Independence Day in Kenai Fjords

This is how the day started.  An overturned salmon truck on the only highway between Anchorage and Seward.   This delayed us by 4 hours.   In the photo, you can see salmon all over the highway.   Holly Mackerel!

Near the summit on Highway 9, the Seward Highway.   Our tour van stopped for a pee break, so we took the opportunity to snap this photo of the perfect “U” shaped valley instead.
Back in the van and away we go.
At the Summit Lake Lodge for coffee (I love this group!) and our welcoming.   We each had to introduce ourselves and tell a big lie about us.   I said I was a pro basketball player…. Karen said that she had climbed Mt Everest.

Then another hour to get to the Windsong Lodge, which is our hotel and our lunch stop.

After lunch we are off to hike to the Exit Glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park.

You can just see the glacier in the valley  above the sign behind us.







Selfie from a glacier viewing area.
A little bit closer now.
And now, here it is.   It is a retreating glacier, like many here in Alaska.
The glaciers were interesting, and so were the wildflowers….  Here are a bunch of them.
Notice the lateral scars formed by rocks imbedded in the glacier scraping on by.
I threw in a pretty fern for fun.
Nice chunk of quartz melded onto this piece of granite.  I know that isn’t a wildflower, but I thought it was beautiful.



A columbine!
And cow parsnip.


To help with wildflower identification, they had these photos posted on the wall in the visitor’s center.











This is the area we hiked in today.
Back at the Windsong Lodge for dinner and early to bed.








Good Night, All.

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