Tuesday 7/9/19 -we depart Denali National Park and continue our Alaska adventure. Heading South we head next for the famous “Kenai Peninsula”. Our path first had to take us through Anchorage, AK. – We have discussed this stop many times and on the way down finally decide this will just be a provisions stop. We get our chores done on the way including picking up a new bathroom scale, which was destroyed in the slide out fascia catastrophe back near Whitehorse, Yukon. The scale was at Bed, Bath & Beyond and when arriving to park in the parking lot we encountered the most intense speed bump of our RV life which actually felt like we were going to flip over when crossing. Actually nearly every drawer in the RV flew open and needless to say we had considerable amount of pick-up to do before parking…. (Yikes it was just a speed bump…) We stopped at Costco for gas and Walmart for groceries. Also we needed to stop at the local Winnebago dealer to get about 6 drawer parts that were damaged with the speed bump. Late in the day we pulled into Anchorage’s Cabela’s RV parking lot with hopes of staying for the night given how late it was. Mike goes in to be sure we can overnight here as there are signs everywhere saying no overnight camping. The manager says this is to keep homeless people from moving in for good. At that time there are probably 5 other RVs there. But by midnight every slot is full. After we had fallen asleep a late arriving Trailer pulls in next us with the only remaining site and the guy immediately starts his portable generator- right next to our door! It stays on all night? But we keep our mouths shut and endure- moving on the next day. After all- it is a free site…. One thing you have to be careful of here is the amount of crime in the area and theft. We fortunately didn’t have an issue though talked to several that had.
One of the best parts of our day in Anchorage, AK was getting to have lunch with our good friend Lisa from Connecticut and her son Jack who were visiting friends/family in the Anchorage area. While we love our full-time adventures and lifestyle it is always nice to get re-connected with someone from little New England hometown of 30 years back in Connecticut….
A nice meet-up with Lisa from Connecticut…
Wednesday 7/10 – We continue our drive to The Kenai Peninsula and towards Homer, AK. We had been aware of forest fires since arriving in Alaska, though heading south along the coastline on the Kenai we couldn’t believe the amount of smoke against the mountains. Actually we saw several fires from the road with helicopters dropping large buckets of water on them collected from adjacent lakes. Interesting to watch. Often the rule continues to be let the forest burn and extend control when needed. Seeing flames and smoke from the road always makes for a little anxiety …We will be on high-alert while traveling the Kanai.
Another fire burns on the Kenai Peninsula…
We had been told by Joanne’s sister (The Esteve’s) about a nice, quiet, campground in Ninilchik, right on the water where the most of eagles you have ever seen are on the beach. We decide to check it out and hopefully use it as a base for trips to the Homer Spit in the Mini the following day. While primitive, the special gems of camping here in Ninilchik are: right on the water, inexpensive, and the eagle sitings are unbelievable!!! We are so glad we camped here!
Ninilchik Campground…
Did I say Eagles…
Did I say Eagles…
Did I say Eagles…
One of the craziest things we saw while camping on the beach in Ninilchik was how the charter fishing industry here launches boats from the beach. They have these crazy BIG tractors, that literately go right into the surf with large trailers attached, that are used to both launch and bring the charter fishing boats back in. They are all rusted beyond belief though continue to perform this daily task all day long. The boats are big… and the tractors are nearly bigger….
Ninilchik boat launch…
Homer along with the famous “Homer Spit” is a geographical landmark located in Homer, Alaska on the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula. The spit is a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) long piece of land jutting out into Kachemak Bay. It’s the end of the road on the Kenai and is full of tourists, shops, restaurants, charters, and some large campgrounds by the water… Although it’s a must for visiting the Kenai it is a little too crowded for our liking. There were RVs parked everywhere! We walked the shops and people watched for a few hours before stopping for some excellent Fish and Chips before starting the 25 mile ride back to Ninilchik and our campground. Since the sun never sets up here this time of the year we still got to enjoy a late day beverage on the beach at the campground and again got treated to another evening of spectacular eagle viewing….
Welcome to Homer, AK…
Homer, AK Beach…
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Friday 7/12- our 39th anniversary…
We depart Ninilchik and begin our drive towards Seward, AK. The drive again is bumpy, with the occasional frost heave, though no big issues. A convenient stopover in Soldotna, AK is at a Fred Meyers Store where we get gas, propane, dump our tanks and take on water. This is a good stop but difficult to maneuver in the parking lot- very tight aisles and very busy / crowded parking lot. The stop is successful and on we go towards Seward. The drive once again is spectacular. Our family (Deb and Tony E.) had told us about a boon-docking spot on the river up by Exit Glacier but we decide to head into town first. The town seems crazy at first with all the RV’s right down on the bay but we end up pulling into Marathon Campground (one of the many city campgrounds) and liking it so we decide to park and pay the fee. As we are sitting outside enjoying our anniversary champagne and our Outland propane fire pit, the guy next door comes over and we start talking and find out they are from Westbrook. CT! The town next to our old home town of Clinton. What are the chances of that!? After wandering through town we decide to cook at home BUT- we did wander into town for ice cream after dinner- yummy! What the heck; it’s our anniversary… A very quiet night here despite the number of campers. Camp -sites are first come here so all you have to do is park in an available site, pay your fee at the automated kiosk, and then place your ticket on the windshield. apparently you can move or relocate to any site you want that is available once you pay and display your ticket. Those that are in truck campers or class b’s, that leave for the day, often get creative with chairs, cones, tents , and whatever they can muster to make sure no one takes their site when they are gone for the day…
Saturday 7/13:
Seward, AK
As we are cooking breakfast, we notice that the camper directly across from us that was directly on the water has pulled out so as is advertised, we can pull up our jacks and move into his spot. Now we will have two days of direct waterfront camping on Resurrection Bay! No cruise ships in now so we can watch fishing boats go out, glacier tour boats go out, glaciers, bald eagles, and sea otters playing right in front of our camper! We also notice the truck camper parked next to us has an Assateague Island liscense plate on it! Again- what are the odds!!?? At 9:15 we walk over to where our glacier and sea life tour will depart. One of the nice things about staying in this campground is that everything in town is within walking distance. We had been recommended several tours of Resurrection Bay while visiting Seward, AK and after diligent research Joanne decides the National Park Ranger accompanied all day Major Marine Tour is the best option. Also for a nominal fee it includes a Prime Rib and Salmon dinner on board. We walk into town and get our ticket for the following day. While in town we also stop and tour the Kenai Fjords National Park Visitors Center and of course Joanne gets her National Park Passport book stamped…
Kenai Fjords National Park…
Major Marine Tours…
Our campsite on “Resurrection Bay”…
Our campsite on “Resurrection Bay”…
A campsite visit from a bald eagle…
Our favorite “chill” wildlife – Sea-otters…
Sunday 7/14/19:
At 9:15 we walk over to Major Marines Dock where our glacier and sea life tour will depart.
The day cruise is relaxing and we see a lot of sea life including eagles, sea otters, puffins, whales, harbor seals and stellar sea lions. We also see many glaciers close up with the best one’s being Holgate and Aialik glacier. We could also hear the Aialik glacier calving, cracking and saw some pieces falling into the water. On this tour we signed up for the salmon and prime rib buffet and it didn’t disappoint! All of the crew on the boat were helpful and very professional. We especially liked our National Park Ranger, Mia. For a young girl she was knowledgable and outgoing. Probably the only challenge for the day was it was a very rainy, dreary, and cold, especially when we got close to the glaciers. I would highly recommend winter jackets and rain gear for this trip. Although we did bring layers and had hats/gloves we were both still pretty cold by the end of the day. I just think it was the amount of time in the rain when we ventured outside to see the sea life/glaciers at the myriad of stops during the day. Inside the cabins it was fine and they had plenty of warm tea to keep us going… All in all we both agreed this trip was well worth the $$!
Our Major Marine stops in The Kenai Fjords NP…
Holgate Glacier…
Fin whales…
Aialik Glacier…
Puffins…
7/15: Seward AK
We wake up again to another dreary and cloudy morning in Seward with forecast for rain. We had already planned to do a hike this day of either – Exit Glacier (shorter and easier) or the Harding Ice Field (very strenuous). Of course Mike chooses the harder of the two. As soon as we arrive at the visitor’s center we are greeted by Mia, the same National Park Ranger from our Major Marine tour the day before. Mia gives us some information about the hike and we head outside and start our walk to the trail head.
Harding Ice field Glacier Hike…
Here comes the clouds…
As we start up the trail there is a sign-in book for those venturing up this trail. Strictly a precaution, I’m guessing, though this might be a clue for what the day has in store for us… As we begin the 8 mile round trip hike it begins to rain and then pour. The hike is truly strenuous with a steep vertical climb and a little scrambling at points. We are soaked in a matter of minutes though we are on a mission to hike today…It doesn’t seem as bad as the hike we did in Denali, but after a short time with the pouring rain and now cold weather, we both agree it is more challenging- even if it is psychological! There are several people on the trail we pass in both directions. They are all soaked and many are shivering and I wonder if we look the same? As we reach the first stopping point/vista, Joanne is ready to turn back but we push on! As we continue the hike we actually don’t see a sign for the second stopping point so we speculate we must have passed it already and there either wasn’t a sign or we didn’t see it. We begin traversing over the first of three snow fields nearing the glacier and it is slippery and wet. By the time we reach the middle of the second snow field, the cloud and mist has gotten so thick we we can barely see in front of us. Although we wanted to get to the top, the voice of reason as maybe a little retirement wisdom kicks in and we decide: “whats the point? “ We decide to call it a day and turn back. Usually descending is considerably faster, though not today. Given the rain hasn’t slowed in nearly 3 hours the trail is actually very slippery and borderline treacherous at points. When we reach the bottom of the trail, and bump into Mia again (the park ranger) who is checking on the trail log book, which we had signed when we started. She could not believe we had hiked now nearing 5 hours in this weather. She indicates we had done good…. We are cold, tired and ready to be back at the camper. Driving back we both reflect on the day’s hike and feel a sense of accomplishment. This was a very challenging hiking day though we are both grateful for the another great experience in Alaska on this “Revolutionary journey”….
Mike Nunan is a committed life long learner... Deciding to sell their Connecticut home after 30 years in 2018, where they raised their family, and then selling his business, followed by his wife Joanne deciding to retire from her 34 year teaching career, together they embarked on this full-time RV adventure... traveling, exploring, photographing, hiking, and enjoying this incredible world and gift we call life...
Driving into Alberta, Canada, in our southern trek back to[...]
About us
RV'ers, Traveler's, & Bloggers
We are the Nunan's. College sweethearts who married 44 years ago. Joanne a teacher & Mike a professional photographer. We have 2 incredible adult children that we take pride in everyday and are thankful for the life, experience, and adventure we have on this "Revolutionary Journey"....
