Wow! The summer has gone by quickly. We've been busy but haven't really taken the time to make a blog entry. With the availability of Facebook and its timely posts, a blog seems a bit of redundancy. But, with it being the end of our summer in Alaska, I thought that I'd sum up events. Seems like it was just last week when we were covered in four inches of snow in Palmer. While we didn't do as much touring this time as we did three years ago, we still saw lots of fantastic sights and were visited by several members of our friends and family. We "enjoyed" a Winter that didn't want to leave, a Spring that was all too short, a Summer that was far too hot and dry for Alaska, and are now drifting into Fall with its colors and nip in the air. By my reckoning, that's four seasons in the space of 4 months!
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
We saw quite a variety of wildlife on our drives around the Kenai Peninsula. Bears, Bald Eagles, Salmon, Moose, Steller Jays and much more.
We had great visits with friends and family and really enjoyed showing them our favorite sights and attractions on the Kenai. We cruised the Kenai Fijords several times and saw many marine animals and birds that call Alaska a summer home. Humpback whales, Orcas, Steller Sea Lions, Harbor seals, and the cute Puffins. The glaciers of the Kenai Fijords never failed to excite. Large chunks of ice the size of a house dropped from the face of the glacier and splashed into the ocean. Every cruise we saw something different and amazing.
As before, we really got used to the long 20 hours or so of daylight. We sat on the beach in Seward at midnight to watch fireworks on the Fourth of July. We stayed up late one night to see the "Super Moon" as it rose over the mountains. We caught its reflection in Trail Lake along with the light of Trail Lake Lodge in the distance. Bear in mind that it is after 1:00 AM and you can still see the snow on the far mountainside!
Towards the end of our stay, we did do something that we had not done before. We took a ride on the Alaska Railroad. We have watched the Seward to Anchorage run go by the Chalets every day this summer. The familiar Blue and Yellow cars stand out and is ridden by thousands of tourist every summer. We took a day trip from Portage to Grandview and back. The views were magnificent and breathtaking. Waterfalls were in their glory, since it has been raining in record amounts the last few weeks. Streams are running fast and deep. And now, in early September, the trees are changing color and Fall is rapidly surrounding us. Seems odd to see highs in the low 50s here when back in the Lower 48, highs are in the 90s and 100s.
We had a great time this summer. We met a lot of nice folks who stayed in the Chalets. We ate a lot of salmon and halibut that had been caught fresh. We worked on the Chalets and made several improvements. I think that we have left the Chalets in better shape than we found them. We are now making ready to head south and continue with our adventures. Our winter destination is Cleveland, TX and turning a small piece of land into our own personal RV plot for the future. Until then, safe travels to all of you, wherever you may roam!
