The Good, the Bad and that’s Life!

It’s a lot easier to write about sunny days filled with blue-green water and purple mountains than to write about the other less pleasant times.  This past week was filled with bad weather and pain, hubby’s physical pain and my emotional challenges.

It started with the rain in Seward, one week ago.  Bone chilling buckets of water forcing us to stay inside.  Then the wind blew howling in off the bay.  The problems with David’s shoulder were worsening; he’s constantly rubbing his shoulder and arm with pain on his face.  On Monday, he finds me at the library and we head to the Steward general store that’s selling Alaskan style rainproof coats for 50% off.  Our Tennessee rain jackets were not doing the job!  Then we drove to Exit Glacier to see the national park.

Posing at Exit Glacier in the new waterproof jacket.  (Feeling good at that moment.)

City park next to our campsite in Seward.

View 0n Monday from the Casita in Seward

Tuesday

Breaking camp rain-free is a blessing and we are heading toward the Chugach National Forest and Portage Valley.  A side trip to the town of Hope provides some scenic vistas.

The Williwaw campground honors our senior pass thus costing $9 for the night. Hubby grills halibut, shooing off mosquitoes with one hand and holding his shoulder with the other, all in the pouring rain.

This is no fun!  There’s lots of hiking trails here and wonderful new plants to see in the forest but we pack up and head out trying to find warmer, drier weather.  And it’s become apparent that medical help is needed as the pain just keeps getting worse.

Wednesday is just awful!  Some comfort sounds good after the days of cold and wet and we opt for a site with an electric hookup in Anchorage.  Ship Creek RV Park is in downtown and the helpful work-campers recommend an orthopedic clinic.  We unhook and David tries to drive while I read road signs and interpret directions to the doctor.  It’s a nerve-wrecking trip as the pain has increased to an unbearable level.

The doctor gives him steroid shots and prescriptions for pain pills, anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxers.  The shots do nothing to ease the pain and he is walking out the door in the same distress.

This is where I am just about to lose it.  Over 5,000 miles from home and trying to care for someone I love in the tiny trailer!

(I hesitate to elaborate on this unpleasantness….but decide to keep it in the story as it’s the truth, though not pretty.)

The next two days are rest days for him and chore days for me with laundry and grocery shopping.  And I learn how to navigate Anchorage using the voice directions on my smarter –than-me phone.

Flower beds in downtown Anchorage.

 

Smart Car and trailer that caught my eye…envious of their gas mpg!

All the meds seem to be working…..not working great but he’s in much less discomfort.  By Saturday we are heading toward Denali National Park and Fairbanks.  The weather forecast for Fairbanks looks much, much better.  Maybe some sun and warmth will help the patient.

Talkeetna is about a hundred miles north of Wasilla and there’s several campgrounds there.  We arrive and flee the town within 45 minutes!  Can’t drive as the tiny town is full of people in the streets… After all, it is still the holiday weekend.

New plan is to spend the night on the side of the road.  We love the price and after 3 nights of $36, we feel like economizing.

Crossing a bridge, we notice several small motorhomes on the river’s gravel bar.  With a little exploring and a lot of guts (or stupidity to travel such a bad road) we arrive at our new boon docking site.

I’ll let the pictures tell this story.  This is the Susitna River, 5 miles north of Talkeetna.

The tiny bird on the gravel bar is really not so small.  He’s one of two bald eagles that are fishing the river.

We enjoyed watching the eagles and the local kids on their 4 wheelers

Sunday we arrive at Denali National Park…there’s no campsites available so we head back down the road and pull over with other RV’ers 

Pull over on the Parks Hwy south of Denali.

Hubby is slowly getting better……the sun is trying to shine and we are taking it a day at a time.  Thanks to everyone for the support!   

Posted from site B-40, 12:30 PM, Denali National Park

Rain in Seward, Fishing in Homer

 

Monday afternoon, July 1, finds me sitting on the second floor of the Seward library looking out onto the bay.  It’s raining hard, a cold rain that chills to the bone.  The hubby is asleep in the camper trying to ease the shoulder that’s acting up again.  The little sport cat catalytic heater is providing him warmth as the $15 fee includes no hookups.

We are camped right on the bay in one of the city’s many waterfront campgrounds.  I can almost see the Casita nestled between the big rigs sitting halfway between me and the ocean.  The bay is calm, at the moment, and sea-green.  The rain and mist obscure the mountains except for a steep green hill that overlooks the town.

Not too sure if we are staying another night or leaving this afternoon.  Guess it will depend on how hubby feels.

I’m struggling to find the right words to describe our fishing trip last Friday.  We are not real fishermen….but camping with ocean  surrounding us and everyone else fishing spurs us to book a trip.

Bob’s Trophy Charters, http://bobstrophycharters.com, is next to the campground on the Homer Spit.  After learning that the expense for a half day trip, $115…senior citizen rate, is not outrageous, I am getting excited.  They assure me that we need not know how to do anything.  Another 20 bucks is necessary for the one day fishing license.  We will be fishing for halibut..limit is two a day per person. 

Hubby remains calm, not nearly as excited as I am.  But as we walk to the dock to board, I see glimpses of the kid coming out in him.

 

We are off after a short safety lecture.  I did take note of where the life vests were stored.

Capt. John and his crew of two took great care of us.  No pictures as we were working too hard!

I am handed a large pole with a fish threaded into a large hook.  Instructions are to pull the lever down, hold the two pound weight in your hand and slowly let the line down to the ocean floor.  After hitting bottom, move the lever up and reel in the line until it’s one foot off the bottom of the ocean.  I follow the instructions perfectly and immediately a whale (not really) takes the hook.  It felt like a whale trying to pull it up!

The crew rushes over and pulls in the halibut after I get it to the surface.  It’s a keeper!  (I have no idea of the size.) 

I catch 4 halibut, throwing two back, before my arm completely gives out and I quit for the day.  Hubby stays with it longer and we wind up with more halibut than we can keep.

Two humpback whales put on a show as we are cruising back to the docks.

The Nauti-Lady arrives back in her slip around 7 PM, an hour later than expected.  We are so exhausted…it’s fast food tonight. That’s ok as we will be eating halibut for the next 7 days!

Halibut Homer

They say that Homer is the halibut capitol of the world and, after our experience yesterday, we would agree!

We have been in Homer on the Spit for three nights at the city campground, the Fishing Hole.  The Spit is a long finger of land that extends out into Kachemak Bay and Homer lies on the southern end of the Kenai Peninsula.

But let me back up…..

Last weekend was about getting the 300 miles or so from Valdez to Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula.  After stopping at the mosquito infested campground (which taught us some lessons), we landed at the Fred Meyers (grocery) in Palmer.  (Palmer and Wasilla are just before Anchorage.)  The hubby is experiencing severe shoulder pain and a helpful waitress directs us to someone performing chair massage.  The massage helps and he starts a regimen of ice and aleve. 

On our way to Palmer we see our first “real” glacier.

While visiting a center devoted to sled dogs, we discover a city of Wasilla campground that has fewer mosquitos than our previous camp.  Lake Lucille is $10 a night and we enjoy a pleasant dinner and our first fire of the trip.

I attempted to start the refrigerator by turning on both gas tanks and, after closing my eyes,  blowing vigorously into the little hole that houses the pilot light.  It works!  Don’t know why, but the pilot light is now high which means it will cool.

After an oil change we decide to relocate to the Wasilla Wal-Mart.  Free and less mosquitos!

The next day we are entering the Kenai Peninsula after driving through Anchorage without a stop….except to get our bearings.

 

Landing in the city of Kenai for the night, we are directed to the river to view caribou.  Too far away for pictures and I’m frustrated that there are 4 snow covered volcanoes across Cook Inlet and I can’t get a picture for the haze!  After a stay at the Kenai Wal-mart, we are heading for Homer.

Camping choices are numerous on the Homer Spit.  We can stay at the $7 city park, the $15 with flush toilets and dump or one of the private cg’s that offer it all for $68 per night!  We choose the Fishing Hole with the flush and dump.

 

These two characters are campground regulars, appearing to enjoy the attention they are receiving.

We are situated between a favorite fishing hole and the harbor.

 

Oops, my laptop has ran out of juice! 

Currently sitting in the car running the laptop off the inverter!

Will finish the Homer story soon… a teaser!

Valdez and a few mountains

Mountains in the Wrangell-St Elias National Park

As we are leaving Tok we spy another 16' Casita parked at Fast Eddy’s.  It’s owner must be inside having breakfast at this famous restaurant.  We are hungry for egg companions and pull  alongside the camper trying to decide if it’s important to meet them.  Hubby makes the decision. “I’m hungry and want breakfast.”

I go in and look around trying to spot someone who looks like a Casita owner.  As we are finishing our meal, a single man walks to the trailer.  He is from Iowa and traveling alone.  His trailer is almost new and one can tell by his enthusiasm that he loves it!

After comparing notes, we wish him safe travels and take off for Valdez…pronounced val-deeez….less than 300 miles away.  By mid-afternoon we are arriving at the Visitor’s Center for the Wrangell-Mt Elias National Park, the largest national park in the country.  It boasts having numerous glaciers, active volcanoes, and over 200,000 square miles of wilderness.

Willow Lake

It’s getting late, no way we are going to make Valdez today!  This will be our first night to sleep on the side of the road.  Other free camping has always been in a commercial parking lot after seeking permission.

The visitor center recommends Willow Lake as a nice pull-off, but it’s too close to the highway and too many people stopping to take pictures.  Since dark never comes, we will find the perfect spot down the road.  At mile 75 on the Richardson Hwy we see two fifth-wheels with their slides pulled out.  This is it!  Home for the night!  I have some concerns about opening a can of chicken…can grizzles get us if they smell it?  The trash (and smells) go into the truck cab for the night.

It’s a peaceful night.  Another rig pulls close before bedtime and I feel extra secure with it right behind us.

We eat our breakfast of oatmeal and protein powder and take off for Valdez passing over Thompson Pass and the Worthington Glacier. 

Worthington Glacier

I was a bit unimpressed with the glacier but loved the mountains and lake!

After crossing Thompson Pass we are descending into a lush valley heading toward the coastal town.  Several waterfalls are right on the road.

Horsetail Falls

We are heading for a county park, Allison Point, that offers dry camping for $15. 

The camp is almost empty and we are seeing incredible scenes in every direction.  Valdez lies just across the bay.

After a quick lunch we drive into town and walk around the docks.

We are watching sea otters in the bay and bald eagles flying over the trailer.  Just loving this place!

And for those of you who are inquiring about mosquitoes, the wind must be sweeping them away as there’s very few here.

This just about catches up our first week in Alaska.  At the present it’s Saturday AM, we are at the Tolsona Wilderness Camp to charge up all the electronics…both camera batteries went down and the tab.  Way too much stuff to recharge by the inverter.  This is our first night hooked up to electricity since 6/3!

Lots and lots of mosquitoes here!

Heading toward Anchorage.