Alaska trip in a cab-over-camper

[DBF]

Welcome back home. Quite a place, isn't it?



DBF

 

[dewdo]

My wife and I have been up there two times to spend July, and August fishing for the Kenai River Sockeye salmon which we love. We take a canner with us and can the fish we catch for later use and as gifts to friends and relatives.



We spend most of our time in Soldotna and the surounding area campgrounds. The first year we were there was devoted mostly to sight seeing and a few days of fishing around Valdez and seward. We rented a boat and fished for the silver salmon, but got caught out in the narrows when a thunderstorm came up. Thaty was REAL exciting fishing. Limit was six each and we limited rather quickly. If my health allows (I'm 75 and disabled vet) but I still like traveling to and in Alaska. You you haven't been then you are missing an great expierence in a wonderful state.



We shopped at Fred Meyers in Soldotna and it was fun to see moose walking through the parking lot which had "NO HUNTING" signs posted around the large parking lot.



If you fly or go by ship you will not expierence the great ALASKAN expierence



Dewdo in the other Washington

 

[EEdmondson]

We're home from Alaska. Wow, what a great trip. We did everything and saw more then we could have imagined. If you ever thought of going to Alaska, my advice is, go.

When you get time, I'm sure most of us would like some details.

 

[Grizzly]

Alaska is quite a place DBF, if not the greatest place on earth, certainly one of them.



dewdo. we liked the Fred Meyer in Soldotna also. We spent a night in there parking lot on our way to Homer Spit. I agree with you on driving the, "Alaskan Experience".



EEdmondson, for you or anyone that would like a little summery on our trip, PM me with your email address and I'll be happy to send you a copy. It's not too long yet, but I'm still working on it. Maybe I'll have my pictures all downloaded and I can send some bear photos also.

 

[Grizzly]

I few grizzlies in Katmai NP, Alaska

 

[viper700]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your trip to Alaska. My wife and I with our son and daughter with the family dog arrived in Alaska in early June 1971 as our duty assignment was Eielson Air Force Base. Later on we were sent to Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage. In those early years we ate so much moose and caribou that when we went out to eat one time when the kids were still quite young they ordered as kids will burger and fries. When eating their meal they told us that the meat tasted strange. They could not remember eating beef. The point is we have never left here. We retired in 1982 and took on another career till retirement again almost 4 years and 8 months ago. Our kids grew up here and do not know any other another place to live and are raising their families here also. This is truly a great place to live.

 

[Trophy1]

Planning a trip

We are planning a trip by road to Alaska next July and have been following Grizzly's adventures here on this thread with great excitement. My question is can I also see the water route and return to where we departed from without it costing a fortune. We would love to see the glaciers, etc but want to drive and camp with our fifth wheel. Any help or information would be greatly appreciated

 

[DBF]

We are planning a trip by road to Alaska next July and have been following Grizzly's adventures here on this thread with great excitement. My question is can I also see the water route and return to where we departed from without it costing a fortune. We would love to see the glaciers, etc but want to drive and camp with our fifth wheel. Any help or information would be greatly appreciated

You don't need to go to a "water route" to see glaciers. I can think offhand of three you can drive to. There are two types of glaciers, one of which overhangs the water and falls into it; the other runs out into a valley and the runoff from the glacier forms a river that runs on. These three are valley glaciers.



One you can drive to is Exit Glacier, just outside Seward. Another is the Matanuska Glacier on the Glenn Highway some 70 miles east of Palmer. You can approach it close enough to walk to it, and onto it. The third is Worthington Glacier next to Thompson Pass as you approach Valdez (this is also the snowiest spot on earth).



Another glacier you can drive over a really rough road to reach is the glacier at McCarthy/Kennicott. There's also Portage Glacier, south of Anchorage, but it's receded so far it's hard to see from the visitor center.



At Valdez, one can also take a short boat cruise to a hanging glacier (Columbia). The cruise often includes humpback whale sightings (we did) and other wildlife.

http://www.lulubelletours.com/



At Seward, cruises can take you to any number of glaciers in the Kenai fjords:

http://www.kenaifjords.com/733.cfm

Also in Seward, don't miss the Alaska Sealife Center.



Have a good time. Regards, DBF

 

[Grizzly]

We are planning a trip by road to Alaska next July and have been following Grizzly's adventures here on this thread with great excitement. My question is can I also see the water route and return to where we departed from without it costing a fortune. We would love to see the glaciers, etc but want to drive and camp with our fifth wheel. Any help or information would be greatly appreciated

Trophy1, DBF is absolutely correct, you can see glaciers from the highways. They are all over. We took four boat cruises. The one from Valdez was the best. We also took a short cruise at Portage. We also took the 26 Glacier Tour on the Klondike Express out of Whitier, which is a fast catamaran. We did see lots of wildlife and 26 glaciers plus many other smaller glacier that are not classified as glaciers, they have another name for them. Unfortunately I do not recommend the 26 Glacier Tour because they over book, 300 plus people, and one can not get around the vessel or even go outside when they open the doors because of all the pushing and shoving. Besides the food was lousy. The tour from Seward was also very good and had the best food. We also liked the Worthington Glacier on the Glenn Hwy.

 

[PKozlowski]

My wife and I just moved to Anchorage just over 3 weeks ago. What a place!

What an easy trip to. Roads were great even the construction area was much nicer

then many roads I've been on.

 

[Grizzly]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your trip to Alaska. My wife and I with our son and daughter with the family dog arrived in Alaska in early June 1971 as our duty assignment was Eielson Air Force Base. Later on we were sent to Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage. In those early years we ate so much moose and caribou that when we went out to eat one time when the kids were still quite young they ordered as kids will burger and fries. When eating their meal they told us that the meat tasted strange. They could not remember eating beef. The point is we have never left here. We retired in 1982 and took on another career till retirement again almost 4 years and 8 months ago. Our kids grew up here and do not know any other another place to live and are raising their families here also. This is truly a great place to live.

I hear you, We kids (5 siblings) grew up eating oleo margarine. One day my mom bit the bullet and bought some real butter. We thought it was horrible tasting stuff.

I can certainly see why you chose to live in Alaska.

 

[Grizzly]

Thank you one and all who participated and enjoyed reading this informative and educational experience from The Grand Tetons, NP to Yellowstone, NP to Glacier, NP to Banff, NP to Alaska and all it's parks, glaciers, wildlife and people. grizzly

 

[Grizzly]

One of my favorite pictures from Katmai NP, Alaska.