Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

As usual, I took so many photos, that I’m going to break down the account of our recent travels into three separate blog entries:

Part One: Fairbanks - Palmer - First Days in Seward

Part Two: In Seward: Exit Glacier, Sea Life Center, Wildlife Cruise

Part Three: Talkeetna and Home

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FAIRBANKS - PALMER

We were on the road by 10am - which is our target time when we travel.  We don’t bother rushing around in the morning, because we’re not at risk of running out of daylight when traveling in the summer months.  Towing the camper, it takes about seven hours to get to Palmer, even longer when there’s road construction - and there is always road construction in the summer months.

I love the summer months, and I love that Alaska attracts so many tourists at this time of year. The roads are full of RVs of all sizes.  And with such gorgeous scenery, you can be sure that travelers aren’t always maintaining the speed limit.  Steve has a real issue with not being able to see the open road ahead of him, so he always passes the slowpokes. Doing this while towing our own trailer, on a two lane highway, with sometimes limited visibility, stresses me out!  I’m always happy when we finally get to our destination, as I can breathe again.

We drove through several areas of construction requiring a flagger. One of the longer stops was at least 20 minutes, if not longer. And we were at the end of a long line of RVs and boats, etc.  I dreaded to think about all of the passing we had ahead of us. Yikes!

We stopped to pour more gas in the tank at Hurricane Gulch Bridge. We always carry gas cans with us, as the price of gas along the highway can be very high.  It was drizzling, but that didn’t stop Sedona and I from taking a short walk in the wooded area nearby.

By the time we reached the Mat-Su Valley, the drizzle was alternating with heavy rain, and clouds were moving down the mountains off in the distance.  Needless to say, there was no view of Denali on the way down.

Here are photos I took between Fairbanks and Palmer - almost all shot out the window of the moving truck.

The lupine are blooming all along the Parks Highway. I love these flowers!

Nearing our destination… driving through Wasilla:

We camped at Homestead RV Park in Palmer. We regularly stop at this campground when we’re driving to the Kenai Peninsula, as Anchorage is sorely lacking in adequate camping options. We used to camp at the RV Park that was located just out the gate from Elmendorf AFB, but they tore it down a few years ago to put in a shopping area. It was a beautiful campground and we’re sad that it’s no longer there. Once we get a generator, our options for camping will improve, and we’ll be able to take advantage of the more scenic (and less expensive) state park camping areas.

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PALMER - SEWARD

We woke to overcast skies the next morning, and were in no hurry to break camp. Check out was at 11am and we pulled out of the campground close to that time.

We always stop at Elmendorf AFB to top off both the gas tank and gas cans, and to run into the commissary for food and other supplies.  There’s an iHop in the new shopping center that they built where the campground used to be, so we decided to have breakfast.

We had to wait for a table, and a few minutes after they seated us, I realized I didn’t have my purse! I knew I left it on the bench in the front of the restaurant where we were waiting. Steve ran up there and it was gone! I was just sick thinking about everything I had in my purse (money, ID cards, credit cards, medication).  I asked the hostess if she saw it, and she reached under the counter and pulled it out! Thank goodness for the good samaritan, who turned it in! You can believe I didn’t leave it out of my sight for the remainder of the trip.

We only stopped once between Anchorage and Seward - at Summit Lake. Other than that, all of the photos I took were from the window.

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ARRIVAL IN SEWARD

When in Seward, we always stay at the Seward Military Resort (Army side). There are only about 20 RV sites, so it books up quickly in summer.  You can also stay in a motel, a townhouse, a yurt, or on a tent site. The fees are based on rank, and are quite inexpensive ($25/RV site for E-8). You can also book your fishing and cruise excursions through the resort and get a discount.

The resort just added wifi this summer, which we’re thankful for. It’s not that we’re online all the time, but Steve does use his laptop to get updated weather reports, info about travel delays, etc. Service was sketchy at times (they’re still working out the kinks), but it was better than not having any access.

Steve spent some time talking to the desk clerk about areas to fish and decided to check out an area where the Resurrection River enters the Bay.  The only access to this area (which we heard was good for king salmon), was through private property, and there was a fee station set up on the gravel road leading to it. ($5/pp) Since he had missed the high tide target time for fishing, Steve only wanted to check out the shoreline and see how people were doing.  The lady at the entrance (Tammie?) was gracious enough to let us drive in and check it out without charging us.

It was drizzling, and there was a long line of anglers in the water trying for a king. An old boat was up on the shore, and a juvenile eagle was perched at the top with a great view of everything.

Fishermen at High Tide:

We continued down Nash Road, heading to the prison area, and the end of the road. There’s a ship repair area, with dry dock facilities, and a small campground (primitive, gravel parking area, porta-potty) on that side of the bay.

The rain was getting heavier, with a very misty drizzle. There were some folks fishing the shoreline, while others were gathered around a fire. Off in the distance a whale was feeding. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any photos of it.

On the way back to the campground, Steve took me to the area of the harbor where the military fishing boats were kept. By this time, we were both feeling the chill of the rain and cool temperatures. We headed back to the camper, where I made dinner (chicken and prosciutto tortellini with sun-dried alfredo sauce…mmmmm!), and Steve packed his bags for his fishing trip the next day.

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FISHING and SIGHTSEEING IN SEWARD

Steve’s alarm went off early the next morning. He had to meet the shuttle to the marina at 5:45am.  I said goodbye to him, wished him luck, and went back to sleep. A short while later, he returned to the trailer. The boat he was scheduled to go out on was having mechanical problems. They hoped to have it fixed within an hour. It took longer than anticipated, so they got a very late start. I believe the area where they go for halibut is almost 2 hours from Seward (by boat).

I slept in till 9am, and was disappointed to see that the rain was still falling and the clouds were so thick that you couldn’t see the mountains on the town side of the bay.  Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to spend the day in the camper. I dressed in layers, pulled on my raincoat, loaded my camera bag into the truck and took off driving to Lowell Point (3 miles south of Seward).

There’s a hiking trail to Caines Head SRA that starts in Lowell. You have to hike the trail at low tide, as a portion of it is covered in water and is only navigational at low tide. The park sounds really interesting as there are military ruins to explore, and I’d love to walk out there, but the tide thing makes me a bit nervous.  You can also reach it by boat. Maybe we’ll look into doing that the next time we’re in Seward.

I walked along the shore for a short distance. I had to keep tucking my camera inside my raincoat to keep it dry. Despite the rain, there were people out walking, hiking, and kayaking.

Next I drove through town, stopping to take photos when something caught my eye. Finally, I just decided to park the truck and walk, despite the falling rain. Thank goodness for my raincoat, as my jeans were wet within minutes.

There are wall murals throughout the downtown area of Seward. They are a colorful addition, and several of them have informational panels nearby to describe them.

“Raven Releases the Sun, Moon and Stars”

From the sign posted next to the mural:

“There are many versions of this story in Alaska. In this one, the world was dark because the Chief has the sun, moon, and stars kept hidden away in a box. Raven discovers this and, in disguise as the Chief’s grandson, he tricks him into opening the box, thus releasing the sun to give light to the world, and the moon and the stars to light the night sky.”

“Raven the Creator”

“In the beginning, the world was all water. As Raven flies above, he sees Salmon Woman swimming below in the water. Ever curious, Raven swoops down to talk to her. He becomes enamored and asks her to marry him. Salmon Woman agrees, but only if he creates land. With the help of other sea creatures, Raven obtains sand from the sea bottom, which he drops from above to create the land and islands. Salmon Woman can now come ashore and dry her hair in the wind.”

Seward was officially designated as the “Mural Capital of Alaska” in 2008. You can see all of the lovely murals in Seward at the Seward Mural Society website.  They are all so unique and beautiful, and really add to the charm of Seward.

I took this pano of the Wildflower Garden Mural, which was painted in 2006. The Master Artist was Gail Neibrugge, and it is located in Kawabe Park on the corner of 4th Avenue and Adams Street.

Feeling chilled to the bone, I headed back to the camper to get into some warm, dry clothes. A short time later, Steve returned from his fishing trip. He was quite happy with his catch of halibut, which netted him 26lbs of fillets. Of course he wanted me to take some photos!

Boat Bounty:

Steve weighing one of his fish. The smaller the halibut the better the taste. While these ‘chickens’ aren’t the monsters you read about in derby news, they’ll be good eating.

A little while later, my friend Stella called to let me know she and her husband and FIL had arrived safely in Seward and wanted to meet us for dinner. We decided on Christo’s Palace. After dinner, they set up their tent site at the Air Force Resort (across the road from the Army Resort), as the rain continued to fall. They were unable to get a tent site on the army resort (no vacancies), and the site they were given at the air force campground was out in the open, with no tree cover whatsoever. Not good on a rainy day.

While I’m on the subject of the Air Force Resort vs. Army Resort, I’d like to say that this is one of those few times when I can say that the army has done it up right, when compared to the air force. Usually, you find nicer facilities when it comes to the AF. But they’ve really missed the mark when it comes to their campground in Seward. It looks old and worn next to the more modern army motel and campground. If you’re AF and traveling to Seward, you might want to look into staying on the army side.

Coming up: Hiking, Cruising and the Sea Life Center