link to pictures with descriptive captions
I've had a few emails from friends that are "riding along with us" on our big adventure and I want to thank each of you for your comments. If anyone has questions for either myself or Barbara, please email me. We have driven over 600 miles on the Kenai Peninsula and enjoyed every mile. All the towns on the peninsula are interesting because of their history and each has a nice visitor center that is a also welcome center.
If you enjoy the excitement of of fishing, hunting, sightseeing, gold prospecting, or just getting away from the normal, this is the place. Our location is 10 miles east of Anchorage across the water of the Turnagain Arm, but by the Seward highway (shortest), it is almost a hundred.
The weather is wet and cloudy, but clearing and blue skies are expected later in the day. We are camped in Porcupine US Forrest Service campground near Hope, AK. It features 24 dry camping sites, 2 water pumps, and two vault toilets. On the plus side, the views of the Cook Inlet/Turnagain Arm, with the mountains in the background are excellent through our picture window looking north. The campsites are well kept and are perfect for our purpose. They are a bargain at $7.00 per night. The camp hosts are a couple from Missouri (retired dairy farmer) and were drawn to Alaska because of its natural beauty. They have been here for 8 years now. I encountered a small black bear yesterday afternoon. No problem, the bear went about his business and I just walked on. We love to watch the low tide expose the beach. At the low tide, I will guess that we can walk 1/4 mile out on the beach. These are good beaches for discovery, but forget about swimming, the water is very cold.
We hit another discovery adventure today. We did a day trip to Hope, AK, on the north coast of the Kenai Peninsula about a mile from our campsite. Hope is the first gold mining boom town in Alaska. It was started in 1896 with about 3000 miners coming with the idea of striking it rich. Many did well but the Klondike rush drew all but a few away from Hope in '96-'97. The gold rush came back and the area grew. Please try to read the pictures 4853-4855 in the picture gallery. I hope you can use the zoom button in the upper right to view in detail.
We were doing the walking tour of Hope when we met Gold Rush Pec, the famous prospector that was featured on the Travel Channel a few years ago. He is a part time miner that also does personal tours of Hope and gives a welcome and a handshake to tourists. He has a partner and together they do a mining demonstration next to the museum. He is a colorful man in his 60s that rides a four wheeler around the area that is equipped with a shotgun, shovel, goldpan and other tools of the trade. He loves to tell you stories about the town and the gold mining. You will recognize him in the picture album.
We spent several hours in the Hope Museum. The Millers are the caretakers of the place. Both Bill and Phyllis have put a lot of work into the place. Bill came to Kenai Peninsula as a young US Army soldier and was stationed at Whittier Army Depot about 45 miles from Hope in 1949 and never left. He worked the areas of Hope and Sunrise. Phyllis worked in the Post Office and never left, somewhat common for folks around here. Some of the old 1900s building are still in service and a few have been repaired and rebuilt by Bill and Phyllis and moved to the museum for viewing.. Lots of work, skill and dedication shows in this museum. Bill and Phyllis have written their personal memories of the 1964 good Friday earthquake in book form. Many parts of the Kenai sank from 3 to 8 feet. Much of Hope was under water and some of the building had to have the foundations jacked up. Bill has a 1947 Dodge Power Wagon, that was the first year for the civilian issue (not a military issue), it was made the same, except came with extras such as front winch and a live shaft in the rear for powering anything needing a flat belt. It might be used for a sawmill or thrasher. He has kept it serviceable all these years. He added an "A" frame to the front of it for lifting.
Today is Sunday the 30th. The sun is shining and the temp is ~48 degrees and warming, a beautiful day is forecast. We will be moving on to Whittier for a stay in the USFS park called Williwaw. It has 60 dry camping sites and is located at the base of the the Portage Glacier. Whittier is a sea port town located on the west end of the Prince William Sound and during the early 1900 was a major supply route for the area. During WW2 and into the cold war time, it was a military supply depot. On our drive to Whittier we will travel a tunnel that is used for trains and cars. The cars travel at certain times only and that depends on the train schedule.
Stayed tuned
No comments:
Post a Comment