Of course, this is less than an original phrase, but true nonetheless. Since my last blog entry we have traveled hundred of miles, been prayed over and blessed by an Episcopal Priest (traveling mercies and blessings for a 30th wedding anniversary celebrated), walked right up to the Exit Glacier sharing a 3 mile hike with my 87 year old dad, experiencing (literally) breathtaking sights of hanging glaciers and flowing glaciers covering whole valley floors! Bridle Vale Falls and Horse Tail Falls, just off the highway to Valdez is nothing to discount or ignore. Oh, I don't want to forget to mention the interesting trip to Whittier on the Kenai Peninsula. After a delightful stop in Seward we started driving back toward Anchorage, but we needed to have the experience of driving through a mountain using the same tunnel that the train uses. The tunnel was all of 16 feet wide (11 1/2 feet paved surface) and perhaps 20 feet high and well over two miles long. Round trip was $20 and it was worth the experience. The tunnel is the longest of its kind in the world. Every half hour the traffic moves the opposite direction.
We decided to not stay in Whittier after a quick one hour tour and headed off to Anchorage. We stayed in the town's RV park, which included a lone small moose calf chewing its cud the second evening we were there. To our delight and satisfaction we enjoyed a few hours at the Alaska Native Heritage Center touring various native structures they lived in, learning of their culture and way of life, including the competitive games they play and the dances the tribes used to entertain themselves and communicate their stories of life and work. It was great to see the young high school students display such pride in their heritage.
We are now in Valdez, a beautiful end of the road town replete with harbor (large and small), tall and steep mountains, glaciers and lots of fishing and small cruise ships. Tomorrow, the three of us are going for a 9 1/2 hour cruise of the Prince William Sound and that will be another story...
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Fishing Is On!
The last two nights I went over to the main town park in Soldotna AK to go salmon fishing along with hundred of others dotted along the Kenai River that runs through town. Tonight's one landed Silver (also known as Red) Salmon was 28 inches and weighed somewhere around 7-8 pounds! The night before I landed a 24 inch. These are the first two salmon I have caught other than the much smaller land-locked variety when I fished with my Great Uncle Ed as a sixteen year old on Flathead Lake, Montana. It has been a thrill; these fish are great fighters. I had hooked many more but they managed to get off the line before I could land them.
Our next door neighbor in the RV park where we are staying paid for a guided boat trip about five miles downstream from where we were located. He showed me the pictures of proof as he described his 48" and his 50" fifty pound King Salmon he caught and released. Because of the nature of our travels and the size of our freezer compartment, I am done for awhile unless I catch and release only. After fileting the two fish, I have at least six meals for the three of us in storage.
My dad has elected to not fish, but I was able to convince him to come and watch the action tonight. His eyesight is getting worse by the week and he will need to have some surgery to correct his vision when we are back in the Denver area in early Fall. He is a good sport about it all, reminding me of his 14lb. Lake Trout he caught in Camloops, B.C. some decades earlier, his largest ever. Louise seemed to be pleased for me these past two evenings, taking pictures and full of congratulatory remarks, particularly tonight since she watched me pull it in.
You know that you have been fishing when even upon washing your hands twice, thoroughly, your fingers still smell like fish. This is a burden I am willing to pay for the experience of catching such great sportfish! As I waded knee-deep in the Kenai River casting my lure out in the swift current, I was again glad for the decision I made to retire early and travel with my wife, Louise, and my dad, Floyd. These days will also be remembered for the unique gift to fish such a river in such a beautiful place. We really like Soldotna, a newer town of several thousand folk. This area was basically wilderness back in the late 50s until the federal government opened it to Homesteading. We have about another month in Alaska before we start heading back south into BC and the lower 48. An yes, I have more fishing to do, particularly for Halibut! To do that, I will need to break down and pay the piper and go on a 1/2 or full day boat.
Our next door neighbor in the RV park where we are staying paid for a guided boat trip about five miles downstream from where we were located. He showed me the pictures of proof as he described his 48" and his 50" fifty pound King Salmon he caught and released. Because of the nature of our travels and the size of our freezer compartment, I am done for awhile unless I catch and release only. After fileting the two fish, I have at least six meals for the three of us in storage.
My dad has elected to not fish, but I was able to convince him to come and watch the action tonight. His eyesight is getting worse by the week and he will need to have some surgery to correct his vision when we are back in the Denver area in early Fall. He is a good sport about it all, reminding me of his 14lb. Lake Trout he caught in Camloops, B.C. some decades earlier, his largest ever. Louise seemed to be pleased for me these past two evenings, taking pictures and full of congratulatory remarks, particularly tonight since she watched me pull it in.
You know that you have been fishing when even upon washing your hands twice, thoroughly, your fingers still smell like fish. This is a burden I am willing to pay for the experience of catching such great sportfish! As I waded knee-deep in the Kenai River casting my lure out in the swift current, I was again glad for the decision I made to retire early and travel with my wife, Louise, and my dad, Floyd. These days will also be remembered for the unique gift to fish such a river in such a beautiful place. We really like Soldotna, a newer town of several thousand folk. This area was basically wilderness back in the late 50s until the federal government opened it to Homesteading. We have about another month in Alaska before we start heading back south into BC and the lower 48. An yes, I have more fishing to do, particularly for Halibut! To do that, I will need to break down and pay the piper and go on a 1/2 or full day boat.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Fossils, Agates, Eagles and Hillslides!
Now that I have piqued your interest (3rd definition of the word at Dictionary.com, not the first or second!), I wanted to remind some of you that follow the blog that if you put your email address in at the top of the front page you will receive automatic emails when there are new blog entries. You can also leave comments.
The campsite we stay at for a few nights in Ninilchik was wooded and on the bluff, but what was most interesting was the campground host of the state recreation area. Rick, who lives alone and looks like a salty fisherman of a sort, showed me his great find on the beach- dug right out of the sand during one of his daily walks. It was beautiful, polished shades of brown, either a tooth or a claw. Those who are supposed to know, including some fossil experts in Montana (where Rich spends six months out of the year) are stumped by the find. He reported that a local woman, upon seeing his find offered him $500 immediately. He laughed and said, "Oh, no, I can't do that. She added another "0" to her offer, but he declined. Quite a find on just another beach walk. He told me that about 16 miles South of Ninilchik fossilized Mammoth bones have recently been found washed ashore. We plan to stop there for a few days on our way out of the Kenai.
I have yet to take my Halibut day boat fishing excursion, instead, I bought a good used Halibut fishing pole, a heavy duty real, 50 lb. fabric testline with really BIG hooks, called "c" hooks. They curl around more than the typical "j" hooks most of us have seen and used. The bait I bought were Herring, about the same size as the trout on a good day of fishing in Colorado. Armed with gear and bate and new rubber mucking boots, I set off to catch my limit casting from shore. I fished three or four times over the next couple of days, mostly at high tide, but to no avail. Skunked, yep! No fish story here, but I am undaunted. Well, what does this have to do with the title of this posting? When you are skunked in the fishing department you can always go agate hunting. Both Louise and I have been successful, but just like fish, they are no easy to catch (or find). All three of us have spent many, many hours over the past week rock hounding and combing the beach.
With pockets full of interesting finds, we cull, sort and sometimes store the precious finds.
Bald Eagles are everywhere up here. They love to cruise the winds along the bluffs and they rule the roost when it comes to beach food. They live together with sea gulls; the gulls, however, know their place. The eagles are truly magnificent creatures and very LARGE in person. Both Louise and I have been able to picture capture them in flight and perching on the cliffs and trees, oftentimes eliciting a sense of awe by their sight.
Hillslides, not hillsides. Yep, within a 1/4 mile of where we had just walked, a goodly chunk of bluff gave way and crashed down onto the sandy shoreline. The avalanche of sand and sandstone created what looks like a sandstorm cloud, which took several minutes to dissipate. WE were thankful that we had decided to turn back and to stay away from the bluff that seemed to always be shedding some sand and stones.
We traveled to Homer today, a relatively short drive from Ninilchik. We elected to go on the cheap and dry camp in one of the town's RV settings along what is know as the "Homer Spit," a jet of land about two miles out into the Sound. It is one of the most beautiful panoramic scenes we have ever witnessed, but that is another entry for another time. I do have to share before I sign off, I saw a King Salmon that someone caught ten minutes before I arrived to try my luck at King fishing, it was HUGE, perhaps 3 feet long. Talk about getting someone interested in fishing for Kings the first time in my life. Yes, the two hours of fishing netted me zippo, but then there is tomorrow!
The campsite we stay at for a few nights in Ninilchik was wooded and on the bluff, but what was most interesting was the campground host of the state recreation area. Rick, who lives alone and looks like a salty fisherman of a sort, showed me his great find on the beach- dug right out of the sand during one of his daily walks. It was beautiful, polished shades of brown, either a tooth or a claw. Those who are supposed to know, including some fossil experts in Montana (where Rich spends six months out of the year) are stumped by the find. He reported that a local woman, upon seeing his find offered him $500 immediately. He laughed and said, "Oh, no, I can't do that. She added another "0" to her offer, but he declined. Quite a find on just another beach walk. He told me that about 16 miles South of Ninilchik fossilized Mammoth bones have recently been found washed ashore. We plan to stop there for a few days on our way out of the Kenai.
I have yet to take my Halibut day boat fishing excursion, instead, I bought a good used Halibut fishing pole, a heavy duty real, 50 lb. fabric testline with really BIG hooks, called "c" hooks. They curl around more than the typical "j" hooks most of us have seen and used. The bait I bought were Herring, about the same size as the trout on a good day of fishing in Colorado. Armed with gear and bate and new rubber mucking boots, I set off to catch my limit casting from shore. I fished three or four times over the next couple of days, mostly at high tide, but to no avail. Skunked, yep! No fish story here, but I am undaunted. Well, what does this have to do with the title of this posting? When you are skunked in the fishing department you can always go agate hunting. Both Louise and I have been successful, but just like fish, they are no easy to catch (or find). All three of us have spent many, many hours over the past week rock hounding and combing the beach.
With pockets full of interesting finds, we cull, sort and sometimes store the precious finds.
Bald Eagles are everywhere up here. They love to cruise the winds along the bluffs and they rule the roost when it comes to beach food. They live together with sea gulls; the gulls, however, know their place. The eagles are truly magnificent creatures and very LARGE in person. Both Louise and I have been able to picture capture them in flight and perching on the cliffs and trees, oftentimes eliciting a sense of awe by their sight.
Hillslides, not hillsides. Yep, within a 1/4 mile of where we had just walked, a goodly chunk of bluff gave way and crashed down onto the sandy shoreline. The avalanche of sand and sandstone created what looks like a sandstorm cloud, which took several minutes to dissipate. WE were thankful that we had decided to turn back and to stay away from the bluff that seemed to always be shedding some sand and stones.
We traveled to Homer today, a relatively short drive from Ninilchik. We elected to go on the cheap and dry camp in one of the town's RV settings along what is know as the "Homer Spit," a jet of land about two miles out into the Sound. It is one of the most beautiful panoramic scenes we have ever witnessed, but that is another entry for another time. I do have to share before I sign off, I saw a King Salmon that someone caught ten minutes before I arrived to try my luck at King fishing, it was HUGE, perhaps 3 feet long. Talk about getting someone interested in fishing for Kings the first time in my life. Yes, the two hours of fishing netted me zippo, but then there is tomorrow!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Seaside Wonders
I mentioned in the last blog entry that I found Hope in Alaska, that is Hope, AK. The town of 130 year round residents, with the aid of a lot of volunteers and a myriad of committees, maintains this little town and its historic buildings including a fine free museum. It's a lazy little town with two streets and a few offshoots, all in gravel or dirt. No sidewalks here and no even a little grocery. 16 miles off the main road that goes between Anchorage and the towns of Seward, Soldotna and Homer. Dad and I toured the museum while Louise was busy getting acquainted with one of the town's artisans, a jewelry maker and husband, painter. She was welcomed into their home to tour the house that was originally a barn built in 1916 with an add-on decades later. A picture post card look, a log cabin of true vintage.
The cabin/former barn was made from beetle-killed spruce. Dad and I were toured around by the volunteer lady, a resident of 30 years, where we saw an old authentic smith's shop, trapper's cabin, a mining dorm and the original one room school house. These small town gems continue to be treats for us on our grand adventure.
Last evening the three of us went to the local bar, dad and I enjoying a German beer and Louise her own drink, a diet Coke. We did this for the music, a local guitarist and singer who entertains every Thursday night. There were a lot of 30 somethings in attendance as well; part of a group of 20 young adults traveling as friends and associates of the Sierra Club. We visited with a New Hampshire couple on their second year of retirement, and second annual trip to Alaska. We enjoyed the company and the music; the music only as long as our ears could stand the overdone volume. But, there was foot-tapp'n and good conversation lasting into the evening.
We pulled up stakes and headed toward Seward or Homer, not knowing until a decision needed to be made, opting for Homer first. As with this split decision, we made another leading us to turn off about 45 miles short of Homer on the Sterling Highway. I had just made comment that I would like to park the trailer for the evening with an unfettered view of Cooks Inlet and the range of snow capped mountains across the Inlet. Within five minutes we see a sign for an RV park called Sea View, and here I sit in my lazy boy chair with a 180 degree wide view overlooking the Inlet and watching Bald Eagles fly by in the currents of air. What a life we are living, what a blessing from the Lord, the Creator, who made all this beautiful scenery and provided us the means and the health to do this trip.
Later today or tomorrow morning we are going to go about 8 miles toward Homer, with the proprietor, to an area we can access the beach. We are on a bluff, perhaps a hundred feet above the water, but beach combing beckons us once again, a five or six week departure since the Puget Sound. This weekend or early next week I plan to take a half day boat to try my hand at Halibut fishing. A husband and wife at the RV park went fishing early this morning and together they kept, among many caught, 80 lbs worth of Halibut. Another fellow I met today a the grocery store just caught a 40lb. King Salmon on the Kenai River. Perhaps there are a few fish still needing to be caught. I will let you know.
The cabin/former barn was made from beetle-killed spruce. Dad and I were toured around by the volunteer lady, a resident of 30 years, where we saw an old authentic smith's shop, trapper's cabin, a mining dorm and the original one room school house. These small town gems continue to be treats for us on our grand adventure.
Last evening the three of us went to the local bar, dad and I enjoying a German beer and Louise her own drink, a diet Coke. We did this for the music, a local guitarist and singer who entertains every Thursday night. There were a lot of 30 somethings in attendance as well; part of a group of 20 young adults traveling as friends and associates of the Sierra Club. We visited with a New Hampshire couple on their second year of retirement, and second annual trip to Alaska. We enjoyed the company and the music; the music only as long as our ears could stand the overdone volume. But, there was foot-tapp'n and good conversation lasting into the evening.
We pulled up stakes and headed toward Seward or Homer, not knowing until a decision needed to be made, opting for Homer first. As with this split decision, we made another leading us to turn off about 45 miles short of Homer on the Sterling Highway. I had just made comment that I would like to park the trailer for the evening with an unfettered view of Cooks Inlet and the range of snow capped mountains across the Inlet. Within five minutes we see a sign for an RV park called Sea View, and here I sit in my lazy boy chair with a 180 degree wide view overlooking the Inlet and watching Bald Eagles fly by in the currents of air. What a life we are living, what a blessing from the Lord, the Creator, who made all this beautiful scenery and provided us the means and the health to do this trip.
Later today or tomorrow morning we are going to go about 8 miles toward Homer, with the proprietor, to an area we can access the beach. We are on a bluff, perhaps a hundred feet above the water, but beach combing beckons us once again, a five or six week departure since the Puget Sound. This weekend or early next week I plan to take a half day boat to try my hand at Halibut fishing. A husband and wife at the RV park went fishing early this morning and together they kept, among many caught, 80 lbs worth of Halibut. Another fellow I met today a the grocery store just caught a 40lb. King Salmon on the Kenai River. Perhaps there are a few fish still needing to be caught. I will let you know.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Turning the Lazy Boy Around
I am speaking of the chair, not me! In our travel trailer are two lazy boy chairs, normally faced inward, but when the views get great we turn them around facing the large living room window and beyond. Such is the case for us in Hope, Alaska. Yesterday we picked up stakes at Wasilla where we spent the last week relaxing, touristing (Is that a word?), and enjoying a RV Bar-B-Que potluck. The mountains surround Wasilla reminded us a bit of some we have experienced in Colorado. With anticipation and excitement we broke camp, drove through Anchorage and headed to the Kenai Peninsula! At the end of the freeway just out of town we turn slightly and moved out of the trees to find ourselves surrounding by increasing grandeur of the Prince William Sound and an area known as Turnagain Arm. Just traveling on the highway we saw a dozen or more glaciers, some so big and steep that the snow/ice folded on itself almost like waves frozen in time. My dad, Floyd, keep exclaiming, "holy smokes!" Around the next turn or twist of the road a new set of mountains or valleys came into view and more exclamations of the same were pronounced. I was so taken by it all that I exclaimed, "I think I might be having a spiritual experience!" Of course, family so familiar, took it upon themselves to say it was about time and they welcomed it, all said in jest, I hope.
Since we have a few weeks we can spend on the Peninsula we decided to take the first paved road off the main beaten path to Seward or to Homer, favorites among fishermen. We traveled the 16 miles and found Hope. If you are seeking hope, we found it! It is a small community on the edge of other side of the Prince William Sound. We found a little RV park at the end of the main street on the edge of solid ground with an unfettered view of the mountains that come down to water's edge. The Sound is perhaps five miles across at this point and we can see the traffic of the highway, the same highway we traveled to get the Peninsula.
Louise and Floyd had already called it a night, but I was duty bound to head out and walk across the grass covered mud flats to see the sights I only experience in a limited manner the day before. The driver must keep most of his attention to the road, or at least a safe driver should. The tidal action is the central feature of the Sound, water rushing like a river. We have never seen such a sight. The sound was that of the seashore and the water of the sound is a muddy brown from the silt and glacier effluence. Nevertheless, it was a sight to see. The sun was still up, well beyond 10:30, breeze blowing, water rushing, sea gulls careening through the air. Resurrection Creek, a small body of water flowing next to Hope rushed into the sound. I spent the time basking in the experience spending no little time taking pictures, some in panorama. Breathtaking. We are spending the day here to visit the museum, the library, to tourist shop ending the day in the one local gathering spot, the bar, not so much for the beer, but for music and songs from the locals, a weekly event every Thursday evening through the summer.
One last thing about this town. The 1964 earthquake, the largest yet recorded in North America, lowered the Prince William Sound by six feet which was not a good thing for the town of Hope. Spring runoff meant that half the town was flooded. Where we sit at the edge of Main Street was the new edge of the Sound. Old historic buildings were moved upland. Seven decades later, the water's edge is several hundred yards away from us now, the result of a general uplifting of the whole land, perhaps waiting for the next Big One. In the 64 Quake, this town shook for four minutes.
Since we have a few weeks we can spend on the Peninsula we decided to take the first paved road off the main beaten path to Seward or to Homer, favorites among fishermen. We traveled the 16 miles and found Hope. If you are seeking hope, we found it! It is a small community on the edge of other side of the Prince William Sound. We found a little RV park at the end of the main street on the edge of solid ground with an unfettered view of the mountains that come down to water's edge. The Sound is perhaps five miles across at this point and we can see the traffic of the highway, the same highway we traveled to get the Peninsula.
Louise and Floyd had already called it a night, but I was duty bound to head out and walk across the grass covered mud flats to see the sights I only experience in a limited manner the day before. The driver must keep most of his attention to the road, or at least a safe driver should. The tidal action is the central feature of the Sound, water rushing like a river. We have never seen such a sight. The sound was that of the seashore and the water of the sound is a muddy brown from the silt and glacier effluence. Nevertheless, it was a sight to see. The sun was still up, well beyond 10:30, breeze blowing, water rushing, sea gulls careening through the air. Resurrection Creek, a small body of water flowing next to Hope rushed into the sound. I spent the time basking in the experience spending no little time taking pictures, some in panorama. Breathtaking. We are spending the day here to visit the museum, the library, to tourist shop ending the day in the one local gathering spot, the bar, not so much for the beer, but for music and songs from the locals, a weekly event every Thursday evening through the summer.
One last thing about this town. The 1964 earthquake, the largest yet recorded in North America, lowered the Prince William Sound by six feet which was not a good thing for the town of Hope. Spring runoff meant that half the town was flooded. Where we sit at the edge of Main Street was the new edge of the Sound. Old historic buildings were moved upland. Seven decades later, the water's edge is several hundred yards away from us now, the result of a general uplifting of the whole land, perhaps waiting for the next Big One. In the 64 Quake, this town shook for four minutes.
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