7/28: To Seldovia

Wednesday July 28, What the heck - why not one more boat ride: Across Kachemak Bay from Homer, there’s a quiet little fishing town called Seldovia. So this morning, we all boarded a tour boat to go explore a town that can’t be reached by car, as well as grab another chance to spot wildlife on the water. After seeing the usual hordes of beautiful seabirds, a dozen sea otters and one not so shy harbor seal, we were dropped off at Seldovia’s harbor, with 4 hours to spend as we wished.

Seldovia was founded by the Russians in the late 1700’s, and a Russian Orthodox church still stands on a hill above the harbor. We found a cramped little bookshop/café and had a break on the deck overlooking the Seldovia Slough. Looking down on the water, we watched a lone salmon making its way upstream at low tide. It was a big fish in very shallow water and its dorsal fin stuck out above, making him easy to follow. We found a hiking trail just behind the town’s school called the “Otterbahn”, originally constructed by high school students. It took us through a high canopy of very tall Sitka Spruce and at eye level, berry bushes were everywhere along the trail. Salmonberries and blueberries and strawberries. And the occasional pile of bear poo. We all like berries! The trail ended at a gorgeous beach cove, and we stayed to enjoy the water, sand and tide pools.