We landed in Soldotna, Alaska
8 days is a long time for us to stay put! Of course, there was a reason for this length of stay in one place. Big Red!!! (Our F350) Repairs were made. Although, when we fueled, the new fill hose leaked. I was able to see the problem quickly and fix it. We got up on Wednesday morning packing up to leave. There is a process to follow, for each of us, so as to complete our successful launch to our next site. All the people we meet came by to say goodbye. It is very nice to meet the unique people along the way. We didn’t get underway until about 1:00. We had not made reservations. We just headed south on the Glen Highway toward Anchorage. After Anchorage, the Cook Inlet opens up and the views are specular. We saw a number of boondocking pull offs and felt like if nothing opened up ahead, we could always come back to one of these areas. The more we drove the greater the scenery as it just got bigger and better even as it was raining off and on. The Cook Inlet is huge. The steep, snow covered mountains lining the west side are volcanic, up to 10,000 elevations.
The truck was running great and it felt like it had more power. I guess changing all the tank’s parts, including the Sender assembly, has made a difference. Time will tell. Today we are happy with Big Red running great — on to the next thing.
On our way to the Kenai Peninsula, we were trying to make up our minds whether we would head down Homer or Seward. We decided to call to make a reservation in Seward. Since we were held off by the campground not being able to accommodate us until the following Monday, we made the reservation and headed to the Homer side. We were a little uncomfortable, as other fellow campers said the Kenai can be difficult if the salmon are running. Which, of course, the salmon were running in different areas thru-out the Kenai Peninsula. We were not sure of the boondocking pull off available. At times, we would obtain a campsite for a night or two, then explore looking for boondocking. We are slowly learning to have faith one will be available.
So, off to the Homer side of the Peninsula. Soldotna being the first stop since we had a week before our reservation in Seward. We stopped at a campground on the way to Soldotna. It was getting colder and the rain was getting heavier. The sites were way too small so we continued along. We had passed a couple of pull offs suitable for boondocking, however, since it was cold and rainy, we opted for a campground, if possible. When we ordered our rig, we had a heat pump installed. Obviously, the heat pump does not do well with the generator or solar. We did not have much solar power accumulated. Our rig also has a propane furnace we could have used. We arrived at Soldotna and were turned away at the next campground because they were full. The guy on the desk said he thought the campground up the road might have a spot. After looking out to see our rig filling his driveway, he took the initiative to check if the other campground had a site. He said they did and we headed over. We usually find a pull through but not today. We just felt lucky at that point to get anything. We were able to swing wide and get into the site on the first try. We set up quickly getting wet in the process. The rain got heavier and heavier. It was good that we had a site and power because the rain was not stopping. We turned on the heat pump.
Soldotna has most anything you need. Kenai, the next town north, has a Walmart. Go figure!!! The next morning, we stocked up. As always, we started exploring. We made our way up to Captain Cook State Park at the end of the road after the town of Nikiski. Captain Cook State Park is a beautiful location with great views of the Cook Inlet. The campground is for smaller rigs so we didn’t feel like we would fit. We passed several pull offs driving along the Cook Inlet coast. We could have made use of them. The beach at Kenai is worth a walk. The tide rises and falls maybe 12 to 15 feet. The beach sits at the beginning of the Kenai River. We saw people driving on the beach and tenting as well. There are steep cliffs and lots of birds. We also found the city boat launch and an outlook over the salt marsh.
The next day, leaving our rig at the campground, we drove south along the Sterling Highway toward Homer. The drive has great views of the Cook Inlet. We took pictures of the Inlet and the volcanic Mountains beyond. The Mountains are in the 10,000 elevation range and snow covered. We found a state campground at Deep Creek located right on the beach. The campground has several rows along the beach. The road is rough going in, however, the view is magnificent. We will plan to come back and spend several days here. There are several nice pull offs on the Sterling Highway between Soldotna and Homer. Boondocking is not a problem.
On to Homer. There is a beautiful overlook on the way south to the city of Homer, the Homer spit as well as the areas north and west. Stunning views!!! You can also see the massive Cook Inlet. Driving into Homer you have the flavor of a fishing village. The Homer Spit is where the action is. The Spit has several campgrounds, many City-owned. Driving onto the Spit is a workable campground big rigs, with room to turn and get set up. This is a typical lined up campground facing the beach. There is also the fishing hole operated by the City midway out on the Spit. It is rather interesting as the City stocks fry, they grow, leave and come back to lay their eggs. Line fishing is permitted. The other campgrounds are lined up close and require skill to get in and out with a big rig. The truck and the fifth wheel together are 60 feet long. We need a lot of room to turn around. There are a lot of RV’s and a lot of people. We found a parking spot for the truck and wandered around. It was a warm sunny day with a temperature in the high 60’s.
We choose to go to Captain Patties for dinner and had a great meal there. The hostess Laurie sat us next to a window with a view of the beach. This time of the day there were fishing boats coming back in and the view was awesome. The server had just arrived Alaska from the Carolinas. We wished her well making a life here. The food was right and we had made a good choose. If you’re in town, check this place out. The staff was friendly and the food is good.
Returning to Soldotna we noticed the —- wild life — and put it on our list for the next day. Our campground was on the Funny River Road and Sterling Highway. The utilities were good, but the noise from the intersection was intense and carried on all night. We could walk down to the river from the campground to see lots of folks fishing. The city has a nice park and boardwalk along the river allowing fishing. We saw people catching salmon with fishing lines and very large dip nets. Did you know you must be an Alaskan resident to dip net? Of course, fishing licenses also are required by all.
The hike around the Centennial Trail was about 2 miles. It was an easy, flat walk taking us into the woods and away from the noises of town. We enjoyed the walk. There was a video about wolverines that we enjoyed at the Nature center. We have been on a quest for fresh fish and found most everywhere fish is frozen. We did get some Halibut, prawns, and King Crab legs. The King Crab legs have been the best here so far.
Walking around the visitor center and down to the fishing walkway, we found the Centennial Campground. This City run campground has about 200 sites for dry camping and is in the woods with lots of fishing people working the fish walk. The city has a second campground behind the Fred Myers store. Fred Myers allow RV campers to park in their lot for up to 3 days. There is a dump station and potable water. There are so many RVs the campgrounds can’t meet the need.
Our time was up in Soldotna so we headed for our reservations in Seward. We packed up and made our way back across the Sterling Highway to the Seward Highway. We only have 3 g and can’t post pictures until we have 4g
