Alaska 1.5, Part 1

From Tok, we headed towards Palmer which would be our base until our friends arrived. The weather was hot and the road soft, so soft that we hit a few asphalt patches and splashed tar onto Nemo and Bubbles. It was hot enough for much of it to drip off! Sadly, we had just washed both Nemo and Bubbles in Tok. In Palmer, we had a week to get back into an Alaskan groove of things and it was wonderful.

We met our friends at the Anchorage airport and after they dropped their bags in the hotel, we went to Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria – an Anchorage institution. The next morning, we went with them to pick up their Outdoorsy RV rental. After a quick orientation with the owner, we headed to REI for supplies, stopping first at a bakery for lunch. REI was successful and then it was back to camp. As with any rental car or RV, their rig needed a deep and thorough cleaning. We also took them to the local Fred Meyers for groceries and general supplies.

The next day, I showed them the ropes of filling their freshwater tank and dumping their waste tanks and we were on our way. Our first stop was Denali NP. At Riley Creek, we ended up back in “our” site from last year, a good one for solar. Our five days in the Denali area went too quickly. The weather wasn’t great until the day of our bus ride and hike in the park, which was fabulous. We also took advantage of the local trails and good food options in the area. We ended up spending an extra day in the area and then returned to Palmer for an overnight pit stop.

From Palmer, we headed down towards the Kenai, starting with Portage Glacier. We pause in Alyeska for a mandatory fuel stop as it was going to be a while before we would be near a gas station. In Portage, they went on the boat tour, and we spent time in the visitor’s center and took photos on the lake. After a brief visit, we headed to the main event of this portion of their visit, Seward.

Seward was wonderful in all respects. To start, we were fortunate to snag some prime waterfront campsites. We had lots of great food, hiked in Kenai Fiords NP, they took a boat cruise, and we saw lots of sea life in the waters.

From Seward, we cross the Kenai and were able to see the salmon running. Their trip’s end rapidly approaching, we returned to Eagle River for their last few nights. We ventured into Anchorage and visited the wonderful Anchorage Museum. We even made time for an escape room, great fun!

There was more that they would have liked to have seen and done such as the Arctic (too far) and aurora (too early). All things considered they enjoyed their 16-day tour of Alaska.