Homer, Alaska

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Here we are driving down into Homer

See where the Homer Spit goes out into the Bay

Looking down on our campground from a hill above

Our campground seen from the ground

Murray & Eric watching them weigh the halibut catch

Sandhill Crane with chick

Mother Moose

Moose babies

Local Artist showing Northern Lights over Russian Church

225 miles south of Anchorage lies Homer, a seaside town known as the Halibut capital of the world. It is nestled in between two bays (Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay) and from where you can see lots of fishing rigs, glaciers, snow-topped mountains and even an active volcano. If any of you watch the TV series 'The Deadliest Catch', this is their home base. Homer Spit is a 4.5 mile strip of gravel & sand leading out from the mainland into the bay. It is a favorite place for fishermen and RV'ers. If you walk around the shops at the end of the spit around 5.30 - 6.30pm, you will see anglers from the charter boats proudly weighing their catch. We whistled when we saw one chap with a 105 lb halibut, and then a few minutes later, just one shop down, was a chap with his 150 lb catch. Wow! The seagulls were milling around the fish-cleaning station for their tasty morsels, although each time we visited, there was also a bald eagle ready to stake his claim.

During our RV trips we thoroughly enjoy each day that we are out on the road driving & seeing new sights, but then we are always happy to arrive at a campsite, hook up to power, water & sewer, and most of the time have wifi and hook up to cable TV. However, there are some times when we gladly exchange amenities for the view, the 'aura' or the sheer experience of a certain location. Homer spit was one of these places...we pulled up alongside Eric & Marie's trailer, just short of the sand on the beach, and parked our RV, looking straight out over the water to the mountains across the bay. The weather was grey and the wind very chilly, but we were just so happy to have had the experience of spending time on Homer Spit. Marie even has a new fleece sweater to prove she was there.

Driving around Homer we were surprised to see a bald eagle's nest right in the heart of town, and the mother eagle on guard duty in the next tree. Rarely did we drive by without seeing photographers waiting patiently for a sight of the 2 chicks. Sadly the dismal lighting conditions prevented me getting a good photo. I was a bit more fortunate with the lighting to catch this mother moose (who was in a marsh area in the township) and her two babies, as well as this Sandhill Crane with her chick.

The bleak weather may have prevented us doing outdoor activities, but it didn't stop us taking a drive just out of town to visit the locally renowned art gallery of Norman Lowell - despite his 83 years, he & his wife were there, running the gallery and chatting with visitors. His smaller framed oil & acrylic paintings sell for around $50,000. Norman and his wife moved to Alaska in 1957 and homesteaded here before there were even paved roads in this area. His artistic talents capture the beauty of this region including the spectacular Northern Lights and local glaciers. Well worth the visit. Visitors are also welcome to wander through their initial homestead cabin - it reminded us of Dolly Parton's childhood cabin that we saw on our visit to her hometown in the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee during our first RV trip in 2008. So much to do and see...

Halibut Fishing

32' Charter Boat

The Anglers in action (or is that 'inaction')

Yay - his first Halibut

Today's catch

These were filleted in no time: 15 lbs of fish left after filleting

Halibut is the largest of the flat fish species (ie flounder & sole) and it is found in the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. It is grey on one side, and white on the other. The flesh is mild, flaky & white. According to my research, the nicest tasting halibut weigh about 10 lbs.

When we first starting talking of doing an Alaska trip, Murray's first thought was that he just had to have a go at Halibut fishing. At 9.30am today he finally got to achieve his dream and go out on a halibut charter. There were 4 other anglers plus the Captain. Each angler can only catch 2 Halibut per day. They went out 15 miles from land and fished in 180' water where the first halibut were caught. For the fishermen among you, they then moved 3 miles closer to shore in 140' of water where the most fish were caught with 120 lb line, 4lb sinker using herring, cod & red salmon bait and 16/0 circle hooks. The fish ranged from 15 - 30 lb. Murray caught 9 Halibut all up, but could only keep 2 x 15 pounders - they were about 2.5' long and 14" wide. The charter returned to base around 4.30pm and we turned up in time to see the catch and watch the staff deftly fillet the fish for the anglers. Within an hour of getting back to the campground we were serving up a delicious halibut dinner with Marie & Eric. We waited for you Clairie, but you didn't show up! I prepared the fish with olive oil and lemon pepper in alfoil, and Murray cooked it on the BBQ. I also prepared some Mexican rice, and Marie bought over a colourful and tasty salad. It doesn't get much fresher than that - just like our fish dinners in North Dakota. Tomorrow is another day, and we plan to drive 40 miles south to Homer.

Nature's Wonderland: Alaska

Those are our two campers at right of photo. Eric & Marie's car in front

The one & only road out of town

Saw this cute Puffin at the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward

Anglers line the bank of this beautiful river

Almost shoulder to shoulder

Mama moose with her baby

Halibut & Red Salmon cookies - thanks Marie

Setting Sun taken from campground

Later photo taken from the beach

We have left Seward, now at red X & heading to Homer (circled)

We may have dodged scary tornadoes in Arkansas, and had sub-zero temperatures and snow in Denver & Wyoming, but experiencing our first tsunami warning was even scarier - especially when you consider how close we were to the water (see top photo). What made it even worse for me was that Murray was away fishing, and Marie & Eric had gone for a drive, so when the alarm sounded around 8.30pm, I was by myself. After phoning both parties (who had also heard the alarm), I raced outside (like everyone else in the campground) and was busily disconnecting power and water lines so that as soon as the others returned, we could beat a hasty retreat. It worried me somewhat, in that there is only one road out of town - I eyed the nearby mountain, and thought that if the only road out was congested, we would head up the mountain on foot instead. My sister and brother rang from Australia at the same time as I was unscrewing the water etc. It was with great relief a few minutes later when my brother rang to say the warning had been cancelled, at the same time as the loud speakers were saying the same thing. My brother regularly watches USA TV news headlines, and this isn't the first time he has rung to tell us about a weather alert before we have been aware of it ourselves (we have been on the road and hadn't caught up on the news).

After a sleepless night picturing a wall of water engulfing the RV, we awoke to a stunning day for our drive out of Seward. Murray had noticed some nice fishing spots on our way into town a few days earlier, so he was keen to try them out. Earlier that morning he threw a line into the water in front of our RV at the campground, and bought home a lovely pink salmon which we ended up having for dinner that night.

The drive along the Sterling Highway through Sterling & Soldotna and onto Ninilchik was full of beautiful & interesting scenery. We saw several moose in the wild, and apparently the salmon were running, as we saw anglers lined up almost touching shoulders in some areas. The fisherman often have to compete with bears for the fish, and a distant relative of mine, Sally and her husband Chris, saw 5 bears in this area last weekend. We didn't see any bears, nor did we see the anglers pull in any fish, so obviously the bears knew more than the fishermen!

Ninilchik is a tiny town on a cliff overlooking Cook Inlet that leads out to the Pacific Ocean - it is separated from the Bering Sea by the Aleutian Islands (where the earthquake was 2 days ago). While Murray & I were emptying the freezer ready for the halibut he is planning on catching today, Eric & Marie took a walk across the road & down the cliff steps to the beach. It was quite late, around 11.30pm, and they were amazed at the way the setting sun (I think sunset was 11.45pm last night) put a pink glow on the water and surrounds. Meanwhile, I was unaware they were out watching the sunset, and as you can see from the time/date stamp on my sunset photo, a few minutes earlier as I was closing the blinds, I too had caught a glimpse of the setting sun, and captured it, along with the corner of Eric & Marie's camper. It was still light enough to walk outside without a flashlight.

Well, I am hoping that Murray comes home soon with a halibut for dinner accompanied with lots of photos and fishing stories from his day on the charter boat. Tomorrow we plan to drive as far as is possible to the south, and stay on the spit in the town of Homer. See where I have circled the map.

Seward, Alaska

Stoney Creek RV Park in Seward

Downtown Seward

In case we forget we are in Alaska...

Glacier Walk

That is Marie & I coming along on the dog sled

Murray & Marie cuddle future Iditarod champions

After a fun visit to Costco on Monday, we had a very picturesque 2 hr drive from Anchorage down to Seward in the Gulf of Alaska. Back in 1793 a fur trading post was established where the town of Seward sits today. Such a pretty spot with majestic mountains surrounding the port. With a population of around 3,000 people, Seward is a lucrative US fishing port, and three major cruise lines travel between here & Vancouver.

We passed numerous glaciers on the way here, and close to town is the Exit Glacier. Murray joined Marie & Eric for a hike up to the glacier this morning. See the red 'X' for where they walked up to in the time they had before we had to start on another outing.

Seward is the home of the Seavey family - in 1973, Dan Seavey helped found the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a 1,000-mile sled dog race that used to run from Seward to Anchorage and onto Nome. Now the race, run at the end of March, is 1040 miles and goes from Anchorage to Nome. In 2004 Dan's son Mitch won the Iditarod race, finishing the 1,040 miles in a time of 9 days 12 hours 20 minutes and 22 seconds. The dogs & their operators (mushers) usually work in the winter with snow under their sleds, but being summer, we get to be taken for a ride on a track - so instead of ski sleds, ours have wheels on them! See a video I took on our ride today. The grey rubble you see is glacial silt and the rough track toughens the pads on the dogs paws, helping them cope better with chill of the snow. Taking tourists for a ride exercises the dogs and keeps them in condition, as well as as dollars contributing to the running costs of the operation. Each sled has 16 dogs and one 'musher'. During the Iditarod race, they run the dogs for six hours, then rest them for six hours. If any dog has an injury or is unable to run for any reason once the race starts, he is dropped off at one of their check points, and the musher has to continue with one less dog. It is all part of the conditions of the race. Dog Mushing is Alaska's state sport. It sure was an interesting 2 hours - as well as the ride, and spending time with the new pups, we watched a video of segments of various Iditarod races to show how perilous it can be, and had a demonstration on the actual clothes the dogs and mushers wear (keep in mind it is often 40 - 60 below zero). I had known very little about Iditarod racing, so I came away with a whole new appreciation of what they do for fun up here in Alaska's winter wonderland!

Musk Ox

Fathers' Day Fishing

Gunsight Mountain (can you see the notch in the center, like the sight on a gun - you may have to click on the photo to magnify it)

If they called the previous one Gunsight, this one should be called Breast Mountain...

A mature female Musk Ox loosing her qiviut

Younger Musk Ox that has had the qiviut combed off recently

After an enjoyable 6 days in Valdez (did you know that town was created when the Klondike gold seekers landed there on arrival in boats from Seattle etc heading for the goldfields?), we drove up the Alaska Highway to Palmer, about 40 miles out of Anchorage (largest city in Alaska). It was Sunday, Fathers' Day here in the USA when we set out - we saw many families out fishing the rivers en route. I almost had to put a collar on Murray to keep him driving - the fish were calling! On the way to Palmer, we called in to pay a visit to a Musk Ox Farm.

MUSK OX: If you are anything like me, you won't know too much about a musk ox. But you may be interested to know that they were roaming the world alongside the woolly mammoth in prehistoric times and throughout the last ice age. Probably due to hunting and changes in climate, they became extinct in Alaska in the late 1800's. The USA imported some from Greenland in the 1930's and now numbers are slowly increasing. They look more like a bison, but are more closely related to goats! The farm we visited is 50 years into a program of domesticating these animals, and while they are never killed or processed for their meat (the indiginious Indians can hunt it for meat), the qiviut (fine, soft underwool) is harvested and sold. The qiviut sells at the moment for about $35 an oz, but the price will most likely be closer to $50 per oz before too long. A mature male is lucky to provide 80 oz of qiviut a year. Every musk ox, whether young or old, sheds this underwool each spring/summer. It works its way through the tougher main hair pelt of the beast and eventually falls off or gets caught on trees and bushes as they walk past. On the farm, it is combed from the animals each week, sold to the indiginous population, who then process it manually and knit it into scarves, gloves etc. It is very light, warmer & softer than cashmere, not itchy, and can go in the washing machine. The garments at the farm were only knitted in the original wool colour, which is a variety of shades between beige, brown & grey. The scarcity of the qiviut means it commands a high price - for instance, a short scarf is around $200 and a sweater would be over $1000. However, some upmarket processors are mixing the qiviut with merino wool and dying it, and asking $425 for a scarf. Yikes, out of my price range!

Save yourself time...

I regularly check the blog sites of family & friends, as it is a great way to keep up with what they are doing. However, I find I can spend a lot of time (and waste internet data allowance) only to find there have been no recent updates. If that has happened to you too, then a solution is available - in 'blogger' sites anyway, and probably all blog sites. If my family and friends with blog sites could add it to their sites, it would be appreciated!

The solution is to have an email notification option added to my blog. You can enter your email address (I don't get to see it or know about it) but you will get an email every time I update my blog. That way you don't have to waste time checking in and finding nothing new - your email alert will let you know when a new update has been added, and you can choose whether you look at the new update or not.

From the photo above you can see I have circled in red the area to the right of the blog page where you add your email address. After you enter your address & press submit, you will receive an email (check your inbox (and spam mail just in case)) asking you to click on the link in the email to confirm that you wish to proceed. Easy as that!

Please let me know if you have any problems with this blogger option. I'm sure it will be most helpful.

Meares Glacier

Dinner last night to discuss our plans for today

Heading out today

In front of the Meares Glacier

Two Icebergs: one really artic blue!

Mountain Goat

Sunning on a Buoy

Sunbaking on the rocks

Frolicking in the gulf

Pioneer Cemetery view

Today dawned fine & sunny. Thank you Lord! We decided to make the most of the stunning day and take a 9 hr cruise out to the Meares Glacier, passing the rapidly retreating Columbia Glacier on the way. Meares Glacier is a tidewater glacier, so it terminates abruptly (as the photos show) where it meets the sea. Large pieces of the glacier break off (calve) from the front and become icebergs. When the piece of glacier turns upside down, it becomes an iceberg of a real arctic blue colour. They aren't all that colour as you can see by the two icebergs side by side - one is really blue and the other one isn't. The boat pulled up alongside the glacier for about an hour, and you could hear sounds like thunder, rifle fire and pops - all sounds from the glacier breaking up. Amazing experience. The glacier was pretty inactive during our visit, as you can tell by the lack of icebergs floating between our boat and the glacier.

During the day we saw numerous wildlife including Orca & humpback whales, Dall's porpoises, seals, mountain goats, sea otters, sea lions and various birds including the Tufted Puffin and several Bald Eagles. The Captain cruised past several islands hoping we could catch a glimpse of bear fishing for salmon, but no luck today. He pointed out where the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef in March 1989 and polluted this pristine area. The wildlife including the crab population are still recovering, and many species have not reached pre-oil spill numbers. What a beautiful place. Even the deadly departed in the Pioneer Cemetery have a stunning view.

Horses for Courses

Large Class A

5th Wheel with slide outs x 2

Our smaller Class A - only 32' - no slide-outs

Another way to go - RV rental

Small unit over truck

Even smaller - like a rigid tent over back of truck

As we drive the roads in our RV (recreational vehicle), we see RV's of all different shapes & sizes. Last night as we were walking to dinner, I noticed this campground had quite a selection of the various types, so thought I would provide a snapshot of them for you. And this is just one campground, on one evening. Imagine how many other types there are around.

With a Class A motorhome (like ours), you can pull up at a roadside stop or a campground, and if it is raining, you do not need to get out of your RV to cook a meal, have a sleep or use the bathroom. Most full-time RVers with a Class A also tow a small car so they can easily drive to shops, restaurants etc, and do short day trips. Other folk like the versatility of a trailer - they have their main utility car/truck that tows a small, medium or huge 5th wheel or trailer/caravan. When they arrive at their destination they can unhitch their car and get around easy. Both 5th wheel/trailers/caravans and motorhomes can have 1,2,3 or 4 slideouts. This extends the size of the kitchen/living/sleeping areas which is handy for full-timers. It also adds weight (therefore increases fuel consumption) and has extra potential for technical problems with the slides. For those who like to do frequent, shorter trips, the smaller C class (bed over cab) does the trick and is very versatile. Smaller still is the unit that actually sits over the top of a truck bed, and can be removed from the truck and stand on support legs. Usually they leave them on the truck for additional support. I doubt if these have bathroom amenities on board, but most campgrounds provide toilets/showers.

The choice of RV's comes down to personal preferences, travel agenda and finances. If you love to travel and get out & about, there is an RV just right for you. We bought ours in 2007 expecting to do one long trip and then sell it, and here we are on our 5th (6 month) RV trip. I think next year will be our last...