Monday, 7/29/19 Travel to Homer, Alaska
It was a later morning departure from Kenai since it was only 80 miles to Homer. Beautiful views of 3 mountain volcanoes along the way.
Our campground for tonight is a KOA campground just outside of Homer. The view from our front window is incredible.
Tuesday, 7/30/19 Homer, Alaska
Drove to the Homer Spit. The Spit is a piece of land that juts out into the Peninsula. Lots of quaint shops, restaurants and fishing charters. Homer is the Halibut Fishing Capital of the World.
We visited the Salty Dog Saloon. They have $1 bills hung everywhere.
Saw fishing boats coming in with some of their catch. There are some big halibuts.
Drove up to lookout point. Full view of the harbor complete with the airport. That thin strip of land is the Spit.
Wednesday, 7/31/19 Homer
We had 2 bald eagles that had a nest in a tree at the campground. You could hear them and see them flying in and out. The eagle is at the top of the middle tree.
The group visited Bear Creek Winery for a tasting and tour. They make a lot of fruit wines.
Later that evening the wagonmasters and tailgunners cooked us a fresh fried halibut and hush puppies dinner!
Thursday, 8/1/19 Homer continued
Rick and 4 others in the group took a fishing charter from the Spit.
They caught 9 halibut and 2 rock fish. We picked up 43 pounds of halibut at the processing plant that was split between the fishing group.
In the afternoon Elaine went with some of the group to the Kilcher Homestead. It was really primitive. They were homesteaders from Switzerland. They are well known for the Discovery Channel show – Alaska The Great Frontier. It was all back to nature stuff and a little bit crazy the way they still live. They were a very musical family. One of the founders granddaughter is Jewel , the singer.
Friday, 8/2/19 drive from Homer to Sewark, AK
Seward is a cruise ship port. Today the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas is in harbor.
Checked out shops on Main Street.
Saturday, 8/3/19 Seward
Today’s ship is a Viking Line ship.
We were up early to catch a bus to take the group a short distance to the pier. We boarded the Kenai Fjords boat Aialik. We saw lots of stuff!
Beautiful scenery, wildlife and the Ajalek Glacier.
How Elaine got this photo is a mystery. It must have been just the right light and angle. One of the best pictures ever. You might see this hanging somewhere in our house in the future.
The glacier was something to see. When a piece was about to break off and drop into the water you would hear a rumble. I have a terrific video of a big piece falling into the water.
The picture will have to do for this posting.
On the way back we saw 4 Orca whales. Didn’t really get good pictures of the full body but here are the fins.
One of the workers on the boat was a young guy from Rising Sun, MD. Small world!
More views from the boat.
Sunday, August 4 Seward
Now there is Holland America’s Westerdam in port! Lots of balcony rooms on the back of the ship.
In the morning the group went to the Seavey’s Ididaride tour and we got to go on a dog sled ride.
We got to hold and play with puppies.
Monday, 8/5/19 Seward to Palmer
Lots of road construction in Palmer. It is the site of the Alaska State Fair. The fair starts 8/22 so we are too early. Apparently there is always terrible traffic jams during the fair. With the road work it will be even worse. Since it is daylight for 20 hours they are working long days to try and get the road in shape for the fair.
Tuesday, 8/6 Palmer, AK with a visit to Anchorage
In the morning we visited a Musk Ox farm. These are strange looking animals. Almost prehistoric. The musk ox have an undercoat that is the 2nd most expensive in the world. $95 an ounce for the yarn from the fur called Qiviut
In the afternoon we drove back to Anchorage to visit Rick’s cousin, Kim’s son, Shawn. Shawn took us to the JBE Elmendorf military base. His wife, Stephanie, is a captain in the Alaska National Guard. She is also a helicopter pilot. We arrived just as she landed in a Chinook helicopter.
Rick got to sit in the co-pilot seat and check out the instrument panel.
The base is a joint base of the army, airforce and national guard. It is huge. We got to see planes that refuel other planes when they are in the air and lots of F22 fighter planes. When you are in the lower 48 you don’t think about how close Alaska is to Russia and Korea. They are the first defense in case of attack!
Wednesday, August 7 travel from Palmer to Valdez, AK
The drive was a little over 260 miles. The road was very rough from Glenallen to Valdez. We stopped at the Visitor Center in the Wrangler-St Elias National Park & Preserve. This is the view from the overlook.
Thursday, August 8 Valdez, AK
Got to sleep in this morning then an afternoon walking tour of Old Valdez. A guide from the Valdez Museum told us the story of the town. The 1964 Good Friday earthquake and flood devastated the town. 33 people died as a result of the 30 foot wall of water that followed the earthquake.
The city was relocated further down the bay and is New Valdez.
It is very hot here today. The sun is very intense. They are breaking temperature records.
Friday, August 9 Valdez, AK
Glacier boat tour early in the morning. It is good we are camped right across the street from the dock. The group had to be at the boat at 6:30. We saw sea lions, puffins and humpback whales.
Again the whales don’t come that far out of the water but when a humpback is ready to dive you see the body briefly followed by the fin.
Then as we got closer to the Columbia Glacier we started to see the icebergs. The captain told us that yesterday they were able to get up to the face of the glacier. She said something must have happened overnight that caused chunks to come in the water. No wonder with the heat they have been having! For a bit we felt like the Titanic! Some of the chunks are blue. WE had to stay 10 miles out from the glacier.
On the way back to the pier we saw views that almost made you think you were in the Caribbean!
After a steak dinner at the Elks Club we drove to the Solomen Gulch Fish Hatchery on the other side of the bay. Amazing what salmon do to return home to spawn. It was a site that you couldn’t believe. These salmon were hatched here and a year later they are returning to spawn …..and then die. The hatchery has ladders that the fish jump to get back home. Many of them die from exhaustion.
The sea lions take advantage and come in to feast on the fish. Again I have some good video but you can’t paste it on the blog.
Rick & Elaine's Alaska Caravan 