We awoke this morning around 2am to the sound of rain. It rained all day and we were socked in with fog until about 6:30 pm, much different that what we see in the Four Corners area of New Mexico. Brad had been clearing the pad on our lot the last two days and what he found when he drove out there this morning was pretty much a mud bog. He couldn't do any digging or dirt moving, but he had rented the backhoe for the week so he called out for four loads of pit run, the preliminary base for our drive and got that spread out. I was off work by that time, so when he came home he suggested we go for a drive out to the Spit and take Brandy for a walk on the beach. The trouble with that idea was that the wind was blowing about 45 mph on the Spit with a wind chill of about 35 degrees. It was totally worth the effort, though, with what nature shared with us.
We spotted a bald eagle slowing to perch on a dead tree stump sticking up out of the water at high tide as we drove onto the Spit. He was magnificent. A moment later we spotted a huge otter floating on his back in the water not 50 feet from us, with something round and white laying on his belly. We pulled over into the parking lot and got the binoculars out and saw that he had a fish folded in half and he was eating it. He seemed perfectly comfortable with the growing number of spectators that had gathered to watch him. We wandered over toward a group of buildings that tourists like to flock to. A couple of restaurants, a chartering business, a gift shop and a FedEx outlet for shipping fish were lined up on a raised wooden dock of sorts above the water.
We crossed the road toward the boat docks to look at the various boats tied up, and get out of the wind. We saw at least ten boats that Brad said he would really like to have. When our house in NM sells, we're buying a boat, he tells me. I'm sure we will. It was fun walking around the slips, even in the misty rain, watching Brandy bounce around, happy to be running free and not stuck under the camper as she was all day while it rained. I was glad to be out too, and not couped up in the fifth wheel any longer. I shudder to think we were planning to bring just a camper shell...thank you Bob and Teri for helping us see the error of our ways! So like I said, Brandy was running around all happy and in a split second,I saw her look down at the water and in she jumped! Ok, that's cool, but how do you get an 80 pound dog out of the water that's a foot lower than the dock? She kept swimming away from Brad who was calling her, so I got down on my knees and grabbed her by the scruff until Brad could get down on his knees and pull her up. Whew!! I had visions of falling in myself since I wasn't totally balanced as I leaned over to grab her. Yeah, expecting a lab not to jump in the water was like expecting a kid in a candy store to keep his hands to himself! She was totally happy now that she was all wet and we were pretty wet by then too, so I told Brad that we should head back for a hot bowl of chili and cornbread I was making for supper. A perfect ending to a less than perfect day!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Our Piece of Heaven
Well, I thought it might be time to fill you in on our last week or so since we arrived at our destination, or THOUGHT we had. We picked an RV site close to the Kenai River Visitor Center and began searching for a piece of land that we could call home. Brad had done months of research and had about 20 pieces for us to look at. We fully expected to quickly find what we wanted so we could relax and do some serious fishing! We looked at all those and had one that we considered a possibility. It was about 4 miles from where we were camped up Funny River Road and we had to pass a small airstip full of bush planes that made Brad all giddy with excitement, so that alone gave value to the location. The land was narrow and long so the landowners in the area could enjoy a similar view of Mt. Redoubt, a strikingly beautiful volcanic mountain across Cook Inlet. The view from this piece was framed by huge birch trees and covered with thick tall grass in the back of the lot. An area had been cleared for a home by the realtor that owned the lot, but the alders had grown to about six feet so we had to push our way through them to even see the view, and then the lot sloped downward from there.
We weren't entirely sure that we wanted to deal with being surrounded by huge trees on this lot and both neighbors' trees and probably not being able to even see the sun from there during the short days of winter in Alaska. We kept looking, talking to different realtors, learning more about the area, and not finding that perfect place.
Last Tuesday, we went to Keith and Edie MacPhail's home for a freshly caught salmon dinner. We hadn't seen them for years since they lived in Farmington, so it was very heart-warming to see them and their newborn son, Everett or Ev, they call him. We had a wonderful evening with them, catching up on each other's lives and falling in love with the view they had from their beachfront home on Cook Inlet. Huge picture windows framed an unobstructed view of Mt. Redoubt, so we began to talk about looking for land on the Inlet. It didn't take long to realize our pocketbooks weren't deep enough to purchase even a less-than desirable location close to Kenai or Soldotna, so we started looking south. When we were here 11 years ago, we traveled all the way down to Homer and were captivated by the views, but land prices had been driven sky high by future retirees from the lower 48, so we didn't think it would even be a place we could consider looking. A realtor we called from a lot in Clam Gulch told us about some pieces of land for sale that might fit the bill, so we continued south and found some of them she described but not all. We decided to go on into Homer to find her office and get more details. She gave us quite a few to look at but strongly suggested a new subdivision called Panoramic Heights just north of Homer. We went up there and found a subdivision of large lots in rolling hills with what we assumed was good views. The listings we picked up from Angie Newby, the realtor, revealed amazing views of part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, volcanic mountains across Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay, but the clouds were low and grey preventing any chance of a view. We went up there the next day but still couldn't see across the bay. We met one of the neighbors and after talking with him for a few minutes, asked if we'd like to come in to meet his wife. We did and had a very informative visit with Bob and Sue Redmond who had lived there a couple of years. They had huge windows across the north side of their house and said the views were incredible. They told us their wells were shallow and the water is good. The loop around the neighborhood made for a good daily walk, but with only three houses built so far and a lot of trees already removed, we would be able to enjoy the sunshine all year round in a nearly empty subdivision.
We made an offer on Lot 34 which had the best views of all the listings only to find out that the lot had sold two years ago and the listing realtor failed to remove it from MLS! After being bummed out for a while, we spent more time and made an offer on the lot just below that one and got it; we closed on Thursday! Monday Brad is having a backhoe delivered so a culvert can be put in and will then scrape a pad so he can start digging the footings of our new place. The grass and fireweed are 5 - 6 feet tall so we're looking for a heavy duty mower too.
We fell in love with the small town atmosphere of Homer right away; so different from the "city-like" commercial districts of Kenai and Soldotna. The Homer Spit juts out for five miles into Kachemak Bay and has RV parks, restaurants that have the best clam and seafood chowder I have ever tasted, places to charter fishing boats, and a huge floating harbor that rises and falls with the tide (about 20') and houses about 1500 boats. Each afternoon when the charter boats come in, they display their catch of the day and take pictures. We watched two young men whose job is to fillet huge salmon and halibut and do so easily and quickly. Yesterday, a 90 pound hallibut was brought in, we were told. We put a deposit down to go out on one of these charters in two weeks when Bob and Teri come up, so we hope to have a good supply of fish to bring home to New Mexico.
This morning, the skies were clear and blue but I noticed that the clouds appeared to be resting on the water, so it looks like it will be a glorious day. We are going to stake out the location of our home to be, then we are going to do some fishing from the bank off the tip of the Spit. Flounder seems to be a regular catch from there. A few nights ago, we were walking along there with our new friends from Michigan, Dean and Paula, when a young boy offered us a 16" flounder he had caught. It was very flat and covered in short spikes and I had absolutely no idea how to prepare such a fish. We tried cooking it the next night seasoned in foil but it was rather mushy, so I need to find a good recipe if we catch any others.
Sorry I was long winded again, so I will sign off for now...until next time!
We weren't entirely sure that we wanted to deal with being surrounded by huge trees on this lot and both neighbors' trees and probably not being able to even see the sun from there during the short days of winter in Alaska. We kept looking, talking to different realtors, learning more about the area, and not finding that perfect place.
Last Tuesday, we went to Keith and Edie MacPhail's home for a freshly caught salmon dinner. We hadn't seen them for years since they lived in Farmington, so it was very heart-warming to see them and their newborn son, Everett or Ev, they call him. We had a wonderful evening with them, catching up on each other's lives and falling in love with the view they had from their beachfront home on Cook Inlet. Huge picture windows framed an unobstructed view of Mt. Redoubt, so we began to talk about looking for land on the Inlet. It didn't take long to realize our pocketbooks weren't deep enough to purchase even a less-than desirable location close to Kenai or Soldotna, so we started looking south. When we were here 11 years ago, we traveled all the way down to Homer and were captivated by the views, but land prices had been driven sky high by future retirees from the lower 48, so we didn't think it would even be a place we could consider looking. A realtor we called from a lot in Clam Gulch told us about some pieces of land for sale that might fit the bill, so we continued south and found some of them she described but not all. We decided to go on into Homer to find her office and get more details. She gave us quite a few to look at but strongly suggested a new subdivision called Panoramic Heights just north of Homer. We went up there and found a subdivision of large lots in rolling hills with what we assumed was good views. The listings we picked up from Angie Newby, the realtor, revealed amazing views of part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, volcanic mountains across Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay, but the clouds were low and grey preventing any chance of a view. We went up there the next day but still couldn't see across the bay. We met one of the neighbors and after talking with him for a few minutes, asked if we'd like to come in to meet his wife. We did and had a very informative visit with Bob and Sue Redmond who had lived there a couple of years. They had huge windows across the north side of their house and said the views were incredible. They told us their wells were shallow and the water is good. The loop around the neighborhood made for a good daily walk, but with only three houses built so far and a lot of trees already removed, we would be able to enjoy the sunshine all year round in a nearly empty subdivision.
We made an offer on Lot 34 which had the best views of all the listings only to find out that the lot had sold two years ago and the listing realtor failed to remove it from MLS! After being bummed out for a while, we spent more time and made an offer on the lot just below that one and got it; we closed on Thursday! Monday Brad is having a backhoe delivered so a culvert can be put in and will then scrape a pad so he can start digging the footings of our new place. The grass and fireweed are 5 - 6 feet tall so we're looking for a heavy duty mower too.
We fell in love with the small town atmosphere of Homer right away; so different from the "city-like" commercial districts of Kenai and Soldotna. The Homer Spit juts out for five miles into Kachemak Bay and has RV parks, restaurants that have the best clam and seafood chowder I have ever tasted, places to charter fishing boats, and a huge floating harbor that rises and falls with the tide (about 20') and houses about 1500 boats. Each afternoon when the charter boats come in, they display their catch of the day and take pictures. We watched two young men whose job is to fillet huge salmon and halibut and do so easily and quickly. Yesterday, a 90 pound hallibut was brought in, we were told. We put a deposit down to go out on one of these charters in two weeks when Bob and Teri come up, so we hope to have a good supply of fish to bring home to New Mexico.
This morning, the skies were clear and blue but I noticed that the clouds appeared to be resting on the water, so it looks like it will be a glorious day. We are going to stake out the location of our home to be, then we are going to do some fishing from the bank off the tip of the Spit. Flounder seems to be a regular catch from there. A few nights ago, we were walking along there with our new friends from Michigan, Dean and Paula, when a young boy offered us a 16" flounder he had caught. It was very flat and covered in short spikes and I had absolutely no idea how to prepare such a fish. We tried cooking it the next night seasoned in foil but it was rather mushy, so I need to find a good recipe if we catch any others.
Sorry I was long winded again, so I will sign off for now...until next time!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
We Made It
Right now I'm sitting at a picnic table beside our camper in warm sunshine under cloudless skies here in Soldotna, Alaska, listening to a student pilot fly overhead making his touch and go take offs and landings on a strip very close to us on Funny River Road. The last couple of days have been rainy and cloudy, but the cool felt nice after the scorching heat of New Mexico. I couldn't obtain an internet connection or even make a cell phone call during most of the way here, so this entry will be a bit lengthy to get you caught up. I know it's been a couple of weeks since I posted my first blog about our upcoming trip to Alaska, but it has been a very full two weeks. We left home on Thursday afternoon, August 4, and couldn't believe that we were actually on our way. We wound our way up through Utah, Montana, Idaho, and Washington and saw some beautiful country we'd never seen before. We had our share of calamaties along the way, however.
The second day out, we didn't shut the refrigerator door completely and found most everything on the floor when we stopped for lunch. Two or three of the plastic door shelves had broken, too, so we had to rearrange everything in the fridge after we cleaned up the milky mess. The next day, we pulled into Grand Coulee Dam for a break and noticed two of our trailer tires were dangerously worn on the outside edge so we purchased a new set of tires the following morning and got back underway. We kept the best two tires for spares and went on our way. A couple of days later I was driving when I saw a tire appear in the oncoming lane rolling along with us and told Brad, "I think we just lost a tire!" Of course he thought the worst until we realized that one of the spares had come loose. We found and restrapped the tire and kept going. The next day Brad was driving and say that something just flew off the truck and thought it was the bumper hitch. Sure enough, the bumper hitch was missing and we noticed a huge dent in the trailer below the front exterior compartment. Never found the hitch in the weeds along the roadside, but oh well. Each day of driving took us closer and closer.
As soon as we crossed the Canadian border the landscape took on a whole new perspective. The road was lined with one orchard after the other full of apples, peaches, pears, cherries, blueberries, blackberries and fruit stands everywhere to stop and buy whatever we wanted. Huge lakes appeared around every other bend in the road it seemed. Summerland had a canal that cut through the city and thousands of swim suit clad young people were floating down the canal or standing on the side of the road waiting for their ride to take them back up. The longest lake I have ever seen ran along the highway full of boaters and people enjoying the last bit of summer.
At Cottonwood RV park on the Kuanne Lake in the Yukon was probably the most beautiful place we stayed but it was cold and windy there. There were a couple of grizzlies in the camp the next morning, so all the travelers were out trying to get photos. One young woman we spoke to was walking her dog early that morning when she spotted the bears about 25 feet from her. One stood on his hind legs to get a better look, she said, so she didn't waste any time backing away.
The closer we got to the Alaskan border the worse the road got. We had read about the frost upheavals, thata cause the highway to buckle up, but had a close encounter that shook us to the core. We were driving about 60 mph along fairly good road, and hit a part of the highway that had heaved up to a point and sent us airborne! The truck hit hard as it came back down to the pavement, then the trailer followed suit, jarring us to the bone. We later learned that it broke the small table between the two recliners, the bottom out of one of the dining chairs, and busted a vertical section of the closet so the door will not shut any longer. Our stuff was strewn all over the camper as you can imagine. But yet we kept pushing toward the northwest, anxious to end this seemingly endless journey.
On the evening of the ninth day, we pulled into Soldotna and found a quiet campground that we've been staying in for three nights now. We have been watching anglers on the Kenai and Kasiloff Rivers and boaters floating the river as they try to catch their limit of silver salmon, or coho. Just now did Brad bring out his fishing rod to get it set up for our first try at fishing tomorrow morning.
We have looked at probably 20 pieces of land the last two days and have three possible candidates so far. We want to make sure we spend an approprite amount of time looking before we make our choice. We'd like something with a view and plenty of sunshine, so we're determined not to buy until we are completely satisfied. I'll be back in touch soon to let you know how things are going. Hopefully, I won't have so much to write about and will keep it short and sweet. Till then...adios!
The second day out, we didn't shut the refrigerator door completely and found most everything on the floor when we stopped for lunch. Two or three of the plastic door shelves had broken, too, so we had to rearrange everything in the fridge after we cleaned up the milky mess. The next day, we pulled into Grand Coulee Dam for a break and noticed two of our trailer tires were dangerously worn on the outside edge so we purchased a new set of tires the following morning and got back underway. We kept the best two tires for spares and went on our way. A couple of days later I was driving when I saw a tire appear in the oncoming lane rolling along with us and told Brad, "I think we just lost a tire!" Of course he thought the worst until we realized that one of the spares had come loose. We found and restrapped the tire and kept going. The next day Brad was driving and say that something just flew off the truck and thought it was the bumper hitch. Sure enough, the bumper hitch was missing and we noticed a huge dent in the trailer below the front exterior compartment. Never found the hitch in the weeds along the roadside, but oh well. Each day of driving took us closer and closer.
As soon as we crossed the Canadian border the landscape took on a whole new perspective. The road was lined with one orchard after the other full of apples, peaches, pears, cherries, blueberries, blackberries and fruit stands everywhere to stop and buy whatever we wanted. Huge lakes appeared around every other bend in the road it seemed. Summerland had a canal that cut through the city and thousands of swim suit clad young people were floating down the canal or standing on the side of the road waiting for their ride to take them back up. The longest lake I have ever seen ran along the highway full of boaters and people enjoying the last bit of summer.
At Cottonwood RV park on the Kuanne Lake in the Yukon was probably the most beautiful place we stayed but it was cold and windy there. There were a couple of grizzlies in the camp the next morning, so all the travelers were out trying to get photos. One young woman we spoke to was walking her dog early that morning when she spotted the bears about 25 feet from her. One stood on his hind legs to get a better look, she said, so she didn't waste any time backing away.
The closer we got to the Alaskan border the worse the road got. We had read about the frost upheavals, thata cause the highway to buckle up, but had a close encounter that shook us to the core. We were driving about 60 mph along fairly good road, and hit a part of the highway that had heaved up to a point and sent us airborne! The truck hit hard as it came back down to the pavement, then the trailer followed suit, jarring us to the bone. We later learned that it broke the small table between the two recliners, the bottom out of one of the dining chairs, and busted a vertical section of the closet so the door will not shut any longer. Our stuff was strewn all over the camper as you can imagine. But yet we kept pushing toward the northwest, anxious to end this seemingly endless journey.
On the evening of the ninth day, we pulled into Soldotna and found a quiet campground that we've been staying in for three nights now. We have been watching anglers on the Kenai and Kasiloff Rivers and boaters floating the river as they try to catch their limit of silver salmon, or coho. Just now did Brad bring out his fishing rod to get it set up for our first try at fishing tomorrow morning.
We have looked at probably 20 pieces of land the last two days and have three possible candidates so far. We want to make sure we spend an approprite amount of time looking before we make our choice. We'd like something with a view and plenty of sunshine, so we're determined not to buy until we are completely satisfied. I'll be back in touch soon to let you know how things are going. Hopefully, I won't have so much to write about and will keep it short and sweet. Till then...adios!
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