Portage Valley RV Park to Diamond M Ranch in Kenai AK

The Seward Highway is a Trifecta.......a National Forest Scenic Byway, an All-American Road and an Alaska Scenic Highway.....what else could you want....
We are headed to Kenai for the month of July and from there we will do truck trips with our fishing poles and lunches packed.  And of course Saddi....she will have her own lunch packed....

Portage Valley RV Park and yes still sprinkling

Most have left this morning

Back out the one-lane road

Not much to say....the view says it all

Hard to believe we are on a peninsula

Chugach Mountain Range on the port

Kenai Mountains on the starboard

Summit Lodge

Lower Summit Lake

At Tern Junction take a right onto Sterling Highway

Sterling Highway is the other major paved road on the Peninsula

mostly 2-lane highway with a few passing lanes

Diamond M Ranch

Our escort to our site on his unicycle 

Day 45 on the road with 5,020 miles logged on the coach.   

Might I say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our 16 year-old Allie on July 1st.

Portage Valley RV Park to Hope Alaska

The Kenai Peninsula is 150 miles long and 70 miles wide, extending southwest from Turnagain Arm and Passage Canal.  It is bounded to the east by the Gulf of Alaska, and to the west by Cook Inlet.
It is hard to believe Anchorage is some 52 miles away.

Today we are on a road trip to the community of Hope via the Hope Highway.  There are no fuel stops in the area so you needed to fill-up in Anchorage.

Snow depths here frequently exceed 12 feet

Turnagain Pass  1,015 feet a winter haven for cross country skiers

Hope Cutoff

Hope Highway leads to the community of historic Hope

Great views of the Turnagain Arm

Turnagain Arm is known for having one of the world's remarkably high tides with a diurnal range of more than 33 feet.  A bore tide is an abrupt rise of tidal water just after low tide, moving rapidly landward, formed by a flood tide surging into a constricted inlet such as Turnagain Arm.  This forming wall of water may reach a height of 6 feet and is very dangerous to small craft.  The mud-flats are dangerous when the tide is out....quick sand....you are stuck.... 

We are hoping to view the bore tide but not today

Porcupine Campgrounds which most sites already have "reserved" for July 4th

Few sites on the Turnagain Arm if you are 30 feet long

This picturesque community was a frenzy of gold rush activity in 1896.  Miners named their mining camp on Resurrection Creek Hope City.  But the gold rush here was short-lived.  Today population is 151.

Historic Downtown Hope today

1902 log Social Hall still hosts community events

1896 store now Seaview Cafe and Bar

Closed on Monday....no "Bud" today 

Interesting shop but closed

Hope has a Library and school

Many fly in from Anchorage for weekends

Looks like someone is opening a subdivision 

Returning back to our camp

Stop at Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Caribou

Brown bear

Look at those nails

Reindeer

Bryon Glacier

But you have to walk uphill several miles to get close

MV Ptarmigan takes you to the Portage Glacier

Rain...wait for another day

Tuesday we head for Kenai for a month stay.  The month of July is busy on the Kenai Peninsula with many coming from Anchorage to catch Salmon and Halibut.......We hope to do the same thing and we have a reservation at the Diamond M Ranch.

Anchorage to Whittier

More than half the state's population lives in Anchorage and the neighboring Matanuska-Susitna borough which includes Palmer and Wasilla.  Population:  300,549 which is a few more than we have been used too.....Elevation:  Sea Level

The Anchorage Museum

Half Day at least

 Anchorage lies between the Chugach Mountains on the east

and Knik Arm of Cook Inlet on the west

 5 K race on Saturday

Huge outdoor market downtown

  food vendors with everything you would want

 Hand-kitted by over 250 Eskimo knitters using Qiviut

the soft and rare fiber from the arctic Musk Oxen

When do we eat

 Close quarters at the Golden Nugget Campground

 Tailgate party tonight

Leaving Anchorage, the Seward Highway (completed in 1951) follows the north shore of Turnagain Arm through Chugach State Park with panoramic views of the south shore and the Kenai Mountains on the Kenai Peninsula.  

We turn left on the Portage Glacier/Whittier Access Road

Tour shuttles headed back from Whittier...

Staying at Portage Valley RV Park

If we meet someone I can't back out Nancy

One coming out but we have room to pull over

This is it....the only RV Park in the area with electric hook-ups

Beautiful mountains surrounding us

We are off to Whittier in the truck because the only way we can get there is through the Anton Anderson Tunnel, originally a railroad tunnel now doubles as road access.  Prior to June 2000 the only way you arrived in Whittier was by railroad.

The Whittier vehicle access required the modification of the 2.5-mile-long Anton Anderson Memorial tunnel to handle both railroad and vehicle traffic.  The tunnel is 1-lane, and cars and trains take turns traveling through it.  

Tunnel tolls are charged according to the vehicle class and are round-trip....You can not ride a bicycle or walk through the tunnel.  

Looks like lots of mountains up there

$13 Captain

It takes 6.5 minutes at 35 mph to travel through the tunnel

It is the longest highway tunnel and longest combined highway/railroad tunnel
in North America

13,200 feet....there is light at the end....Yea

Train coming at us as we leave the tunnel...OMG

Yes, daily sightseeing trains come thru the tunnel Captain

Well we know why tour operators are coming out of Whittier

Whittier is on the Prince William Sound and an ice-free deep harbor

Normal temp in July is 56 degrees

Mean annual precipitation is 174 inches, including
260 inches of snow

Look at the Spud Poles

Lots of traffic at the marina

Commercial from Cordova AK

Whittier is nestled at the base of mountains that line Passage Canal,
a fjord that extends eastward into Prince William Sound

Population 220

Aluminium boats....fishing nets....lots of them

The Inn at Whittier offers premiere waterfront lodging

Whittier Manor houses Whittier's population today

 US Army completed this in 1954 for 6M and left town in 1960

The beauty of Prince William Sound

is Whittier's primary attraction

Fishing vessel on a mooring ball

Cruise Ships now come to town

Alaska State Ferry has docks

Containers waiting for a Cargo Ship

Horsetail Falls

One last look

Another glacier to view

Beside the road by the tunnel entrance

We are in line for a 3 pm departure

Took us exactly 6 minutes

Rain Rain Go Away.....

Day 43 and we have traveled 4,912 miles in the coach......will be here for 2 days...more to come....