Alaska with the Stocks 2009

[Ned]

Valdez was one of my favorite stops, tied with the Chena Marina RV Park in Fairbanks where I watched the float planes takeoff and land for a week.  The highlight, of course, was the plane ride over Denali.  Don't miss that.  It should be in the tour book, 2 for one at Talkeetna Air.

Sorry you had to miss Seldovia, the chain saw carvings are something to see.

 

[ArdraF]

Linda, the Samovar and Nina sound like it was quite an evening.  She must be a real character.  I'll bet the food was good.

I'd never heard of the Old Believers and you've done a wonderful job of teaching us about them.  Thank you.  It reminds me of the Mennonites who went to various countries and eventually ended up in Mexico, also because they were told their children had to learn the language of the countries they stopped in along the way.

Up by Soldotna there's a Russian church you can go into and a fascinating church graveyard where the native people combined their old customs with their new Russian/Christian customs to create the most unique graves we've ever seen.  Very bright colors.  I don't recall you visiting and writing about it but forgive me if you did.

ArdraF

 

[railroad]

Hi Dean & Linda:

Well we've made it to Fairbanks (actually the zip code is North Pole) but we are in Riverview CG and survived the Top of the World Highway with no damage and not much dust inside the coach. Some bit more in the car but also not damage.
Celebrated the 4th with the Gold Prospectors Assn Annual Picnic and listened to the Band at the Chicken Creek Saloon.

Wildfires in this part of the state are getting pretty bad and the dense smoke is all around us. Fortunately, we have full hook-ups and 50amp so we can survive with the a/c's working. Will have to rethink Denali and may head straight for Homer and backtrack to Denali in August. Reading your comments on the Peninsula with interest.

Enjoying your posts. Will get my own blog back up now that we have internet again.

Safe travels,

Gene & Laurie

 

[Just Lou]

We visited with Nina at the Samovar in '06.  She liked my beard and insisted on taking a picture of me "dressed".
Payment for the picture was my promise to send her a a printed copy, which I did.

 

[Dean & Linda Stock]

Just curious... How many ruples, dineros, $ did you leave behind at the Samovar Caf??  

 What an interesting place.

Thank you for your kind words, Carson.  The Samovar was an interesting place.  We tried one of everything on the menu (split between us), and that was around $40 + tax + tip (which one of the articles I read said she would tell you how much her tip should be, but she is very savvy and I think she guessed that might not sit well with us), but Dean loved her tea.  I was very resistant to buying it for $20 (I know that I pay $5 for many more servings of a great tea at home), but he wanted it as a Christmas present.  That told me that it was something he REALLY liked, so we got it (after all, as she explained, all profits go to the orphanages in Russia).  AND, if we bought the tea, we could get our pictures taken in Russian garb, and a picture of her.  Out the door, it cost $70.  She's missing her calling.  Instead of teaching the Russian language, she should be teaching salesmen how to sell.  The whole experience was a hoot!  i thought of it as dinner and entertainment.

 

[Dean & Linda Stock]

We visited with Tina at the Samovar in '06.  She liked my beard and insisted on taking a picture of me "dressed".
Payment for the picture was my promise to send her a a printed copy, which I did.

I can't believe she didn't find a way to charge you money for taking your picture, even though she wanted a printed copy.  Nina must have really wanted that picture, or you reminded her of someone back home.  She must have been really tired and off her game that day!  She wanted to charge us for everything, except breathing the cafe's air.

 

[Dean & Linda Stock]

Well we've made it to Fairbanks (actually the zip code is North Pole) but we are in Riverview CG and survived the Top of the World Highway with no damage and not much dust inside the coach. Some bit more in the car but also not damage.

Wildfires in this part of the state are getting pretty bad and the dense smoke is all around us. Fortunately, we have full hookups and 50amp so we can survive with the a/c's working. Will have to rethink Denali and may head straight for Homer and backtrack to Denali in August.

Hi, Gene and Laurie!

I am so glad that you made it over TOTW easily.  Was there recent moisture (sprinkles?) that kept the dust down?  We must have been on it the day before the grader came through.  We were concerned for you.

We've been watching the fires and hoping they are extinguished soon, as our kids may be flying up to Anchorage around July 25, specifically to go to Denali.  Weather here in Homer is PERFECT!  It was 66? yesterday, and it felt like high 70's.  Homer is like Valdez, lots of gorgeous mountains, and I love Grewingk Glacier, which I see constantly.  It's easy to spend extra time in Homer.  We started with 4 days, added 2, added 1, added 1, and when I check out a new idea, we may add 1 more day.  Do eat at the Sourdough Express.  The RV parks are vacant!  When we were on the spit yesterday, i counted 22 RVs at Heritage ($78/night), and they say they have 107 in Trailer Life.  It seemed like there were even more vancant than 85.  Even the Spit CG had view sites available in the afternoon.  But, we are very happy at Oceanview RV Park, with 50 amps, FHU, and 200 TV channels.

It is a long way to come here and backtrack to Fairbanks.  Don't miss Valdez and the Stan Stephens cruise.

Happy trails to you!

 

[Dean & Linda Stock]

 I'll bet the food was good.

Up by Soldotna there's a Russian church you can go into and a fascinating church graveyard where the native people combined their old customs with their new Russian/Christian customs to create the most unique graves we've ever seen.  Very bright colors.  I don't recall you visiting and writing about it but forgive me if you did.

ArdraF

The food at the Samovar was good.

We will check out the Russian church in Soldotna.  We hadn't heard of it before.  We skipped all the towns on the way to Homer, figuring we'd do them all on our way back to Anchorage. 

Don't ever hesitate to give us an idea.  We had skipped the idea of Seldovia, but today I'm checking out using the ferry.  If we take our car on the ferry, I don't have to walk up/down the steep ramp.  I'm going to check the cost.  I had read about the woodcarvings there, but it was only after reading a reply on the Forum, that I rethought going over there.  Keep the ideas, especially those not well-known, coming!

Thank you.

Linda

 

[Just Lou]

Linda, you are right about her trying to sell everyone everything.  She told us that the only two things not for sale in the place were, her crown and her self.  She was actually an electronics engineer in the Russian Army.

BTW - I didn't know you weren't supposed to photograph their churches so I have some beautiful pictures of it (them).

 

[carson]

Thanks for replying to my post/question, Dean and Linda..

  I think you got your money's worth; like going to a theater, having a meal and trying to enjoy  the show at the same time; Doesn't always work. I think you'll remember this experience as a  winner..you won't forget it..

  Have fun on the rest of your trip.++

carson FL

 

[ArdraF]

Linda,

I "think" it was Soldotna.  Try to verify the town before you go too far north 'cause I think you'll enjoy it.  We also got some very good photos of it and the graves.

ArdraF

 

[rhmahoney]

The church on the bluff over the old village is Ninilchik.

 

[Just Lou]

Linda,

I "think" it was Soldotna.  Try to verify the town before you go too far north 'cause I think you'll enjoy it.  We also got some very good photos of it and the graves.

ArdraF

There was a beautiful little Russian church in Keani that we went into one day as the priest was just arriving and invited us in.

 

[Jeff]

The church on the bluff over the old village is Ninilchik.

This one.

 

[Jeff]

There was a beautiful little Russian church in Keani that we went into one day as the priest was just arriving and invited us in.

This one.

 

[Just Lou]

Jeff, it's the second one (only in my photo the little sign is gone off the porch and a Priest is standing there waving us in) ;D

As Russ said, the first one is in Ninilchik.(also beautiful)

 

[Dean & Linda Stock]

July 6 Day 45 Homer, AK

Dean worked on Motosat until 1:00, re-checking wires and talking with them. It seems that they may have changed the "footprint" slightly, and Dean is to call back tomorrow. 
We went to the Carl Wynn Nature Center, which includes beautiful viewpoints along Skyline Drive.  Naturalists lead hikes at 10:00 and 2:00.  For hikers, there are many well-marked trails into "the bush".  We used the boardwalk, which was in poor repair and had large holes.
While we were at Wynn, I saw cow parsnip with a label for the first time.  I had previously read that it has a powerful skin irritant that can cause blisters on your skin if you touch it.  If it is burning, it can cause blisters in the lining of your throat and lungs.  It is a tall plant with white flowers, and it is everywhere!  We are only posting the picture of the cow parsnip (also called ?pushke?) so RVForum people will recognize it and stay away from it. 
Lupine is in full bloom everywhere, and it is tall, a vibrant lavender, and plump. We enjoyed the flora, but not the fauna-lots of mosquitoes and blackflies, so we made a quick exit.  Pictures will be posted tomorrow.
We gassed up, drove out to the Spit to locate the other fresh fish market we were told about and checked out the Fishing Hole.  We then went to Try My Thai Restaurant.  I noticed that on the sign "Try" was in different style than "My Thai". Brewers and Russ had raved about it, and Dean even agreed to eat there with me. After the first bite, I just knew it wasn't the same!  There were about 8 main dish items, 2 soups, a few sides like cucumbers.  I tried about 2 tbsp. of each, and nothing was really hot-only 2 were at all spicy.  They do have new owners.  They changed the name from My Thai to Try My Thai. That's one problem I think will be encountered even more next year.  Sourdough Express, which Brewers and we have enjoyed, is for sale, as are many businesses.
Eating out does allow us to meet ?real? Alaskans.  We met a couple who live here year-round 5 miles from the road without electricity.  She works in the hospital 3 days a week all year, and he works doing anything/everything from driving heavy machinery to roofing to pouring concrete.  Try My Thai?s owners work from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., (14 hours) 6 days a week.  They grow their own fresh spices and bean sprouts all yearlong. They drive into Anchorage (4 hours one way) to buy restaurant supplies. We continue to be amazed by the resourcefulness and hardiness of these Alaskans.

High Temp:  66?F, but it feels much warmer

Wildlife:  1 bald eagle sitting on the mud flat, numerous kittiwakes, 1 red squirrel (I don't count crows and ravens.)

 

[Dean & Linda Stock]

July 7, 2009 Day 46 Homer, AK

Brunch today was at Sourdough Express because I hadn't tried their seafood chowder, a "must do."  It was good, as was the AhLaska milk shake (child size).  Sourdough Express uses all organic food, and I wanted to see if there was a difference, like in diet food.  It was delicious, and which means it probably had as many calories as non-organic shakes.
We went to the automatic, brushless car wash and paid $13 for their deluxe wash.  Basic was $10.  They did a good job for being automatic.
Down the street was an auto supply place where Dean got stair de-gunker and learned that we have hit the weather jackpot.  The parts salesman told him that last summer it rained all summer long.  He would get out his lawnmower, and before he could fire it up, it was raining again.  He says we have had the most consecutive days with sun since they started keeping records.  After half-an-hour, Dean emerged, but we needed still needed to go to NAPA to get a California duster.  People came and went, more people came and went, and I waited...and waited.  Dean had a big smile, as well as the duster, when he came out.  He was like a kid in a candy shop.  He said, because of its remoteness, it had a lot of everything, was very different from NAPAs at home.  I think he would call it a "must see" for men, but ladies, bring a LONG book to read.  We did learn that while some places sell only whole items, NAPA breaks them into component parts to sell, so if you are mechanically inclined, you can replace only the defective part.  We also learned that Canada requires this, but the U. S. doesn't.  NAPA does it everywhere.
At NAPA, Dean also learned about the outside pressure wash we could use at the car wash, which would allow him to clean out the stairs.  So...back to the car wash to check it out.  It should work.
It was now time to bid adieu to my Sand Hill crane family, so we went back to the Oceans Visitor Center trail.  They were very far away.  I was able to spot them, but it made us grateful that they had been so up close and personal the first time.  We saw beautiful lavender columbine.  I had never seen it before, and it reminded me of delicate Japanese flowers.
I had looked at the  Wild Berry Farm store as we went to other venues.  It was very much like an Alaskan version of the Knott's Berry Farm with a lot of Alaskan souvenirs, freshly-made candy and fudge, jellies, and smoked salmon.
We hopped into the car to go to the Ptarmigan Art Gallery, which is a delightful gallery.  They had premium items, ranging from photography to beautiful wood pieces to jewelry to watercolors.  We didn't buy anything, only because we have been down-sizing, and we have a lack of display space.  We went next door to the Fireweed Gallery, which had a variety of art, but was predominantly jewelry.
We knew it was getting late, and we hurried out to the spit to get fresh fish.  It wasn't even 7:00, and they were closed!  We stopped at Coal Point Fish Market & Restaurant and picked up a bowl of their seafood chowder to-go.  It had been recommended by our RV neighbor.  It had large chunks of a variety of fish in a brothy cream base with potatoes, bacon, celery, and white pepper.  It was too peppery for me, but I'm not a fan of pepper.  I'd still rate it as very good.

High Temp:  High 60's-Perfectly beautiful day!

Wildlife:  Nada.  People have commented about fewer bald eagles here this year.

 

[Dean & Linda Stock]

July 8 Day 47 Homer, AK

I wake up each morning and look out the window at a beautiful black-and-white view of Grewingk Glacier and its smaller neighboring glaciers, surrounded by volcanic mountains across a shimmering bay.  The town filled up today with lots of RVs, possibly because there are many fires around Anchorage and Denali, which, according to the news reports, fill the air with unhealthy smoke-filled air.  Today was laundry day, and there were so many people in both the town laundromat and the RV park's laundry that we could only get 3 washers, so we couldn't wash everything concurrently.  This took many hours, so we didn't get to do fun things, except finish reading my library books about the Old Believers, bask in the sun, and love being here.  I am thinking about getting a washer/dryer for the RV.
We made arrangements to go on the ferry to Seldovia tomorrow. Delicious, moist, fresh halibut ($11/pound) that Dean barbecued on a cedar plank was a real treat.

Interesting facts:  Many residents have "walnut" tires for icy roads in the winter.  Instead of studs, walnut shells are incorporated into the rubber.

A ranger told us that Homer has been really lucky because it has "only" lost 40% of its spruce trees, whereas across the bay they have lost over 80%.

High Temp:  70?F-absolutely gorgeous day!

 

[Dean & Linda Stock]

July 9 Day 48 Our last day in Homer

Pinch me!  We wake up to ANOTHER fabulous day with the sun shining.  We set off for the ferry to Seldovia, which is ready to LEAVE when we get there.  We had received poor information when I called yesterday, so they went to considerable trouble to allow us to board.  Fortunately, I taken notes and had the name and number of the person I had spoken with (a habit I've developed from dealing with insurance people), and I believe that is the reason they held the boat.  We left the dock about 15 minutes late. I enjoyed talking with a 20-something Alaskan lady passenger and learning of her life.  She lives full-time in Fairbanks, but she and her husband come to their cabin in Seldovia, where they have no running water, but they do have an outhouse.  They "vacation" there for 6 WEEKS each year.  They rely on rain (which they haven't had this year), so they now have to cart in 5-gallon water bottles.  Oh, and the only way to get to their cabin, which is out on a spit, is by boat.  So, they have to buy things in Homer, ferry them over in their SUV, transfer them to a boat, motor to the cabin, and then cart them up the beach.  This is fun? The ferry comes over on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays in the summer.  In the winter, it's just 2 days a week.
We had a beautiful, smooth trip, and docked in Seldovia a little after noon.  There were large chainsaw carvings as we entered the lazy little town of 300 people.  Our first stop was the visitor center, which was staffed by a 14-yer-old, and had a small museum with really a variety of pretty flowers.  We sauntered through the village to the Tidal Wave Caf?, where I had the best fish tacos I've ever had.  The halibut was not breaded and was flavorful and moist, and they had added cabbage with a very light dressing.  Dean's burger was good. 
Seldovia only has 3 souvenir-type stores/galleries, but we enjoyed shopping, looking for more carvings, and talking.  One proprietor was really excited because he had heard that it might hit 70?!  There wasn't much to do, but we really enjoyed our relaxing day (as if we weren't already totally relaxed in Homer).
We departed Seldovia at 6:00, about 4.5 hours after we arrived.  The trip back was equally calm.  I met a young mother, who had been educated in Seldovia's small school, and who now lived there with her husband, who renovates low-income housing.  Dean and I were surprised that there even was low- income housing.  She was a well-spoken, dyslexic, RSP student, and she had nothing good to say about her education. We pass two groups of otters, just laying on their backs enjoying the day.  They don't dive down as we pass by, just give us a casual glance.
The ferry people were wonderful.  But, if you are physically capable, I would take the wildlife cruise over to Seldovia, though it does only allow you 1.5 hours in town.  There is currently a 17' difference between high and low tides (which each happen twice a day).  I picked up a tide chart, which is available at the Homer VC and Oceans VC.  I was concerned about how steep the short ramp would be and if I could negotiate it.
We stopped at the library to return books, and then we stopped at Safeway.  Their prices were high of course, but they had everything I wanted, including something I couldn't even find in Anchorage.  At the Hop-Skip-Jump get-together in Utah, I had learned from Leesa about this wand-type thing made by Scrubbing Bubbles.  It allows you to clean the toilet and then dispose of the cleaning pad in the trash-no yucky toilet brush!  I've checked every grocery, Costco, Wal-Mart since the end of April, and not only did Safeway have it, but they had a second brand made by Clorox.
Homer is a "just one more day" village.  I wish we could visit our Sand Hill cranes just one more time, but I'm sure new adventures lie ahead.

High Temp:  News on TV say 67?, but it was just perfect.  Dean would tell you I am never warm enough, and even in the evening at 8:00, I am just wearing a blouse-that sounds wrong-I mean, I'm not wearing my sweatshirt.