Alaska by Land for 7 Days DAY 2: Tuesday

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Alaska by Land for 7 Days DAY 2: Tuesday



We had a free day in Homer so decided to catch a boat across the Bay to the community of Seldovia, also known as the “Fishing Capital of the World.” We enjoy a brief stop near the world famous Kenai River and see where monster King Salmon fish are lured by fishermen, and learn about the five species of salmon that call Alaska home.



We also learned about the Alaskan seasons, winter, breakup, summer and autumn. They call spring ‘breakup’ because this is when all the rivers that are frozen during the winter break up as the ice melts in chunks.



Today’s real adventure was the boat trip, chasing whales, sea otters, and viewing the millions of birds that were nesting on the many rocky islands. We saw many humpback whales breaching and playing in the water. Again, we were so lucky. We even saw a mountain goat which is rarely seen on the islands. It was a beautiful sunny dry day.



The boat’s captain was an English lady who was so enthusiastic, making sure we saw everything, as was her 2 Alaskan assistance - it was an all-girl crew. We arrived at Soldotna 1 ½ hours later than scheduled and over an hour later back to Homer because of the number of whales we were spotting. It was a fun day.



In Seldovia we wandered around the little fishing village finding a spot by the water for lunch. There was a Russian Orthodox Church up on a hill as well as many holiday units by the river and sea. Nearly every house and pub/restaurant had fishing memorabilia or big wood carvings displayed outside their buildings.



We learned of the 1964 earth quake where the jetty and some foreshore buildings sunk 4 feet.



That night we got back after 8.00pm as we popped into an incredible pub on the wharf of Homer. The walls, ceiling and every bit of memorabilia was covered in $1 notes which had a message from its previous ‘owner’. We added to the collection and enjoyed a local beer’ and chat with fellow Aussies whom we had met on the cruise. They were travelling independently through Alaska.



Much of the rest of the evening was taken up with talking to our brother Daryl and sister-in-law Kerry, as well as our dear Dad who was not well. It’s so hard and sad when you are so far away during these circumstances.

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