Mile Zero to Alaska

Henry Wishard · Jun 20, 2013

Audra, We are lucky. Everyone here in Alaska keeps telling us "this is the hottest June they have ever seen" and to top that off " the most Mosquitos they have ever seen". It must be true because everywhere we go people are swimming in all the lakes and there is no mosquito repellant on the shelves at the local stores.

ArdraF · Jun 21, 2013

Yes, Henry, we're even seeing pictures on TV of Alaska's rare heat spell with people swimming in the lakes. Quite amazing!

ArdraF

Ned · Jun 21, 2013

Here's an image of Alaska taken the other day with no clouds over the state. You can see the smoke from a couple of fires as well.

Here is an article with some more images from Monday.

Henry Wishard · Jun 21, 2013

Thanks Ned for the satellite images, very interesting. Yesterday we drove to Mirror Lake and also Eklutna Lake in the Eagle River, Palmer area and both shorelines were filled with swimmers. Last night it started getting a little cooler so hopefully the heat is over.
I bought some fire wood from the host here at the park and by the time we got back from our day trip there were No campfire signs posted thru out the park. My Luck! Taking a day trip to Anchorage and Whittier today.

Henry Wishard · Jun 22, 2013

Went to Whittier yesterday, here are a few pics. The temp this morning is in the low 50's seems to have cooled off some.

Henry Wishard · Jun 24, 2013

Tonight at the Nugget RV park in Anchorage catching up on some washing. Like Sarge's says the best of the worst. Will be here thru Monday and leave for Seward Tuesday morning. And yes if Dean and Linda make it tomorrow we will finally meet. We are in space #110 .

Dean & Linda Stock · Jun 24, 2013

Henry Wishard said:
Tonight at the Nugget RV park in Anchorage catching up on some washing. Like Sarge's says the best of the worst. Will be here thru Monday and leave for Seward Tuesday morning. And yes if Dean and Linda make it tomorrow we will finally meet. We are in space #110 .

Great! We'll stop by when we get in, if it isn't too late. I have a few stops I want to make on our way in--Matanuska Glacier and the viewing spots for Denali. Don't change any plans to be at your RV because we kind of blow in the wind--we stop if we see something interesting. If your shade over your entry door is up, we'll stop. If not, we'll leave you a note with our space number.

Henry Wishard · Jun 24, 2013

Sounds great, that's the way we are. I have been known to pay 3 nights and stay 2. Where ever the wind carry us.

SaltyAdventurer · Jun 26, 2013

Oh, you guys, I sure wish Don & I were in Anchorage right now and could meet up with all of you! We love your posts AND your pictures! and, Henry, your tale of adventure getting the moose calf out of the playground! We're staying one more night here at Trapper Creek RV Park, to do laundry tomorrow morning and eat once more at the Talkeetna Roadhouse in town....what a fabulous place! Sarge said he had the best sourdough pancake there of his life...we both agree! But Don and I were also aware that the Roadhouse is famous for its reindeer chili, so he ordered a bowl of chili (the "mixed" kind with beans as well as reindeer, and I ordered a half-order of the sourdough pancake today...that's one gigantic pancake on a plate (the pancake overflows the plate by a full inch all the way around! He ate half the chili, and I ate half the pancake, and then we switched. What fun! Great lunch! Then we're headed for Palmer for a day, then to Anchorage for July 2-4. Will either of you be in Anchorage that long?

Today in Talkeetna, the cottonwood "snow" was literally a blizzard, so thick at times that you couldn't keep your eyes open because the stuff stuck to your face. It clumped and swirled in the corners of sidewalks and patios in town.

Dean & Linda Stock · Jun 26, 2013

We're hoping to meet up with you on July 2 for dinner if that still works for you. I can't tell you how good it felt to meet Margaret and Henry at last. It's like a familiar person, even though you've never seen their faces before.
Happy trails!

Henry Wishard · Jun 27, 2013

Linda, thanks for the kind words and it was a pleasure to meet you and Dean. Sorry we wasn't able to go eat with you guys but give us a rain check. Thanks again for the coupon that you gave us. It saved us another $100.00 on another book. We already have two.
Last night we dry camped on a small lake on the road to Whittier. I am posting a couple of pictures of it. Let me know if you are interested in the location and I will supply directions. Tell Dean we caught lots of Rainbow trout and fried up 10 last night. We met Gary and Andrea there. They have been camping a couple of nights before us.
We all moved to Cooper Landing for the next 4 days. Gary and I went down to the Russian River today but didn't land anything. With my gout foot I couldn't get a boots or waders on without severe pain. Gary caught one Salmon but didn't land it. Always tomorrow.

SaltyAdventurer · Jun 27, 2013

Henry, so aorry to hear about your gouty foot! It can be so miserable. Don has gout, too...what has really cleared his up and prevents the periodic flareups is 1) Rx for alopurinal (reduces the uric acid is your system when flareups occur...you do NOT need to take it all the time as a preventative, but Don takes it EVERY DAY, and so do a couple of physician-friends of ours who tend to have gout also; 2) don't eat popcorn, it is a known trigger for gout (and, of course, products with lots of high fructose corn syrup in them) and last but not least, 3) go easy on the beer and ale...hops used to make beer can be a major trigger too. Hope your gout attack clears up quickly...even being in bed with a sheet over your foot can be so awful!

SaltyAdventurer · Jun 28, 2013

Henry and Margaret, I just looked at those wonderful pictures of the place you dry camped along the road to Whittier. Just gorgeous! Where is that place? Maybe we'll look for it on our way to Whittier to catch the AMH ferry on July 25. Did you go to Hope AK along the way also? We heard Hope is quite a neat, funky little place and I thought we might go there for lunch while en route to Whittier.

Henry Wishard · Jun 28, 2013

Susie,the place we dry camped is on the Whittier Hwy just pass Williwaw camp ground on the left. After you see the campground sign on the road start looking for a gravel pull off.
Thanks for the info on the gout medicine. I also have a friends who takes it daily, I might have to start. Nothing better than popcorn and beer.

Henry Wishard · Jun 28, 2013

Gary and I awoke this morning at 2:30am and went Salmon fishing. We ended up with 4 nice salmon about 25 lbs. We are staying at Princess RV park in Cooper Landing. Will head out tomorrow for another fishing trip for Salmon.

Dean & Linda Stock · Jun 28, 2013

SaltyAdventurer said:
Henry, so aorry to hear about your gouty foot! It can be so miserable. Don has gout, too...what has really cleared his up and prevents the periodic flareups is 1) Rx for alopurinal (reduces the uric acid is your system when flareups occur...you do NOT need to take it all the time as a preventative, but Don takes it EVERY DAY, and so do a couple of physician-friends of ours who tend to have gout also;

Different people must react differently to allopurinol. A doctor prescribed it to me over the phone when I was having a gout attack, and we immediately filled it. OMG! It increased my pain by tenfold--I was writhing on my family room floor. Dean called back and got another doctor in the same practice, and he said you should NEVER TAKE IT DURING AN ATTACK--that it would make your pain 10x worse. He prescribed a sedative, which blocked the pain but did nothing for the gout. However, he recommended the allopurinol as a preventative. But, in the 10 years since I discovered the magical power of cherries, I haven't had anything beyond a twinge of pain. When I get it, I head for the cherries. Cherry juice works well (I used to buy it in health food stores.) Cherry pills also work, but it takes longer. I finished off my cherry pills 6 months ago, and I have been in several GNC and other health stores, but have been unable to find them or the juice. Fortunately, I've been able to find cherries when I needed them, but every time we aren't in a hurry and I see a nutrition store, I try again. Someday I will find them.

We enjoyed talking with you so much. Hope you catch a lot of fish. Dean loves his amps, and I really want to stay at Williwaw, so I'm going to pass on dry camping until after I get that one.

Henry Wishard · Jul 4, 2013

After 6 days dry camping and back in the world of electronics I have been trying all morning to post some pics. After I type my message and add attachments I can't seem to post them. I am going to try again for the third time. I need to be fishing instead of writing post.

Henry Wishard · Jul 4, 2013

Margaret and I are camping at the Edgewater RV park in Soldotna, we left Russian River Campground yesterday after 3 days dry camping and fishing the Russian River. My freezer is full of fish and I have to pick up 20lbs that I am having smoked. We are thinking about buying a freezer from home depot to pack some more fish in. So far I have only fished with my fishing buddy Gary and have hired no guides. That will change in Homer when my son arrives with the grandkids next week.
The bear in the previous picture I walked by him within 15ft. I was on the boardwalk at Russian River with a backpack full of freshly cleaned fish. He was on the bank eating a fish and just looked up at me once as my I-phone snapped to get this picture.

Henry Wishard · Jul 4, 2013

This is Gary Phillips and I on one of our better days. This is about 60-70 lbs of Salmon and they are great eating. The second pic is me fishing by myself. These baby's are hard to get them in a dip net my yourself.

ArdraF · Jul 4, 2013

Nice catch there, Henry! I'm so thankful to have learned I like salmon BEFORE going to Alaska. Prior to that I had only eaten commercially canned salmon and really didn't like it. Sounds like you're having a wonderful trip.

ArdraF

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