Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Of course the sun is brightly shining because today we plan
to leave Homer! Now if we were to suddenly change our minds, would the sun
mysteriously create clouds to hide behind? We decided not to take a chance and
headed back across the Kenai Peninsula. Our initial plan was to find a camping
place around Skilak Lake but this area in still closed to camping after wild
fires in the area. Plan B was put into effect, so we moved to the south shore
of Turnagain Arm and the Porcupine Campground near the town of Hope, Alaska.
Where we spent the next two nights.
Day one was very peaceful but the 4th of July
campers began arriving day two. You throw in a handful of kids and there is no
such thing as quiet. This does have advantages though. No bears in their right
minds would hang out around a campground full of kids!
When it is quiet and you are very still wonderful little
things happen. For example, a stellar blue jay landed not two feet from me. We
looked at each other; studied each other and then when I offered no treats he
hopped to the ground at my feet and poked around in the grass for food. During
all this, where was my camera…in the camper, of course! Later a tiny mouse
scampered by my toes from one patch of cover to another then returned by his
original path. The song sparrows kept a running musical going and the little
warblers chimed in with musical asides. Once I grabbed my camera, all the
critters vanished and stayed hidden as long as that camera was out!
We hiked along the coast line of the Turnagain Arm trying to
find a good viewing place to no avail on our second day at the campground. The
forest is thick with clumps of cow parsnip and Devil’s club which go a long way
in keeping you on the trail. Sensitive people break out in blisters just
brushing up against the cow parsnip and the Devil’s club is so full of thorns,
it is wicked. We did finally get to see a bore tide along the Turnagain Arm. It
really very interesting to see this continuous wave of water racing up the
inlet. Now the one we saw was now the big one but still it was fun to see. We
never did spot any beluga whales though even though we spent hours glassing the
inlet for them. We did spot Dall sheep all the way across the inlet on the
cliffs on the other side.
When we left camp on July 3, the inlet was at its fullest.
It holds an amazing amount of water. We took a quick tour of the town of Hope
before leaving the area. It was an old gold placer mine site and the town has
been preserved very well. Jerry tells me the guy running the café looks just
like a young Mel Gibson but I will just have to take his word because I didn’t
go into the café. As we left the Kenai Peninsula behind, tons of traffic was
heading out on to the peninsula.
We stopped in Palmer to shop for necessities with everyone
else shopping for the holiday…crowded! After fueling up, we headed out on the
Glennallen Highway and set up camp at the King Mountain State Recreational area
on the banks of the Matanuska River. The camp host warned us about a
troublesome black bear and that they had chased a brown bear (grizzly) across
the river the day before. We took her quite seriously when she asked if we had
bear spray because she and all the workers were wearing side arms. Another
warning was about a mama moose with triplets...two were hers and the third she
adopted when its mother was hit and killed by a car.
July 4th dawned cloudy, again, after we had so
enjoyed basking in the sun the day before. We decided to head a few more miles
up the Glennallen Highway to the Matansuka Glacier Recreational area. This is a
tiny campground with many a dozen spaces but each are very private. After
setting up camp, we hiked to the lookout for the glacier. It is very dramatic
and although you cannot see all of the glacier, it is very long. It is on
private ground so you either pay to drive closer to the glacier or you enjoy it
from afar. We chose to hike a nature trail that gave us very nice views of the
glacier.
Since the sun made taking scenic pretty bland, I spent the
afternoon taking flower photos instead and doing some sketching while Jerry
planned the afternoon away so that we will get the most bang for our remaining
days in Alaska. The last three campgrounds have all been small but with great
privacy for each camping site. Although they were not meant for big rigs, we
certainly have seen them in these campgrounds. This one could be quieter
though. It is right on the edge of private property so we hear the constant
noise of dirt moving nearby and down river a ways the constant shooting of
pistols and rifles…must be reloaders! Otherwise, they could not afford the ammo
they have used this afternoon. Who knows where we will end up tomorrow but it
is nice out in nature. My rating of this campground went south when the guy
doing the dirt work right by the campground continued to work until midnight
and the private property owners whose land abuts the campground kept coming
through the camp area until quite late. That being said, this was a holiday
weekend and it may only be that chaotic during holidays, but it was very
irritating.
July 5, we continued along the Glennallen Highway. We checked
out Lake Louise which is an enormous lake created by glacial activity of the
Alaskan Range to the north. It must be a very popular fishing location because
the campgrounds were packed as was the boat trailer parking areas. This whole
tundra area seems to be extremely popular with ATV owners. Huge groups were
camped in areas set aside for ATV use all along the highway.
We had been hearing about the “mud volcanos” along the
highway here so we stopped at the Tolsona Wilderness Campground on the Tolsona
River so we could hike into the mud springs. These are warm springs that bubble
methane and carbon dioxide gas from coal layers deep under the springs. Animals
use these as watering holes all winter long when all else are frozen. A couple
from Ontario joined us on our hike to the springs. It was more bushwacking than
hiking over dead fall, through tussock and muskeg swamps and through thickets
of alder and black spruce. It was our first true skirmish with mosquitos too.
Once we arrived at the spring, we were a bit let down. They were much smaller
than advertised in the travel books. The mud around the springs was filled with
animal tracks, moose, caribou, dog or coyote and some sort of cat. We did get
bubbles so I guess we got our money’s worth.
As to the mosquitos, I like Avon Skin So Soft Bug Repellant.
It works well on everything but flies…why is there nothing that repels flies?
Jerry prefers Ben’s 30% deet repellant. I think the smell alone repels the
mosquitos.
On July 6th, we stopped briefly in the town of
Glennallen for fuel and ice then headed south on the Richardson Highway toward
Valdez. The Wrangell Mountains are stunning. Even though we saw them through
clouds, they are still stunning. Between 14,000 and 16,000 feet in elevation,
they dominate the landscape. Mount Wrangell is the only active volcano in the
range and has a distinctive shield shape of a volcano. They seem to create
their own weather systems. Although we were in beautiful sun shine, they were
cloaked in clouds.
At the Worthington Glacier State Recreation Area, we hiked
to the terminal end of the glacier. It was so amazing to actually touch a
glacier! The ice looked like crushed ice but had no whisper of air bubbles in
it. Thompson Pass, just a few miles from the glacier, gets 550 feet of snow per
year…yes, feet is correct. No wonder there are so many glaciers around this
area. And so we ended the day camped at Blueberry Lake Campground. It is such a
glorious view, 360 degree view, from this campground. I bet you can see at
least 10 glaciers from the camp. It is beautiful. Now, none of the famous
blueberries were even close to being ripe, so we saw no bears.
Once again, rain is falling as we break camp on July 7. If
we are going to the ocean, it is going to rain! So Valdez, I hope you need rain
because we are heading your way. One thing I have been wondering is how rain
effects the glaciers. I have never read anything about rain and glaciers. Once
the road drops down to the river level, you enter a deep rugged narrow canyon,
Keystone Canyon. Then suddenly, there is this beautiful waterfall coursing down
the cliff, Bridal Veil Fall. It is truly amazing. But save a few oohs and aahs
because around another corner there is Horsetail Falls. It is very aptly named
because it does look like a horse tail blowing in the wind.
As we enter Valdez, the elevation is 89 feet! Tsunami Escape
Routes are posted everywhere. In 1964 Valdez was destroyed in a 9.2 earthquake
centered not too many miles west of here. Valdez was relocated to this new
higher location when rebuilding began. We are camped at Bear Paw Campground
right on the edge of the water. At high tide, we sit maybe 4 to 5 feet above
the water.
Since it was both foggy and rainy all day, we spent the day
watching fishing boats appear suddenly out of the fog as they entered the
harbor. About 6 this evening, the fog lifted but the clouds stayed low so we
still have not been able to see the mountains that surround the town.
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| Iron stained gypsum...Sheep Mountain |
Mud spring
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| From Blueberry Lake Campground |
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| Fishing vessels in Valdez thru the fog |
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| Ninilchik with Mtn Iliamna an active volcano in background |
