Alaska, 2.4

Skagway to Anchorage, and Kenai Peninsula

The weather in Skagway turned dark and drizzly. The dampness gets into everything. My body lotion bottle hasn’t been touched for a few weeks. At home, it’s a daily application. Lifestyles and daily ways of life become so ingrained that we sometimes forget what else is there. A trip like this one reminds very quickly what else is out there.

We are now on our way to Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. We are making three, one night stay overs along the way. Driving through this part of the Yukon is the hardest part of the driving time I think. The road deteriorates to gravel in lots of places, and perma frost continues to warp and twist the road bed. Average speed in this section is around 30 mph. The daily slogan for today is “It is what it is”. Each time we stop, which is more often now, we have to check all the cupboards and pick up things that have fallen onto the floor. The only other portion of this trip that may be worse is the washboard section of the Top of the World highway, which is on our way back home.

Driving along I noticed some different colors showing up in the hills in front of us. It took me a moment to realize that the color was from fireweed in full bloom. This area we have entered now had burned in the past, and fireweed is the first plant to grow to begin the natural healing process of the land. I suddenly had the urge to fly the drone! So fortunately, there was enough space for Al and I to pull over and spend a little time here. We were all amazed by the site of the rolling hills covered with magenta fireweed. These images are the first drone images from the trip

We stopped for lunch at the little town of Beaver Creek. In the very nice visitor center we chatted with two very helpful attendants. We learned that not far from this location is where two bull dozers touched blades which symbolized the completed Alaskan Hwy. At least the basic path was completed, but there was much more work to be done in order for traffic to successfully travel the road.

Day 30 was spent driving from Tok, AK to Glennallen AK. Not very far really, but the road was just as bad as the day before. So, lots of himming and hawing, and yawing, and jerking, and, well, you get the idea. Now Kathy is sick too. I feel so bad for Al and her. I and Monika feel like our heads our on the chopping block to be next. We stopped many more times today, and I flew the drone at these stops too. So I am happy to post some of those photos. It felt like driving through a national park today, so I had no problem with being forced to drive slow due to road conditions.

Al and Monika enjoying a break along side a beautiful lake.

The midnight sun is no joke here. I got up last night at midnight to use the facilities, and it was almost just as bright as daylight out. It looked like a typical setting sun time around 8PM at home. But it was midnight here. Then it get’s back to business at around 4AM again and photo synthesis starts all over again. So happy for my eye mask from Monika!

Al picked the campsite tonight, which is about a mile off of the highway. It’s a wilderness RV park, very rough, but very beautiful. And very many mosquitoes. Al picked this place since there is a little stream running through it which he wanted to fish. So after getting set up and dinner done, he fished and caught some small graylings. He was very happy to finally have fished in Alaska! The running line is “It’s not considered a world class fishing location until Al comes and fishes it”. I think he has higher ambitions though, so we will find out later what he has in store for us. (Next morning)… The temp got down to 38 degrees last night! Sure happy we have a reliable heating system on the trailer.

8AM and back on the road, day 4 of single night stays. The drive today was much nicer than the last few days. The road conditions improved and we were able to stop at more pullouts to fly the drone and take photos. Glaciers and mountains and clouds were the main subjects. Matanuska Glacier is a main draw here, with a small network of roads and buildings to accommodate visitors. I think this is a destination in itself since you can take a guided adventure into the wild.

We arrived in Palmer just in time to set up the Starlink so Kathy could attend a meeting for work. I browsed the Palmer visitor center flower garden which was just across the street from our parking spot. After doing the required trailer duties and getting some things at the store, we headed toward Anchorage. This is day 31 of our trip, and once again, it was raining hard as we drove down busy roads into and out of Anchorage. We made it to Willawa campground and picked our sites and settled in the night. It was still raining well into the night. This campground is another true rain forest environment. It has high glaciers on one side, dense trees and undergrowth, moss covers most things, and it’s very wet most of the time. Kathy spotted a moose in the trees, but didn’t a real good look, and then it moved on. We will stay at this campground again on our way back out of the Kenai.

Next site was in Soldotna, which is about half way down the peninsula. All the RV parks are all booked up since the sockeye salmon are here now. We were fortunate to have found a park with two open spaces for the first two nights. We are right next to the Kenai river, where people from all over the country and world come to catch salmon. Al bought an Alaska fishing license, but he not sure it covers salmon. I sure hope so, since the fish we see other people catching sure look good!

Well, it’s now my turn to be the sick! I guess it was inevitable. Kathy and others are feeling better though, so hopefully I can kick this in about 5 days. The sun is finally shining. That makes such a difference for me. The constant rain and dampness and being sick just don’t go together! No photos taken at Soldatna, at least no digital. I managed to expose 10 frames of black and white last evening after it quit raining. I think this may be a new theme for me, 10 frames from each place we set up the trailer. Last evening wasn’t too much of a challenge to get 10 frames, but other places present a real challenge especially if it’s just an overnight stay. During our stay in Soldatna, we did manage to get some errands completed. I bought a pair of Apple Air Pods so now I can listen to my music and watch YouTube without bothering anyone. Got a haircut, got some small bills cash for campsites, visited a very quaint bookstore/market and resupplied some things in the trailer.

Our drive was very short today, thank goodness. I stopped to fly the drone one time. We are now staying in the Moose Pass campground, in Moose Pass, AK. Two nights here, and then four nights in Seward at the town park. No hookups in Seward but our space backs up to the bay and is supposed to have incredible views, and I have no doubt about that. Just about anywhere you look here, you get awe inspiring views. Not enough pull outs!

The small village of Moose Pass is a very photogenic place. All one has to do is slow down, walk around, be observant, and open to connection of the places we visit. This place was first established as a resupply location for miners heading to the goldfields. Finding gold and hitting it big were the dreams of so many people. Some of these resupply towns vanished and others are still around. This one has endured. It has a school, a few shops and places to browse. A small food store, a post office, a cell tower with great coverage, and fiber optics connecting it to the rest of the world.

Moose Pass campground office, very much a self-service office.

Tomorrow we head on down to Seward to spend 4 days, one full day on a boat tour of the Kenai Fjords. Let’s keep fingers crossed that the weather allows for some visibility this time!

Alaska, 2.5

Alaska, 2.3