Kasilof River - another beautiful salmon river



Kasilof River near Soldatna




Greater Yellowlegs



King Salmon - Kasilof River

 Last night (Wed) we camped at Crooked Creek State Park, close to Soldotna. There are 100 tiny spaces for camping - set up for salmon-fishing folks. Since the salmon are not running as strongly this week, there was plenty of space. It was a sunny, perfect afternoon and I fished for several hours, with no success. I did see a man land a nice King Salmon which he then released.

Cook Inlet

We camped at Ninilchik View campground Tuesday night.  It was on a bluff overlooking Cook Inlet and across the inlet some of the mountains of the Alaska range. Mt. Redoubt has been active several times in recent years.


Mount Redoubt

 The campground also looked down upon the valley where the town of Ninilchik is located and the Ninilchik River empties into the sea.

Ninilchik, note the Russian Orthodox church on the hill. 

 A local coffee vendor told us that in the 1800's Russia shipped a group of retirees and settled them in this location so the government wouldn't have to pay their pensions.  Well, much of the population is still Russian  fishermen.  The harbor is so small that the fishing boats tie up to each other, no individual slips.  And the water rises and falls with the tides - at very low tides boats may rest on their keels and can only leave the harbor at high tide. 



Ninilchik Harbor

 We walked on the beach; first time we saw small colored rocks along with the grey.  But the colored ones were only visible when the tide was out. We also watched people digging clams. Today commerical salmon fishing opened so there were lots of boats in the inlet.

 A path through the meadow in our campground had dandelions and wild geraniums knee high, and then on the bluff I found ones that grew thigh high. 

Dandelion

Helen

Birding trip out of Homer, Alaska

Tufted Puffin



Red-faced and Pelagic Cormorants




Surfbirds




Gull Island - mostly Black-legged Kittiwakes

 Helen and I went on a 3 hour birding trip with Karl Stoltzfus yesterday. Visited Gull Island and other areas around the bay. Homer, Alaska

Colorful Homer

We spent another day in Homer.  Went on a birding excursion this morning with Karl Stoltzfus, fabulous, but that will be a post by Bruce. 

I've tried to grow blue poppies, guess I'll have to move to Alaska.  These were in a perennial garden.  They, along with armeria, delphiniums, saxifrage, ranunculus are just a few that thrive here as they don't at The Woods. 

We visited the Pratt Museum which was a great mix of art collection, culture and history displays, biology displays-both live and specimens, art exhibit, nature trail and small botanical garden of native plants plus a homestead with vegetable garden. This lady slipper was blooming in the garden.  It is surprising how flowers that would bloom in succession at home bloom at the same time here.  Must be due to the shortened growing season.  It does make for more color at once!

Helen

Nostagia

When I was a little girl, I remember my parents taking me along to visit various great aunts and uncles.  This room reminds me of of those times and those homes.
Helen

Pratt Musem in Homer, plus more time on the Homer Spit - Sunday

The Pratt Musem is definitely one of the best museums I've seen, and I'm not a museum person most of the time. Amazing place with a lot to see and absorb.
Back on the Homer Spit, we watched a flock of 65 scoters and one Pacific Loon. There seemed to be just one Surf Scoter and 64 White-winged.  --  Bruce

Second day in Homer

It was hard to tear ourselves away from the glacier view from Cindy's yard, but we managed to make it into Homer for some sightseeing and another trip out to the Homer Spit. Thousands of Common Murres were heading out through Katchemak Bay, in single file as always.

First days in Homer, Alaska

View from our campsite near Homer, at the home of Cindy Detrow (from the Kidron area).

Wildflower Meadow

Cindy Detrow took us for a walk in Eveline Park last evening.  Jake came along too.

How can there be so many lupines? 
There were also forget-me-nots-Alaska's state flower, larkspur, yellow paintbrush, saxifrage, cloud berry.
Yellow paintbrush.

Watermelon berry.

Cindy entertained us with a delicious meal on her patio.  Her view includes Grewingk glacier across Kachemak Bay.  In the foreground of the photo is her fenced garden and lush yard.

Helen

Stariski State Park and Anchor Point - near Homer

How to launch your boat at Anchor Point



11 pm at Stariski campsite


On the 23rd we drove along the coast from our campsite at Stariski State Park 20 miles north of Homer. Stopped at Anchor Point where many people were out on their boats fishing for halibut. The volcanos across the bay were spectacular.

Portage Valley

Back before a railroad tunnel was blasted 2.5 miles through a mountain, all the supplies off loaded from the ice-free port of Whittier were hauled up and over Portage Glacier, through the valley, and put on a boat io Turnagain Arm (a water inlet of the Pacific) to go to Anchorage.  We camped in Williwaw Campground (don't you just love these names?) in the valley below another arm of the icefield that creates Portage Glacier. 

This morning we biked around the area. Here is Portage Lake with one arm Portage Glacier between the two peaks.

Just around to the right of the right slope in the picture above was this glacier:

There is a glacier cruise that goes across the lake to Portage Glacier.  We did not ride with the captian of the Ptarmigan, we're saving a glacier cruise to accompany Kimberly and Lindsy when they join us in July. 

Helen

This and That

Today is solstice.  It's a day to take more notice of in the north-the days are so long.  It's 10:00 pm and the sun is not yet down.  It will be semilight all night.  If we were north of the arctic circle, the sun would not set, but we are here, south of Anchorage, enjoying the mountains, glaciers and rivers.

Two more from the Solstice Celabration in Anchorage Saturday.  Mr.  Friendly.

Flowers in a sidewalk flower pot.

We biked downtown, Coastal Trail and Chester Creek Trail.  Saw this moose along the trail.

Helen

Potter Marsh and Portage Lake

Our Anchorage time was fun but it has been nice to get back into the wilderness. A stop yesterday at Potter Marsh yielded lots of nesting Arctic Terns and Mew Gulls. Stayed last night at a forest service campground near Portage Lake - another beautiful place.

Anchorage

 What a people stop!  We spent time with Kirsten and Ray, Doug and Rosene and family, and attended church. 
"Bull" riding

Kirsten took us to the Saturday festivities downtown-there was a Solstice celebration happening, plus the weekly artisans market.  Live music, activities for kids, hero competitions, food booths were just a few of the activities.  Plus, there were the usual shops and eateries. 

More Solstice activities:

Sandbox took up 4 lanes of the street!

Roller derby

At the Saturday market we ate lunch, Salmon quesadillas. Delicious.

Musician and dancers were also part of the market. These dances interpreted animals and people's daily activities perfectly.  

One of the booths had carved moose antlers.  Very fine work.

Shoppers in the jam and chocolate store!

Not his head in the clouds, but in the flowers.  The downtown flower baskets and park plantings were spectacular. 

Helen

Sunday in Anchorage

Attended the Prince of Peace Mennonite Church in Anchorage today - really enjoyed the service and meeting some new people and seeing from friends as well. Spent the rest of the day with Doug and Rosene Eby family and had a delightful time catching up with them. Monday we'll be off for the Homer area. Photos are from the Valdez area - Prince William Sound.
Bruce

Lucky day - the clouds were mostly off Denali



Mt Hunter




Chulitna River valley and Denali range




Denali

 Woke up this morning to sunshine - quickly checked internet weather - clear weather at Denali National Park. We left our campsite in Palmer and drove out to mile 134 on the Parks Highway, stopping to take photos every time there was a good view. It really is an amazing mountain, and we were still many miles away. Then back to Anchorage for a fun evening with Kimberly's good friend, Kirsten Hartwig and Ray Gamradt (they will be married next month).