Karla's Kronicles #11

The Karla Kronicles - July 2007
Greetings Kronicle Readers! Here's another installment of the Alaska-Canada Adventure...hope you enjoy it!. (Note: Larger and More Detailed Photos are in the Photo Albums Located HERE.)
	After we left Ninilchik and our Clamming Adventure, we headed South on the Kenai Peninsula to Homer "just for the Halibut". We were in Homer two nights. They have an awesome Visitor's Center on the north end of town that we spent several hours at.
We took a drive to gain some elevation and views of the area. We are actually camped out on the Homer Spit off there in the distance at Mariner Park on Cook Inlet. The Mountains and Glaciers you are seeing in the background are part of the Aleutian Mt. Range.

We walked along the Homer boardwalk and had lunch at the Boardwalk Fish 'n Chips. Fresh, flaky, perfectly prepared Halibut on a skewer and a nice cold beer! Yum!	So we didn't eat at the Salty Dawg Saloon; however, a trip to Homer wouldn't be complete if you didn't at least do a walk-through...

Inside the Salty Dog Saloon; yes, that is real money, money, money tacked all over the walls, doors, ceilings...You'd probably get a dollar tacked on you, too, if you sat in one place too long!! An ongoing tradition for years; guests sign a dollar and find a spot to tack it up. The entire Saloon is covered and it's part of their claim to fame.	A nice walk among the boat docks in Homer...just a fun relaxing way to spend the day and take in the atmosphere and views.

And You Should Have Seen the One that Got Away!	Another view of the Aleutians and Homer Spit
After our time in Homer, it was time to head for the other side of the Kenai Peninsula. Enroute from Homer to Seward, we stopped one night to stay at Quartz Creek Campground on the Kenai Lake. We had a nice double wide site!
	Carol and Larry Wade, Granddaughter Chandler, and Karla taking a beach walk by the Lake.
We finally had our first and only campfire at Quartz Creek. Grandpa Larry and Chandler are fixing S'mores and we had a beautiful evening of sitting around the ol' campfire and sharing stories.	We've been traveling 1 month now. Time to get another National Park on our list! We are approaching Seward, AK on the Eastern side of the Kenai Peninsula.

	In order to get to Exit Glacier, you had to navigate this fairly swift flowing creek; to avoid wet feet for the rest of the hike, most people tried to negotiate this tiny tree trunk. All trailways were experiencing flooding from run-off; we made it up to the Glacier without getting too wet; but by the time we returned to this same crossing, getting wet or not was NOT an option. We did pretty well keeping our feet above the flow.

	There are not too many Glaciers easily accessible on foot. Just a short hike from the Visitor's Center finds you at the base of Exit Glacier. After you see Exit Glacier, you can appreciate the "year markers" that are along the trails. These markers are depicting the year when Exit Glacier was at that spot. Exit Glacier is indeed making an Exit. The Visitor Center has time photos dating back to the late 1800's. As big as this Glacier is now, it used to be so MASSIVE. The markers meant more to us on the walk out; just thinking that the Glacier used to be here, and here, and here all the way back to the parking area....
We camped at Resurrection Campground along the Seward waterfront for two nights. As soon as we arrived, we walked into "town" and signed up for an 8 hour boat cruise for the following morning. So on July 17, we headed out with the Wades and Chandler to see some water wildlife.
It was a very successful viewing day. Larry was able to get some new experience with using a telephoto lens while balancing on a rocking and rolling boat deck. Every time the Captain and Crew made a sighting, all the "photographers" made a dash for the rail. Everyone was so polite, giving one another a chance for a photo from the rail. We feel fortunate that Larry was able to get a couple of Humpback Whale Fluke photos. They blow and come out of the water and disappear real fast. So getting focused on the right spot and the right time takes some doing. So the blurry shots go in the trash bin and the good, clear shots are all that much more special. I think we can really appreciate these wildlife photographers that capture so many incredible photos on the Animal Planet or Discovery Channels.
	Nice Ice! Larry put his camera on rapid fire at one point to catch a Glacier calving. This tour really required a video camera as there is no way the still photos can do justice to the magnificance of these Glaciers breaking away and crashing into the water. The sound is so thunderous. If you've ever seen them in person or seen a good documentary, you know what I mean.


Nesting Puffins....	Massive Sea Lions....


The tour included lunch on board and then a stop at Fox Island for a Salmon Dinner before heading back to Seward.
	Seward is also famous for the Iditarod....So before we left the next morning, we made a quick visit to this historical Mile Post Marker just down from the campground.
That's all for Kronicles #11; On July 18th, we headed North away from the Kenai Peninsula. Stay tuned for Kronicles #12 - Denali National Park and More Wildlife!. See you there!
We want to hear from you too! Let us know what you've been up to. More later...Karla and Larry

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