Friday, July 25, 2014

OMG

What an adventure!  We went to see the Katmai bears yesterday.  We indeed saw bears, and up close !!  there were no viewing platforms, just the river and delta where we walked.  Altogether we saw 13 bears.  The farthest was at an altitude of about 1000 feet!  We saw mom and twin spring cubs, mom and nursing 2 year old (close enough to hear the cub purring), one boar (big and old) then all the rest.  When we spotted a bear, we just closed ranks and kneeled and kept quiet!  The only sound you heard was the bears walking, chewing, and the clicking of cameras!  I will have a web site to share.  All (3) of the guide/pilots took numerous pictures also and they are posted.

Landing and take-off were certainly part of the adventure.  We left Homer around 3:30, flew in a Cessna 206, climbed to around 10,500 to clear some big mountains, then landed on the sandy beach in a spot about 30 feet wide and of course, slightly slanted toward the ocean!  You really need a movie of that to catch the action!  I do have some pictures of that!

Lazy day today, tomorrow, halibut fishing.

Hugs to all,

Kathy & Joyce

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Homer

Well, we hit another end of the road place on our travels!  This makes a total of 5 such activities - you know, the one you can't get there from here - you have to go someplace else.  Actually, it has been fun getting to a 'final' destination over the last few weeks.

We spent the early afternoon getting ready for our 2 adventures out of Homer.  Tomorrow afternoon, we go on a flight to Katmai to visit the Alaska Brown Bears!  We can't wait.  Kathy nearly had a catastrophe - she ran out of space on her memory disc in the camera and no one from Fairbanks down to Homer had the right kind of card!  Everyone was out.  So, the camera pictures got transferred to the little computer, then onto a flash drive.  Everything worked, so the button got pressed to delete all the pictures from the camera.  Now I can take a bunch of pictures tomorrow!  Saw the pictures taken from today's flight - WOW!  We hope for some that good.  I will send out a web site you can go onto and get the pictures of the bears we will see tomorrow.  The pilot/guide takes a ton of pictures also, just in case something goes wrong with your camera, you will have pictures.  Good deal - someone could run out of memory.....and that includes the camera.

After a day's rest, we take off as one of the happy hookers on the Nauti-lady for a half day of halibut fishing.  If successful, we will have the halibut flash frozen and sent home when we will be there to take delivery.  From the sounds of things, we should catch something to send home.  We are each allowed 2.  It is unlikely we will tackle any 'barn doors', but are looking at 20 - 30 pounders.  That's a fair amount of fish.

Will try to pass on the bear adventure tomorrow night.  We don't get back until around 9:00 pm, so it will be late im most of your time zones, and it might not happen until the next day anyhow.

Hugs,

Kathy & Joyce

Monday, July 21, 2014

Kenai, AK

Here we are, on the Kenai Peninsula in Kenai.  We are staying at an RV park called Beluga Lookout - 3 guesses how it got its name!  We may or may not see a whale, but for sure we will go down to the beach andf watch the dip-netters.  They are right in the middle of one of the salmon runs and if you are a native Alaskan or if you have been a resident for at least a year, you can dip-net.  Since we are neither, we will watch.

Beautiful weather today.  It started to clear last afternoon when we were in Seward and has been clear blue all day so far!  Hope it continues for another couple of days.

Saw 1 moose yesterday just before we got to Seward and 1 today just before we got to Kenai.  The one today was beside the road grazing - inside the city limits.  What fun.

Tomorrow we head to Homer.  We will find a place to stay, then start checking in with the Bear tour folks and the fishing folks for our last 2 big adventures.  Hope the weather stays nice, but we go anyhow.

Not sure when we will hit another wi-fi spot.  Will update again when that happens.

Hugs to all,

Kathy & Joyce

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Another Record!

So, once again, we have the dubious record of having visited 2 cities in AK, both of whom have set a new record for rainfall!  The rivers and streams in Fairbanks are indeed full and rising!  Today, we left Fairbanks - in the rain - and motored toward Anchorage.  It was raining when we left, and stopped about 5 miles out of town.  We were in and out of rain all the way - we are close to Wasilla tonight.  Tomorrow, we will head to Seward.

We saw our first bear on the highway today - just a little squirt - probably about a 2 year old black bear.  Never saw mom.  A big semi stopped coming toward us and we got stopped going the other way so the cub could safely cross the road.  Never got a picture.  By the time we got close enough, he/she had moved off the road into really high grass and disappeared.  Fun to see one though.

Sorry about no pictures.  I have been having some problems with this computer.  If I don't get it figured out, I will post pictures when we get home!

Love to all,

Kathy & Joyce

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Another Record!

We are currently based in Fairbanks, and yes, we have been in the middle of another record for wet weather!  We got here on the 13th, stayed in a park that night, then rose early (5:00 am) to get on a bus for a trip to the Arctic Circle!  I would say we were up at the crack of dawn, but in the land of the midnight sun, there is no such thing!

The day started out great - lots of blue sky.  We stopped for a look at Denali and there it was in all its glory!  Shortly after that, it began to get cloudy, then started to rain about the time we left pavement and hit the gravel road.  It rained, then rained harder!  By the time we started the return trip, there was about 2 - 4 inches of mud - what a mess.  The best part of the trip was not having to drive in that mess.  We arrived back at the rig about 11:00 pm.  Very long day, but a good one.

The last couple of days we have been taking in part of the WEIO - World Eskimo-Indian Olympics.  That was in our plans, and we are really glad to have been able to see it.  The whole atmosphere surrounding the games is so different from any competition we have ever seen.  Competitors and judges help coach the athletes, no times/distances are announced until the competition is over - athletes are urged to simply do their best.  We really don't miss the "My country is better than your country" and glitzy uniforms.  Nice experience.  We are going back today, then going to hit downtown Fairbanks for the afternoon.

Hugs to all,

Kathy & Joyce

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Moose Everywhere

Made it to Fairbanks yesterday after a wonderful time in Denali  Saw part of the great mountain, but not all.  Oh well, that is more than some people ever see!

From here, we went to Chena Hot Springs last evening, stayed overnight and hit thge springs a couple of times today before coming back to Fairbanks.  On the way back,we saw 5 moose - 2 of which were within 10 yards.  We were in the truck!  Also saw one going  up there.  What fun!

tomorrow we take a very long bus trip to the Arctic Circle.  We were told to dress warmly!  So we will see how it goes.  I will be back in touch the following day when we are at a real campground.  For right now, McConald's strikes again!

Love to all,  Kathy & Joyce

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Cantwell, AK

Hi again!

Here we are in Cantwell, just a hop, skip, and a jump from Denali.  On a clear day, you could probably see it from here, however, today is only a partly clear day.  Actually, it is pretty nice, but clouds cover the big mountain.  That is not an unusual thing to have happen.  Even on clear days, it makes its own weather, so it is often clouded in on a perfectly clear day.  We are of tomorrow to check into Riley Campgrounds which is our launching point for the 13 hour bus tour to Kantishna (end of the road) and back.  The chances of seeing bears, moose, ptarmigan, etc. are pretty good on this trip.  So far, we have seen 3 moose, none would stand still for a picture, no bears, lots of trumpeter swans and ducks.  Of course, that doesn't count the marine wildlife we saw on our cruise.

We spent July 4 in McCarthy - what a blast.  So far, the 'flightseeing' trip may be the highlight so far.  We saw lots of glaciers - up close.  Everything we have seen around here is big - mountains, valleys, glaciers, mosquitoes, etc.  Deet is a wonderful invention.

We will be out of touch again for a few days until we reach Fairbanks, I think.  All is going very well and we are having a ball!

Love to all,

Kathy & Joyce

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Glennallen, AK

Hi there,

Just a quick note tonight - about out of computer power!  Have wifi, no plug-in!!  We are back in Glennallen, AK tonight. Spent the last 3 nights in McCarthy.  We celebrated the holiday there - really fun.  McCarthy makes Hot Springs look like a metropolis!  Did some hiking and took a plane ride over the glaciers and the mountains in the area.  That was really fantastic.  Didn't know a Cessna would fly that high, but it did!  Makes tight little turns in the valleys and heads of a glacier too.

From here we travel toward Denali.  Our trip out of there is the 10th.  We are hoping for good weather.  We have had wonderful weather so far, but whatever happens, happens!

Out of computer power, almost.  Love to all.  Kathy

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Today, Tuesday, July 1, is again a wet one.  Yesterday, we were in Talkeetna (a bumper sticker labeled it as "Where the road ends and life begins".  For sure, the road ends!  It is the take-off point for those individuals who want to climb Denali.  Quaint little town, for sure.  I toured downtown (same as uptown) while Joyce went on a Zipline Adventure.  She loved it and would have gone right back to do it again, but they were full!

Saw my first moose today right after we left the Montana Creek State Recreation Area where we had camped for the night.  On the Mat-Su Valley highway (about 100 miles), they have killed 270 moose on the highway!  I don't think they offer that many permits to hung moose in Montana!  We are continuing to watch for them, as the signs indicate we should!  Hope to get a picture of some of them before the trip ends.

If you don't hear from me every day, it is because we are at a campground that doesn't offer wifi or electricity.  Nothing bad has happened!

Love to all,

Kathy & Joyce

Saturday, June 28, 2014

What a spectacular day!  Got up this morning, the sun was shining!!  All of the mountains were out in all their glory and we were off to Whittier.  Very interesting place.  If you know your history, you will remember that a tunnel was constructed during WWII so military folks could transport troops, goods, etc. from a harbor that was "hidden" and send troops out from the same place.  You 'stage' in about 6 different lanes depending on the type of vehicle you are - car, truck, RV, semi, etc.  When it is your turn (one way, including railroad) the huge door opens and in you go.  It is 2 1/2 miles long and you must drive it at 25 MPH, so it takes about 6 1/2 minutes to get through.  Out the other end you pop, and there is Whittier!

We took a cruise on what is called 26 Glacier Cruise.  We left at 12:30, were served lunch right after leaving the dock, then went on our merry way to look at glaciers (naturally) and any marine wildlife we could find.  All together, we probably saw at least 100 sea otters, some single, some in rafts (groups), lots of birds, and to everyone's surprise - 5 humpback whales!  The two that were just wonderful - we stopped the boat for about 1/2 hour - were a calf and cow.  The calf was being a fine example of a kid playing on a sunny day under the close supervision of Mom.  It was fluke slapping, tail lobbing, and breaching about 10 feet out of the water making a huge splash upon landing.  Trying to time this to get a picture was almost impossible - we got some pictures, but not of what we would have liked to have!  At least we can have the pictures in our minds.  Even the Captain was ooohing and awwwing.

We also now seem to have knocked the kinks out of the computer trying to interface with Google - thus the longer blog tonight.  All the camera batteries are being charged, so sorry, no pictures tonight.

Hugs to you all,

Kathy & Joyce

Friday, June 27, 2014

Still in Anchorage - but leaving soon!

Hi everyone!

We have spent 3 wonderful days in Anchorage.  When I wrote the last blog, I said it was wet.  Well, let me tell you how wet it was!  The last record for rainfall on June 25 was .46 inches.  On that Wednesday we were here , it rained .78 inches.  Not only did the record fall, it was drowned!

Nonetheless, we donned rain coats and went on our merry way to the museum, Northern Lights production (can't tell you how wonderful that was), and many other points.  Jim, you are 1 for 1 at this point!  Had dinner and a beer at the Brewhouse.

Today started with breakfast at Gwinnie's - Jim, you are now 2 for 2!  I had a crab omelet.  It would have been enough to have that without the crab and cheese - there must have been nearly a pound of crab with the omelet laid over the bed of crab!  I ate it all!  Of course, now it is after 7:00 in the evening and neither of us wants dinner.

Tomorrow is the 26 Glacier Tour out of Whittier, so we are up early to be at the tunnel (one way) in the morning in order to make a 12:30 cruise.  Hope to have lots of pictures from that.

Until the next time, I will sign off now.

Kathy

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Well, the rain started last night and has not quit!  Not to be stopped or slowed, we put on the rain coats and hats, went into downtown Anchorage and started our adventure.  We spent most of the day in a wonderful museum - dry and warm!

Jim, we had a beer and appetizer for dinner at the Brewhouse - you are batting 1 for 1!

Had a little problem setting up the blog, so I will be making some changes for the address.