It has been quite an adventure getting here. We have traveled some 7,000 plus miles after leaving our beloved Tennessee on the first of May. Driving thru Canada was an adventure all to itself. Entering Alaska I felt like I was coming home after a long absence. I'm not sure of what it is, but I feel relaxed and sleep long hours here. It is strange to find yourself in a place where the sun never sets, not during the summer. I tried to prepare Kathie for it as much as possible, telling is one thing but having to experience it is another. We cover our windows when sleeping to shut out the constant light. All in all we have adjusted and once back home most likely will wish for more daylight hours :)
During our travels we have met some wonderful people, from all around the world. In my last blog I neglected to mention Laurie and Larry, two Canadian kids who we had the pleasure of spending several days with. We first met them at Matanuska Glacier. When we went to Valdez and camped at Blueberry Lake they too were there. We enjoyed several visits and always found them to be receptive, pleasant and friendly. Larry was a retired business owner and Laurie a former school teacher. Having traveled the world they had many interesting stories they shared with us. After several days they headed home to Canada and we continued our quest deeper into Alaska.
The scenery, people and animals have all been wonderful. I'm glad we were able to take this trip and hopefully it won't be the last time we are here. There are many other places we hope to visit and conquer before our time on earth is done. Traveling is only half as much fun when doing it alone, sharing it with others is the blessing of those memories made all the more special. I have fallen in love with my wife all over again and value her more and more with each passing day. Life is magical with that right someone in your life to share it all with. In my case it's a great help if the other person has a vast sense of humor. Kathie will confess, she just never knows what will come out of my mouth or what actions I will have next, haha.
I'm sure you're reading this and wondering, what happened to the Alaska travel blog! Ok I will switch gears and get back to where we last left off :) I have the ability to get side tracked and ramble on with no direction or point being made. Those who know me best will agree I'm sure. In our last blog we were leaving Valdez and headed back to Palmer, so that's where we will start.
Our second stop in Palmer, Alaska was for eight days, four more than what we had originally planned. We had suffered with the loss of our propane heater for weeks. Not sure if we'd have to wait until we got back to the lower 48 for repairs. Finally after fighting the cold nights we sought out a solution. When we were camping with full amenities, especially electric it wasn't that big a deal. We have small heaters that we used. During those boon docking adventures, not as pleasant as there was no electric until I braved the cold and cranked the generator. We called a dealer in Anchorage who agreed to honor the warranty and make the repairs. We made an appointment and thus had to wait several days before our appointed time. During this time we made the best of it by shopping, going to several worth while attractions and even spending hours at a time in the concept of gold panning. One of the places we visited was Independence Mine. No longer an active mine, turned over to the state and is now part of the Parks Service. It's mostly a ghost town with some buildings still standing and a lot of rubble and piles of debris where building and other forms of construction once stood. We spent the day walking around, reading the many plaques and history of the area. What we spent the day looking at and reading, I will share just some of that with you. It was a very informative day and we learned much about the early gold mining in Alaska.
The building of Independence Mine site was started in 1938. By 1942 the mine was running strong, then WWII and all mining was considered non essential and the mines shut down.
Independence Mine was years ahead of it's time. Two bunk houses like the one above housed 50 men each on the first floor. The media room, library and room for hanging wet mining clothing was also located on the first floor. The second floor had 10 two men rooms as well as 5 two men bachelor suites complete with living room and private bath. Movies were shown on Tuesday and Sunday evenings, some miners saw their first talkies here.
After the war mining never got off to the pace it was before the war. The lower 48 was seeing a building manufacturing boom, the men who once mined were now finding jobs at home. The picture above shows the rubble of time and neglect of the Independence Mine today.
The picture above was the mess hall. This building contained a bakery, butcher shop, cold and dry storage, basement that could hold 10,000 pounds of potatoes. The upstairs was the cook quarters, helpers and three one bed room supervisor apartments. The dinning room held 20 tables that seated 160 men. It was an all you could eat mess and you could get fed around the clock. The mine ran two 8 hour shifts.
There are no bad views in Alaska. The mine was located in the mountains at the end of the road. Looking from the mine down the valley below.
Looking down on the mine buildings from atop the hill just behind bunk house #1. The mine was turned over to the state in 1952, it then became part of the Parks Service. When the mine closed gold was at $35.00 an ounce.
The mine ore was removed by this small train and ore cars. The mine had it's own rail system.
The train ran on these large battery's.
The miners were paid well for the times. They enjoyed off time and earned a 4 week vacation the first year. Married miners could buy property from the mine and build their own house. There were 20 houses that formed the Independence Mine Village. There was a company store that sold items at reasonable prices. The mine had all modern convinces, heat, hot and cold running water, modern plumbing, electric, and the best of everything money could buy. The owners of the mine spared no expense. There is much more I could tell you about Independence Mine, just not enough time and space on this blog. So before I get you too lost, back to our last day at Palmer :)
Our second visit to Palmer, as mentioned in our last blog we stayed at the Mountain View a full service RV Park.
On our last evening at the Mountain View RV Park we again encountered a wonderful couple, they are from Australia. Like all Aussies they are very friendly and fun to be around. They are from Newcastle, Australia. Their home is on the beach. Rick and Deborah, last names I won't reveal for the protection of the innocent :) Rick is a retired General from the Australian Air Force who has worked and had lots of assignments with the American counterpart. Rick also enjoys surfing. Deborah a bank teller/customer service, easily identified with Kathie as she too was a bank teller. They got along like sisters and enjoyed their chats. Rick and I not so much, you know how stuffy Generals can be, haha. All joking aside Rick was the most laid back General officer I have ever met, with the exception of General Westmoreland. Although I didn't know Westmoreland very well, he was easy to talk to, he made you feel at ease. Rick was such an easy going person and very friendly, I got along with him from moment one. He is a character for sure :) We shared several beers and I convinced them to try my new concoction of cabbage and ground meat. I wasn't sure if they'd survive it or not. It was ok and the whole time we were eating I kept thinking about a scene from a Crocodile Dundee movie, haha. But as they say all is well that ends well :) We said our goodbyes around midnight and retired for the evening.
Rick and Deborah looking at some pictures Kathie was sharing.
Tuesday morning Kathie and I were up early and made ready to move our house to Anchorage and get that propane heater fixed. We arrived around 9:30 am for our 10:00 am appointment time. We dropped the unit and headed to Anchorage to await the call from the dealer that repairs were completed. We had hardly been gone two hours when we got the call. The heater was fixed and we were ready to continue south after picking up our travel house. We were delighted to once again be secure knowing we had heat if needed. It's a comfort to turn the furnace on and have it work. No more crawling out from under the warm covers and braving the extreme elements, fighting the bears to get to the generator out in the deep snow, haha.
While in the area we visited Fort Richardson where I was stationed during my Army days in Alaska. It's now a joint services base, shared with Elmendorf Air Force. The base had changed much during my days of service there 48 years ago.
Back on the road we headed for Seward and our first campsite by the ocean. As it turned out we were lucky and got a nice spot right on the bay. Then we met Sheena of the jungle, haha. Our next door neighbor was from Eagle River, just a few miles north of Anchorage. Her husband as it turns out was a LRRP (Long Range Recon Patrol) in Vietnam, same as me. A different unit and in different year. He is also part of the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Our campsite at Seward was right up front over looking the bay.
Kathie and Sheena standing by the bay in front of our RV's.
Parking spaces were wide and parking beside the RV wasn't a problem.
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Sheena in front of her motor home.
Sheena is also a very friendly and laid back lady. She is a cut up and a very adventurous soul. Her husband works on the road construction and is gone from home a lot. Sheena has no problem jumping into the Class C Winnebago motor home and hitting the roads for parts unknown. We enjoyed spending time with her. She left a day ahead of us and returned home, only to join us at Homer a few days later. Not sure we will ever again be the same, haha.
The five pictures above were taken on the Seward highway, scenery along our route to Seward.
When we left Palmer and said goodbye to Deborah and Rick we knew their travel plans were to catch a cruise ship in Seward. One morning as we sat around the campsite chatting with Sheena, who should just happen to walk by, it was our Aussie friends. They had just arrived by train from Anchorage where they turned in their rented RV, now out for a walk and just happened upon us by accident. We decided to share a dinner cruise with them the following evening. I figured it was another chance to corrupt them :)
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Deborah and Rick out for a walk about in Seward.
Our dinner cruise was aboard the Nunatak for a tour of about three and half hours. The ship made a stop at Fox Island where we deboated, is that the proper term? Anyway, we un-assed the decks and went into the lodge for dinner. Our time on Fox Island was for a period of one hour and then back on board for more fun and adventure of animal and mammal viewing. Fox Island actually got it's name by being a fox farm. At one time a lot of fox farms were scattered all around this part of Alaska. Then the fur trade fell off and the farms shut down. Fox Island Farm is now a lodge, catering to the dinner cruise and some over night lodging. Our dinner was a meal of Alaska King Crab, prime rib and fresh Alaskan salmon. I think I ate too much.
These are such graceful creatures, they can dive and stay down, refered to as sounding, for as long as 45 minutes. This was a cow and her calf.
Fox Island Lodge sign.
Just a little of what I had for dinner. The prime rib was first to go :)
Rick spent his time on the bow of the ship, armed with his camera.
Kathie and Deborah seeking shelter from the cold wind. That's Rick wearing a purplish color beanie, that's the last we'd see of it.
Our sightseeing boat conducted crew drills while we were warm inside the lodge eating a tasty meal.
Fox Island Lodge as seen off shore.
Back aboard and out in the sound we saw Humpback whales, puffins, Steller sea lions and several other species of birds and their young, even mountain goats high atop the rocky peaks. It was a very cool evening and the wind quite chilly. Rick forgot his beanie cap at the lodge and was a very unhappy camper with his head exposed to the chill of the damp and cold evening air.
That's Rick with a holy crap mate, "I left my beanie at he lodge" look. The boat had left the dock when he discovered his loss . Alaska is a place of replenishing, someone else now has a warm beanie cap.
That's Deborah giving Rick that look after hearing about his loss of the beanie. We all know that look, haha. They will hate me for these two pictures, haha. What can I say, I'm just telling the story mates, laughing out loud :)
Meanwhile back on the pond, "there she blows."
A gray humpback was spotted, then there were two.
The fluke or tail of the whale is like a finger print. No two whales have the same fluke.
Notice the wide white colors on this whale's fluke.
These are such graceful creatures, they can dive and stay down, refered to as sounding, for as long as 45 minutes. This was a cow and her calf.
Notice there is some white in this fluke, not as much as the other one. This one was the calf.
Above a colony of seals rest and enjoy the last glow of the days dim sun. Below another swims with a face that only a mother seal could love :)
This seal reminded me of Yoda, minus his long floppy ears.
We saw mountain goats high atop the mountain feeding on the small plateau or meadows on the grassy slope.
Looking like a small patch of snow 2 miles away, there was one billy and four nanny goats in this small herd I could see them much better thru the binoculars. The 55x300 zoom of my camera was out matched by the long distance.
We saw many species of birds as well. Several young, some still in their nest with mom protecting her brood.
A mother cormorant with her chicks.
A pair of puffins
A puffin stands with a pair of murre
A mother gull with her chick.
For the lack of a better name I call this crap rock. Interesting fact about bird crap, they use it in the building of their nest. As nasty as this rock is covered with bird crap, the storms of winter will wash it clean for next years roost.
Safely back on land we walked past one of the charter boat stations, their days catch had been good.
Not only was the hanging rack full.
Two large tubs were being filled and lots still on the deck flooring.
We returned to our campsite, built a fire for warmth and had a few drinks before saying good night and good bye to our Aussie mates.
Deborah sang the red solo cup song as the tide was going out and the day was ending. The following day they would set sail aboard their cruise ship, Princess of the Sea, for the inside passage and then fly to Hawaii and then home to Australia. The following day was also moving day for us as well. When we rolled from the bed, there it was, the cruise ship docked and waiting.
Bon Voyage Mates.
We packed up our mobile house and left Seward. Next stop for us was Homer, the Halibut fishing capital of the world. It was a several hours drive thru more of the beautiful mountains, passing by pristine lakes and small crowded busy towns. It's the fishing season in Alaska and the waters are always busy with fishermen, boaters and bears. I saw plenty of those fishermen and boaters but no bears. We did pass a small fishing village that caught my attention, hitting the brakes we pulled off and back to the sight that held my attention. Hanging upright on a pole rack was the largest fish I had seen that wasn't a shark or whale. This was a 250.4 pound Halibut, caught that morning, fresh and still dripping blood. I'm 6', notice the fish is longer than I am tall.
A fish that size could swallow you whole.
I want to go fishing and catch one of those. The Halibut season runs from May to September, a prize of thousands of dollars is given to the largest caught. Other Halibuts are tagged and worth money and prizes, they may be small and not so large. Halibut is also a good tasting fish, we have eaten plenty and have some in our freezer I plan to grill. At the present time the largest Halibut caught weighed in at 277.2 pounds, most likely the winner. But the season is not yet over, it's possible someone will top that weight.
No trip to Homer is complete until you have been down on the spit. The spit is a slender body of land extending out into the water. It's almost carnival like atmosphere, lots of small shops, restaurants, charter fishing services, tour boats, camping and a whole lot of folks who just seem to be in your way everywhere you go :)
Kathie and I enjoy a warm day on the Homer spit.
One of only many camping tent sites on the spit.
Parking is hard to find on the Homer spit.
Lots of RV sites scattered up and down the spit
Shopping is plentiful on the spit.
The fishing is good in Homer.
I watched this guy wind surf as his dog ran ahead in the surf.
He was doing jumps and flips, pulled by the power of the wind and his chute.
Typical Alaska shore line.
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There is enough wood on this beach to build a house. It's protected and used for bird life and small animal shelter.
Look at the size of these logs, just think they were floating in the surf before being washed upon the land by a storm.
The beaches here in Alaska are not like those in the lower 48. Large rocks, coarse sands full of dirt, small rock and scattered sea weed and kelp litter the surface. As well as drift wood everywhere.
We were walking the beach near the bluff where old Homer use to be. Kathie spotted a sea otter bobbing up and down near the shore.
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It turned out to be Bob from Seattle. No way I'd swim in that frigid water. Perhaps I should remind him what lives below the surface.
When we camped at Seward, most of the birds were sea gulls, flying all about, landing atop our travel trailer, sitting on signs, hopping atop lawn chairs and anywhere they decided to make a brief stop. At Valdez it was a combination of sea gulls, Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles. Here in Homer atop the bluff we have a resident Bald Eagle with a young one that fly's all about overhead everyday. I have taken lots of pictures of momma and her chick.
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Momma Bald Eagle perched atop the spruce tree.
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The power they display in flight.
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They soar with ease.
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Flying at 1,000 feet below me.
The young eaglet won't have the white head and tail feathers until the age of five.
The sea gull is also beautiful in flight.
These large gulls and the eagles command the air space.
Like the eagle the gull eats fish and scraps left by other animals.
I enjoy watching the flight of these magnificent birds.
Not only do we have a beautiful view of the bay below but finally we are able to see a sunset. The sun doesn't really set, it just moves around us it seems. What I'm calling a sunset is the closest we have come to having a sunset in Alaska. It doesn't get dark during the summer months so it's hard to know if you're looking at a sunset or just the sun moving behind the clouds. Regardless it does make for some beautiful colors in the sky over head. Until I find out for sure I will call it a sunset :)
Just part of the view we enjoy daily.
Kathie enjoying the overlook view from our campsite high atop the bluff.
The evening air gets cool and a warm fire is enjoyed.
These views are without a doubt some of the best we have seen.
What more could I ask for? I'll just sit here and think about it :)
I mentioned sunsets. Here are a few pictures of some of the most picturesque sunsets I have seen anywhere.
On our first evening in Homer the sun faded around 11:30 pm like a flash bulb going off, the flickering blinded me for a few seconds as it dropped behind the tall trees.
The sky was scattered with gray clouds and a wide band of gold.
The second night the clouds not as heavy, the colors of gold, bronze and dark gray.
Our days at the bluff are spent in countless hours just sitting and looking, the view changes with the time of day. In the mornings the low clouds hang close to the water and in the evenings the sun sinks low and casts a glaze upon the water. The next four pictures show the view off the bluff, looking from right to left 180 degrees. A spectacular and breathtaking view, we get to enjoy this sights daily.
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Our days here at Homer are filled with us exploring the surrounding areas, trips to the spit and time back here at our CG enjoying the beautiful views off the bluff. During our travels in Alaska we have yet to be disappointed by the magnificent scenery that is all around us. From the tops of the glacier covered mountains, to the valleys with their rapid flowing rivers and green grasses, the abundance of wildlife, the fields of wild flowers and the songs of the many birds, never ceases to amaze us. The people have also been a treasure, the smiles of the children, the nods of the old men and the kindness of the women. It seems that everything here is in sync with the seasons. The time of the season is measured by the coming of the birds, the blooming and turning of the flowers, the sign of snow as it starts to appear on the mountain tops and descends downward to signal that coats will soon be needed. Time seems to stop here, yet life is abundant and everywhere. The cold nights give way to the shimmering sun filled days, nights that never darken during this time of year. The days are long and the mountains never shadow nor does the world stop turning because of it. The long days of light fill the earth and it's gardens with such giants as a 95 pound cabbage head. The cold ice fed rivers and streams that beckon fish like the King Salmon that weighs in at 100 pounds, caught by a fisherman with a fly rod. It's a land of unbelievable stories of people and animals. A place that holds you spellbound in timeless awe. Words written by poets who best describe it with power and grace as if it were alive and lived in some mystical fantasy. I'm unable to match the wit of the poets who say it all so beautifully. Mine is the blessing of being able to travel it day by day.
The next blog will be written by Kathie, a woman's prospective of this great land. I am excited to await her words written and her views and descriptions of all that she has seen. While Alaska isn't new to me it is the first time my wife has been here.
Until our next blog, Dutch and Kathie, RVing Alaska and loving it.
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