Hope Springs Eternal

Sarah's sister, Jennifer, had a late night (early morning) flight out so we decided to make Hope our last tourist stop. Hope is also an end of the road town. Only 15 miles off the Stewart Highway and just a short drive to Anchorage, this was the perfect place to stay on her last night with us.

Hope still retains the feel of the Alaska homesteading days. Rustic log cabins are the predominant structures that are people's home in the 'town'. I can't be sure, but I think that many of the out-houses I saw are still in commission. The town didn't get electricity until about 1965.

Food and supply cache
(Safe from bears and squirrels)

Our first stop in Hope was the Hope and Sunrise Museum. No entry fee, but donations appreciated. This is a must see museum of the Kenai peninsula. This museum chronicles the founding of Hope as well as the devastating earthquake of 1964 that destroyed the town of Sunrise and forced the movement of Hope to higher ground.

Bill showed us around. Here's the truck he used to rebuild the cabins

We stayed at an RV park whose manager told us that we must be cautious because a Black Bear had harassed some people in the campground a few nights earlier. She said that, if it returned, she was going to shoot it. We slept well that night in the Mary Joan and did not hear any gunfire.

When we arrived in Hope it was raining. We had tourist literature about the town and were amused by the name of the coffee wagon parked next to the library; "Grounds for Hope".

Downtown Hope

Grounds For Hope

Being captive due to the rain, we continued on that theme and laughed ourselves silly. Here are some of our "Hope" sayings and services who could use them:
Hopeless                                                        Weight loss Clinic
Hope Floats                                                   Hope Boat Builders
Glimmer of Hope                                           Jewelry Store
Signs of Hope                                                Hope Highway Dept.
Lots of Hope                                                  Hope Realtor
Ray of Hope                                                   Hope Tanning Salon
Hopelessly Lost                                              Hope Wilderness Guides
Hopefully Yours                                              Hope Dating Service
Hopefully Thinking                                           Hope High School
Faith and Charity Church                                 Community church of Hope
Hope Springs Eternal                                      Trampoline and Mattress Supply
Hope for the best                                            Hope high school baseball team's moto
Hope for naught                                              Hope Family Planning Center
Where there's life there's Hope                        Hope Trauma Center
High Hopes                                                     Hope Medical Marijuana Supply Center
Eternal Hope                                                   Hope Funeral Home
Great White Hope                                           Hope Committee, Obama for Presisdent
Fading Hope                                                   Hope Light Dept.
Lost Hope                                                       Hope Alzheimer Clinic
Hope Chest                                                     Hope Breast Augmentation Clinic

Jennifer is back in Oregon and we are to have service for both the trailer and TV

Stay tuned.