Soldotna, Alaska

It was a short drive in the rain from Homer (about 80 miles) ... it rained some each day I was there, so I got to hook up and break camp and drive to Soldotna in the rain.  It poured the first day I was here, but the weather report promises sun (and heat) for the weekend ... I'm hoping to get in some hikes for better pictures than I'm getting from the car, and maybe use my bear spray (NOT!).

There are literally hundreds of trails in the area for hiking.  I went to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, established to educate the community and conserve every type of Alaska habitat, to take the Friday afternoon ranger-led hike, but it was raining ... again.  Since the sun is coming out, I'm going to try some of the hikes on my own and then join the ranger next Friday afternoon.


Everywhere you look there are beautiful flowing baskets and beds of flowers and moose.  If you come here and say you didn't see a moose, you weren't looking because they are just standing around.

Soldotna is located on the world-famous Kenai River, the most popular sportfishing destination in Alaska.  Unfortunately, the lady at the visitor's center said they didn't have any fish so far this year and they are really suffering.  She didn't know why and I sincerely pray it isn't ecological and permanent.

Soldotna has more river city parks than anywhere else in Alaska.

I love this street sign!  My campground is on Funny River Road, but Kalifornsky!  How funny

Trinity Christian Center - An igloo-shaped nondenominational church situated in Soldotna offers services for travelers and locals alike.

And this great little chapel next door ...

The rest of my visit to Homer ...

I enjoyed a scenic drive - Skyline Drive, a lovely drive where you can see all of Homer, Kachemak Bay State Park, and the Kenai Mountains, the Spit and the Bay ...

 

Cafe Cups

I also stopped at the Alaska Island and Ocean Visitor Center as well as the  Pratt Museum.

One of the quilts

Among the interesting exhibits at the Pratt Museum, there was wonderful artwork and beautiful quilts and photographs, all done by locals.  There were 3 levels and a nice botanical walk ...

And there is one of these over every doorway and some windows ...

Today was my last day in Homer ... heading north to Soldotna for the holiday weekend. I drove to the Spit for lunch at Captain Pattie's, suppose to be the best seafood restaurant according to the guidebooks; the halibut was really good.  Do you order anything else in the "Halibut Capital of the World"?  And then took a walk, finished off with Cantaloupe Gelato and a stop at the Farmers' Market.  (I bought some Spit Salt; doesn't that sound appealing?  ha)

On the road again .....

Homer, AK and Cook Inlet

Maybe it is the mountains + the sea together, but this is my second favorite spot so far.

Homer is the Halibut Fishing Capital of Alaska.  It is one of the few places in the world where several glaciers and active volcanoes can be viewed at the same time.  It also has the distinction of having the 2nd longest "Spit" in the world.




Views from the Homer Spit.  (the Lupine was out in abundance)

Winter storms roaring out of the northwest try to separate the 4.5-mile strip of sand and gravel from the mainland almost every year, but rock walls and perseverance keep it intact.  The prevalent theory for the Spit's origin is that is the remains of an ancient glacial moraine, constantly reshaped by ocean currents.

I just got out of the car at the end of the Spit and saw this Eagle picking up and eating his lunch.  He was very cool to watch.  His "lunch" was too heavy to carry, so he ate it there with all of us watching.

East End Road - offers views of Kachemak Bay glaciers and mountains.














Anchor Point, about 20 miles north of Homer, has the distinction of being North America's most westerly highway point.

Farmers' Market on Saturday morning was interesting.  There wasn't much produce (too early in the year), but a large selection of homemade jams/jellies, honey, syrup, soaps, jewelry, and so on.

I had a halibut taco and a blueberry cookie, bought a pair of copper earrings and some kettle corn and called it a day.   I'm, once again, at the library using the internet to get this published ... I'll have to go back to the campground before I continue on as I forgot my phone.  Unfortunately, there is a huge traffic jam between me and there due to some road construction and a gay-rights "march."

Alaska Botanical Garden

Got a short break in the rain, so I headed for a walk in the botanical garden ...

This area was historically used for military training.  As a result, foxholes dot the garden

I also made a stop at Alaskan Wild Berry Chocolates to see their 20ft chocolate waterfall and take the tour to see how they make their candy ...



And the Ulu Factory for a tour of how their knives and bowls are made ....


with a stop at the Ship Creek Timber Trestle Bridge ...

"Lunch" turned out to be ice cream from Wild Scoops Ice Cream.  I had the All the Cookies and Birch Almond flavors.  Pretty tasty!

Anchorage continued ...

For a late lunch, hoping to avoid some of the crowd, I stopped at Moose's Tooth Pub & Pizzeria. This place was mentioned in several guidebooks as a "must eat, but be prepared for the wait."  The wait wasn't bad and the pizza was well worth any wait.  I ordered a Pepperoni Supreme (pepperoni, mushrooms, Roma tomatoes, red onions, mozzarella and provolone cheese with house sauce and I added spinach). The house sauce is a blend of marinara and pesto.  Pesto is not a favorite, but, I have to tell you, this was the BEST pizza .... and my waiter, Skyler, was the best waiter I have ever had, hands down, anywhere.

As long as I'm adding Moose Tooth to the list of best/worst in my travels, I have to add Alaska to the list as being the most neighborly.  A ranger told me it was the law to stop for any motorist along the road (written? she didn't specify), but the people who live here go out of their way to make sure you are enjoying yourself.  I have pulled off the road to take a picture and had Alaskans stop to be sure I was fine; they continually ask if I'm enjoying myself, what I've seen so far and can they help with anything; they laugh with me good-naturedly about the Alaskan windshields and the dirt and the mosquitoes.  The absence of sales tax helps a little with the higher prices 😊 And, actually, gas and diesel are getting a little cheaper here in the east ...

I spent 4 nights at a State Park in Eagle River, about 10 miles from Anchorage. It was nice; unfortunately, the parks have a 4-day stay limit.  Odd.  Anchorage is really high for camping; $40/nite to dry camp is the cheapest I found.  Walmart and Cabela's have stopped allowing overnight parking in their lots because the campgrounds are "losing money" and applied pressure.  This morning I moved to the Elk's Lodge in Eagle River for a couple of nights before heading to Homer.

I'll be back here for a couple of days in a month (some appointments I couldn't work in this time) and plan to spend one day at the Alaska Native Heritage Center and hopefully get to the Farmer's Market.

Alaska

Alaska adopted the flag for official state use in 1959. The blue field represents the sky, the sea, and mountain lakes, as well as Alaska's wildflowers. Emblazoned on the flag are eight gold stars: seven from the constellation Ursa Major, or the Big Dipper. The eighth being the North Star, representing the northernmost state. Alaska's flag was designed in 1926 by a 13-year-old Native American boy, Bennie Benson, from the village of Chignik. Bennie received a 1,000-dollar scholarship and a watch for his winning entry in the flag design contest. 


Alaska's name is based on the Eskimo word Alakshak meaning great lands or peninsula.


With 570,374 square miles, Alaska is twice the size of Texas and 1/5 the size of the rest of the USA.  It stretches 2,400 miles east-to-west and 1,420 miles north-to-south.

Alaska is one of the least populous states, ranking 47th in population (followed by North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming).  Of the approximately 710,000 Alaska inhabitants, half live in Anchorage and the surrounding areas.

Alaska has 100,000 glaciers covering 28,000 square miles, equal to 5 percent of the state.  

There are 1,800 named islands and 13 major volcanoes, mostly along the Aleutian Chain. (Side note - my Dad worked as a Government contractor, painter, for a year in 1958 in the Aleutian Islands).

Alaska is the northern-most, western-most and eastern-most state in the Union.  The islands on the end of the Aleutian Chain are on the other side of the 180th meridian, putting them in the Eastern Hemisphere, and they are closer to Tokyo than to Anchorage.

Alaska has the largest concentration of bald eagles in the world.  More than 3,500 bald eagles come to the Chilkat River, north of Haines, in the fall and winter to feed on the late salmon runs.

Alaska has the longest salmon run in the world ....2,000 miles up the Yukon River.

Alaska has wildlife species - grizzlies, bald eagles, humpback whales, and wolves -- in abundance that are endangered elsewhere.

Anchorage, AK

The Bear and the Raven Statue

Old City Hall Building

 The city of Anchorage plants flower beds and hangs hundreds of baskets around town each summer.

Log Cabin Visitor Center - The cabin was constructed on this spot in 1954.  The gable roof supports the sod growing on the roof.  You can also see wild onions and flowers poling from the sod.

I finally got a moose and calf to look at me for a picture.  This was the road out of the campground.  Some idiot behind me was honking his horn the whole time!

Old St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, also known as the Eklutna Chapel, is a historic Russian Orthodox church in Eklutna, Alaska. It is about one mile inland from the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet.
The church, built of hewn spruce logs, was built in about 1894, . It was moved to its current location in 1900.

A new church was built next to the old in 1962. It was added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 1972.

^{I drove to the Thunder Bird Trailhead, thinking I would chance the hike to the waterfall before another downpour, but there were so many cars there that I figured it would surely rain before I even found a place to park.  I'll try again on my way back through (or maybe later in the week if the weather improves).}

Hatcher Pass

In the Talkeetna Mountains, Hatcher Pass is a road that runs through the mountains between the cities of Willow and Palmer.


The first 10 miles are paved and then turn to dirt and gravel, which are in good condition. The road remains unpaved until you reach the Independence Mine State Park. 

I entered from Willow and, unfortunately, the road is closed past Summit Lake until July 4th.  When I head back north through Palmer I'm going to do the "other" end of the pass.  There is apparently lots to see .... my "end" was the scenic part  (I got 30 miles) ....

  
Spring is finally here (mostly👍) and is very pretty ... lots of green with wildflowers along the highway.

I asked about the rain every day ....apparently the area I'm in, the Mat Su Valley, gets rain every day, June being the "dry" month.  In August it pours each day, all day.  The Valley is known for towering mountains, huge glacier valleys, fish-filled rivers and lakes, abundant Alaska wildlife, glorious hiking country, scenic camping and quaint frontier communities ... and all that rain is how it gets all that "green."

I also asked about the mosquitoes .... maybe because they have to bite through all that animal hide and fur, but the mosquitoes here hurt.  Their bite leaves a large red, swollen mound that itches, burns and hurts for days.  I'm going on a week and my first bite is just as miserable as the day I got it....and I have tons more.  The locals were telling me how vicious the bites can be ....  I drove the 100 miles round trip to the nearest Fred Meyer for more mosquito supplies .... a hand-held bug zapper, candles (which I really don't like to light in my coach!), bracelets and more spray.  I use the soap, take vitamin B, wear nothing scented except my Bounce sheet ....  I noticed even the locals wear the netting when outside and was told they do it around their beds as well.  

Tomorrow I head closer to Anchorage - Eagle River, about 10 miles north.  There is lots to see and do in Anchorage but, unfortunately, it was also the hardest and most expensive place on my trip to find a place to stay.  I have 4 days at the state campground (the limit) and a couple days I'm hoping to stay in Cabela's parking lot .... as I won't be coming back, I want to see as much as I can while I'm here, so I may spend a few days at an independent campground (if they have room) and pay the price.   Anchorage will also be my "supply stop."  As the largest city in Alaska, I have appointments with a chiropractor, for a facial, a massage, a haircut, and a visit to Costco.  I also need to make a stop at the Jeep dealer and the dentist.

More fun to follow!  I'll keep you posted ....(again, I won't have internet as I'll be boondocking for the next several weeks, so when I post it may be a little long .. to catch you up on all the happenings) .

Talkeetna

After leaving Denali National Park, I drove down the Parks Highway to Talkeetna, where I had a flight around the mountain scheduled for Monday.

Talkeetna was a surprise.  It is a small tourist town; no bank, gas station or grocery store; it is just shops and tents selling handmade goods and food ...

Shirley's Gourmet Handmade Ice Cream - Raspberry Truffle

I was warned that advance reservations needed to be made everywhere during the summer, so I made reservations at a campground near the airport to wait for my flight.  The site they assigned me was too short and nothing else was available, so I found a large gravel lot next to the train depot and air field and spent the night there. Unfortunately, Monday dawned cloudy and my flight was cancelled; as was the 10am flight and the 2pm flight.  Hopefully, I can get a seat on a good day while I'm here.

I went to breakfast at the Talkeetna Roadhouse, famous for their breakfasts.  You sit at long tables, family style.  Regardless of how you order your eggs, they only serve scrambled.  What they are mostly famous for is their sourdough pancakes.  They are the size of the plate; I ordered the daily special, black and blue (blackberries and blueberries).  The syrup here is from birch trees instead of maple, so the taste is distinctive.  The pancake was good; a little pricey ($19 for the one), but it was the experience ....

I moved the coach down to Willow, about 30 miles, to a campground with full hookups.  The next several weeks has me camping without hookups, so I took this opportunity to get some washing done and fill/empty my tanks.  I'm still close enough to drive back to Talkeetna if a flight becomes available.

And since it is mid-afternoon, it is raining.  Remind anyone of Hawaii?  Only this is one cold rain!

One out of every 2 RVs you see (and possibly even higher) are rentals.  They are all Class C, but vary in length from 26ft to as long as my coach I think.  Now picture .... almost none of these drivers has any experience in living in an RV.  They don't know how to dump their tanks, fill their tanks, drive down an incline, or why they just blew that fuse or what to do about it.  Amazing.

You hear and read horror stories about driving on the Alaskan roads.  Except for the gravel roads I have taken by choice, the paved roads are no worse than some in the lower 48, especially Texas.  If you pay attention and don't drive fast, they are no problem.... except for the mud.

I was joking with some locals about how long it would take to get use to the dirt, silt, mud, etc.  When the snow and ice melt you have this deep sinking heavy mud.  As it dries, it becomes like cement and you can’t get it off anything (including wheel wells ha). Then it is silt and covers every surface and is impossible to wipe off; and then it rains and becomes mud again.  Currently my coach and Jeep are so filthy inside and out, it will take a long time to detail them when I get back to the lower 48.  Even the inside of the closets and cupboards are covered with the dirt and everything will have to be washed and the cupboards wiped out.  Unlike the “dust bowls” I’ve been in in the desert, this dirt has clay(?) in it so you can’t just wipe it off and when you add water, it smears everywhere.  I won’t even mention the condition of my bays. Disgusting.  This is the first time my bays have been  full of dirt.  But the trip has been worth it all!

I wish I could get a good picture of the front of my coach.  I did my best trying to reduce the insect population while drive down the Parks Highway.  I tried scrubbing some of them off the windshield at the gas station, but I wasn't having much success.  Hopefully while I'm here I'll have an opportunity to scrub the front of my coach again and get some of the little buggers off.

Hoary Marmot

Some of the antlers they let you pick up and put on your head to feel how heavy they are

Denali National Park

Next stop .... Anchorage!