July 17

Awoke to bright sunshine and much warmer this morning.  The nearly full moon last night cast a silvery light on the Bay, very beautiful.  Met the Clark’s from Soldotna, Ak, on the Danny J. last night and they were a wealth of information on various highways and travel around Alaska and Canada’s Yukon Territory.  We learned a lot about traveling the Denali highway which we plan to do with Minde, very remote with good chance of wildlife sightings. (We’ve bought bug nets to cover our head and face, it’s not just mosquitos but no-see-ums and flies.   Knights had to lend us theirs when we were in the Aus outback, so they know about this too.)  They also traveled the road back to Kennecott Copper Mine and made us feel we might actually be able to do it too without too many tire blowouts.  Alaskans are selling copper nugget jewelry, pendants and erring nuggets.  They are kind of cool.  Shaped like gold nuggets only copper, and cheaper.  There is also a new stone being marketed, Colleville sp?, it is the stone the cooper comes out of.  It’s very deep purple blue, almost black with a natural sheen.  Lee Clark worked for a construction company during the pipeline and helped lay pipe in Anaktuvuk Pass located on the Dalton Highway to the Beauford Sea we’d like to take.  He told us how they had to blow up the stream bed (permafrost) to lay the pipe below it.  One of the large caribou herds watched them as they migrated through.

We leave to board the catamaran, fast ferry to Seldovia near where Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay meet.  Stunning views of volcanoes, Iliamna and Redoubt, are easily seen.  We slow down for another humpback whale who slaps the water with his tail, different markings than last night’s whales so there are lots of them here.  We enter the quiet and calm harbor of Seldovia.  This is also a Russian and Native settlement area.  However, what we are seeing is how these former industrious towns are becoming vacation houses for wealthy.  Less people live here over the winter and more just come for summer months.  We go immediately for lunch at the Boardwalk Hotel.  Very rustic outside with beautiful flowers and nicely done interior.  We sit on the tent covered deck for our meal.  Chuck has bacon, avocado, provolone, sourdough bread panini with a side salad/homemade gorgonzola dressing.  Pat has a cup of seafood chowder and the House salad, fresh bib lettuce, dried cranberries, candied pecans, feta, grilled rock fish and poppyseed dressing.  A side of homemade focaccia toast on the side.  Everything was great, the rock fish was somewhat strong; we have been eating mild fish so it’s an adjustment.  Chuck had Alaska Brewing Free Ride APA beer and Pat can’t believe her luck, they serve Kendall Jackson Chardonnay.  Not Vintner’s Reserve but Grand Reserve by the glass!  Set off walking through the town.  Everything is quiet and what shops are available many are closed.  We find the old Russian orthodox church that sits high on the hill where fishermen could see it coming and going far out to sea.  We find the Visitor’s Center/Seldovia Native Center.  Very modern, impressive exhibit of history and ancient tools for fishing and daily living.  Walk down the historic boardwalk.  Very short but reminds us of Ketchikan in the southeast.  It follows the slough and many old houses on stilts or built into the rock are here.  We cross the slough bridge where beautiful jelly fish are floating.  Clear round globs with orange star centers.  We also see large ‘red’ salmon moving upstream to spawn.  They are likely pinks or dog salmon, not the best catch.  We walk down a dirt road surrounded by thick forest and culverts loaded with salmonberry bushes.  We eat our way down the road.  They range in color from rosy gold to red to deep purple.  They are as big as our thumbs.  The darker berries have a more intense flavor.  Dessert on the go.  Our host Ann says salmonberries do not grown on the Homer side of the Bay, just raspberries and blueberries.  Rest a while back at the Boardwalk for a final Kendall Grand Reserve.  We are only here for 4 hours and we walked at least a couple miles.  It is very hot here, all over Alaska, Alaskans are shocked by the weather.  We fast ferry back to Homer passing a group of seals bobbing around.  This is a perfect weekend for tent campers.  They are right on the beach, all types, wilderness synthetics, old MASH style canvas and yurts with stovepipes coming out the top.  Then there are the RV’s/trailers, hundreds of them.  We stop at Fat Olives for a ‘light’ dinner.  Share a half dozen amazing Kachemak oysters and a hot smoked salmon/green chile dip.  We share a calzone, Chuck has a tomato based seafood chowder.  The marinara is outstanding as well as the Italian meats.  One of the cooks is flinging pizza dough in the air, some of the rounds are at least two feet wide.  Chuck tries a couple Homer brews and they are better than expected.  This restaurant is a winner.  We are getting back earlier than last night.  Ann has opened the cottage up for us since it has been so hot.  The other two cottages around us have had different people each night while we’re here.  A large group from Fairbanks have arrived lots of little kids and noise!  They are all BP slope workers.  They had to drive a very long time to get here so they are anxious to unwind.  The sun is slowly setting and it is very beautiful across the Bay.  It is hard to imagine that just across the Bay, over the Harding Ice Field, is the port of Seward, another favorite spot.  The temperature in Homer today was 85, had to be warmer in Seldovia.  Then we heard it was 88 in Seward.  No one can believe it.  But fall comes early here so these temps can’t last and the rain won’t hold off forever, hopefully.  They are dry down here and fire alerts are high as on all the Kenai Peninsula.  They had fires this spring that destroyed houses and many acres of forest.  We both got sun today, red faces.  Tonight is our last night and then to Anchorage and baby Dean.  He has turned a corner, eating less per feeding and sleeping more at night.  His Mom can’t believe it!  Looking for the moon, soon to arrive.  Goodnight Alakshak, Eskimo for Alaska!