Kenai Peninsula, AK - June, 2004 (Re-run)

 On the northern shore of Kenai Peninsula lies the city of Seward on a lovely setting by Resurrection Bay.  With fewer than 3000 residents, the main industries are fishing and tourism.  To promote tourism, the city has several museums, wildlife centers, parks, etc and holds numerous music, arts and film festivals.  Its deep water port led to its use as a military base during WWII and as a major destination for cruise ships today.  Many passengers disembark to travel inland via the Alaska Railroad or one of many bus lines.  An added attraction is Kenai Fjords National Park right next door with its Exit Glacier that is easily accessible for hiking.  The road from Anchorage to Seward is a National Scenic Byway and All American Highway.

At the southern tip of Kenai Peninsula, the fishing village of Homer feels like the end of the earth it is so remote.  Its large marina is used mainly for salmon and halibut fishing and those activities draw huge numbers of visitors each summer.  The quaint shops are all set on stilts because of high tides.

Homer is also home to many tour boats that ply the waters of Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet.  We chose a boat tour to visit the village of Seldovia, settled by the Russians in 1767 and still reflective of that culture, although about 25% of its roughly 300 residents are of Native Alaskan ancestry.  It stagnated once the highway was built to Homer, since it was deemed too difficult to build a road to Seldovia.

On the ride over, we saw lots of birds and sea otters, as well as folks in kayaks.  In town, we were very impressed by the gardens that seemed to be everywhere.