We got up early! Even set an alarm. So that with stops we could ensure availability at our destination by getting there early. Our travels today had us backtracking through Palmer and into Anchorage. The drive was spectacular getting to Anchorage.
We had a few stops to make which actually turned into a bunch of stops because the first place didn’t have what we needed. The Bass Pro Shop was something to see. The local taxidermist has been busy! Fine specimens can be found there of all the amazing creatures to see here in Alaska.
Our stops included:
Bass Pro
PETCO
Party City
REI
Sportsman Warehouse
Grocery Store
Alaska driving tips … if the road signs say ‘DIP’ ahead what they really mean is ‘DITCH’. When they say ‘PAVEMENT BREAK’ that means ‘WET GRAVEL PIT’. I drove through it all today. I managed to get us to Anchorage on the winding and steep roadway through construction zones. Through all the parking lots. A tight fuel stop in Girdwood. Then safely to our basecamp for the evening. As I mentioned above the drive was spectacular. BUT what we saw southeast of Anchorage was even more stunning. This gorgeous scenery that we saw today was what I had envisioned Alaska to be! Wow! Even in heavy overcast conditions. WOW!!
We needed to get to our destination before the campground filled up. Half of the campground is reservable and the other half is 1st come 1st serve. We got lucky and there were still a few good sites available. Our basecamp is at Williwaw Campground which is sorta located just on the beginning of the rugged Kenai Peninsula. To get here the highway took us along the very edge of the Turnagain Arm that is off of Cook Inlet. The drive was captivating! There were a number of easy pull offs but at nearly 53’ long (truck and Airstream) you just can’t stop anywhere.
One lookout along the way was Beluga Point where you can spot Beluga Whales. It appeared to be low tide so they were probably farther out of sight. But it didn’t stop us (Tim) from scanning the waters to get a glimpse of one!
The section of land that we are now on, for a few nights, is the narrowest neck of the Kenai Peninsula at just 15 miles wide. We saw Portage Glacier on our way in. And I believe we are directly below Middle Glacier with Byron Glacier and Explorer Glacier nearby.
Again we are off grid here. No hookups. It was nice to have power to re-charge everything back at Grand View RV in Glacier View. No cell service either. But Elthree-37 is working fine for our internet communication. So far we like this campground. Biggest picnic table ever built out of timbers. Beautiful area. Large sites. Lush dark green forest. Lots of trails to hike from camp. Views of the glaciers. Even a salmon viewing deck on Williwaw Creek.
Tomorrow we hope to explore some of these areas as for this afternoon we needed to keep close to Jett and the Airstream for observation.
Jett update:
Jett continued to get sick until we went to bed. We should not have fed her dinner last night. So we decided to withhold food from her for 24 hours. No breakfast for Jett! I think that was harder for me than her. This will hopefully give her digestive system time to recover from yesterday. Of course around 4pm today, after being fine all day, she got sick again. Just a little. So we waited a few more hours before feeding her. I made her a special bland dinner of chicken and rice … that she devoured!
Actually we had stopped at the PETCO today to purchase the chicken for her that I mix with plain white rice. Jett never gets people food or anything out of her normal dog food and treats. So far she has been three hours since eating and she appears to be holding it down. Ooops … spoke too soon.
Sunset: 11:25 pm
Sunrise: 4:39 am
Elevation: 130’ ( whaaat?)
Miles from home:
4,765 miles
Miles driven:
6,966.5 miles
Wildlife viewings:
(Hah … 😂🤣)
Moose
Elk
Dall Sheep
Seagulls
Geese
Mountain Goats
Arctic Fox
Muskox
Black Bear
Grizzly Bear
Polar Bear
Wolverine
Trout!
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