Adventures with Yogi and Boone

 Glaciers, Halibut, Sockeye, and Bears - Alaska Keeps Getting Wilder

When we last checked in with everyone, we had just survived the Top of the Wold Highway and Chicken, Alaska (yes,  that's really a place)

From there, we headed straight into the heart of Wrangell-St.Elias National Park - the largest national park in the U.S. because apparently, in Alaska, they don't believe in small. We went to McCarthy and Kennecott which are in the middle of this big park.  They  are technically towns but feel more like time travel destinations where the ghosts of copper miners might still argue about who stole whose shovel.

Getting there was an adventure.  There is a sign on the road that basically says, "Tell someone you love them - you might not come back." Comforting right?  We snapped a picture of the sign and texted it to a few people just in case....   We were also told that we needed to carry not one but two spare tires.  But the road turned out to be in better shape than our nerves, and we made it just fine. Victory!

McCarthy on the 4th of July was delightfully quirky.  McCarthy and Kennecott are only accessible by foot or bicycle by crossing over the Kennecott River via a foot bridge. Then Boom: suddenly, you're in a one-road town celebrating 4th of July and wondering why more places don't mix glaciers and patriotism. 

Speaking of glaciers, we hiked the Kennecott Glacier! Our first time that we actually stood on one. The crevasses were stunning, the blue ice surreal, and the water flowing through it? So clean we filled our bottles with it and felt like glacier water snobs for the rest of the trip.  10/10 would do it again - assuming we don't fall in.

From there, we headed over Thompson Pass to Valdez - or as we're calling it now: "Yet Another Alaska Place That Might Be the Prettiest Thing We've Ever Seen."  Dramatic mountains, cascading waterfalls, and just enough clouds to make it all look like a Bob Ross fever dream.

And Valdez delivered on the food front. Specifically: halibut Fish-n-Chips. We had been told to wait until we got to Valdez for the good stuff - and boy, were they right. Enjoyed over a local brew at the town brewery because obviously, we're staying on brand.

We  also kayaked on Glacier lake. Alone. No tour. Just us, an inflatable kayak, and the icy abyss below. Yes, we wore life vests. No, we didn't fall in. But let's be honest: those vests were just so they could find our frozen butts if we did.

After Valdez, we made a pit stop at Pyramid Lake - between two resorts. Or, they used to be resorts. One had burned down. the other was closed. So, campground dinner it was - one part backcountry cuisine, two parts "well, this is a story I won't get in to here"

Then we rolled into Palmer, Alaska, where the Wild West meets mountain vibes. It's a little rough around the edges but full of charm. We biked a gravel road into the backcountry - hoping for moose, maybe even a grizzly! No luck, but the views made up for the lack of large mammals.

We overnighted at Lulu's Tents and Events - where you don't have to tent it, but you could if you wanted. We parked the van, enjoyed the sauna (yes, a sauna!), showered under the stars, and called it a glamping win.

Then came a planned detour to Denver. We flew down for a Celebration of Life for Bob's brother Jack, who passed unexpectedly last year. It is one of the reasons this trip has so much meaning for us and a reminder to live each day to the fullest - we had 4 days of stories, laughter, memories, and hugs all around.  Miss you Jack!

Back in Alaska, we welcomed Justin and Greg along with their awesome daughters - Ava (15) and Lannie (9, spelled L-A-N-N-I-E, thank you very much).  We had a week of epic adventuring.

First up: salmon fishing on the Kenai River. In just over two hours, the six of us hauled in 250 lbs of Sockeye. That's a lot of salmon - like, "hope the freezer can handle it" levels of salmon, 125 lbs clean and packaged. And holy Moly, how are we going to get all of this home!

Next we hopped on a boat out of Seward into Resurrection Bay - But I'll save that story (and the sea creatures for the next post. Spoiler alert: it's gonna involve Whales, puffins, and the kind of sights that makes you feel like a child again. 

Puffins, Sea Otters and side eye glances from Wales - Alaska, We're Not Done Yet

After conquering the Kenai with 125 pounds of sockeye (please send recipes) , we headed with the family to Seward - home of Resurrection Bay, towering mountains, icy fjords and more adorable puffins than you can shake a fishing rod at. 

We hopped on a wildlife boat tour with the whole gang: Bob, Justin, Greg, Ava, Lannie (L-A-N-N-I-E, still keeping score), and me. The weather was perfect! Beautiful blue sky and very little wind.  The ocean was like glass. Within minutes we were seeing sea otters floating belly-up like they owned the place. Which, frankly, they do.

Then came the puffins, I don't know who decided these tiny birds with the colorful beaks were allowed to exist, but they were clearly designed by someone who also dapples in cartoon animation. They look like they're late for a board meeting at Pixar.

We also saw bald eagles, seals, and multiple kinds of whales, - because Alaska doesn't do "just one kind of whale". Humpbacks and Orcas, spouts all around us. Tail flukes diving dramatically into the water like they were on cue. 

Our boat journey took us deep into the stunning Northwest Fjord, all the way up to a massive glacier - no hiking required, just front-row seats to one of nature's loudest magic tricks: glacier calving. As we floated there and enjoyed our lunch, we watched enormous chunks of ice crash into the water while waterfalls tumbled down nearby cliffs like they'd been rehearsing for our arrival. It was one of those surreal, "are we even really here right now?" moments. Being so close to a glacier that's been carving through mountains for millennia really puts your problems (and your salmon freezer puzzle) in perspective. 

We ended our family adventure with one last night swapping stories, laughing around the fire. As we waved goodbye to Justin, Greg, Ava, and Lannie (after a few extra hugs), we realized how lucky we are - not just to be in this incredible place, but to share it with people we love. 

From Homer to Kodiak - Chasing Bears and Ferry Tales

After waving goodby to the kids, we pointed the van south and cruised down to Homer - also known as the "End of the Road," and fitingly, a place where time slows down, the seafood speeds up , and the town motto could easily be "come for the Halibut, stay because you ran out of gas."

The drive here was not unsurprisingly  stunning. Alaska refuses to give us an ugly view, which is really starting to feel like showing off. We rolled into Homer and drove down the famous Homer Spit - a long, skinny piece of land poking into Kachemak Bay, lined with seafood shacks, salty old boats, gift shops, and fish tales taller than most buildings. But we weren't here just for the scenery. We had a plan: Kodiak Island.  Yep, that Kodiak- land of the world's largest brown bears, home to wild coastlines, and only accessible by boat or plane.  We opted for the ferry - the slow and scenic route. 

Getting on the ferry felt a bit like preparing for a low - stakes expedition: binoculars ready and a vague sense of "are we going to see a bear, or become a bear's snack?" Either way, adventure awaited. 

The ferry ride itself was peaceful and beautiful - a slow glide through misty islands and wide open water, with seabirds gliding by and everyone on deck scanning the horizon like amateur wildlife detectives. No bear sightings from the boat (they don't seem to wave from the shoreline), but spirits were high and the anticipation was real.

Arriving in Kodiak felt like stepping into a wild Alaska - fewer tourists, more fishing boats, signs warning you to be "bear aware". We fell in love with Kodiak instantly.

Kodiak didn't disappoint - okay, maybe a little on the bear - spotting front, but we'll get to that.

Once we landed onto the island, we spent our days exploring the rugged coastlines, quiet beaches, and winding trails that make this place feel like a well-kept secret. We hiked through mossy forests, stared out at ocean cliffs, and basically waited for a bear to dramatically bust through the brush at any moment.

It never happened.

So, we did what any reasonable people would do when the bears won't come to you - we went to the Dump.

Yes, you read that right. The Kodiak Visitor Center, with a totally straight face, said, "If you really want to see bears, head out to the dump around 9p.m. You'll see them" and they were not wrong. 

Picture it: twilight in Alaska (which basically just means slightly dim daylight), a line of cars at the local landfill like it's a drive-in theater, and seven absolutely enormous Kodiak Bears casually rummaging for snacks like it's a buffet. Eagles circled overhead, hoping to snag a bite of leftovers. And there we sat, in our van, snapping photos like eager tourists at a very strange zoo.

Yes, it was little weird. But also...kind of majestic? These were 1,500 pound bears, gracefully waddling around with their cute little round ears, like they were straight out of a teddy bear factory. You want to hug them - right before remembering they could turn you into trail mix. Nature is complicated.

And now, as we pack up and ferry back to Homer, we say goodbye to Kodiak - a wild, wonderful island full of big bears, bigger landscapes, and very specific wildlife viewing instructions.

We know this post has been a lot - thanks for hanging in there. It's been nearly a month since our last update, and we had adventures piling up faster than we could keep up with.

If you've made it to the end of this rambling travel novella, we hope it gave you a smile, maybe a laugh or two, and some inspiration to chase a few wild roads of your own.  There's more to come as the Alaskan leg of our trip continues - so stay tuned, and as always, pack snacks. 

Bob, Sherry and Boone