Alaska with the Stocks 2013
- Thread starter Dean & Linda Stock
- Start date
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ArdraF
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- Feb 12, 2006
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Linda, be sure to tell Dean he's getting pretty good at getting those bird photos. Love the one where he's spreading his wings and showing off!
ArdraF
ArdraF
Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
ArdraF said:
Thanks! Wait until you see his bald eagle. He is SO proud of it (and rightfully so). Hope all is well with you and Jerry.
Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
JULY 17 Day 61 Portage Valley, AK
We've been without TV, Internet, and good cellphone reception, so pardon the silence and then the glut of posts.
The drive from Anchorage to Portage Valley followed the ocean and was quite pretty. We stopped at Beluga Point because the tide was coming in, and it was only an hour before high tide, but we didn't see belugas. I hear that residents that drive that route daily only see them a couple of times a year, if that.
I remembered Williwaw State Park and its beauty from our 2009 trip, and it was my only "Must Stay Here RV Park" on this whole trip. But, I found a nice park with 50 amps and full hook-ups on the same road. While Williwaw had dense forest and privacy, the Portage Valley RV Camp had gravel and amps. I knew that Dean would prefer Portage Valley, and I gave him all the facts. When he saw the sign for Portage Valley, all he could see was a little dirt road that he was afraid wasn't the right place. So, we came down to Williwaw, and I am so happy. Our RV is parked in our own little cul-de-sac with trees (Picture 1) in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains with glaciers leading right into our park. (Picture 2) There are more glaciers surrounding us. And, we even have wonderful waterfalls! (Picture 3)
The Boggs-Begich Visitors Center is a NPS site just 5 minutes away. It has interesting exhibits, a film about the area, park rangers who have all the answers, as well as lots of brochures.
Staying at Williwaw Campground--my favorite place to stay in Alaska or Canada--dry-camping-- Regular rate is $18, but because we have a Golden Age Pass, we are only paying $9. After $73/night in Homer, this will help our budget, too.
We've been without TV, Internet, and good cellphone reception, so pardon the silence and then the glut of posts.
The drive from Anchorage to Portage Valley followed the ocean and was quite pretty. We stopped at Beluga Point because the tide was coming in, and it was only an hour before high tide, but we didn't see belugas. I hear that residents that drive that route daily only see them a couple of times a year, if that.
I remembered Williwaw State Park and its beauty from our 2009 trip, and it was my only "Must Stay Here RV Park" on this whole trip. But, I found a nice park with 50 amps and full hook-ups on the same road. While Williwaw had dense forest and privacy, the Portage Valley RV Camp had gravel and amps. I knew that Dean would prefer Portage Valley, and I gave him all the facts. When he saw the sign for Portage Valley, all he could see was a little dirt road that he was afraid wasn't the right place. So, we came down to Williwaw, and I am so happy. Our RV is parked in our own little cul-de-sac with trees (Picture 1) in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains with glaciers leading right into our park. (Picture 2) There are more glaciers surrounding us. And, we even have wonderful waterfalls! (Picture 3)
The Boggs-Begich Visitors Center is a NPS site just 5 minutes away. It has interesting exhibits, a film about the area, park rangers who have all the answers, as well as lots of brochures.
Staying at Williwaw Campground--my favorite place to stay in Alaska or Canada--dry-camping-- Regular rate is $18, but because we have a Golden Age Pass, we are only paying $9. After $73/night in Homer, this will help our budget, too.
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Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
JULY 18 Day 62 Portage Valley, AK
We woke up to sun AGAIN! I can't believe how many beautiful days we've had. It's a rare day that the Whittier glacier cruise doesn't have lots of cloud, and often times, rain.
We made the 10:30 tunnel crossing. In order to get to the port, the third busiest port in Alaska, you have to go through a shared-use tunnel. Cars going toward Whittier can enter in a 15-minute window at every time with a 30 minutes on the end, e.g. 10:30. Then trains have it for 15 minutes until the hour. Then cars returning from Whittier use it on the hour. It works very well. You drive on the train tracks. The only possible problem is exiting. Signs indicating to remember to keep to the left probably mean that some fools have continued on the tracks instead of going onto the paved road. Cost was $12.
We parked in the first cruise parking lot (cost $12), but there is a parking lot further down that is $5. A bald eagle was circling overhead, showing everyone the salmon he had caught. He returned about 5 minutes later with an encore performance. Was it the same salmon? Did he deliver the first one to a nest? Is it even the same bald eagle? I think so.
The Ticket Office and gangplank are right at the parking lot--very convenient. We opted for top-deck enclosed seating, and it was a wise choice. The whole catamaran has walkways outside.
Captain Laura's first stop was the Salmon Hatchery. NPS Ranger James told us that the profits from the hatchery are used for increasing the numbers of fish in Alaska. There were lots of boats with nets strewn across the mouth of the river, and we wondered how any got up the stream to spawn. (Picture 1) There are weirs that count the fish coming upstream, and if there aren't enough making it, they shut down the fishing. Each boat has a permit, which this year cost $160,000. Some years they cost more; others they cost less. They can be bought, sold, and inherited. They fish by stretching out these big nets using a small boat, then they pull up the nets. There is one larger refrigerated boat that they off-load their catch onto, where it is weighed, and they are given a receipt.
In 1899 Edward Harriman, a powerful man who controlled many railroads, (grandfather of future Alaska Governor Averill) was exhausted. He was told by his doctor that he needed to go on a long vacation. So he decided to go to Alaska to hunt Kodiak bears. He decided to take along with him a scientific community to document and explore the coastline of Alaska. He contacted Clinton Merriam, a high administrator at the USDA, and one of the founders of the National Geographic Society, and told him that he would cover all the expenses of experts to join him. Merriam gathered together 25 of the world's most prominent scientists-- John Muir and William Dahl, James Audubon to draw pictures, Arctic experts, botanists, ornithologists, zoologists, geologists, and a medical team to go on a 2-month expedition to Alaska. (Of course, Merriam put his name at the head of the list of people to go.) They discovered 600 new species and charted their geographic distribution and had covered over 900 miles of Alaska coastline. They discovered an unmapped fjord (which he named Harriman Fiord) and named lots of glaciers. In Seward, our destination glacier was Northwestern, named after his favorite college.
Harriman had a 250-foot-long steamship refitted for the trip. It had lecture rooms, an organ, a grand piano, a library with over 500 books about Alaska, a stable for animals including a cow (for milk), 5 cases of champagne, taxidermy studios, and luxury staterooms for the experts.
There were many long-lasting benefits of this expedition as well. At first, John Muir thought Harriman was distasteful and thought his hunting was barbaric. By the end of the trip, the two had become friends. Years later Harriman helped Muir with governmental lobbying on National Park legislation, and Muir gave the eulogy at Harriman's funeral.
Glaciers were the focus of the cruise, and the first ones we saw were the Seven Sisters, named after 7 women's colleges on the East Coast. The three which remain today are Holyoke, Baltimore, and Barnard. (Picture 2) Pretty sad, isn't it? We saw many thousand gulls on this trip (that is NOT an exaggeration) , and there were islands full of nests. Some shared their islands with seals (Picture 3), who was welcomed by his friends who were basking on this wonderful day. (Picture 4)
Ranger James said it's unusual to see a floatplane out on Prince William Sound. He was stopped between two commercial fishing boats. A doctor? A rich fisherman? The Boss? (Picture 5)
Our first glacier was prettier than any we saw out of Seward. (Picture 6) As we approached our second glacier, there was a tidal glacier (Picture 7) and a pretty cirque glacier (circular) (Picture 8) Surprise Glacier, was named by Harriman because they didn't see it until they came around a curve in the bay. It had the prettiest glacier blue. (Picture 9) We knew that beneath all glaciers there is a running river, but the amount of water in these beautiful ribbon waterfalls as they flowed down the mountain near it was impressive. (Picture 10)
We didn't see many seals on this trip. But, when we did see them, there were a lot of them! (Picture 11)
Ranger James said this was the biggest iceberg he's seen in his several years of doing marine tours and fishing commercially. (Picture 12) He said it probably calved yesterday. Oh, how I wish I'd been here to see and hear it. He said that they calve 24/7, so it could have happened in the wee hours of the morning when no one would see it. It is over 30 feet tall, and that's only the 15% that's above water. There's another 250 feet plus under the water! To be defined as an iceberg, it must be have 15 feet above the waterline, either horizontally or vertically.
We came across some more seals, but they are shy. At first they observe (Picture 13), then they give you the look that says, "GO AWAY! You're bothering my siesta." (Picture 14) Then they dive in the water and disappear. (Picture 15) They come up again several feet behind the boat and watch.
As we returned to port, the captain had to navigate a minefield of otters. Most were shy because of the size of the boat and dove under the water when we slowly approached, but these two looked us over (Picture 16). This started as a raft of 8, but by the time we could get a camera on them, only 3 were willing to stay, and the middle one was ready to dive under the water. (Picture 17) Ranger James told us that the Harriman never saw one otter in their 2 month voyage because there were less than 1000 then. Russian fur traders, who called them "soft gold", had almost hunted them to extinction. One otter pelt would bring 5 times a man's average yearly income. Now only Native Peoples can hunt them, and they are not allowed to sell them. They enforce the penalty of 3-5 years in jail for hunting otters. There are now over 50,000 otters in Alaskan waters.
Kittiwakes, a special type of gull, nest on high cliffs, where the only predator they fear is the bald eagle. You can identify them by their short bodies and black wingtips. There were hundreds, if not thousands, on the rock cliffs. (Picture 18 & 19) They return to the same nest every year. They winter in Costa Rica.
About 10 minutes later, we came upon a bald eagle pair, who I think were looking for salmon. (Picture 20) Then one of them took off for their nest. (Picture 21)
We may need to worry about the health of some species, but kittiwakes and gulls are doing well, as you can see from all the nests. (Picture 22) There were hundreds of birds on these cliffs.
I would highly recommend the Major Marine cruises, both in Seward for marine life and in Whittier for glaciers. You can use a buy one/ get one free from either of the coupon books. Their Copper River silver salmon was good, and their prime rib was great (and I'm not a beef eater usually). The crew was stellar. The boat has wide aisles and would feel comfortable even if there were a full passenger load. However, we got lucky today because full is 150, and we only had 60 passengers. Calling ahead (which we did) for a slack day is well advised, because tomorrow they are full.
Staying at Williwaw State Park Campground
We woke up to sun AGAIN! I can't believe how many beautiful days we've had. It's a rare day that the Whittier glacier cruise doesn't have lots of cloud, and often times, rain.
We made the 10:30 tunnel crossing. In order to get to the port, the third busiest port in Alaska, you have to go through a shared-use tunnel. Cars going toward Whittier can enter in a 15-minute window at every time with a 30 minutes on the end, e.g. 10:30. Then trains have it for 15 minutes until the hour. Then cars returning from Whittier use it on the hour. It works very well. You drive on the train tracks. The only possible problem is exiting. Signs indicating to remember to keep to the left probably mean that some fools have continued on the tracks instead of going onto the paved road. Cost was $12.
We parked in the first cruise parking lot (cost $12), but there is a parking lot further down that is $5. A bald eagle was circling overhead, showing everyone the salmon he had caught. He returned about 5 minutes later with an encore performance. Was it the same salmon? Did he deliver the first one to a nest? Is it even the same bald eagle? I think so.
The Ticket Office and gangplank are right at the parking lot--very convenient. We opted for top-deck enclosed seating, and it was a wise choice. The whole catamaran has walkways outside.
Captain Laura's first stop was the Salmon Hatchery. NPS Ranger James told us that the profits from the hatchery are used for increasing the numbers of fish in Alaska. There were lots of boats with nets strewn across the mouth of the river, and we wondered how any got up the stream to spawn. (Picture 1) There are weirs that count the fish coming upstream, and if there aren't enough making it, they shut down the fishing. Each boat has a permit, which this year cost $160,000. Some years they cost more; others they cost less. They can be bought, sold, and inherited. They fish by stretching out these big nets using a small boat, then they pull up the nets. There is one larger refrigerated boat that they off-load their catch onto, where it is weighed, and they are given a receipt.
In 1899 Edward Harriman, a powerful man who controlled many railroads, (grandfather of future Alaska Governor Averill) was exhausted. He was told by his doctor that he needed to go on a long vacation. So he decided to go to Alaska to hunt Kodiak bears. He decided to take along with him a scientific community to document and explore the coastline of Alaska. He contacted Clinton Merriam, a high administrator at the USDA, and one of the founders of the National Geographic Society, and told him that he would cover all the expenses of experts to join him. Merriam gathered together 25 of the world's most prominent scientists-- John Muir and William Dahl, James Audubon to draw pictures, Arctic experts, botanists, ornithologists, zoologists, geologists, and a medical team to go on a 2-month expedition to Alaska. (Of course, Merriam put his name at the head of the list of people to go.) They discovered 600 new species and charted their geographic distribution and had covered over 900 miles of Alaska coastline. They discovered an unmapped fjord (which he named Harriman Fiord) and named lots of glaciers. In Seward, our destination glacier was Northwestern, named after his favorite college.
Harriman had a 250-foot-long steamship refitted for the trip. It had lecture rooms, an organ, a grand piano, a library with over 500 books about Alaska, a stable for animals including a cow (for milk), 5 cases of champagne, taxidermy studios, and luxury staterooms for the experts.
There were many long-lasting benefits of this expedition as well. At first, John Muir thought Harriman was distasteful and thought his hunting was barbaric. By the end of the trip, the two had become friends. Years later Harriman helped Muir with governmental lobbying on National Park legislation, and Muir gave the eulogy at Harriman's funeral.
Glaciers were the focus of the cruise, and the first ones we saw were the Seven Sisters, named after 7 women's colleges on the East Coast. The three which remain today are Holyoke, Baltimore, and Barnard. (Picture 2) Pretty sad, isn't it? We saw many thousand gulls on this trip (that is NOT an exaggeration) , and there were islands full of nests. Some shared their islands with seals (Picture 3), who was welcomed by his friends who were basking on this wonderful day. (Picture 4)
Ranger James said it's unusual to see a floatplane out on Prince William Sound. He was stopped between two commercial fishing boats. A doctor? A rich fisherman? The Boss? (Picture 5)
Our first glacier was prettier than any we saw out of Seward. (Picture 6) As we approached our second glacier, there was a tidal glacier (Picture 7) and a pretty cirque glacier (circular) (Picture 8) Surprise Glacier, was named by Harriman because they didn't see it until they came around a curve in the bay. It had the prettiest glacier blue. (Picture 9) We knew that beneath all glaciers there is a running river, but the amount of water in these beautiful ribbon waterfalls as they flowed down the mountain near it was impressive. (Picture 10)
We didn't see many seals on this trip. But, when we did see them, there were a lot of them! (Picture 11)
Ranger James said this was the biggest iceberg he's seen in his several years of doing marine tours and fishing commercially. (Picture 12) He said it probably calved yesterday. Oh, how I wish I'd been here to see and hear it. He said that they calve 24/7, so it could have happened in the wee hours of the morning when no one would see it. It is over 30 feet tall, and that's only the 15% that's above water. There's another 250 feet plus under the water! To be defined as an iceberg, it must be have 15 feet above the waterline, either horizontally or vertically.
We came across some more seals, but they are shy. At first they observe (Picture 13), then they give you the look that says, "GO AWAY! You're bothering my siesta." (Picture 14) Then they dive in the water and disappear. (Picture 15) They come up again several feet behind the boat and watch.
As we returned to port, the captain had to navigate a minefield of otters. Most were shy because of the size of the boat and dove under the water when we slowly approached, but these two looked us over (Picture 16). This started as a raft of 8, but by the time we could get a camera on them, only 3 were willing to stay, and the middle one was ready to dive under the water. (Picture 17) Ranger James told us that the Harriman never saw one otter in their 2 month voyage because there were less than 1000 then. Russian fur traders, who called them "soft gold", had almost hunted them to extinction. One otter pelt would bring 5 times a man's average yearly income. Now only Native Peoples can hunt them, and they are not allowed to sell them. They enforce the penalty of 3-5 years in jail for hunting otters. There are now over 50,000 otters in Alaskan waters.
Kittiwakes, a special type of gull, nest on high cliffs, where the only predator they fear is the bald eagle. You can identify them by their short bodies and black wingtips. There were hundreds, if not thousands, on the rock cliffs. (Picture 18 & 19) They return to the same nest every year. They winter in Costa Rica.
About 10 minutes later, we came upon a bald eagle pair, who I think were looking for salmon. (Picture 20) Then one of them took off for their nest. (Picture 21)
We may need to worry about the health of some species, but kittiwakes and gulls are doing well, as you can see from all the nests. (Picture 22) There were hundreds of birds on these cliffs.
I would highly recommend the Major Marine cruises, both in Seward for marine life and in Whittier for glaciers. You can use a buy one/ get one free from either of the coupon books. Their Copper River silver salmon was good, and their prime rib was great (and I'm not a beef eater usually). The crew was stellar. The boat has wide aisles and would feel comfortable even if there were a full passenger load. However, we got lucky today because full is 150, and we only had 60 passengers. Calling ahead (which we did) for a slack day is well advised, because tomorrow they are full.
Staying at Williwaw State Park Campground
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Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
July 19 Day 63 Portage Valley, AK
We both really enjoy the beauty of Williwaw, so we decided to extend our stay one day. The weather has been beautiful, and the scenery is gorgeous. We didn't have much time to enjoy it the first night, we went on the marine cruise and didn't get home until 6:30 the second day, and I wanted to sit outside and read. However, with all this warm weather, little no see 'ums have hatched, and I provide a nice meal. One bit me under my wedding ring. How did he get in there?
We changed plans and went to the Animal Wildlife Conservation Center, a drive-by or walk-through almost-zoo, only about 10 minutes away. I forgot my coupon books at the RV. We paid $18 for two senior admissions vs. $12.50 with the buy one/get one free where you have to buy adult admissions. We figured we'd pay the extra $5.50 because it costs a lot to feed big animals during the winter.
They had me with the first exhibit--a bull moose with a nice rack basking in the warm sunlight. (Picture 1)
The number one goal of the AWCC is to bring the wood bison back from the brink of extinction. They are making wonderful strides in increasing the numbers and health of this Alaska native. This wood bison calf certainly looked healthy. (Picture 2) We stayed and watched them from our car as they tried to do their part in growing the numbers (it must be mating season), rolling back and forth in dirt patches raising quite a cloud (scratching mosquito bites?), and charging at each other. They have furry thighs, and many were shedding their coats. (Picture 3)
The next pen had teenager elk, and one stuck out his tongue at the camera (Picture 4). How many of us with teenagers have seen them do the same thing? The large bull elk in the next pen was sure proud of his rack, and looked like he was saying, "I'm all that!" (Picture 5) What is it with elk and their tongues? (Picture 6) Even adults do it. Doesn't their tongue fit in their mouth?
They also had a sleeping lynx, Sitka deer, musk oxen, an owl, an eagle, a porcupine, caribou, and black and brown bears. There were several busloads of tourists visiting the bears. If I'd planned on going here, I'd have gone at 8:00 when they open or late (I think they're open until 8:00 PM) and have avoided the crowds. People were driving their Class A motorhomes through with toads, but we were both glad that we were just in our Jeep. If you went early or late when the tour buses weren't there, you'd do fine in an RV.
The AWCC does wonderful scientific work. They carefully medically monitor the herds and take good care of them. They receive funding from the state of Alaska, UAA, and private donations, as well as ticket sales.
Staying at Williwaw State Park Campground
We both really enjoy the beauty of Williwaw, so we decided to extend our stay one day. The weather has been beautiful, and the scenery is gorgeous. We didn't have much time to enjoy it the first night, we went on the marine cruise and didn't get home until 6:30 the second day, and I wanted to sit outside and read. However, with all this warm weather, little no see 'ums have hatched, and I provide a nice meal. One bit me under my wedding ring. How did he get in there?
We changed plans and went to the Animal Wildlife Conservation Center, a drive-by or walk-through almost-zoo, only about 10 minutes away. I forgot my coupon books at the RV. We paid $18 for two senior admissions vs. $12.50 with the buy one/get one free where you have to buy adult admissions. We figured we'd pay the extra $5.50 because it costs a lot to feed big animals during the winter.
They had me with the first exhibit--a bull moose with a nice rack basking in the warm sunlight. (Picture 1)
The number one goal of the AWCC is to bring the wood bison back from the brink of extinction. They are making wonderful strides in increasing the numbers and health of this Alaska native. This wood bison calf certainly looked healthy. (Picture 2) We stayed and watched them from our car as they tried to do their part in growing the numbers (it must be mating season), rolling back and forth in dirt patches raising quite a cloud (scratching mosquito bites?), and charging at each other. They have furry thighs, and many were shedding their coats. (Picture 3)
The next pen had teenager elk, and one stuck out his tongue at the camera (Picture 4). How many of us with teenagers have seen them do the same thing? The large bull elk in the next pen was sure proud of his rack, and looked like he was saying, "I'm all that!" (Picture 5) What is it with elk and their tongues? (Picture 6) Even adults do it. Doesn't their tongue fit in their mouth?
They also had a sleeping lynx, Sitka deer, musk oxen, an owl, an eagle, a porcupine, caribou, and black and brown bears. There were several busloads of tourists visiting the bears. If I'd planned on going here, I'd have gone at 8:00 when they open or late (I think they're open until 8:00 PM) and have avoided the crowds. People were driving their Class A motorhomes through with toads, but we were both glad that we were just in our Jeep. If you went early or late when the tour buses weren't there, you'd do fine in an RV.
The AWCC does wonderful scientific work. They carefully medically monitor the herds and take good care of them. They receive funding from the state of Alaska, UAA, and private donations, as well as ticket sales.
Staying at Williwaw State Park Campground
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ArdraF
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- Joined
- Feb 12, 2006
- Posts
- 10,695
Nice photos! And, yes, the eagles were great. Your campsite looks beautiful.
ArdraF
ArdraF
Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
July 20, 2013 Day 64 Anchorage
We left our pretty campground as late as possible because we knew we had a short drive of less than 100 miles to Palmer. I hadn't slept well, which is very unusual, so I got Dean headed down the right road and promptly fell asleep.
An hour later, when I woke up, we were parked outside the movie theatre in Anchorage! Dean had declared a "Play Day." We ate burgers at Red Robin, then saw a movie. We were able to get in for one night at the Golden Nugget RV Park. Caravans abound everywhere we go and are filling parks to capacity. Then we went back over to the movies to see "Red 2."
Definitely a different day from the one I planned, but isn't retirement wonderful?
Staying at Golden Nugget $43.20, 50 amps, FHU, I think Dean forgot to ask for the Good Sam discount.
July 21, 2013 Day 65 Palmer
What a day! We knew the drive to Valdez was 300 miles, and I had read that part of the road is potholed and washboard, so we got up and at 'em. Dean scurried over to COSTCO when it opened at 10:00, filled up the gas tank on the Jeep, got money at the ATM, and picked up produce. Then we attached, and I thought we were ready to go. Nope!
One tire on the RV has had a very slow leak, and it is getting worse. The TPM alarm went off, so we researched truck tire repair and found everyone closed because it was Sunday. Dean figured it can go a little longer. He wanted to get underway.
We gassed up at the Chevron on DeBarr again. Last time, the man washed our front window 4 times, our side windows, and even our camera in the back. For FREE! Of course, we gave him a tip, but he made sure we knew it wasn't necessary. This time, it was a zoo--lots of cars. With the 80? weather, every car we saw this weekend had something attached to it--kayaks, a travel trailer, a trailer with "toys", or bikes. Everyone is out playing in the sun.
I told Dean that all day we were on freeways Highway 1--North and then Highway 3 East, and they would be called the Glenn Highway and then the Richardson Highway.. We both had our GPSs set up, so we thought we were good. I noticed that my GPS was "recalculating", but we were on Highway 1, which I knew was right, so I ignored it. Note to self--When GPS recalculates, take notice! I was reading my book and didn't pay attention. I should have noticed that the ocean was on the passenger side when it should have been on the driver's side. I looked up and the exit said "Portage". That's where we left just yesterday! We had gone south instead of north. It seems that Dean's GPS thought it would be nice if we took the "Marine Highway" (the ferry)! Of course, we didn't have reservations, hadn't calculated cost or schedule, so we made a U-turn and a phone call to Bayview RV Park in Valdez, who were kind enough not to laugh and extended the start day of our reservation by one day.. We would have had a ridiculous drive to make it to Valdez, so we opted for the best stop at Palmer.
We just missed getting to the Palmer Visitors Center before it closed, but we did see the garden there and explored Palmer a bit. Then we went over to Wasilla and found a possible tire repair place.
Interesting fact: A man was filling up his Mosquito Eater with propane. It really does reduce the mosquito population around your home. COSTCO sells them for several hundred dollars.
Another Interesting Fact from the News: Bristol Bay Native Corporation (that's one of the 13 tribal groups) owns Alaska's second biggest business (they didn't tell me what it was).
Staying at Town & Country RV Park--FHU available with 30 amps for $30, or water and 50 amps (only a few sites) for $25, no one in office, but they're available by phone. There's almost no one here, and it's a good park, but they don't answer their phone and their sign has a big bush that has grown halfway up the sign. Someone needs to teach them marketing. I believe the park is only 2 years old. It has good WIFI, and the price is the best we've paid in Alaska when we've had water and electric.
We left our pretty campground as late as possible because we knew we had a short drive of less than 100 miles to Palmer. I hadn't slept well, which is very unusual, so I got Dean headed down the right road and promptly fell asleep.
An hour later, when I woke up, we were parked outside the movie theatre in Anchorage! Dean had declared a "Play Day." We ate burgers at Red Robin, then saw a movie. We were able to get in for one night at the Golden Nugget RV Park. Caravans abound everywhere we go and are filling parks to capacity. Then we went back over to the movies to see "Red 2."
Definitely a different day from the one I planned, but isn't retirement wonderful?
Staying at Golden Nugget $43.20, 50 amps, FHU, I think Dean forgot to ask for the Good Sam discount.
July 21, 2013 Day 65 Palmer
What a day! We knew the drive to Valdez was 300 miles, and I had read that part of the road is potholed and washboard, so we got up and at 'em. Dean scurried over to COSTCO when it opened at 10:00, filled up the gas tank on the Jeep, got money at the ATM, and picked up produce. Then we attached, and I thought we were ready to go. Nope!
One tire on the RV has had a very slow leak, and it is getting worse. The TPM alarm went off, so we researched truck tire repair and found everyone closed because it was Sunday. Dean figured it can go a little longer. He wanted to get underway.
We gassed up at the Chevron on DeBarr again. Last time, the man washed our front window 4 times, our side windows, and even our camera in the back. For FREE! Of course, we gave him a tip, but he made sure we knew it wasn't necessary. This time, it was a zoo--lots of cars. With the 80? weather, every car we saw this weekend had something attached to it--kayaks, a travel trailer, a trailer with "toys", or bikes. Everyone is out playing in the sun.
I told Dean that all day we were on freeways Highway 1--North and then Highway 3 East, and they would be called the Glenn Highway and then the Richardson Highway.. We both had our GPSs set up, so we thought we were good. I noticed that my GPS was "recalculating", but we were on Highway 1, which I knew was right, so I ignored it. Note to self--When GPS recalculates, take notice! I was reading my book and didn't pay attention. I should have noticed that the ocean was on the passenger side when it should have been on the driver's side. I looked up and the exit said "Portage". That's where we left just yesterday! We had gone south instead of north. It seems that Dean's GPS thought it would be nice if we took the "Marine Highway" (the ferry)! Of course, we didn't have reservations, hadn't calculated cost or schedule, so we made a U-turn and a phone call to Bayview RV Park in Valdez, who were kind enough not to laugh and extended the start day of our reservation by one day.. We would have had a ridiculous drive to make it to Valdez, so we opted for the best stop at Palmer.
We just missed getting to the Palmer Visitors Center before it closed, but we did see the garden there and explored Palmer a bit. Then we went over to Wasilla and found a possible tire repair place.
Interesting fact: A man was filling up his Mosquito Eater with propane. It really does reduce the mosquito population around your home. COSTCO sells them for several hundred dollars.
Another Interesting Fact from the News: Bristol Bay Native Corporation (that's one of the 13 tribal groups) owns Alaska's second biggest business (they didn't tell me what it was).
Staying at Town & Country RV Park--FHU available with 30 amps for $30, or water and 50 amps (only a few sites) for $25, no one in office, but they're available by phone. There's almost no one here, and it's a good park, but they don't answer their phone and their sign has a big bush that has grown halfway up the sign. Someone needs to teach them marketing. I believe the park is only 2 years old. It has good WIFI, and the price is the best we've paid in Alaska when we've had water and electric.
Derby6
Well-known member
Just made the Drive to Valdez.
Roads are littered with frost heaves. I got air one time.
You'll hit construction in Glenallen.
Roads are littered with frost heaves. I got air one time.
You'll hit construction in Glenallen.
Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
Derby6 said:Just made the Drive to Valdez.
Roads are littered with frost heaves. I got air one time.
You'll hit construction in Glenallen.
It's good to know--even bad news. When you're expecting it, it isn't as bad. And, it means that we made good decisions--yesterday and day before--in choosing not to push on. I'd hate to drive it at night. Thanks.
Henry Wishard
Well-known member
Keep us informed on the road condition. We will be a couple of weeks behind you and Dean.
Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
I haven't posted because I keep forgetting to have Dean hook up the camera. The road between Palmer and Glennallen is the second worst we've had on this trip. Button down EVERYTHING! Our cat's food dish flipped over when Dean had to hit the brakes hard because two bicyclists who were riding in line (correctly) were passed by a motorhome with toad, who chose not to slow down, and instead crossed well over the center line on a somewhat narrow road. Dean thought we might have ahead-on crash. It was mostly just bumpy washboard with lots of frostheaves. Once you get to the Richardson, it was paved, some gentler frostheaves, but MUCH better. I don't think it's going to change much. The construction is to make a new bridge, which is a long-term project, and so it will still be there. There wasn't any sign that they might be repairing the Glenn between Palmer and Glennallen--no equipment, surveyors, etc. Just take it slow. Dean likes to travel at 61 mph, and he slowed some, but not enough in my opinion.Henry Wishard said:
Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
July 22 Day 66 Valdez, AK
It was another beautiful 80? day. The fireweed is getting close to being bloomed out, so we need to keep moving and not take too many free days to relax. (Picture 1)
The road from Palmer to Glennallen was washboard with potholes and frostheaves, many of which were not marked. When we got to the Richardson Highway at Glennallen, the road was smoothly paved. There were some frostheaves, but they were much more gentle.
We stopped at the Matanuska Glacier. a large glacier with some pretty glacial blue, even on this bright day. (Picture 2) I think it's smaller than it was 4 years ago, but I'm going to have to look back through a lot of pictures to do a comparison. We had seen ice worms on our Whittier glacier tour, pickled in a jar. But, at this glacier they had a sign with information. They are about 0.5 inches long and segmented, like earthworms. I'm amazed that they don't freeze. And the sign says they avoid sunlight and heat, coming out only at dusk. They collect food from glacial run off. Sometimes they tangle themselves into a 10-20 worm ball, which scientists think may be mating behavior.
I also made arrangements to take two Stan Stephens Cruises. His was our favorite in 2009.
Staying at Bayside RV Park--$152.00/4 days, 50 amps, FHU, overlooking an estuary next to the bay
It was another beautiful 80? day. The fireweed is getting close to being bloomed out, so we need to keep moving and not take too many free days to relax. (Picture 1)
The road from Palmer to Glennallen was washboard with potholes and frostheaves, many of which were not marked. When we got to the Richardson Highway at Glennallen, the road was smoothly paved. There were some frostheaves, but they were much more gentle.
We stopped at the Matanuska Glacier. a large glacier with some pretty glacial blue, even on this bright day. (Picture 2) I think it's smaller than it was 4 years ago, but I'm going to have to look back through a lot of pictures to do a comparison. We had seen ice worms on our Whittier glacier tour, pickled in a jar. But, at this glacier they had a sign with information. They are about 0.5 inches long and segmented, like earthworms. I'm amazed that they don't freeze. And the sign says they avoid sunlight and heat, coming out only at dusk. They collect food from glacial run off. Sometimes they tangle themselves into a 10-20 worm ball, which scientists think may be mating behavior.
I also made arrangements to take two Stan Stephens Cruises. His was our favorite in 2009.
Staying at Bayside RV Park--$152.00/4 days, 50 amps, FHU, overlooking an estuary next to the bay
Attachments
Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
July 23 Day 67 Valdez, AK
We re-acquainted ourselves with Valdez and went over to check out the cruise situation.
We visited the wonderful, free Maxine & Jessie Whitney Museum. Maxine's story is truly one of making lemonade from lemons. I got her biographical booklet just because she was so fascinating. After she became wealthy, she traveled to remote Alaskan villages, collecting ancient artifacts and wonderful art. She had so many things I'd never heard of, such as a fur, Russian prayer mat. I could have taken as many pictures in this museum as Dean does on a marine cruise. It's a small museum, but it is full of quality exhibits. One of my favorite sections was the mammoth carvings. like Picture 1. There are huge taxidermied animals and the tiny ptarmigan. (Pictures 2, 3 & 4) This moose was so huge Dean couldn't stand back far enough to get the whole body. I learned so much here. The wolves (Picture 5) were so different in color from those I've seen before. The red fox wasn't red.
We drove out to Allison Point to look for bald eagles and bears. I saw two bald eagles as we were driving. It's not far, so we may go again.
Staying at Bayside RV Park--$152.00/4 days, 50 amps, FHU, overlooking an estuary next to the bay
We re-acquainted ourselves with Valdez and went over to check out the cruise situation.
We visited the wonderful, free Maxine & Jessie Whitney Museum. Maxine's story is truly one of making lemonade from lemons. I got her biographical booklet just because she was so fascinating. After she became wealthy, she traveled to remote Alaskan villages, collecting ancient artifacts and wonderful art. She had so many things I'd never heard of, such as a fur, Russian prayer mat. I could have taken as many pictures in this museum as Dean does on a marine cruise. It's a small museum, but it is full of quality exhibits. One of my favorite sections was the mammoth carvings. like Picture 1. There are huge taxidermied animals and the tiny ptarmigan. (Pictures 2, 3 & 4) This moose was so huge Dean couldn't stand back far enough to get the whole body. I learned so much here. The wolves (Picture 5) were so different in color from those I've seen before. The red fox wasn't red.
We drove out to Allison Point to look for bald eagles and bears. I saw two bald eagles as we were driving. It's not far, so we may go again.
Staying at Bayside RV Park--$152.00/4 days, 50 amps, FHU, overlooking an estuary next to the bay
Attachments
Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
July 24 Day 68 Valdez, AK
I am so glad we came over to the cruise offices yesterday to check out the ramp. They told us it would be a negative tide, and the ramp would be very steep. Between my arthritis and my fear of heights, this sounded ominous. We made arrangements for me to sit in a chair, which they would winch down to the dock. Just look at the angle of this ramp!!! (Picture 1) It was over 45?! All of our cruises have been great at accommodating my mobility issues, and there is no reason for anyone not to go on a cruise.
As we went by Columbia Glacier's inlet, we passed many icebergs (Picture 2). Columbia calves away 10-15 TONS of ice each day and is considered in "catastrophic retreat." We saw icebergs 18 miles away from it. It is the last tidewater glacier to retreat. It started in 1983 and has retreated 12 miles since then.
As we got further from the glacier, the water cleared from the glacial silt, and we could see the salmon swimming, as well as jumping in the air. It's so transparent you can see the otter's body beneath the water, as well as his cute face. (Picture 3) Otters have 250,000 hairs per square inch of fur. The whole human head has a total of 6,000. Their body temp is 104?. There were many large rafts of 15 or more otters, however we only saw one mom with a pup. All the captains have told us that the otter numbers are great, but I wonder how if there are so few pups. Pups stay with their moms for 6 months to a year. We were in 400 feet of water, and otters maximum dive is 150 feet, so they were truly relaxing. They go nearer the shore to feed.
Harbor seals rest on icebergs as they have a lot of blubber.(Picture 4) The captain told us that this also provides shelter from transient orcas who feast on seals. Resident orcas are not predators. A male sea lion weighs 2400 pounds, and the female weighs 600 pounds.
We reached our destination, Mears Glacier. (Picture 5) It is 15 miles long and one of the few advancing glaciers (it's being fed from more new snow on the back than what it calves off). Its face is now 5 miles across and it is 130 feet high.
As we began our return trip, Dall's porpoises splashed in the far distance. I was standing by the captain, and I couldn't believe that he spotted anything so far away, let alone knew what they must be. These cute little porpoises, who look just like very miniaturized orcas, wanted to play in our wake, and we played with them for about 10 minutes. They ride the boat's wake and dive under the boat, and getting a picture is very difficult. There are some things you just have to consider "eye candy" and enjoy without a camera lens to your eye, and this was one of those events. They are so fast they can exceed the maximum speed of the boat. Dean shot a lot of pictures of water where they had surfed a second before.
We saw our first humpback as we started our return trip. He surfaced 3 times, spending 8 minutes feeding after each time he came up to breathe. (Picture 6)
About 10 minutes later we saw a cow with her baby. She was small, and the captain thought this was probably her first calf. When they surfaced, they were so close that Dean had too big a lens on the camera. (Picture 7)
We saw a group of about 100 tiny brightly-colored tufted puffins. They were so tiny and right by the shore, so we couldn't get close enough. It's too bad because Dean got a great shot of one landing on the water, but if I enlarge it enough to see it, it's so blurry you can't tell what it is if you don't already know.
We visited a haul-out where 40-50 sea lions were basking in the sun. (Picture 8) Some of them came out and played around the boat--jumping, spinning, and diving.
Then another passenger spotted this eagle in the nest. (Picture 9)
The grand finale of the trip was a humpback who was "chinning." He would jump out of the water and slap his chin against the water as hard as he could, creating a huge splash. . He entertained us for at least 20 minutes, and we left him before he was done playing. There was only 30 seconds to 1 minute between splashes. No one knows why they do this, so marine biologists think they're just having fun. The first pictures (10 & 11) is as close to showing a mild chinslap as I could come because the others were so forceful, the pictures only show lots of spray. Picture 12 shows him starting his jump from the water. Sometimes he'd roll on their side and do a side flop. A couple of times, he did a backflop (Picture 13), which created a humongous splash. (Picture 14) We knew they came here to feed because they don't eat at all when they migrate to Mexico. I was surprised to see him expend this much energy, and his slaps didn't get any less powerful as time went on. What athleticism and stamina!
As we disembarked, two Arctic terns welcomed us ashore. I had looked forward to seeing them at Potters Marsh because we'd enjoyed them in 2009. When they weren't there, I figured we'd missed their season, and now here they were. (Picture )
When we drove into in the RV site, I spotted a black bear walking along the shore, then in the grass in front of the coach. Unfortunately, by the time Dean could get his long lens attached, the bear was gone.
Staying at Bayside RV Park--$152.00/4 days, 50 amps, FHU, overlooking an estuary next to the bay
I am so glad we came over to the cruise offices yesterday to check out the ramp. They told us it would be a negative tide, and the ramp would be very steep. Between my arthritis and my fear of heights, this sounded ominous. We made arrangements for me to sit in a chair, which they would winch down to the dock. Just look at the angle of this ramp!!! (Picture 1) It was over 45?! All of our cruises have been great at accommodating my mobility issues, and there is no reason for anyone not to go on a cruise.
As we went by Columbia Glacier's inlet, we passed many icebergs (Picture 2). Columbia calves away 10-15 TONS of ice each day and is considered in "catastrophic retreat." We saw icebergs 18 miles away from it. It is the last tidewater glacier to retreat. It started in 1983 and has retreated 12 miles since then.
As we got further from the glacier, the water cleared from the glacial silt, and we could see the salmon swimming, as well as jumping in the air. It's so transparent you can see the otter's body beneath the water, as well as his cute face. (Picture 3) Otters have 250,000 hairs per square inch of fur. The whole human head has a total of 6,000. Their body temp is 104?. There were many large rafts of 15 or more otters, however we only saw one mom with a pup. All the captains have told us that the otter numbers are great, but I wonder how if there are so few pups. Pups stay with their moms for 6 months to a year. We were in 400 feet of water, and otters maximum dive is 150 feet, so they were truly relaxing. They go nearer the shore to feed.
Harbor seals rest on icebergs as they have a lot of blubber.(Picture 4) The captain told us that this also provides shelter from transient orcas who feast on seals. Resident orcas are not predators. A male sea lion weighs 2400 pounds, and the female weighs 600 pounds.
We reached our destination, Mears Glacier. (Picture 5) It is 15 miles long and one of the few advancing glaciers (it's being fed from more new snow on the back than what it calves off). Its face is now 5 miles across and it is 130 feet high.
As we began our return trip, Dall's porpoises splashed in the far distance. I was standing by the captain, and I couldn't believe that he spotted anything so far away, let alone knew what they must be. These cute little porpoises, who look just like very miniaturized orcas, wanted to play in our wake, and we played with them for about 10 minutes. They ride the boat's wake and dive under the boat, and getting a picture is very difficult. There are some things you just have to consider "eye candy" and enjoy without a camera lens to your eye, and this was one of those events. They are so fast they can exceed the maximum speed of the boat. Dean shot a lot of pictures of water where they had surfed a second before.
We saw our first humpback as we started our return trip. He surfaced 3 times, spending 8 minutes feeding after each time he came up to breathe. (Picture 6)
About 10 minutes later we saw a cow with her baby. She was small, and the captain thought this was probably her first calf. When they surfaced, they were so close that Dean had too big a lens on the camera. (Picture 7)
We saw a group of about 100 tiny brightly-colored tufted puffins. They were so tiny and right by the shore, so we couldn't get close enough. It's too bad because Dean got a great shot of one landing on the water, but if I enlarge it enough to see it, it's so blurry you can't tell what it is if you don't already know.
We visited a haul-out where 40-50 sea lions were basking in the sun. (Picture 8) Some of them came out and played around the boat--jumping, spinning, and diving.
Then another passenger spotted this eagle in the nest. (Picture 9)
The grand finale of the trip was a humpback who was "chinning." He would jump out of the water and slap his chin against the water as hard as he could, creating a huge splash. . He entertained us for at least 20 minutes, and we left him before he was done playing. There was only 30 seconds to 1 minute between splashes. No one knows why they do this, so marine biologists think they're just having fun. The first pictures (10 & 11) is as close to showing a mild chinslap as I could come because the others were so forceful, the pictures only show lots of spray. Picture 12 shows him starting his jump from the water. Sometimes he'd roll on their side and do a side flop. A couple of times, he did a backflop (Picture 13), which created a humongous splash. (Picture 14) We knew they came here to feed because they don't eat at all when they migrate to Mexico. I was surprised to see him expend this much energy, and his slaps didn't get any less powerful as time went on. What athleticism and stamina!
As we disembarked, two Arctic terns welcomed us ashore. I had looked forward to seeing them at Potters Marsh because we'd enjoyed them in 2009. When they weren't there, I figured we'd missed their season, and now here they were. (Picture )
When we drove into in the RV site, I spotted a black bear walking along the shore, then in the grass in front of the coach. Unfortunately, by the time Dean could get his long lens attached, the bear was gone.
Staying at Bayside RV Park--$152.00/4 days, 50 amps, FHU, overlooking an estuary next to the bay
Attachments
Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
Henry Wishard
Well-known member
These are some great shots, hope we are as fortunate enough to see the same on our Glaciers cruise next Thursday in Valdez. Thanks for the report on the highway condition. Henry
ArdraF
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2006
- Posts
- 10,695
Wonderful photos! Sounds like you had a great Columbia Glacier cruise.
ArdraF
ArdraF
