NORTH TO ALASKA! –VALDEZ to PALMER and SEWARD

TRIP DAY – 30, 31

DAILY MILES - 261 - 170

TOTAL MILES – 5088

7/14 – We left Valdez on Sunday morning headed back up the Richardson Highway. There are very few roads in Alaska and most stopovers have to be reversed some distance before you encounter another major road to continue in a new direction. The Glenn Highway then took us west to Palmer where we saw the exhibits and demonstration gardens at the Visitor Center. Palmer provided the first McDonalds seen in over three weeks. Our campsite at Matanuska River Park was provided by the local borough (county) at only $15 including electric, a real find in Alaska.

The roadways are flanked by these Fireweed plants everywhere.

One of the houses used by the Depression Era homesteaders.

Palmer Museum and Demonstration Gardens

7/15 – Yesterday we traveled from Palmer around Anchorage to Seward, a coastal town on the Kenai Peninsula. All the RV parks in the town belong to the city and are directly on the shore of the Resurrection Bay. We have an incredible view of the bay and mountains beyond. The afternoon was spent riding our bike on the trail into town and visiting the Kenai Fjord National Park Information Center. We spent a couple hours here watching a series of videos on the area and wildlife. Next we went to the city pier just as the charter fishing boats were arriving and watched the process of weighing and cleaning the huge fish catch. One halibut weighed in at 76 pounds. Considering we just paid $12.95 for a single halibut sandwich that means it must be worth about a million dollars.