Soldotna Final Liftoff

     Rain, again, today!  I am not complaining, because it was a warm and pleasant rain with intermittent bouts of dryness.   We did the loop today... the plan is to go north to Talkeetna and Denali.  We are spending the night up there and maybe doing a float trip, weather permitting. Doug and I had lunch at St. Elias one final time...love their pizza and home brewed beer.  In preparation for the trip we went to Fred Meyer and restocked for our Ferry trip and the tent camping on the rear deck. 
     We will see our sons at Princess Mt. McKinley Lodge and I am going to sacrificially donate my bear bell to the boys.  This should help me sleep at night...because I do not want the country boys to be mauled by the bears while working at Denali. 
      The last night of our Soldotna trip was spent at the world famous Kenai River around the camp fire.  Our host Gary Bennett has only opened this year and I think he will put all other places to shame.  His hospitality and generosity are unprecedented.  He sent us off with fresh smoked salmon and an invitation to return anytime...except July, because he is booked.  Anyone who knows the Kenai understands that this will be Gary's busiest season.  J.C. the neighbor made us take smoked salmon with us too!  J.C. is a campfire staple and full of "Ron White" type quips.  J.C.'s famous line is "This don't suck,"  I can hardly do this sentence justice as I type it. J.C. is a long time oil rig man in the Cook Inlet area.  He is as tough as he is quick.  We loved talking to him and learning about the oil industry.  Tonight while sitting around our campfire in the rain, a cow moose wandered into camp.  She was just munching on the grass and just wandering around.  I mistakenly thought I had time to get my camera...NOPE!  She wandered in as fast as she wandered out.  I guess she is not the neighborly type.  She was reasonably large, but did not hang around for the height and weight chart to be administered.  Moose here...Moose Gone...yes, I am in Alaska. 
     In the morning we will head out and our last stop is booked for Haines so we can take the ferry all through the inside passage.  The inside passage has some of the world's most breathtaking scenery and wildlife I am keeping my camera on my neck the whole ferry trip.   Look forward to the pictures we will upload.  Doug and I have been in the inside passage one other trip so we know we will see killer whales, otters, and magnificent glaciers.  We may not have much Internet access so we will post as soon as we reach Bellingham, WA.
     So, yes we had rain...we also had a crackling campfire, rousing conversation and a lovely last day in Soldotna, Alaska. 
     We are curious who is following our blog if you can please post a comment including your first name, city and state, and comments if you wish.  I think it will be fun to see who our group has become.  Nebraska 2 Alaska is now heading back to the lower 48 on the 18th of June. We are headed to Oregon and the over the Rocky mountains.  Looking forward to an exciting trip.