On July 4th our friend Anita invited us to go to the parade in downtown Wasilla.  I took a ton of pictures but chose these 4 to share with you.  Alaska is celebrating its 50th birthday this year and we are glad to be part of it.  The last picture of this little girl is because she was next to us on the sidewalk and was sooooo cute I just had to take her picture.  What a doll!!  We hadn't been to a parade in many years so it was a fun thing to do.
                 After the parade and a bite of lunch we took a trip up through Hatcher's Pass and on up to Montana Creek area to see a friend of Billy's that he had worked with many years ago up here in Alaska at the fire dept.  The river is the Little Susitna River on the way up to the turn off for Hatcher Pass.  Independance Mine is up this road too but we didn't go there this trip.  The red cabins are part of the Hatcher Pass Lodge.  There is an active gold mine just over the top of the pass which I took a picture of the sign!  This is not a picture of a black bear but his name is Bear!  We stopped for the fun of it at a garage sale on the way and this was the most interesting thing there.  Next is a beaver dam which made 2 ponds.  Then our visit with Billy's friends Joe and Darrell and their families near Montana Creek which is almost to Talkeetna. 
                On Tuesday we left for Seward since the weather was so good and stood a chance of staying that way.  There are fires in the area and the skies are hazy with the smoke so it doesn't make for real good picture taking but I still take them and hope for the best.  We had the good luck to see 2 Dall Sheep on the way by Cook Inlet below Anchorage.  They were right where they usually are, near Beluga Point, where there is a nice pull out to view them. Then on down the road along the inlet is a real pretty view.  Next is the remnant of a building that used to be part of the town of Portage near Portage Glacier that was ruined during the 1964 earthquake (which I happened to experience).  Then we have the welcome to Alaska's Keni Penisula sign on the way.  We took the time to drive the extra 17 miles down to the little old town of Hope.  They have an RV park there too but we didn't stay there.  Just took some pictures and left but it was a pretty drive.  Punkin Head sure enjoyed sticking his head out of the winow for fresh air and a good look at things.

        


              
     Then on to our destination of Seward and anticipation of a fishing trip as Darrell was to come down the next day to take us out in his boat.  In the meantime we got set up in the City RV park and then took a nice walk.  Went by to see our friend Patricia's mother who lives in Seward for the summers.  She used to have a boat of her own and has fished here for many years.  Then we walked down town to get our fishing licenses for the next day.  It was a pretty good walk for us anyway which we needed.  Punkin Head had fun taking his daddy for a walk, the crow's were pestering him all the time until I let him chase up the tree after them then they flew away for awhile.  He found a mouse hole that interested him for quite a while though as he seen the mouse go in to it so of course he didn't want to give up trying to get it out and didn't want to go home either.             

     Wednesday was fishing day so to make a long story short I will tell it in pictures.      !                                      
Billy caught the first fish of the day a nice halibut maybe 20-25 lbs.  Darrell caught some nice Pacific Cod and I caught the biggest fish of the day a halibut about 60 lbs worth.  Pays to take a lady fishing!!!  I couldn't have landed it without Darrell and Billy's help for sure.  We started to fish in shallow waters with no luck then hit the deeper 450 ft. hole where Darrell had caught fish before and that is where we caught our fish.  Anyway  I will continue our Seward story in the next blog.  (Be sure to check out the Beluga Point link it gives you many more pictures of our drive)