So I was totally wrong thinking Paxton would sleep on the plane coming from Salt Lake to Anchorage. He so proudly told me, soon after I received him from the stewardess after signing important paperwork, that he watched 3 movies!! If he was older and it was the 80’s I’d say he was and looked like he was on speed!!! 😛🤪😛🤪 he was wound for sound!!

We did the tourist thing in the airport and then headed outside for papa to pick us up. All went well for Cliff driving around the terminal by himself, if you knew why you’d understand !! 🤣🤣 to get us at the doors so I didn’t have to walk Paxton 3/4 of a mile I’m guessing back to the truck!!

After an hour drive headed back the way we came to Anchorage that day we stopped in a parking lot that was an overlook area for the Turnagain Arm. There was to be a bore tide soon and we wanted to observe it!

Got to bed a bit after 1 and around 5:15 I heard a loud rushing louder than normal and Cliff looked out and saw the ‘wave’ coming!! He hurried on his pants short and slippers and by the time he got outside it was way past us! 😢. He did see some surfers doing their thing on the wave. A bore tide is a lower than normal tide and being on the Turnagain Arm means it comes in even faster and a bigger wave even ( I think). Well I did observe the faster than normal tide waters anyway!!!!!

Then after a quick breakfast we headed to Seward where some fun adventures began!!

Got there by 9:30 got a great view spot right on the bay and the bathrooms were only 100 yds away. Very clean smelling porta potties!! Really best ones ever!!! That company did a marvelous job!!

Kayaking was on my addenda and sightseeing tour. We all were planning on going but after meeting a gal and her two children Oakley took a turn fir the worst really Cliff and I thought she was on her deathbed that night. So he decided not to go and Pax and I were riding with others on a Glacier And Fjords tour.

more soon !!

Well we smoked strips of salmon today after deboning it and slicing it and skinning it last night and marinating it for 12 hours or more…..and YUM-O…….. it smells delicious too! I apologize for this delicious post maybe if we do this at home and you read this ask for a taste and I’ll give you one!!!! 😊😊👍🏼

So Cliff got talked into going fishing (again) for reds and leave at 3:30 am YES A.M.!!!!!!!! A neighbor, Kevin from Texas goes this early to beat the crowd at a great place, they were back by 5:15 am!!! Three more fish in the freezer. Well only two we cooked one on the grill tonight yum.

Another night of snoozing to rain on the roof. It sounds harder on a camper roof as those of you who have slept in a camper know!! 😊😊. But it is very noisy no matter what. Not too often can I not go to sleep when it rains. And besides hopefully it’s raining up by Fairbanks too to put out the fires!!!

Henri is getting tired of this life, he did last time also!! Around the cabin is the only place they are off leash and he loves to run. We walk down the lane or street as they call it here but a momma moose and her calf have been hanging out so our maybe 1/3 mile walk has to be on a leash. 🤔😒. Oakley is happy because Cliff is here and that’s all she cares about! She wanted to jump in yesterday to get to him in the river. He was only about 3ft away but I think she’d have jumped in if not for the leash holding her back. 😬😬😜

Cliffs fishing time is coming to an end soon and fun times exploring, sightseeing with Pax is coming soon!! He gets in at 11:30PM!!! It’s so easy to be up that late since it’s light so….. that might not be too much of a problem.

A few people must think I’m retired too cause they keep saying we should do this that and want you to meet my wife when she gets here etc. ahhhhhh I have clients still but I didn’t get that in edgewise !!!! Don’t worry I’m coming back to work!!! 😊😊😘

Oh I forgot to mention Cliff caught a King Salmon and found out how many people don’t catch one!!!!! First time luck I say!!! 😊

Oh went to a parade today July 27 and this group of dashhound owners and their dogs were to cute not to get a pic!!!!

Oh and this are ripe raspberries think they are apricot raspberries!! Pretty huh?

Lured from the ceiling of a guide, Kevin our son will live that pic, and this beer we got in Canada was GOOD!! Hope we can find it again!

Later!!

Karen.

Cliff has fallen in love with this fishing/snagging!! The fish give you a fight most of the time one yesterday just about jumped into the front of his waders!!

We were up an at it at 5:30 he wanted to be fishing at 6:30 and we made it!! Got the timing down to get into town of course NO traffic is a huge help. Speaking of traffic the residents who needed to get back to work who were net fishing for subsistence catching were heading home yesterday by early afternoon a pic hopefully will show you the line of cars. Having only one road out doesn’t help traffic any. Bill said a half mike of road could help the locals get into town and wouldn’t have to get out on the highway but the two governments/ local and state point to who needs to pay for it fir the last 35 years he’s been writing to them to do it and how it would help !! I told Cliff CDOT wouldn’t argue they want to relieve traffic in our state!!!!!

I’m going to admit something here but this is our first time to do this kinda long trip by ourselves and I think we’ve been here a long time but we can fish the whole time tho, so……

I do know I’m not ready to retire I like working still and the routine!

Here in Soldotna there is plenty to do you just have to search for it! Bike/walking/riding trails all over they have entertainment at their city park a lot. A rec center, beach combing and actually quite a few back roads to drive on, now the sight seeing is a skimpy with all the trees but an open spot happens here and there!!!!

So checking blog after being here fir over a week good service and noticed quite a few pictures didn’t download so enjoy !!

The mountain scenes are in Canada at the beginning of our trip and there’s that big rock ding!!!

And Cliff and fishing it’s in his blood now!!! 🤣😛🤪. He isn’t a fisherman much at home but this is totally different!!!

I don’t know why but I didn’t get a fishing license. Thought I would the whole time while planning this trip but when we got up here I changed my mind. Fishing fir sockeye/reds is not ‘real’ fishin’!!!! It’s more like snagging BUT you gotta ‘snag’ em in the mouth! 🤔😏🤔😏

Yes weird huh? Cliff has gotten three this way one got away when his line broke and seeing it thrash around in the water he thinks it was caught on its side so he’d have had to set it loose! 😬😒. It was a bigger one even.

Good weather, cloudy, rainy ish, which is good hope it’s put out some of these fires!! Haven’t done much news lookin so don’t know much in that dept..

Got an ‘in’ on fishing on private property on the Kenai and is Cliff happy!!! Public walkways can be busy.

So Oakley and Henri have room to hang at the water with us and Oakley wants to be with HER human. She loves water and wanted to see what was in it and all. Henri hates water so that says it all why he’s not in the picture. 😝

So next set of pictures is a hoot and fun, it’s their trash transfer station and one stuff animal led to another and you eventually get the Sterling Zoo!!!! They have a second time around corner too and recycle bins it’s very neat and tidy!!!

I’m apologizing for being in too big of a hurry to edit my posts! Even when I text most of the time I don’t see what auto correct changes, it changes have to gave and I don’t spell have wrong ever!!!!! So now on to Alaska stuff

Made it to a ‘home’ base Tuesday evening! Frost heaves, construction, a slow going vehicle and a pretty quick stop to shop in Palmer, and 11 hours after taking off we pulled into this place! Thanks to Bill who offered it,who is the caretaker of his friends place, we were here two years ago too.

A cabin by our standards tad better actually has running water,

Anyway smoke filled road after turning the corner from the Turnagain Arm heading towards Sweard, seeing patches of forest fire smoldering 😢😢 and cooler weather whew!!! In the 60’s!! Rain in the forecast hope it’s enough to dampen those fires!!! My pics that I posted last time don’t come up and until I get to WiFi to see there may be duplicates!!!

Enjoy the views! Oh our excitement and my promise of getting more animal pics on is coming true !!! Yea!!!!!!!!

I thought a rock hit us but it was a huge bug probs my one of these dragonflies left a big clear splatter. The next day or two later a huge rock did hit us. 😢. No trip is perfect out truck two years ago didn’t get a scratch so it was coming😏😏😏

Somewhere way past Dawson Creek they were mine painting actually the roads up here are painted better than in delta county but the truck behind the painter was driving over the center line making sure passer byers didn’t drive over the top of the wet paint. That was a new one fir us to see. 😜😜

Oh we left a month earlier last time don’t remember the beautiful yellow fields canola???

Now to the smoke. Saturday we came upon it and was all the way into Whitehorse Yukon. Finally saw on blurb that 100 fires were in Alaska. There’s quite a few here in the Yukon and we drive by some or one huge one. 😢😢😢

Henri still gets bored in the truck Oakley is happy cause she’s with Cliff but it’s a long time in a vehicle.

Hope to hang out in town tonight if not tomorrow we hit up Dawson City the day after the International Gold Panning day contest!!!! Arghhhhhh but we got a tent spot three were left 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Lots of scenery again lots of wonderful rain, and yesterday and this morning lots of smoke!

😢😢😢😘😘

I saw another road to get to Banff/jasper national park we took it and the scenery was spectacular!! Like a million dollar highway but better/wider and probably busier traffic!

Once we got onto the glacier ice field road rainy rainy for the next two days. Glad we saw it all two years ago

So lots of construction on our first day. Glad highway depts are upgrading roads and bridges. Great trip overall! Oh I saw a friend and client go by us heading back home from Iowa. Evelyn Roseberry and her husband as we were waiting to go north just south of the Wyoming boarder north of Craig!!!! Hi Evelyn

I’ve forgotten how beautiful it’s around Jackson Hole WY!!! We pulled in the first USFS campground Kozy Campground 😜😜 it was so named. Not many sites and only four campers including us were there fir the night! Plus a walkabout more in a bit about him!

Next morning I got comfy clothes on to visit the nice lookin outhouse and door was locked. I walked back to camper, 40′ away and waited a bit went back a tad bit later still locked. I decided to get camp ready to take down and know 30 min had gone by, glad I didn’t drink lots and lots of water night before and it WAS STILL LOCKED!!!!!! A car pulled up and a gal got out and headed to outhouse too I zipped out ther to let her know they’ve been in there over 35 min, I did say to Cliff maybe they had a heart attack,???? She knocked and hollered someone answered back When she got through she came over and said he was in rough shape hunched over etc. Well 10-20 min later Cliff saw the same description of s man walking south on the highway because we could see it from our camp spot being only 30 yds away from hwy! He spent the night in THERE!!! 🤔🤔🤔😝😝😝. So from now on I’m knocking and hollering esp in the morning !!! Hahablahhhhhhh. 😊😊😊

Great stay at Jack and Havala’s in St. Ignatius beautiful views south of Glacier NP on to the border and BC!!!!!

So the count down is on…….a tad bit over three weeks and we are hoping for a great salmon run in Alaska and  take advantage of fishing up there!!!  I remember Betty Carruthers talking about their numerous times fishing on the Kenai River.  I think they canned their fish.  Cliff and I plan on filleting ours and vacuum sealing  then freezing.

I’m going about this trip maybe a bit too calm, but I know what the grocery stores are like on our way, and am comfortable with their choices, products, and prices…..Yes it’s atrociously expensive in the middle of Alaska, but will bypass that town for shopping!!!!

$8 for a bag of chips is atrocious!!!!!  Glenhollen is where we went shopping, didn’t go into a store in Tok, but guessing their prices would be the same or higher being they are further north and more in the middle of the state.

Looking forward to R&R  big time………..Looking forward to having Paxton hang with us and taking him on some fun adventures, walk on a glacier, kayaking in the ocean, viewing sea otters etc. and a boat excursion to see more sea animals, and big ones at that!  Listening to him read some fun adventures from the series of books “The Magic Treehouse”!  I’m hoping to get lots and lots of animal pictures, know I posted tons of scenic pictures last time………Anyway……………enjoy these lovely, lovely days/mornings and evenings!  Karen