Blogs from Alaska, United States, North America - page 210

An hour or so outside of Nikiski is Homer. We made reservations to stay at an RV park on the Homer Spit that evening. Was good to take a nice long shower and hang out around town. Shops are open for the summer season (end of May to end of August) along the boardwalks. You can find everything from carvings in ivory, antler, or wood to photography; even book a fishing trip or two! SPeaking of which... There was a Fishing Derby that goes on all summer long for Salmon & Halibut. We saw some HUGE fish! After 2 nights, it was time to head the RV back towards Anchorage for our final leg of the journey! The skies were still cloudy & rain followed us. Managed to get a clear break in the weather at ... read more

Seward - Ididaride! To support sled dog training all year 'round, Mitch Seavey has set up a camp that offers the public access to eductaion about the Iditarod & interact with his dogs. There's a 15 minute info talk in the beginning, then the tour is broken up into smaller (aprox. 8 - 9 persons) groups that take a ride on the metal dog sleds -- the sleds weigh aprox. 1 thousand pounds fully loaded. They run the dogs around a short (3 - 5 miles??) track pulling the sled behind them, taking quite a few breaks since it's so much warmer than in the actually race run in February. Simply amazing how strong the team is! After the ride, it's time for "Puppy Interaction"! Everyone gets to hold the cute cuddly puppies... Mamma dog is ... read more

Spent first half of day in Anchorage - readying for the trip, etc. We finally head out around 3pm to Portage area where we spent our first night. There was no need to hurry, so we doodled around stopping near Potter's March, Bird's Point, Beluga Point, and eventually made our way into the camp-ground for the evening. Since the weather had been co-operatively sunny for most of the day, Kathy & I took a long leisurely walk around the nearby trails, while Irene & Nicole rode the bikes around. The salmon hadn't started running yet, so the stream was void of big fish. The waters sure looked icy, tho! Had delicious burgers & grilled veggies over the camp fire for dinner. Even made a couple Smores before it started to rain, driving us inside the RV ... read more

Sunday 15th June - Fathers Day (happy american fathers day Dad) Walked to Safeways for breakfast, did email. John collected us and we went to the Grass Hole at the Anchor River. No fish caught at all. We tried so hard. Went back to Smoke Wagon and had drinks with Todd and Melisa. Ate at Lands End. Mike had the best burger he has had so far. I had rockfish, very much like blue cod.... read more

Spent the day in Alaska's state capital - Juneau. The weather hung in around 56 degrees & the rain was coming down fairly consistently in the morning. From the airport, we rented a car ($89 per day + tax -- ouch!) to help get around quickly & efficiently. Our first stop was Medenhall Glacier - as it was nearest the airport. After a quick stop at the Ranger's Station and walking int he rain, we opted for lunch. Downtown area was very small & quaint... very picturesque! Took in a great Fish-n-Chip lunch down at the Wharf Mall. We witnessed the arrival of a HUGE cruise liner coming into port. Our waitress gave us a city map, so we decided to check things out. As I said before, it was small & quaint. I fact, "streets ... read more