Summer in Soldotna

Hi folks!  It's been awhile since we've had internet, so this blog may be heavy with pictures.  We're still traveling about and having a great time.  The scenery is still amazing no matter which way you turn, and we're not tired of any of it!  Since the post, we've put on lots of miles.  From Valdez we went to Palmer, visited with a friend who is also traveling about this summer, and walked around town and their Colony Days--amazing food booths, etc.  From Palmer, we took a ride up Hatcher Pass to the Independence Mine.  The road wasn't open all the way to the mine due to snow, but the scenery along the way following a rushing creek was beautiful. 

From Hatcher Pass, we went to Wasilla to the 3 Rivers Bait & Tackle which is owned by an acquaintance of Randy.  He got some bait, tackle, and good fishing suggestions!  We made a little detour to another quilt shop (our truck seems to turn whenever we spot one!), and then headed down the road to the cutest little touristy town of Talkeetna.  We looked around there and made reservations for camping over the 4th of July when Michael & Finnegan will be joining us.

The next morning, we headed down through Anchorage and spent the night at a National Forest Campground in Hope.  We'll definitely go back and spend more time there!  Then on to Soldotna, a town with the Kenai River flowing through & lots of fishing, but it's not quite the season yet as the salmon are barely running.  Fishing for salmon is closed on the lower part of the Kenai until July 15 due to poor returns of King Salmon. 

We spent a day in Kenai, AK and drove to the end of the road which stopped at Captain Cook State Park and the Gulf of Alaska.  More stunning views there & gigantic mosquitoes!  We ended up spending the night at the nicest Walmart I've ever been to.  We were newbies at this parking lot camping thing, but they had a section just for RVs.  There was a nice park nearby for Annie to get in her daily walk & a swim, so she went to bed a happy, yet stinky, pup.

Yesterday we drove down to Homer & The Spit, had lunch, shopped around some, drove lots, and camped at Anchor Point State Recreation Site.  Randy went on a walk & came back laughing that the campground hosts are from Oulu, WI and are cousins to Dave & Patti Reijo!  It's a very, very small world!  We had a nice visit with them last night.  Today we are back in Soldotna, which is kind of the hub of this area, and are headed to Seward.  We plan on staying there a few days as there is rain in the forecast so we'll catch up with important things such as a pedicure, trip to the beauty shop for new color, and laundry.  A girl can't skip those things just because she's on vacation!! lol 

(Note:  These pictures are not in date order, and I know we skipped some great places, but my computer is not charged, and we are sitting in the truck with it running in a one hour parking spot at the Soldotna Visitor Center.  Randy says this is killing his mileage! lol  We are grateful for all these nice visitor centers who share WiFi with all the tourists.)

Chugach Mountains

End of the road--Cook Inlet

Oil rig by the beach at Nikiski

Russian Orthodox Church near Ninilchik

Kachemak Bay by Homer

Palmer Colony Days--the best fried pies ever!!!  

Seward Highway outside of Anchorage
Gulf of Alaska (didn't see any Beluga whales)

Welcome to Hope!

View from our campsite at Hope

Small stream by the campground at Hope

Burger Bus in Kenai
Great burgers!  Been in operation for 26 years!

Sun over Stariski Campground, Cook Inlet
(This was taken with my cell phone!)
Dave & Patti's cousins get this view every day this summer!

I nearly forgot!!  We drove to Chitina and started up the road to the Kennicott mine, which was a horrible road, the worst yet that we've driven!!  We went less than two miles and were looking down where people were camped and driving on the sand of the riverbed of the Copper River.  There was a large camper that had sunk in the sand, who knows when!  Our friend said he saw it there last year.  We got chicken & turned around and went back the way we came!  Calling a tow truck for a maneuver like that is not in our budget! lol

Don't let this happen to you!