Western Kenai Peninsula

Moonrise over Anchorage
We returned form Seward to Anchorage in the rain. We delivered the kids and grandkids to the airport for the plane to New York on 8/6 at 6:30 in the morning. They had TSA challenges, because the smoke from the fires around Fairbanks had diverted passengers into the Anchorage airport, and there was a crowd at TSA. But they got through OK and we got a call in late afternoon saying that they had arrived safely.

The rain stopped after a day, and we spent a few days in Anchorage, putting away things and doing laundry. Thumper needed to get here prescription renewed, so we found a vet for that. We also had our mail sent and picked it up at the post office. I went for a bike ride with our Escapee/Jekyll friends Lloyd and Kathleen with whom we've been sharing Alaska. I got out to Woronzof Point for some sunset photos and shots of downtown Anchorage after dark.

Mount Resolute Sunset from Kenai Harbor

On Tuesday, 8/11, we departed for the Kenai Peninsula again. This time, we would spend some time on the western side of the peninsula. We cruised up through the Turnagain Pass on the Seward Highway, then took the Sterling Highway through Cooper's Landing and Sterling over to Soldotna. We passed the Russian and Kenai Rivers along the way, noticed that the fishermen were far from shoulder to shoulder, as the peak salmon runs had passed.

In Soldotna, we stopped at Fred Myers store. This is the only store parking lot that we have found listed as a campground in our travel bible, Church's Alaska Camping book. Dozens of RVs were parked around the fringe, and smaller ones in the middle. They have a dump station and water fill, and we took advantage to empty our tanks. We then checked with the Kenai Elks and found that they had room for us, so we went to Kenai and parked at the Elks.

The Russian Orthodox Church at Kenai

The rain returned, with projections for a week or more of it, at least off and on. We checked out the Kenai Visitor's Center, and happened onto a free concert by Hobo Jim, Alaska's official balladeer, which we found very enjoyable. In the evening, I took my camera to the town wharf and got some shots of the fishing fleet and Mount Redoubt, the active volcano across Cook Inlet that had been spewing smoke and ash earlier in the year.

On Saturday, we did some exploring, getting as far east as Soldotna, where we checked out the Farmer's Market and bought some produce. We then came back to Kenai, checked out their Saturday Market, bought nothing. We took a ride up to Cook State Park, some 35 miles up the Peninsula, at the end of the Kenai Spur Highway. We noticed all the oil and gas facilities in Nikiski, where oil was discovered in 1957. Production is now moving toward LNG, as the crude is mostly depleted.

Another munching moose

On Sunday, we looked into old town Kenai. We found the Russian Orthodox Church, still in use for services after nearly 100 years. Kenai was settled by Russians in the 18th century. They recently celebrated their bicentennial. We found a really horrible Chinese buffet, where the owner/waitress/hostess tried to be sure we didn't eat too much food. In some ways, the plan was smart... you order the main courses from a check list, as often as you want. The food is freshly cooked, but the portions were fairly small, and it was strange to have to order 2 or three times.

A Pair of Eagles looking for Breakfast in Homer

Consuelo needed to replace her 15 year old iron. I took it apart, it needed a part, might have been salvageable, but I broke a screw and made it worthless. So we stopped at Home Depot, nothing she wanted, went to Lowe's (right next door, of course!) and found a good one.

Later I went back to Cook State Park, as the weather had cleared and I was looking for more good sunset shots. While I waited, I had several conversations with campers and visitors on the beach. One old native Alaskan was hunting for agates, was kind enough to show me what they looked like, and even gave me one. And I did get a few sunset shots. I also nearly bumped into a pair of moose munching along the road on the way up, a distance of some 25 miles. I made the return trip, after dark, slowly and carefully.

The Harding Ice Field from Homer

On Monday, we left Kenai and headed down the Sterling Highway to Homer. The weather cleared up , and it was a beautiful day. We found the Homer Elks, who have a great location on a bluff overlooking the bay. After some confusion on where to park (they told me where to park, but didn't realize that we were long enough that we blocked their dumpster) we nestled up to the back edge of the parking lot. We have great views of Kachemak Bay between the lodge and the adjacent buildings. We can see the mountains and parts of the Harding Ice Field across the way, all the boats that come and go, at least we can when the fog stays away. When it's really clear, we can see Augustine Island (another volcano), some 65 miles away.

The Homer Spit

On Tuesday, we checked out some of the shops in town, and cruised out to the end of the Homer Spit, a jut of land which some believe is the terminal moraine of a glacier that created Kachemak Bay. The Spit is the only deep water land in Homer, so the ferry terminal and deep water docks are there. It's also the home to hundreds of cheap city RV sites, some sleazy looking shops, and dozens of charter services competing for fewer dollars this summer. You can charter boats for fishing (Homer claims to be the halibut fishing capital of the world) or wheel or seaplanes for fishing trips, sightseeing, or even bear viewing. Tuesday night I went to the top of the hill, looking for more sunset shots.

Sunset across Cook Inlet from Homer

On Wednesday, we took a 35 mile long drive across Skyline Drive, East Hill Road, and East End Road, traveling up the north side of the bay nearly to the end. We got great views of the bay, the mountains, and the ice field. After, Consuelo found the fabric shops in town and did some shopping.

We had planned to go to Whittier for a night or two on Thursday, but after looking at what there is to do (boat tours of Prince William Sound) and the cost ($70 in tolls to get through the tunnel) we decided to stay in Homer for a few more days.