Soldotna to Wasilla, July 6, 2009

We left Soldotna, Alaska on the Kenai peninsula on Monday, July 6. On the way, we stopped at the Russian River Ferry where there are many fishermen trying to catch fish.

These fishermen are with a guide in a "driftboat".

They call this "Combat Fishing" since you are so close to your neighbor. Look at the shore.

Some cross the river to fish on the other side from the bank. This is the Russian River Ferry. The Russian River comes into the Kenai River about here.

This bear was just coming out of the swamp or small pond beside the road when we were driving by. It was near the Russian River where we had just walked along side the bank looking for bears. The fishermen on the opposite bank yelled at us to warn us there were two bears fishing just around the corner of the river in the direction we were walking! Bears do not like to be surprised and neither do we so we turned around!.

After we left the ferry, we were stopped for about 20 minutes due to an accident from this oversized load. We were fortunate that it wasn't us in the accident. I do not think anyone was hurt, only vehicles.

This is Jermone Lake on the Sterling Highway. It is a beautiful mountain-lake scene!

This is Upper Summit Lake on the Sterling Highway.

This is road construction and a gravel area we had to pass through. It seems that nearly every highway here has one of these! They're constantly repairing winter road damage.

This is Turnagain Pass on the Seward Highway, heading north in the Kenai Peninsula.

Now we are descending north from the Turnagain Pass.

These are three glaciers in the Chugach Range. They are the Spencer, Bartlett & Trail Glaciers.

At mile 79, we stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to see rescued animals. This is an unhappy black bear, who just paced up and down. I did not like seeing him so confined. All of the follwing animals are at the Conservation Center.

This black bear just sat about 50 feet up in this tree. He seemed happier than the other one.

This is a brown bear or a grizzley! Isn't he something!

This is the same grizzley, cooling off in a small pond! Cute!

This bull moose had lost one antler side by hitting it on a tree.

This is a Caribou or Reindeer.

And we have here a mighty, proud bull elk! Somehow they seem almost regal!

This is an orphaned moose calf. He looked sad, also.

and the famous Musk Ox!

I have never seen a porcupine before but here is one.

These are Wood Bison, the largest North American animal.

This sign explains the difference between Wood Bison and Plains Bison and how to identify them. The Wood Bison are nearly extinct.

What a lazy Bull Moose! They are so ugly that they are beautiful. Does that make sense?

This is a Turnagain Arm Scene going North toward Anchorage & Wasilla.

This is another of the Turnagain Arm. They see Beluga Whales in these waters from time to time.

This is a fascinating stretch of road, going along the water of the Turnagain Arm!

This is Sarah Palin's house in Wasilla!.

Here is the Wasilla RR Station, now housing the Chamber of Commerce.

Wasilla is in the Mat-Su Valley and this is one of the dairy farms no longer in operation. The bottom of this barn is made of logs. During Franklin D Roosevelt's administration, they had a program to have some farmers from Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan, come from the lower 48 to farm here in Alaska. They were subsidized and called "Colonists".