A whale!

The winds last night were a gusty 40mph.  We were camping near the shoreline… so we were getting the full force of the winds off of Kachemak Bay.  We put in our slide because the whipping winds were making the awning flap and rock the motor home somewhat.  The winds continued to whistle throughout the night. Seeing a rainbow in the morning over the bay, brought hopes of a warm, calm, sunny day.  Not going to happen in Homer.  Our plans for a bike tour of Homer wasn’t going to happen today.  We decided to head north in hopes of finding 

some nicer weather.

On our way north, we stopped at a wildlife sanctuary.  We had been there years ago and thought it was nice.  We were very disappointed in the upkeep of the place.  It is a drive through tour and the roads were so full of potholes that everything on the motor home was shaking.  We have seen most of these animals in the wild on our trip, except for the muskox.   

 The most interesting part of the tour.

I was hoping that we would see some whales on our trip down the Kenai Peninsula.  Making our way back north, with water usually on one side or the other, I had my hopes of seeing one.  I did see a whale; but not the way I wanted to see one.  It was dead on the shoreline, being part of the food chain and crows flying all over.  I know that’s part of life; but I wish I could have seen the whale before that stage of the circle of life.  The news just reported that 31 grey whales have washed up on Alaskan western shores.  It looks like they are malnourished for some reason.  Other whales don’t seem to be affected.  

The weather remained pretty cloudy, cool and sprinkling most of the day.  Not much outdoor activities today.  Tomorrow starts the beginning of Memorial Weekend.  The weather forecast is calling for typical Memorial Weekend weather…rainy and a little cool!  A person from Homer told me not worry about the weather….the sun usually comes out three times during the day.  I guess she’s saying to not cancel your plans because the weather changes frequently throughout the day. 

Tomorrow we will be heading toward the entrance of Denali Park (Bill calls it the Denali Dells).  We want to stop at the tiny town of Talkeetna.  It is such a neat town because there is such a diversity of people there.  They come from all over the world to visit; but for some it is the starting place to ascend Mt. McKinley (Denali) in the month of May, usually. Talkeetna will be very busy this weekend and an interesting place to do some “people watching.”  It’s a real special place for Bill and I because it is where we went on a four-seater plane to view Denali and glaciers.  

Best side trip ever!