Tuesday 13th September:

Revisited Anchorage again to call into the Apple store and resolved a storage problem with the MacBookPro...all good now.

Over an extended lunch parked up at Beluga Point we waited for the incoming bore tide. The tide change here is up to 7 metres during full moon and the bore tide wave can come in at 15MPH and 2 metres high. However it was not so exciting but very obvious and FAST.

The weather is still bad, very strong wind with rain..

Camp was in the Nat Park Williwaw Camp Grounds below the Explorer Glacier

Camp 129: Explorer Glacier Camp

Cost: Nil (officially closed for Winter)

N60* 47.188  W148* 52.752

Today :  166 Kms. 

Trip Total :  57,090  Kms

Wednesday 14th September:

Walked this morning to the toe of the Byron Glacier. All around us are hundreds of glaciers, cirques, U-shaped valleys, and moraine fields.

The town of Whittier was established during WWII as the area was constantly in cloud and could hide the military base that was home to 1000 personnel.

Surrounded by 3,500Ft mountain peaks, access to the town was via a 2 mile tunnel built through the solid granite mountain. This is the longest tunnel in Nth.America and the single lane road tunnel is also shared with the rail line.

The museum was particularly interesting covering the Japanese occupation of US soil during WWII on some remote Aleutian Islands.

This was a very tourist town with many of the large cruise ships visiting, thus we headed for Hope, an old gold hamlet of just a few people that has not yet been discovered by the trinket sellers.

Very much enjoyed a couple of local beers at the Hope Cafe/Pub, where the owner suggested we could camp up in the mountains at the end of Palmer Creek Road.

Camp 130: Upper Palmer Creek Camp

Cost: Nil

N60* 47.333  W149* 32.888

Today :  129 Kms. 

Trip Total :  57,219  Kms

Thursday 15th September:

Well it was a mountainous camp. Around midnight the wet and cold wind howled down the valley to such an extent that we lowered the roof as the truck shook.

The mountain tops this morning have what the locals call “Termination Dust”. A light sprinkling of snow that indicates the end of summer and the onset of winter.

Just before Seward we called into Exit Glacier and walked to the edge of the glacier. This gave us the idea to walk to the top of the Harding Ice Field tomorrow, about 15kms round trip ...lets see

Seward was just another town, the Marine Study Centre (US$20) was OK but we did see Puffins.

Camp was out on the Exit Glacier road. Most of the side tracks are blocked off with huge boulders but this one was available and allowed us to get off the road.

Camp 131: Exit Glacier Camp on Resurrection River

Cost: Nil

N60* 09.908  W149* 28.044

Today :  190 Kms. 

Trip Total :  57,409  Kms

Friday 16th September:

We set off at 10am for our walk to the Harding Ice Field above Exit Glacier with lunch packed.

This ice field is the largest in North America and covers nearly 1,000 Sq Miles.

It was raining constantly and the tops of the mountains were hidden in cloud.

It was a strenuous walk to the half way point which still gave us a great view over the ice field and the valleys below. We had covered 2.4mile (4kms) and up 3,000Ft so in this miserable weather that was enough.

Ahead the track was also blocked by three Black Bears ( a Sow and two cubs, the three black dots). This gave us another excuse to call it quits, particularly as all the warning signs say “If a bear tries to eat you fight back”

Camp 132: Russian River Camp

Cost: Nil (officially closed for Winter) N60* 29.020  W149* 58.510

Today :  125 Kms. 

Trip Total :  57,534  Kms

Saturday 17th September:

Lyn awoke this morning with a sore hip from the workout yesterday and in true spirit the best thing to do was go for a walk.  Together with another Ozzie couple we met, we walked the boardwalks. They had seen 12 bears yesterday and with the river still full of spawning salmon the bears are very active.

At the confluence of the Russian and Kenai Rivers, this Grizzly and her cub were resting only a couple of metres from the track. Hopefully too full of Salmon to think of a human for food.

Lunched at Skilak Lake where we met Gary,Mary and their friend Julie who had been bush walking. They live in the City of Kenai and invited us to call in to their house on our way to Captain Cook Nat Park for some fillets of Silver Salmon and Halibut, + some personally smoked Salmon.

I do not have your e-mail guys but just wanted to say in writing many many thanks.

We will enjoy your generosity over the next couple of days.

In the City of Kenai we saw this vehicle - must be still moose hunt’n season

Our camp was at Discovery Campground overlooking the Cook Inlet.

Went looking for Agates on the beach and Lyn was lucky to find a nice translucent piece

Camp 133: Cook Inlet Camp

Cost: US$12

N60* 48.322  W151* 01.060

Today :  147 Kms. 

Trip Total :  57,681  Kms

Sunday 18th September:

Travelled south  at ‘tourist speed’ towards Homer spotting the odd moose along the way.

At Ninilchik we stopped and walked up to the old Russian 1901 Orthodox Church. Nililchik is the oldest community in the Kenai Peninsula having been established by Russian fur traders in the 1820’s

Many settlers stayed after Russia sold Alaska to the Americans way back in 1867 for $7.2m or .02cents/acre in a effort to pay for their involvement in the Napoleonic wars.

Today all over the Kenai are their descendants forming the core of many communities.

In searching for an isolated camp we came across this Bald Eagle telling us this beach is not ideal!

Camp was at the deserted Stariski Camp Ground overlooking Cook Inlet and the smoking Mt Redoubt Volcano.

Finally the weather let up enough to enjoy some of that gifted Halibut and a glass of red outside

Camp 134: Mt Redoubt Camp

Cost: Nil

N59* 50.616   W151* 48.723

Today :  186 Kms. 

Trip Total :  57,867  Kms

Monday-Wednesday 19-21st September:

Our enquiries reveal that it will not be operating until Thursday and returning Sunday, so time to explore Homer...in the rain!

Homer is one of the many ports of the “Deadliest Catch’ Fishermen going after the King Crabs, and other deep sea fish.

This ‘house’ on Homer spit is straight out of the movie “Waterworld”

The Pratt Museum in town was probably one of the best we have seen, apparently they even lend stuff to the Smithsonian!

Wednesday the sun came out and we were surprised to see this twin glacier just across the bay from where we were camped.

Walked the wharf to check out some of the fishing and crab trawlers, some very old life ‘Rolfy’ built around 1943 and still working a hard life.

Other newer ones like ‘Time Bandit’ of Deadliest Catch fame have Homer as its home port

Camp 134: Homer Spit Camp

Cost: US$15 and also Nil if in the car park...near the no camping sign! Woops!)

N59* 36.061   W151* 25.189

Today :  168 Kms. 

Trip Total :  58,035  Kms