Day 45 Seward, AK

We arrived in Seward and are staying at Stoney Creek RV Park.

Pam is reading the park rules to Heidi. Hope it doesn't say anything about sitting on the picnic tables.

 

We took a drive into town so Lon and Pam could make their dog sled tour reservation.

These are just a few of the sights that caught our eye.

. They are having  a huge Salmon Derby here this weekend. Fishing people everywhere!

Day 44 Last Day in Ninilchick

Our last day in Ninilchik was bitter sweet. We enjoyed our stay with our new friends Phil and Dee (owners of Beachcomber Motel and RV Park) so much, that none of us really wanted to leave. They treated us to a true Alaska experience that has been the highlight of our trip so far. We were treated like family and they shared so much knowledge about Alaska and her history and beauty. Wonderful memories were made that can never be forgotten.

Lon and Pam walked up to the Russian Orthadox Church in the village behind the RV park. It was quite a hike UP hill. 

Jerry declined the invitation to join them.

Our motorhomes with Mt. Redoubt in front of them. 

                       Pam got this shot from the church on the hill. Now you know why Jerry declined.

And since he reserved his energy, he made us all one of his delicious ruben sandwiches for dinner!

 After dinner we went to Phil and Dee's for our last night cocktails.
Tomorrow...on to Seward for dog sledding on the Glacier! Weather permitting.

 

Day 43 Ninilchik

Beautiful sunny day in Ninilchik.  A great day for digging clams.
                                                     This is your basic clam digging uniform.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, off to claming we go.

Phil and Dee (left), the campground owners, provided the equipment and instruction.

Let the digging begin.

Lon did his part.

Heidi came back to report on the progress.

And they dug.

And dug.

Looks like they are wearing down.

Stop to wash the bounty.

The Hunter-Gatherers return.

 The bounty. The Pacific razor clam (Siliqua patula) is an exceptionally meaty shellfish which ranges from California to Alaska. It is abundant on surf-pounded ocean beaches, but also occurs in sheltered areas along the coast. Razor clams found in Alaska may grow to eleven inches in length and live to be 15 years old, due to colder water temperatures and slower growth rates. You need an Alaska fishing license to harvest clams.

First wash the hunter-gatherers.

Then wash the clams again and a short dip in boiling water.

Then comes the shucking of the shells.

Then the gutting

and cleaning instructions.

When the woman's work was done, they rested and drank beer.

Pam made Clam chowder and Lon made Fried Clams.

And Heidi supervised and wondered why it took so long?

After dinner, Phil and Dee over for the camp fire social gathering.

They explained that this is a "Sun Dog".

Look it up.

They also ask us to stay another day, "on Phil". Pretty nice offer, we will have to consider!

Day 42 - Ninilchik

We got up and got moving so we could buy some Halibut and King Crab Legs from the local fish monger.  But on the way we went past the greenhouse.  Have we told you about the flowers?  

Having accomplished our mission we loaded up and moved an hour down the road to the RV park we found yesterday.  The park itself is not much to look at but the view.....

                                                                       We set up camp

                                                     and were awe inspired by Mt. Redoubt

                                       there was a stream where we saw the Salmon running

                                  a small village behind our rigs on the other side of the stream

 an abandoned restuarant that Pam and Gail thought they could make a go of

                 but Jerry and Lon thought Mt. Redoubt was a little too close given it's action in 1989

                                               A marina at the end and at the end of the season

                                             The owners scheduled a little entertainment for us

                                   tearing down the old motel to make way for 3 more RV sights

Jerry and Lon were bummed they wouldn't let them "play" with the big Tonka Toy.

Pam wanted steak for dinner so Lon did the grilling, Pam and Gail the rest of the cooking and Jerry supervised which is what you do when you can't do nothing else

Then we settled in to watch the sunset over the volcano, Mount Redoubt, or Redoubt Volcano, an active stratovolcano in the largely volcanic Aleutian Range of the U.S. state of Alaska. Located in the Chigmit Mountains (a subrange of the Aleutians), the mountain is just west of Cook Inlet, in the Kenai Peninsula Borough about 180 km (110 mi) southwest of Anchorage. Mount Redoubt towers 9,000 feet (2,700 m) above the surrounding valleys to the north, south, and southeast in little over 5 miles (8 km); it is also the third highest within the range, with nearby Mount Torbert, at 11,413 feet, being the highest and Mount Spurrat 11,070 feet being the second highest.

Active for millennia, Mount Redoubt has erupted five times since 1900: in 1902, 1922, 1966, 1989 and 2009. The eruption in 1989 spewed volcanic ash to a height of 45,000 ft (14,000 m) and caught KLM Flight 867, a Boeing 747 aircraft, in its plume (the flight landed safely at Anchorage). The ash blanketed an area of about 7,700 sq mi (20,000 km²).

     We made a fire (we not including Jerry who again supervised)

                                          Our hosts came down and joined us for a glass of vino

                                After several glasses we watched the moon come up over the village

                                                              Tomorrow, clamming!!