Day 15 (Monday, June 20, 2016)

We woke up to rain, and more rain.  When we looked out of our tent, it was sort of swampy.  Hit and miss puddles, but our tent remained dry!  We slept later than we planned due to rain during the night but soon broke camp and were on our way.  Our campsite yesterday was an amazing one.  We met some interesting folks along the way.  Last night besides Pennsylvania and Bejing, there were also folks from California and Wisconsin, most on their first journey to our 49^th state.  We are having serious trouble with WiFi connections and cell service.  Even though campsites boast WiFi, it is NOT reliable and very hit and miss.  As I am writing this now, the satellite (which is the problem most likely in all situations) is literally across a small patch of parking lot.  I am doing laundry and can see the satellite.  The gal working says it should be working!  J  Another gentleman came up with the same problems, so we apologize if we get a day or two behind at times.  Even my phone is acting like it connect.  The service up here tends to be 3G and my phone really wants 4G or LTE.  So what I think it is doing is searching for those and not letting anything work in 3G.  Sigh.  Gotta love technology!

If you haven’t been scrolling down to the bottom of our blog page, please do so.  We have a map embedded with our nightly locations as well as some hikes, bikes, and kayaks.  Of course, this depends on when we can get pictures to upload.  Another sigh.

We are not sure how the world can keep getting more stunning.  We drive and it is jaw-dropping and then go around a bend and there is more.  This morning was unique in that it was gray and drizzling and then the drizzle would stop and there would be fog shrouding the mountains (that are RIGHT THERE up ahead!) so that you can’t see the tops. 

We stopped at Cooper’s Landing and bought some buffalo jerky and some salmon jerky-quite tasty! 

The Kenai River was so pretty and really running.  The blue/green color sweeping past us under the bridge as we walked across to check out the two bald eagles nesting on the other side.  The salmon are running so the fisherman were aplenty.  Fishing boats of all sizes and types, fisherman of all sizes and types-I guess I should say fisherpersons!  Signs with specific instructions on what to do with the fish guts—don’t put them in the dumpsters or leave them on the banks.  Put them back in the fast running part of the river so they can be eaten by bears and don’t leave them on the shore for bears or that makes it too easy for them and they become dependent on humans to catch fish for them!) Fascinating!

Signs along the highway alert drivers to be super aware of moose crossing the highway.  How do they do that?  By posting moose collisions!  Too many and we saw one car on the side of the highway that didn’t make out the best with the collision—windshield and front end completely smashed—it’s like hitting a freight train except they flip up and over too.

We have set up camp on Homer Spit.  It is a spit of land that juts out into the Cook Inlet.  Our campsite is amazing!  If I could get pictures loaded, you’d see it and wish you were here!!  Facing the inlet and the mountains as well.  Cool breezes actually keeping the mosquitoes at bay for now.

We biked around the spit, grabbed a drink at the Salty Dog, whose interior is literally plastered with dollar bills, and other memorabilia, then pedaled some more before grabbing some halibut and chips for supper; so many nice people travel!  We met a gentleman from Scotland who asked us about the sweatshirts we were wearing—Prudhoe Bay.  He worked at Prudhoe Bay on an oil rig!  He has been working in oil for more than 35 years and just now was transferred to a land oil operation where he works 5-5 so he can actually tour around a bit.  When you are on a rig in the ocean you can’t really go anywhere!  He’s been working in oil long enough that he works 2 weeks and then is off 6!  And where does he call home?? Hawaii!!!  He owns a sightseeing charter boat for his “off” weeks.  So he gets the ocean opposites!

Once back at our campsite we opted for a leisurely walk on the beach and encountered a sea otter.  It looked at us like, “HEY—you are in my space!”  We gave it some room and it came ashore.   On our way back we saw it was back in the ocean and joined by others.  They are so incredibly cute and funny, the way the smile and roll around and love to back float! 

Last night was the summer solstice.  Down the beach a little way a group set up a huge pyre of wood and let the fire burn high.  We watched the sun set (sort of as it doesn’t really get dark here, it just gets dusky) and then the moon rise over the glacier!  OMG!  That was so beautiful.  The purples and pinks and all that is wonderful in the world.  It was hard to crawl in to sleep but we are heading to Seward in the morning.