Alaska, Vermont and life in between ..........: Freedom

"Let's get out of here". These were my exact words to Bucky, my husband, on July 4th weekend. It had been over a month since we parked our motorhome in front of the cabin. Each morning as I stepped onto the front porch to hook up the dog, the RV appeared like a forsaken lawn ornament rather than a pleasurable traveling machine. Fueled by over 20 hours of daylight, grass had shot up along the back bumper. On several hot sunny evenings, I had removed our bag chairs and plastic folding table from the rear storage and placed them under the awning. Sitting there, sheltered from the sun, I could almost sense enthusiasm and appreciation seeping from the RV's fiberglass walls.
Now, with awning in, refrigerator stocked and a turn of the key in the ignition, we were on our way.
Talkeetna is 114 miles north of Anchorage. We would head to Anchorage and south along the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet to the Kenai Peninsula. The Kenai is often thought of as the "playground" of south central Alaska. The 52 mile stretch of the Seward Highway between Anchorage and the start of the 150 mile long Kenai Peninsula is one of astounding beauty. Once out of Anchorage, I turned to my left, scanning the water of Potter Marsh hoping to see swans,

Anchorage's exclusive hillside living overlooking Potter Marsh and Turnagain Arm.

I looked back to my right as we passed Beluga Point hoping maybe, just maybe, we would see Beluga Whales as we had several years before. I then craned my neck to the left, to look under the motorhome's protruding roof, hoping to see the Dall Sheep that often feed on the ledges above the highway. At the last moment, I caught a glimpse of two standing further back than normal and not in a place to allow Bucky to pull over.

The two lane Seward highway is made dangerous for a number of reasons, the shoulders are narrow and pull-offs are limited, the scenery is incredible which promotes gawking, there is heavy summer traffic and few passing lanes. Locals become frustrated with folks like us and take any opportunity to pass, even with on coming traffic. Accidents are frequent and can keep the highway closed for hours. Fortunately, this wasn't the case today. Glaciers spilled from the Chugach Mountains and Kenai Mountains, terminating in waterfalls and rivers which dropped to the sea. Fog and clouds clung like children's fingers to the mountain peaks, occasionally releasing their tight hold, unveiling mountain summits.

A parking area at the top of Turnagain Pass was home for the night. I took our dog, Fisher, for a much needed walk into the surrounding Turnagain Pass Recreation Area. Lured along by the songs of birds and wild flowers in bloom, our walk was extended as I tried to capture it in photographs.

sparrow, but what kind?

incessant songster

I call these chocolate lilies and they were everywhere

I'm always intrigued by willow roses and why they appear on some willows and not others

We spoke to a German gentleman who inhabited the RV seen above in the parking lot. We see many RVs of this style during our time in Alaska. Europeans love Alaska and spend extended time in the state. They have their motorhomes shipped over. This couple had also traveled throughout South America in this rig. I intend to look up the website displayed on their windshield. Check out the nifty windshield protector. We've replaced our windshield twice!

I wasn't able to capture a small white van in my parking lot picture, but I was able to capture its inhabitant. He emerged in the morning and unwrapped what I first thought was a surf board. He surprised us with his true intention.

The bowls still held snow and he obviously hadn't transitioned to summer. Alaska is a place to recreate!

The mountains towered over us. A family and their dogs walked up onto a near by hill. For some reason, lyrics from "The Sound of Music" ran through my head.....the hills are alive.......

July 4th found us well onto the 150 mile long Kenai Peninsula. There is really just one road to travel, arriving at the end in Homer, that's the Sterling Highway. We celebrated both America's freedom and our own, perched on the sand at Deep Creek State Recreation Area. We laughed at the thought that this made our 3rd time staying there on the 4th of July, none of which were planned. Deep Creek, is a fresh water source flowing into Cook Inlet. Anglers fish the tide as it moves in and out of the creek, along with Bald Eagles. Born scavengers, the eagles enjoy the fish remains that are thrown into the ocean by successful Halibut fisherman. Because of low tides and sandy shore, fishing boats are placed in and pulled out of the water by skidders. It's a frantic place in the early morning and evening when boats are both heading out and coming in with their catch.