Seward Day 2

Today didn't begin as planned, but ended up being OK. We headed from our campsite into Seward at about 9:30, congratulating ourselves on being a little early.

There is a big road construction project between our campground and Seward, so we waited in the line for the pilot car for quite a while. Just after the main construction, I called Phil's attention to the warning light for a low tire. The front passenger tire went quickly from 32 to about 17, so we pulled over at a paved turnout.

My first instinct was to use the gizmo we bought to air it up, but as we noted more air leaving the tire than going in, we quickly moved to Plan B. We have a perfectly good brand new tire mounted on a spare, but at the front of the pickup bed. As we were trying to loosen the lug nuts, a rental camper pulled over and out popped 4 people from Barcelona, Spain! One woman approached and said in Spanish, "I am not a mechanic, but he is, pointing to the Spanish man." The lug nuts were on too tight and could only be loosened by Phil physically jumping on the tire wrench. Between them, Phil and the man made short work of the tire change. Lying on the ground at an early hour wasn't the plan, but everything worked. I told the 3 women that we were volunteers on the Camino, and they became very excited. As we parted ways, I thanked them immensely, and she said, "this is the Camino, too," and my eyes filled with tears. Phil and the man exchanged a manly handshake and a "Muchas Gracias" "De nada," and we were on our way again into town.

The tire store was slammed with tire repairs from the road construction and their regular appointments and could not guarantee it would be ready even by tomorrow. If it isn't, we'll pick it up, and I'll have it repaired in Ninilchek while Phil is off fishing the next 2 days.

We had lunch (nothing too amazing, salads and burgers) and then went to Kenai Fjords NP and hiked a bit. Just 20 years ago, you could hike to the toe of Exit Glacier, but now it has receded too far. We took photos from afar and discussed the impact of climate change on the wondrous places...

Back at camp, we are rearranging the back of the pickup. I fixed a yummy steak and rosemary potatoes with grilled asparagus for supper. Tomorrow, we will head for Ninilchek, where we have a cabin for 3 nights. I will wash clothes, do some camper cleaning, and get the tire fixed as needed, while Phil fishes first for Halibut and then for salmon.Baca lagi