Jul 28, 2014 - Alaska Tour - Homer, AK - Stop #14

Hello Everyone, Today we traveled further southward from Anchorage, AK to Homer, AK. It was about 200 miles filled with spectacular scenery! Along the way, we stopped for lunch at the Portage Valley Chugach National Forest and I was able to fly my quadcopter to capture the splendor of the mountains, lakes and glaciers! In Homer, once set up in the campground, I was able to take a quick quadcopter flight to show even more snow covered mountains across the river! The following day, a few of us set out on a Deep Sea Fishing Trip to fish for...

Jul 27, 2014 - HOMER

Homer is about 245 miles from Anchorage. Most of the road was pretty good with a lot of beautiful mountains and streams. We stopped several times at overlooks and also at Cooper Landing on the Kenai River. The boats and rafts they use are very interesting and very different. They cannot use motors so they use boats that are easy to row against the current. Most of the fishing is done with waders, not from the boat. Once in Homer we went to the Spit to check out the docking area where I would board the Halibut fishing boat. On the way back...

Jul 27, 2014 - Hope, Alaska -Valdez, Alaska

JULY 21ST-WE STAYED IN CAMP FOR AWHILE THEN DROVE AROUND THE TOWN OF HOMER, ALASKA CHECKING OUT THE SIGHTS. JULY 22ND- WE DROVE TO THE LITTLE TOWN OF HOPE, ALASKA. STAYING AT AN RV PARK WITH FULL HOOKUPS. THE ALASKA DACHA RV PARK. THE TOWN OF HOPE IS ON THE TURNAGAIN ARM ACROSS THE BAY FROM ANCHORAGE. WE DROVE DOWNTOWN HOPE AND HAD LUNCH. JULY 23RD- WE DROVE OUR CARS TO THE ALASKA WILDLIFE CONSERVATION CENTER WHERE THEY TAKE IN INJURED WILD ANIMALS. FOR INSTANCE THEY HAD AN BALD EAGLE THAT THEY HAD TO AMPUTATE HIS WING BECAUSE SOMEONE SHOT...

Jul 27, 2014 - Homer

We arrived in Homer on Friday and are staying at Heritage RV Park on the Spit. Homer Alaska on Kachemak Bay was made famous as "The End of the Road" in Tom Bodett's tales. Sunday we went sight seeing along the spit with the normal shops for tourist. Visited the Salty Dog Saloon which is famous for the dollar bills on their walls. Kelly and Charlean looked for the bill they left back in 2006. Peggy and I signed and dated dollar bill and added it to the wall. This area has a place they call the fishing hole where salmon are planted and...

Jul 27, 2014 - Valdez

July 27... Leaving Palmer, it started out sunny, but soon turned to rain today. It rained all the way to Valdez, but we still managed to see some great scenery. We saw the Matanuska, Worthington and Keystone Glaciers, as well as the Horsetail waterfall in the Keystone Canyon. Thompson pass was something else, I am hoping it is sunny when we go back so that we can hopefully get some great pictures. The pass itself is 2676 feet and drops down dramatically. Valdez itself is surrounded by snowy mountains. July 28... Today was another beautiful...

Jul 26, 2014 - Kenny Lake AK

This morning we hooked up, left Valdez, and drove back through the Chugach Mountains and across Thompson Pass to the little town of Chitina. We are here because this is a staging point for our two day trip to the Kennecott Copper Mine near McCarthy. It is at the end of a 60 mile dirt and gravel road that was placed over the old railroad bed that serviced the mine when it was in operation. We will leave the trailer at the campground and drive to McCarthy where we will stay at the Kennecott Glacier Lodge for two nights. The area is in...

Jul 26, 2014 - Fairbanks, AK

Today we had a tour of the pipeline. It was 800 miles long and was completed in two years. At its height, it carried 2,000,000 barrels of oil. Today it carries 625,000 barrels. At the same place we toured dredge no. 8. What a production! We got on a little train that took us to the dredge. The picture of how a dredge works is good; check it out. Then we got to pan for gold. If someone hadn’t come over to show us the later portions of how to do it, we never would have gotten anything. As it was between us we got $20 worth. They weighed it...

Jul 26, 2014 - Alaska Tour - Anchorage, AK - Stop #13

Hello Everyone, Today we traveled southward from Denali, AK to Anchorage, AK. Along the way, we saw beautiful white capped mountains and finally got a good look at towering Mt. McKinley! Depending on which way you viewed it from determined if the peak was cloud covered or not! In Anchorage we had 5 days of touring and free time to explore. Our city tour took us to see Black Elk Crafts, Alaska Fur Exchange, Ulu Factory, Float Plane Harbor and Ship Creek! At Earthquake Hill, Jeannie Coushaine gave a talk about surviving the great 1964...

Jul 25, 2014 - Looking for Wildlife

On the drive back to Anchorage, we drove gravel roads and lonely highways trying to find moose and bear. Unfortunately, we found none. We stopped by the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center where she was able to see a large variety of Alaska’s wildlife. These included adult and baby moose, a herd of bison (to be released into the wild in 2015), grizzly and black bears (at feeding time – salmon and blackberries), muskoxen, caribou, lynx, deer and fawns, a red fox, and a horned owl. We also stopped at the visitor’s center for the Portage...

Jul 25, 2014 - Back to Tok

Fri., July 25th – Not much to report today as it was a travel day back to Tok. It feels like we’ve made a giant 6 week loop around the state of Alaska and come back to our point of entry. Upon our arrival here, we learned of an earthquake in Juneau that disrupted internet service all the way up here. Also, the scenic train ride we had on our schedule for Haines just derailed, injuring 19 people. That excursion will be dropped from the itinerary! Tomorrow we cross the border and begin our trek back over the rough and rugged Canadian roads to...

Jul 25, 2014 - Nikiski to Soldotna Round Trip

Sorry I haven’t sent a blog recently, but we have been busy! Sunday went to North Star UMC, watched a movie—no TV. Monday watched another movie and turned in the two movies we rented from Northern Video. The mowing crew came and mowed the grounds here at the school. They come every Monday rain or shine. I have been piecing some quilt blocks from the Moda fabric packet that I bought at Tomorrow’s Treasures, and the fabric that I bought from SewMini Things at the Quilt Show & during the retreat, and from the quilt store in Lake City. I am...

Jul 25, 2014 - Fairbanks, AK

It was a free day for us, so we stayed home in the morning and cleaned up the place a little because Marge Wonderlich was coming to visit. We go to Alaska and see a cousin. How weird is that? Any, Marge is up here with David her husband and visiting her step-son and his wife and their 4 kids. Right now she is babysitting the three older (10, 8, and 6) kids while Mom and Dad work. They came over and spent about an hour with us. The kids were so good; it was a pleasure having them here. We chatted with them and David told us about some things...