Kings River Crossing to Seward

Kings River Crossing to Seward

June 12 - 19, 2019

On Wednesday, June 12 we moved from Valdez to Kings River Crossing between Chickaloon and Palmer.  Kings River Crossing is a boondocking location where the Kings River and the Matanuska River meet.  The river was moving too fast to have any luck fishing.

The next day we moved on to Eagle River Campground in the Chugach State Park.  Fortunately we got there early Thursday morning because by late afternoon all the sites were taken.  It's a popular park very near Anchorage.

We saw some evidence of moose but didn't see any wildlife.  John and I went fishing at Matanuska Lake. John caught several rainbow trout and kept four nice sized ones for our dinner that night.

Saturday we drove to Seward.  To get to Seward you have to go on the Turnagain Arm south of Anchorage.  When the tide is out there are mudflats people might be tempted to walk on, but they say not to because the mud is like quicksand and the tide might come in before they could get rescued.

It was a pretty drive but overcast.

We stayed at the Seward KOA, which had just opened two weeks before.  It's a nice 'parking lot' campground with full hookups.  The sites are very wide and it was good not to be packed in like sardines.  It has a nice view too.

We went for a hike to Exit Glacier (I didn't make it all the way to the glacier).  There were signs along the trail showing where the edge of the glacier was in different years.  It has receded quite a bit in over a hundred years, but these things go in cycles.

On Monday we moved to the Resurrection South Campground on the waterfront.  It's dry camping and parking lot style but the view is beautiful.  It's fun to watch the cruise ships, fishing boats and wildlife cruises go in and out of the harbor.  We also saw some sea lions, sea otters, and an eagle.

We're parked next to Greg and Kate (former Montana owners we met at a rally).  They are spending the summer here in their motorhome.  Kate and I walked into town and had some retail therapy.  It was a lot of fun and I got some more fabric!

We also went to the Alaska SeaLife Center.  It was partially funded by monies from Exxon after the Valdez oil spill in 1989.  They study and care for all kinds of sea life.  These are two sea lions.  The one in the foreground is huge, and they said they can weigh 2,000 pounds or more.

I thought this display was interesting on how long marine mammals can hold their breath.

They had small salmon, crabs, halibut, rockfish, and jellyfish, along with a lot of other sea life I didn't get pictures of.

Here's a view of Resurrection Bay from the SeaLife Center.

On Tuesday, June 18 we signed up for a halibut and rockfish fishing trip on the Arctic Endeavor.  Although it was overcast it was a pretty ride out to the open sea.

John and I both caught four rockfish each, and about the time we started fishing for halibut one of the passengers had a medical emergency and we had to head back.  It was a 2-1/2 hour ride out so the captain called the Coast Guard and they came and took him to the hospital in the helicopter.

Fortunately we heard he is going to be OK.

On Wednesday, June 19 we went to the Bear Creek Weir to watch the salmon.  They are coming back to where they were hatched to spawn and die.  At the fishery they net the ones that make it and send them to a local processing plant.

Tomorrow we head to Homer for a few days.

Roving on...

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.  Psalm 19:1