Tuesday....Copper River

When we got up Tuesday AM we all compared notes on how we slept.  Mostly like rocks...though our bodies woke early, still on Indiana time. At 10:30pm  local time, the skies are still light. We're grateful for nice lined draperies.  Ellen hoped to see the Northern Lights while we're here. The locals informed her that probably won't happen because it doesn't get dark enough in August. Bummer. On the bus from Anchorage for a full day trip of about 200 miles, our first stop was in Palmer, a small town which hosts the Alaska State Fair. The fairgrounds appeared to be the size of a county fair. Palmer is sort of an agricultural area, a fertile valley with beautiful flowers and mega veggies (127 lb record cabbage last year!). Back on the bus for a few more hours then we stopped at a glacier area for photo ops. The scenery is breathtaking: mountains, rivers, vegetation but hardly any wildlife. I'm thinking they are here somewhere, judging by the moose crossing signs  and reports of a double-fatal motorcycle-moose collision last night.  Terry and Ellen did see a dead moose along the two-lane highway!  The second best part of the day was the sunny and warm weather. We are inland enough that there are vey few houses and even fewer towns. We stopped for lunch at a diner in Eureka that caters to the tour busses. We shuffled in, ordered and were quickly served so they could get ready for the next bus. The food was mediocre at best but, hey, out here there are few options. The diner mostly specializes in pie and it was the best part of the stop (cherry...mmm)  Back on the bus, the scenery flattened, then wound us around toward our lodge. Seeing many RVers on this road today might give us the fever to come here. That would be a serious commitment and would involve a generator and probably firearms. I'm thinking that up here it's everyman for himself. The Lodge...oh my.  Not special at first glance: wood framed with red wood siding and green trim. The staff greeted us at the door, waving. I'm guessing there isn't much foot traffic here. The lodge is owned and built by Princess just for the purpose. Inside the lobby we catch a glimpse of the view through the perfectly-placed windows. Good job, Architect!  Our lovely rooms share the same view over the lawn. Were very happy that this is the one place we stay for two nights. Cocktails by the lobby fireplace and dinner of local salmon and caribou filet  (their version of Surf and Turf) topped off a LONG day.