Mt. McKinley (Denali):
On Tuesday, we took the Tundra and Wildlife Tour of Denali. We saw Dall Sheep, Caribou, and Grizzly Bears along with various birds. Unfortunately, the Caribou and Grizzly Bears were too far away to photograph. The weather was overcast, so we didn't get a chance to see Mt. McKinley while on the tour; however, the views we did see were spectacular -- when I could open my eyes (part of the road was very narrow with a sharp drop off which was especially scary for me on our return trip).
Dall Sheep:
View from the bus:
Another view from the bus
(note road in the distance)
On Wednesday, June 27, we drove 186 miles to the Talkeetna River Adventures Campground in Talkeetna. Due to heavy cloud cover, we were not able to catch glimpses of Mt. McKinley on our way there.
Talkeetna is a quaint little town from which much of the flight seeing trips over Mt. McKinley depart. When the weather is clear, the town has great views of the mountain.
On Thursday morning, Bill knocked on our door early in the morning to tell us the mountain was out. I hurriedly got dressed and drove down to the overlook with Bill to take pictures. After taking Maxx for his morning walk, Earl joined us bringing Ron Wilcox and Anne Moffatt with him (Ron and Anne are from Newfoundland, Canada and are friends of Bill and Gisela). It's not often that Mt. McKinley is out -- we were very fortunate in 1998 to see it and our luck was holding on this trip, too.
Mt. McKinley (Denali):
On Friday, June 29, we drove 87 miles to the Mountain View RV Park in Palmer, Alaska where we spent eight nights. We were originally going to spend only a week, but had to delay our departure by one day due to Bill and Gisela having a problem with bent spindles on their fifth wheel's axles, for which they made numerous trips into Anchorage.
Earl and I drove into Anchorage to pick up our mail and do some shopping at Costco. Earl also went golfing -- the first time he's golfed in quite a while. All of us also went out to dinner a couple of times.
On Saturday, July 7, we drove 154 miles to the Russian River USFS campground near Cooper Landing where we dry camped in the overflow area. We walked across the street to visit K'beq (Footprints) center where the Dena'ina Athabascans (otherwise known as the Kenaitze Indian Tribe) share their traditions and culture with visitors. We took a guided walking tour through archaeological sites as our guide explained about the traditional plant use of the Dena'ina.
View of Kenai Mountains from a rest stop:
The next day, we drove 54 miles to the Kenai RV Park in the town of Kenai, the largest town on the Kenai Peninsula. We toured Old Town Kenai, which is a blend of Russian and Alaskan territorial history, including the Holy Assumption Russian Orthodox Church which was built in 1896. Kenai is located at the mouth of the Kenai River where it empties into Cook Inlet. We looked for Beluga whales, but didn't see any. I overheard a local telling someone that the Belugas had not yet been spotted this year -- they are apparently becoming scarce.
Holy Assumption Russian Orthodox Church:
On our second day in Kenai, we took a drive up the Spur Highway to Nikiski, an area homestead in the 1940s that grew when oil was discovered in 1957, and on to Captain Cook State Recreation Area where we walked the beach on Cook Inlet.
Moose spotted along Spur Highway
(she had a calf with her, but I wasn't quick enough to get its picture)
On Tuesday, July 10, we drove 84 miles to the Oceanview RV Park in Homer, Alaska which is at the end of Kachemak Bay and is as far west as you can drive on the North American continent. We stopped in Ninilchik on our way to Homer where we had a delicious lunch of clam strips and clam chowder. That evening, while we were sitting around outside, someone stopped by selling fresh Halibut for $3.00 per pound, so we bought about 4 pounds. Now we won't have to spend a couple of hundred dollars to go out Halibut fishing!
On Wednesday, we drove down to the Homer Spit and walked around looking into all the shops. The Homer Spit, jutting out for almost five miles from the Homer shore, is a neat area with lots of camping spots (mostly dry camping, although there are some spots with electricity), restaurants, lots of stores offering fishing and tour charters, and other more "touristy" shops.
Thursday, we drove back up to Ninilchik to further explore the town. We had lunch at the same place we'd stopped and eaten on our way to Homer. From the dining room on a clear day, you can look across the Cook Inlet and see four active volcanoes that mark the beginning of the Aleutian Chain -- Mounts Saint Augustine, Iliamna, Redoubt, and Spurr. Since 1984, three of the four volcanoes have erupted. While in Kenai, we'd seen steam coming from Mount Iliamna.
Russian Orthodox Church:
Mt. Redoubt Volcano & Bald Eagle:
Moose seen on way to Ninilchik:
House with washing machine:
Fireweed:
Fireweed blooms all across Canada and Alaska. It gets its name from its appearance after wildfires or any other soil disturbance. It blooms from the bottom up and locals say that when the top flowers bloom, winter is just around the corner.
Bald Eagle:
Kenai Mountains:
Kenai Mountains & Homer Spit:
Kenai Mountains:
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