We moved to a beautiful place.

Today we drove to the other side of the inlet to view the fish run.  While there some people we met yesterday stopped by.  They told us there was a RV park just a bit further up the road.  It is right on the water overlooking the bay.  Our spirits lifted.  We didn't want to head back up to Tok yet.  We didn't really care for our campsite of the past two days so had decided to leave.

Our view from our new campsite.

This new spot is a dry camp.  We have a beautiful view out the front window.  Sea lions are swimming about catching pink salmon that are running now.  Sea otters lie on their backs munching on a salmon.  Seagulls and eagles fly over head.  And we are camped just a short distance from the terminal of the Alaska Pipeline.  This is awesome.  We have paid for 3 days.  We will see if we want to leave after that.

I went down to the water to try my hand at fishing.  You are allowed to snag salmon in salt water.   It is so easy to catch fish you feel guilty reeling them in.  The water at my feet was swirling with fish.  All you do is throw in a line with a treble hook and jerk.  You have a fish.  I reeled in fish after fish keeping six of the larger ones.

We have met the nicest people along the way.  The RV community is very friendly.  We all share experiences and information.  You learn the best places to spend a few days.  We discuss the turnouts with the best photo ops, best campgrounds, tours that must be taken and where you can get the best halibut sandwich for the least money.   People in half million dollar motor homes are parked next to the guy with an inexpensive unit like ours.  There is no class distinction when it comes to being friendly and neighborly.

Alaskan sneakers for the ladies.

I have no idea what these things are for.

Alaskans as a whole are very friendly to outsiders.  I know from experience in some areas if you are an outsider you are treated with a certain disdain though they try to keep it veiled.  Every shop we stop in we end up engaged in a long conversation with the local clerk.  They are eager to share about life in Alaska, the area they live in and about their families.  They also offer many tips on bargains and must do things in the area.

This old boat helped clean up the oil spill. 

I was visiting with a young lady in Sugar and Spice gift shop yesterday.  I asked her why on earth did so many of the buildings in Valdez have a flat roof.  You would think they would collapse under 30 feet of snow.  She said that always puzzled her too.  She thought they should have a pointed roof so the snow could slide off.  She went on to tell us to look around and we would see buildings with a snow blower sitting on top.  They use them all winter to keep the snow load off but when winter is over they just leave them up on the roof.

Valdez has a very nice community museum.  This is Valdez first fire truck.

We were sitting at our campsite when we heard the familiar tune of an ice cream truck.  We went out to meet it and are we glad we did.  We met the most unusual lady (I mean that in a good way) behind the wheel.  She was all dolled up in a goofy costume.  She had ice cream cone glasses, a shark hat on and bright pink clothes.  The wagon advertised ice cream and hot soup.  She was prepared for all kinds of weather.  She also had a long list of lunch items also.

The coolest ice cream lady in the world. 

She has you laughing the minute she stops.  She is very entertaining.  She said she became disabled and couldn't keep doing the work she had been doing.  She said she won a Texas Hold'em jackpot and invested in the ice cream truck.  She is a very creative person.  If you want your photo taken with her, you have to put on a shark hat like hers.  Then she pulls out a big bag of marbles.  You get to pull a marble from the sack.  If you get one of the four gold ones, you win a prize.  We bought ice cream for ourselves and for our friends, Don and Sherri who had invited us to a campfire tonight.

Darlie always insists on me putting goofy photos of me on here. 

Today has been a beautiful sunny day.  We have been outside in our shirt sleeves all day.  We don't get many days like this.  It is usually cool and cloudy.  Tonight dark clouds are gathering around the mountain tops to the north.  It will probably rain later tonight.  You don't go many days without some rain drops.  But that is just all part of the Alaska experience.   After awhile you begin to develop the attitude of Alaskans.  Weather doesn't matter.  There is life to be lived so lets get on with it.