AUGUST 26, 2012-----VALDEZ, AK

Today we went on an historical bus tour of Valdez, Alaska.  Our bus driver has lived in Alaska for 25 years.  He gave us lots of facts about Valdez.  Valdez has one of the largest snowfalls in the world.  Last year they had in excess of 400 inches of snow. 

He also told us about the Good Friday Earthquake which hit on March 27, 1964.  It registered 9.2 on the Richter scale.  It was the most intense earthquake in North America.  It was felt statewide. Across south-central Alaska it collapsing structures, and caused tsunamis. Results from the earthquake caused about 143 deaths. Lasting nearly four minutes, it was the most powerful recorded earthquake in U.S. and North American history. The earthquake began at 5:36 P M. The epicenter of this awesome quake was a mere 45 miles west of Valdez and 14 miles under the earth's crust. Initial shocks lasting over five minutes affected nearly all of the coastal communities of Alaska.

 It produced a Tsunami that went all the way to Australia and down to Long Beach, Ca. where it took 13 lives.

He brought us by the Old Post Office site that had stood for only 2 years in the town of Valdez.  There was also a sign depicting the names of the lives lost in this earthquake.  In excess of 62 people were killed 19 of them children, and also leaving 40 children orphaned.

Right after the quake an Air National Guard plane took off and crashed killing 4 more people and leaving 12 more children orphaned.

After our tour of the town, he brought us for a ride to the fishery.  Lots of dead fish and seagulls.  One of the seagulls took its aim at Jesse. 

SEAGULLS POOPED ON JESSE

 On our way back we were lucky enough to see a few bears.

 BEAR  FISHING FOR SALMON

Below is a picture of the mountains in Valdez as the days sun is setting.  Beautiful scenery.  

VALDEZ

Tonight we had a pot luck.  Theme is Mexican.  Margaritas were supplied by the staff.  We had quite an assortment of dishes.  Everything was delicious.  Another great day with friends.

MEXICAN THEME POTLUCK

AUGUST 20, 2012------SEWARD, AK

This morning we woke to rain once again.  We have had rain on and off since we got to Homer.  Today we went on a 5 1/2 hr Glacier & Wildlife Cruise on the Kenai Fjord.  A Fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs.  It is created in a valley carved by glacial activity.  The Fjord was 900 feet deep.  Once onboard, we had a wonderful meal of all you can eat Salmon and Prime Rib.  The weather wasn't the best and many people got sick, including me (Rita).  We were out on the water a lot longer than I would have liked.  We got to see several eagles, sea otters, mountain goats, puffins and large seals.  As the cruise ended, the sun peeked out.  

AUGUST 21, 2012

Today was a free day.  Started off the day in the rain, yet again.  Got our laundry done, had lunch and decided to go for a ride to see Exit Glacier.  The road at one point going into the National Park was covered with water flowing from the glacial water.  We really have had quite a bit of rain the last few days.  

GLACIAL WATER CROSSING OVER THE ROAD (KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK)

We joined up with a park volunteer to do a 1 hour hike to Exist Glacier.  He has worked as a volunteer for over 6 years and was very knowledgeable about the geological aspects of the area surrounding the glacier.  He told us how we could tell where the newest part of the forest differed from the older part of the forest.  He was very interesting, stopping occasionally showing us things that would go unnoticed if you were out walking on your own.  He brought us right up to the base of the glacier and we were on our own for the walk back.  

EXIT GLACIER IN KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK

AUGUST 22, 2012

Today is another travel day with our destination being Palmer, Ak.  We have 168 miles to cover.  

It was another uneventful day.  Not much to see on our way.  Stopped a few times to take pictures of the mountains and for lunch.  

AUGUST 23, 2012

Today we did ride sharing to the Colony House Museum in Palmer.  We were told about the Manatuska Colony Project.   In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt offered 203 families from the hardest-hit areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan the chance to start fresh in a new land, in a fertile Alaskan valley with the melodic name Matanuska.  The Matanuska Colony was part of Roosevelt's New Deal, his plan to help Americans recover from the Depression, partly through massive public works projects.  Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan were chosen to be part of the project because it was felt they most closely resembled the climate in Alaska, and because they had an extremely high percentage of residents on social assistance programs. The chosen ones were given a lot of land, equipment and money to make a new farming community.  

The guidelines they were given were fairly loose: 

As far as possible, families should be selected first on their farming ability and secondly, those who may have secondary skills and who may adjust themselves to a diversified farming activity and can assist with carpentry on their homes and then those who may know something about machinery and blacksmithing and who have leadership qualities.  

Another great museum.

We then went across the street for a great lunch.  We were served hot soup, and a turkey croissant sandwich and salad.  It was followed with a large scoop of Alaskan ice cream.  

We then went over to see the Musk Ox Farm.  It was o.k. and not something we would have chosen to do if we weren't with the Caravan.  

Another great day though.

AUGUST 24, 2012------VALDEZ, AK

Travelling to Valdez today.  It is a long day for travel, 260 miles.  Hit lots of construction and not very good roads.  Took us until 5PM to get there.  We had a quick social with our comrades and had dinner and an early evening.

AUGUST 25, 2012

Today we have a 9 hour cruise to the Prince William Sound Meares Glacier.  It rained all night and it was very foggy this morning.  We boarded the catamaran for our long day and couldn't even see through the fog to get out of the Valdez Harbor.  Within an hour the skies had cleared and the water was very smooth.  We had a wonderful day with many wildlife being spotted.  We saw Dall Porpoise, Harbor Seals, Sea Otters, Eagles, Puffins and many many different birds.  We also got to see a few bears, but too far away to get a picture.  Here are a few pictures of the magnificent scenery on our boat cruise.  

STELLAR SEA LIONS ON BUOY

SEA OTTER FLOATING ALONG ON HIS BACK (SO CUTE)

LARGE ICEBERG ON OUR WAY TO THE MEARES GLACIER

LARGE ICEBERG ON OUR WAY TO THE MEARES GLACIER

Brrrr,,,,,,COLD

MEARES GLACIER

We were served a great lunch of Chicken Alfredo and veggies,,,with dessert being Oreo cookies...later in the afternoon we had a snack of Clam Chowder or Vegetable Soup.  It was a very long day but the boat was great and the seats were very comfortable.  The scenery was outstanding.  Would definitely recommend this cruise to anyone venturing out this way.

August 18, 2012----Seward, Alaska

Today we drove to Seward, Ak.  We have 163 miles to cover today.  It was another travel day with not much to stop to see.  Again just beautiful scenery.  We stopped by the Kenai River and had lunch.  Got to watch some rafting trips coming zooming down the river.  Also a few fisherman along the banks.  Just a peaceful area.  This is a fishermans paradise.  If fishing is your thing, you need to come here.  Told Jesse I think we should think about buying fishing poles.  

KENAI RIVER

We also stopped by the side of the road to take a picture of Mt. Redoubt.  Mt. Redoubt rises over 10,000 feet above sea level.  It is an active volcano.  The most recent activity was in early 2009.  Mt Redoubt was quite active on and off during the spring and summer of 2009, shutting down air traffic for fear of an imminent threat of another eruption.  Late September of 2009 the mountain was finally given the all-clear that it was no longer actively perking.

MT. REDOUBT (VOLCANO) with lots of clouds

We settled into the campground and rested a bit.  Headed for church (it is Saturday night).  Cute little church.  The priest spoke with us on our way in wanting to know where we were from.  Seems he has lived here for 40 yrs but is originally from Winchinden, Ma.  At the beginning of mass he told everyone there were people here from Massachusetts and he still recognized the accent.  When we got back to the campground there was a travel briefing for Wednesday when we will be heading to Palmer.  Afterwards, we spent the evening playing games.  Had a great time and lots of laughs.  

It is still raining.

AUGUST 19, 2012

It rained all night.  This morning we went into Seward to the Alaska Sealife Center.  This is like an aquarium but for rescued sea life.  We saw sea otters, seals, and puffins amongst the assortment of sea life.  We got a behind the scenes tour which was great.  It was a good rainy day activity.  Probably one of the best museums we have been too.  

SEA OTTER

After the Sealife Center we went into town for some hot soup.  It is still raining and cold and raw.  After warming up a bit we hit a few of the shops up and down the main street then headed back to the motorhome.

We joined one of the couples who follows us on our travel days to dinner.  Nice time with new friends.

Tomorrow we go on a Kenai Fjords 5 1/2 hr Glacier & Wildlife Cruise with lunch.  Hope the rain stops soon.  

AUGUST 15-17, 2012---HOMER, ALASKA

Yet another travel day.  We have 227 miles to drive today.  The scenery today was absolutely beautiful.  It is the best view we have had so far on this trip.  Mountains and water,,,,gorgeous.  We are also on the most dangerous road in Alaska.  Lots of accidents, I don't know if it is because of the scenery or the twisty roads, in any case, we are going slow and enjoying it.  We stopped many times to just take pictures of the beauty.  Really didn't stop to visit anything on our way today.  

FIREWEED ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD (IT IS ALL OVER THE PLACE NOW)

SCENERY ALONG OUR DRIVE

THE GROUP GATHERING AT ONE OF THE REST STOPS ON OUR DRIVE

Homer is the Halibut capital of the world.  People come from all over to fish here.  It is a neat place.  They have what they call the Spit.  It is a piece of land that jets out into the Gulf of Alaska with mountains and  volcanoes as a backdrop.  This is where all the commercial and charter fishing companies work from the harbor.  There are restaurants and gifts shops all along the Spit.  Also when the fishing boats come in you can stand and watch them unload the fish to be cleaned and sent to be flash frozen.  Twelve to fourteen of our group went on a charter boat to fish for Halibut.  It cost about $225.00 per person for a day of fishing.  They were allowed a maximum of 2 halibuts.  Each of them caught their two fish at about a total of 30 to 40 lbs of fish.  To have the fish sent home it cost almost $6.00 a pound to ship.  The next night we had a wonderful fish fry cooked by the staff.  Our wagonmaster went on the fishing trip and they cooked the fish for us.  We all brought sides and desserts and had a wonderful meal.

The piece of land going out into the Gulf of Alaska above is the Spit

Halibuts fresh off the boat waiting to be cleaned

Fish being cleaned and prepared for flash freezing and shipping

Harbor at the Spit

Glacier just beyond the Spit

Eagle on pole on the Spit

We spent the next few days just riding around the hillsides and enjoying the beauty.  We had rain but it was still beautiful.  

AUGUST 12, 2012-----ANCHORAGE, AK

We  headed to Anchorage, Ak today.  We had a long ride today, 246 miles.  I know that doesn't sound like much on our highways back home, but up here the roads aren't as good and we have to drive a lot slower and avoid the frost heaves from the permafrost.  We also make several stops along the way,,,usually every couple of hours to either do some sightseeing or take pictures or just to stretch our legs.  We always have the same 2 couples following behind us.  They like to follow so they don't have to pay attention to the maps.  So Jesse always leads. 

Today our first stop was at the Veterans Memorial.  We are still trying to find a cloud free picture of Mt. McKinley.  Not having much luck today either.  

ALASKA VETERANS MEMORIAL

Spent a short time here remembering the veterans of Alaska.  

Our next stop was along the road to Hurricane Gulch.  This was a deep gulch under a bridge on our travels.  It was pretty cool.

This was a very deep gulch,,,,picture doesn't really show just how deep this was.

We stopped for a short time along the roadside for a quick lunch and then off for another 80 miles to get an ice cream cone.  Of course the excuse was we had to stretch our legs.

Our final stop for the day was the Iditarod Race Headquarters.  They had the dogs and sleds here and you could take a 3 minute ride for $10.00.  We passed up the ride but watched others as they rode.  Inside was a 30 minute movie on how they train the dogs for the Iditarod Race.  It was very interesting.  These dogs are not forced to race, they are born to race.  When harnessed they automatically want to pull.  They are beautiful dogs.

Headquarters for the Iditarod Race

Dogs pulling getting ready to race

AUGUST 13, 2012

Today we went on a tour of the Alaska Native Heritage Center.  They had dancers demonstrating the native dance.  They explained what each movement meant before they danced.  Much like the Hawaiians, the natives dance tells a story.  The women stand with feet and knees together and use their hands to tell the story.  The men, however, kneel and are much more animated in their dances, bouncing up and down throughout the dance. Always on their knees.  They were dressed in their native clothing with headdress.  It was very interesting to watch.  

We then took a tour of the village.  We got to see totem poles and the houses where single men stayed and where married people stayed with their families.  They were all cross trained,,men and boys learned to cook and sew and women and girls learned to hunt.  A single boy could join the single mens houses only after they could cook and sew,,,,they had to be able to take care of themselves without the women when they were out hunting.  The women needed to be able to hunt small animals in case the men were away for a long time and they needed food.  They sure had a hard life.  

There was a community building there for the tribes.  The backs of each tribes garments had certain markings on them that would tell you were part of the tribe.  To enter the building you had to step in backwards so those inside would know by your garment that you were part of the tribe and not someone coming to harm them.

Jesse backing into the community house

Jesse and Rita with our tailgunners and wagonmasters standing between whale jawbones at Alaska Native Heritage Cultural Center

Totem Pole

This was another good museum.  

This afternoon the two of us went to see Earthquake Park.  This is a memorial to the earthquake that happened here on Good Friday, March 27, 1964.  On our walk to the site we spotted a moose.  Closest one so far.  

Can't get much closer than this

Tonight we went to a movie and dinner.  The movie was on Alaska and the land.  It was an excellent movie.  We were then served dinner.  Another meal of baked Salmon.  The best we've had so far.  Afterwards there was a wildlife exhibit.  They had a golden eagle and reindeer.  Up close and personal.  

Golden Eagle

Reindeer at wildlife exhibit

AUGUST 13, 2012

Today is our last day in Anchorage.  Spent the day doing chores,,,,,,like laundry, grocery shopping and a little cleaning of the motorhome.  Tomorrow will be another long drive.

Having a wonderful time.  

AUGUST 9, 2012----DENALI

Today was another travel day.  We only have 111 miles to cover today.  On our way we stopped in Nenana to take a quick walk through their small town.  Each winter they have an ICE POOL.  They have a pool for you to guess the exact time the ice will go out (breakup) on the Tenana River.  The sponsor sets up a tripod on the ice and connects it to a clock on shore.  The person who guesses closest to the exact time and date wins part of the pool as a prize.  The Nenana Ice Pool, which pays out more than $250,000.00 is the state's oldest and most successful. 

TRIPOD THAT IS  PUT ON THE RIVER TO DETERMINE WHEN THE ICE STARTS TO BREAK UP

AUGUST 10, 2012

Today we took a bus trip into Denali National Park.  The bus picked us up at 6 AM and returned to our campground at 8PM.  Very long day.  Saw several animals.  Went to the end of the park to Kantishna Lodge for lunch and then back on the bus for our return trip.

ON OUR RIDE THROUGH DENALI NATIONAL PARK

LARGE CARIBOU IN DENALI 

DALL SHEEP ON MOUNTAINSIDE IN DENALI

BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS IN DENALI NATIONAL PARK

On our way back through Denali we were given sodas and snacks.  Stopped by a few visitor centers and got our stamps for our National Parks Passport Book.  Another wonderful day with our new caravan friends.

AUGUST 11, 2012

Today was our last free day in Denali.  We headed out early and did the tourist thing,,,,visited a few shops and met 2 other couples for lunch.  After lunch, Jesse and I headed back into the park to the visitors center to view a film on Alaska.  Sorry to say I kind of dozed on and off through most of it,,,,Jesse said he stayed awake,,,yeah right.  From what I did see, it was a great film.  Was actually tempted to sit through it again to see the whole thing (ha-ha) but too many other things to do and see.  We then drove out for about 40 miles to see if we could find a better view of Mt. McKinley that wasn't so clouded in.  We have been here for 3 days and have not seen the mountain without clouds covering part of it.  We are very happy that we did the cruise/land tour 10 years ago.  Then we stayed at the base of Mt. McKinley for 3 days and the mountain was totally clear for all three days, so we have awesome pictures of it then.  

We got to attend to Mass tonight in the park.  Very nice service in one of the theaters.  

Well tomorrow we head for Anchorage.  

Can't believe it has been almost 3 months since we left home.  Miss the family and friends a lot but we are having a great time.