Here are a few miscellaneous pictures taken in the town of Kenai and at a couple glaciers that we visited during late July. I know, I know, I'm way behind on posting. Today is September 14 and I'm just posting July's pictures.
We spent about 5 days in the city of Kenai, Alaska. Boy, what a mistake!! The campground was small and tightly packed. We didn't realize that every man, woman and child in the state of Alaska descends on the Kenai Peninsula, and especially the town of Kenai, during the summer to catch salmon. The mouth of the Kenai River was shoulder-to-shoulder people with these long handle nets called dip nets trying to catch all the salmon as they swim up stream to spawn. People couldn't believe that we came to Kenai in the summer and we weren't dipnetters. Anyway, this is a nicely restored Russian Orthodox church with the classic onion domes.
We spent 1 week in the town of Seward, Alaska and it rained for 7 days and 7 nights. Yuck, yuck, double yuck!! We had planned to take a cruise into Kenai Fjords Natl Park but the cruises were mostly cancelled because of high winds and very rough seas. I was determined to see something while we were in Seward so we drove to Exit Glacier in the rain. It was only about 10 miles away. We had to put on our rain gear and hike a little to get these pictures of the glacier. See it way off in the fog?? All that gravel in the foreground is crushed-up rocks deposited by the glacier as it moves. In fact, in the town of Seward they have a rock quarry that simply scoops-up the gravel from the glacier and sells it. Keep in mind that the quarry is in town, 10 miles from the foot of the glacier. They are scooping-up rock deposited by the glacier many generations ago as the glacier was retreating. 
Here's a little closer view of Exit Glacier. Sorry for the fog and clouds. It was a nasty day.
Kathy looks like she's enjoying the liquid Alaska sunshine, doesn't she?? She doesn't wear a hood very often but she did that day.
I think this is cute. This is a group of tourists getting ready for an organized hike to the foot of the glacier. I really like the way their bright orange raincoats contrast with the green trees and white glacier.
OK, here's a different glacier. This is the Matanuska Glacier. It's not near any big city, or ANY city for that matter, so you probably won't find it on a map. It's east of Chickaloon on the Glenn Hwy, if that helps. What's nice about this glacier is that you can walk right onto it. You drive down this steep, narrow "private" dirt road carved into the side of a hill. Since it's "private" it doesn't have to meet any highway standards so it's extremely steep and very, very narrow. Note, we didn't take the trailer down there. We used Kathy's Saturn. After about 2 miles of bumping around you come to a gate and a "trading post" (gift shop). You pay the natives inside $15 per person and they open the gate for you. I think we also had to sign a release. Then you drive another 2 miles on "private" dirt road to a parking lot. You can tell it's a parking lot because there are a couple outhouses there. The picture above was taken from the parking lot. It's pretty good but you can take a 1 mile trail and walk on the glacier itself. Come on Kathy, let's go. 
Well, here's the trail. No, we didn't have to walk through the water. Not yet anyway. The trail follows around the edge of the water. They had orange cones ever 100 feet or so to mark the trail. Can you see the orange cones?? No?? That's OK, I can't see them either. Just keep walking Kathy.
Here's Kathy getting ready to ford a raging river. See that little board across the stream?? That's our "bridge". Also notice the orange trail marker. Do you see all the rocks and gravel she's walking on?? I thought that was deposited by the glacier. Actually, it was on top of the glacier so we are walking on ice. You just can't see it, yet. It sure was starting to get cold. Don't we know how to have fun?? 
Hey, we made it!! They didn't want us to walk any further onto the glacier. You need cramp-ons, helmet, ropes, guide, etc. to go any further. I guess there are a lot of crevasses to fall into and you can't always see them. It was really cold out there too. 
You can't tell from this picture but I'm wearing a really thin jacket. Man, was it cold out there.
Here's one last shot of Matanuska Glacier from a distance. All that dark grey is rock covering the foot of the glacier.Bye everybody, I'll try to post again in a week or two. The next post will cover a 9 hour glacier cruise we did in Valdez, Alaska. There will be lots of marine mammals, birds and oil tankers (supertankers).
