Seldovia

3 July 2010
Saturday

Awoke to a grey, overcast and drippy day. After breakfast with Tony and Mary, we walked to the Bay Ferry booking office to confirm passage on the 12:15 ferry from Homer Spit to the town of Seldovia. It is an old Russian settlement that is now a tourist area for Alaskans and Outsiders alike. Mary assured us that it is always sunny in Seldovia. The city's name means "herring" and apparently there used to be great fishing for herring in the waters around the island. The only way to the city is by float plane or boat.

As the morning progressed, the skies began to lighten up. It looked almost hopeful that the rain would let up. We parked the vehicles and boarded a new catamaran-type vessel that looked brand new. We opted for seats in the front and got ready to depart.

The ride to the island was a tour of a bird rookery and some of the smaller islands. We saw sea otters floating with their lunch on their bellies. There were puffins and gulls and a type of bird that resembles a penguin called a muir. About 1 1/2 hours later we entered a small harbor and disembarked in Seldovia. We carried our backpacks up the gangplank because it was low tide. There were lots of fishing boats in all sizes moored in the harbor. There was even a boat called the PETER J. After checking in to the Bayview Suites, we took an introductory walk around the town. There were shops, charters, cafes and inns. Part of the city is built on stilts over the slough and the sidewalk is a boardwalk. We walked along the docks and watched the day's catch being cleaned. Mary finally convinced Jim to check out the possibility of a fishing excursion. She is our unofficial official tour guide. AND the sun is out although the skies around the island look heavy and thick. However she managed it, Mary was right: the sun DOES shine in Seldovia.

We celebrated Tony and Mary's 10th anniversary [a month later; 30 May 2000 is the actual date.] with dinner at the Mad Fish where we enjoyed halibut and salmon. On the way back we stopped to take in a local concert in the park.