Category: Alaska

Two relaxing nights in Chugach National Forest

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Day 75: Monday, July 29, 2013. Homer, Alaska to Williwaw Campground on Portage Glacier Road in the Chugach National Forest near Whittier, AK. About 180 miles traveled.

We enjoyed our time in the Kenai Peninsula but it was time to move on to our next Alaska Adventure. The sky was clear when we woke up and we watched the boats going out into the bay before we left. The drive north through the Kenai was beautiful and as always we kept an eye out for moose. Unfortunately, there were no moose to be seen! The only wildlife of the day was a family of ducks at a rest stop at Tern Lake

We enjoyed watching the boats going out in the bay our last morning in Homer
Mama and baby ducks at Tern Lake
It was peaceful at Tern Lake

After staying in private RV parks, city parks, national parks, state and provincial parks, we spent two nights in the first United States Forest Service park of the trip. The road through the campground is paved and each site has a paved pad. When the last few weeks have almost all been in gravel, parking lot type campgrounds it was such a treat to have no dust! Our site was surrounded by trees and wildflowers and we had a large picnic table and fire ring. A perfect place to relax.

The campground is located on Portage Glacier Road which leads to Portage Lake and then the town of Whittier. There are several glaciers in the area which can be seen from the visitor’s center at Portage Lake and from the campground. The only way to see the Portage Glacier is to take a cruise on the lake. We decided to pass on the cruise and enjoy the ones we could see from land.

Glacier view from the visitor’s center at Portage Lake
Portage Lake
Portage Lake just a couple of miles from our campground
Another glacier at Portage Lake
Portage Lake
View out our back window at Williwaw
Beautiful campsite at Williwaw Campground in Chugach National Forest
View from the campground

Day 76: Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Our campground was so beautiful the truck didn’t move all day. We started the day by going to a salmon viewing platform where salmon can be seen in the creek when they are spawning in August. We were just a few days too early and never saw any. After seeing no fish we went for a hike along the Williwaw Nature Trail.

Fog over the glacier early in the morning
There’s a waterfall in the middle of the picture
Glacier and waterfall
No salmon in the creek yet
What a view from the nature trail
We walked through really tall fireweed
The only wildlife we saw on our hike

The wildflowers were beautiful in the campground

Bluebells of Scotland
Northern Yarrow and Wild Geranium
I think this is a high bush cranberry
Ferns covered the ground beneath the trees
Cow Parsnip

Our journey through Alaska is nearing the end. Soon we will have to leave this beautiful state and start heading home.

Day 73: High above Kachemak Bay in Homer, Alaska

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Day 73: Saturday, July 27, 2013. Ninilchik, Alaska to Homer, Alaska. Baycrest RV Park Site 44. 35 miles traveled.

Delicious lunch at Captain Pattie's on the Homer Spit
Delicious lunch at Captain Pattie’s on the Homer Spit

Foggy skies greeted us as we drove south to Homer, Alaska, our next destination on the Kenai Peninsula. We had chosen a campground for its spectacular views from a bluff overlooking Kachemak Bay. The fog was so thick we couldn’t see anything so we drove to the Homer spit for some lunch at Captain Pattie’s. The Homer spit is a long, narrow piece of land with several campgrounds, a small boat harbor, and many restaurants, shops, and bars. Tourists were everywhere on this Saturday afternoon and parking spaces were rare but we found a spot in front of the restaurant and enjoyed a lunch of halibut and clam chowder.

After a stop at Safeway for some much needed groceries we spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying our view from the campground. Several eagles were soaring over the bluffs. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Fireweed behind our campsite made the beautiful view even better
Our campsite overlooks Kachemak Bay
Beautiful day in Homer, Alaska
View out our back window from Baycrest RV Park, Homer, Alaska
Loved this cloud over the water
Eagle soaring overhead in Homer

Day 74: Sunday, July 28, 2013

The fog rolled in over the water early in the morning. It was eerie looking down over the fog.

Early morning fog rolling in over the water
Henry went up on the RV for a better view
We were above the fog
More fog

After a home cooked breakfast of sourdough french toast and reindeer sausage we took a drive to Anchor Point, the western most point reached by highway in North America. We stopped at the beach to watch the tractors bring in boats from the water like in Ninilchik. It was so foggy the tractors beeped to help the boats find them.

From Anchor Point we took a drive on the North Fork Loop Road where we saw hillsides covered with fireweed and views of two volcanoes.

Anchor Point is the most westerly highway point on a continuous road system in North America
Tractor at Anchor Point bringing in a boat in the fog
Bringing in another boat. It was so foggy we couldn’t even see the water.
The volcano Mount Iliamna is in the distance

We dropped Blondie off at the RV and took a drive down to the spit. We stopped at the Baycrest Overlook where we could see our campground. As we drove along the road a bald eagle was flying at eye level over the beach close to my window. He stayed beside us for a while. What a treat.

As the former owners of several boats named Salty Dawg, we had to stop at the Salty Dawg Saloon for a beer. We finished our tour of the Homer area with a stop at the small boat harbor.

View of our campground from Baycrest overlook
The sign says it all.
A perfect day for a beer at the Salty Daw Saloon
No dawgs allowed at the Salty Dawg Saloon. We went in anyway.
Beth at the Salty Dawg Saloon
Homer small boat harbor
Small boat harbor at low tide

Henry had just built a fire when Ted and Ruth Ann arrived from Ninilchik. They had been on a halibut fishing trip in the morning and were pretty exhausted after each catching their limit. We visited with them and some campers from Missouri while watching more eagles and enjoying our fabulous views.

Day 71: More exploring around Ninilchik

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Day 71: Thursday, July 25, 2o13

Blondie and I started the day with our usual early morning walk by the marsh behind the campground.

The marsh behind the campground
View of the marsh and the bluff at the mouth of Deep Creek
Wildflowers everywhere

Later I went for a long walk on the beach away from the campground and boat launch area. It was a beautiful day and many boats had gone out fishing. I passed by many people digging for clams, walking along the beach, or four wheeling by the water. The tide was low so there was plenty of beach.

My hope was to find flocks of eagles feasting on the fish carcasses that end up on the beach at low tide. The only birds dining on the carcasses were hundreds of gulls at waters edge. I managed to find a couple of eagles sitting tucked away high up on the bluff overlooking the water.

Lots of trailers lined up on the beach
There were trickles of water coming down the bluff by the beach
There were several downed trees at the base of the cliff
Razor clam shell. Digging for these razor clams is a popular activity along the beach.
People strolling along the beach at low tide with the sea gulls in the foreground
Shell and rocks on the beach
Eagle on the bluff overlooking the water
This eagle was hard to spot behind the grass

Later in the day Henry and I took a drive to see the Russian Orthodox church which sits on a bluff overlooking Ninilchik Village. Ninilchik was first explored and settled by Russians and there are families who have lived here for many generations. I met two women at the church who manage the gift shop and maintain all the graves. They grew up in Ninilchik together and lived with relatives in Anchorage to attend high school because at the time there was no high school in Ninilchik. They graduated together in 1950.

There was an eagle soaring over the bluff as I looked down into the village.

The Russian Orthodox Church in Ninilchik
Gorgeous field of wildflowers across the street from the church
Russian Orthodox Church
Eagle soaring over bluff at Russian Orthadox Church in Ninilchik
Looking down at Ninilchik Village from the Russian Orthodox Church

We enjoyed relaxing with Ted and Ruth Ann and feasting on clam chowder that Ruth Ann made from the razor clams that Ted had dug that morning. Henry cooked hamburgers on the grill to finish up a great dinner. As we sat by a campfire after dinner we could see about 2 adult eagles and 4 or 5 young eagles soaring over the bluff by the mouth of Deep Creek.

I went to bed early and was sleeping soundly when Henry woke me up about 11:00 pm and said to come outside to look at something. I couldn’t imagine what it was but put on a jacket over my pajamas before going outside to see the most spectacular sunset I’ve ever seen. It was so out of this world I felt like I was on Mars!.

Amazing sunset after 11:00 pm
Mount Redoubt sunset in Ninilchik, Alaska

Day 70: A little sightseeing and a lot of Beach

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Day 70: Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Our friends Ted and Ruth Ann moved from the RV park to the site next to us on the beach at the state park. While Henry took the truck to the mechanic I rode with Ruth Ann and Ted to Homer to check it out.

The last few miles into Homer are down a hill with a spectacular view of the bay and mountains with glaciers across the bay. We stopped at a couple of the city of Homer campgrounds on the famous Homer Spit and looked at the private parks there also. Ted and Ruth Ann needed to pick up their mail at the Homer Post Office and while Ted went inside I managed to get a few pictures of a mama Bald Eagle and one of her babies on their nest across the street.

Mama and baby eagles across from the Homer Post Office
Mama and Baby Eagles in Homer

We stopped on the way out of town to get gas and discovered an RV park sitting on the bluff with a spectacular view. We liked it the best of all the ones we saw.

Back at Deep Creek State Park we cooked hot dogs over a fire and took a late night walk on the beach.  Life is good.

Going for a walk on the beach at 10:00 at night
This is at 10:00 at night with a while to go before sunset

Day 69: Moving to the beach

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Day 69: Tuesday, July 23, 2013. Alaskan Angler RV Park to Deep Creek Beach State Park, Ninilchik, Alaska. About 3 miles traveled.

We broke camp and moved to Deep Creek Beach State Park on the beach in Ninilchik. From our campsite we can see volcanoes, the ocean, and hear the waves crashing on the beach at high tide. I think I’m in heaven!

Our campsite at Deep Creek State Park
View of Mount Redoubt from our campsite
Camping at Deer Creek Beach, Ninilchik, Alaska
Mount Redoubt erupted in 2009

The campground is located a short walk down the beach from the boat launch area in one direction and Deep Creek in the other direction. We spotted an eagle in a tree on the bluff across from Deep Creek so I headed down there to get a few pictures. He did a great job of posing for me.

Bald Eagle on Ninilchik Beach
This eagle was perched in a tree on the side of the bluff overlooking Deep Creek
Same eagle
Another pose

After I got my fill of watching the eagle we noticed the fishing boats were starting to come in so we walked down to the launch area for a few photos and videos.

We watched them bringing in the boats
Skidders were bringing in the boats non stop

Here is a video of the skidder taking a boat out of the water.

Right after we got back to the campsite I got a call from Ruth Ann that Ted was going out on an afternoon charter so I walked back down to the launch area to see him off.

Ted waiting to board for his Halibut fishing trip
Ted boarding for his fishing trip. He caught his limit of 2 Halibut
Heading out to the fishing grounds