July 1

SOLTESWEB.NET ALASKA TRIP 2005 - JULY Page 1

Friday, July 1 - Portage Glacier visitor Center

This is the lake we stayed at last night. Since it was raining again this morning, it is hard to see the real blue of the water.
We returned to the Portage Glacier Visitor Center. It was very interesting with lots of interactive displays. We spent a couple of hours there, then took a guided walk in the nearby vegetative area, learning about glacial effects on the land and the plant succession as the glacier recedes. The glacier was just outside the Visitor center when it opened in 1984, but it has receded about 20 feet a year so that it now can't be seen from that viewpoint.

Ed was interested in the outdoor furniture at the Visitor Center.

Hope

We stopped along the way to the small mining town of Hope to see this little bay.

The silt from the glacier melt is carried down the various streams to the bay where it is deposited on the shore in layers by the daily tides. Note how the silt layers look exactly like shale. They should, because that's how shale is formed.

Further from Shore, some cabins....and moose

We saw this moose and her two young in someone's back yard. They roam into the neighborhoods the same way deer do in the south.

Russian River Fishermen

Further down the Seward Highway towards the western Kenai Peninsula, we stopped to look at the many fishermen on the Russian River. And they catch fish! Look at the next picture of the two men vacuum sealing their catch of red salmon. If you look carefully, you can see more of their catch at the right foot of the man on the right, and on the table behind them.

We arrived in Soldotna about 6 pm. We will be staying here for 3 weeks volunteering as SOWERS at the Solid Rock Bible Camp. Other SOWERS with us are George and Nell Kroker (our group leaders), Bill and Carol Nelson, Ed and Sue Rempel, and Erv and Doris Toews. We'll get pictures of them soon.

Saturday, July 2 - Soldotna and Kenai

We took a drive to see the towns of Soldotna and Kenai. The local Fred Meyer's store provides not only overnight parking for RV's, but a free sewer dump and fresh water as well!

We found two farmer's markets, two visitor centers, many people to talk to, some flowers, had a Mama Mia pizza at a great restaurant, did some sightseeing, found a high speed free Wi-Fi (wireless internet) place in town, and generally had a great time.

Poor Patty is suffering from several black fly bites on her face and neck she received last night as she walked home from the camp showers. The bites are sore, swollen and itchy. Both of us will have to be more careful about spraying before spending any time outside.

Interesting history.

Some signs along the road. Imagine 247 moose killed on the highway this season! What happened to the cars and their passengers? We're not talking about some 100 lb deer, some of these moose dress out at over 1000 pounds meat! In New Hampshire, the sign reads" Watch Out for Moose...It Can Save Your Life!"

Sunday, July 3

Church today at the Soldotna Bible Church, then out to lunch with four of the SOWERS.

This afternoon, it is so pleasant outside, Ed is working on the website and has added a MAPS page. Click HERE to see more detailed maps of our trip so far to Alaska.

Monday, July 4 - Columbines

Independence Day. We are working today, the women helping out with the picnic this afternoon and meals for the family camp, and the guys operating a small saw mill on birch slabs. The camp is a great place, with a 40-acre lake and log cabins. We have shown you some wild flowers of Yukon and Alaska, but the planted flowers are exceptional as well. See the various colors you can get in columbine:

The picnic was great with barbequed hamburgers, ribs, sausage, chicken and salmon. Even popcorn, funnel cakes and cotton candy, and about ten games for the children. What a great way to celebrate the 4th! No fireworks, though: first, it doesn't get dark until after midnight, and then there is a ban on fireworks since it is believed they were the cause of some recent forest fires.