Thursday, July 5, 2018

Mat-Su / Willow to Cooper Creek / Grizzly Ridge (Post # 24)

June 30-July 2
We really enjoyed our stay at Mat Su RV Park.  It wasn't anything fancy at all, and it wasn't by a rushing river with views of the mountains.  But it was quiet and small with not very many people coming and going.  The owners were very nice and very attentive to whatever needs anyone had.  I think one reason they were this way was because they are the actual owners and not "camp hosts".  You could tell they have done a lot of work trying to carve out pleasant surroundings in the midst of a wilderness.  Miss Terese, the mother, loves flowers and plants and her son, who comes from Florida in the summer to help her run the place, makes sure she can have places to put those flowers.  We managed to get the site right next to her little pond.  It was so pleasant to sit outside in the mosquito tent and listen to that running water.  It sounded and looked so much like home.  A bit of solace for my grieving heart.  The Lord is so good to provide just what we need when we need it.  I appreciate all your prayers, by the way, for my sister, my family, and me.



 I want you to notice these poles.  I asked Miss Terese about them, and she said they were from Spruce trees and the big knots are formed by a fungus.  We see these types of poles used in a lot of houses and buildings out here. She said they are very expensive, about $500 apiece.  Wow!

We left the park one day and visited Talkeetna.  We went here our last time in Alaska and knew what to expect.  It reminds me a little of our "beach towns" at home with gift shops, eating places, and adventure shops all up and down the street on both sides.  We didn't do a lot of shopping, but we met some interesting people.  One older man at an open air tent was playing a harmonica.  I told him about how Pa (Paul's granddaddy) used to play a "harp" as he called it.  We found out this man and his wife used to live in Marana, AZ, where Tim and Maryann live.  We discussed how things had changed there since they lived there and about how they grow a lot of cotton in Pima County, AZ.  I have bought a lot of Pima cotton yarn to knit with and love it, and I know that Pima County is where Tucson is located. But I had never made the connection between my Pima cotton yarn and the fact that the cotton was grown in Pima County, AZ.  Duh!  Well, now I know, and that makes my yarn even more special.  After our conversation about cotton, I asked him did he know how to play "You Are My Sunshine".  I explained to him that Pa would always play that tune for me, especially while I was so sick with my first pregnancy.  He played that tune for me quick as a wink.  That was so special to me.  

The rest of our time at Mat Su was spent resting and enjoying each other and our surroundings.  A very peaceful time in preparation for our next leg of our journey through Alaska.  We needed it, too, because when we left, the first thing we ran into was more road construction.


But the journey was pleasant in spite of the construction.




How about this amazing cloud in the shape of a "J"?  Our God so awesome!


The drive from Anchorage toward the Kenai Peninsula looked a little different last time due to the time of the year and the tides.  The water was low in a lot of places so we could see more of the silty bottom.  It is also much warmer on this trip so there was a haze in the air. 
It was still beautiful, though.









 The glacier is very visible.






We finally arrived at our next stay at Cooper Landing and Grizzly Ridge RV Park.  This is the only grizzly we saw today, and I don't think he's going to give us much trouble. lol

The view from our camping spot.  A rushing river and mountains!  
I'll take this one, thank you!

Our home for the next three nights.  Just gorgeous! 

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