My Alaskan Adventure!

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to My Alaskan Blog! This beautiful moose was photographed by my daughter-in-law in Kenai on her way to work. (She admitted she got a lot closer to this "Big Mama" than she should have. She had seen eleven moose that morning on her four mile drive!) I'd like to take credit for it but since we were there in August and September there was no snow.

The Top Tens of My Alaskan Adventures

2007-10-02T16:32:00.000-06:00

Below you will find my Top Ten Culinary Experiences of our Alaskan trip. To the right side you can click on the Archive posts for the Top Ten Favorite Things. You will see some great pictures and learn about some great things to do! You should begin in the October archive. If you want to read of the adventures of a couple of kids living the Alaskan dream, you can click on "Alaskan Adventures and Polar Roids" to the right. This is my son and dauther-in-law's blog. There are some amazing stories on there! Check out my daughter-in-law's 300 pound bear (September) and then read about their float trip down the Colville River in August. Enjoy and see you on the ALCAN!

Some specific information: We left home on July 26, 2006 and arrived in Kenai on August 4th. We took the route through Montana and Calgary. We returned September 5th and came home on the Cassier and through northern Idaho. Our trip north took nine days. We boondocked mostly. Our rig was a Dodge diesel 2500 quad cab pulling a 33' Montana Mountaineer. Our entire trip covered 11,000 wonderful, spectacular miles including 2,000 miles on the Kenai. We spent one month on the Kenai which is where our son and daughter-in-law live.

Culinary Memory Number 1 of My Alaskan Adventure: Surf and Turf at It's Wildest: Backstrap of Moose, Fresh trout & Wild Raspberries

2007-01-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

The following account of the prize winning day is from Pat, my son. (I copied it without permission from Melissa' blog!) You can see more great pictures on their blog "Alaskan Adventures and Polar-oids" if you click on the link in the side bar and go to Archives for August 31st. ) I also have more pictures of this great faire posted on October 31st. This truly was a "HALL OF FAME" meal, as Phil and I would label it! Oh, Pat failed to mention the salmon he caught was 5.5 pounds.

"Sunday afternoon Mom, Dad, Melissa and I went canoeing on the Swan Lake canoe trails. The weather was awesome and the loons were swimming about. When we neared the stream that feeds the lake we heard voices coming down the stream toward us. As the canoe floated into the lake, I recognized the paddler at the stern of the canoe as my friend Sean "Sully" Sullivan. He and a friend were paddling Sully's first moose out and they were very exited!! I cast my lure into the water as I asked Sully about the hunt. He and his friend had paddled/portaged five lakes back and shot the moose earlier in the day. As we spoke about the hunt, a huge silver salmon struck my lure. I played the fish on my ultra-light rod as we talked. When I landed the it was a 5-1/2 pound land locked silver salmon! Any more playing and our canoe would have tipped over. As we parted company, Sully handed me a large hunk of backstrap, some foil, and some black pepper. On the next lake, Dad caught two nice rainbow trout and we headed for the nearest camp site. Melissa started a fire and we cleaned the fish. After wrapping the seasoned fish in the foil and putting them in the fire, we cut the moose meat into chunks and roasted the chunks marshmellow style using green alder branches. Talk about "Surf and Turt"!for dessert we ate fresh raspberries that we picked along the trail."

A Bag of Potato Chips - My #2 Favorite Culinary Delight of Alaska!

2007-01-09T22:10:00.001-07:00

The plan was for Phil and I to drive 29 miles north of Kenai to Captain Cook State Park where the Swanson River flows in Cook Outlet. We would pick up the Pat, Melissa, Rusty and Ken, Melissa's Dad who had floated the 24 miles of the Swanson River. We arrived at 12:30 p.m. and were to meet them sometime between 12:30 and 2:00 p.m.. We waited and waited. No canoes showed up at the launch sight. We grew increasingly hungry as we had not eaten since breakfast. Finally, at 3:20 we decided to drive eight miles back to the small village of Nikiski to find something to eat. On the way Phil made the comment, "Beings its Sunday afternoon, we will be lucky to find a place to buy any food." "Well," I replied, "maybe we can find a vending machine and share a bag of potato chips."

Nikiski ended up having two "eateries". One looked kind of like a bar/restaurant combo and the other a "Mom and Pop Diner". It was called "What's Cookin?" So we went in to see "What was cookin....." Inside the door was a sign which read, "All You Can Eat Prime Rib and Seafood $16.50 or 14.29 with a senior
discount"
Phil asked how old you have to be to get the Senior Discount. "Older than me." the proprietor replied.

"Well, how old are ya?"

2007-01-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

This is a view of Cook Inlet from Captain Cook State Park.

Although this picture is zoomed in quite a bit. One can look look straight across the Inlet and turn their head as far to the right or left as possible and see this continuous mountain range. It includes a chain of four volcanoes.

Caribou & Halibut Burgers and Bumble Berry Pie - Favorite Culinary Memory # 3 of My Alaskan Vacation

2007-01-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

After enjoying a breathtaking drive through the fall colors of the Yukon Territory we feasted on lunch in Whitehorse at the Klondike Rib and Salmon BBQ. With true northern flavor, it is the oldest operating building in Whitehorse.

While Phil's caribou burger was o.k., my halibut burger was awesome. The bumble berry pie tasted as good as it was to look at! The Klondike Rib and Salmon BBQ also offered muskox, bison, and arctic char.

Culinary Memory #4 of My Alaskan Vacation - Mukluk Annies

2007-01-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

Cross this beautiful, 1,917 foot bridge (the longest water span on the Alcan Highway) which crosses Teslin Bay in the Yukon, go a few miles further and you will come to Mukluk Annies. This was a great stop for lunch. We had the salmon bake, complete with fresh baked rolls and other sides. We were early and the lunch crowd had not begun to gather. The waitress was a darling Christian girl who chatted with us about her plans to continue her post graduate education in theology. The young man at the grill was a collegiate volleyball player. Mukluk Annies was obviously owned by Christians. It is only open from May or June through the middle of September.

Some words about Teslin: Situated at the confluence of the Nisutlin River and Teslin Lake, Teslin began as a trading post in 1903. Today it consists of a trading post, Catholic church, health center and post office... a curling rink and a skating rink. It has the largest native population and gets its livelihood mostly from traditional hunting, trapping and fishing, along with native crafts., and tanning of moose hides. The average daily temperature in January is -7.

Teslin Lake is 86 miles long, averages two miles across and depth of 194 feet!

Number 5 - "Hali-bus From Hyder"

2007-01-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

To get an acurate picture of the setting of this great little find, you can visit Top Favorites # 10 and 6. Hyder Alaska is at the southern most tip of the state and is only accessible on a road along Portland Canal from Stewart, BC. It is Hyder where the Fish Creek Bear Watching Deck is located and the breath taking Salmon Glacier. Known as the "Friendliest Ghosttown in North America, unlike quaint, Stewart, BC, Hyder is not a pretty little community.
It is a mud bog of a small town, getting an average rainfall of 41 inches. But on the back street of this two horse village we found the most wonderful deep fried Halibut one can imagine. The couple who own it converted a bus into the kitchen and built a rustic room on the back to eat. The husband catches the seafood during the day and the wife cooks it. In the back room there are hometown items like essays for bear stories, and bear prints made into plaster models. The guestbook leaves a place for comments. People from all over the world had left their impressions. This was not surprising because you drive right by on the way to the bear viewing deck. One lady from England wrote, "Fish and Chips are our national food but yours is better than anything I've ever tasted in England!"

Culinary Memory of My Alaskan Adventure #6 - Grilled Salmon Parmesan

2007-01-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

.......and homemade vegetable soup!

Actually, this is two culinary delights enjoyed at the same table! For background information, see My Top Ten Favorite Alaskan Adventures #2: Four Wheeling. The vegetable Soup was served by Hope the evening after we returned from our 50+ mile 4-wheeling trek. One can imagine how good a large bowl of homemade vegetable soup and a side of warm cornbread must have tasted after a day like that!

What made it even more delightful was the warmth shared with friends we had spent the day with as we relived every river crossing in our conversation. We all looked like we had been drug across the glacier but no one cared! We had a great time. Please serve me up another bowl, Hope!

Our third day in Palmer, we had the pleasure of enjoying a marvelous meal of grilled salmon and pasta salad. John and Hope hosted their small group Bible study for dinner that night. The salmon fillet was sprinkled with smoked seasoning salt, covered with a thick layer of mayonnaise and wrapped in foil before placing on the grill. Before serving, it was then covered with a light layer of grated Parmesan. The melted Parmesan and the mayo gave a rich addition to the lean salmon.

The taste of the meal was only one of the highlights of the evening! The other guests made it truly a memorable night. These "sour doughs" entertained us with intriguing stories of their lives in the 49th state. One gentlemen was a bush pilot for the Department of Education. I asked him what his most interesting experience was while flying over Alaska. Without hesitation he told about watching from his plane, a "school" of whale group hunt a dolphin. Another time a wolf attacked his plane when he was landing. Another lady at the table told about accompnying her husband on a boat trip down the Yukon River and how upon beaching it at one time, it came loose and got away from them only to float down the river by itself while they were stranded! It was indeed, an interesting night!

" A Bag of Potato Chips" gets the Number 2 Spot of my Favorite Culinary Memories

2006-12-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

"Well, how old are ya?"

"Fifty-two".

The seafood buffet contained giant crab legs, scallops the size of golf balls wrapped in bacon, halibut souffle, baked ham, potatoes, salad bar and a table full of your choice of desserts. Oh, yes, and fresh bread! We filled out plates, sat down to pig out and looked at each other and started laughing. "Some bag of potato chips!" We ate until we could eat no more knowing even though there were some adventurers waiting for us at the mouth of the Swanson River.

When we got back the crew asked where the heck we'd been. "Oh, just drove down to Nikiski for some potato chips!"

"Where are those two?"

I wish I had some photos of this delectable feast, but I wasn't into taking pictures of food yet, that activity that Rusty thinks is so crazy! But here are some photos taken at Captain Cook State Park after we had finally made our rondevous with the Swanson River expedition. By the way, Captain Cook State Park is one of the most beautiful campgrounds we have ever seen. It was lush, well groomed and had the most spectacular view of Cook Inlet across which one could see a beautiful snowcapped mountain range. That is, on a clear day, which fortunately that was. The uniqueness was that to the north was Cook Inlet and a sandy beach and to the south was the forest and mouth of the Swanson River and an abundance of portagable lakes, two totally different topographies.

Smoked Salmon Quesadillas - My #7 Favorite Culinary Memory

2006-12-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

To duplicate this delicacy, you will need to plan a little ahead so Martha Stewart, take notice!

Begin your preparation in March of a year ending in an odd number such as 2007. Start seedlings of some select green chilies such as "New Mexico 6" or "Big Jims". In May, transplant the small plants in a sandy loam soil in a semi-arid climate such as New Mexico. Take usual care of the plants and harvest some wonderful chilies in August. Roast the chilies over the barbecue grill and remove the skins. Freeze chilies in layers separated with wax paper and wrapped tightly for eleven months or until you can go ishing for pink salmon.

Pink salmon can be easily caught in Alaska on EVEN NUMBERED YEARS! In fact, on a given day one can just about wear themselves out reeling in these feisty creatures. Fishing on the Kenai on these years will harvest many pink salmon. Natives do not like to keep them so if you don't fish, hang around those who do and just ask if you can have their pinks! They will think you are weird but just smile humbly and accept their gift! To Alaskans, they are called "Dog Fish". They do not freeze or keep and can turn to mush rather easily but they do can, smoke and we found frying fresh fillets make a wonderful meal. Pink salmon is very mild in taste.

OK, back to my recipe: Fillet about five pounds of pink salmon and soak it for approximate twelve hours in a brine. There are many recipes of brine one can find on the internet so I won't take time to include the recipe.

After "pickling" the salmon, lay them in your smoker. Of course, Martha wouldn't buy a smoker, she'd make one like the one Pat made for us to use. Leave your salmon on the smoker for 2-3 days. Remove and place them in a dehydrater for an additional day.

This homemade grill was transformed into a smoker using a crockpot hotplate acquired from a garage sale and kept piled with a couple handfuls of woodchips to smolder.

Cut up smoke salmon in to very small pieces before making quesadillas.

Preparing Quesadillas:

On a flour tortilla, spread sauce (see recipe below). Place small amounts of flaked salmon and strips of green chilies on top of sauce. Sprinkle with shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Top with another tortilla and brown in oil.

Sauce: Blend: Equal parts of mayonnaise and plain yogurt, green onion, cilantro and lime juice. This is great for halibut taco sauce, too!

An afternoon at College Hole on the Kenai River can produce a nice day's catch of salmon; a few red, a silver, and an abundance of pink. One afternoon Phil caught about 18 pinks or "humpies" as they are called. The male pinks have a large hump on their back which is full of fat. They are fighters and fun to catch by heavy to carry up the trail.

Culinary Memory #8: Grilled Halibut and Couscous

2006-12-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

Not only was this a delightful meal, the newly acquired friends who prepared it for us made it truly a culinary memory! Dwight Martin grilled fresh caught halibut AND ling cod while Carole made a side dish of couscous with corn and zucchini mixed in. (yum!) Fresh sliced tomatoes were sprinkled with olive oil and basil. This way my kind of meal! I contributed to the meal by bringing rhubarb cobbler.

I met Carole online when I discovered her travel blog telling about their planned trip to the Kenai. I instantly was drawn to this couple just by the tone of her blog and the pictures of what looked like a VERY friendly pair. Through the internet we arranged a meeting soon after we arrived in Kenai. Our second visit took place at their camper at the Solid Rock Bible Camp where they were volunteering as part of "Sowers" (Servants On Wheels Ever Ready to Serve).
Dwight and Carole made us they wonderful meal and gave us a tour of the camp; a truly amazing place! The highlight of the night was learning Carole's story as a missionary to Columbia for seventeen years. We eagerly received a transcript of her autobiography and devoured it that night! Meeting Dwight and Carole was not by chance. God brought them to us to bless our lives just by our chance meeting. The following day Carole accompanied us on a wonderful day to Homer.

These two pictures were actually taken in our 5th wheel as I did not take pictures in their bumper pull that night. We had added pleasure in having them over for a meal in Steward as their frig was on the fritz. They brought their own spoons! That was to rib us about the fact that we were short on spoons previously when they had come. We had not been prepared for entertaining while traveling! Linda, what were you not thinking? Of course, I'd entertain in a pup tent! And yes, indeed, we entertained numerous times on that trip.

"Mother-in-law's Mean, Throw-down Breakfast" : Top Culinary Memory # 9 of My Alaskan Adventure

2006-12-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

The first week in Kenai my son-in-law, Rusty and Phil drove to the Russian River each day to salmon fish. I would send them off with a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs, breakfast. When Rusty returned to Wichita he told my daughter, Lesli,

"Your mother can sure "throw down a mean breakfast!"

I took that as a great compliment coming from one of my favorite men. There were two varieties I assume he was talking about:

#1: "Mean Throw-down Breakfast" consisted of a stack of:
two fried tamales (homemade and fried crisp before serving)
fried potatoes, with onions and green potatoes
grated cheese
bacon - fried crisp and cut in small pieces
two fried eggs
roasted green chilies (out of our garden)

A side dish of warm rhubarb sauce
went over quite nicely!
#2 "Summertime Mean Throw-down Casserole"
In a small casserole dish, layer:
4 corn tortillas - fried crisp in hot oil and broken up in small pieces
1/2 c. Cheddar cheese shredded
1/2 large sweet* onion, 1/2 green pepper cooked together
4 strips bacon cooked crisp and broken up
1/2 c cheddar cheese
4 eggs, fried, over-easy Don't break the yolks!
salsa verde
Serve with warm, flour tortillas and hot coffee! (Single helping version pictured above)
I discovered, in these improvised meals how much the flavor of corn meal (in the tamales or tortillas) adds to a breakfast dish. "Throwing down" some Fritos on the plate first is also a tasty touch. What makes this a culinary memory, though, was sharing it with the guys I love (and Pat made it one morning, too) in my "cozy camper" on morning they were so exuberant about the prospects of salmon fishing that day!
* Thus the name "summertime casserole". Sweet onions such as Walla walla sweets, 1015s, Vidalia, and Noonday are only available in the summer time because they do not keep. They are large and so sweet! They are a party to the onion eater's palate!

Welcome Back to Linda's Top Ten Culinary Memories of My Alaskan Adventure

2006-12-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

Number 10: A Romantic Hot Dog Supper on Kluane Lake!

To qualify for a culinary memory, the meal must have at least two of three important ingredients: exceptional food, company or ambiance. My Number 10 had a wonderful dose of two: company and ambiance.

While it won't be something you'll find in Gourmet Magazine but it was a special event for me. Hot dogs are something I like so much I just have to have one at least once a year but Phil said he was hungry for a good old fashioned chili dog. I decided a beach picnic would be just the place for one. We were on our way home through the Yukon Territory in early September. The air was sunny and crisp and fall colors were magnificent. We parked along the lake at Destruction Bay. Kluane Lake is a large lake and I mean LARGE. Now in New Mexico, a large lake is one you can't chuck a rock across but in the Yukon, a large lake takes hours to drive around. That wonderful evening we climbed down the rocks and roasted hot dogs on the bank of the lake. I put Horsey sauce on mine for an extra kick! Romantic!

Stay Online for my Top Ten Culinary Memories of Alaska!

2006-12-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

They will be coming soon!

One more of my Favorite photos!

2006-12-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

I took this on from the Highway connecting Homer and Kenai.

My Great Alaskan Adventure!

2006-12-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

My husband and I recently returned home following a nine-week trip from the southwest to Alaska! We finally came home when we ran out of "wows!" Our trip included driving through Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Then we proceeded through Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon Territory, arriving in Kenai, AK on August 4th. We returned home a different route which included the Cassier and Yellowhead Highways to Jasper, south through Idaho and Utah finally clipping Colorado and home to New Mexico. Stay online for my "Top 10's" of my Alaskan adventure!

Number One!

2006-11-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is my Number One of My Top Ten Favorite Things About My Alaskan Adventure: The Alcan Beauty!

We covered the most beautiful country in the world. I marvel at the God's creation we were able to see and photograph. These pictures won't do justice to what we enjoyed but it may be a start! Enjoy!

About our Four Wheeling Adventure...

2006-11-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

Hope writes:

Linda,

I was just thinking about you – I’m making my vegetable soup for supper. I’d been looking at your blog every few days or so to see if we made the top 10 list. Enjoyed seeing all your adventures – then you e-mailed me the one about our 4-wheelin’ trip. It was fun!!! I’m glad to hear about Phil’s trip – hope all continues to go well. We may be in Ft. Sumner in Dec. so may try and make it to Clovis one day. It’s really cold and super windy here making the wind chills about -45 degrees. Brrrrrrrr! I’m ready for a little sunshine.

Talk to you later,

Hope

Adventures in East Asia!!

2006-11-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

My "Other HALF" is currently on an awesome, two week tour of eastern Asia with our son-in-law. If you would like to follow that adventure, right click on "Linda's New Blog" on the right. Keeping watching here for "Number One Favorite Thing About My Alaskan Adventure".

Number Three in My Top Ten Favorite Things About My Alaskan Adventure - Canoeing!

2006-10-31T18:55:00.000-07:00

Pat and Melissa have two canoes and they are very proficient at portaging the beautiful lake systems on the Kenai. They brought one of the canoes from Kansas and recentily purchased a beautiful new one in Alaska.

There were two great adventures we got to experience while in their canoes; one was the Swanson River float made by Pat and Phil. This is a 24 mile, overnight, float from the launch point to Cook Inlet. Once you begin the float there is no turning back. This beautiful river was boiling with silver salmon and troat and very popular with the local bruin population. They made a memory, indeed, facing the "wild" and conquoring the elements, literally! The second was an absolutely incredible Sunday afternoon portaging the Kenai lake system. Pat wrote great stories about both. Paleeze click on the "Pat and Melissa's blog" link on the right
and then click on the August Archive for "riviting" accounts of both and additional pictures. THE ABSOLUTE BEST PARTS OF THIS ENTRY ARE CONTAINED ON THAT SIGHT AND I JUST CAN'T IMPROVE ON PAT'S WRITING SKILLS! Except: The salmon he caught from his canoe weighted 5.5 pounds!

Number Four in my Top Ten Favorite Things About My Alaskan Trip - Salmon Fishing!!

2006-10-28T21:52:00.000-06:00

I don't fish. I've never fished. But I really enjoyed watching the fishing and eating the fish. "Flipping for Salmon" or as it is affectionately called, "Combat Fishing" is fun to watch. To avid anglers, fishing the Kenai is the ultimate fishing experience, and I just sat and watched! We fished on the Kenai right at the city of Kenai where Pat lives and on the confluent of the Kenai and Russian Rivers.

Combat fishing got its name from the crowded conditions during salmon run. Not only did the anglers compete for good holes on the Kenai and Russian with other anglers, they had to be aware of bears fishing in the same area. These pictures were shot on a day when nine bears had been spotted in the area. Our guys saw them on the bank several times. You can click on the link to Pat and Melissa's blog and go to July Archive. There you can not only see some great fishing pictures during the peak of the season, you can see a picture of Pat standing in the middle of the river fishing and an Alaskan brown (grizzly) bear eating a fish on the bank! Fishermen were required to have their catch and lunch no more than an arm's length from them or be liable for a $300.00 fine!

Son, Pat and son-in-law, Rusty fish the Russian.

Some nice reds!

We fished for three kinds of salmon: red, silver and pink:

Red salmon or sockeye salmon are silver or iridescence while in the ocean and begin to turn red prior to spawning. Once they turn red, they are not worth keeping. The dark red ones in the pictures will be returned to the river as they are too "mature" to keep. They would be mushy to eat.

Silver or coho salmon are the most acrobatic when caught and fun to catch - so they say. They do begin to turn darker before spawning and become less edible. Both sockeye and cohos are most desirable to catch. The guys caught silvers when they floated the Swanson River.

Pink salmon, although not nearly as acrobatic as the Silver or as tasty as a Red, are still fun to catch and the large females can be good smoked or canned. The locals don't even bother to keep them. Interestingly, they only come to spawn on even numbered years. Phil caught them in abundance on the Kenai - probably twenty in one day but most were males and we decided we didn't want any more. They are heavy to pack up the trail and are a lot of waste. We did smoke a large batch of them and I would have canned some had I known how easy it would be and how abundant they were. Pat taught me how to smoke them. Smoking actually included pickling in a brine, smoking and then dehydrating them.
We also filleted one and fried up chunks for several days. It was very "tender and mild in taste". It was delicious! I don't care what those spoiled Alaskans said!

An afternoon's catch on the Kenai River included reds and pinks

This silver and the rainbow were caught on a lake. This is a neat story! Log on again in the near future to read it! By the way, I like to show this picture and say, "Pat's fish (to the left) and Dad's fish (to the right!)

On Quartz Creek

Between our halibut and our salmon, we had a nice mess of fish to cart home! This is what we did: Each night we took our daily catch (as most do) to the local packer who fillets them, flash freezes them and vacuum seals them. They will keep them until you pick them up or have them ship it home. We purchased a small freezer which rode home in our pick-up. Several times a day we would plug it in to our 5th wheel while our generator was running. This worked quite nicely and was less expensive (even after purchasing the freezer) than having it shipped.

Log on soon for My Top Ten Number Four - Salmon Fishing!

2006-10-28T00:23:00.000-06:00

One more great hike!

2006-10-27T17:25:00.000-06:00

"Exit Glacier, the only area of Kenai Fjords National Park accessible by car, is one of thirty-five glaciers that flow off the vast Harding Icefield. The Icefield is the largest in North America, and it remains as a 300 square mile vestige of the last ice age. In this park intrepid hikers can not only trek to Exit Glacier; they can also venture up a strenuous trail to the Harding Icefield. "

From the visitor's center we headed out onto the paved trail, a quarter mile path where you will notice signs posted along the side that are labeled with years. These represent where the terminus of the glacier existed in that era, and it is amazing to note just how far it has retreated. In fact, it is believed that the glacier once extended all the way to the town of Seward, almost 8 miles away.

At the end of the paved path you will see a kiosk containing displays about the glacier and the local fauna. Beyond the kiosk, you have your choice of three trails, The Lower Loop, The Upper Loop, and The Nature Trail. The first trail, Lower Loop Trail, a half mile loop, leads to the outwash plain at the face of the glacier, towering chunks of blue and white ice.

Several signs are posted near the glacier’s face warning of the potential danger associated with getting to close, and yet several people waltz right up and stand directly below the massive chunks of ice. risking being crushed by a calving glacier,

Continuing on towards the Upper Loop Trail, a 1 mile loop, the views become even more spectacular.

Along this hike you gain some elevation and by so doing are able to see the glacier from a higher vantage point. Steps made from rock and wood help to make the 100 foot climb a little less taxing. From the top you can see huge crevasses and towering seracs juxtaposed against a beautiful mountain, the view is out of this world. The vastness of Exit Glacier is unbelievable, and for those who climb to the Harding Icefield the views become even more fantastic.

The hike up to the Harding Icefield is a strenuous, 7.7 mile roundtrip, hike that gains 3000 feet. That is just a little over 1000ft per mile, making the trail very steep and suitable only for hikers in good condition.

Phil was in a different "MOOD" and had other things on his mind!

Hiker's Heaven - Almost

2006-10-27T11:07:00.000-06:00

This was another great place to take a hike! There was, as usual, an abundance of salmon spawning, along with beaver ponds, and bears galore. One area was closed off due to the bear activity. We spotted a large black bear through our binoculars and watched him roam around on a rock for quite sometime.

This probably won't impress anyone too much, but the little black dot slightly to the right at the top of the outcropping (rock)is a black bear. We could watch him quite clearly through our binoculars. Later we learned you can put your camera up to the binoculars and take a picture that way. I've yet to try it.

Top Ten Favorite Things About My Alaska Adventure - Number Five

2006-10-26T17:17:00.000-06:00

Hiting the Trail!

It is, no doubt, humanly impossible to put a number to the miles of trails one can hike in Alaska. There are countless primative trails but many of the trails are quite groomed and civilized! One thing of note: Many places require that you carry a gun before hitting the trail like the .44 mag pistol Pat carried. My favorite hike was up to Russian Falls. This is a two plus mile hike leaving near the confluence of the Russian and Kenai Rivers. The area is HEAVILY inhabited by bears. The previous week before our hike a sow brown (Alaskan grizzly) with three cubs charged a man. We saw plenty of bear sign but no bear. We also saw very large moose tracks. At the top of the trail is a wonderful bridge by a falls which created a fish ladder. The spawning salmon were a sight!

Moose hoof print next to Pat's size 11 shoe.

Bears can be seen in the island catching jumping salmon as they maneuver up the falls.

The red seen here are salmon.

News Flash!

2006-10-17T15:55:00.000-06:00

Melissa posted her great moose photos taken from her kitchen window! To see them click Pat & Melissa's Blog link at the right of the screen! But come back soon!

Moosies!!!

2006-10-14T18:32:00.000-06:00

I didn't give those majestic creatures enough attention in my "Top 10- Number 7", so here I go. We saw eleven moose on our trip. A young bull sauntered through our parking area twice while we stayed in Kenai along with numerous sightings, however brief along the side of the road. (Sighting moose on the road is rather tense while we are driving. I am grabbing for my camera, almost always getting it too late, while Phil is braking and holding his breath we don't have road kill a la moose!)

My favorite encounter with a moose, however was this bull we observed for quite awhile, eating his breakfast in a pond. I love to get up early and on the road just before daybreak. I am convinced there are rewards for those who do. My husband, on the other hand, says I'm the "perfect cure for a good night's rest!" This particular morning I drug his grumpy body out of bed and into the truck telling him there were critters out there waiting to say "good morning" to us and won't be there after eight o'clock. The night before we had driven the worst stretch of road on the entire trip, actually, the ONLY truly difficult stretch. It was eighteen miles of gravel and slimy dirt south of Tok where the road was being resurfaced. So getting on the road before the road crew was there to hold us up had its benefits, also.

This wonderful beast was my hero! Not only did we get quite a thrill watching him, I was able to say to my sleepy hubby, "I told you so!!"

Top 10 Favorite Things About My Alaskan Adventure - Number 6

2006-10-14T17:12:00.000-06:00

Parking my 5th wheel in the most incredible places!!

I get a kick out of people who purchase a multi-gazillion dollar RV and then pay to park it side by side with another multi-gazillion dollar rig in what I call "Refugee Camps for the Rich and Foolish!" In our eleven thousand mile trip we stayed in only one such park (actually, that was near Albuquerque). Most of the time we boondocked and some of the time in campgrounds - amazing campgrounds. Here are four of my favorites. KOA - Eat your heart out! By the way, our 5th wheel didn't cost a gazillion dollars, either, just in case I left that impression!

Homer Spit on Kenai Penninsula:

We parked on the Homer Spit, a narrow isthmas in the middle of Kachemak Bay. This picture was taken from a viewpoint on top of Baycrest Hill overlooking Homer. (From that sight one can savor the panorama of Kachemak Bay, the Homer Spit and the mountains and glaciers beyond - unbelievable!) One can fainty see the 4.5 mile strip of land down in the bay. It contains the a quaint fishermen's villiage and space enough to park right up next to the water. If you look close enough you "might" see us backed up to the water - then again, you might not!.

Muncho Lake, BC (Strawberry Creek Campground):

"Gee, I sure wish we could have parked at an RV Park!"

It was from this place I took one of my favorite pictures of our trip - stay blogged on to see it soon!

Seward, AK

Seward, AK, on the southeast side of the Kenai Penninsula was another great place to park. At the city campground you could back right up to the water. This picture was take at the back of the 5th wheel. We watch eagles perch on the pilings (see previous blog), salmons put on a jumping show, carefree sea otter float by, a cruise ship dock at the end of the bay while boats of all kinds come in and out of the bay.

Upper Gnat Lake on the Cassier Highway in British Columbia:

After a day of driving some pretty treacherous stretches of the Cassier Highway we were anxious to find a place to boondock. We came upon this most beautiful little lake with little campsites around it. We backed out on a small peninsula of the lake. That evening we took a walk to enjoy the crisp air and fall colors. Our exhileration was increased when a herd of pack horse came by.

Kluane Lake - Destruction Bay, Yukon:

This was a huge pullout where we boondocked on Kluane Lake. Once again the fall colors were - ok - I'm running out of superlatives!

Top 10 Favorite Things About My Alaskan Adventure NUMBER 7 - Bruin Viewing!

2006-10-12T20:16:00.001-06:00

For 21st Century bruin viewing, Fish Creek in the Tongass National Park is the place! People, particularly professional photographers, come from literally all over the world and stay sometimes all summer just waiting for bears to come and feast on the salmon here. The multi-million dollar viewing deck which extends approximately forty yards across the area and overlooks a surreal pond (see photo) is just a few years old. Can you imagine what the bears thought when they woke up that spring and came to their favorite pond? "What the heck....??" We were able to see a collection of amazing photos one of the photographers had taken there such as the one at the top of this blog entry. While we were there a sow black bear and her three cubs came for supper. Unfortunately they remained too aloof to get any good photos. We watched another large bruin carry off a salmon and saw several on the road near there. Fish Creek is at Hyder, AK, just next to Steward, BC - that charming town I mentioned earlier. If you go there, don't forget your rain gear! Some areas of this rain Forrest get up to 16 FEET of rain a year!

This Stone Ram, was more than happy to pose for us!

Everyone looks forward to seeing lots of wildlife in Alaska and we saw our share! Here's the count:

13 Bears - 12 Black, 1 Brown (Alaskan Grizzly)
11 MOOSE
1 Wolf
Buffalo
Stone Sheep
Dall Sheep
Mountain Goats
Elk
Deer
Caribou
Seal pups
River Otters
Sea Otters
Marmot

Unfortunately, most of these animals are a little camera shy and when you see them, they give you little chance to get your camera in focus so I don't have much proof of the great "BRUIN VIEWING". At Eagle River we spotted a large black bear on an outcropping on a mountain. We watched him for a long time. We watched a brown (grizzly bear) as he meandered several moments about thirty yards in front of us. Phil had a black bear join him while salmon fishing.

I'm including a few photos I did get. One critter that is not the least bit camera shy are sea otters!

Of course we saw umpteen fish, dead and alive. Salmon are quite entertaining! Watching them put on aquatic acrobatic shows while sitting at the beach in Seward was really fun!

Feathered friends included:

Bald Eagles
Trumpeter Swans
Great Horned Owls
Puffins
Sand Hill Crane
Scrub Jays
Belted King Fishers

My bald eagle picture was taken from our camp/parking site in Seward.

OK. IF YOU REALLY WANT GREAT PICTURES AND STORIES ABOUT ANIMALS, TUNE INTO MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW'S BLOG: "Alaskan Adventures and Polar oids" at www.teakells.blogspot.com AND watch for the photos of the two "courting moose" taken from her dining room window in Kenai!!!

Number 8 in Linda's Top 10 Favorite Things About a Trip to Alaska - Looking at the Ground!

2006-10-10T12:52:00.000-06:00

Now don't laugh. I'm dead serious about this! Alaska and the Yukon have the most beautiful ground covers you will ever see! Around here, know what you see when you look down? Sand and clay unless you are in someone's manicured garden. Not in Alaska! Just about every inch is covered in a lush carpet of lichens, tiny flowers, mosses and colored rocks forming a botanical paradise! The most magnificent was on top of a mountain overlooking Salmon Glacier where we found a fairytale land which included ponds and dwarf pines making it remind me of a medieval movie set from Princess Bride! Other amazing displays included in this post are from Knick Glacier southeast of Palmer and Upper Gnat Lake on the Cassier Highway in BC. You can see that each has its personal palate of color!

Linda's Top 10 favorite things to do on an Alaskan Vacation: Number Nine: Exploring Neat Towns and Visiting Interesting Landmarks!

2006-10-09T21:41:00.000-06:00

Now don't take the order of these numbers too seriously. I had tons of fun doing a lot of things. My favorite towns to visit were Stewart, BC ( I know, I know, that's not in Alaska), Seward, AK and Homer, AK. Since future Top 10 positions will include Seward and Homer, the photos are of Stewart. Stewart is a quaint little town on the BC coast just next to Hyder, AK. Hyder is in the southern most tip of Alaska. There are two incredible reasons to visit Stewart and Hyder: Salmon Glacier and the Fish Creek - sight of a bear viewing boardwalk (stay tuned).

I loved the scenery at Stewart, along with the cute buildings and a few great places to dine! (You will find them on my Top 10 Culinary Memories from Alaska later.) Notice the shopping carts on the roof.

Welcome to Linda's Top 10 Favorite Things about my Alaskan Trip!!

2006-10-07T21:52:00.000-06:00

Number 10 - Boating and Fishing in the Sea!!

This gets the tenth position because while it had the potential of being an amazing adventure, weather put a real damper (if you get my drift) on it. We took a wildlife viewing of Resurrection Bay and went eight miles out into the sea. We did see seals, lots of bald eagles, puffins and sea otters but no whales. I do look forward to returning and taking the Kenai Fjords tour.

While the weather made our cruise less than it could have been, it really made the halibut fishing trip "memorable" for the guys. In Phil's words, "I've never paid so much money to be that tortured in all my life!" Next time I'll just send my boys out to get my halibut. Like Phil said, "Pat could have fun on the Titanic if he had a fishing pole!" This picture was taken just moments before he "fed the fish!"

2006-10-07T21:48:00.000-06:00

Free Counters

Better Than A Hundred Pound Cabbage!

2006-10-06T18:30:00.000-06:00

Our last weekend in Alaska was Labor Day weekend. Fall was already beginning to make an appearance when we arrived in Palmer, forty miles northeast of Anchorage where our dear friends, John and Hope Finney live. Palmer is the home of the Alaskan State Fair, famous for the enormous vegetables which are able to be grown during the long days of Alaskan summers. We thought that might be kind of an interesting outing. John and Hope had another suggestion, however, which sounded like something "just a little more stimulating", shall we say. They offered to take us on an outing using 4WD ATV's to see a glacier. It sounded like a lot of fun and having been on these ATV's a little with our friends, Ralph and Nadine, I visualized going up and down a few muddy trails and fjording a few narrow rocky creek beds. However, HAD EITHER PHIL OR I KNOWN WHAT THEY WERE ACTUALLY GOING TO PUT US THROUGH, WE WOULD HAVE TOLD THEM THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY CRAZY! Point me to the coleslaw!

The picture at the top of this blog entry is not one of mine but it gives a good idea of some of the terrain we covered. We fjorded the Knick River several times

and made our way through tunnels cut through thick underbrush, over huge boulders and bone jarring chuck holes.

I truly wish I had pictures of the scary parts but one doesn't want to take their camera out and try to take pictures during these. The trip was 29 miles one way. I spent the first 29 miles white knuckling it through the muck and mire, and ice cold waters hanging on for dear life wishing Phil had nipple rings I could grab hold of!

The views were spectacular!!!

This was a highlight of our trip! What a rush! Fifty miles and seven hours later we arrived back at Finney's for homemade soup and great fellowship. Thanks Hope and John, for a great memory!