7/4 Car races in Kenai plus, Happy 4th of July

Weather cloudy and raining off and on. Connie and Matt got going around 9:30am they were headed for Homer. We had breakfast and didn’t get moving still around 10:30. No hurry, the Elks Lodge is only 15 min. away in Kenai. I started putting stuff away in the RV, Dave was doing the outside stuff. I walked outside because I hadn’t seen Dave for a little while. When I did I saw this trailer laying partly on it’s side. It was a trailer/camper that fits on the back of a pickup. This one was pretty good size because it had a slide. The people had taken it off their truck so they could drive around so it was standing on the legs it has. The front right leg gave way and bent, she was in it at the time. Their pickup truck was in front and it collapsed right on the side of it, and just smashed the side of the truck. I was bad and took pictures, Dave will post later. The people were from Washington, and just travelling around like we are. The police came by and took a report for their insurance but the trip is stopped for a little while. The camper was fine, just the leg, but it will take a while to fix their truck.

We got on the road around 11:30am and wouldn’t you know it Kenai roads were closed, where the Elks are, because of the town parade. We parked for a little while until they opened up again. Once set up at the Elks, they were having a free BBQ so we sat and had Hot Dogs, potato salad and baked beans, pretty nice of them, it was for anyone that wanted to stop by you didn’t have to belong to the Elks.

We then went Geo Caching. We found 3, one at the visitor center, 1 on Marcus St. and 1 on Alex Rd. Then it was on to the race track. Mike was racing there tonight so we went by to visit with Mike and Linda (Vaughn and Linda’s friends). Mike races his Legend car and has tons of trophy's. He has been racing since he was around 10. The races weren’t starting until 6pm so we went back to the RV to relax for awhile. We went back to the race track at 5:30 and were in the pit area so we got to see everything up close and personal. It was cold and raining off and on, thank goodness we had thick jackets. The races were great, Mike kicked butt against the other Legends but they had midgets, late models ect. it was a good night. By 9:30pm we were cold and hungry so we took off, but the last race was still going. I believe they were going to do fireworks but remember it doesn’t get dark here so don’t think it would have been much to see.

We had dinner at 10pm, boy are we really off our time schedule, then bed by 12:30am. I think we will hang in Kenai another day to check more things out before heading for Homer. We want to do fishing in Homer but with them not letting you fish for King Salmon yet it looks like we will be hanging out here for a week or 2.

7/3 Heading to Soldotna

Got on the road at 10:35am. No big rush today, we are only a little over 2 hours from Soldotna. What a beautiful drive along the Turnagain Arm. We stopped at Beluga Point to take pictures, didn’t see any whales but the mountains were amazing to see.
We saw a Bald Eagles on the mud flats, but still no whales. We kept pulling over for cars to go by and to just take more pictures.
We got to Soldotna around 2:30 and parked 2 spaces from Matt and Connie. After setting up we took a drive to Kenai, looking for the race track there since Mike and Linda are going to be there for the races Wednesday, July 4th. We stopped and checked out the visitor center then on to the race track. Wanted to see if we could park the RV there Wednesday night.
After finally finding the track there is no way we can park there so we went to the Elk’s Club in Kenai, They have lots of parking there so we went inside to talk to them. Oh Yuk, they still allow smoking at this Elks. They said it was no problem to park there, plus, they are having a picnic for the 4th too and we were more then welcome to join. I don’t mind staying there but you won’t see me too much in the building.
When we got back to the RV we went over and visited with Matt and Connie for awhile then home to cook dinner. Not a very exciting day to write about.

7/2 Sad leaving Wasilla and heading for Anchorage

It was sad to be leaving, one of the best places we have ever parked at, but it was time to move on. Our mail, from Florida, was being delivered to Anchorage on Tuesday morning and we wanted to be close to it so we could get on the road to Soldotna. We were going to stay at the Army base but while driving to it Dave checked and USPS web site said our mail had been delivered already. We decided to keep driving and just pick up the mail and get back on the road. We parked the RV down by the train station and I walked back up the hill to get the mail.  The line was a  mile long, after waiting for 20 minutes Dave called and was being harassed about being parked where we weren’t suppose to be. He calls me and said he had to leave the spot and would drive back up to where I was, I told him I was still in line. I finally get to the front and they tell me there is no mail there for us and I would need the tracking number. I ran to the RV because the tracking number is in Dave’s email, on his phone. There was no where for us to pull the RV into so we just turned on the emergency lights and Dave ran inside the post office. Once he got someone's attention and gave them the tracking number it turns out it was delivered to the wrong post office and it would show up later today. We decided not drive back to the Army base so we found an RV park in Anchorage to spend the night. We drove into town, walked around and had a great lunch. If you ever get to Anchorage go to Fletchers, at the Captain Cook Hotel, the lunch was great, thanks Linda for the tip. Around 4:30 we went back to the post office and our mail was there. We then did some last minute shopping at Walmart then back to the RV to plan on the next days drive.
We had taken out a pork roast the day before so when we 1st got to the RV park Dave set up the slow cooker for it to cook while we were running around, it came out great. We didn’t eat dinner today until 9:30pm, bed at almost midnight. I think we are starting to get adjusted to not having any night time. It will be tough when we leave this place.

7/1 Another fun drive with Vaughn

While Dave and I were in Talkeetna this waitress had told us about a drive we should make, but not with the RV. I had mentioned it to Linda and she said she thought it would be another great drive to go on. It wasn’t as long a drive as the day before, it was only 3 to 4 hours. So we didn’t leave until noon, so in the a.m. I did our laundry, Dave worked on his computer, Linda did beading and Vaughn was out with the power washer getting the mess off his truck that we had gotten on it the day before.
This drive was Hatcher Pass Road. On the way to the road I saw a moose way off in the distance, then once on the Hatcher Pass road Vaughn hit the breaks and put it into reverse. When he backed up there was another moose a lot closer then mine was. I quit talking my head off to Linda and started watching for animals. Again a pretty nice road to start with and there was a 5th wheel ahead of us. Vaughn said he isn’t a local, which he wasn’t, or at least the license said he wasn’t. Vaughn said another clue is he is carrying his own spare tires, locals don’t do that, they know better. Anyway, the 5th wheel let us go by and a little bit after we passed them we turned a corner and here in a gulley was a small pickup truck with 2 scared kids. The boy had been driving too fast, we are guessing, and lost control. Once the tire went over the side and hit the ditch there was no way he could pull it back. The boy wanted to know if we could pull them out and Vaughn said there was no way. We would have just pulled their bumper off, he needed a real lift out of that ditch. They had phone service so we went on our way.
We came to a place on the river/stream that Vaughn and Linda have camped at before and then went 4 wheeling. Very nice spot, Dave and I got pictures. Back on the road we started hitting the switchbacks and up ahead of us was the 5 wheel. I was hoping that whoever was driving, that 5th wheel, knew that road and knew what they were getting themselves into. The views were of course great again, but I would be killing Dave if he would have driven these roads with our RV.
We made a stop at Summit Lake and it was still partially frozen. Darn it was cold up there, thank goodness the sun wasn’t out when we started the trip. If the sun is out I put on shorts, like I had the day before, which worked out great. If I had shorts on this day there would have been no way I would have gotten out of the truck. That darn 5th wheel was driving away from the lake when we got there, that guy was a good brave driver.
Next stop was Independence Mine State Historical Park. We got lots of pictures but darn it was just too cold to stay outside for too long. We made a couple more stops along the way for pictures, it was another great ride, again things we would have never seen.
When the road ends you are in Palmer again, and we had all been invited over for a salmon dinner at Linda and Mike’s house. Once there another couple joined us, Linda and Bob. Honest to goodness, Linda and Vaughn, Linda and Mike, Linda and Bob, what is with this group, I have never seen so many Linda’s in one place. How Linda and Vaughn’s other friends, that we had met, Jim and Lorraine, fit in I’m not sure.  Had a great dinner, then a great pit fire, Linda and Linda played horseshoes and the rest of us sat around the fire and talked.
Another great day/evening then back home again.

6/30 Uncle Toads Wild Ride or Sightseeing with Vaughn

Saturday morning and at 9am the 4 of us Vaughn, Linda, Dave and I are on the road. We had packed lunches so it was going to be a full day of touring. Vaughn has a Ford Super Duty 4X4 Truck and we were going into the back country. We were going to see places in Alaska that unless you lived there you wouldn’t even know about the roads to take you there. Vaughn took us to Petersville and beyond. We bounced, we swayed, we drove through creeks, some really deep. We laughed so hard, Dave almost broke his neck a few times bouncing off the roof of the truck. Vaughn even darned Dave to fall asleep on this drive. We drove a total of probably 100 miles, round trip, and it took us 10 hours. And you know the only wild animal we saw was a darn squirrel. We saw a sign that said, RV’s and campers not recommend beyond this point, we did more climbing and bouncing and I’ll be dammed if there weren’t RV’s and campers back there. There is no way in hell our RV would ever get near something this . Those people were nuts, they had their 4 wheelers and were quite happy being back there. You know they were from Alaska because that’s the only way you would know about these roads.
After hours of climbing around this road we run into a truck that is broke down, 2 guys in it, and wouldn’t you know Vaughn knew one of the guys. He talked to him about how his mining for gold was going and if he knew if the person we were going to visit was out mining. The guy said he was out there and had a crew out in the streams dredging for gold. Vaughn was taking us to meet this guy with a dredger so we could see a real operation in the process.
We kept driving but didn’t find the guy. We crossed this one stream and there was a whole bunch of families out there with the kids and dogs. No phone service, no ipads, just 4 wheelers and the kids were in 7th heaven. Healthy and happy and not missing a TV at all, great to see.
We came across one stream that was a little too deep for all of us, so we turned around, or I should say backed up, no place to turn around. We ended up knocking off Vaughn’s mud flap and running it over. Shocked the hell out of me but there was a runway with planes on it, in these back woods. Forgot to mention there were a couple spots where we saw the people out in the streams dredging for gold, they would have someone in a dry suit diving in the water with a hose sucking up gravel then running it through a sluice looking for gold. Anyway, we drove  to the airfield where some guys were working on some equipment they use for mining. If you have ever seen the show “Gold Rush” what they show is true. These guys are very closed lipped and don’t like when strangers come around. If you even thought about panning for gold on their turf they were shoot 1st and maybe asked questions later. A person could disappear very easily in these back  woods. We stopped and Vaughn got out and ended up knowing one of the guys. Jeez, we are in the middle of nowhere and Vaughn knows these people. Vaughn use to own a gas station, many years ago, and would deliver fuel to these guys.
We were kind of bummed we never did find the guy Vaughn was looking for. We found his place but the road was chained off. I don’t believe it would have been very smart to walk the road, like I said they shoot 1st. So we headed back. On our way back we stopped at Cache Creek Cabins. There is an older couple there that have cabins for rent in their house they do cooking for you, if you don’t have anything. Linda and Vaughn know the people so we stopped to have a cup of coffee with them. We sat and talked, they showed Dave and I the history of the place. Come on this is in the middle of nowhere, like I said before, and the cabins are being rented. Too funny.  In the winter they even leave the cabins open to anyone who wants to use them at no cost. Who is going to find those cabins in the winter anyway. The owners leave the water on, ha ha, and the heat on, just in case someone should get lost out there, if they have somewhere to stay then maybe they won’t break into the main house.
After coffee, we headed home. We somehow bounced our way out and did so much laughing, Dave was a comedian, which isn’t like him, he was quicker then me. Thank goodness for an ice cream and bathroom stop on the way home.
We got home and had some appetizers for dinner, ate a late lunch today, then to bed. This is one day we won’t be forgetting for a long time, if ever. Honestly there are places in Alaska that we would never have seen if we didn't have friends who live here. Vaughn and Linda have really opened up our eyes, we need to get off the beaten path and get on those back roads and really see things.

6/29 Touring around Wasilla with Linda

We had breakfast at 7am at Linda and Vaughn’s. Lorraine and Linda were making bacon and pancakes for breakfast, and had fruit too. I had cooked up  and brought over some buffalo sausage and over blue berries. We sat on the patio deck and and the sun was shining. What a great morning, on the lake, perfect views. After breakfast Vaughn had to leave for work, and Jim and Lorraine headed back home to Valdez. Dave and I made a run to Walmart for some supplies.

Dave had taken the water proof camera with us, the one we took White Water Rafting. He wanted to get them developed. It was an hour wait and I was done shopping, so we decided to do some Geo Caching while we had to wait. Oh, forgot, we 1st tried to find Sarah Palin’s house but no luck, so then we went geo caching. Luckily the cache was at the same turnoff that Walmart was at, we just needed to turn, left, not right. It was in a bus waiting area, under cover, up high. I found it and Dave logged it in. We then went and picked up our pictures at Walmart.

We then went back and then Linda was going to drive us around to see the sites. We picked up Abby, there dog from the groomers, then it was on to where Vaughn works, or I should say the place he runs. The company here makes Roof Trusses, had no idea how much work and skills go into something like this. He had such a small amount of employees, in my opinion, but they manage. He works 6 months here in Alaska and 6 months from Maine, via cameras. Must say one hell of an operation, and sorry Vaughn, such a tough life.

Once we left Vaughn’s work Linda took us to Palmer. 1st we stopped at a great viewing spot, then it was on to the Musk Oz farm, we just drove through that and got some pictures of the Musk, didn’t need to pay to see them up close. We then went into the visitor center in Palmer. Luckily we found a parking spot, they have there the farmer’s market going on and parking was hard to be found. Out front was a dog sled team, with trainers giving talks. They had samples of the equipment they have to use and talked about everything. We then went into the visitor center, where they were playing a video of the farmers that the government paid to move there and farm, very interesting. After that we went to the farmer’s market and walked around.

We then drove back to Wasilla, to where the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race headquarters is. They show a great video there, and of course, a great gift shop. They have dog sled rides too, if you want to do it.

After that Linda took us to the park, where you can look at Sarah Palin’s house. If you drove by the front on her place you couldn’t see it from the road, her driveway is way too long. The best way to see it is from across the lake, of course unless you are invited over. The bugs were eating Dave alive, I used spray, so we headed back home.

We got together later, had some snacks, on their deck then headed out for dinner. After a great dinner Vaughn took us to Eklutna Lake Campground to look around.  I think he was trying to give us a hint, just kidding Dave napped a little on that drive. After a day of touring around, big dinner, drinks, it was hard to keep the eyes open.

Have to get caught up

Give me a couple more days and I’ll get caught up on the blog. Been too busy, having fun.