To Soldotna, AK - #52-14

July 21, 2005 (Fri)
Golden Nugget Camper Park, Anchorage, AK (2)

Although this park has hookups available we have chosen to save $10 a night by using a no-hookup site. An RV caravan is coming in today so we "borrowed" one of the full hookup sites to dump and top off our water supply (most campgrounds have separate special facilities for this). Then we took off in search for a gas station where we've earned a 6 cent per gallon discount with a $50 plus purchase at a Safeway Supermarket.

There was a fast lube place nearby so we went on and had Q's oil changed. The fellows there suggested that we might want to have our battery checked and recommended a specialist. Two tests: battery good. Two tests (and owner conclusion): battery bad. We now have an "Alaska Gold" battery and Q is like a new motor home.

Bob, Pat, Ed, and Kathy were waiting for us when we got back and we all took off for some shopping, lunch and sightseeing. Red Robin is a gourmet hamburger chain around here. The hamburgers were very good - and free as it turned out! We waited over an hour because our order got lost so we weren't charged. We kind of wished we'd ordered more expensive burgers.

After lunch we took a self guided sculpture tour of the city. The sculptures were a little disappointing but we got to know the city. Anchorage also has painted salmon sculptures (not part of the tour) similar to New York's cows and Lakeland, FL's swans. They were interesting.

We also went out to Lake Hood to take a look at the worlds largest and busiest seaplane base (600 take offs and landing on a peak summer day) and Merrill Field (104th busiest light plane airport in the nation) also right there too. Result: many, many little airplanes. Not much activity though.

Mount McKinley was visible from the road. We have really been lucky!
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July 22, 2005 (Fri)
Golden Nugget Camper Park, Anchorage, AK (3)

While Ed and Kathy were off to have the 10,000 mile service done on their motor home, we and Bob and Pat went downtown to check out some quilt and yarn shops. Kim had reported that The Quilt Tree was the better of the two in town so we went there first. It was, in deed, a nice quilt shop well stocked with good fabric. The yarn Branch was located in one corner of the shop. The yarn selection was limited but of good quality. We found a better selection at Knitting Frenzy but the proprietor and assistant (we assume) were more intent on the conversation between them than selling yarn.

We also stopped at a store owned and operated by a musk ox yarn cooperative (native indians). The yarn is very light, very soft, and apparently very warm. It is also very expensive at $90 a skein. Joy bought a $3 sample (1 ounce). On the way home we stopped at Costco, across the street from the campground, for a few things.

After lunch Joy and Pat went to check out a used book store - two as it turned out, one of which was huge to the extreme - while Mark and Bob stayed home to clean up some things that have been put off due to intense sightseeing. The rest of the afternoon was devoted to enjoying
the sunny low 80s weather.
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July 23, 2005 (Sat)
Williwaw Campground, Chugach National Forest #17 dry $6.00 B-
Anchorage, AK to Girdwood, AK (66/6593 miles) Q018907

The bicycle trails in Anchorage are extensive and complex. We and Bob and Pat found a trail head near our campground and entered the network. Before we were done we had ridden all the way across the city and out the other side and to the airport. All along the way there were
intersections with other trails complete with sign posts as distance markers. We were lucky to make it back with only one wrong turn. We went 20.3 miles.

We had planned to stay one more night but when we got back to the campground we found that there was no unreserved site available for Ed and Kathy - we were OK because our motor homes are smaller. So we all packed up and left.

The Seward Highway south along Turnagain Arm was beautiful - bright sunshine, blue sky, fluffy clouds, and snow laced mountains plunging into the water. It helped soften our disappointment about losing the extra day in Anchorage.

We checked into the nearly full Williwaw Campground and headed out to see Portage Glacier. This involved an hour boat trip on Portage Lake and was well worth the cost of the ticket. Seeing a glacier up close was an exciting experience, like seeing what we've always thought of as the "real" Alaska. We were disappointed not to see it "calve", a chunk breaking off into the water, but not many people do.The late afternoon and evening were spent peacefully and restfully on our own.
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July 24, 2005 (Sun)
Williwaw Campground, Chugach National Forest (2)

The drizzle started as we all piled into Ed and Kathy's toad and headed for Whittier. The only way to reach Whittier, except by boat, is through the longest highway tunnel in North America - 2.5 miles long. It is one way and shared with the railroad. Every hour on the half hour traffic is allowed into the tunnel eastbound. Every hour on the hour traffic is allowed into the tunnel west bound. When there is a train all auto traffic is held up. We wondered what would happen if a train came along during the 6 minutes or so that we were in the tunnel. Fortunately we didn't have to find out.

Whittier was built as a year round ice free port on Prince William Sound during the second world war and even today there is very little to see. What there was, shops etc., were closed (combination of our being there too early and it being Sunday. We left when the tunnel opened west bound. "Been there, done that".For lunch we went up the highway the other way, toward the village of Girdwood, to a little restaurant at a ski resort that specialized in soup and sandwiches. The grilled pastrami and cheddar (Mark) and grilled veggie and swiss (Joy) on thick sliced sourdough bread were superb! We stopped at a local farmers/craft market on the way home. "Local" sums it up.The tide comes into Turnagain Arm with attitude. Under certain
conditions the "Bore Tide" comes in as a wave 12 to 18 inches high. Theconditions were right for a good one tonight so everyone but Kathy piled into Ed and Kathy's toad and headed for 20 Mile River, the closest good viewing point. It was supposed to pass that point at 9:04. We waited until 10:15. No bore Tide! It was evidently on the way because there were two cars there who had seen it down the road and were there to seeit again. But it was late and we got tired of waiting.
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July 25, 2005 (Mon)
Best Western King Salmon RV Park #15 w/e/s $21.00 C+
Girdwood, AK to Soldotna, AK (110/6712 miles) Q019017

It rained steadily and hard all night and it was still raining this morning as we broke camp. Q was sitting in a lake that we had to move out of to keep from getting our feet too wet. Although we'd been dry camping for several days, we had enough water left to take showers this morning. We are really getting good at conserving water!

We got off at 7:55 (57.9°) and headed on down the Seward Highway. In Soldotna we got spaces in an RV park in back of and run by the Best Western Motel - these days full of salmon fishermen hoping to bring home lockers loaded with fish. Bob and Pat took off to visit Pat's cousin who lives here in town and Ed and Kathy left to see friends who live in a town south of here. This left us to our own devices so, after lunch and laundry, we went grocery shopping and topped off Q's gas tank. We also went to a Jo-Ann Fabrics (shudder) to pick up some fabric for a picnic table cloth.