2005/07 Alaska and Back Again - Kenai Peninsula |
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Monday July 25th
We had a bright morning for our long 360 mile trip down south to the Kenai Peninsula. We had a good run along 
the Nenana River, with views of Denali and the rest of the mountain range to the west and north. Just like on our bus trip, clouds quickly covered the mountain as the morning progressed.
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Parks Highway (Denali to Anchorage, Turnagain Arm) |
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We reached the “seaside”, or at least salt water at Cook Inlet. A few miles south of there we arrived in Anchorage in the midst of its rush hour, and inched our way along for over an hour as the weather steadily worsened. By the time that we broke free of the traffic and reached the coast road, the rain was 
torrential. The road around Turnagain Arm and onto the Kenai is wedged between cliffs and the sea. It’s supposed to be very scenic, with mountains all around the “arm”, but we couldn’t see them. We could see the tide roaring out, though, and it was no surprise to find out later that the arm has enormous tides like the Bay of Fundy, and is a very dangerous place to be when the tide comes in. Turnagain Arm was named by Captain Cook, who sailed up it looking for the Northwest Passage, and was somewhat unhappy to find that it didn’t go anywhere.
The weather cleared as we headed inland on the peninsula, a pretty drive with great, green mountains reflecting the sun, and green, icy water in the lakes. The road was narrow and twisty and full of traffic. We later realized that this narrow road carries all the traffic between Anchorage and the Kenai towns of Sterling, Homer, and Seward, and it’s notoriously busy on summer weekends.
The rain started again as we drove down the Kenai River, famous for its fishing. At Sterling the country widened out, with enough room for the road and for some campgrounds. We camped at Moose River. The campground itself was full with a “caravan”, but the owner was happy to put us in his overflow spot, even though it required moving his cars so we could jiggle our way in.
Tuesday July 26th
We had a sunny start to the day, but had to wait for the caravan of motorhomes to move out so we could relocate to a proper campsite. A “caravan” is a group of motorhomes traveling together, usually with a professional guide. It’s a good idea for people who are nervous about traveling alone or dealing with emergencies. At this moment in our lives, this would drive us nuts, but in ten years, who knows?