THE RIVER

Kenai Penisula
The River
July 15, 2009

We arrived at our camp trailer here on Saturday. All my sibs came with us; so we brought Bruce’s motor home down for them to sleep in. Bruce drove his car down and I drove the motor home…I really like driving it, even though part of the highway is very narrow and winding. The drive from Anchorage to here is absolutely beautiful….mountains and streams and just the way you would expect Alaska to look!

We saw no critters on the way down with the exception of a dead squirrel! Our critter count is way low this year so far, unless you count mosquito’s….then there are too many to count.

After we got set up here at the Fish on Inn, my sister Jean, sister-in-law Mary and I took off for Soldotna to do some shopping. As Jennifer said, “Soldotna will never be the same!” Actually all we did was go to Fred Meyers for groceries and to the hardware store for electronic bug swatters! I am bringing a couple home with me and they took a couple home with them…they are great little gadgets and work well.

We have pretty much just lazed around since being here. I am getting some much needed down time. The fish (sockeye salmon) aren’t running strong yet; probably in a day or two they will be running good. The last escapement count was at 7,000 a day and we really don’t start fishing for them until the count is up in the 16,000 plus.

There are over 60 wildfires burning in Alaska right now and it has been very smoky at times. One fire, burning near Tustusmena Lake is about 25 miles from us and we can see the smoke clearly from it. As of last night it had consumed 15,000 acres and it is one of the smaller fires in the state.

My younger sib, John, left on Sunday to go home; yesterday my brother Bob and wife Mary and my sister Jean all left here for Anchorage and they are all on their way home today. It is really, really quiet here now and we miss all of them. It was great to be with them all again and even though it was a sad occasion, I really enjoyed being with them. We just don’t get together enough! We are spread from Colorado, Oregon, California and where ever I am, so logistically we can’t get together very often.

My cousin, Patty and her husband and two other couples have been traveling in Alaska for the last month and we had a near miss the other day. WE ALMOST SAW EACH OTHER! Sorry we had to miss them, however, they were on the Kenai when I was in Anchorage; and then they went through Anchorage and didn’t call me, so we missed each other. What they didn’t know was I was just a quarter of a mile off the main highway when they went through Anchorage…so it was a near miss. Oh well, maybe next time 


July 16, 2009

THE LAUDRAMAT
I am sitting doing what I do best up here….laundry. And you will notice the dog, GAGE in the back of the truck that I made friends with!

It is cool and cloudy today and VERY smoky. This is a picture of the smoke from the fire that I took last night. Really burning good.

The fish are starting to come in…80,000+ in the river now, so it is time to wander down (all 133 steps) to the river this afternoon. Al wants to fish and I don’t want him down there alone, so I will put a hook in the water as well. Our neighbors here limited out last night, so maybe we will get some fish today.

It is so pretty up here…it is hard to describe and pictures just don’t do it justice. You just have to see it with your own eyes to appreciate how beautiful Alaska really is. Yesterday was clear and warm, with white, puffy clouds floating by, that is, until the smoke took over!

Dan and one of his friends are due to arrive on Monday, so the fishing will be good for them. Jerry arrives on the 23rd and there should be plenty of fish in the river by then.

Our good friend in Florida, Judy Rahbar is in the hospital and that has kept me worried. She went in with terrible stomach cramps and found out she had a perforated colin! They did surgery on Monday (I think) and as of last night when I talked to her husband Randy, she was resting comfortably. Our prayers and thoughts are with her and her family as she recovers.

I miss my doggies and kitties so much. Even AL is saying he wishes the animals were here. I talked to Denise and Gordon last night and the cats are being spoiled rottener. I also talked to Jenn and the dogs are okay, Schuster is being a little pill….I figured this would happen as he is such a momma’s dog. He just won’t listen to her. Beau is Beau, if there is a ball in the area he is happy…he is happy anyway, but with a ball around he is really, happy!

Until next time we are a fishin'!!!!