Up to Day 32

July 6, 2012                         Day 28/60                            Anchorage, AK

I didn’t get a chance to blog about yesterday so this will be a two-fer.

Yesterday was a non-tourist day. We did our shopping. Ok, it wasn’t exactly normal. We did our shopping at the BX/PX on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Usually, the base pricing is much better than what you would spend if you bought the same item “on the economy.” This was not the case here. Milk was actually cheaper at the local Fred Meyer or Walgreen’s.

After lunch in our separate trailers, we went to see “Brave” at the local theater. This was a very nice new stadium, deluxe-style theater. The seats slightly reclined and the balcony was much higher than in our local theaters. It was so comfy that, you guessed it, I fell asleep and missed a crucial part of the movie. See just like at home. What I saw of the movie, I enjoyed. Good film for the whole family – all 3 generations.

It was only about 4 when the movie got out so we decided to see a few sights. First, we drove to the Earthquake Park. In the 1960s, Alaska had a huge (9+) earthquake. Mike was stationed here but left right before the quake. Earthquake Park shows how the earthquake impacted the local area. The ground is 30 feet higher on one side of the fault line. The trees have grown up now so it is harder to see the dramatic cliff but the area was beautiful. We could see the mud flats on the Cook’s Inlet. The mosquitos were out and biting so we didn’t linger.

After several wrong turns, we found our way to the Ships Creek Salmon viewing area. One problem, there weren’t any fish. We ducked into the Ulu factory gift shop and bought a few things. Not a single ulu though. Ulus are special curved-blade knives.

Today we went back to tourist mode. Rick and I took the boys to Thunderbird Falls in an area called Eagle River just out of town (technically it is still in the municipality of Anchorage). We took a 2 mile round trip hike to see Thunderbird Falls. It was not a strenuous hike but not completely flat either. There were also the mosquitos to deal with. It was a pretty waterfall but we decided not to take the creek trail.

We stopped at the Wal-Mart for some quick shopping. We didn’t find what we were looking for. Costco for lunch (ATM and gelato were so convenient).

Dominic and I went to look for a native art gift shop at the local hospital. All we found was a typical hospital gift shop. We later found out we were at the wrong hospital. We will have to go when we pass back through Anchorage.

The highlight of the day was the H2Oasis Water Park. It is an all indoor water park with slides, fountains, a wave pool, and a lazy river. It was not cheap so Rick and I had decided not to join the boys but watch them from the viewing deck.  We didn’t have to sign a waiver or anything. Just pay your money, stay on premises for any kid under 12, and you’re good to go. It looked like so much fun. I quickly regretted not bringing my suit along. The boys swam for over 4 hours! The water and air were a balmy 84 degrees. They both really liked the Body Slide and at least they tried the Master Blaster (way too intense). They made a few friends in the way that kids do - someone to talk to and slide with but never really sure of their names. We certainly got our money’s worth. We will try to go here again when we swing through town.

Mike’s sister, Aviva, flew in from Florida to join us for few days. I hadn’t seen her since before Luca was born. Tomorrow we are off to Soldotna on the Kenai Peninsula.

July 7, 2012                         Day 29/60                            Anchorage to Soldotna, AK

Today had to be one of the prettiest drives I have ever done. We headed south and east out of Anchorage so that we could go around the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet. Huge mountains frosted here and there with snow or glaciers appeared to rise up out of the water.  Jagged peaks reached for the sky willing themselves to push up through the gathering clouds.

We stopped at Beluga Point to see if we could spot any. Rick with tremendous patience, eagle eyes developed over years of wildlife spotting and, oh yeah, a spotting scope was able to spot one. Luca may have been able to see it after Rick told him, but I never saw it. The water in this part is choppy in the center and we were even with the water making it very difficult to see the bobbing heads. They don’t have dorsal fins and don’t surface the same as other whales.

We saw a dall sheep sure-footedly making its way up the sheer cliff on the opposite side of the highway. We had time for a quick photo. The thermometer said 58 but the cold wind made it seem colder. Little did we know this was the beginning of the bad weather.

We turned off Seward Highway to head for Portage. There were many glaciers high in the mountains here. We didn’t stop to take photos thinking we would stop on the way back to the highway. We made a quick stop at the visitors’ center for bathrooms and photos with the iceberg (glacier calf) in the lake outside. It was so perfectly placed. We joked that it was placed there by someone wishing to promote tourism in the area. “See glacial blue icebergs right outside our doors.” We also saw a bald eagle soaring above the cliffs behind the center. I managed a few blurry pictures. By now the cold rain had started so we didn’t linger. Instead, we left the big trailer and disconnected our trailer. We all pile into our Suburban for a side trip to Whittier on Prince William Sound.

To get to Whittier, one has to go through a2.5 mile tunnel through the mountain. As tunnels go, it is unique in that it has only one lane so cars have to take turns going through. There is a published schedule for the direction. For example, cars will go from Portage to Whittier from 9 to 9:15 and from Whittier to Portage from 9:15 to 9:30. Oh, and they also share the tunnel with a train. I am not sure when the train runs through but no cars would be able to go at this time. I think they called the town Portage because this is where they would have to carry items over the mountain to Whittier. The tunnel made delivery by train possible.

We were excited to see an old friend when we arrived in Whittier. Last year we cruised to Alaska on the Sapphire Princess with Rick’s family. There she was at the dock in Whittier! We were flooded with fabulous memories of that trip and good times with family. According to Mom and Mike, the town has changed a little now that the cruise ships stop here. There are a few more places to shop and eat. The road is paved. Things like that. However, there are still large abandoned condo buildings that look like something out of cold was Russia or “Falling Skies.”

It is still raining so we decide not to explore but stop for lunch at China Sea. It has a buffet (which all the adults eat) and chicken nuggets for Luca. Dominic ate a huge bowl of Beef Chow Mein. We had a couple of booths with a few of the harbor. We hit a gift shop before heading back to the car and through the tunnel to get the trailers.

We couldn’t take any pictures on the way back to Seward Highway as the clouds had completely covered the tops of the mountains. We saw a bald eagle sitting majestically at the top of a dead tree. We came up on it so fast that I couldn’t get a picture.

We turned off Seward Highway and on to Sterling Highway (so appropriate for the beauty of the area and because my mom’s last name is Sterling, but actually named for the town of Sterling).On the way to Soldotna we passed gorgeous lakes and river. They were not the milky white of the glacier waters we saw in the Yukon. Now they were the familiar glacier blue that we had seen in Glacier National Park years ago. 

July 8, 2012                         Day 30/60                            Day Trip to Ninilchik and Homer

The DiMaios were a little slow to get going today which gave Mike time to consult the tide schedules. Good thing too because he found out that it would be low tide in Ninilchik today and then not again until the 17^th. So after a quick trip to the Visitors’ Center across the highway and the tackle shop right next to the campground, we headed to Ninilchik for clamming.

It was a beautiful drive on a two lane highway (still the Sterling). Not much wildlife but wildflowers and trees lined the road. We explored a few different sights looking for a clamming spot. We found an area near the harbor in Ninilchik that we liked but it was not negative tide yet so we went for lunch. There aren’t too many choices in the area. We briefly thought about supporting the senior center in town. They were having a BBQ “fun-raiser.” However, it was a small outside tent situation and not much for Luca. We settled on a small family diner and arrived as they were switching from their breakfast to lunch menu which is apparently a big deal for them as it took us a while to get served.

The ladies’ restroom had something I have never seen before and can’t understand. It was a single room with two side by side toilets with no divider. I can’t imagine how this came to be, why it came to be, or the usefulness of such a set up. Thinking back I should have asked the waitress.

After lunch we went back to the harbor and suited up for clamming. Mike and Rick have fishing waders that include boots and waterproof protectors up to the chest. The boys have waterproof pants and galoshes. Luca’s are a bit too big and Dominic’s are really Rick’s and about 3 sizes too big. I am wearing scout pants and rain boots. Clothing is very important as we are about to enter the tidal mud flats. It is goopy and sloppy and impossible to walk through. Mom and Aviva have shore duty for today’s adventure. Our goal is the elusive razor clam. You should know that I don’t eat any seafood of any kind and don’t like the smell, but it is about the experience.

Mike had done clamming here on a previous trip with friends and his grandsons, Chase and Blake. He took off to look for little air bubbles that indicate a clam is under the muck. The boys and I struggled to get through the mud that at times came within 3 inches of the top of my boots. Then as I tried to take a step, my foot would start to slide out of my boot. Visions of “Dirty Jobs” footage of Mike Rowe collapsing in muck as he goes clamming…. We eventually get to a more hard packed area and the boys head off to catch up with Mike. I wait for Rick who was last to gear up. Rick and I struggle through the mud toward Mike and the boys. However, now the boys are heading away from Mike and back towards us. Horrible timing. They need the restroom. Rick walks them back to land and the pit toilets at the parking area. (The muck made this a 20 minute process.) I eventually catch up with Mike who is now headed the other way on the beach. We walk together for a bit looking for the bubbles. Mike seems to be effortlessly gliding atop the muck. Before I can ask his secret, he is way ahead of me again. With each step I am sinking up to the middle of my boot and have to use put my finger through the loop of my boot to pull myself out. If I pull too hard, I have to twist my back in an effort not to fall into the mud. I looked like Elaine from “Seinfeld’ doing her funky dance.  And then, it starts to rain. Not a hard rain, but there are ominous clouds and there are at least 50 yards of clinging muck between me and the shore. Mike is now about ¼ mile down the beach and can’t hear me. I decided to head for shore.

When I arrive, Rick and the boys have returned from the bathrooms. Mike is so far away that we can barely distinguish him from the other clammers. The boys decide not to go back out. We busied ourselves watching the many bald eagles on the beach (yes, right on the beach not 10 feet away!) eating fish carcasses left behind on the beach.

From here we headed further out the peninsula to Homer. Part of the town and harbor is built on a spit jutting out into the water. The best part was the beautiful view of the volcanoes on the Aleutian peninsula across the water.

On the drive back from the spit (this part reminded me of Santa Cruz’s pier full of little cottages offering trinkets and food to the tourists), we stopped at the Islands and Oceans Visitor Center. I got a few things from the gift shop. Our next stop was in Anchor Point – the furthest west highway point in the US. We failed to make a turn but that is ok because we saw a moose and her twin calves. They ran off before their Kodak moment.

When we finally made our way to the parking area, there wasn’t any indication that we had found our destination yet it had to be. We parked and walked down to the beach to see even more bald eagles feasting on dead fish parts. They were remarkably calm about having humans so close. By our estimate we saw more than 2 dozen bald eagles just today! On the cliff above the beach we noticed the sign we had been looking for and took our photos.

After we got back to the trailers, we had to clean off the mucky clothing. We used the outside shower to hose down the water proof items as best we could. The boys’ pants and sweatshirts went into the wash. Two loads later, I could still smell the low-tide smell. No one else can smell the odor. I felt like Lady Macbeth who couldn’t wash the blood out.

The whole day I had been dealing with a dry cough and I was exhausted from the day’s activities. Rick, Mike and Dominic headed off for some late fishing (9 PM, still light out). They didn’t catch anything but neither did any of the other fishermen there.  I didn’t sleep well and at 1:30 AM finally gave up and put a cough drop in. I slept until 6:40.

July 9, 2012                         Day 31/60                            Soldotna, AK

Today we went to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Center. It had a few displays and some information about the refuge which is just huge. Luca did a Junior Ranger type activity and was rewarded with a promotional button. In the parking area, Dominic spotted a snowshoe hare sitting very still nearby hoping we a) wouldn’t see it and b) were not a threat. I guess it determined we were not a threat as he hopped about to find some tasty grass.

We started out on a ¾ mile stroll to Headquarters Lake on the Keen-Eye Nature Trail. However, the trail head was not clearly marked so we actually took the ¼ mile Keen-Eye Wheelchair-Access Nature Trail past a relocated homestead cabin and opted to loop back on the other trail making a 1 mile walk. The lake was beautiful, but shallow (insert your joke here). Only small fish survive in the shallow lake so not many birds are attracted to the area. We did see a ptarmigan (Alaska’s wild chicken) on the path. The sun felt good on the dock of the lake but we pressed on. The return loop called the forest loop was not very interesting except that they had placed wood shavings on the path. We later learned that this was not just for the comfort of the hikers (providing a nice soft duff to walk upon) but also marks the official trail to discourage people from going astray and damaging the environment.

From here we drove to locate the guide’s house for tomorrow’s fishing expedition. It was only about 15 minutes away. Once we found it, we returned to the trailers for lunch. On the way back we stopped to pick up some “World Famous Cinnamon Buns.” The DiMaios had a quick lunch saving the buns for later. We wanted to get back to the Refuge for a Fitness Hike at Noon. We were told that it was really more of a nature hike on a 2.2 mile trail that would take about 1.5 hours. It turns out that it was really more of a concept under construction. There was a group from the local hospital (rehab, weight loss, not sure) with a leader advising them to take breaks as needed, etc. There was a group of Native women who like to participate in things at the Refuge. There was a lady who moved up here last winter form Roseville. There was also another family. Our guide looked to be about 14 but was in full ranger gear and we had talked to her on our earlier stop.

We stopped at a boot brush at the trail head to remove invasive species from our boots. I thought this was a great idea. Maybe on a larger scale with an informative sign this could be an Eagle project for some future scout. We knew from our earlier visit that the mosquitoes were plentiful so we sprayed and put on head nets. We were at the front of the group just behind the guide. She kept a good pace over the tree roots on the trail

(no wood shavings here) and the group spread out on the trail. She didn’t stop to talk often, but when she did, the guide usually had something to say about edible plants. She seemed knowledgeable but didn’t project her voice so that all could hear and didn’t stop for scat (of which there was plenty – mostly black bear), kill sites (saw a few on our earlier walk, probably hare and small bird), or dragon flies (which someone in the group stopped to photo as this was their first sighting, who doesn’t have dragon flies?). We stopped about half way to stretch (led by the hospital lady). This was interesting as we stopped in a very buggy area and only stretched our upper bodies even though our legs were doing most of the work. When we got to the fork leading down to the lake, we left the group and headed back to the parking area. We treated ourselves to mini-Blizzards at the DQ.

Back at the trailer, we waited for the others to get back from Mom’s nail appointment and trip to Fred Meyer. When they had returned, Rick, Mike, and Luca decided to go fishing. The rest of us would go in a separate car so we could enjoy the scenery and not stay the whole time. We headed out to Scout Lake but it was not what the guys were looking for since it was stocked illegally with Pike (a yucky eating fish, aren’t they all?) We checked out another site nearby but it was quite a walk to the river. Mike wanted to try lake fishing to make it easier for Luca who by now was no longer up for fishing. He jumped in the Suburban and Mike and Rick headed out to Siklak Lake. It was a long drive, beautiful spot, and no fish (this is really starting to be quite a trend). The rest of us explored Kenai Spur Road stopping at a Hobby Shop (nothing) and 2 thrift shops (nothing again) before returning to the trailers.

Rick had just called to say they would be back in about an hour when it started to rain really hard. Dominic was already in the big trailer so he stayed there for dinner and Luca, Rick, and I ate in ours. We finally got around to eating the cinnamon bun. I don’t know if it was World Famous, but it was good. I liked the cream cheese icing but it could use more cinnamon. Dominic joined us for his share of the bun and the boys watched a movie before bed.

July 10, 2012                       Day 32/60                            Day Trip to Kenai and Nikiski, AK

Today we woke to bright sunny skies but it was cold. The overnight low was supposed to be 37 degrees. It was about 44 when I woke after another night of coughing.

We went out Kenai Spur Road toward Kenai. The town is really spread out but has major retailers like Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Carl’s Jr. We go through town as our first stop is a beach with Agate that Mom had read about. It is a cold morning for beach combing but we bundle up and jump out on to the rocky beach adjacent to the Conoco plant. There is a tanker waiting to be fueled. The view of Mount Spurr across Cook Inlet is spectacular. Today there are clouds on some of the peaks, but Mount Spurr is in full view rising up from the flats on the Aleutian Peninsula.

It was too cold to stay long. After a brief drive into Nikiski we all voted to head back to Old Town Kenai, the site of the second permanent Russian settlement (1791) and an American Army fort (Fort Kenay, 1868). On the bluffs above the mouth of the Kenai River, we stopped for hot chocolates, coffees and a piece of apple pie in an old building. The lunch menu was tempting but pricey. The building had much of its original charm including very narrow steep stairs with no hand rail.  We took our refreshments in an enclosed sunroom. We viewed the Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church founded in 1846 but the current building dates to only 1896. We saw the St. Nicholas Chapel built in 1906 and named in honor of the priest and his assistant who distributed the first small pox vaccine in the area.

Then we headed back along the bridge by pass road along the Kenai River Flats to Kalifornsky Road (no, I didn’t make that up). Kalifornsky turns into Funny River Road at Sterling Highway. Our RV Park is at this intersection. After a quick lunch, all the guys head out for what we all hope will be a very successful fishing trip. We ladies headed to Fred Meyer to pick up a few supplies and gas up the Suburban. Once back at the trailer, I attempted to cover my grey roots using Nice and Easy. It was not a disaster but not an overwhelming success either. Next time, I will have to leave it on longer and buy more product.