Dunfey Alaska Journey

The Icefields Parkway is an extremely scenic highway that runs the length of the Banff and Jasper National park between Lake Louise and Jasper – a distance of about 250 km.

We got up and out of campground at 8 am. Our 1st major destination was the Columbia Icefields. On the way, we hiked up to Peyto Lake overlook – which gave us outstanding views of the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. We also visited Mistayla Canyon.

We had lunch at the Columbia Icefields Information Center and went through the exhibits about the Glacier area.

As we got back on parkway, we spotted a black bear and her cub in a filed adjacent to highway. We did get a picture. We stopped alone the rest of the parkway at Sunwapta Falls and Arthabasca Falls. When we checked into the Whistlers Campground in Jasper, an Elk was grazing between campsites.

The town of Jasper was larger than we imagined. It was smaller and more subdued than Banff but much larger than Lake Louise. We arrived about 3 pm. After setting up camp, we went to information center and the Gondola to go to the top of this place. It was closed due to high winds.

After super, we went to Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Jasper. It was Pentecost Sunday. The church was a modern, conservative style. The local people were a very diverse group from all races. We enjoyed being at our first church service since leaving. We always seemed to be in a remote location.

We added a couple of pictures of our camper being shutdown to our camper page (TAB at top of blog)

On Saturday, we went about 7 miles on the other side of Haines to Chilkoot State Park to paddle of the mountain lake there by the same name.  The scenary very beautiful. The campground there was excellent. There were a few sites on the water. They did seem to have a lot of bugs there. It was rustic camping similar to were we stayed in Chilkat.

After our paddle we attended Sacred Heart Church for Saturday evening Mass. The OMI Priest there remembered Fr Ron. He said he liked him a lot.

Here are the pictures we took on this paddle and on the drive there:

 Best Kayaking of the year!

On Sunday morning, we put our kayaks into Chilkat Inlet from the boat ramp right at the campground. We went into the bay and around the island. We spent about two hours on this wonderful paddle. It was unbelievable. We passed two Glaciers. We saw several porpoises and a seal, who really checked us out. We got a picture of one of the porpoises but not the seal.

Here are the pictures taken during the paddle:

On the morning of July 28, we packed our rig up, said goodby to Sallie Dodd Butters. As we left Homer, we visted the Alaskan Ocean and Islands Research Center. It was a very worthwhile stop.

The Kenai area is a paradise for fisherman! This cannot be overstated.

We decided to camp overnight at the Russian River Camground. This was located about half way to Portage from Soldatna at the confluence of the Russian and Kenai Rivers near Coopers Landing. It is a favorite spot for salmon and trout fishing.

When we got there at 4:30 PM, all the campsites were taken. We had to park overnight in overflow area. There was no water right there but our “overnight” spot was great. We had a 24 hour pass so we didn’t have to be out until 5 pm the next day.

Once we set up, we took a 2.5 mile one way hike up to the Russian Falls to watch the salmon try to jump up the falls. It was quite the sight. We could see the packs of salmon gathered in pools just below a stretch of falls. Occasionally, we would see several salmon attempt to jump up the rushing waters to get to the next level of the falls. We never saw one make it! We did see that a few had made it into the pool a level up. This gave you an real appreciation of the tough journey these salmon take. How any of them make it is amazing!

In the morning, we embarked on a Raft Float trip down the Upper Kenai River from Coopers Landing to Jim’s Landing. It was a peaceful ride down a rushing river. There were a few low class rapids. We didn’t see too much wild life. We did spot eagles, other birds and ducks. They put us in full wet suits with “petersburg” sneakers. (Rubber boots).

We passed many, many fishing spots and saw many “combat” fishermen and other fishermen who managed to get to more remote spots. We learned that “combat” fishing refers to the closeness of people that may result in lost tempers. We went by the Russian ferry that brings fishermen to the other side of river.  

After the 2.5 hour raft trip, we packed up our rig and headed for the Portgage Glacier.

We backed up our camper and left Star Valley Ranch after a fun filled 3 week stay vowing to be back next summer for several months.  Our destination was Henry Lake State Park near west Yellowstone entrance. Our path was the eastern part of Idaho.

After we set up, the rains started. We also experienced some wind.

We decided to treat ourselves. We went to a Dinner & Show at MacksInn. We had a pretty good prime rib dinner followed by an outstanding musical comedy show., a take off of Les Miserable s. The performers were Utah college students.

We planned to cover much more territory than we did today. There was so much to absorb!

At the Geyser Basins on the trip south from the west entrance to Yellowstone, the Geysers and venting vapor plumes were everywhere and very spectacular.

There were crowds everywhere we went but they moved quickly so we weren’t really hampered in our quest to see these marvelous products of nature. By the time we viewed and walked around the lower and Midway Geyser Basins, we were tired and our camera battery was running out.  Yet, we hadn’t even seen Old Faithful yet.

We were unprepared for the size and level of commercial activity at the Old Faithful site. There were cars and people everywhere. The visitors center was very nicely done with huge windows from which you could watch Old Faithful. We looked forward to seeing a movie presentation about  the Geysers and the old fellow but the auditorium projector was broken.

When we saw Old Faithful go off relatively on time, it was a real treat! It was spectacular. The park service did a good job framing Old Faithful within this “commercial” space.

We decided to head home “early”, we thought. When we got back to Henry Lake campsite it was 4 pm. We had a full day since we had left at 8:30 am. Fred napped while Milly went for a walk.

After a wonderful 2 full days touring Yellowstone and leaving plenty more to see on future visits, we left Henry Lake and headed for Salt Lake Area for an overnight Walmart stay. It was raining as we left, poured at various times but a glorious rainbow greeted us as we  arrived at our Walmart campsite in Springville, UT just south of Provo.

At 6 am the next morning, Fred awoke and noticed there was an IHOP sign within walking distance. As he approached he noticed no cars parked there. He thought “Don’t tell me this is only IHOP not open all night!”, Then he found out that it was under repair. There was an open coffee shop nearby. The owner informed Fred that the IHOP was closed for a 2 day upgrade process. Fred ended up at a truck stop a mile away where he found only a McDonald’s.  A truck stop with out a decent greasy spoon, what is the world coming to?

We left for Bryce Canyon hoping to get there in time to get a park campground spot. We should be there by 12:31 PM by GPS. It is now 10:46 am.

Here are our recent Pic’s