Our 2023 Adventures

 Hi everyone! This past Monday we took a fantastic dinner and wildlife viewing for a 6 hour cruise in the Prince William Sound.   The main destination was the Columbia Glacier.  It was one of the largest glaciers in Alaska, and the last of the tidewater glaciers to go into retreat.  Today it is one of the most active glaciers.  It is both expanding and retreating but the latter is occurring at such pace that it is a losing battle for its future.  On the way there we made several stops to view wildlife whenever it presented itself.  We boarded at 2:30pm local time: Bald Eagle En route we encountered one of five of these vessels parked along the route of oil tankers traveling in Prince William Sound.  It is one of many resolutions that came out from the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989. Oil Spill Response Vessel towed by tug boat These are parked strategically in PWS and respond immediately to any oil spill to avoid delayed response as it was experien...

 The drive to Valdez was not disappointing at all.  The views were spectacular as we travelled over the Chugach mountains.  There are over 300 glaciers in Alaska.  The more we see and learn about these is both exciting and depressingly sad.  More on this later. Matanuska Glacier is a valley glacier. At 27 miles long by 4 miles wide, it is the largest glacier accessible by car in the United States.  It has remained stable for the last 400 years.  (This information as well as most in the blogs, comes from "The Milepost" the bible of North Country travel and Alaska/Canada travel planner. The highest altitude gained during this drive was Thompson Pass at 2678' elevation and a drop of 10 degrees in Temperature.  Viewed Worthington Glacier.  A National Natural landmark After dropping almost to sea level and just outside Valdez and entering Keystone Canyon you encounter these falls: Bridal Veil Falls Horse Tail Falls Welcome to Valdez.  The nor...

 Hi again everyone.  Before moving on to Valdez, we have to share this picture and story that goes with it.  Every morning since full timing, we have our coffee outdoors.  While waiting for motel / restaurant to open before leaving Moose Pass", we sat outside as always and enjoyed the coffee and the beauty around us.  A young teen age girl thought the view of us sitting there was "cute" and took this shot.  As we walked back to check if restaurant was open, she came over to us explained as above and shared the picture with us: On the way to Valdez, a 7 hour trip from Moose Pass; we made plans to stop at an animal sanctuary that has become  famous due to one of the many Alaska shows.  One of these is "Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet" in National Geographic.  One of her many patients/clients is this Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) just outside Anchorage.  Most of the residents are either orphaned or injured and given a permanent home at t...

 Two very small towns in the middle of nowhere in the Kenai Peninsula.  We will not bore you explaining why we stayed here but we are glad we did.  The motels are rustic and basic but very busy.  The attached restaurants are also busy morning thru night.  Fresh food, brought in from Soldotna! We just keep being thankful the reservations were made back in September. Cooper Landing;  A stop over for many interested in lake and river fishing.  Several businesses are thriving providing fishing tours along the Russian River.  Others are going white water rafting.  No, we did not take any of these.  The great part was the fact that Kenai Lake was within walking distance from our motel.  We went there daily and enjoyed the beauty, serenity of the place while fishing.  Wendy walked the lake each day, birding.  Unfortunately, this author did not even get a nibble.  Tried every lure  in creation.  Bait and no bait; bo...