Bumming along Stoney Creek

We stayed in Seward for a week and a half.  During that time we enjoyed our camp at Stoney Creek Campground, took exploratory drives around the area and just chillin'.  The pups enjoyed the long walks around the park and I enjoyed the cloudy days.

We liked this campground as the sites were wide with trees and grass and it was quiet.

We got up early to go fishing on Sunday (early, early!).  When we arrived at the charter office at 6:30 we were informed the sea were too rough to go out for halibut, so we would stay in the cove for Salmon.  I know my friends think I'm cheap, (I prefer frugal thank you), but $756.00 for 12 salmon means that each fish is $63.00.  Unless you get 6 pounds of filet per fish, it just didn't make sense.  We said no thanks, a refund was preferred, and went back home and back to bed.  Inside, I was relieved since I really didn't want to kill anything.  

We had to buy two new tires for the toad as the rear passenger tire wore way beyond the others.  I'm not sure when it started so I don't know what the cause was.  We were going to wait until we got to the lower 48, but an internet search revealed the same cost up here, so rather than chance it, we got new tires.  While we were getting those installed we killed some time at the Sea Life Center.

The Sea Life Center has two orphaned otters that are being raised and sold to aquariums in the lower 48.  There are two Stellar Sea Lions and two Seals.  It's a Noah's Ark of pinnepeds!  The first part of the center is devoted to the Alaska Fishing Industry.  There were presentations by the Forest Service about the glaciers and how they are receding.   Lots of sea birds and petting pools for the kids.  Overall an OK place to spend some time.  

A seal hoping to be released

A baby Stingray.  Don't they look like cartoon characters?

A baby Sea Otter

Puffin!

After a half day of walking around, we had lunch at the Seward Brewery again.  It was yummy!  Then off to drive around the outskirts to see what was out there.  Too small to capture with the I-phone camera, we saw a small pod of Dahl Dolphin hunting close to the shore.  

Tutstumena Ferry that has failed all of it's welds Coast Guard Inspections.  Not in a rush to get it in the water, as no one was working on it.

One of the many glaciers in the area

The Maximum Security Prison in Seward.  Little did we know but that morning there was a prisoner riot over not wanting to make their beds.  Really?  Really!

There were two Swans in this lake

More otters in the water!

  After almost two weeks in Seward, we traveled backwards to Kenai, Alaska.  Kenai is on the Cook Inlet and has a population of about 7,000.  The town has a Home Depot, Safeway and a Walmart.  The ride was nice and short, only a couple of hours.  We left Seward just in time as a cruise ship encountered am electrical problem and was stuck in Seward for several days.  The town is just big enough for one ship at a time.  With more folks looking for things to do, I expect it would get pretty crowded.  

 Once we got settled in, we headed out to Soldotna to the Moose is Loose!  Fresh apple fritters for desert are on the menu!  The next day we ventured down to the beach.  The pups got very muddy and had a blast rockhounding with us.  Afterwards, baths were on the agenda as the mud was very sticky.  This is the first we have had a sunset for awhile and it was a good one.  The days are getting shorter at a pretty quick rate.  Each day the sunshine is 6 minutes less than the day before.

View of our coach from the beach

A beautiful sunset from our spot

We have had rain all day long.  It has been very steady and constant.  We are settled in for the day, puttering about.  I finished a little cross stitch sea otter.  Still practicing my knitting, hoping to eventually get better and be able to cast off.  Eric worked on a letter of recommendation for someone.  I did a little internet shopping.  This is the life!