Seward to Soldotna
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
We left Seward and drove north back on highway 9. At a confusing junction, we shifted over to highway 1. Highway 1 follows the Kenai River, which is the center for river salmon fishing in Alaska. We saw a lot of people in boats and wading in the river, and also what looked like raft float trips for visitors. There also is a ferry for fisherfolk. After driving a bit further, we went for a steep hike.
Here is a map of our driving route (dark blue Highway 9 until the junction with Highway 1), then pink along Highway 1.
Our hike is at the two hiker pin, along Skilak Road.
We did not quite make it to the top of the trail, but it was close enough to call it a success.
Skilak Lake is big, and so are the nearby mountains.
This is a view near Kenai.
Most of the area we are traveling through today is near the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The Fish and Wildlife Service has a great video of the area.
Our motel is in Soldotna. In the afternoon, we motored over to Kenai and looked over the Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Russian) church.
From this angle, you can see the onion dome at the rear.
The church was built in the 1890s.
Here’s a map showing both Soldotna and nearby Kenai, the location of the church.
Near the church is the St. Nicholas Memorial Chapel, built in 1906.
Next, we went down to the very wide beach, and after a walk, drove back to our motel in Soldotna. This is typical scenery on the drive.
This area is the summer habitat for caribou on the Kenai Peninsula, but despite stopping at several designated viewpoints, we did not see one.
We left Seward on the same highway we took to get down to the town, and then at the junction with highway 1, switched and went toward Soldotna. We will explore the local sights, which include a steep hike and Russian Orthodox churches.
Next—On to Homer for several days of sightseeing. Perhaps we will see a moose or a bear!