Once we arrived in Anchorage, we set up camp at JBER (Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson) at Black Spruce Travel Camp. As we drove through looking for a site we noticed a lot of sites were closed. Back at the office, we asked the host and she explained that someone backed over the electrical pedestal on one of the sites and it knocked the electric out on 12 sites. The sites still had water and sewer. She said we could camp in any of those sites for a reduced fee! We jumped at the chance since we don't need electric. Our solar panels work great in Alaska since there are long daylight hours.
Our first objective was to restock our pantry. So off we went to the commissary. We didn't really need much, but it was fun to look at American items for a change. Then we needed to do our laundry. Whew! That was a load....actually 4 loads!
We took Connie and Larry on a quick tour of Anchorage, but the weather wasn't cooperating, cloudy and cool We stopped at Earthquake Park, but we couldn't see much. Bob and I found a couple of geocaches and then we headed back to camp.
Bob and I wanted to get some walking in so we went back to Earthquake Park. Going off the path, I was able to get a good view of Anchorage across the bay. The weather was still cloudy and there was a misty rain.
As we were walking the Coastal Trail, seaplanes were continuously taking off from Lake Hood.
The next day we went with Connie and Larry to visit the Transportation Museum at the airport. We were able to watch the planes take off and land on Lake Hood.
Thursday, we wanted to check out Independence Mine. It is north of Wasilla. Larry drove his jeep. He would have liked to drive Hatcher Pass Road, but the road wouldn't open until July. As you can see, the weather once again was a factor in what we could see and do.
When we got to Independence Mine, it was closed. You could do a self-tour, but the weather said no. It was 41 degrees and raining! We could see the mine buildings in the distance. The only way to get to them was to walk as the gate was closed and locked. We ate our picnic lunches in the car before returning to camp.
Friday we decided to take a train ride on the Alaskan Railroad. We drove to Portage to catch the train and rode to Spencer Whistle Stop. This is the only way to tour Spencer Glacier.By that, I mean you can only get to the trail head by train!
Our tour guide was a ranger from Chugach National Forest--Kathleen. One of our first stops was the new bridge which crossed the river and went to a glacier overlook--that trail was 6 miles!
Once we reached the Spencer Glacier, we saw the rafting group that rode the train with us. They were maneuvering in and out of the icebergs.
The glacier was a gorgeous blue! Pictures don't do it justice.
Connie and I ventured down to the lake to catch a piece of glacial ice. It was very cold--the lake and the ice!
On a ridge overlooking the glacier I spotted a newly built cabin. It is for use by hikers and reservations can be made through Chugach National Forest.
Before we returned to Spencer Whistle Stop, Bob and I found a few geocaches.
Saturday we went to the market downtown. We enjoyed walking around people watching and sampling the local treats.
Sunday was a day to go hiking, the weather was beautiful.We chose Thunder Bird Falls in Eagle River as our first hike. There were a lot of families hiking since it was Sunday. We got to the overlook and saw the falls from a distance.
Connie, Bob and I decided to take Creek Trail to get to the bottom of the falls.
It was worth the short downhill hike.
We were able to walk around the rocks and get close the falls.
Next we went to Eagle River Nature Center. It was a state park and because it was Sunday, parking was at a premium. We finally found spaces to park and went in to the visitor center.
There was a short interpretive hike behind the center (as well as a really long hike to a mountain pass). We enjoyed the hike and seeing all the wildflowers in the area.
Of course, when there are other Boomers in the area, it is time for a Boomerang! We met at Applebee's and enjoyed an evening of fun and exchanging travel stories.
Since it was still light when we left, we drove to Ship Creek to check on the Slammin' Salmon Derby. We saw a lot of fishermen trying to snag salmon in the mouth. Most of the fish we saw were snagged in the gills or back and had to be released.
We finally saw this angler pull in a beauty! This salmon weighed in at just under 20 pounds.
We enjoyed our time in Anchorage, but it was time to move on--next stop Williwaw Campground in Chugach National Forest!
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