Day 43 - Palmer, Alaska

Linda & Darrell Marshall            Adventure Caravans #7

Today is July 21, 2010. It’s cloudy with a few sprinkles, about 56 degrees. That didn’t slow us up at all as we headed for the Palmer Visitors Center. The grounds of the Center were beautiful with flowers. There a gentleman told us how the area was settled. Prospectors found gold and coal in the area. The government was very interested in having coal resources on the west coast for ships during WWI. In 1935 the Government started a relocation program for families to better themselves. The program was looking for farmers, butchers, blacksmiths, clerks, etc. 104 families were chosen from northern Minn., Wisc. & Mich. because they were used to the cold. They were given 40 acres of land, a house, a barn, animals, equipment, and $3,000 at 3% interest for 30 years, their passage and they could ship 2,000# of goods. Because of the weight limits not a lot of furniture was shipped. One item, a piano that was 45 years old at the time, was filled with clothing during shipping. Nothing had been built and the first summer they lived in tents. Their ages went from an 18 year old wife to a 45 year old man, and lots of kids (about 500). But medical care did not arrive until measles took the life of some of the children and the community contacted Eleanor Roosevelt. Mrs. Roosevelt then had a hospital built. A short time after arrival $250 was added to their loan debt and they were given the Sears & Roebuck’s catalog to order from. Many of the homes ended up with the same kind of furniture. A couple other relief program communities were in Elvis’ hometown in Miss. & Johnny Cash’ s hometown in Ark.

One of the program homes is Colony House Museum. It has been restored and has original furniture from a number of the old homes. A lot of the things I have from my grandparents homes.

We had a great lunch at The Inn Café. Then the afternoon was free. Marlene & Nelson went with us to a Musk Ox Farm. The Musk Ox was gone from North American, but in 1930 some were brought from Greenland with a grant. There are now around 3,000 in the wild. The mortality rate is high for the young the first year. On the 77 acre farm there are 60. The calves weigh about 20 lbs. when born and gain 1lb a day because of mama’s rich milk. They sound like a lion roaring, we heard one!

We had a very nice social time after our travel briefing. We also had a campfire where we made “dough boys” and s’mores. Yummmmmm!

Day 42 - Homer, Alaska to Palmer, Alaska

Bill and Marilyn Kern Adventure #6
Homer, AK to Palmer, AK                              Day 42                                           July 20, 2010

Today, some of our drive was a retrace. We traveled from Homer to Anchorage along State Highway #1 to the junction of Alaska State Highway #9, then continued on #1 through Anchorage. We covered new ground on the Glenn Highway to Palmer, a distance of about 270 miles,

The drive along #1, in our opinion, is one of the most beautiful in Alaska! Starting in Homer, with views of Kachemak Bay and the snow-covered mountain range to the west, we continued to have views of the Cook Inlet until turning east, which took us through thick forests, numerous state and national recreation areas; many small waterfalls flowing from the mountains into streams, lakes and the Kenai River. The fact that the sky was cloudy only enhanced the beauty of the mountains, sometimes framing the tops of the higher peaks. The terrain along Highway #1 going north from the junction of #9 becomes more open –still with majestic views of more snow-covered mountains and the back side of Portage Glacier. Upper Summit Lake was like a mirror reflecting the surrounding forest and mountains. Thus far, we drove through prime moose country, and we continued to search for them and other wildlife, but did not see any.

Further north, approaching Anchorage, the highway paralleled the Turnagain Arm, a body of water with rapidly changing tides. On our way through Anchorage we, along with Jeff and Noreene Totten, Adventure #11, stopped at Costco, across the street from the Golden Nugget RV Park, filled our gas tanks, ate a scrumptious lunch – hot dogs and cokes and did some shopping. While at Costco we looked at a huge fish net, appropriate for Alaska, but not to be found in Arcadia, CA. We then proceeded to the Mountain View RV Park in Palmer. We pulled into our pull-thru sight (#5) and joined a social hour well in progress.

 

Another great day in Alaska!

Day 41 - Homer, Alaska

Marvin and Dee Curb #5                                       Monday, July 19, 2010         Homer, Alaska

We awoke in Homer to a rainy, foggy very cool day. We are told that Homer is having a cooler than usual summer, but who’s complaining – better than 102° in Texas.

Today is a free day. We started with a late and leisurely breakfast at Sourdough Express Bakery – very good. The story of the bakery is interesting. The owners, Donna and Kevin Maita, arrived in Homer in 1982 in an old panel truck equipped with a propane oven that would bake six loaves of bread. With $42.00 in their pocket, they set up shop out on the Spit. Within l6 weeks they had established themselves and become part of Homer. The rest is history. The little truck they arrived in now sits in front of the bakery for children to play in.

Next stop was the Homer Airport Terminal. Inside was a comprehensive pictorial narrative history of Homer and the settlement of this area. People who came here to homestead were a tough and hardy breed with an independent and make-do spirit. They gathered coal off the beach and did whatever was necessary to survive. This display covered every aspect of life – getting here, getting food, building a house, “proving” your claim, building schools – an excellent, easy to follow story of Homer.

The Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center was next on our agenda. The films and displays were so well done. Certainly we got a better understanding of the land, the water, and the animals of coastal Alaska.

Fireweed Gallery rounded out our day of prowling. It is more than just a gift shop. It is a gallery of unique, handmade art by Alaskan artists, some of them local. Two unusual pieces were life-size motorcycles made from forks, strainers and assorted other pieces of hardware.

Later in the afternoon, we decided to go to Anchor Point – farthest westerly drivable point. On the way we saw our best moose yet – a large bull with velvet on his rack about 30 yards from the road. We stopped and watched for quite a while. He turned and came toward us, seemingly undisturbed by the traffic. He was so close. It was a real Kodak moment!

At the Anchor Point State Park, we watched the boats being pulled out by a tractor. Boaters and commercial fishermen pay $58 to be put in and the pulled out. Each boat trailer has a number assigned. Captains radio in when they are ready to come out of the water. The tractor then finds their trailer and backs into the surf – (water up to the motor) and hauls them out. The tires on the tractor were almost as tall as we were. It was quite an operation.

Before we knew it, it was time for our staff bar-b-que and travel briefing – time to say good-bye to charming Homer, Kachemack Bay and glacier views. Tomorrow it’s on to Palmer and more adventures.

Day 40 - Homer, Alaska (free day - optional trip)

Larry and Ada Beavers #4                                                                    Sunday, July 18, 2010

We got up at 5:00 a.m. which should be the crack of dawn. But in Alaska there is no dawn.

We met Ken and Carole, Gary and Sally, Jenks, and Jeff for the drive to the Homer spit and the “Sea Witch” which was our halibut fishing boat. Four others joined us and off we went. We motored southwest for two hours and about fifty miles in rough seas of about seven feet.

Ada could not take the odor of the cabin and proceeded to take advantage of the rail. She evidently was not seasick and that is her story.

Our first “drop and fish” was pure torture. It was a rough sea and slipping and sliding on a pitching boat. It was a miracle no one was hurt or went overboard. There was also NO FISH.

The Captain realized the mistake after about a half an hour. We motored back for an hour toward calmer water. On our second “drop and fish” we hit a bonanza. Everyone excitedly limited out. We were even catching fish and throwing them back in favor of larger fish.

THE FISHING GOD SMILED!

Wet, cold and happy we lived through another adventure.

Day 40 - Homer, Alaska (free day - optional trip)

Sunday, July 18, 2010  Day 40 – Cruise To Seldovia

Ivan & Shirley Yurtin – Rig #12

Sunday morning was a beautiful rainy morning and our scheduled caravan left the RV Park and drove to downtown Homer.

We boarded the M/V Discovery Charter at 11 am, which is owned by Captain Tim Cashman. His cruise took us past Gull Island, Bird Rookery and through Eldred Passage. In spite of the rain, the water was actually smooth as glass as we started out on our voyage. Along the way, we saw numerous birds i.e., murre, black legged kittiwakes and of course puffins. We also saw rafts of Otter swimming on their backs. Tim mentioned that the fur of the otter is very dense, which helps them with buoyancy. We also observed a Solar panel perched on the rocks which allows the Pratt Museum to operate a remote controlled camera to watch the birds on the island.

We passed Peterson Bay where oyster farming takes place, Barabra Creek where eagles were all lined up in a row waiting for lunch. Tim pointed out Elephant Rock and Camel Rock. The cruise then took us through Eldred Passage.

We landed in Seldovia around 1 pm. Seldovia is an island city in Kenai Peninsula Borough with a population of 286. There is no road system connecting the town to other communities, so planes and boats are used for transportation. Most of us headed to the "Mad Fish Restaurant" for lunch. The smoked Salmon chowder was very good. After lunch we headed in various directions to check out the town. Seldovia is somewhat secluded and off the beaten path. However, there are numerous things to do. We only had a little over two hours to spend exploring.

We walked up the hill to St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, which was built in 1891. The name Seldovia is derived from the Russian word 'seldevoy' meaning 'herring bay.' The church was locked so we could not go inside and it appeared to be run down from lack of maintenance. Next we walked down the main street of Seldovia, which parallels the waterfront. There are no traffic lights in Seldovia. The town has a school that was built August 30, 1972 for grades 1-12 named after Susan B. English. 

We took a walk on the last of the "boardwalk" which was the town’s “original” main street along the waterfront. The waterfront was rebuilt after the Good Friday Earthquake March 27, 1964. The earthquake registered 9.2 and caused the land mass to drop 6 ft. After the earthquake the town would never be the center of commercial fishing in Kachemak Bay. As a result a new road connecting Homer to Anchorage made Homer the new hub of the bay’s fishing fleet.

Our next stop was the Visitor Center. As you walk up to the front door a beautiful stained glass window catches your attention. The logo represents the traditional animals, fish and birds that are important to the people of Seldovia.

Before boarding for our trip back, we received word that the caravan group that opted to go halibut fishing, had bagged their limit of fish. Great day was had by all!