Road trip on a Road trip?

The dark, gray clouds hover over the Fred Meyer parking lot, so low it creates a claustrophobic effect. Red and blue flashing lights reflect off the wet pavement as police string crime scene tape around a lone RV in the corner. We watch from afar as an ambulance slowly pulls up alongside the other emergency vehicles, lights flashing, no siren, not in a hurry, that cannot be good. Blood, seeping across the pavement makes its way towards a nightcrawler that recently emerged from the wet soil. A robin swoops down and gobbles up the unsuspecting worm. And just like that, another life is gone. No one notices, time marches on.

 Oh wait, I am writing a blog, not a mystery novel! Let me start over. When I started this week's blog, we WERE in the Fred Meyer parking lot, it was overcast and wet, but there were no emergency vehicles to be seen, no blood, not even a worm. Salmon fishing has been slow, but we are steadily filling up our freezer one fish at a time. “Don’t worry”, one old-timer tells me, “Pretty soon, there will be so many fish you can tie a line to a donkey’s ear, and he’ll catch a limit just swinging his head.” Did he just compare my fishing prowess to that of a donkey? Rather than ponder this thought, I give my one fish to Barb for her to vacuum seal and put in the freezer.

 The vacuum sealer you ask? We had bought a new one at Sportsman’s Warehouse on the way up here planning on using it throughout our trip. That is until Barb saw Susan’s vac sealer. “I want one!”. She says sounding like an 8-year-old looking at the newest doll on the market. The problem is, is that Barb is not 8 years old, and Barb has her own credit card. She promptly went onto Amazon, ordered one and had it shipped to Susan’s house. I will admit, this thing is pretty cool. Like no other vacuum sealer I have seen before. It kind of expands the bag with air before suddenly sucking it out and sealing the bag. The problem with the traditional ones we are used to is the moisture. Fish, are generally wet, making it hard to get a good seal. This thing seems to seal it tight each and every time! Take a look at this video….. 

I did have one very cool moment while standing in the Kenai River at a place called Moose Meadows. I’m sitting there fishing and this bald eagle lands on this rock out in the water and just sits there. How cool is that? I think to myself. It just does not get any better than this. As if God heard my thoughts himself, he made it even better when this curious moose walks out to have a chat with the eagle!

 

I take a few pictures and continue fishing; the eagle flies off to be replaced by a seagull. Now the moose wants to chat with the seagull! I video it this time. The moose leaves and I continue to fish, 30 seconds later, it walks right by me! I get my phone out quick enough to take the last part of this video. One of these times, I know I am going to drop my phone right in the river! 

Since I last wrote, we have added 7 more salmon to the freezer, and when I say “we” I mean me. Barb has not been out. She is feeling better, but it has been wet and cold. No need to tempt fate with a continued illness. The fish are definitely here and like that donkey I managed to catch my limit more than once.

 

While I am providing sustenance for our family to survive the winter, Barb is off taking pictures of flowers and Zoey is reading the signs along the nature trail. 

Our big adventure for the week was a 100-mile road trip over to Seward to meet up with fulltime RV’er friends Steve and Debbie for a two-day visit. We met Steve and Debbie in Louisiana in January of 2015 and get together whenever we are within a couple hours of each other. The last time we saw them was in February of 2023 in Arizona.  This will make the 4^th state we have met up with them! 

While we wait for their arrival, we took in some of the Seward sights. 

 We were all set up on the water at the South Resurrection Bay Campground when they pulled in with their friends Rick and Angie about 5pm. Hugs all around, it was really great to see these guys again! They are on day 70 something of their adventure and are just about ½ through as they are they are staying until September!

 

We are all traveling in Ram trucks with campers, in our opinion, one of the best ways to see Alaska!

 

After everyone was set up, we walked into Seward Brewing Company. Good beer and food but bring your wallet. I sure wish I had forgot mine! The next day we walked the other side of town near the marina. So many cool boats there. We just walked up and down the docks dreaming what it would be like to own one of those beauties.

That afternoon, Barb and Debbie set up a blind bourbon tasting for Steve and me. It’s always fun and interesting to try new stuff and try and guess your familiar ones out of a blind line up.

 

Then it was an evening by the fire!

 

Barb and I retired early as we had a 4am wake up call. We needed to head 3 ½ hours west to meet up with Rich, Susan, Bob and Becky for yet another Halibut adventure! And an adventure it was! We tried to new spot from the other times we went out. This time the ‘buts were a little bigger averaging over 20lbs. Bob, Becky and I each caught one that went over 30, so that definitely puts me in the lead over Barb in the ‘but category!

 

Bob caught a big old skate (stingray). No good for eating, so it went back into the water. 

The biggest one I caught put up a really nice fight and when it was finally gaffed and in the boat Rich says “That’s a really nice one!”. "Does that mean, you think I have a nice 'but?" "Er, Ah, I don't like where this conversation is going."

We ended up with 12 really nice fish getting us over 100lbs to ship home.  

 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, mayhem continues. Neighbor Jim is still waging war on the P Dogs, but now he has a new nemesis. Calves. Those of you who have raised cattle know that calves are incredible escape artists. Fences designed to keep full grown cattle intend to do their jobs pretty well, but calves have a way of finding any nook and cranny they can to escape. They generally do not wander too far from their mothers and eventually crawl back through, but it is a nuisance, nonetheless. 

So, Jim set out to find out where these little critters were getting out and sent me these pictures where he put a few boards up at our entry where the little critters have been escaping. Do I have a great neighbor or what?!?

This morning was spent in the Ross's kitchen, Barb and Susan talking all things freeze-drying. Apparently, they own 4 for their business, now Barb thinks she need one too. As Barb takes the first sip of coffee that Susan put in front of her, she stops mid sentence as says, "This coffee is incredible!" Susan shows Barb the Breville espresso maker in the corner....

.... gets a glint in her eye, looks at me and says, "I want one!"