Eric had created a pocket query to tell him where the newest geocaches in the area were, and on Tuesday had found out that there was a brand-new, unfound one on the west side of the peninsula, and another on the Homer Spit. On Wednesday, we had gone looking for the one on the west side of the peninsula, but couldn't find the right road. Someone had made a comment on the listing warning people to watch out for private roads with private people, and asking the hider to edit the listing to tell people which road to take. We decided to take a pass on that one on Wednesday, and the one on the Spit was found by someone else before we got there. But now, on Friday, the one on the west side of the peninsula was still, remarkably, unfound. The hider had added a little more information to the listing, but Eric had still needed to look at the satellite maps to find the right road. But now we had it, and we went out looking.
This place did give us, at last, a look at the spoor of those Alaskans who don't care for their environment. Particularly at the top of the trailhead, there were cheap beer cans everywhere. I had a plastic Safeway bag with me and filled it up entirely, but it didn't really make a dent in the situation. I am hoping that, now that there is a geocache in the area, there will be more trashing out.
This felt like one of the truest Alaskan parts of our trip. Over the course of the time we've spent in Alaska, in talking to people, I feel like I've gotten a sense of what it means to be Alaskan. The Alaskan attitude is one of self-sufficiency, of being able to make it on your own in difficult circumstances. To be the first people to find a remote cache like this is certainly not as Alaskan as shooting a moose in the bush, but it did feel like a very intimate way of seeing Alaska.
We found out later, after logging the cache, that the hider had come to the falls on the beach on an ATV. He hadn't gone up and down the rope trail, and he hadn't seen all the beer cans at the top. No wonder he thinks it's a terrain 2.
That "Happy Falls" cache was moment of both beauty and triumph, but it took us quite a while, and we needed to press on toward Seward, as we needed to meet a boat tour at 8:00 the next day.
We spent two nights at the Breeze Inn right near Resurrection Bay in Seward. While unremarkable, it was perfectly serviceable and comfortable, with free wi-fi. The area was fairly touristy, but not overcrowded. In a moment of laziness when we were in a hurry, we sought the expeditiousness of Subway for dinner. The second night there, we did go to an excellent restaurant called Chinook's. I had a salmon stuffed with crab and shrimp, which was very, very good. Eric had grilled salmon and a delicious lobster bisque. This was our best meal on the trip.
On to Kenai Fjords National Park itself.