July 28th - August 3, 2024 Travel to Anchorage and Friends

(NOTE:  Apologies - I am so far behind in the blog.  As you know, I take lots of pictures and it does take time to go thru and pick what to publish - plus do some research.   

We did so much in Seward and I will post that later as I get caught up.  But for now I am trying to be near real time so I don't forget - easy to do now a days..LOL!)

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July 28th, 2024

We woke to a cloudy day, stopped by the dump to empty our tanks and away we went:

The drive out of Seward into the mountains is beautiful.  Sadly, the pictures do not do it justice!  We went past many glacial streams:

And beautiful waterfalls:

Clouds in the mountains:

The train!:

I don't think we have any fear right now:

I love the way the clouds hang on the mountain tops:

This lake is still reflecting:

WOW!

And another WOW - we are near the Turnagain Arm area.  This area sank 8 - 12 feet during the 1964 earthquake.  Cannot even imagine the flooding!

Starting up the Seward Highway by Turnagain Arm:

This area of the Seward Highway is considered one of the most scenic drives in Alaska and one of the most dangerous highways.  It hugs the mountains on the one side and the water on the other side, with the road and railroad in between.  The scenery is dramatic and my pictures do not do it justice.  (On another note - there are so many beautiful and scenic roads that it would be hard to pick my favorite - not only in Alaska but all of the U.S.)

Anchorage in the distant and the Alaska Range in the far distance:

We made our way to the Golden Nugget RV Park where we will be for the week.

July 31, 2024

The highlight of our week was to see our friends, Jack and Rita, who are living here. We met them in Benson Arizona in 2009.  They were so great to us and have been throughout the years.  They are now off the road so it was great to see them and get caught up. Thank you Jack and Rita.

I have to give a shout out to their story.  They homesteaded in Alaska before it was a state and have written books about it.  (Their books can be found on Amazon - search for Jack Stoudt Alaska. Very interesting!)

July 28-August 3, 2024

We did not do any sightseeing for our week in Anchorage.  We spent time doing some maintenance, fixing some things, cleaning, shopping, planning and relaxing.  I have been touristed out!  I know that is not a word and I need to explain.  There is so much to see and do here and much of the scenery and experiences are incredible.  But sometimes, I get sensory overload and then do not really enjoy what I am seeing.  So, hence, the break.

Our plans for the next few weeks are Palmer, Talkeetna, Denali, and Fairbanks.  I am very surprised I got a place in Denali for 5 nights - Hope to see the mountain.

Tomorrow we head to Palmer so stay tuned and enjoy today.

Stats for today:

Miles Traveled: 128 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Alaska:  Ballaine Bvd; Seward Highway AK-3; E. 15th Avenue/ Debarr Street; Hoyt Street

July 23, 2024 Just Hanging Out

There was a few things that I wanted to do in this area, however, it all depended on the weather.  Since it was rainy, misty, and foggy, we did not do them.  However, I am not disappointed since we did do them in 2007 and 2009.  This time it just didn't work and that is ok!

Saying that, we checked out the area around us.

Williwaw Creek:

Who knew?

The runoff from Middle Glacier - how soothing:

Our site:

As we explored Portage Glacier Road, we found this hidden gem:

Portage Creek - Love the fireweed colors with the colors of the creek:

 What a wonderful and peaceful time we have had here in Portage.

Tomorrow we are heading to Seward so stay tuned and enjoy today.

June 9 - 11, 2024 Hanging out in Valdez and the Historical Museum

Sunday (6/9) and Monday (6/10) were our down days - Laundry, Cleaning, Shopping, Paperwork, etc. etc.

On Tuesday, 6/11, we made our way to the Valdez Historical Museum and Annex.  There are two museums.  The first one told the story of the native peoples, the town, the gold rush, the earthquake, and the oil industry.  The second one had larger artifacts, more information and interviews on the earthquakes, and a diorama of Old Town Valdez.

Some items that I found interesting....

A map of the village and first peoples of Prince William Sound:

Many of these tribes have been able to reclaim their lands.

Details on some of the tribes:

I like the fact that many of the tribes are teaching their cultures and history to the younger generations.

Sad:

These parkas are made from bear gut:

The next section was on the gold rush.

"In 1898, more that 4000 prospectors arrived here on their way to Alaska's Copper River Region and the Klondike gold fields.  This new "All American Route" required a dangerous crossing of the Valdez Glacier.

This is the supply list that each prospector was required to carry:

WOW!

Replica of an early cabin:

This bar reminded me of many of the bars in my area - because of the woodwork and carvings:

This was very interesting,  I need to check out the original at the Ferry Terminal:

Another cool tidbit about the oil:

A furry fish - LOL!:

There were a few videos in the museum and we sat and watch the one on the 1964 earthquake.  It was very emotional.

From there we went to the outside displays:

This is the restored fire truck depicted in the above picture:

We made out way to the Valdez Historical Museum Annex - a few blocks away.

This museum had many artifacts but the big display was Old Town Valdez and information on the 1964 Earthquake.  There were many videos and interviews on the earthquake which fascinated both of us.

(Note:  If you are interested, google "Valdez Museum Video of Earthquake."  There are a number of them and many are emotional - views from the folks who experienced it and their losses.)

This was the sled used in carrying the "Real" First Barrel:

One of the questions I asked along the way was "why is there so much stuff around homes."  I was told that many things were kept because it was hard to get parts.  So when things broke down, parts were taken from other things.  Also neighbors worked together in swapping parts.  Makes sense to me!

They had a really nice area on the earthquake:

Did you notice the height of those tsunami waves? - Oh My!

The most impressive display in this museum is Old Town Valdez.

The cases that contain the models of each section of the town.  Sadly, I could not get pictures because of the lighting shining off the cases:

Both museums are worth a visit if you are in town - very impressive.

Leaving the museum, we made our way to the dock area.  Statues in that area:

Beautiful, isn't it:

Cruise ship was in port:

Another wonderful day in Valdez!

Stayed tuned for some more adventures!