Travels With Sir Charles: City of Kenai, AK

Our daughter, Stacey, arrived last night at 11:00 PM. She found out why this place is known as the “Land of the Midnight Sun”. We started out slowly this morning but after a coffee stop and a short visit to REI, we hit the road for points south. The drive along Turnagain Arm (a waterway into the northwest part of the Gulf of Alaska) was spectacular and the Milepost Book was our reference for points of interest. Stacey had some places she wanted to see so she was the navigator today.

We took our first side trip to see the Portage Glacier. After missing the turn to the glacier we came to the Whittier Tunnel. The toll is a bit expensive so we passed on going thru. They allowed us to do a u turn and we found the glacier view point. Disappointment! The only way to see the glacier is via cruise boat on the glacier lake. Short on time, we decided to skip the cruise and head off to Hope.

Hope is a very old, small gold mining community on the sound south of Anchorage. Very old cabins and scenic water views are the norm. We drove thru the beautiful, rustic campground, which was 90% full; then found a scenic overlook for lunch. With the motor-home we have the best views for lunch breaks.

We returned to the Seward Highway and found more mountain and snow covered peaks at every turn in the road. We decided to spend the night in the City of Kenai at the Beluga Overlook RV Park. We were surprised to find it only half full on this three-day weekend. The views of the beach and Cook Inlet were spectacular with the Alaska Range and Redoubt Volcano as a backdrop. Charlie had some beach time with Stacey before we set up for the night.

We are all adjusting well to four of us (Charlie counts as one) in the RV. Fortunately, the weather is good so Stacey and Karen can enjoy a glass of wine in the sun as I get the BBQ fired up. A man’s work is never done in this family.

It was a great stop for the night and tomorrow before leaving we will walk the area and study the history of this town.