July July 1 - July 4: Anchorage: didn't have reservations, should have because of the 4th of July. Found a park, not great but a place to stay. (See Alaska Campgrounds for details). Stopped at the Cummings repair shop so Roy could purchase a part, got Cummings hats and ate barbecue. Dean met a guy that had been one of his students in South Central KS in the early 70's. Purchased a new camera, a Kodak digital with a 380 zoom. The other camera we brought didn't have a strong enough zoom for good animal pictures. Miles Driven on July 1st: 51. Things Visited: Alaska Experience Theatre to see Alaska the Greatland. It's an ONMI theatre, Dean enjoyed it, it made me dizzy. Cost $7.50 each. Took a trolley tour of the city, $10. each, a good way to see the city, however the driver talked more about his family than the history of the city. We then walked around, it's a beautiful town with flowers everywhere. Most buildings have hanging baskets as well as flowers planted around them. The town square and street corners have flowers planted in every vacant space and the street lights have hanging baskets with flowers the colors of the Alaska flag. On Sat. we visited the Farmers Market in downtown Anchorage, one can purchase all types of AK stuff, photography, food, t-shirts, clothing, and a few stalls with fruits and veg., not what we midwesterners think of as a Farmers Market. On the 4th of July we went to the city park for breakfast then watched the parade. The parade was well done and enjoyable. The park had lots of food tents, an entertainment stage, huge cold air balloons floating all over, with the mountains behind was quite a sight. The smoke cleared today so we could actually see the mountains. Have enjoyed Anchorage, however time to move on down the road.1 - July 4: Anchorage: didn't have reservations, should have because of the 4th of July. Found a park, not great but a place to stay. (See Alaska Campgrounds for details). Stopped at the Cummings repair shop so Roy could purchase a part, got Cummings hats and ate barbecue. Dean met a guy that had been one of his students in South Central KS in the early 70's. Purchased a new camera, a Kodak digital with a 380 zoom. The other camera we brought didn't have a strong enough zoom for good animal pictures. Miles Driven on July 1st: 51. Things Visited: Alaska Experience Theatre to see Alaska the Greatland. It's an ONMI theatre, Dean enjoyed it, it made me dizzy. Cost $7.50 each. Took a trolley tour of the city, $10. each, a good way to see the city, however the driver talked more about his family than the history of the city. We then walked around, it's a beautiful town with flowers everywhere. Most buildings have hanging baskets as well as flowers planted around them. The town square and street corners have flowers planted in every vacant space and the street lights have hanging baskets with flowers the colors of the Alaska flag. On Sat. we visited the Farmers Market in downtown Anchorage, one can purchase all types of AK stuff, photography, food, t-shirts, clothing, and a few stalls with fruits and veg., not what we midwesterners think of as a Farmers Market. On the 4th of July we went to the city park for breakfast then watched the parade. The parade was well done and enjoyable. The park had lots of food tents, an entertainment stage, huge cold air balloons floating all over, with the mountains behind was quite a sight. The smoke cleared today so we could actually see the mountains. Have enjoyed Anchorage, however time to move on down the road.

July 5 - July 7: Seward: Camped on Resurrection Bay in the city campground, on the water, watched Sea Otters play right in front of the coach. The Marathon Trail that people climb on July 4th is right across the street, can't imagine anyone climbing that mountain. Took a side trip to Kenai Fjords National Park to see the Exit Glacier. A Fjord is created when you flood a valley with seawater. The deep water Fjords used to be glacier filled valleys. The Fjords are dropping even lower into the ocean, pulled down by two tectonic plates. The great Alaska earthquake dropped the Fjords six feet in a few minutes. Kenai Fjords Natl Park is a series of Glaciers and bays, backed by the enormous Harding Ice Field, 50 miles long and 30 miles wide, a relic of the ice age, and is very rugged. Exit Glacier is three miles long and descends 2.500 ft. Next visit was to the Alaska Sea Life Center, a research facility that participates in sea life rescue. Cost was $20. each and that included a behind the scenes tour. Thought a bit pricey for what we saw. It's 11 PM, still light and people are riding bikes and fishing. Watched people snagging Salmon, you can do that in the Ocean, not fresh water. Also learned that the native people can hunt anything, anytime, even if it's on the endangered list, as long as they use it for food. Seward is a fun place to hang out for a few days. Miles from Anchorage to Seward: 132

July 8: Cooper Landing: Beautiful drive down the Seward Highway, stopped at the USAF campground in the Chugach Nat. Forest, at the confluence of the Keani and Russian Rivers. The area is world famous as one of the best Salmon fishing areas. Hiked to the confluence, what a sight, This is what we expected AK to be, clear rivers, beautiful forests etc. The area has quite a few bears that come right into the campground. Great place to spend the night. Miles Driven: 56

July 9 - July 11: Soldotna: In Soldotna we stayed at the city campground, Swiftwater. We had a site on the Kenai river with stairs leading to the river and 1200 feet of elevated boardwalk and "fishwalks". We were between Salmon runs so not many fish being caught. Dean got a two week fishing license for $50. If you want to fish for King Salmon there is an additional charge. From Soldotna we took a side trip to Kenai AK, (11 miles). Good photo ops at a couple of old churches, checked out the Caribou herd that hangs out around the town, then stopped and bought some fresh fish. On the 11th we went on a "Fish with the Bears" fly-in. We went with Talon Air, flew on an Otter with a true turbo prop. Taking off and landing on the water was something new for Laurel. Fishing wasn't good, Laurel caught the only fish, a 7+ lb Salmon. Watching the bears was wonderful, they come down into the water very close to the boat. The bears we saw were Grizzly's and we got lots of great pictures. The three other couples on the trip were locals and the next day we went to their homes, visited with them and picked rhubarb. Dean spent some time fishing with one of the guys while we were in Homer the next week. People up here are very friendly and unassuming. The fly-in lasted all day and was one of the highlights of the trip. Only down side, Talon Air doesn't provide a place to clean the fish you catch and by the time we got the Salmon back to the campground it wasn't any good. We think if you provide a fishing trip you should provide a place to clean the fish. Cost of the trip $299. each. Miles Driven to Soldotna 54

July 14 - July 17: Homer: Our campground is as far out on the spit as you can camp. Visited the Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center, free admission and very interesting. Lots of information about the attack on the Alution Islands in WW II. Good place to eat is Sourdough Express. Went on a trip to Halibut Cove on the Danny J, a converted wooden tug boat. Halibut Cove is a remote village of fishermen on artists on Ismailor Island, in Kachemack Bay State Park. Most houses are on wooden pilings and 12 blocks of boardwalk connect the homes and galleries. Ate at the only restaurant, the Saltry, great food, but pricey. The trip over was $25., booked two days before at Central Charters on the boardwalk in Homer. Population of Halibut Cove, about 60 in the summer and 10 in the winter. The sun never gets over the mountains on some winter days. The trip was 5 hours and worth it. Another side trip that would have been great if it wasn't raining, also booked through Central Charters, Soldovia, on the the Southwestern Kenai Peninsulas on Seldovia Bay, an arm of Kachemak Bay, 16 miles SW of Homer. There is a historic boardwalk, three restaurants, a couple of grocery/general stores and the tourist shops. Trip cost $40, gone 6 hours, three hours on the island. If you want to take bikes it's an extra $10. Dean went fishing in while we were in Homer with John, a local we met on the fly-in. They decided to go for good eating fish instead of the huge 200 lb +. He caught a 60 and 40 lb Halibut. He enjoyed it because he wasn't on a huge boat with someone telling him what to do. They cleaned and froze the fish at John's, we then sent it home. On the road out of Homer is a gallery not to be missed. It's called the Norman Lowell Gallery, (not listed in Milepost and there is just a small sign) there are 250 of his original paintings on display. All are of Alaska. You can purchase an original, we saw one for $25,000. Prints are $450. to $750. , Beautiful work. On the road from Homer we stopped at Anchor Point, Americas most Westerly highway point, watched them pull small boats out of the ocean by taking tractors into the ocean after them. Weather in Homer was mostly 60's to low 70's. Homer is a neat place to spend some time. While on the Spit don't miss seeing where the Eagle Lady lives in the campground. Traveled 52 miles to get there. Note: Soldovia Pictures will be in next Gallery.