Alaska Trip 2011: July 5-9 More Kenai Peninsula

This is page 32 of our Alaska 2011 trip journal. Click here for the first page. If you want to bookmark this journal, http://jeanne-travels.blogspot.com always links to the newest page.

After the holiday weekend, we moved from Seward to Soldotna. We chose this as a more or less central location for exploring the western side of the Kenai Peninsula. The eastern side of the peninsula is pretty much locked in by the Harding Icefield, but if you are a fisherman, the western Kenai is something this side of paradise. It's not only a beautiful area, but I guess the fishing is wonderful. Since we don't fish, we just enjoyed the scenery. Besides sightseeing, we also did a little just hanging out and relaxing.


View Larger Map

Kenai Weather

We actually took a drive to Soldotna before we moved the motorhome there. For some unknown reason, I only took a few pictures on the way. The first is a view of Skilak Lake, with the clouds hanging over the mountaintops as usual. The other picture is a rainbow that showed up when it started to rain. The weather in this area is pretty much a mystery to me. I think it's a mystery to the weather people too. They keep changing the forecasts, but the weather has stayed mostly the same. Because of Pacific Ocean currents from the Gulf of Alaska, it's cool-ish in the summer, and warm-ish in the winter. And it will probably rain, or at least sprinkle, some time during the day.

Trip to Homer

We took a sightseeing trip to Homer, at the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula. Homer is basically a small fishing town, with both commercial and sport fishing. The road mostly follows the Cook Inlet, with periodic views of the Aleutians across the bay.

Moose Story

Just south of Soldotna, we spotted this moose family. I think these are my best moose pictures so far. Here's the story: Moose and babies grazing peacefully along road. Oncoming motorist, apparently annoyed at stopped traffic, blows horn on the way by, and critters start toward woods. Then moose pause to see if they are still being pursued. Finally they head into the woods

Cook Inlet

Some views of Cook Inlet from an overlook along the road, from Ninilchik Beach, and from near Homer. Some of the mountains are hard to see through the haze.

These wild geraniums were at an overlook near Homer.

The Farthest West You Can Drive

At 151 degrees, 52 minutes West, the beach at Anchor Point is the westernmost place that you can get to by car, not just in Alaska, but anywhere on the continent. Anchor Point also provided some scenic views of the bay, and a view of eagles and gulls fishing in the low tide.

The Russian Influence

This area was originally settled by the Russians. This historic Russian Orthodox church was in one of the small communities along the road to Homer.

City of Kenai

The next day we drove to the city of Kenai, and from there to Captain Cook State Park. The views on this drive were similar to those on the road to Homer, all the way down to the Russian Orthodox church, and the hazy views across the inlet.

R & R

Beide sighteeing in the area, we also spent a little time just "hanging out" and relaxing. It's good to do that from time to time, and we are getting better at it, the longer we are on the road. I also a geocaching "meet and greet" event that coincidentally happened while we were in Soldotna. How could I pass up a chance to go to a geocaching event 3000+ miles from home?

---