Another COOL Week in Alaska

On a daily basis as we enjoy the cool weather and beautiful scenery of Alaska, I say to myself "Yes, this is why we came here for the summer!"

After a fun couple of days in Valdez, Deidre continued her vacation in a rented cabin 15 miles north of Seward. Considering it had no electricity, water or bathroom, it was quite nice and the four of them were quite comfortable.

We had planned on going to Seward a week or so later, so with a shift in plans we booked a few days at an RV park that I thought would quite close to where she was going to be.  It was indeed! In fact the RV park managed the rental cabins and we were virtually in the same place.

They took one day to drive there, but since the driving distance was about 350 miles, we decided to take two days, stopping at Slide Mountain RV Park on the way. We could have done the drive in one day, but I am still a little cautious since the accident, and prefer to minimize the stress.

One aspect of being retired I consider an advantage, is the time to go slowly and enjoy doing nothing other than just living. On the other hand, our daughter and family were on vacation and wanted to pack in as much as possible. On our second day of driving, they went on a fishing trip and caught lots of salmon.  

Before they arrived back, we went over to the cabin to get a fire going in the deck fire place. It overlooked the lake and was a good place to relax. 

We also built one in the cabin itself. The nights do get cool, and the little wood stove made it nice and cozy. 

Andrew grilled some fresh salmon both evenings we were there. They also gave us enough for several meals, and shipped the rest back to their home in San Diego.

same youngster, photo from web

On the second day, we again went our separate ways during the day. 

They went on a sea kayaking trip, and Craig and I went into town to explore and visit the Alaska Sealife Center. Craig liked the Giant Octopus the best. It was all scrunched up along one edge of a large tank.






I enjoyed watching the orphaned walrus cub. He was in a pool with his handler learning practicing how to get on and off a slab of floating plastic. A skill he will need to climb onto floating ice. We were able to observe through a second story window overlooking the pool.

It was raining when they got back from kayaking, but working together we got a fire going, salmon grilling, and side dishes ready to share. I think my grandsons were looking forward to sleeping up in the overhead loft.

Our last day together, Sunday July 9th, came too soon. It was our daughter's 50th birthday. 

They had reservations for their last night in Alaska at the Hotel Alyeska, and dinner plans at the restaurant at the top of the tram.

Once again, this shows how mother and daughter sometimes think alike. A stop at the Alyeska was also in my plans. It is quite a beautiful place, and the ride up the tram is fun.

The Alyeska allows  overnight RV parking in their day-use lot 51 weeks of the year. Unfortunately this was the one weekend they did not, because there was a big festival going on in the town of Girdwood, which includes the resort.

I am glad I had double-checked the RV information the week before. It would have been unfortunate for us to arrive, expecting to dry camp there and be turned away. Instead we left the Alfa at the RV park near Seward and followed them in the Jeep. This made for a late drive home again, but with the all-night dusk it was not a problem.


Until we almost hit a moose!

This is not the moose we almost hit. We saw this one up close at the 
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, before we went to the Alyeska.

We do take the moose warnings seriously, especially since when driving the Alfa out of Valdez last week, when a full size moose just walked casually across the road in front of us. We were far enough away that just braking slowed us enough to miss her. But the adrenaline did flow.


At one in the morning it is as dark as it gets, especially when both sides of the road are densely wooded. I was driving a little under the speed limit, with my brights on, when suddenly there was a moose on the pavement, ahead of us. Fortunately he or she was going in the same direction as we were, ran alongside for a few paces, then ran off the road.  If the moose had gone across the road, we would have hit it. 


Hundreds of moose are killed on the roads of Alaska each year, and the vehicles that hit them do not fare well.

Speaking of moose, we saw several at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, which we visited with Deidre and family.

They have a large moose barn where five young male moose live. They were all rescued as calves when their mothers were either killed or abandoned them. 

We all enjoyed seeing this porcupine.  He was really fat. He was rescued after his mom was killed on a road. He had lived as a house pet for a couple of years, actually sleeping with the family children. It was interesting to see one, alive, after having only seen road kills in the past.

This young black bear also lost his mom at a young age. The mother had grown to be a problem bear in the Valdez area, constantly raiding garbage cans and staying in town. She was put down, and he was brought here.

Their grizzly bears have a large enclosure.

There is a large, sturdy deck that overlooks the area so people can watch the bears in a somewhat natural setting.

The bears also seem to enjoy watching the people. The public cannot feed them, but the bear hope for handouts anyway.

So ... where are we now?

On Monday we drove up and around the Kenai Peninsula to a park just north of Homer. (See the map above)

But this post is already way too long!  I'll catch up some more in the next post.  

On the Road to Alaska

Dawson Creek to Fort Nelson: 283 miles

A quick camp review from a one-night stay.

I know some of you just drive and find a place to stay at the end of the day, but I am most comfortable if I have a reservation, even if it's called-in the same day.  There have been plenty of open spaces at the parks we have stayed in since leaving the Vancouver area, and I know we could have just driven in, but try as I might, I feel uncomfortable for the last few hours before arriving without one. 

Monday we were at the Bluebell Motel and RV park in Fort Nelson. I called on Saturday. It was easy to find, right on the highway where our Rand McNally said it was. We have full hook-ups, and because we were in the pull-through spot that is closest to the building, we had excellent WiFi. The space was super level, there is a gas station out front for our morning fueling, and because the motel is between us and the road, it was very quiet.  Good place!

Note: I should have posted the above while I had good internet. It was hopeless for the next few days! 

Fort Nelson to Liard Hot Springs: 190 miles

It was very nice to be able to leave the Jeep hooked up overnight and to be able to just pull out in the morning.

We are now well into the "land of the midnight sun". I have read that in Fort Nelson, on mid-summer’s eve it never gets truly dark in the night. Well, on the 6^th of June, morning comes very early. I woke up to morning light and was ready to start the day. But then I looked at the clock and saw that it was just past 4 AM! Back to sleep I went.

We had two destinations today. The first, Testa River Services and Campground, was only 70 km up the road.

I had read that they had wonderful cinnamon buns and were a “do not miss” delight. 

Well, if you like cinnamon they really are great. Note: that is a full size paper plate it is sitting on.   Yummy.  Craig passed, choosing only to have some coffee because he doesn’t like cinnamon very much.

On our way from Fort Nelson to Liard we saw two bears and our first moose. All that time in the far Northeast last year, and I never did see a moose. Well there it was just standing by the side of the road, watching us drive by.

We also saw several groups of stone sheep, and several groups of buffalo.

They like to lick the salt on the edges of the road. They don’t seem to mind the cars at all.

The scenery was beautiful and quite varied. This was one of the many mountains we saw.

We did go through one awful patch of highway. It was being regraded and was dirt and gravel. I’m not sure if they were getting it ready for repaving or not.  But it was very dusty and all the vehicles, including ours, got terribly dirty.

Ok, so the Alfa doesn't show the dust very much, but it was like fine cement.
You can see it behind the wheels and on the Jeep. Dark cars and RVs looked terrible.

Our second stop was at the Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park, where we dry-camped for one night. The campground has a very easy entry, off the Alaska Highway. The system is to drive in, pick out a site, unhook and back in, and then go and pay for it at the entrance. We arrived at about 1:30 PM and there were still many empty sites, but several rigs had to wait for us to get out of their way. Thereafter we watched numerous RVers drive past our site looking for a place.

Soaking in natural hot springs pools is another “everybody does it” experience.  After getting settled we donned our swimsuits, grabbed our towels and went over to the springs.

There is a good size day-use parking area that many RVers use, who do not want to overnight. We drove the Jeep there, after washing the mud-like grime off the windows.

There is a quarter-mile boardwalk through a boggy area to the springs.

There is a changing house and a deck along the natural pool. This is the hot side, and at the far end, under the bridge is the spring itself. The farther from the spring, the cooler the water gets. We tried going in this side first but it was, as Goldilocks said, “too hot”!

We were happy to hear that the other pool was much cooler, so went there first. 

After awhile we were prepared and went back to the hot side. 
It is nice and in the center of the water there are several benches, which we took advantage of. 

Another tip is that if you go, wear water shoes or flip flops in the water. The bottom is covered with rather sharp stones.

After a nice soak we were happy we had decided to camp there for the night.  We were both very relaxed, and driving was the last thing we wanted to do at that point.

We were well rested the next morning, and got an early start.

Check back soon for more about our trip. 

Good-by Mr. Moose

Craig is busily caulking the wood siding on the walls of the tandem garage in preparation for painting.  The new door will be installed next week, and then I can paint both it, the interior wall and the new exterior wall. We have never used this space for much.  It has been a place to put kindling wood and garden tools.


Hopefully after it has been cleaned out and painted it will be a plus to the property. 


After we gut the studio room, and convert it back to a bedroom, if I want a place to work, this might be it.  


One of the things I stored in there was the "master sculpture" for my "Huge Elephant" design. I created it as a special custom order some years back, and kept the master (as I have done for most special projects) so that if I ever got an order for another one it would be easier to make.  I have had two somewhat serious inquires over the years, but no new orders.


I am at a point that even if someone did want such a large piece, I'm not sure I would want to make it.  


So, as we worked in that garage yesterday, I took down the elephant master and loaded him into the van for a trip to the dump.  The large Moose has been sitting on a table, covered with a drop cloth since February of 2011. I have made a few feeble attempts to find him a new home, but have had no luck. 


I made the "executive decision" and loaded him in with the elephant form.  I felt a bit sad, but knew this had to be done.  I put a blanket over him so I wouldn't have to see him among the trash in the back of the van, or at the dump.  It was already 3:00 in the afternoon and I knew the dump closed at 4:00, so I didn't have time to change my mind. It felt a bit like taking a pet for that "last drive." 


Good-by Mr. Moose. 

Next Wall

Before I get onto the subject of my current painting project, I have to say how sad I have been for the people in New Zealand.  Their latest earthquake was quite devastating. 


We experienced quite a bit of damage and loss here in the 7.1 Loma Prieta quake of 1989. Seeing and hearing about the one in New Zealand brings back a lot of memories.  It makes my work here  seem so very trivial!


That said, heres the update on the dining room:
I finished the door and window sections, and Craig helped me move the plants, table, chairs, organ, and sideboard over to that side of the room.

I had already taken down all of the small pictures, and he helped me take down the moose. 


Good-by Moose. 


Well, not exactly Good-By,  We just put him in the garage. 


 I sent an e-mail to the president of the Moose Lodge last week, but haven't heard anything back.  I really do want to send him somewhere, other than the dump.  


The plants in the foreground of this picture are part of the four large ficus plants that are usually in front of the windows in the dining room.  They started as one, or two small plants in our last house 25 years ago.  I almost killed them many times by not watering them.  About twelve years ago Craig took over responsibility for them and they have flourished.  We have discussed the fact that they to will have to go when we put the house on the market.  They take up to much room and block the views from the windows.  Craig seems to be OK with that.  I hope so anyway.

This is the before picture on this wall.


I edged and painted it today.  Turns out that the high point in the dining room is not as high as the living room, so I was able to reach it by myself from my 8 foot step ladder.

If you look in the left corner of this picture you can see just a bit of the new blue color on the wall!


I considered just painting around and as much behind the hutch as I could and finishing the wall when we moved it out, but Craig wants me to "do it right" and paint the wall behind it now.


To do this we will have to move the hutch.  To move the hutch, I have to empty it first.  It is two separate pieces, and is chained to the wall.  It fell over in the earthquake we had in 1989 and just about everything inside came out and broke!

It will be a good opportunity to do a "first round" removal of things to be sold or otherwise gotten rid of.


The china stays.  We will need it and the glassware at Thanksgiving. 


 I have a few things from my grandmother and my mother that will be kept in storage or at my daughters.


I'm really glad never collected many nicknacks.  I have a few, but they will be easy to part with and will go down to the flea market box.  I'm not going to bother with E-bay.  I have a couple of picture plates that I found for sale on E-bay.  Highest price was $8.00.  Not worth my time to list them.  I will ask $10 for them at the flea market and accept $7.00. 


Well, that's about all for tonight.  Progress is slow, but any progress is good.


Hopefully I'll get some walking done next week!