Our journey through Alaska continued with a stop at Deep Creek Recreation Area in Ninilchik. This ended up being another favorite destination of ours. The RV sites are close together, but the view doesn't get any better than this. We were situated just above the beach on the shoreline of Cook Inlet overlooking 4 volcanoes on the opposite shore.
The tide change here can be 30+ feet, so our beach grew enormously at low tide. We enjoyed our daily walks and found many interesting momentos to take home, including one very intriguing plastic cow. These will join all of the other items we have found along this journey and become part of a bar top at Southern Tides. We're just not sure if we will remember where everything came from. 😂😂
We also enjoyed a beautiful evening Jeep ride on the beach and made it back in time for our first real sunset in months. This was way overdue!
There is no boat ramp in Ninilchik. Instead, boats are launched/loaded by large tractor type vehicles towing the boat's trailer. We watched each afternoon as boats lined up, waiting for their turn to load. At one point, twenty boats were in a holding pattern together. It was an interesting process to watch, and the first of its kind for us.
Deep Creek was a much needed relaxing stop for us, and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We had to move along as our next stop, Homer, was calling us. We had been looking forward to this town, as we were staying on the Spit (which is a 4.5 mile natural spit, which extends into the Kachemek Bay), however things didn't go quite like we had planned.
Our beachfront site had gorgeous views, but privacy was lacking. As you can see from the picture of the picnic tables, you better enjoy hearing your neighbors' conversations.
Our first few days sightseeing included riding our bikes through the harbor, hiking through the wetlands searching for moose, driving up into the hills to see the Homer Spit from above (the circle in the picture designates where we were staying. You definitely don't want to get caught there with a tsunami on the way!) and visiting a few breweries.
In addition, we certainly were not going to miss the famous "Salty Dawg Saloon". This place started out as a cabin in 1897, had many other uses throughout the years and became a saloon in 1957. The ceiling, walls, beams and all other wood surfaces are covered in personalized $ bills. We added our touch, with a Southern Tides sticker, directly under a ceiling plaque. We also decorated the beer cooler. 😊 We enjoyed a couple visits here and the cheap beer!!
One of our planned events near Homer was to dine at The Saltry Restaurant. We had reserved a table over 6 months before our arrival. It was to be a late anniversary dinner to celebrate our 40th! You have to take a boat ride to the restaurant, as it is located on Ismailof Island in Halibut Cove. They are known for using locally grown vegetables and fresh Alaskan seafood. It really is a gorgeous setting as you sit outside, gazing across the water.
The hype on this restaurant did not disappoint. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals, walking all the boardwalks surrounding the island and the scenery on our way to and from Homer aboard the "Stormbird".
For 2 1/2 years we have avoided the dreaded "Covid" virus, and then BAM 🤛🏼!! Scott started feeling poorly and ended up very sick (103* fever and severe throat pains). He was down for all of the remaining days we had in Homer. He felt well enough (?) our last day to drive us 2 hrs back to Soldotna and then crashed in bed as soon as we arrived. We parked in the Fred Meyer parking lot for 5 days. I started feeling symptoms as soon as we arrived in Soldotna. I masked up and went inside for a few dinner supplies and a Covid test. (Neither of us were cooking!). Scott tested +, so no need for me to test. Luckily, I had less severe symptoms than Scott. We both recovered well during our 5 day stay in a parking lot. Thanks Fred Meyer!!
Of course we both blamed our sickness on our visits to the certainly "unclean and overcrowded" Salty Dawg Saloon. We knew it had to be there and shame on us 😩! We didn't find out until weeks later that everyone at our friends' fish fry, we attended 2 weeks before, had also come down with Covid. So, it was our partying that got us into trouble, just not at the "Salty Dawg"! 🤪
Following our recovery, we eased on down the road to Talkeetna, a very interesting and lively town. We enjoyed a walk through town and were delighted that our taste buds had returned for good food and of course "beer". The mushrooms we encountered on our walk definitely fit the vibe of this town.
Next stop for us, Denali National Park!! This park is beautiful and spread out over hundreds of miles. We stayed in 2 different campgrounds during our 5 days. The first was at the entrance to the park and we enjoyed (Hmm?) a hike and a visit to the sled dog kennels. The hike was not that long, but had a decent amount of elevation gain. I think Covid had affected our breathing capabilities. At least that was my excuse 😜. Scott actually had no problems, but I had to stop a few times.
We then headed 29 miles up the park road to the Teklanika River Campground for our remaining 3 days. There currently is a landslide 14 miles further up the road, so buses were limited this year and no one can go further than the 43 mile marker. We decided to pass on bus riding and rode our e-bikes instead. We rode about 30 miles total for 2 days and enjoyed the serene beauty of this park.
On our drive out of Denali NP, the "mountain" finally showed it's face on a clear day. They say visitors in the summer only have a 30 - 40% chance of seeing "Denali". We were blessed on our final day.
We spent a few days in Fairbanks sightseeing and visiting the Museum of the North.
And then it was on to the "North Pole". We promised the grandchildren we would stop and see Santa to discuss "behavior and Christmas wishes"! 😜
We stayed at 2 different Harvest Host locations while in the Fairbanks area, Arctic Harvest Distillery and the Fairbanks Community Garden. Both were quiet and peaceful stops.
A last minute planned stop at Chena Hot Springs turned into a very pleasant experience. The grounds of the resort are covered in beautiful flowers and unusual statues, including a full size plane!!
The spring pools are man made, unlike Liard Hot Springs, but just as hot and enjoyable.
The resort grows all of the vegetables used in the restaurant. All of the lettuces and tomatoes are grown hydroponically. We were amazed as we toured the growing facilities. They also produce 100% of their electricity through renewable energy.
By far, the most amazing site on the property is the "Ice Museum". We had reservations for a tour, so we bundled up in our winter gear and entered the building. We were greeted with 25 degree temps and so much more. The ice carvings inside are fascinating. There are fencing knights on horseback, intricate walls/columns, chandeliers, igloos, a wedding chapel, an ice bar complete with bar stools, and even 4 hotel rooms with fur covered ice beds!! After our tour, we sat down on the fur covered ice bar stools and enjoyed Appletinis in ice martini glasses. It was quite the experience. When you are finished, you return outside and smash the ice glasses for "good luck"!
We headed back to the Alcan Highway and made our way to Dawson Creek, where we memorialized our trip under the "End of the Alaskan Highway" marker.
On our way out of this great state, we were greeted with the first signs of Alaskan fall. It was only August 22nd! It started out as a gorgeous day, and we were on our way to the "Top of the World Highway" and Canada, again !
The last town in Alaska, before entering Canada, is Chicken. We made a quick pit stop to admire the giant chicken, "Egge ", made out of old school lockers, and the poultry related directional sign posts as well. Chicken is famously known, around here at least, for it's yearly music festival "Chickenstock" and it's gold mining history. The recorded population is 12, but hundreds visit here during the music festival and throughout the summer. Who knows, it could be thousands! It's such a quirky town!
Heading out of Chicken, we questioned whether we were being misled by our GPS to the "Top of the World" highway. We were looking at a single lane dirt road leading up into the mountains. We were actually on the correct route and had our fingers crossed and butt cheeks squeezed the entire time!
The vistas were amazing, and we said our goodbyes to Alaska and crossed into Canada with no issues at the border. We should have known that meant trouble!
All was good until we entered the clouds, or fog, whichever you want to call it 😩. Our tire monitor system started beeping, and we had a flat tire in the middle of this whiteness!!! We couldn't pull over anywhere, so Scott made a homemade tire plug, and it worked for about a mile until we reached a gravel pull-out. He then changed the tire, and we considered spending the night there since it was 7:00PM. However, we were anxious to reach the Dawson City ferry that night. The ferry had broken down the week before, and we were afraid if it broke again they would suspend service until next season.
We DID NOT want to turn around and go all the way back, so we soldiered on and met the ferry at 8:00. It was quite a ride across the Yukon River and we were thankful to be on high ground again.
The motorhome and jeep were slightly dirty 🤪 and we were ready for rest...
Good-Bye Alaska...We had an awesome time!
NEXT UP: "A SHORT PHOTO DUMP OF ALASKA: CRAZY SIGNS, BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS, ANNOYING INSECTS AND A PICTORIAL STORY OF FIREWEED!!"
That was a beautiful and exciting end to your Alaska trip! So enjoyed the wide open views and wonderful photos. Really sorry you got the Covid, no fun, but good that you could stop and recover. So many interesting things to see! Are you about ready to come home?