Snowbound

We drove in very wet snow most of yesterday and it snowed about 5 inches last night!   This morning we started our day by having to climb up on the RV and push snow off in order to close the slides (Karen...who isn't afraid of heights)!

Today was a beautiful drive down the Cassiar Highway where we saw several bears.  Unfortunately one had just been hit by a car and it was blocking our lane.

We've stopped for the night at a delightful campground in Hazelton BC.  Bad news is it's raining and looks like more snow!

Three days on the road

We started out Thursday morning and spent the first night at a camp site near Glennallen, AK, continuing on to Beaver Creek, YT on Friday for a delightful evening next to a babbling brook.  We enjoyed a campfire and Max had fun with a pestering Raven that kept trying to steal his dog food.

Today we drove in rain a good part of the day and are now at a campground outside of White Horse, YT.  It was 39 degrees when we broke camp this morning and never reached 49 all day (rain and mountains).   Tonight it is supposed to reach 33 degrees here!  Boy when fall comes to the North Country, it comes fast and hard!

We are planning a different route back from here and will be traveling the Cassiar highway South through BC, coming into the US at Glacier Nat Park.

The sun just broke through so we might brave the 30 MPH wind and 49 degrees to take a walk......

Max says "Hey Y'all "!

We bid adieu to Soldotna

Well, the time has come to "bid adieu" to Soldotna.   We orginally planned to wait until after Labor Day, but with freezers full of fish and having visited most of the Kenai Peninsula,  we have decided to pack up and slowly work our way home through British Colombia to see new and different things.

This evening we threw a pizza party for our dear friends here at Klondike RV Park.  They have been amazing and welcoming!   Tomorrow morning we leave for Wilderness Park just outside Glennallen AK.

Max made his rounds and said goodbye to his many admirers.  I'm convinced that 70 percent of us being so welcomed is because of "loveable Max"!

More later....

Mac says "Hey Y'all "!

More Seward Pictures

Here are a couple more pictures of Resurrection Bay and Seward.

Resurrection

We spent three days in Seward (Resurection Bay) enjoying the glaciers and one day fishing for Silvers (Coho).  As usual,  Karen out fished me but we ended up with a sizable catch.   The freezers are full!

We really enjoyed the Sea Life Center with its many aquariums.   Always a treat are the Sea Lions and seals.

Max enjoyed the water (of course)!

Max says "Hey Y'all "

Lazy days and Thanksgiving

With the Sockeye runs coming to an end and Silvers "on hold" (AKDNR has limited Silver fishing to a single bare hook until the 15th to help protect the Kings), we are doing some aggressive hiking each day in wilderness areas.  Afternoons are pretty much sitting around and "chatting" with fellow RVers.

This evening the Owner and his family are hosting a "Thanksgiving dinner" for the campground.  Karen is making a great salad to take over (pot luck don't you know).

Friday we leave for Seward for a couple of days of Silver (Coho) fishing with a guide we've gotten to know.  There are no fishing restriction on Silvers in Seward and the daily limit is 6 per person.  Silvers average 8 to 10 lbs.

Yesterday we were treated to a nice view of Mt. Redoubt....

Max says "Hey Y'all "

Valcanos, Fireweed and more Russians

We drove back down to Homer the other morning and, in route, stopped in Ninilchik to see another Russian Orthodox church dating back to the early 1800's.   We also got a very nice view of the three volcanoes across the Inlet.

The fireweed is EVERYWHERE  and continues to bloom!

We again had lunch at Captain Patty's...  absolutely the best Halibut in Alaska!

Headed back to Soldotna, we decided to stop and take in the Salmon  Festival in Ninilchik.....bad idea!  Turned out to be an expensive lesson!   The MJ smoke was so heavy in the crowds that we only stayed 30 or 45 minutes.  Even Max's eyes were red and watering!!!

We've been hiking some wilderness trails and although we've seen plenty of bear sign and moose signs,  they've been staying out of sight....thankfully!

Max says "Hey Y'all "!

Russians

Yesterday we spent the afternoon in Kenai.   The town has an amazing  history that dates back almost 5,000 years to the earliest indigenous tribes first settlement.   The Russins first settled there in the early 1700's  when fur traders and trappers first arrived.  They built a fort(Redoubt Kenai).  Shortly thereafter.  In the late 1700's the Orthodox Christian church (still in use today) sent missionaries and in the mid-1800's built the first church (see photo).

 We toured the area and had lunch there at a delightful restaurant called Veronica's, a split log home constructed in the 1890's. The Hungarian  mushroom  soup was excellent!

The visitors  center has a complete collection of all known Alaskan birds and mammals  (taxidermy)!

We capped the day off by having a latte and warm cookie  (ask Karen) while watching the fishing fleets and dip netters in the bay.

Max says "Hey Y'all "!

This and That!

I've probably already mentioned The Moose is Loose bakery but they are, bar none, the best bakery we've ever been to...think APPLE FRITTERS, Bear Claws and more.

While thinking "food", Karen and I stepped into Solotna's newest (just opened this week) restaurant,  The Catch.  We were very impressed with the service, quality/quantity and low prices (for Alaska).

This morning started at 2AM when we got up to go fishing.  We were standing in the Kenai by 3:15 and had our first Sockeye within minutes. We pulled out at 5AM with 9 Sockeye, only to find out, later in the day, that the limit had been increased to 6 per person....oh well, our freezer (yes, we bought a freezer) is almost full and we need to save some room for Silvers (expected to start arriving any day now)!

It started raining here around 7AM and we've had several hard downpours and intermittent showers all day.  Many of the over 200 wildfires are now under control!

Max says "Hey Y'all "!

Still fishing

After Saturday's great Sockeye "hunt" I didn't think it could get any  better...but I was wrong!  Sunday we went out Halibut  fishing again with Mike Hopley  and caught even bigger ones then the first  time.

Today we went out King fishing with two new campground friends (Wayne  is from the  Turtle Lake area originally).  Unfortunately 7 hours of "drift fishing" resulted in 0 Kings.  It's  been a very slow season for Kings and the marina host said there's been only 10 brought in all season.

A redeeming feature, provided by God, was the amazing sunrise! 

We keep meeting the nicest people here (from the 4 corners of the world)!


Max says "Hey Y'all "!

Caught up with Karen

Ok, Karen's out fishing me is temporary suspended.

We went out with our RV park  host/owner and really got into the Sockeye!   We spent 3 hours processing Salmon  when we got back!  Check out the picture ( note those hanging  behind  us also).

Carol Samuelson

Karen are saddened to hear of the passing of a dear church friend, Carol Samuelson.

May God bless Al and family and bless Carol's  memory.

Karen and Ken

Karen Continues to Outfish Ken

Yes, it's true!  Karen continues to out fish me 3 to 1!  Today was no exception!

After spending 4 hours fishing, we stopped by The Moose is Loose bakery.   An iconic landmark here in Soldotna and every bit as good as advertised.  Karen likes the carrot muffins and I'm  torn between Apple Fritters and Bear Claws.

 Max,  of course loves the homemade dog treats.

This evening  we're headed to Kenai for dinner at Louis's.  Reported to be excellent local cuisine!

Max says "Hey Y'all "!

Karen fishing

We're finally picking up a few Sockeye  (reds).  Here's a picture of Karen fishing last evening.

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

With us in Alaska, son Josh and grandson Joe were tasked with releasing the baby Pheasants on our land up at Tuttle (see pic of Joe releasing birds).

The Kenai finally saw a little badly needed rain yesterday.  First rain since mid-May!  Forecast is for more showers but unfortunately they haven't been holding together long enough to reach the wildfire areas.  The Swan Lake fire that has affected us here on the Kenai is now contained (but not out)  so we have little or no smoke here.

The Sockeye "sonar counts" for the Kenai  River have been increasing daily so hopefully fishing will pick up.

Karen's Birthday

Yesterday we celebrated Karen's birthday and had dinner at The Flats Bistro in Kenai.  It is rapidly becoming our favorite restaurant. 

Earlier in the day we went down to Swift Water Park and saw a couple of Sockeye being netted.  Perhaps the long awaited for "second run" of Sockeye is finally starting to pick up!  We'll try again this afternoon but fishing is pretty much limited to the few "cat walks" because of historical high and rapid water in the Kenai.  Hopefully now that we have some cooler temps, the snow melt in the mountains might slow down and drop the water level.

We've scheduled a day of fishing for "Silvers" on August 10th with Mike Hopley who took us out Halibut fishing last Sunday....really a nice guy and a great guide (I may have already mentioned this but between him and his "deck hand" they have 98 years of guiding experience!).

Dip Netting started yesterday and runs for three weeks.  Thousands of Alaskans participate and are allowed to use large dip nets to catch huge numbers of fish for personal use.

Max says, "Hey Y'all "!

Girdwood and Alyeska

We motored up to Gridwood this morning and drove through the Swan fire area, seeing fire crews staging to continue their gruelling work (now over four weeks).  This fire, one 0f 118 now burning in Alaska,  is still only 14 percent contained.  Because they are spread so thin, there are only 485 firefighters working the Swan fire.

Girdwood is an old mining camp that is now  a skiing location 45 miles South of Anchorage.   We rode the tram up

Mt Alyeska and  had lunch at the 5 Chairs Restaurant.

Karen stopped to admire the Fireweed and Cow Parsnip.

Fishing is starting to pick up a bit so we might try for Sockeye or Kings tomorrow.    The Kenai is running so deep that  wading is now very difficult!

Max says, "Hey Y'all "!

Homer

We drove down to Homer yesterday, enjoying the blooming Fireweed and Cow Parsnips, which have replaced the Lupins and Forget-Me-Nots.

The "Spit", which juts out into the Cook Inlet, is highly "touristy " but has some great views and great fresh sea food.  We had amazing fresh Halibut at Captain  Peggy's!

The tide "swings" are the largest on Earth, as evidenced by the picture of the marina at low tide (note the very tall pillars used so the docks can rise and fall with the tide).

Karen couldn't  resist a picture of me "resting with a bear"!

Max says "Hey Y'all "!

Halibut

After a 3 :41 AM alarm, we met our Halibut fishing guide, Mike Hopley  and drove to Ninilchik  to fish.

We missed Sunday services again today (last Sunday we were viewing "God's  handiwork " at Denali).  We were communing  with God  on his magnificent ocean today!

The boat was launched via a large tractor pushing us out into the tide and we were fishing within 45 minutes.

The Sand Sharks (they call them Dog Fish) were running and became a curse....we probably caught well over twenty of them.  However, interspersed were the targets we sought....Halibut!

Five of us were fishing and caught our limit of 2 each.  The two largest ran at about 50 lbs each....great day on the water.
Karen and I ended up with 27 lbs of Hlibut fillets.

4th of July

It's hard to believe that its been almost a month (June 6th) that we left Bismarck!   But here it is, July 4th in Soldotna, AK!

Soldotna and Kenai, which are only a few miles apart,  are having traditional small town celebrations (yes, even a parade).  Here in Klondike RV Park, we will have a BBQ and potluck at 4PM.  We're looking forward to it because both the RV Park hosts and fellow  "RV'ers" have become  friends.

It's a beautiful sunny day with temps in the low 80's. 

Have a great 4th and please take a minute to think about what truly makes America great!  God has blessed us to have been born and raised in the USA (wow, there could be a Country Western song in there somewhere)!

Max says, "Hey Y'all "!

Fire on the Mountain

Yesterday, when driving back to Soldotna,  from Talkeetna (see the neat Hurricane Gulch photo below),  we had to drive through heavy smoke from the Swan Lake fire.  Firefighters were working along a 5 mile stretch  and about 50 yards off the highway.  They were attempting  to keep the fire  from jumping the road.  They  looked exhausted!   There are now  over 100 wildfires burning in AK!  We are fortunate,  here in Soldotna because coastal winds are keeping the smoke East of us.

We've rescheduled our Halibut fishing trip for the 8th, weather permitting.

Denali Nat Park

God keeps giving us  amazing vistas to remind us of his work!  Denali is no exception!

Karen saw a Grizzly Bear but I petted one (see photo)!

Our best view of Mt Denali remains the airplane tour yesterday out of Talkeetna.  Today, in the park, we had smoke and low clouds so none saw "The Great Mountain"!

Max says "Hey Y'all "!

Walking on a Glacier!

Today was REALLY special!  We walked on a glacier! 

We chartered a "ski equipped plane" (actually, a 1948 Dehavilland Beaver) and took a 90 minute trip up to Denali, then landing on the Ruth Glacier.  AMAZING!

Here's  a couple of pictures of Denali from the air and the Karen and I in front of the Beaver with Denali behind us while on Ruth Glacier.

The charter is called K2 in Talkeetna  and we decided K2 stood for Karen and Ken!  What a great experience!

Max says"Hey Ya'll "

Talkeetna and Denali

We decided to drive up to Denali for the weekend....fish aren't biting anyway! 

We are spending three nights in a delightful cabin  deep in the woods, and spent several hours walking around Talkeetna...yes it is "touristy" but neat!

It was a nice clear sunny day and we had a great view of Mt Denali.  The temp was in the upper 80's...almost never heard of here.  Alaska is having its 5th hottest summer on record.

Here's  a picture of us on the shoreline of the Talkeetna river with the great mountain behind us.

Two Pictures

It was brought to my attention that the two photos I posted the other day didn't make it!

I'm trying again now....

Karen in the Kenai

Got up at 4:15 this morning to go fishing.  We continue to fish 2 or 3 hours most days but the Sockeye continue to elude us!  Everyone keeps saying "wait, they'll be here"!

At noon we went to Soldotna's Wednesday market in the park.  Dozens of vendors and food...had reindeer sausage dogs with carmelized onions....wow!  We then listened to a
musical group from our "summer church".  They are both vocal and instrumental  and sing folk songs and upbeat Christian music each Sunday evening at the church and for the community...very good!

We met 4 interesting "Kiwi's" from New Zeeland.  They've been fishing together for 50 years and each year the take a holiday to fish somewhere different in the world...neat guys and RV park neighbors.

Here's a picture of Karen in the Kenai this morning....yes, I'm there too but behind the camera.  We did a good job of "washing our tackle "!

Max says "Hey Y'all "!

Just another day in Alaska!

Check out the pictures!

Max and the bear

So, yesterday Max met a bear!  Of course,  it was a wooden cut-out of a brown bear!  Nonetheless,  Max focused on the "fake bear" and stood there shaking and quivering.   Now, each time we walk by, he watches that bear intently totally convinced it's going to attack!

We're in the "doldrums " of fishing, waiting for the next run in a week or so.  We've booked a halibut fishing trip for Tuesday and plan to travel (without the RV) up to Denali on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Hopefully we'll have clear weather and be able to actually see Mt. Denali (formerly Mt McKinley).

We found a great Lutheran church (Christ Lutheran) here in Soldotna and were warmly welcomed many times over.  It'll be our "summer church home"!

The weather has been amazing but the Kenai Peninsula has a very moderate climate year-round.  A fellow church goer, this morning, said he moved here three years ago to get away from winter!  It only dipped below 30 degrees twice last winter (the norm).  Unfortunately, several wildfires are burning, including one that has "hotshot" crews from ND working on it.

Max says "Hey Y'all "!

Beautiful Alaska

Yesterday and today have been gorgeous  with upper 60s and low 40s.

We added to our campsite today with the erection of a screened patio tent and rare now enjoying the early evening "bug free"!

We spent  a couple more hours standing in the heavy flow of the Kenai working on our fishing techniques.   We did catch one Dolly Vardin and saw two Sockeye landed anda small King.  The first run of Sockeye is ended and the second run sould start in another week.

Karen continues to be amazed at the incredible vibrant wild flowers!

We received excellent advice from friends Linda and John in regard to this RV park (Klondike).  Al, the owner, is very friendly and very helpful.  The park is clean and well taken care of.

We will fish tomorrow morning but then not fish tomorrow afternoon, Sat or Sun when the Kenai Peninsula is heavily crowded by thousands of people from Anchorage, etc.  It becomes "combat fishing" and we prefer to not fish "arm pit to arm pit"!

Max say "Hey Y'all"

Kenai and Russian Rivers

We picked up the fishing tackle and license we needed today.  Trustworthy Hardware had most of it but we ended up going to Fred Meyers and then to Walmart for the rest.

That done, we explored the Centenial Beach/Park and Rotary Park areas on the Kenai for tomorrows first day of fishing.  It will be a new experiance because neither Karen or I have ever been fly fishing.

Thursday we intend to drive up to Cooper Landing, on the Russian River and take the ferry across to fish the other side.  They increased the daily limit there to 9 because of the heavy Salmon run this year and a couple of guys we talked with had their limits within 2 hours (Of course,  they probably knew how to fly fish!).

Wednesday evenings, throughout the summer, there is a live music/beer garden "thing" in the park.  Locals say it's great so we plan to "go take a look".

Max says "Hey Y'all! "

Klondike Rv Park and Soldotna

Greetings,

We were too tired to blog last evening!  It was a long day as we finally got the slide and waterheater fixed.  It's amazing what having hot water and almost double the floor space can do for morale!

Today it's shopping for fishing gear, groceries and somewhere to get my glasses fixed (yes, I stepped on them).

Talked with several fishermen yesterday as well as a pro guide so we've get a pretty good idea of gear, tackle and some fishing access areas.  It appears that the best time is with the "rising tide" (which, this morning was at 3:30 AM.....might have to evaluate that!).  Coming down from Anchorage on Sunday made it very apparent that fishing on weekends would be aggravating because of the thousands of locals that fish on weekends.  Our fellow RV park fishermen strongly recommend fishing during the week and not fighting the crowds on weekends.

We found a great wood fire pizza/brew house and a decent sports grill.  Today we'll explore the giant Fred Meyers store!

It's a nice sunny day here with projected temp of 64 degrees.

God bless,
Max says "Hey y'all "!

Soldotna at Last

Well, after 9 days on the road, we have arrived at our new home for the summer!  Todays drive, from Palmer, was amazing, especially the Anchorage to here segment.  Karen and I agreed that we've never seen so much green....it almost hurt the eyes!  Karen was amazed by all of the blooming Lupins!

The melting snow  which makes for rapidly rushing rivers is also creating massive Sockeye Salmon runs (the first of the 5 species to run).....can't wait to start fishing!

The Klondike Campground, where we are staying, is modern and clean and Al, the owner (who is originally from Michigan) is very friendly and helpful.

Max has already become the camp's official greeter!

Max says "Hey y'all "!

Big Bear...Palmer

We drove from Tok to Palmer and the Big Bear Campground (nice but not as "homey " as was the Sourdough in Tok the past two nights.

We met a delightful couple from England last evening (our camp neighbors).  They have taken a year off work to travel to 8 different spots on the globe....Alaska being one!  Very interesting people!

The drive down today was incredible with high mountains, rushing rivers, glaciers and ditches full of Forget-Me-Nots, Mountain Lupens and what looks like dandelions on steroids!

When we originally entered Canada, the custom's agent told me that over 10,000 RVs travel the AlCan highway each year from the US to Alaska!  I believe we saw 9,000 of them today!!!

Tomorrow it's on to Soldotna, our destination for the next three months.  In talking with our RV park host yesterday, he said they are having a record run of Salmon up the Russian River so he is anticipating similar runs with other types of Salmon throughout the summer.....can't wait!
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Max says "Hey Y'all "!
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Sourdough

We spent the day in Tok at the Sourdough campground.   Tomorrow we leave for Palmer.

This campground is famous for its sourdough (believe me, it's great, having tried out the pancakes, homemade buns and pie).  Each evening the over, Tim, puts on a comedy act and soughdough pancake throwing contest.   If you get you pancake in the bucket, you get a free breakfast.  Sadly,  neither Karen or I won a free breakfast.

We washed some of the road grime off the truck today and will pull through the campground's RV wash in the morning when pulling out.

The campground is in the trees and although many campers, it's surprisingly quiet!

I notice that at 1:30 last night, when I got up, it was dusk (about as dark as it gets up here this time of the year).

Max has gotten numerous walks in today and continues to be an amazing ambassador and friend to all.

I forgot to mention that Karen found a "pet rock"  the will now travel with us!

A couple of our blog followers have mentioned they can't reply to a blog post......I can't figure it out either.  I suggest if you want to comment, send a email to: will.kenneth1@gmail.com.

Max says "Hey y'all ".

The Long and Winding Road

After yesterday's day of travel, we've decided on a new theme song....the Beatles ' "Long and Winding Road"!

We are in a really neat campground (Sourdough Campground) in Tok, Alaska.   We will stay over another day here and "lay up and lick our wounds" as the old saying goes (mostly just travel weary).

Yesterday's travels were again an ever changing panorama of glorious nature with many wildlife sightings.  Tomorrow it's on to Palmer and then to Soldotna on Sunday.  Cell phone coverage is sparse and analog rather then digital.   Should we ever do this trip again, I would certainly rent a Satphone.

Max says "Hey y'all ".

The Peace Region

Two days ago......This NE area of BC is known as the Peace Region and offers incredible scenery and wildlife!  It has thousands of miles of rivers, mountains and plains dotted with hundreds of lakes.  Wildlife abounds everywhere.

Last night we stayed at a Rotary campground on Lake Charlie, in Ft St John where 12 US soldiers drowned in 1942 while building the Alaskan Highway.  There is a large memorial honoring them and the US military.

We haven't had cell phone or wifi coverage for the past two days but are now in Teslin YT at a campgrounds with wifi.

The scenery has been amazing!!!  We have seen much wildlife including many black bears, a grizzly with Cubs, Woods Bison, moose and stone sheep.  The mountains would easily rival the Grand Tetons!

Last night's stay at Toad River offered beaver, moose and swans.....beautiful!

Like everywhere this time of the year,  we've run into our share of road construction! We really need an RV wash!

Max says "Hey y'all "

Dawson Creek and Ft St Johns

A beautiful day to travel!  God continues to reveal the majesty of his creation!

West of Dawson Creek we crossed a very deep and very wide gorge that would easily rival Colorado's Royal Gorge!  Later we crossed a river valley near Taylor Alberta that was several miles wide with 6 to 10 percent grades....really glad I'm pulling with a large diesel that has a "jake brake"!

We started out this trip thinking our theme song was going to be Jonnie Horton's "North to Alaska", then yesterday we changed it to Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" and today we settled on Roy Roger's "Happy Trails to You".

Max says "Hey Y'all "

We are in Whitecourt Alberta this evening.  Boy, ND doesn't hold a candle to the rough roads we drove today!

After a rather gray, rainy day, God has provided a beautiful sunny evening for us to set up camp and go for a long walk.  Truely, every day is a gift from HIM!

Max says "Hi Ya'll"

Lutheran Road

We broke camp, in Minot, in the rain and drove in rain until Portal.  The Canadian Customs people we very nice and very professional.   They never asked to inspect anything and I thought it was perhaps because I "looked honest"!  However,  when I saw he was lightly flirting with Karen,  I had to rethink it!

Driving North through Saskatchewan was interesting.   After we got past the coal mines,  power plants and oil fields, the land became as flat as a table top with HUGE fields and large elevator complexes.   Sadly,  they are in a serious draught situation and many fields have not been planted.  Trees are dying and potholes are all white dried alkaline.   We saw numerous "dust devils", some very large!   I'm also happy to report that Saskatchewan is much like ND in that it seems to be the "road construction" season here too!

We are in a beautiful campground just outside Saskatoon but bucked 40 mph +quartering headwinds all day.  A good sign is that the campground is on Lutheran Road!......no kidding! 

Max says "hi ya'll"!

We've been in Minot since  yesterday attending the Western ND Synod's annual  conference.   We've  also experienced  our first RV "issue"in the form of a broken cable on our one slide out.

Swenson RV tried to fix it but to no avail.   We'll have to tough it out until we get to Soldotna. 

More later!

Why a blog?

We've been encouraged by, numerous friends, to keep and publish a blog of our travels.  Additionally, we wanted a way to easily keep our family and friends aware of where we are and some of the things we are experiencing.   We'll try to keep it light and entertaining but I'm sure there will be a few "not so nice" days"!
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Getting Ready

Our hope is to share some of the daily (or almost daily) highlights of our trips, starting with our RV trip to Alaska and beginning in June 6th, 2019.