Our Last Day Together (Sunday 5/26)

Before going to bed Saturday night, this Alaska Railroad train came through our campground.  I was happy to catch it about a mile before the turnoff to Moose Pass RV Park.

Once back to camp, we were both ready to get out of our damp clothes and get ready for bed.  I was starting to feel the affects of being out in the cold, damp air even though I was well layered to include a hat and gloves.  Unfortunately, it all caught up with me, as I woke up with a bit of a sinus headache and runny nose.

I really wasn't feeling much like cooking or eating in the campervan, so I suggested we find something to eat on the way to Anchorage.  Pam's flight home wasn't until that evening, so we had basically the entire day to make the 3 hour journey up the Kenai Peninsula to the airport.  We took the side turn at Cooper Landing knowing there were tourist services down the Sterling Hwy.  The Sunrise Cafe looked to be our sorta place, so that's where we stopped for breakfast.

With relatively decent reviews on YELP and Trip Advisor, I have to assume my not feeling 100% contributed to not liking my breakfast much.  As you can see, it looks pretty typical for bacon and eggs, but I found the bacon and potatoes greasy, the biscuit hard and dry, and the eggs just meh.  Pam had a breakfast burrito which she was was very good, so I'm sure it was "just me."

After breakfast, we continued on our way to Anchorage, stopping at the Begich Boggs Vistor Center at the Whittier turn-off.  Located on Portage Lake, there is usually a decent view of the Byron Glacier.  On this morning, however, it was cloudy and barely visible.  There was a lone iceberg in the lake which was cool to see.

After a short visit here, we continued on to Anchorage.  By this time Pam was sensing my malaise and suggested maybe it best to get her to the airport and I go find a campground and go back to bed.  Not a bad idea, but I hated the thought of ending our time together this way.  At 1:30pm I was hugging and kissing her good-bye . . . thanking her for a fabulous time . . . and dropping her off at the Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage.

While I had taken Benadryl for the past couple of nights and that morning, I didn't seem to be drying up.  My nasal passages were stuffy, my head throbbing and my throat sore.  Even worse, I really hadn't been thinking much about "where next" in terms of getting a campsite for the night.  I had always thought I would probably head down the other side of the Kenai Peninsula towards Soldotna & Homer, but didn't really do much in the way of researching just where I would head once Pam was heading home.  Even worse, I knew camping in Anchorage was sketchy at best, and I wasn't sure I wanted to try to make it the nearly 3 hours to Soldotna given how I was feeling.

So instead of trying to make a decision about "where next" I decided I needed to do laundry so that would be my first order of business.  While using TOOTS (my Garmin GPS) to find a laundromat, I passed a Goodwill donation center on the way so I stopped to give them our extra bedding (comforters and pillows) we had brought for the trip.  While at the laundromat, I took a short nap, which seemed to help a little.  With laundry done, I decided I felt OK enough to head on out.

While researching places in the Soldotna/Kenai area, I had read about the Diamond M Ranch Resort & RV Park in the Milepost.  At the laundromat, there was a rack of cards for tourist attractions and services, including one for this same place.  I sorta felt like it was a sign . . . something drawing me to this place.  Before heading out of Anchorage, I made a call to see if they had a campsite available for the night.  This was of particular concern since it was the Sunday of the Memorial Day Holiday weekend.  In speaking with the owner, she was very nice and reassuring, telling me to come on down and to call once I was in camp.  She would get me checked in and taken care of.

Well it was around 7:00pm when I arrived.  I picked a campsite near their bath & shower house.  I called to let her know I was there, and to request the access code to use the bathroom.  Because she was off property celebrating her birthday, she took care of me by phone with my promise I'd be in first thing Monday morning to pay for my night's stay.

It was comfortable and quiet . . . the campground was less than 25% full in the area I chose to stay.  I felt this would be the perfect place for me to base my last 3 nights solo with the campervan, so the decision was made . . . this would be home until I headed back to Anchorage on Wednesday night.

TO BE CONTINUED