Travels with Shelby

8-10 Aug - Soldotna, AK

The drive from Seward to Soldotna was interesting even in the rain. One 15 mile or so section of the road is very narrow and curvy with no shoulder and a 35 mile an hour speed limit – makes for some fairly tense and tiring driving. The rest of the 94 mile drive was not bad, and we did get some nice looks at Kenai Lake and River.

We again stayed at an Elks Lodge in Soldotna, but decided later we should have gone to the Lodge in Kenai instead; to get to the Soldotna Elks we had to drive 3 blocks off the main road on a dirt road that was so thoroughly pot-holed that even at less than 10 mph we really bounced around. The lodge provides 20-amp power and water to 8 sites in its dirt pot-holed lot.

The road into the Soldotna Elks Lodge and our motorhome parked in the lot

After stopping by the Soldotna visitor’s center, which is home to some really nice mounted displays of native species including the world’s record salmon, we drove across “the flats” to Kenai. A caribou herd calls the flats home, but they were not in evidence on our drive. Kenai has an interesting old Russian Orthodox church and chapel, and a continuously occupied rectory that was built in 1881. We started to walk up the path to the chapel, but were told by people leaving the site that the buildings are not open on Mondays. On our way back to the motorhome, we stopped by the Kenai Elks Lodge and found that it’s right off a paved road, and has 30-amp power and water. Should we ever return to this area, we’ll stay there!

Les Anderson, a Soldotna auto dealer, caught this 97-lb king salmon on 17 May 1985 using spin-and-glo and salmon egg bait. This fish remains the world record catch for rod and reel fishing.

Instead of taking the motorhome down to Homer, we made a day trip from Soldotna. The clouds had lifted a bit, and we were able to see Mount Redoubt and Mount Iliamna volcanos across Cook Inlet from Kalifornski Road. 

Mt. Redoubt -10,197 feet, 54 miles away. Last erupted starting in March 2009, continuing for several months and coating Anchorage, Valdez, the Matsu valley, and the Kenai peninsula with ash. Some ash reached as far as Delta Junction, with ash clouds reaching as high as 65,000 feet.

Mt. Iliamna, playing peek-a-boo in the clouds -10,016 feet, 52 miles away. Iliamna has not erupted since before the first European presence in Alaska, but it does emit steam frequently.

When we arrived at the overlook before dropping down into Homer, we could see the Mount Augustine volcano way in the distance, but it was too hazy for good photos.

Homer Spit and the mountains and glaciers of the lower Kenai Peninsula viewed from the Homer Overlook Point

We drove by the Homer Elks Lodge, and saw that they had a few spots for RVs, but after crossing the many road construction sites on the drive down (it looked like they were replacing culverts all along the Sterling Highway), we were glad we hadn’t driven the motorhome down.

The famous Homer Spit seemed to us to be one tourist trap after another – one more reason not to spend a lot of time here. We went to the Land’s End Resort at the end of the spit and had an excellent lunch at their Chart Room restaurant – grilled halibut sandwiches cooked just right, with a tarragon aioli that perfectly complemented the fish. After lunch we walked out on the rocky shore of the spit and watched the various boats coming and going. Shelby just wanted to go roll in the band of dead seaweed on the high tide line. 

Two resident eagles overlooking Kachemak Bay seen from the deck of the Chart Room Restaurant

More boating activity in Kachemak Bay - note the hanging glacier between the mountains

Barbara and Shelby on the rocky beach in front of the Lands End resort. Note the taut leash, as Shelby was trying to reach the dead seaweed at the high tide line.

On our way back to town, we walked through the Salty Dawg saloon, which is famous for all of the one dollar bills signed by the donors, tacked to the walls, ceiling, and every other imaginable surface. If the place ever burns down, the owners will lose thousands of dollars. Since it was packed, and Shelby was with us, we didn’t stay for a beverage.

Driving on out East End road, we stopped at the Bear Creek winery, which makes wines from local berries and wine grape juice imported from the lower 48. They actually had some interesting wines, more for afternoon on the patio sipping than dinner wines, but still quite tasty. Then it was up to Skyline Drive, along the ridge above Homer and facing the lower section of the Kenai Peninsula across Katchemak Bay. Some pretty spectacular views across to mountains and glaciers.

Grewingk and Portlock Glaciers in Kachemak Bay State Park, with float plane flying by, seen from Skyline Drive

Homer Spit seen from Skyline Drive

 On our last day in Soldotna, we went to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge visitor center, and walked the 1 mile Keen Eye trail. Although the trail is noted for bird watching, we heard a boreal chickadee but did not see it – and that’s all. Clearly if one wants to see many different bird species on the Kenai, spring is the time to do it.

Keen Eye Trail

This bronze moose in front of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center looks like he's objecting to being polished

Fishing from shore and by boat on the Kenai River in Soldotna