DAY 58, JULY 26: I drove 124 miles down to Sterling on the
Kenai Peninsula today. There was light
rain much of the way; however, the ceiling was high over Turnagain Arm so I was
able to see much of that beautiful area.
Once I got on the peninsula, clouds covered the mountain tops. All in all, it was not a good day for
pictures of the stunning countryside I was driving through and I was glad I had
seen it on clear days during previous trips.
I made the obligatory stop at Beluga Point where I spotted some Dall
sheep high up on the mountainside. They
appeared as very little white dots up there but, once again, the binoculars
brought them in closer. I drove the
somewhat narrow winding road along the Kenai River—it is such a beautiful
green-colored river. I will try to get
some photos of it while in the area. It
wasn’t long after I turned on the Sterling Highway before I came across the
first electronic sign warning to watch for pedestrians. The salmon are running here—many boats and
fishermen were strung along and on the river.
 |
| Turnagain Arm |
I am parked at Gil and Sandy Glover’s very nice home at Sterling. After a short visit upon my arrival, we all
went to work finishing cleaning and packaging salmon. They had a beautiful catch to clean (76
sockeye salmon) and we enjoyed fresh salmon and rock bass that a friend of
theirs brought for dinner. I had
forgotten what a difference there is between “real” fresh salmon and the salmon
you get at a market! It is simply
unbelievable! We also enjoyed fresh
vegetables from their garden and these were a real treat, also. One of the things I have missed on this and
previous trips to AK in the summer is the fresh fruit and vegetables that I eat
in the Lower 48—or, as they sometimes say up here, the Outside. Sandy and Gil have a tall fence around their
garden to keep moose out and they have a potato patch next to the house that
moose occasionally wander through, but don’t bother those plants.
 |
| On the road to Seward |
Day 61, July 29: I had not spent much time in the north
central part of the Kenai Peninsula on previous trips, so this is a good
opportunity to do so. The area is quite
flat and heavily forested with quite a few lakes and potholes around. The salmon are running so there is a lot of
activity on the roads, streams, and rivers.
The clouds broke today, so we had some nice warm sunshine. Temperatures got up to the mid to upper 60s.
 |
| Fisherman with his dipnet going into the Kenai River |
 |
| Dipnetting at the mouth of the Kenai River There was a lot of playful activity on shore before the fishing started; however, when the fishermen/women started going into the river, the playing on shore stopped and nearly everyone began watching the activity out in the water. |
Day 62, July 30: I enjoyed another drive in the
Sterling/Soldotna area today. This time
I took an 18 mile dirt road drive to and along Skilak Lake stopping at other
lakes and view points along the way. The
Kenai River flows through Skilak Lake which is also fed by water from Skilak
Glacier up in the Harding Icefield.
 |
| Skilak Lake |
After leaving that area, I drove to Soldotna to watch people fishing
along the Kenai. It was getting late so
there weren’t a lot of people still out fishing.
 |
| Fishing along the Kenai |
The Kenai and other rivers here are renowned
salmon fishing areas and locals, as well as people from outside Alaska, come to
do battle. There is a term used to
describe fishing on the most popular streams when the salmon are running—it is called “combat
fishing”. Fishermen/women stand very
close together when doing this because of the large numbers of them trying to
fish the same area. People are warned to
wear proper protection such as shatterproof eyeglasses, a hat, and long sleeves
to keep out-of-control flies and sinkers from injuring them. Since bears are drawn to rivers when the
salmon are running, there is a lot of literature and numerous signs alerting
anglers to the danger of bears when fishing.
The Glovers returned from Anchorage today and their
daughter, Denise, and grandchildren Liam and Keira came down also for a
visit. It was nice to meet all of them!
Day 63, July 31: I drove over to the west coast of the
peninsula today. Shortly after noon I
found a place to drive down to the beach at Clam Gulch where I could look
across the Cook Inlet to the distant northern end of the Aleutian Range while
listening to the waves coming on shore.
(Thank goodness for 4-wheel drive—I would not have been able to get up
and down the bluff without it!) It was a
beautiful day and I enjoyed the lunch I had packed while I took in the vista in
front of me. One of the highlights here
was spotting a cow moose bedded down at the mouth of the small creek that
empties onto the beach. The creek was
immediately at the bottom of the trail I had driven down and I almost missed
spotting the critter! I was able to get
one picture but, by the time I had parked the Jeep nearby, the moose was gone
so there were no more pictures to be had of that one.
 |
| Cow moose resting by the beach |
I continued south noting another moose behind trees off
to the side of the road. After doing a
quick U-turn, I went back to a trail and drove up to a chain link “gate”. I was able to get several pictures from that
vantage point of the cow as she grazed in the tall grass.
 |
| Cook Inlet |
Continuing my drive south, I noticed a campground that I stayed in 10 years ago is still in operation. It is a small, very well kept campground just as I remembered it, perched on a bluff overlooking the ocean. I really enjoyed my stay there in 2007!
I drove on down to the Ninilchik area after lunch,
stopping along the way to check out some of the state campgrounds and the
Russian Orthodox Church that is on the hill above the old village. The church and surrounding grounds had not changed much since I was
there 10 years ago. Their cemetery
adjoins the church and is quite different from cemeteries I have visited
elsewhere. The native grasses and plants
are allowed to continue growing in the cemetery and sometimes non-native plants
are added to the graves. I had forgotten
from previous visits that all the graves (except previous ministers and their
wives) are oriented in an east/west direction with the wooden orthodox cross
facing west at the head of the grave.
The deceased church ministers and wives face towards the church. An American Legion cemetery for veterans who
aren’t buried in the church’s cemetery adjoins the church cemetery. I haven’t looked at my photos from 10 years
ago; however, I didn’t see many new graves in that section. A faded sign between the two burial areas
lists the deceased veterans who are buried in the “Legion Cemetery” and in the
“Russian Cemetery”.
From the church, I
drove down the hill to the old village and then out to the beach. I really like this area—it always seems so
peaceful! While there I saw several bald
eagles and, of course, I took lots of pictures of them. I never tire of watching these beautiful
birds!
It was getting well towards evening by now, so it was time to head back to the Glover’s where I enjoyed delicious grilled chicken, fresh new potatoes from the garden, along with other produce from the garden, with Gil and Sandy, their daughter Denise and grandchildren Liam and Keira. What a treat the dinner was and what fun it was to spend the evening with all of them!
 |
| Russian Orthodox Church--Ninilchik |
 |
| Sign explaining some of Ninilchik's history |
 |
| Ninilchik (old village) |
It was getting well towards evening by now, so it was time to head back to the Glover’s where I enjoyed delicious grilled chicken, fresh new potatoes from the garden, along with other produce from the garden, with Gil and Sandy, their daughter Denise and grandchildren Liam and Keira. What a treat the dinner was and what fun it was to spend the evening with all of them!
 |
| Gil and Sandy Glover with daughter Denise, grandchildren Keira and Liam |
Wildlife count: 6+ bald eagles, 2 moose
