Today the weather was rainy, wet and cold. We had lunch before we left for Seward to explore the gift shops and look into the offerings of glacial tours. We stopped at Safeway to look at one of their coupon books. We got back to the CG around 7:30 pm. The guys cooked steak and chicken on the grill. We watched a movie and went to bed at 1:00 am, still twilight.
Day 35, Tuesday, June 23, 2009
We were up at 7:30 am, emptied our tanks and got fresh water. Ed and Hank went fishing in the Kenai and Hank caught 6 fish and Ed caught 4. Jeanne and Winkie headed off to Kenai. We stopped in Soldotna at a small shop to buy birch root baskets that we had seen on a previous trip and picked up groceries at Safeway and miscellaneous items at Fred Meyer. For dinner we made it easy and had fresh salmon dip (from Herb and Nancy) and crackers.
Day 36, Wednesday, June 24, 2009
All four of us went to Soldotna looking for a Food Saver to vacuum pack our fish. We found one at Fred Meyer, but also stopped in at the two thrift stores in town where Hank and Winkie bought a Magic Vac for $25. We stopped at “Town of Living Trees” where a carver was using a chainsaw to make animal statuary, i.e., bears, moose, fish, etc...and this big chair. We bought a couple of handmade baskets and other miscellaneous items. When we returned to the CG we packaged our salmon with our new vacuum packers and put it on ice. For dinner, we marinated and grilled fresh salmon and asparagus. We visited with Tim and Pam and warmed ourselves by their campfire, along with Ron and Carol, our camp hosts.
Day 37, Thursday, June 25, 2009
Ed and Hank went fishing while Jeanne and Winkie went shopping in Seward. We had lunch at the Marina Restaurant. Upon returning we found that both Ed and Hank had caught the limit of 6 fish each. Jeanne bought a wolf’s tooth key ring and t-shirts for the grandkids. We were all totally exhausted and had soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner and went to bed early.
Day 38, Friday, June 26, 2009
We slept in, showered, package gifts to mail, vacuum packed our fish from yesterday’s catch, then decided to try to see the Bore Tide and the little town of Hope. Before we left, we dropped into the Post Office and drove up to the little Catholic Church where we would be attending on Sunday. The church was a log cabin in a beautiful mountainous setting with lots of wildflowers. The priest, Father Dick, drove up just as we were about to leave. He was a nice man who looked as though he had been painting. He gave us a tour of the church and grounds then invited us up to the rectory where he was cooking seafood chowder and marinating salmon. He had just finished smoking some salmon and he offered us some. It was so delicious. He gave us a small taste of his homemade fireweed wine and shared his recipe for salmon marinade and we were on our way. He was a jolly Minnesotan retired priest, who comes to Alaska for 2-1/2 months each year as interim pastor of the St. John Neumann Catholic Church, but he also comes to fish. Hank was short on gas so we drove 30 miles to Girdwood to fill up, then headed over to Hope. Hope is at the end of the Hope Highway and is surrounded by Turnagain Arm. It is a cute little town with old Alaskan log cabins that house shops, cafes, and lodging. We asked some folks in Hope were to best view the Bore Tide. A Bore Tide is a wave that forms as a result of a low tide going out meeting the high tide coming in. There are only four locations in the world where you can see this phenomenon. We viewed it from the south side of Turnagain Arm along the Hope Highway from a rock ledge with a guy named “Lightening” from Destin, FL and some friends of his that were in Hope for a wedding. The wave was 2-3 feet high as it swept over Turnagain Arm. We jumped in Hank’s truck and chased it down the highway until we could no longer view it from the road. The tide at Turnagain Arm can vary 40 feet from low tide to high tide. Ed and Jeanne hosted salmon dinner with salad and cornbread.
Day 39, Saturday, June 27, 2009
Today Hank and Eddie went fishing with Tim (ranger for Fish and Wildlife) and his friend Jim. They walked 2-1/2 miles to the Russian River. After catching nothing, they walked back to the Kenai River and fished for a while, but were tired and called about 4:00 for a ride back to the campground. Winkie and Hank hosted dinner of chicken, potatoes, slaw, and corn. Yummmm....
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