Day 27 of Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon, Northwest Territories & Alaska!
4:50 AM – Not raining! That was all the encouragement needed to hit the road out of Soldotna. Still dark out, so it was hard to tell what the day was actually going to bring, but may as well think positive until proven otherwise. Lupe needed to get to Homer early, if she wanted to have a chance at an adventure in Kachemak Bay State Park today.
6:45 AM – Despite 20 miles of road construction, part of it following a slow pilot car in the dark, the Carolina Dog arrived in Homer with time to spare. However, things weren’t looking good for Kachemak Bay State Park. From the Homer Spit, Lupe saw dark clouds hanging over the mountains across Kachemak Bay.
Arriving early at the Homer Spit, Lupe was disappointed by the dark clouds visible across Kachemak Bay. Photo looks ESE.
The gloomy sky wasn’t the only problem. A fierce wind out of the NW was roiling the ocean into big breakers crashing against the windward side of the spit. Mako’s Water Taxi wasn’t open yet, so Lupe had time to check out the roaring surf. Over by Grace Ridge(3,136 ft.) where she’d had a fabulous time 2 years ago, the skies were brighter and much more encouraging.
Grace Ridge (Center) from the Homer Spit. Photo looks S.Are we going back to Grace Ridge (L) SPHP? I sure hope so! Grace Ridge was spectacular!
The ocean was exciting, and everything looked so beautiful! What would Mako’s say about the forecast, though? A day of rain and wind would not be worth the water taxi expense to get across the bay.
Lupe was outside Mako’s ready and waiting for the moment they opened.
At Mako’s Water Taxi headquarters on the Home Spit.
The phones were already ringing, when a pleasant young woman opened the office. Lupe and SPHP were willing to wait for her to take the calls, which she expertly handled. However, calls kept pouring in. For a while she was simply inundated. No rush. SPHP wasn’t expecting good news.
During brief breaks between calls, the young woman began giving SPHP a rundown on the situation. Mako’s wasn’t taking anyone anywhere. The wind was crazy at 35 knots. 10 foot seas. Tomorrow was supposed to be better, no rain expected and lighter winds, so the water taxis ought to be running. The best day, though, was 2 days from now. Calm and sunny! Could Lupe come back then?
Sure. Lupe would be back. Maybe not such a bad thing to rest up for a day or two, anyway. SPHP tentatively scheduled a trip across Kachemak Bay for Looper tomorrow morning. It all depended on the weather, and at least one more paying passenger turning up.
The area of interest for Lupe’s possible water taxi trip over to Kachemak Bay State Park tomorrow morning.
So that was it. What now?
Anchor Point! In 2016, and again in 2017, Lupe had done her Last Mile West trek along the ocean there. Only 15 miles from Homer, Anchor Point is the farthest point W on the North American highway system, and likely as far W as Lupe would ever be in her whole life. May as well go there again to walk the beach, and stare out over the sea toward the world the American Dingo would never know.
10:30 AM, Anchor Point – After a breakfast of iced raspberry-filled cinnamon rolls bought at Safeway in Homer (Lupe generously let SPHP have all the raspberry parts), Lupe visited the Anchor Point sign over by the campground entrance, then headed down to the beach.
Cook Inlet of the North Pacific Ocean is just beyond this sign.
The tide was way out. A flock of seagulls rested on the sand, perhaps not eager to have to contend with the wind which was still fierce out of the NW. Cook Inlet was beautiful! Watching the waves roll in was great fun. Exposed out on the windswept beach, though, Lupe agreed with the seagulls. This sea breeze was a bit much!
Seagulls on the beach at Anchor Point.The tide was way out, exposing a vast shoreline of wet sand.
20 minutes on the beach was enough. The NW wind was simply too strong and cold to be enjoyable. Maybe Lupe could do her 2018 Last Mile West trek later on? In the meantime, a nap sounded good.
3:00 PM – Conditions had improved. The day had warmed up. Still windy, but not as annoyingly windy as it had been earlier. Recharged by the long nap, Lupe and SPHP returned to the beach for another Last Mile West attempt. The Carolina Dog had to get it done! A visit to the Rock of the West was an Alaskan tradition!
The tide had come in a long way during the past few hours. The beach wasn’t nearly as enormous as it had been. The wind was bracing, but much more bearable now. To Lupe’s delight, seagulls sailed by. Close to the pounding waves, Lupe and SPHP wandered S.
Seagulls streaked by overhead.Heading S along Cook Inlet.By the foaming sea.
Lupe’s home in the Black Hills of South Dakota is about as far from any ocean as one can possibly get in North America. So seeing the ocean is a rare occurrence, a treat always to be savored. With nothing else in store the rest of the day, Lupe and SPHP followed the shoreline S farther than ever before, enjoying every moment.
In 2016, Lupe had gone as far as the Rock of the West, a big dark rock that had been surrounded by the incoming tide before she reached it. The intention in 2017 had been to return to that same rock, but it was nowhere to be seen. No problem. SPHP had simply designated a new 2017 official Rock of the West, an even bigger green stone that Lupe had gotten to climb up on.
What happens to these Rocks of the West along the shore of Cook Inlet during the course of a year? Who knows? All that was for certain was that Lupe never saw them again. Once again, although SPHP kept an eye out for them, neither of the 2016 or 2017 Rocks of the West appeared. Yet Lupe had certainly gone beyond where they must have once been.
Oh, well! That just meant that a new rock got to enjoy the honorary title of 2018 Rock of the West. A big gray stone right at the edge of the water earned the distinction. The tide was still coming in, but Lupe had time to get up on the brand new 2018 Rock of the West before the waves would wash over it.
This is it! The 2018 official Rock of the West! Look closely, as you may never see it again!For the third time, as far W as Lupe will ever be, this time on the 2018 Rock of the West.
On the way back, SPHP walked as close to the roaring waves as possible. Lupe roamed sniffing near and far. For some unknown reason, there didn’t seem to be nearly as many big rocks on the beach as there had been in prior years, but Loop got up on a couple more of them, perhaps testing them out for future honors. In 2017, huge parts of the beach had been strewn with seaweed, but today there was almost none.
What do you think of this one for 2019 Rock of the West? Photo looks SSE.Beyond me is a world I’ll never see, farther W than any road will ever take me.Oh, here’s another Rock of the West candidate! Looks sort of like a flipper or a fin.Hmm. Might need to be higher!
Loopster had been to Anchor Point 3 years in a row now, but who knew if she would ever be back? Maybe the Carolina Dog ought to pick up a souvenir to remember the beach at Anchor Point and her Last Mile West treks by? Lupe found a dead fish and a seashell. Of the two, SPHP would only consider letting her keep the seashell.
Loop thought that was an odd choice, since the seashell was a perfectly ordinary one, and the dead fish was mighty interesting, even if your nose wasn’t quite as keen as an American Dingo’s. She graciously went along with the decision, though.
This dead fish would have been an amazing and fragrant souvenir choice!Lupe with her Anchor Point seashell.The seashell was rather ordinary looking, but had once been someone’s home.
5:50 PM – Nearly two hours went by before Lupe made it back to the G6. By then the wind had died down even more, but the sky was cloudier. The tide had come in so far that there was hardly any beach left. The seagulls were gone. A shining, silvery sea had already erased all trace of the paw prints Lupe had left in the sand during her 2018 Last Mile West.
The silvery sea.
The plan was to take another trek along the beach at sunset, still a few hours away. This time Lupe would go N, which she had never done here before. However, by the time sundown drew near the wind was blowing again as strongly as it had been this morning. Cold and unpleasant! Sadly, the sunset stroll got nixed.
Lupe did return to the beach for just a little while, though. SPHP was hoping for a splendid sunset. Seemingly promising for a few minutes, it never developed. That’s the way it often goes. The big question was, what would happen tomorrow?
Back on the beach shortly before sunset. The tide was going out.Waiting for sunset.Day’s end at Anchor Point.As good as it got.
Far into the night, the G6 shook in the roaring gale.
On the 2018 Rock of the West, Last Mile West trek, Anchor Point, Alaska 8-30-18
Day 32 & Part 1 of Day 33 of Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
8-31-17, 10:00 AM at Bottenintnin Lake on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska – Of course, it had rained overnight. It rained every day here in Alaska, usually every few hours. It wasn’t raining at 6:00 AM, though, or when SPHP woke up again now, either, but the sky was completely overcast both times. The day really wasn’t looking too promising. Meanwhile, Lupe was off barking in the forest. She must have found a squirrel as soon as she’d escaped the G6. Better go check on her.
Loopster was close by. Yes, she had found a squirrel, almost instantly! If SPHP didn’t think the day was shaping up the way it ought to, she had a different opinion. She was having a good time at Bottenintnin Lake. A forest full of moss, ferns, squirrels and exotic aromas was a Dingo playground. The Most High Exalted Dingo of the Arctic Sisterhood was a busy girl, and in no hurry to leave.
Lupe at Bottenintnin Lake where she had spent the night after visiting Skilak Lookout yesterday afternoon.Well, hello there sleepyhead! Up so soon? Not even noon yet. Don’t get any big ideas now. It’s a cloudy day, so we may as well stay here at Bottenintnin Lake where there is plenty of fun stuff for a Dingo to do!The squirrel watching is excellent!And there’s lots of important sniffing to do, too, if you will excuse me a moment.And of course, there’s this lovely lake. Bottenintnin Lake is shallow and full of water lilies. Seems like a great place for waterfowl, SPHP, but I haven’t seen any yet. Maybe if we hang around, though, we’ll see some?
Loopster was right. No need to rush off given the weather. If she wanted to bark at squirrels and play in the forest for a while, why not?
11:23 AM – The trip journal was caught up. Loop was back in the G6, her good times squirrel watching cut short by a steady rain. The day was looking gloomier and gloomier. What to do? Two choices. The first was to cut and run. The current weather on the Kenai Peninsula wasn’t conducive to outdoor adventures. No sign it was going to clear up, either. Maybe it was best to go back to Palmer, and then just keep going until Lupe found sunshine somewhere far from the rainy S Alaska coast?
The other option was to carry on as originally planned. Head W all the way to Homer, and hope that the weather would improve by tomorrow. If it did, Loopster could take a water taxi across Kachemak Bay like she did last year when she got to spend a fabulous day on Grace Ridge in Kachemak Bay State Park. This year, the Grewingk Glacier might be a fun adventure.
Yes, I kind of gathered that. Did you change your mind? Are we going to Homer after all?
Yeah, I can’t stand the thought that we’re leaving after getting so close. Might be a complete waste of time, but let’s give it one more day. You never know, the weather might clear up and be beautiful like it did last year. We have an awful lot of great stuff we can do on the Kenai Peninsula, if we can catch a break. If it doesn’t work out, at least we tried.
3:20 PM, 52°F at the Cook Inlet beach at Ninilchik – So far, still not too promising. Lupe had just had a bit of luck, though. When she arrived at Ninilchik, the rain had quit for a little while. She’d just had a good romp along Cook Inlet before the rain started in again.
A year ago, Lupe had spent a wonderful evening here in Ninilchik. She’d had gorgeous views of both Iliamna Volcano(10,016 ft.) and Redoubt Volcano(10,197 ft.) far across Cook Inlet as the sun went down behind the mountains. Nothing like that today. Dull, gray clouds hid everything except the ocean and the nearby beach, but watching seagulls and listening to the roar of the waves as they collapsed exhausting their energy on the beach had been fun.
When Lupe arrived at Ninilchik, the rain had abated for a little while. As a result, she got to enjoy a romp along Cook Inlet.Not standing here long, SPHP. The tide is coming in. Let me know if you see one of those sneaker waves coming up behind me!Even though we can’t see the volcanoes across Cook Inlet today, it’s always fun to take a stroll along the beach, isn’t it, SPHP?Looper along Cook Inlet near Ninilchik on the Kenai Peninsula.
By 5:00 PM, Lupe was in Homer near the end of Sterling Highway No. 1. Sadly, the weather showed no signs of improving. Only the base of the mountains across Kachemak Bay could be seen beneath low clouds. A heavy mist was falling as SPHP drove out to the Homer Spit.
Despite the gloomy atmosphere, Homer Spit was alive with activity. Vehicles and people in rain gear were everywhere. SPHP dropped by a restaurant, and got an order of fish and chips to go. Lupe didn’t care for them, preferring salami and English muffins. Oatmeal cookies for dessert. Together Loop and SPHP sat in the G6 having dinner, while watching rain and fog over Kachemak Bay.
6:32 PM, 52°F, rain and fog at the Homer Spit – After dinner, Lupe went with SPHP to Mako’s Water Taxi to inquire about prospects for a trip across Kachemak Bay to see the Grewingk Glacier tomorrow. Unfortunately, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize what a long shot this was likely to be.
Despite long odds, Lupe went with SPHP to inquire at Mako’s Water Taxi about the prospects for a trip across Kachemak Bay to see the Grewingk Glacier tomorrow.In 2016, Lupe had sailed across Kachemak Bay aboard Mako’s water taxi “Xtra Tuff” to enjoy a fabulous day on Grace Ridge.As a former customer, Loop hoped the good people at Mako’s could do something about this weather for her, but they weren’t making any promises.
Lupe could go to see the Grewingk Glacier tomorrow, if she wanted to. The price of the round trip water taxi ride across Kachemak Bay was $80.33 including all taxes and fees. That was the good news. No problem, if that was the only consideration. However, there was the all important weather issue, too. The people at Mako’s weren’t expecting much change in the weather anytime soon.
Well, if that turned out to be true, no Grewingk Glacier trip for Loopster. No sense in spending $80.33 to spend a whole day soaking wet, cold and miserable. Disappointing, but not unexpected. Nothing to be done about it, except wait to see what things looked like in the morning.
Despite fog and light rain, after leaving Mako’s, Loop and SPHP took a walking tour of the Homer Spit. Lupe saw many boats on the protected NE side of the spit.
Lupe saw many boats moored on the protected NE side of Homer Spit.
Loop also visited Kachemak Bay on the unprotected SW side of the spit. The ocean was still beautiful despite the dismal sky.
On the unprotected SW side of Homer Spit next to Kachemak Bay. Photo looks SSE.Looking NNW along Homer Spit.Not looking too good for another boat ride tomorrow, is it, SPHP? …. No, afraid not, Looper.
After a damp stroll along Kachemak Bay, Loopster went to take a look at some of the shops along Homer Spit’s main drag. All sorts of adventures were being advertised! It all sounded like fun, but Lupe and SPHP were set on going to see the Grewingk Glacier tomorrow.
Bears were a top draw at places advertising wildlife adventures.Fishing adventures, especially for halibut, were apparently the most popular here.Sea kayaking was popular, too.
As the evening wore on, already faint hopes for the Grewingk Glacier dream were fading fast. Sometimes it rained, sometimes it didn’t, but the sky looked like it could rain forever.
9-1-17, 7:29 AM, 45°F – Seemed like a long night. Rained off and on for hours. But what was this?
Loopster, look, blue sky!
Oh, maybe we’re in luck!
Can you believe it? Maybe not, though. Still some clouds around.
Well, let’s go see what we can find out! Drive us back to Mako’s, SPHP!
When Lupe and SPHP returned to Homer Spit, there was a lot of blue sky around. So encouraging, but would it last? Before going to Mako’s, Lupe ran down to Kachemak Bay. There was a rainbow over the ocean!
Upon returning to Homer Spit in the morning, Lupe saw a rainbow over Kachemak Bay. Photo looks SW.
The rainbow wasn’t all the American Dingo could see. High snow and ice clad peaks of Kachemak Bay State Park were in sight across the bay! Looper could even see Grace Ridge, where she had such a good time last year. Suddenly, prospects for a Grewingk Glacier adventure were looking bright!
Most of the sky was clear! Lupe could see high snow and ice clad peaks of Kachemak Bay State Park across the bay. Photo looks SSE.Oh, this looks promising, SPHP! Maybe we can go see the Grewingk Glacier today, after all!Grace Ridge(3,136 ft.) (Center) where Lupe had such a great adventure in 2016 was in view, too. It was all so encouraging! Photo looks S.
Lupe and SPHP inquired again at Mako’s. Lupe could sail at 9:00 AM, with a 9:30 AM arrival at Glacier Spit. 4:00 PM pickup at Saddle Point. Total price was still $80.33. Yes, yes, yes! Want to book it?
Hold on. And the weather forecast?
Supposed to close in again, and get nasty around noon.
Oh.
Loop and SPHP went back to the G6 to think about it. Not much time to decide. 15 minutes. The sun was still shining on Kachemak Bay. The rainbow was bigger and brighter than before.
Sadly, there really wasn’t much to think over.
Sorry, Looper.
I’m not going to get to see the Grewingk Glacier, am I, SPHP?
Nope. ‘Fraid not.
The rainbow and all the blue sky had my hopes up.
Mine too. That’s the way the cookie crumbles, though.
So, now what?
Well, I don’t suppose there’s any sense hanging around here now. Weather is supposed to be OK for a little while yet. Maybe we can go to Anchor Point, and you can visit the Rock of the West again? Anchor Point isn’t far from here.
Oh, wasn’t that where all the seagulls were last year? That was fun!
OK then, let’s do it!
SPHP had bought a postcard of the Homer Spit yesterday evening for Lupe to send to her Grandma. Looper told SPHP what to write on it, making sure to send lots of love. The rainbow was still shining brightly over the ocean as Lupe and SPHP drove away from Homer Spit. SPHP stopped to mail the postcard before leaving Homer. When SPHP came out of the post office, it was raining hard. (9:03 AM, 47°F)
Sheesh, Loopster, glad we didn’t spend $80.33! We would have enjoyed blue skies only until the moment of departure.
Sigh. Don’t suppose we will even get to go to the Rock of the West now.
Not true! Astonishingly, when Lupe arrived at Anchor Point (9:59 AM, 52°F), skies were sunny here. Distant mountains N of Cook Inlet were cloaked in clouds, but the sky over the ocean was clear and bright.
Lupe returns to Anchor Point for a repeat of her 2016 Last Mile West journey along Cook Inlet.
After leaving the G6, Lupe and SPHP traveled S along the beach. SPHP ambled along watching the sky, listening to the restless sea, and enjoying the breeze. Lupe barked at seagulls flying by, and sniffed seaweed and odd bits and pieces of things from the ocean, all while dodging incoming waves.
Lupe by Cook Inlet, an arm of the North Pacific Ocean at Anchor Point. Photo looks W.
Loopster had been to Anchor Point in 2016, too. She had explored this same stretch of beach. Since no road connected to the North American highway system goes any farther W than Anchor Point, Lupe was as far W here on this beach as she was ever likely to be in her entire life.
Lupe had taken this same stroll along the beach S from Anchor Point in 2016. At the time, SPHP believed the Carolina Dog was as far W as she would ever be in her life. Yet only a little more than a year later, here she was again. Photo looks SW.
Earlier on this Dingo Vacation, Lupe had returned to the Brooks Range and broken her 2016 Last Mile North record for how far N she had ever been by continuing N on the Dalton Highway all the way to Deadhorse near the Arctic Ocean.
Lupe couldn’t break her 2016 Last Mile West record today. All she could do was tie it. The ocean prevented her from going any farther W than this beach. Even so, it was remarkable to think the American Dingo had actually returned to this remote place.
Lupe stands among strands of seaweed on her 2017 Last Mile West trek along the beach at Anchor Point. Photo looks W.
As Lupe continued S along the beach, it was evident that not taking the water taxi to the Grewingk Glacier across Kachemak Bay from Homer Spit had been a good decision. The sky to the S toward Kachemak Bay looked dark and stormy. Heavy rain was falling over that way.
The sky to the S was dark and stormy. Not taking the water taxi to see the Grewingk Glacier had been a good decision. Photo looks S.
Lupe was having a good time on the beach here, so things were working out about as well as they could have today.
Lupe was staying busy and having fun on the beach S of Anchor Point. Photo looks SSW.Loopster races by a big patch of seaweed. Fun times! Way better than getting drenched would have been.
For about an hour, Loop and SPHP continued S along the beach. SPHP thought Lupe made it at least as far S as she had gone in 2016. Back then, Lupe had stood on a dark rock next to the ocean before turning around to return to Anchor Point. That dark rock had been officially dubbed the Rock of the West, representing the farthest point W Lupe had ever been.
SPHP had expected to be able to recognize the Rock of the West again, but hadn’t seen it. Maybe the tide was higher or lower now than a year ago? Entirely possible. If the Rock of the West was underwater, SPHP wouldn’t have seen it for sure. Since 2016’s Rock of the West couldn’t be found, Lupe climbed up on a different boulder. This greenish boulder could serve as 2017’s official Rock of the West.
Lupe astride the all new, 2017 official Rock of the West. Photo looks W.Lupe never seemed very comfortable up on the 2017 Rock of the West. Photo looks S.Is that rock slippery or what, Loop? You are perched so strangely on it! Photo looks SW.I did come back to my westernmost point ever, didn’t I, SPHP? …. You certainly did, Looper! Congratulations! Photo looks NW.
The stroll back to Anchor Point was beautiful and relaxing. Loop and SPHP were in no rush. Lupe’s home in the Black Hills of South Dakota is a long way from any ocean. Being next to the ocean all the way up here in Alaska was such a treat! Lupe and SPHP savored every moment.
Looking N across Cook Inlet.White sub-peaks of Iliamna Volcano (10,016 ft.) stick up out of the clouds on the L. The true summit is hidden from view. In 2016, Lupe had seen it. Photo looks NW.Seagulls afloat on Cook Inlet.Looking S one more time. The weather didn’t seem to have improved much. At least the rain stayed down there while Lupe enjoyed her 2017 Last Mile West.
Lupe caught glimpses of the Iliamna Volcano(10,016 ft.), but she never did see Iliamna’s true summit or any of Redoubt Volcano(10,197 ft.) like she had in 2016. Both volcanoes remained hidden by the clouds on the far side of Cook Inlet. However, Loopster could clearly make out the Augustine Volcano(4,025 ft.), which is on an island of its own making, even though it was far across the water on the SW horizon.
This is a far more comfortable rock than that slick green one you chose to be the 2017 Rock of the West, SPHP. You should have picked this one instead!Nearing Anchor Point again at the end of Lupe’s 2017 Last Mile West trek. She’d had a great time! Living as far from the sea as she does, even short adventures along the ocean are a rare treat for Loop. Photo looks NE.
Seagulls flew by, then either landed to rest on Cook Inlet, or joined flocks strutting about farther along the beach. A fresh breeze blew out of the SW. Waves rolled into shore, retreated, reformed, and resumed their ceaseless attacks on the coast. Puffy white clouds plied a blue, blue sky above the sea.
It was all wonderful! When Lupe reached Anchor Point again, she stood with SPHP near the shore, watching and listening to the waves roll in a while longer.
Lupe’s last moments near the North Pacific Ocean in 2017. Photo looks NW.By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea.
After returning to the G6 (12:22 PM), Loop and SPHP still sat watching the ocean while sharing English muffins and salami again for lunch. A peaceful, leisurely hour went by. When lunch was over, it was time to move on. (1:40 PM, 54°F)
Sadly, after only a single brief day, Lupe was leaving the Kenai Peninsula. If the weather had been better and more reliable, she had a week’s worth of adventures planned here. As SPHP drove toward Soldotna, there were signs that maybe the weather was going to improve. Sunny skies prevailed over Cook Inlet. Even to the S, where rain showers were in progress, patches of blue sky could now be seen over the mountains.
But SPHP had no faith that the weather was really going to clear up and stay that way. It was September now. Maybe it was time to leave rainy Alaska? Lupe did have an alternate backup plan in case the Kenai Peninsula didn’t work out. Perhaps it was time to put it into action?
Months ago, Lupe’s friend, Australian adventurer Luke Hall, whom she had met at the top of Gunsight Mountain in 2016, had recommended that the Carolina Dog visit Tombstone Territorial Park in the Yukon. SPHP had been thinking Lupe wouldn’t have time to get over there on this Dingo Vacation, but she still could, if she started that way now.
Several hours after leaving Anchor Point, Lupe was restless. She was ready to get out of the G6 and do something. Since Bottenintnin Lake wasn’t that far away now, SPHP asked if she like to make the short side trip off Sterling Highway No. 1 to visit the lake again for a little while?
Bottenintnin Lake where there were lots of squirrels in the forest? The American Dingo’s response was most enthusiastic!
Oh, yes, all you Dingoes out there. I highly recommend the blue ribbon squirrel watching here at Bottenintnin Lake next time you’re in the area! Photo looks S.Oh, I won’t go far, SPHP! There’s plenty of squirrels in this forest close by. Call if you need me! I’ll be back in a bit.
Day 29, Part 1, of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska
No sign along the Sterling Highway (Alaska Route 1) mentioned beach access. There had to be a way to get there, though, didn’t there? The first road W that SPHP tried in the small community of Anchor Point led to a housing subdivision on a bluff overlooking Cook Inlet. No way down. This couldn’t be right. Back to the Sterling Highway.
There had been a sign a little S of here for the Anchor River State Recreation Area. SPHP drove back to try that. This was it! The road wound downhill, crossed the Anchor River, and ended a mile or so later at a parking lot next to Cook Inlet. SPHP parked the G6 (8:10 AM), and Lupe jumped out.
It was a beautiful morning – bright, mostly sunny, with a cool fresh ocean breeze. Lupe and SPHP headed down to the beach. A little to the N, a tractor was busy launching a boat into the ocean. Across Cook Inlet of the North Pacific Ocean, two massive volcanoes, Iliamna and Redoubt, white with ice and snow, stood out as giants among lesser peaks on the far shore.
Lupe arrives at Anchor Point on the shore of Cook Inlet, a huge bay of the North Pacific Ocean. Iliamna Volcano is visible on the far shore. Photo looks NW.A tractor was busy launching boats, one by one, into Cook Inlet.Iliamna Volcano(10,016 ft.). Photo looks NW using the telephoto lens.Redoubt Volcano(10,197 ft.), the highest mountain of the Aleutian Range, is less than 200 feet higher than Iliamna. Photo looks NNW using the telephoto lens.
According to legend, Anchor Point got its name in 1778 when famous explorer Captain James Cook of the British Navy lost an anchor somewhere near the mouth of the Anchor River.
Lupe wasn’t here to search for Captain Cook’s anchor. She was here to reach a personal milestone, one that would likely endure the rest of her life. No road connected to the North American highway system goes any farther W than the road she had just taken to Anchor Point. Somewhere along the gently curving stretch of beach to the S, a mile away or less, was the westernmost point on earth Lupe would ever reach.
Somewhere less than a mile beyond Lupe, this beach reaches its westernmost point and starts curving slightly back toward the E. At that point, Lupe would be as far W as she will likely ever be in her whole life. Photo looks SW.
Despite having had a huge adventure yesterday crossing Kachemak Bay aboard the water taxi XtraTuff to climb Grace Ridge(3,136 ft.), Lupe was energized! She raced along the deserted sand and mud flats exposed by low tide, seagulls swirling overhead. SPHP plodded along after her, enjoying every moment of the exhilarating seaside stroll.
Lupe streaks away over sand and mud exposed by low tide, seagulls swirling overhead. Photo looks S.Whee! Lupe was energized!
The shoreline headed only slightly W of S from where Lupe and SPHP started. It would gradually curve back to true S, and then slightly E of S. SPHP had no way of knowing which particular spot was the farthest point W along Lupe’s route. It would hardly matter, since the entire beach was only marginally farther E than the exact westernmost point.
Lupe posed nicely in the sun for a couple of shots looking W toward the open ocean. If Lupe wasn’t at her westernmost point here, she was very close to it.
Lupe on the shore of Cook Inlet very nearly as far W as she will likely ever be. Photo looks W.
Lupe and SPHP continued S, and perhaps a bit farther W along the shore. Seagulls took flight whenever Lupe or SPHP got too close, only to land again a short distance away to resume strutting about the beach.
Seagulls liked to strut about the beach picking at whatever they found of interest. Whenever Lupe or SPHP got too close, they took off, only to land again a short distance away. Another part of the Kenai Peninsula is seen in the distance, beyond Kachemak Bay. Some of it is farther W than Anchor Point, but access is limited. There are no roads over there. Photo looks SSW.
The exposed beach was very flat. Most of it was quite damp. In some places it was simply muddy. Lupe passed over large patches of seaweed left stranded by the ocean. Strange odors arose from the seaweed. Lupe sniffed to her heart’s content, learning about life in and near the ocean.
Lupe sniffs the strange odors given off by seaweed. Large stretches of the beach were completely covered with it.
Far to the SW, barely visible on the horizon, was another volcano. It was much smaller than Iliamna or Redoubt, and looked blue instead of white. This was Augustine Volcano(4,025 ft.), which sits on an island presumably of its own making, in Cook Inlet.
Augustine Volcano was barely visible on the far horizon. Photo looks SW using the telephoto lens.
Not a soul was around. The shoreline was deserted, except for the seagulls. The fresh ocean breeze blew. Waves rolled endlessly ashore. Lupe explored and sniffed. SPHP continued S. Finally, a long straight stretch of beach was ahead. To the E was a bluff. To the W, several large rocks could be seen at or near the edge of the water.
A busy Carolina Dog explores the shoreline along Cook Inlet. A long stretch of beach was ahead, with a bluff to the E. Photo looks S.Over near the end of the bluff, a few large rocks could be seen close to the shoreline. Photo looks S.
Beyond the bluff, the beach made a more noticeable turn E. If Lupe hadn’t already passed by her actual farthest point W, it was almost certainly near one of those big rocks W of the bluff. That was as far as Lupe needed to go. SPHP christened the largest, most distant rock as the “Rock of the West”.
Approaching the “Rock of the West” (R of Center).
Although the Rock of the West had appeared to be on shore when SPHP first spotted it, by the time Lupe reached it, the tide had come in further. The Rock of the West was now a small island.
This point on the beach was the end for Lupe. She must have been at least a mile from the Anchor Point parking lot by now. More of the Kenai Peninsula across Kachemak Bay to the S was gradually coming into view as Lupe had approached the Rock of the West. Either this was it, or Lupe had already completed her last mile W somewhere along the way.
Here, a few feet from the Rock of the West, Lupe was as far W as she would ever be in her whole life.
Lupe as far W as she will ever be, a few feet away from the Rock of the West at Anchor Point, Alaska. Photo looks W.
Only 13 days ago, Lupe had reached her farthest point N along the Dietrich River nearly 90 miles N of the Arctic Circle. Now she had reached another milestone in life. Both moments were beautiful and wonderful, but also bittersweet.
It was wonderful that Lupe had journeyed so far, and expanded her world so much. She had seen so many new places, and had so many memorable experiences. Yet it was sad to think that this was also an end, a boundary beyond which she would never go.
For a while, Lupe and SPHP stayed together, looking out to sea near the Rock of the West. The same sea encircles the globe. Far beyond the horizon was a world of exotic lands, entire continents to explore. Lupe would never see them.
So, Looper, if you had a ship like Captain James Cook did so long ago, where would you sail? What distant, exotic lands would you explore?
Squirrel island!
Oh, for Pete’s sake! Come on, let’s go!
The return trip along the beach was every bit as relaxing and beautiful as Lupe’s journey to the Rock of the West had been. Sea and sky were blue. Seagulls and mighty volcanoes were white. Boats bobbed on the water or zoomed away over the waves, no doubt in a rush to reach Squirrel Island. Surf exhausted itself uselessly against the edge of North America, but made the most calming, relaxing sound on earth doing so.
Right here, right now, was a glorious place to be!
Iliamna Volcano across Cook Inlet. Photo looks NW.Redoubt Volcano(L) on the way back. Photo looks NW.Blue sky, blue sea. White seagulls, white volcano.Seagulls with a grand view of Iliamna Volcano. Photo looks NW.Augustine Volcano(L). Wouldn’t it have been fun, if Lupe had only had a ship that would have taken her over to the island it’s on? Photo looks SW.American Dingoes are known to roam as far W as Anchor Point, Alaska. They seem to like it here! Photo looks NW.Another boat launched by the tractor gets underway. Redoubt Volcano in the background. Photo looks NNW.Someone sets off in search of fabled Squirrel Island.
Despite an unrushed, easy pace, Lupe’s last mile West hadn’t taken long. By 9:35 AM, she was back at the G6. A major milestone was now behind her, but more adventures were in store, this very day! This afternoon she would be on the Skyline Trail to the Mystery Hills, which certainly sounded like fun.
Yet it would be a long time before Lupe and SPHP would forget the Rock of the West and being here together at beautiful Anchor Point, the farthest W Lupe ever went, standing at the edge of the sea, gazing out toward the world of possibilities that lay beyond the restless waves.
