Driftwood Inn & RV Park, Homer, AK, USA

Thursday, 25 August 2011
Driftwood Inn & RV Park, Homer, AK, USA

Hello all, it is Thursday and we are now at the Driftwood RV Park in Homer. We spent an easy day in Homer, getting up late and then taking a long walk around this part of the city (without my camera). We visited a book shop, and then walked up to the Safeway store, and made a loop back to the trailer. Along the way we visited a couple of gift shops and spotted some other places for later visits. Back at the camper for a late lunch, we then read and took naps. We were very glad to have this time for relaxation.

Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Seward City RV Park, Seward, AK, USA

On Wednesday, we had a leisurely breakfast and then went for a walk along the shore to the Sea Life Center.  There were a several nice pictures along the way:

Coal loader and Tour Ship, Port of  Seward.

Off to work...

Early morning swim, brrrrr!

We looked at the Sea Life Center's program and shop, decided that was enough and left to see the Visitors’ Center for Kenai Fjords Park. It is small but well organized. After looking at the displays and talking briefly with the Ranger, we headed back to the RV Park and began packing for our drive to Homer.

We were packed and on our way out of Seward by 10:30 AM. Just north of town, the Exit Glacier Visitors’ Center seemed interesting, so we stopped for a look. There were some good photos and displays there, and we took a short walk up to the outfall plain below the face of the glacier, so named because an early exploration party found this to be an exit from the Harding Ice Field, down this particular glacier. The path (and the drive into the area) contained year markers showing the distance that the glacier has receded over the past several hundred years -- a distance of several miles; so lots of changes over the years:

Exit Glacier Visitors' Center, north of Seward.

Pano of Exit Glacier terminus and outfall river.

Back in our rig, again, we drove uneventfully back up the Seward Highway to the junction with the Sterling Highway, leading west and then south to Homer. There were spectacularly good views of mountains, lakes, tundra, and the ocean along the way:

Chugach Mountains, from Seward Highway.

Chugach Mountains, at junction of Seward and Sterling Highways

We enjoyed the drive and arrived in Homer about 5:00 PM. We set up in the RV Park at the Driftwood Inn, and were happy to call it a (very good) day.

Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Seward City RV Park, Seward, AK, USA

We were up early on Tuesday; I worked on the blog for a bit and then we had breakfast. About 9:00 AM, we left our travel trailer for the boat tour of the Kenai Fjords National Park and Preserve. Our boat, the M/V Tanaina, departed from the dock at 10:00 AM, motoring into cloudy, rainy weather, so we weren’t too hopeful.

Our ride for the day; M/V Tanaina

Our table and seating, a nice place by the exterior stairs.

The trip narrator, Captain Dan, said that conditions were better in the Park, and were expected to improve even further during the day.

A pair of bald eagles, the first of many we saw on this trip.

We cruised down the east side of Resurrection Bay south-east of Seward. Along the way, he identified and explained the landscape (inlets, mountains, tundra, cliffs, geology, plate tectonics) and described animal life along the edge of the fjord (bald eagles, sea birds of all types, sea lions, and seals). We were awed by the cliffs and islands covered with a flocks of birds, all different kinds; we also saw seals and Stellar Sea Lions in several places. It was interesting, also, to see the video technology set in place to track seal and sea lion populations, which have suffered since the Exxon Valdez disaster.

Gulls and other birds, in a feeding frenzy over a school of fish.

Haul out for seals, with birds in the background.

Technology for keeping track of bird and animal populations.

A puffin colony.

A pair of puffins.

Then we set out across the Bay towards the Chiswell Islands and the Park itself. The seas were calm, but with a bit of chop, as we pounded along at nearly 25 knots throwing up spray and keeping a sharp watch for sea life. It took us about 45 minutes to travel from Resurrection Bay into Aialik Bay.

Chiswell Islands.

Holes in the rock; there were three, now there are two.

Sea otter, a solitary one this time.

We stopped for a few minutes off-shore from the face of the Pederson Glacier, giving us a chance to observe its size and majesty;

Pederson Glacier.

Then we sailed up to the North shore of the bay to observe the Aialik Glacier.

Aialik Glacier.

Kayaks, up close to Aialik Glacier.

We stopped about 1,200 yards off the face of the glacier and listened as it boomed and cracked like rifle shots as it made its slow passage into the ocean. I saw several small ice-falls, and then had to go inside to get another chip for my camera.

Active area on Aialik Glacier.

The small ice-fall.

Makes a bit of a splash (not that I'd want to
be any closer than the 3/4 mile we're at here).

Of course, at that point there was a major icefall, which I heard clearly but was unable to see and photograph; Lin said it was really spectacular.  Anyway, here's what the face looked like as we pulled away:

Then we sailed back down the Bay, looking for whales. We saw several humpback whales and I was even able to get some photos of one of them as it blew and then raised its flukes to dive down deep into the water.

Humpback, blowing.

A pod of sea otters.

Down he goes!

Up comes the tail.

And down it goes, too.

Going, going...

Gone!

With improving weather and the sun peaking out of the clouds, we sped along from Aialik Bay back into Resurrection Bay, headed for Fox Island. We landed there, had a chance to look around a bit and then went in for a good dinner, including crab, salmon, and prime rib.

Docked at Fox Island.

The Lodge at Fox Island.

We were full and well satisfied by the time we returned to Seward at 6:30 PM.

Glaciers, across the bay from Seward.

Boat yard and correctional facility, across the bay from Seward,
with another glacier to the right and up. 

The town of Seward, below the surrounding mountains.

Seward City RV Park, on the waterfront.
Our unit is the one in the center, with the awning out.

We thought to look around town a bit, but decided that we had been out long enough and called it a day.

Seward City RV Park, Seward, AK, USA

Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Seward City RV Park, Seward, AK

Hello all, we are now at the City RV Park in Seward. This place is supposed to have power and water. At least the water is still on. We were getting breakfast, the microwave was on, and the electric fan/heater was also running, when snap, everything went dark. I checked the breaker, but it was not the problem; seems the power to the RV Park went out. Anyhow, we are here and set up for a couple of days. This afternoon, we are taking a cruise to the Kenai Fjords area, in the rain.  There will be more on that in my next post.  Here’s our update for the past several days…

Monday, 22 August 2011
Eagle River State Recreation Site, Anchorage, AK, USA

Monday was a travel day, we got packed up at Eagle River SRS, and began our drive to Seward. The highway along the Turnagain Arm is amazing:

Turnagain Arm, AK; Morning Light.

We plan to be back there to see a bore tide later this week, and to have a nice dinner at the Alyeska Resort, Seven Glaciers Restaurant atop Mt. Alyeska. On our first trip here, we had planned to do that and made reservations long in advance, but the night we were there, a wedding party had booked the entire restaurant. So, while we were treated to a free dinner down below, it just wasn't the same.

The next point of interest along the way is the rail / highway tunnel (Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel) to Whittier; we lined up, paid our toll, and then drove the two miles through the tunnel to the town. Whittier is a port town, built during WW II to handle war supplies for all of Alaska. Today, it exists to support shipping and tourism. There isn’t much else there. 80% of the people in town live in a huge apartment complex that was build in the 40s as base housing for the port.

Defunct WWII era Whittier town center.

80% of town residents live in this WWII era residential tower; there isn't much else.

The Inn at Whittier Resort Hotel

The mountains around Whittier are notable, with glaciers hanging on their edges and water cascading down the face of the cliffs. We looked briefly at the town museum, and then headed back to the tunnel and the Portage Glacier Visitors’ Center.

Mountains and waterfall, outside Whittier Town.

Whittier Portal of the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel.

After an uneventful trip back west through the tunnel, our next stop was the Portage Glacier, which has retreated a significant distance since we last saw it in 1997.  At that time, it extended some distance into the lake and there was a lot of ice floating out from the face.  Now, the terminus is not visible from the VC.

Portage Lake and Glacier.

Portage Lake and Glacier, with row boat.

Portage Lake and Glacier, with tour boat.

The Visitors’ Center has some excellent displays, and the surrounding scenery is beautiful. The above picture was taken from here, looking east (to the right in the following image).

VC in background; it was windy, too.

Portage Lake and Glacier, from the VC Theater (excellent videos available).

We checked out the Williwaw Campground, just down the road from the Visitors' Center, for our return trip and expect to stay there late this week, as we start heading north.

Then we cruised south down the highway to Seward. The roads have been rebuilt since our visit here in the late '90s, so they are much easier driving and provide significantly better visibility; the scenery is just beautiful. We were fortunate to see a bit of sunshine and blue skies among the clouds.  It was a good time; only, I was so busy driving and looking around that I missed taking any pictures.

On arrival in Seward, we checked out the RV Park I’d chosen from a guide, and decided that it was not going to work for us. We looked at several other spots, and finally ended up on the waterfront at the City RV Park. The area used to be an industrial port, but it was wiped out by the 1964 tsunami and rebuilt as open space. So here we are, and now it is time for us to leave for our cruise. More later.

Sunday, 21 August 2011
Eagle River State Recreation Site, Anchorage, AK, USA

Unfortunately, Sunday morning came and Lin was feeling a bit down. We slept in most of the morning; finally, about noon we went into Anchorage to look around; there is lots to do, but for our time there, we walked through the weekend downtown market. Many booths to see, and we bought a few gifts to bring back to the Lower 48 as they call it up here. Then back to Eagle River and an early dinner and bedtime. We'll try to get back for a couple of additional days here after our stay in Homer.  No pictures from this time, either.

Saturday, 20 August 2011
Talkeetna Camper Park, Talkeetna, AK, USA

On Saturday, we got up a bit late, took down the trailer and got ready to leave. Then, we drove from Talkeetna to Eagle River CG, north of Anchorage. The weather wasn't great, so no pictures from this road segment.  The campground was busy and nearly full, but we were able to find a nice spot to set up. We had a leisurely evening, and planned to do some sightseeing in Anchorage on Sunday. So ended the day...

Talkeetna Camper Park, Talkeetna, AK, USA

Saturday, 20 August 2011
Talkeetna Camper Park, Talkeetna, AK, USA

Hello all, we are now at Talkeetna Camper Park in Talkeetna. Internet access continues to be a challenge. This place has it, and I get a good signal, but it was down yesterday from when we arrived until 8:30 AM yesterday and then went down again at 8:15 PM. It is still down this morning and it seems that the local phone company isn’t real good about getting down lines fixed. Will send this along when I can. We’ve had a good time the past several days, here’s what been happening…

Today, Saturday, we cleaned up, got the blog update mostly done, and are now ready to pack up and head to Eagle River CG, 10 miles northwest of Anchorage. I will tell you about it tomorrow…

Friday, 19 August 2011
Talkeetna Camper Park, Talkeetna, AK, USA

Friday, we were scheduled for a 9:00 AM departure on our flight tour of Denali. We checked in at K2 Air about 8:30 AM and got the report that the landing site on the glacier was covered with fresh snow and hard ice; not good conditions for a landing. We elected to wait for an 11:00 AM departure and see if our luck would improve. While waiting, we drove back into town and looked into the McNally’s store (historic structure, general store and starting point for several notable climbing expeditions on Denali), and walked down the street to the Talkeetna Roadhouse. There we saw a couple of good looking sweet rolls and quiches. We couldn’t resist the sticky bun with pecans, so split one between us. We looked into a couple of other shops and then it was time to head back to the airport and K2.

When we got there, the folks in the office said that conditions on top of the mountain had improved over the past two hours, but that the glacier landing area was still questionable. We put on glacier boots over our shoes and got a safety briefing from the pilot, Chris. Then out to the Otter, a turbine powered 11-place high-wing aircraft. I was fortunate to be able to take the co-pilot’s seat and got both forward and side views, along with the chance to see the instrument panel and Chris at work in his office. After the normal preflight activities, we taxied out to the runway, got takeoff clearance, and away we went into light rain and a mostly solid cloud cover at 7,500 feet.

We flew over the rivers and valley floor headed toward the Denali massif. For the next 45 minutes we wove our way up to the massif, in and out of mountain passes, over glaciers, and past the (highly visible) South summit. We weren’t able to land on the glacier, but the rest of the trip was everything we had hoped for or could expect. Dazzling sun on bright snow, flowing glaciers, dark moraines, sparkling lakes, tumbling waterfalls, it was all there. All too soon, it was time to head back to land at the airport. Pictures cannot do the trip full justice; but I’ve included the best that I was able to get; enjoy...

Lin, ready to go at K2 Aviation, Talkeetna.

Don, ready to go at K2 Aviation, Talkeetna.

Under the clouds, enroute to the Denali Massif.

Coming closer, from the south.

Clouds opening up.

Glaciers & crevasses.

South summit.

South summit.

In closer.

Around to the southwest.

Summit.

Glacier, looking to northeast.

Moving around to the north side.

Sorry, no landing, too much new snow.

Snow and ice on rock!

Coming around to the wall.

Glacier.

Another view.

The wall.

Glacier.

On the way back.

Happy us, after the flight.

We took time during the afternoon to visit the rest of the more interesting shops in town, including the local history museum. There we saw an interesting model of the Denali massif showing 100’ contours, primary climbing routes, glaciers, and other significant features. Then back to the campground for supper and quickly to bed. It was a fine day in Talkeetna.

Thursday, 18 August, 2011
Teklanika CG, Denali National Park, AK, USA

We got up after a good night's sleep at Teklanika CG, packed up, and left about 10:30, in the sunshine (FINALLY!).

Ready to leave Teklanika CG, Denali NP; in the SUNSHINE!

The drive out was really nice, as we could finally see some of the wonderful scenery that we'd missed on three previous passes through this area:

Along the NP Road, on the way out.

Mountains all around, and some sunshine, too.

Rugged slope, braided river; typical topography.

Spires, too.

We stopped at the Denali NP Visitors' Center and took a short look around.  This is a much more modern VC than many we've seen.  It uses plastic models of wildlife in dioramas to show what the natural setting looks like, but we didn't find it particularly effective or worthy of photography.  The drive from Denali south on the George Parks Highway was uneventful.  We arrived Thursday afternoon around 4:00 PM at Talkeetna Camper Park, and got set up there without any difficulties. Later, we drove into town and made a quick car tour to see what’s there, and then back to the trailer for dinner and a good night’s rest.