Retirement and Projects

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

7-12-2011 Soldotna

Stopped at the Fred Meyers in Soldotna for the night. Fred Meyers is like a Super Wal Mart, and they let you stay in their parking lots for free, up to 3 days. Rolly had gotten stopped while on the road by another driver who heard something and smelled something. Couldn't find anything until we got to Fred Meyers..broken spring shakels (sp?). A garage loaned (yes,no charge!!!) floor jack, safety stand and large hammer. Ended up getting a larger jack. The 3 guys (yes, BrianB you're a great mech!!) got the job done by 5 PM. Relaxed for the evening and watched Deadliest Catch. Boy, I've gotten hooked on that show now LOL....

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

7-11-2011 Exit Glacier

Took a Ranger tour, then walked back to the glacier. Exit Glacier is 3 miles long and descends from the Harding Icefield.

7-10-2011 Seward

Another favorite spot of ours, it was so good to see it again. We lucked out with two camping spots (Rolly and Bonnie and us) right on the water of Resurrection Bay. Awesome view!

Becca and Brian chillin. The rig in the background is the Campground Host's rig and satellite dishes.

Awesome view to wake up to. What else would Rolly be doing but cleaning :) He really put us to shame on this trip.

A few bald eagles here, but not as many as Homer.

7-9-2011 Hatchers Pass and Matanuska Glacier

Cloudy and cold at Hatcher's Pass and Independence Mine. Bonnie, Becca and Kitty stayed at the info center to keep warm while the guys walked around. The info center was actually quite nice with lots of very old photos, etc. The Info Center is in what was the Mine Managers home, built in 1939. We went up to the top of the pass, as that's all our vehicle could do safely. Independence Mine is an on-going restoration project.

Matanuska Glacier is in Chugach Mtns and heads north 27 miiles. Width is 2-4 miles. Didn't get close to this one as there were fees everywhere to get to it. Knew we would see Exit Glacier, so by-passed this one.

7-8-2011 Port of Whittier and Glacier Boat Tour

Day trip to Whittier, and glacier boat trip on Prince William Sound. Whittier was created by the US Army during WWII as a port and petroleum delivery center (Milepost).

The tunnel to Whittier handles both vehicles and the railroad. Time perfectly, the cars wait in a staging area like waiting for a ferry, until the time for vehicles to travel through. You can see the rr tracks in the pix above.

The Klondike Express boat was very nice, holding 330 passengers. Smooth ride all day, cloudy but no rain. Saw one humpback whale, lots of sea otters and seals, but only two bald eagles. Drove up very close to two glaciers.