Hope, AK

Hope is a delightfully quaint little town of about 100 people. At this time of the year the salmon are running and fisher folks were lined up all along the banks of the little creek running into the Turnagain. We could see people catching fish as soon as they threw in their line. Two guys had a fish cleaning table set up along side the creek where they were whacking away at red salmon throwing the waste to the gulls hovering above. Trailers and RVs were parked everywhere!

Carol and I found sites for one night only at the nearby national campground. We got set up then went back to town to watch the fun. The little town was almost destroyed during the 1964 earthquake (the most powerful to hit North America in our time) when the Turnagain dropped 6 feet. That earthquake sent a tsunami down the coast of California and dropped Anchorage's 4th street 30 feet in front of JC Penny's.

Turnagain Arm

After the quake the people of Hope had to move Main St. inland several yards. Townspeople are now restoring many of the old homes in the area. I really enjoyed Hope but we had to move on to find a place to camp. The weekend was coming up and it seemed that all of Alaska was coming to the Kenai to fish!

The next morning we left Hope early to beat the campers to the next available camp site. On the way out we were lucky enough to see the tide roll in. Lots of waves and churning of the water. Interesting sight. Then we were off to Keani and Wally World where I hoped to get a new battery for the casita.