7/29/05. If you have never seen one of these teams in action, you have not seen everything. 16 dog are on this sled and they hated to be stopped so we could take pictures and force them to rest. Even while stopped, the competitive edge was so strong they were continually straining against the harnesses. This was a thrilling ride, as we sped throught the forest with Fred, our musher, giving orders for turns and such; and then watching the dogs respond to those commands. Remarkable. Afterwards we talked with Fred a while and he let us know to be watching for him in the 2008 Ididerod, he was going to win. A fun and educational visit. As we headed back to camp, we talked of how much we enjoyed this trip and wondered what lay ahead when we leave tomorrow for Valdez with an overnight stay in Grandview.

Finally, our turn arrived. We loaded up into our "sled," a 500 pound wheeled vehicle carrying 9 people (including me and Roger). Those poor pooches. Actually, you see that these guys were ready to rock and roll. The only thing holding them back was the brakes.

The snuggle bug seems have bitten Clarretta as well.

Christa, of course, couldn't resist the urge to cuddle one of the little fellers.

I had one of my own that seemed to be totally thrilled with the idea of blue jean for dinner.

7/29/05. We were divided into 6 groups with the first 3 groups riding first. The rest of us went back to the pupping grounds where new racers were being raised. Hmmm, looks like rusty didn't clean all the fish off his shoes from the previous day.

First site on hand was the dog housing area. Here we are introduced to our own individual mushers who are going to give us rides powered by these beautiful dogs.

Here one of the young mushers and race winning hopeful, Jeff, lays out a little history about the Seavey's, the facility, and what we can expect from our visit. Another sharp young man that really enjoys his work. He was full of enthusiasm and one could tell that he was a gamer.

7/29/05. After the hike to the glacier earlier in the morning, the evening brought on more sights. We visited (as a group) Mitch Seavey's sled dog training facility. Mitch Seavey is a multiple winner of the Ididerod sled dog race.

This is a pan shot I stitched together from 12 different photos.

After walking passed the overlook, the path will bring you to the foot of the glacial wall. The big ice chunks in the lower left of the picture calved earlier this morning. As a result, park rangers were around to keep people from going up to touch the blocks. this piece threw ice for about 20 yards straight out when it hit the ground, so the rangers were a bit nervous about people getting to close. That chunk sitting on the ground probably weighs close to 4 or 5 tons.

Turning a corner, you come upon an ice wall. Note the deep blue in the clefts of the ice. Even more brilliant when you are up next to them.

You'll know when you start getting close to the glacier.

Once on the path an easy .7 mile hike is all that is neede to reach an overlook of the downside of the glacier. We didn't see any bears today, but we did come across a herd (about 10 or so) minks run across our path. Christa yelled that is was a river of rats.

7/29/05. As you come into the park, the Visitor Center comes into view. A good place to stop in and find out info about the glacier and the surrounding forests. In particular, knowing if there is a bear presence is a nice thing to know.

Pretty fabulous from the road and more pronounced than Portage Glacier in Anchorage.

7/29/05. Yesterday really pooped out mom, so she stayed home today. Christa and I headed for Exit Glacier located about 10 miles north of Seward. Supposedly, the glacier got its name when scientists first started studying the Harding Ice Field. This glacier proved to have the easiest way off the ice field and so was named "Exit Glacier."

And Mom also. She was exhausted, but glad she finally was able to go out on a charter and reel in some big ones. Ummm - mom. Where are WE going to put those fish? Well, we'll find a way. Good job.

Peggy came in with her fair share, too.

Ted also came home with plenty more for the freezer. Ummm, where did you say you were going to put all the fish you've hauled in Ted. Oh - you're going to go buy a freezer for the fish. And where in your rig will you put that hhhmmm???? I'm sure he will find away, at least Jan is hoping so.

After Christa and I finished the Sea Life tour and did a little shopping downtown, we headed back to camp to see if Mom and the others had returned. What we found were a bunch of tired yet excited faces. They had caught there fish. Rusty here, came in with the big catch for this group landing this 80 pound beaut.

Inside, you can view many different exhibits such as this Sea Lion enclosure. This was one big fellow. Aquariums, films, narrations, a hands on tide pool, and an observation deck with large telescopes are available to the visitor.

Entrance is $14 dollars for adults unless you have some other kind of discount (being military didn't help). This is a very nice facility.

7/28/05. Mom and many otheres have gone out fishing on a special services charter from the nearby Army Rec and Resort - Ft Richardson FamCamp. Christa and I opted for visit to the Seward Sea Life Center located downtown. The weather looked iffy so I put off kayaking until tomorrow. Anyway, we went to the Sea Life Center and really enjoyed this place.

7/27/05. Getting a taste of some fishing, kayaking, and touring in general, we all pack up and head over to our next stop - Seward, AK. I forgot to mention in the earlier posts that a group of the carvaners went out on a charter for halibut. This was the same day that I went solo kayaking. The day was pretty rough for me, but they were a lot further out. Reports have it that many were not up to snuff for the trip. Landlubbers!!! The trip turned out to be less fun than they hoped, but a few did manage to catch some fish. Here in Seward, they hoped for a better day of sailing. I hope to go kayaking again as well.

7/26/05. Afterwards we paddled into the mid day and this is when we came across the Humpback breaching. I couldn't capture him with my camera, but you can just make out the plume about one third from the left. It looks like a bit of mist. I wish we could have gotten closer. After this we headed back to Rick's base camp (and home) to await the water taxi to tke us on the 45 minute ride back to the spit. A great day full of just what I needed.

We stopped on a remote beach for lunch. Beautiful. This was a particular treat because the Nick (the guide) was going to prepare a beach stew for us. The stew would be prepared from foodstuffs available on the beach. We had already grabbed some kelp from the our morning paddle. Once ashore, Nick set out to gather wild herbs and plants from the bush, while the rest of us gathered mussels from the exposed tide walls. Once prepared, I found this to be a delightful treat. Tasty and warm, just what the doc ordered.

And yes it did rain. Here one of the fellow paddlers on todays trip gets a little respite from the cool rain.

7/26/05. We also checked out other sea life such as these starfishes exposed by the low tide. Actually, there is a myriad of life forms on this wall when you get up closer; including urchins, sea cucumbers, snails, mussels, various plant forms.

While out, we saw sea otters by the plenty (such as this guy), bald eagles, a pod of porpoises (sp?), and a Humback Whale. A good day overall I thought.

I was teamed up with Nick, our guide for the day. A fine young man just graduated from high school. He has been working up here the last few years learning the guide trade from Rick and is hoping to have finished his captain quals by next year so he can operate the water taxis (its where the money is). Cool dude and proved to be a very good guide.

7/26/05. The day breaks with better weather. That means it wasn't raining - yet. I joined up with Rick (owner/operater, in blue jeans) and Nick ( in the white shirt) of Smokehouse Tours. $130 for a day long paddle including lunch. We used fiberglass tandem sea kayaks for the trip. I'm not fond of the tandem thing, but rules are rules; and these were founded by the insurance company. Christa had wanted to come, but it was pretty cool.

Finally made it to the barge. I could tell the lapse in time since my last paddle and it seemed a lot further than I had estimated, but I made it and turned to return to shore. A good thing to as a I could see that the weather was looking to turn worse. I power stroked all the way (well, maybe a couple of rest breaks) and only got pounded by the rain a little bit. A good work up for the paddle I had planned for tomorrow. I will be taking a kayak tour with a local company for a day trip. I hope the weather is better.

7/25/05. Hey - come on now. If you have been reading my blog long enough, you know to expect the trademark foot shot. Just my little quirk to add to my pics. The bottle on front was a bit of trash I picked up out of the water. Glad I did, it came in handy later.

I wasn't quite alone. This Harbor Seal followed me around everywhere I went. He stayed a pretty good distance, but was always there.

From out on the water I could look back on my fellows on the beach and see the rain clouds behind them. But I was ready. I continued on toward an anchored barge about a mile out. Nothing much else to see, just the enjoyment of paddling for it's own sake.

7/25/05. Today, Christa and Mom went to look at the town. Others put their hooks in the water to continue there dream of fishing salmon out of the waters of Homer, AK. I had one thing on my lind, however. My first open water paddle, I was pretty excited. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty excited as well; wind, rain and moderate chop was the order of the day. I was not to be deterred though. Donning rain gear, snacks, water, life jacket (of course), and a wide brim hat, I set out to the bay following this 15' sloop.

Though it looks like a yardsale tent, there are some pretty good artists hanging out here.

At the base of the spit (right next to the shore) is this little area. Full of little artisan buildings, you'll find would carvers as well as other craftsmen related items.

Many odd shape buildings attest to the individualistic nature of the people who call Homer (and Alaska) home. I this shop one could find bone and ivory carvings and sculptures of superb quality. In particular, a carver with the name of Baer caught both mine and Christa's eyes.

Frank comes away with a nice one for the plate, also. Actually, Frank caught his fish first, but I had them out of order when publishing. So I gotta give Frank his props.

Here Ted is getting Jan to film for evidence his first catch.

7/24/05. I mean people didn't waste any time. Here Roger is already casting for his first opportunity of the day, and that means Salmon. I mean - we're only into and hour or so off the road and these guys are getting busy.

We stayed at the Heritage RV Park on the spit. When we were first told how much the per night cost was, we freaked. But, then we got there. This was a terrific spot, sitting right on the edge of the shore (and when the tide came in, it closer than we would have thought). Jeanne and Donna are already enjoying the veiw, and Ted has his waders on and giving the water a hard look.

7/24/05. Crossing onto the "The Spit," we come into Homer. We have a lot of rabid anglers that are counting on this stay to live up to it's motto.

Here we are on that scenic overlook. This was our travel group for the day. From the left - Ed, Donna, Al, Chuck, Kathy, Me, Christa, Lucy, Mom, Kathy, and Jeanne. What a mottley crew.

7/24/05. Having left Anchorage and Hatcher Pass behind, we headed for Homer, AK. This was our first glimpse of this area - breathtaking. To the very left of the phot, but still in the water, you can just make out the Homer Spit. This where our nxt camp is to be. I bet there is a kayaking experience awaiting me there.

At the top of the pass, we encountered many people enjoying these mountains in as many different ways. There were those who, like us, enjoyed the scenery from the relative comfort of their vehicle. We also saw a group of young lads hiking up the back side of this slope loaded down with snowboards. This would be a very strenuous climb and 30 minutes later we noticed them about a third of the way up to the top. On this side was a beautiful glacial pond. Clear as glass and cold as ice.

Here is another backward glance down the road and valley. The park is down to the left.

Up to the mine the road on the Palmer-Fishhook side of the pass is paved and in pretty good shape. That ends there. A very steep climb on loose gravel road greets the traveler on leaving the park. But the views change dynamically as well. Though this is a well used road by locals and tourists alike, the scenery surrounding the road is tundra and wild looking.