Anchorage - May 21 - 23

It's Friday morning, May 21st and we slept in until 7:30. Sam has already left for work and Ben is still up at Pump Station #4, somewhere south of Coldfoot along the Dalton Highway. Joe and I spend the day drinking coffee, relaxing, working on the blog and napping. When Sam gets home from work, she takes us to her favorite Mexican restaurant for supper, where we have fried ice cream then head back to the apartment and our beds.

Saturday, May 22nd. Joe and I load up and head into Anchorage to get the oil in the truck changed and pick up supplies at Wall mart. Then, we head up to Eagle River Campground and make camp on the river. At Eagle River,we meet the campground manager, Wynsong. Absolutely, the friendliest person we have met since entering Alaska. She and her husband came to Alaska a year or so back and her enthusiasm for the state is incredible. After a cup of coffee, she gives us the rundown on the various lakes where we might snag a few trout. Since Wynsong is from the south (North Carolina) we share a few stories about frying fish and hush puppies, cooking grits, frying chicken and cooking collard greens. This is one very nice lady and you can't help but have a good day after starting it with her. Wynsong, if you're following this, bless your little ole pea-picking heart.



Sunday, May 23rd. We head back over to Sam's and she takes us to a wonderful, long time Anchorage restaurant known as Gweenie's. Once inside Gweenie's, you get the feeling that you've finally arrived in Alaska. The place is filled with displays of old mining tools, trapping equipment, hunting and fishing gear, signs and memorabilia of Alaska's early days. The log walls and stairs are hung with all manner of antler, horn and hide. The open area in the center of the downstairs dinning room has a mounted grizzly bear as the main focal point. The bear is surrounded by other local wildlife, the most stuning of which is a snow fox.
Following an enormous breakfast that included reindeer sausage, Frisbee sized pancakes and, surprisingly, grits and eggs, we head back to the apartment to load up and get back on the road.
The truck is loaded and we're on our way to Valdez, via Wasilla/Palmer, Glenallen and the Richardson Highway. At the little village of Glenallen, we turn south onto the Richardson Highway and begin entering some of the rougher country Joe expected to find in Alaska. There are numerous rivers and creeks to cross, dozens of turquoise colored lakes visible from the road and cloud touching, snow covered mountains all around us. There is no real rush to reach Valdez, and when we come the Tonsina River near Copper Center, we decide to make an early camp and get in some fishing. We run into, Serge, a friendly Russian fellow who happens to own a campground/RV park/bar/restaurant/airstrip/Russian sauna right on the banks of the Tonsina River. Serge offers us a free campsite at his place and we accept his offer.
Access to the river, plentiful firewood, internet access (sometime), beautiful mountain views and a level spot to park our "class F - RV." We figure we have it made and decide to stay a few days.
After three days of no fish, no showers and dwindling supplies, it's time to get back on the road for Valdez. We break camp and as Joe heads down the road on his bike, I stop by the bar and thank Serge's son for the hospitality, then pull up on the highway rolling south to find Joe. I catch up with him about three miles south of camp and follow him another two miles to the Little Tonsina River. This spot looks like a perfect fishing hole, so we pull off the road, get out our gear and give it a try. An hour later and still no luck, we pack it in, load the bike and continue on to Valdez.