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Once again, a great nights sleep and great breakfast. We got off a little later than planned, as Jan's clock was set an hour earlier than it should have. While waiting, we watched some guy prancing around the RV park in his bikini speedo and pink crocs. First wildlife sighting of the day. We headed out a short time later, gassed up the RV's, and headed for Rte 1 to the Kenai Peninsula. Traffic in Anchorage appeared very busy and hectic after spending the prior 16 days in the quiet of the wilderness. Almost immediately after leaving the Anchorage area, we were treated to some more spectacular scenery. We entered the Seward Highway's scenic byway, with Cook Inlet's Turnagain Arm off our right, and the Chigmet Mountains in the distance. Wisps of clouds hung over the tops of some of the peaks, making for some beautiful pictures. Again, around every turn in the road, there was a view more beautiful than the one before. We find it difficult to get over just how vast, wild, and beautiful this part part of the world is. As far as we're concerned, this is the only way to truly see Alaska without living here.
We passed through many small towns, and then hit the Alyeska Highway, where the views just kept coming. We made a stop at the Kenai River, famous for it's King Salmon runs every year, to stretch. Ray took the opportunity to wet a line at the boat landing, but soon realized that the area was off limits for fishing at this time of year. The river was a stunning shade of blue. We had previously decided to camp in the town of Kenai for the evening, but when we arrived at the RV park, it didn't take us long to realize this was not where we wanted to be. Aside from the terrible location and crummy looking campsite, there were two police cruisers parked right outside of the area. After stopping in town for a quick lunch, we decided to check out another park on the way to Homer. Leaving Kenai, we spotted 3 caribou feeding along side the highway, and further down the road, ran across a big moose and her calf. On the way, we stopped at many scenic overlooks, and viewed 3 inactive volcanos across Cook Inlet: Mt. Iliamna, Mt. Redoubt, and Mt. Augustine. Mt. Redoubt has
erupted last in 1989. 30 miles north of Homer, we stopped at our second choice of campsite, but didn't even get our of the RV's when we got there. There was nothing appealing about the place, so we pressed on to Homer. Arriving at the Ocean View RV park, we were extremely happy that we had. It is simply stunning, sitting right on Cook Inlet with an incredible Mountain view. The Aleutian Range can be seen, along with the Dordshen and Worhesenshe Glaciers. The wifi is great here as well. After cocktail hour, we decided to walk into town for dinner, a real treat after eating in the RV most of the time. At the restaurant, we questioned the waitress about one of our favorite TV shows, "Alaska, the Last Frontier", as we discovered the Kilchers lived here in Homer. We asked if they lived in the wilderness and were off the grid. She said they lived near her home, and had all the town's utilities. In fact, she said they could be seen most nights in one of the local bars. They have a homestead near the Inlet, like a lot of families in the area, and raise cattle
down there, and spend some time. This really burst my bubble, and I think that reality shows are only staged for TV.
Returning to the RV park, we sat outside for awhile, chatting, then finally retired for the evening. Was a wonderful day.
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Corinne
non-member comment
So bright
Must be hard to sleep when it's daylight outside most of the time but I'm sure cocktail hour helps lol. Have fun!