North to Alaska 2010

Denali National Park - the second time

As you know, our son Jason flew out for two weeks to experience Alaska with us and after picking him up in Anchorage, we headed for Denali National Park and the Talkitna Camping area which is 29 miles into the park for 4 nights. Once in the campground, visitors are restricted to only going further into the park on the buses. If you head back into the small town at the entrance to the park, or back to the visitor's center, then you lose your camp site. If you go in by the bus, then you have to pay the fee to go back to the campground. So . . .before we entered the park we made sure we had plenty of supplies, including propane, food and water.

The campground hosts - Mike and Patricia were very helpful in getting us signed up for hikes and bus tours. The first day we signed up for the Tek bus - which is a guaranteed seat the first time you get on it - after that it is free but you can only get on a bus that has extra seats and not filled up with first time riders. The second day we signed up for the bus that goes to the very end of the park where vehicular traffic is allowed. There are points further out, but it is by foot traffic only. Jason also signed up for a ranger led hike on the 3rd day. Ken was going to go, but didn't have the proper footwear - and they are pretty strict about that as they don't want injuries out in the tundra.

The night we got to the campground, there was a ranger talk which we went to. It was all about the different raptors and animal life in the park. Quite interesting and the ranger was very entertaining and good with getting everyone involved.

The next morning we boarded the Tek bus around 9:30 in the morning. We were all excited about what we were going to see and saw quite a lot. Without a lot of dialogue, I am going to post the pictures which speak for themselves. All in all, it was a great day - a little cloudy but not enough to stop up from seeing Denali - what a beautiful sight.

The second day, we boarded the bus to go to the end of the park. Well, Shandra the bus driver, didn't let any moss grow under her wheels. She was the worst driver we have had and before I asked her what she did over the winter I told Ken - I'll bet she is a school bus driver. I asked and she is!! We managed to have a good time even through her dressing us down like kids that won't behave. Because some one stuck their camera out of the window and didn't get back inside quick enough, the next time we saw something she positioned the bus so only one side - the good side - could see it. Her main objective was not to have the passengers enjoy the ride, it was to get done so she could get back to the garage before a certain time. In spite of her attitude we didn't let it deter us from enjoying the park.

Third day, Jason went on the ranger led hike which he enjoyed immensely. Ken went on his own hike up to the top of a nearby mountain and he also enjoyed himself. As for me, I stayed at the RV and did some quilting, reading and cooking - and I also enjoyed myself!

The fourth day and the day we were to leave, Jason left for a hike into the tundra on his own while Ken and I packed up the RV and headed out to the main gate to dump the tanks, refill the water and take showers. Jason got a bus ride back up to where we were and he also availed himself of the shower before we headed down to Portage, Whittier and Seward for a re-visit.

Enough said, enjoy the pictures.

As you can see - animals have the right of way in the park. If they are on the road, the drivers stop to let them either cross or walk along the road until they are tired of it and veer off into the tundra.

We are ready! Please take our picture!!!

North to Alaska 2010

Ninilchik to Homer, AK

Heading further south along the Sterling Highway, it took us 2 hours to drive 37.8 miles. As you can tell we are not into making a long day of it!

We passed through Anchor Point - population 1,814. Anchor Point was originally named "Laida" by Captain James Cook in the summer of 1778, when the Resolution and Discovery sailed into Cook Inlet looking for the Northwest Passage. It was later renamed Anchor Point by early homesteaders to commemorate the loss of an anchor off the point by Captain Cook. This area is noted for its excellent seasonal king and silver salmon, steelhead and rainbow fishing opportunities. This is also an area where they use tractors to launch the boats. The road that goes into Anchor Point is the most westerly road that you can drive on in North America - as the sign here says.

There is another Russian village - Nikolaevsk - population 297 - just 9 miles east of Anchor Point. This is a settlement of "Russian Old Believers" who arrived in the United States after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The community included Russian Orthodox, Russian Old Believers (Old Right Believers) and some non-Russians, living in 3 distinct settlements. The Old Believers in this area lead a family-oriented, self-sufficient life-style. They use modern utilities, and food sources are from gardening, small livestock, fishing and hunting. Families are typically very large - 8 to 12 children. Traditional clothing is worn, Russian is the first language and the church dictates that males do not shave. Some of the houses were very ornate - Victorian in style - but most of them were small, and not very well taken care of. The exception were the farms we saw - they seemed to be neat and clean. Again a very interesting stop. The church wasn't open and the gate to the yard was closed so we only took pictures.



We stopped at the Kachemak Bay rest area on a bluff overlooking the bay. Beautiful! Locals often say "Homer is where the land ends and the sea begins" and this viewpoint explains this saying. There are expansive views of the Homer Spit and the highway as it descends Homer Hill. Once in Homer we passed several camping areas along the water but we wanted to find a place on the Spit. This is a huge sand bar that extends out into the Kachemak Bay by 4.4 miles. As we were driving along we spotted an immature Eagle sitting on buoy marker looking for dinner - a wonderful sight!

Homer has a population of 5,504 and was established on the north shore of Kachemak Bay at Homer Spit in 1895. Kachemak, the Russian name for the bay, means "high cliffs on the water." Another interpretation of the name suggests it means"smoky bay" and is derived from the smoke which once rose from the smoldering coal seams jutting from the clay bluffs of the upper north shore of Kachemak Bay and the cliffs near Anchor Point. In the early days many of the exposed coal seams were slowly burning from causes unknown. Today the erosion of these bluffs drops huge fragments of lignite and bituminous coal on the beaches, creating a plentiful supply of winter fuel for the residents. There are an estimated 400,000,000 tons of coal deposit in the immediate vicinity of Homer.

Jutting out for 4.4 miles from the Homer shore is the Homer Spit, a long, narrow bar of gravel. The road along the backbone of the Spit is part of the Sterling Highway, which is the main road through Homer. The Spit has had quite a history and it continues to be a center of activity for the town. In 1964, after the earthquake, the Spit sank 4 to 6 feet requiring several buildings to be moved to higher ground. Today Homer is the site of a major dock facility for boat loading, unloading and servicing and is a deep-water dock that can accommodate 340-foot vessels and 30 foot drafts, making it accessible to cruise and cargo ships.

The local part of Homer is not on the Spit - it is before the Spit begins. The Spit consists of mostly tourist places - shops and restaurants - and the fishing and boating activities. We camped on the Spit and enjoyed the view as it was looking westward across the bay at the Cook Inlet and the many volcanoes that line the inlet.

We didn't do much while we were there except do a lot of looking around and relaxing. We plan on coming back to Homer in a couple of weeks when our son Jason comes to visit - then we will do some of the more touristy things.

North to Alaska 2010

Soldotna to Homer and back again!

Destination today is towards Homer, AK/. This is south of Soldotna by about 85 miles. First stop is Ninilchik - population 778. On Memorial Day weekend, Ninilchik is referred to as the third biggest city in Alaska as thousands of Alaskans arrive for the fishing. The area is well-known for saltwater king salmon fishing and record halibut fishing. In fact, they have a fishing tournament that continues for 3 months - the rules say you have to register for $10 then if you catch the biggest fish - I believe it is for Halibut only - you will win the prize. There have been two people in the past two seasons that have brought in the biggest catch and weren't registered. Prize money is usually over $100,000. Now why wouldn't you spend $10 on a chance that big??

We stayed at Deep Creek State Recreation Area which is right on the beach. You can watch the commercial fishing boats go out from the lagoon behind the campground at high tide, and you can watch the private smaller boats launch from the beach. Interesting way to do this - they use specially designed tractors to take the boat and trailer into the surf and launch them from there. When the fishing boats start coming back into the beach, they wave a big sign with the number of their trailer on it, the tractor goes and hooks up to it, takes it down to the beach, backs into the water - mind you the tractor is in 2 to 3 foot water - and the boat drives up on the trailer. They don't even appear to slow down as they are approaching the trailer. It was interesting to watch them.

We checked out Ninilchik Village which is at the mouth of the Ninilchik River. It was settled at the turn of the 19th century and is the "old" village. The village has several old dovetailed log buildings. There is a trail that leads up to the green and white Russian Orthodox Church on the hill but we chose to drive in the road off the highway as the trail was steep and it was drizzling out. When we got to the church, there was no one around so we explored the cemetery for awhile and then decided to move on. As we were leaving, the priest came in so we got out of the truck and headed for the church again. There was a native couple that also came in right behind the priest and they were all inside by the time we got to the church. The priest opened the door and invited us inside this quaint little church. The church had the appearance of some of the Greek churches we have been in and we thought it looked like it was from the Byzantine era with all of the gold and symbolic features. The sanctuary is one room without any chairs. Ken said that "this is where the members sit" and Father Michael said "this is where they stand". There was a door at the very back of the sanctuary and we were told that is where communion is prepared - no one but the priest is allowed back there. As we left, Father Michael suggested I take a picture of him and Ken together - so I did. Quite an interesting visit.

One other note of interest about Ninilchik is they host the Kenai Peninsul Fair the third weekend in August and is dubbed the "biggest little fair in Alaska". It features the Peninsula Rodeo, a parade, horse show, livestock competition, and exhibits of all types.

Tomorrow we will finish heading down to Homer to stay a couple of days before heading back to Soldotna.

Tomorrow we will head to Homer to spend a couple of days before going back to Soldotna.

North to Alaska 2010

Kenai Landing and Kenai

First day trip out of Soldotna was to Kenai Landing on the Kalifornsky Beach Road. This road leads to the historic Kenai Landing where the canneries were. The cannery is long gone, closed within the last 2 years but the buildings, docks, and living quarters are still there and some of them are being renovated to become a shopping area. We talked to a gentleman that worked there and he told us that the cannery closed because of the desire for everyone to want the "farm-raised" salmon instead of the wild caught salmon. The cannery was a 1920's era salmon cannery that now offers lodging, camping, restaurants, shops, galleries and fishing. Visitors can tour the fish processing plant and watch fishermen unload their catch. However, everything was closed with the exception of the one shop that is completed in the larger building. They are still working on the rest of the building and we didn't see but one small restaurant that offered sandwiches and no lodging units with the exception of the campground that is on the grounds as you enter the area.

Next to Kenai - population 6,975. Kenai is situated on a low rise overlooking the mouth of the Kenai River where it empties into Cook Inlet. There are some great views across Cook Inlet of 3 major volcanic peaks in the Alaska Range - Mount Spurr, the largest, which last erupted in 1992, Mount Iliamna, identified by the 3 smaller peaks on its left and Mount Redoubt which was identified by its very regular cone shape until it erupted in 1989. Mount Redoubt also erupted last year but the tourist books aren't current with that information. Kenai is the largest city on the Kenai Peninsula. Prior to Russian Alaska, Kenai was a Dena'ina Native Community where they fished, hunted, trapped, farmed and traded with neighboring tribes here. After defeating the Russians in the Battle of Kenai in 1797, there was the first Alaskan gold discovery made on the Russian River. In 1869, the U.S. Army established Fort Kenai (Kenay) and the first fish canneries were established in the 1880's. Of course, oil exploration began in the mid 1950's and there are several oil drilling platforms that are visible in Cook Inlet.

We went to Old Town Kenai which has a self-guided walking tour that takes in Fort Kenay, the Russian Parish House Rectory, Russian Orthodox church and chapel. Fort Kenay had more than 100 men stationed here in the 1-1/2 years it officially served to protect American citizens in the area. The Parish House Rectory was constructed in 1881 and is considered to be the oldest building on the Kenai Peninsula. The parish house is the only one still remaining out of 4 rectories contracted by the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska. The Holy Assumption off the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Russian Orthodox churches in Alaska and a National Historic Landmark. With its 3 onion-shaped domes it is considered on of the finest examples of a Russian Orthodox church built on a vessel or quadrilateral floor plan. Inside are icons from Russia and an 1847 Russian edition of the Holy Gospel with enameled icons of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John on the cover. We were disappointed that the church was not open to the public due to a renovation project. There is also the St. Nicholas Chapel that was built in 1906 on the site of the original church. This also was closed to the public.

On one of our side trips to Kenai, we watched the "dip-netters" fishing for salmon. When the salmon are abundant, the fish and game commission opens the fishing for dip-netting. The stipulations are that you be a native Alaskan and this type of fishing is for subsistance fishing only. They use nets that are around 48 inches in diameter and along the banks at the mouth of the Kenai River is tent city! They drive onto the beach and pitch a tent and stay there for the entire time they are fishing - until they reach their limit. Some of them are in boats and some of them are fishing from the bank and it is shoulder to shoulder fishing.

Nikiski is another little town up the Kenai Spur Highway and the only thing of interest there are the oil refineries; CononcoPhillips 66 LNG Plant and the Tesoro Refinery along with the Agrium Kenai Nitrogen Operations plant. This petrochemial facility produced nitrogen-based agriculture products urea and ammonia and was closed September 2007 due to natural gas shortage in Cook Inlet.

Although the Kenai area is very interesting it is a bustling place with a lot of traffic. Way too busy for us after being in the wilderness for so long. I'm sure we will find this to be true in many places.