By Land or Sea

6/15

We got to Alaska about noon – visited the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge. Lots of birds - saw a roosting Trumpeter Swan. Rain off and on - the first time on us since May 4 in Oklahoma City.

Went to Tok and the info center - decided to stay the night at the Sourdough Campground and head for Valdez in the morning. The salmon are running - a little early this year.

The Sourdough Campground has a contesst every night called a pancake toss  - they take this morning leftovers and give everyone two chances to toss it in a bucket  - for a free breakfast  - sourdough pancakes, biscuits and gravy, reindeer and pork sausage,  coffee, juice and friut  - all you can eat   - normally $12.  I watched several people throw it like a fresbee with  no luck, then someone folded one and came close.  I picked out two the same size and weight  - came close on the first one and then had the range and made the second one.  Can’t wait until tomorrow.

Will start posting Alaska stuff under Alaska subheading under Camping.

We are on Meziadin Lake at a provincial campground  - the road ahead of us is closed due to a landslide.  It has been about 4 days and they said maybe tomorrow it will open at noon.  We are stuck on a beautiful lake that has trout  - although we haven’t caught one yet.   We are thinking of going to Stewart, BC and possibly Hyder, Alaska while we are waiting. 

It is roughly 500 miles to the Alaskan Highway near Watson Lake and another 500 miles thru the Yukon to Alaska. We could get there in 6 days without rushing - and can take longer.  We could get there in 3 days too  - but why?

The mosquitos are fierce - hordes of them  - we wear headnets a lot outside.  Other than that - it is about perfect.   We have to meet Chuck and Carol south of Anchorage on June 27th  - that is our schedule.  

Met a real interesting guy (Bob) from the  Faulkland Islands today - he has a small camper and comes up here camping every year or so.   he is heading up to Alaska too.  He was telling about good salmon fishing in Homer on the in coming tide.   Limitt out in an hour??

Just read a forum  - the Reds are running in the Russian river in Alaska  - maybe we should get there in3 days  - or not.

With this program, you can click photos once to enlarge them, and usually click again to enlarge them another time.   Some of them are very large.

We often take over 100 photos a day.  We have both a pocket digital camera as well as a Canon Rebel digital SLR  - with both a lens that goes from 18 - 55mm as well as a 55 - 250mm zoom.

We are posting some photos now and as we get time and a good wifi connection we will add some stuff to the different catagories.