After leaving Chitna, we moved our caravan through the Chugach Mountain range, through Palmer and on south of Anchorage.  We rode along the edge of the Turnagain Arm at the northern end of Cook Inlet which almost surrounds Anchorage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turnagain Arm is famous for its bore tide, a huge wave that flows into Turnagain Arm in a wall of water up to 10 feet high.  There are 60 bore tides in the world, but Turnagain Arm is unique because it is the only one surrounded by mountains.

When the tide goes out it leaves mud flats of silt.  People and animals sometimes walk out on the flats and are unable to get out.  Many have drowned when the tide rushes in.

We camped at Cooper’s Landing on the Kenai Peninsula which is a very popular vacation area because of its scenic wilderness and its proximity to world-class salmon fishing on the Kenai River.  We were parked right next to the beautiful, turquoise-colored river.  We watched two bald eagles soar above us and then land on a branch sticking out of the river.  They are beautiful and graceful.  Along the road passing through Cooper’s landing are tons of rustic cabins for rent, float fishing companies, helicopter and plane rides to view the beautiful scenery from the air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day, the six of us (me, Richard, Tom, Carole, Jack and Jeannie) loaded up in the Dickson’s van and drove to Seward, a neat fishing village on Resurrection Bay.  Along the way we went to Exit Glacier, one of 40 glaciers from the Harding Icefield.  The icefield and the 40 glaciers cover approximately 1,100 square miles and receive over 400 inches of snow per year.  Although Exit glacier is one of the smallest of the Harding Icefield, but it is the most visited because it is accessible from a spur of the Seward Highway.

We acted like we were rough, tough Alaskans and walked about a mile up a trail to look at the glacier.  It was not an easy task, but we all made it up there and back down without falling over a steep drop off or getting eaten by a bear.  You laugh, but we very well could have.  And if you want to know if a bear *hits in the woods, the answer is not always.  Some times they *hit on the trail leading to a glacier. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We met a Thai monk and since Jeannie could speak a little Thai, we took her picture with him.  Then he had us take a picture with his camera. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also on the road to Exit Glacier is the Mitch Seavey’s IDIDARIDE Dog Sled Tours.  The tours consist of being introduced to the dogs, learning how they live and train, learning about the clothing worn while mushing a dog team in the world famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.  Mitch Seavey is a second of three generations of dog mushers.  In 2004, Mitch won the Iditarod race which covers 1,150 miles through trecherous winter weather, mountains, and frozen rivers and terrain.  He completed the race in 9 days, 12 hours, 20 minutes and 22 seconds. 

During the summer months, to keep the dogs in shape, they hitch them to a wheeled wagon, load up riders, and run the dogs along a 2 mile trail.  Tom and Carole went along for the ride.  We thought about hiring a dog team to take them back to Fairbanks to catch their flight back to Florida, but Carole vetoed that.

We drove through the quaint little town of Seward.  Jack, Jeannie, Richard and I spent the 4th of July in Seward in 1997 and we plan to do it again this year.  We wish Tom and Carole could join us, but they will be back in Florida by then.

Back at Cooper’s Landing we rode down to the ferry and watched it make a couple of trips across the raging water of the Russian River.  The ferry operates attached to a guide wire, but moves under its own power by angling into the current and making the ferry move to carry fishermen to the other side of the Russian River where they stand in a line, shoulder to shoulder, and fly fish for salmon.  It is called combat fishing.

Until later, Dolores and Richard