from the Safeway.

Tim had slept again but still felt awful.  He didn’t really feel like eating much.  Another gentle suggestion from me about seeing a doctor and he finally agreed at a little before 6 this evening.  The clinics in town closed at 6.  They were very helpful when I called.  I could take him to the ER…but he doesn’t need that.  Walk in hours begin tomorrow at 9 am and we plan to be there!

We did go for a short walk.  We watched some fisherman trying to snag some salmon and we did see a guy bring one in.  The salmon aren’t really running yet.

The view from our campsite.