Soldotna to Homer and back again!
Destination today is towards Homer, AK/. This is south of Soldotna by about 85 miles. First stop is Ninilchik - p
opulation 778. On Memorial Day weekend, Ninilchik is referred to as the third biggest city in Alaska as thousands of Alaskans arrive for the fishing. The area is well-known for saltwater king salmon fishing and record halibut fishing. In fact, they have a fishing tournament that continues for 3 months - the rules say you have to register for $10 then if you catch the biggest fish - I believe it is for Halibut only - you will win the prize. There have been two people in the past two seasons that have brought in the biggest catch and weren't registered. Prize money is usually over $100,000. Now why wouldn't you spend $10 on a chance that big??
opulation 778. On Memorial Day weekend, Ninilchik is referred to as the third biggest city in Alaska as thousands of Alaskans arrive for the fishing. The area is well-known for saltwater king salmon fishing and record halibut fishing. In fact, they have a fishing tournament that continues for 3 months - the rules say you have to register for $10 then if you catch the biggest fish - I believe it is for Halibut only - you will win the prize. There have been two people in the past two seasons that have brought in the biggest catch and weren't registered. Prize money is usually over $100,000. Now why wouldn't you spend $10 on a chance that big??We stayed at Deep Creek State Recreation Area which is right on the
beach. You can watch the commercial fishing boats go out from the lagoon behind the campground at high tide, and you can watch the private smaller boats launch from the beach. Interesting way to do this - they use specially designed tractors to take the boat and trailer into the surf and launch them from there. When the fishing boats start coming back into the beach, they wave a big sign with the number of their trailer on it, the tractor goes and hooks up to it, takes it down to the beach, backs into the water - mind you the tractor is in 2 to 3 foot water - and the boat drives up on the trailer. They don't even appear to slow down as they are approaching the trailer. It was interesting to watch them.
beach. You can watch the commercial fishing boats go out from the lagoon behind the campground at high tide, and you can watch the private smaller boats launch from the beach. Interesting way to do this - they use specially designed tractors to take the boat and trailer into the surf and launch them from there. When the fishing boats start coming back into the beach, they wave a big sign with the number of their trailer on it, the tractor goes and hooks up to it, takes it down to the beach, backs into the water - mind you the tractor is in 2 to 3 foot water - and the boat drives up on the trailer. They don't even appear to slow down as they are approaching the trailer. It was interesting to watch them.We checked out Ninilchik Village which is at the mouth of the Ninilchik River. It was settled at the turn of the 19th c
entury and is the "old" village. The village has several old dovetailed log buildings. There is a trail that leads up to the green and white Russian Orthodox C
hurch on the hill but we chose to drive in the road off the highway as the trail was steep and it was drizzling out. When we got to the church, there was no one around so we explored the cemetery for awhile and then decided to move on. As we were leaving, the priest came in so we got out of the truck and headed for the ch
urch again. There was a native couple that also came in right behind the priest and they were all inside by the time we got to the church. The priest opened the door and invited us inside this quaint little church. The church had the appearance of some of the Greek chu
rches we have been in and we thought it looked like it was from the Byzantine era with all of the gold and symbolic features. The sanctuary is one room without any chairs. Ken said that "this is where the members sit" and Father Michael said "this is where they stand". There was a door at the v
ery back of the sanctuary and we were told that is where communion is prepared - no one but the priest is 
allowed back there. As we left, Father Michael suggested I take a picture of him and Ken together - so I did. Quite an interesting visit.
entury and is the "old" village. The village has several old dovetailed log buildings. There is a trail that leads up to the green and white Russian Orthodox C
hurch on the hill but we chose to drive in the road off the highway as the trail was steep and it was drizzling out. When we got to the church, there was no one around so we explored the cemetery for awhile and then decided to move on. As we were leaving, the priest came in so we got out of the truck and headed for the ch
urch again. There was a native couple that also came in right behind the priest and they were all inside by the time we got to the church. The priest opened the door and invited us inside this quaint little church. The church had the appearance of some of the Greek chu
rches we have been in and we thought it looked like it was from the Byzantine era with all of the gold and symbolic features. The sanctuary is one room without any chairs. Ken said that "this is where the members sit" and Father Michael said "this is where they stand". There was a door at the v
ery back of the sanctuary and we were told that is where communion is prepared - no one but the priest is 
allowed back there. As we left, Father Michael suggested I take a picture of him and Ken together - so I did. Quite an interesting visit.One other note of interest about Ninilchik is they host the Kenai Peninsul Fair the third weekend in August and is dubbed the "biggest little fair in Alaska". It features the Peninsula Rodeo, a parade, horse show, livestock competition, and exhibits of all types.
Tomorrow we will finish heading down to Homer to stay a couple of days before heading back to Soldotna.
Tomorrow we will head to Homer to spend a couple of days before going back to Soldotna.
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