Thursday, August 22, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
FINALLY!!!!!
Dear FFF:
Good Golly Miss Molly, haven't had the time or the signal to let you all know what is going on! Ours days start at 6:30 and don't end until 10:00. (Stays light til at least midnight)
Drove from Anchorage down to Kenai and had the cutest little cabin in the woods overlooking a bog which is where we watched a caribou family for hours at a time. The rack on the bull had to be at least 5 feet wide and that is not a fish story. We could watch through binoculars but couldn't get a good picture because no one has a good telescoping lens. Unfortunately the three days we were there were rainy but we went to Soldotna and found more fabric and yarn shops. Between my three friends, I think we can make a king size quilt and knit hats for all the orphans in North America.
We did get one clear afternoon and walked to the neighbors working farm ...... up close and personal with horses, new foals, llamas, cows, etc. Took a walk through the woods trying to find the lake but all we came upon was bear scat so we skedaddled back to civilization! Tried to build a campfire our last night but everything was too wet.....worked a puzzle instead.
Next morning, off to Homer (by far the best spot so far) On the way, however, we needed a potty and nothing for miles so we pulled over and I squatted by the van which worked, BUT, my phone fell out of my pocket and I didn't realize it. Drove on down the road to find a lunch spot which was when realized I was missing it and drove back. There is was........in the mud!!! I was lucky though and was able to clean it up and we were back on the road again!! Stayed at the Beluga Lake Lodge which overlooked the lake where we watched bush planes take off and land (taking folks out it the hard to reach fishing spots) We joined a charter boat and took out for halibut (the premium fish around here) We each got our limit of 2 and I was lucky enough to catch a HUGE (no fish story) silver salmon......Even the guide was impressed. We were fishing in 170' of water with a 10# sinker on the line and the fish weighed over twenty pounds, so I felt like I was reeling in a submarine from China!!! So much fun! Went to the farmers market where you would pay $7.50 for 3 pounds of potatoes or $5.00 for a bunch of carrots. No wonder Eskimos are not vegetarians. Took a ride to the top of the mountain and looked down on the Homer Spit.......what a view. The whole area is breathtaking.
Two days in Homer than off to Seward .......was looking in the coupon book for a lunch place and came across a deal for a raft ride down the Kenai River. What a hoot! Even with rain gear, Glacier sight seeing boat which a six hour sail around all the islands and up close to a glacier. Saw seals, whales, puffins, otters and more. Had a beautiful prime rib/salmon dinner on the boat. Unfortunatly many people got sea sick and lost that good dinner over the side of the boat! Our group all did well.
Now it's off to Denali...........On the way we got to a clear day (8unusual around here) and stopped in Talkeena and Laurie and I took a bush plane ride up to Mt McKinley. We went up 13,000' and actually landed on a glacier. Got out and stood on 3,000' feet of snow. Walked around best we could (it was quite slushy) and had a snowball toss. Took off after 30 min8utes of moon walking and flew around the rest of the mountain WOW WOW WOW Definitely the high
light of the trip.
Gotta go.........try to update in a few days.
Love, GJ
uploading pics is very slooooooooooooooooooow today will add later if I can
Good Golly Miss Molly, haven't had the time or the signal to let you all know what is going on! Ours days start at 6:30 and don't end until 10:00. (Stays light til at least midnight)
Drove from Anchorage down to Kenai and had the cutest little cabin in the woods overlooking a bog which is where we watched a caribou family for hours at a time. The rack on the bull had to be at least 5 feet wide and that is not a fish story. We could watch through binoculars but couldn't get a good picture because no one has a good telescoping lens. Unfortunately the three days we were there were rainy but we went to Soldotna and found more fabric and yarn shops. Between my three friends, I think we can make a king size quilt and knit hats for all the orphans in North America.
We did get one clear afternoon and walked to the neighbors working farm ...... up close and personal with horses, new foals, llamas, cows, etc. Took a walk through the woods trying to find the lake but all we came upon was bear scat so we skedaddled back to civilization! Tried to build a campfire our last night but everything was too wet.....worked a puzzle instead.
Next morning, off to Homer (by far the best spot so far) On the way, however, we needed a potty and nothing for miles so we pulled over and I squatted by the van which worked, BUT, my phone fell out of my pocket and I didn't realize it. Drove on down the road to find a lunch spot which was when realized I was missing it and drove back. There is was........in the mud!!! I was lucky though and was able to clean it up and we were back on the road again!! Stayed at the Beluga Lake Lodge which overlooked the lake where we watched bush planes take off and land (taking folks out it the hard to reach fishing spots) We joined a charter boat and took out for halibut (the premium fish around here) We each got our limit of 2 and I was lucky enough to catch a HUGE (no fish story) silver salmon......Even the guide was impressed. We were fishing in 170' of water with a 10# sinker on the line and the fish weighed over twenty pounds, so I felt like I was reeling in a submarine from China!!! So much fun! Went to the farmers market where you would pay $7.50 for 3 pounds of potatoes or $5.00 for a bunch of carrots. No wonder Eskimos are not vegetarians. Took a ride to the top of the mountain and looked down on the Homer Spit.......what a view. The whole area is breathtaking.
Two days in Homer than off to Seward .......was looking in the coupon book for a lunch place and came across a deal for a raft ride down the Kenai River. What a hoot! Even with rain gear, Glacier sight seeing boat which a six hour sail around all the islands and up close to a glacier. Saw seals, whales, puffins, otters and more. Had a beautiful prime rib/salmon dinner on the boat. Unfortunatly many people got sea sick and lost that good dinner over the side of the boat! Our group all did well.
Now it's off to Denali...........On the way we got to a clear day (8unusual around here) and stopped in Talkeena and Laurie and I took a bush plane ride up to Mt McKinley. We went up 13,000' and actually landed on a glacier. Got out and stood on 3,000' feet of snow. Walked around best we could (it was quite slushy) and had a snowball toss. Took off after 30 min8utes of moon walking and flew around the rest of the mountain WOW WOW WOW Definitely the high
Gotta go.........try to update in a few days.
Love, GJ
uploading pics is very slooooooooooooooooooow today will add later if I can
Friday, August 9, 2013
WE'RE ON OUR WAY!!!
Dear FFF:
Lauri, Jacque, and Bard are sitting on the tailgate with everything loaded and ready to head to the ferry at 10:30 am (the fact that it didn't sail until 6:00pm didn't mean we were anxious or anything)
We sailed Sat. and Sun. then went into port in Ketchikan at 7:00 am Monday...only had three hours but found the town to be great. Back on the boat and sailed overnight to Juneau on Tuesday am....again we docked at 7 and returned to ship by noon. Wed. am was a 5:00 stop in Yakatat, but didn't get off cause we only had an hour and it was too early for everyone! While on the ferry we met so many nice people from all over and played cards, worked jigsaw puzzles, watched movies, saw whales (not close enough to get a good picture) saw glaciers, gorgeous sundowns and just lots of fun.
That all ended when we left Yakatat and hit 9 - 10 foot swells. Everyone just kind of danced down to our cabin and spent the day on our bunks. Got into to Whittier Thurs. at 5:00 and to our cars by 6:00 am. drove off and headed to Anchorage!!! Drove about 30 minutes to Girdwood to a bakery we heard about theat had the best cinnamon rolls I have ever tasted. It measure about 4" by 4" and with an endless cup of coffee cost $5.00. (prices have not been as high as we thought they would be...might be different when we travel to more remote places) BUT NO SALES TAX.
We are in Anchorage until Sunday and have been to the Indian Cultural center, for a sled dog ride, toured a Musk Ox farm, and checked out the fabric stores (I am with 3 quilters and knitters) Tomorrow is a hike to Flat Top Mtn and the Blueberry Festival downtown.
Will try to update at our next stop...................love, Gypsy Joyce
Lauri, Jacque, and Bard are sitting on the tailgate with everything loaded and ready to head to the ferry at 10:30 am (the fact that it didn't sail until 6:00pm didn't mean we were anxious or anything)
We sailed Sat. and Sun. then went into port in Ketchikan at 7:00 am Monday...only had three hours but found the town to be great. Back on the boat and sailed overnight to Juneau on Tuesday am....again we docked at 7 and returned to ship by noon. Wed. am was a 5:00 stop in Yakatat, but didn't get off cause we only had an hour and it was too early for everyone! While on the ferry we met so many nice people from all over and played cards, worked jigsaw puzzles, watched movies, saw whales (not close enough to get a good picture) saw glaciers, gorgeous sundowns and just lots of fun.
That all ended when we left Yakatat and hit 9 - 10 foot swells. Everyone just kind of danced down to our cabin and spent the day on our bunks. Got into to Whittier Thurs. at 5:00 and to our cars by 6:00 am. drove off and headed to Anchorage!!! Drove about 30 minutes to Girdwood to a bakery we heard about theat had the best cinnamon rolls I have ever tasted. It measure about 4" by 4" and with an endless cup of coffee cost $5.00. (prices have not been as high as we thought they would be...might be different when we travel to more remote places) BUT NO SALES TAX.
We are in Anchorage until Sunday and have been to the Indian Cultural center, for a sled dog ride, toured a Musk Ox farm, and checked out the fabric stores (I am with 3 quilters and knitters) Tomorrow is a hike to Flat Top Mtn and the Blueberry Festival downtown.
Will try to update at our next stop...................love, Gypsy Joyce
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