Girdwood

Friday, June 22

We set out this morning along the winding and narrow Crow Creek Road to a trailhead high up a mountain.  We hiked about 1.7 miles to the abandoned Monarch Gold Mine, climbing farther up the mountain, first through a forested area, and then out in the open.  The lower elevations were quite warm, but then we began to climb across snow fields, wet patches and rocks.

 The alpine scenery was glorious, and the day could not have been more crystal clear.  Along the trail, many young hikers carrying cross-country skis passed us en route to a day’s fun at even higher elevations – oh, the joys of youth!  By the time we returned to the car, the cool breezes we’d enjoyed above were forgotten, and we were hot and sweaty again.

Back down the mountain road, we drove to the other end of this small town to Alaska’s only ski resort, Alyeska.  We took the tram to the top of Mount Alyeska and had lunch overlooking the ski runs, hang gliders, and even planes and helicopters flying below us!

Then, it was back to our B and B for some down time, and a chance to cool off after the day’s exertions.  This little town holds some seriously gorgeous scenery!

Seward to Girdwood

Thursday, June 21

After leaving our apartment, we made a brief visit to Lowell Point, just outside Seward’s downtown, and then headed through town to the Exit Glacier Visitors Center of Kenai Fjords National Park.  

 We walked to the edge of the glacier on a short trail and were struck by the signs dating the historical extent of the glacier’s reach on the trail and also on the park’s entrance road; they provided striking indicators of the glacier’s retreat over the years.  On the return hike, we walked through a section of the glacier’s outwash

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The day was warm, clear, and sunny and our drive north along the Seward Highway was slowed by many stops for photo ops. By unanimous agreement, we again took in the beauty of Tern Lake, as we had two days ago; it’s a gem!

We enjoyed a stop at the Begich-Boggs Visitors Center at Portage Glacier and the cool walk along the iceberg-laden lake shore before arriving at our B and B in Girdwood. Girdwood is a ski (funky) town at the foot of Mount Alyeska.  After a severe winter, there is still quite a bit of snow on the mountain, and that will impact our hiking plan for tomorrow…

The Summer Solstice is a very big deal in Alaska and evidently needn’t be celebrate on the day of its actual occurrence.  This year, it fell on June 20^th (yesterday), but most folks are used to celebrating it on the 21^st.  Or the nearest weekend… Or whenever they feel like staying up all night, having bonfires, playing music, or telling stories…  They seem resigned to the unhappy fact that, as far as daylight goes, it’s all downhill from here!

Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise

Wednesday, June 20

By now, we should be used to the idea that each day of this adventure is better than the one before, but still… Today, we took a six-hour cruise out of Seward and into Kenai Fjords National Park, almost all of which is inaccessible by any other means of transport.  And what a day it was!  With a backdrop of dramatically changing scenery, we saw an enormous variety of wildlife, including lots of seabirds, including tufted puffins, several varieties of birds – penguin-like murres, eagles, gulls, and seabirds swimming underwater,

 Steller sea lions and otters, porpoises cavorting and “playing” with the boat, and WHALES!  Oh, my, did we see whales!  Humpbacks blowing, breaching, and displaying the unique undersides of their tails, which enable naturalists to individually identify them.

 We were treated to the spectacle of groups of whales engaging in cooperative, or “bubble net”, feeding – rare in these waters.  Several members of the pod circle an area of “feed” and the others rise up, mouths open, to catch their prey.  It was a privilege to witness such a sight and it simply took our collective breath away – on a par with, but a grander scale than, the struggle of the salmon as they made their way up the Russian River days ago.  We also saw quite a few of the rarely-sighted fin-back whales, the second largest species of mammals. The cruise also took us into iceberg-clogged fjords for some glacier viewing before some more whale-watching, sheep-spotting, on the way back to Seward after a long and rewarding day.  What memories we made today!

Kenai River Rafting

Tuesday, June 19

We were sad to leave the wonderful Harborside Cottages and our lovely hostess, Diana; it almost seemed like leaving Piseco at the end of our vacation there!

Soon, though, we were on to other delights.  We made reservations for a 1:00 rafting trip down the Kenai River from Cooper Landing and en route there, we had time to take in more of the delights of the Kenai Peninsula. We stopped often for pictures, and especially enjoyed watching the fishermen lining the banks of the river near the ferry landing.  The ferry is tethered to a cable and traverses the river powered by the current.  This seems to be the fishermen’s equivalent of the old saw about the grass always being greener on the other side of the fence. Just substitute “fishing” and “river” for “grass and “fence!”

We had a great time on the river, floating along for seven miles and two hours with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic young guide. The scenery was spectacular, the water the lovely shade of aqua indicative of its glacial origins, and ranging from placid to a couple of Class II rapids.  No bear or moose sightings, but lots of eagles, unusual ducks and fly-casting fishermen along the way, and Dall sheep high on Round Top Mountain.  Around every bend was another great view, and the cameras never stopped clicking!

Then, it was on to Seward, with even more stops along the way.  Lakes, mountains, rivers, great photo ops all the way; let’s just say our progress was leisurely…

We’re in a two-bedroom apartment in Seward and, after dinner “at home”, we walked around the Small Boat Harbor, drove out to Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park, and through this small city on Resurrection Bay before calling it a day --a great day.

Halibut Cove

Monday, June 18

We set out toward Homer again this morning, with a detour off the North Fork Road in Anchor Point to take in the 360- degree view from atop a small hill.  Travis had given us a map and verbal directions to this truly off-the-beaten-path spot and the panorama was spectacular.  By this time, you can probably guess that it involved snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and volcanoes!

Then, it was on to Homer, where we boarded the ferry boat, the Danny J, for the ride across Kachemak Bay to Halibut Cove. En route, we saw several sea otters and a myriad of sea birds as we circled Gull Island. The gulls were swarming and blocks of other species were rafting in huge groups, as there was an eagle soaring around in search of prey.  We were amazed by the spectacle, and excited that we were able to see a couple of puffins among the thousands of other birds. 

Once we arrived at the beautiful Halibut Cove, we walked a hilltop trail to a glorious view of the cove, islands, boardwalk, beautiful homes, and yet more snow-capped mountains.  After a picnic there, we explored the small cemetery on a high point jutting into the bay, the boardwalk, espresso café, and art galleries.  It was a lovely afternoon, and the ride back to Homer Spit was gorgeous, as we rode waves that were like a gentle aquatic roller coaster.

After a stop along Homer’s Skyline Drive to take in the view of the town, Spit, bay and – you guessed it – we headed back to our last night in our idyllic cottages.  It was windy and a bit chilly, so we had happy hour and dinner inside, enjoying the soaring birds and beautiful scenery from our picture window.  We’ve had a wonderful time in Kenai and will be sorry to leave Harborside Cottages in the morning.

Kenai Peninsula, Skilak Lake

Sunday, June 17

Another gorgeous day (and so many we’ve met have told us how bad the weather has been prior to our arrival), and we set out this morning back toward Cooper Landing to hike a trail off the Skilak Lake Loop Road.  We braved a multitude of mosquitoes and our own apprehensions of bear encounters for two miles to climb to a glorious overlook that took in much of the 15-mile long lake.  The turquoise water of the lake, surrounded by green forests, and at the foot of (yet more) snow-capped mountains afforded views that were absolutely breathtaking.

  We weren’t sure whether it was the mosquitoes swarming around us or the sound of our singing as we hiked that kept the bears away, but we hit the end of the trail without a close encounter of the ursine kind.  However, just after leaving the parking area of at the trailhead, we did see a black bear along the road and, shortly thereafter, a moose, galloping along the roadside very much like a horse.

Back at Harborside Cottages, we got to see Mel’s friend Travis, home for a couple of days from his job with a survey crew across the Cook Inlet.  

 We caught up, absorbed a bit of local color, and  got some help planning our next couple of days while enjoying the views from our deck.  All the while, the eagles and gulls swooped by, the locals fished in kayaks and on the beach below, and the still snow-covered mountains and volcanoes loomed in the distance.

As happy hour ran on, Donna and I abandoned our plans for a special Fathers’ Day grilled feast and opted for a pizza instead.  Fathers and mothers all, we agreed that it was a pretty good way to mark the occasion – evidence that the setting is everything!

Captain Cook State Park, Kenai

Saturday, June 16, 2012

We decided to make today a low-key one, but that did not in any way diminish our enjoyment.  We drove north from the city of Kenai until the road ended at Captain Cook State Park.  We parked on a bluff above a wide beach and, armed with insect repellent to deal with our first significant encounter with mosquitoes, we headed for a walk along the shore. 

We saw several bald eagles, perched on the boulders uncovered by low tide, flying overhead, and nesting in trees on the bluffs above us.  In the distance, across Cook Inlet, were the snowy peaks of the Aleutian Range, including the four resident volcanoes, and we picnicked on the bluff enjoying the view. 

Back in Kenai, we visited the exhibits at the Cultural Center, sampled a reindeer hot dog at the Saturday Market, and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on our decks/napping/shopping/walking, according to personal preference.

After happy hour, we had halibut (local catch) at a nearby Greek-Italian-Mexican (!) restaurant and made a stop at the local wildlife viewing area in search of caribou, moose, or anything remotely resembling wildlife, but found not a creature.  They must have needed an early bedtime even more than we did!

This was not a day of “guidebook” activities or sights, but one that we thoroughly enjoyed.