Kenai, Alaska

July 13th, we traveled to Kenai. It rained all day. We stayed in the Beluga Lookout Lodge & RV Park, where there was barely enough room to extend our slides.




However, the park has a nice clean building with a gift shop, shower rooms, and laundry facilities. That's where Sue met ten-year-old Collin, a fellow book-lover.


We loved this bench, with its hand-carved momma and baby beluga whale design.


These are the biggest petunia baskets we've ever seen!




A neat picnic table, with all-around seating:


The RV park sits on a bluff overlooking Cook Inlet, where hundreds of men and a few women and children were fishing, most with huge dip nets.




The second Russian settlement in Alaska occured in what is now Kenai.

The Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church is still used by the congregation and is a National Landmark.










The rectory?


Oskolkof/Dolchok House, now Veronica's Coffeehouse with beautiful gardens:








Rosa rugosa at Veronica's Coffeehouse:






Saint Nicholas Memorial Chapel:






Barkley's favorite building, with the chapel in the right background:

Wasilla and Seward, Alaska Part 1

July 3d: Traveling and sightseeing can grow wearisome, so we decided to take a break for a few days to get our shopping and laundry chores done and simply relax. Lots of construction on Parks Road to Wasilla:


In Wasilla, we stayed on the circle in Big Bear RV Park and Campground. The inside of the circle was a common area with a large pavillion and three propane grills for the use of all patrons.


There was also a large grass area behind us where Bill and Barkley played and played. Because his back legs still aren't quite right, Barkley's body is at an angle to his goal when he runs.






Since it was the 4th of July weekend, we heard lots of fireworks, and a family in the RV park was also setting off fireworks. Broad daylight is not the ideal backdrop for fireworks, but we did see a faint color splash here and there.

July 6th, and we're back on the road to Seward. Sights at a stop along the Seward Highway on Turnagain Arm (a long inlet):








Harebells and clover:




A marsh along the way:


Of course, it was overcast and raining most of the day.




At another rest stop:
















We stayed in Bear Creek RV Park outside of Seward and were once again blessed to be in the same park as Colin and Betty Linton. It was bittersweet, because they would be staying in Seward until the end of July, so we knew we wouldn't meet on the road again. We hope to see them again, and so does Barkley.




Signs along Resurrection Bay:




Two Park Service vehicles being charged:


The road south of Seward along the Bay, where we stopped to take pictures of sea otters:




















A type of wild pea:


At the Kenai Peninsula Wildlife Viewing Trail, we picked up miniature booklets with color pictures of the invasive plants in the Seward area. The advice is to pull invasive weeds wherever they are found, pack them in plastic, and pack them out to proper trash receptacles.


Bald eagles:




Glacial streams running into Resurrection Bay: