A local fisherman actually described it that way.  Spawning salmon don’t come after bait.  They are not eating anymore.  So how do you get them to take a hook?  It’s all in the wrist!  They cast up stream, let if float with the current across the ever opening and closing mouths of the hard swimming salmon and quickly draw the pole back to shore sliding the line through the fish’s mouth….tada, fish on.   You can’t keep one snagged anywhere else but as long as you snag them in the mouth its ok.  Hmm, that’s sport fishing?

At least in our opinion.   We rate the fish morsels at Boardwalk Fish and Chips in Homer much higher than our similar Seward fare.

We woke to rain and an overcast sky that just wouldn’t move on.  Sunbeams briefly shot through the clouds and splashed a rainbow across the mountains just before boarding time.  That was enough to give us hope.  Two foot seas in the bay.  No rain.  OK!  A humpback whale made an appearance.  Nice.  We motored on toward the inlet of Resurrection Bay still determined to try the jump across open sea to Aialik Bay, our destination for glacier viewing.  Swells were growing and the rain began to fall in sheets.  Seals lounged on shoreline rocks.  Captain Nichole gave the order for all to take a seat; time for the rough water.  Indeed.  The Mate said 7ft waves but I think the forecast guys got it closer to right, 9 or 10 foot seas.   Kent and I sat tight in the aft covered area.  We’d had our Dramamine and faired just fine but there was a bit of rail hugging and fishy feeding going on around us.  Ok, I concede this was not the best day for a sightseeing cruise.  We enjoyed the calm waters in Aialik Bay checking out Aialik and Holgate glaciers before gathering our wits and for many their little paper barf bags and bouncing back around the cape into the relative quiet of Resurrection Bay.

Kudos to Captain Nichole and Crew of the Spirit of Adventure, Major Marine for making it the best trip possible on the crumby weather day.

High points:

Humpbacked whales.  They spouted, splashed, showed us some fluke, and one even breached.

Glaciers.  They dwarf everything.  The boat feels like a toy bobbing beside them.  The blue is impossible to describe as is the sound made when ice breaks free and tumbles into the sea.  Seals lazed on the ice floats.

Bird cliffs.  Shear cliffs covered with roosting Puffin and Blacklegged Kittiwake perched on bit-of-nothing ledges.

Mama Mountain goat and her young one.  They posed nicely on a waterside perch.

It was an easy 90 mile day and we settled into a site right on Resurrection Bay.  We are packed in here pretty tight but it’s a nice view to come home to.  The bay is encircled with mountains and glaciers fill many of the high valleys.  I am sure there are sheep or goats up there but we haven’t seen them yet.

Tomorrow is forecast to be rainy and 9 – 10 foot seas.  Nevertheless, we are off on a glacier/wildlife cruise with Major Marine out into Kenai Fjords National Park.  I still have more Dramamine!  It is the same cruise we took in 2009…we saw lots of wildlife that trip.  We hope the weather improves a bit so we can hike to the Harding Icefield on Tuesday.

There are high water warnings out for the Kenai after heavy rains in the central mountains have swollen feeder streams.  I am not sure if more water makes it easier or harder for the salmon to get upstream?  The conditions haven’t slowed the anglers though.  The lot at the campground boat ramp was packed this morning.

The story of the Alaska flag is pretty cool and one the locals love to tell.  School age kids submitted designs.  A First national boy in a Slodatna area orphanage submitted the winning design with its explanation: the north star (the northern most state) and big dipper (symbolizing the bear) on a blue field (the color of the forget me not).  When he learned that he had won he made the first flag of that design.  He made many more of them throughout his successful life and personally presented them at many an occasion.  Story goes that his favorite presentations were those to each Miss Alaska.

It is all about the river.  From the cliffs of Scout Park we see the cold, swift, emerald colored waters of the Kenai River cut wide sweeping turns across the huge Kenai flats on its way to Cook Inlet.  We catch fleeting glimpses of seals fishing the tidal waters.  It is an awesome view even on a hazy afternoon.

A tiny log cabin overlooking the Kenai houses Veronica’s café. Kent was pretty adventuresome: Thai turkey wrap on spinach tortilla and a cup of turkey kale soup.  I chose black bean soup.  Neither of us was disappointed.  Our porch rail seating included a view of the mouth of the river through wind tussled wildflowers.  Lovely.

Bou jam, traffic came to a jumbled halt along Kenai flats.  A beautiful bull caribou absorbed in his noshing seemed not to even notice all the gawkers.

A tiny Russian Orthodox Church is still a focal part of the town.  It is a reminder of how much influence Russian culture had and still has in this area.

We set out to see the carousel filled with Kenai critter carvings.  We found it along with a wonderful fellow who chainsaw carves and loves it.  The shop is filled with wall hangings, table decorations, furniture and even bird houses.  The yard is filled with works in progress including bears, totem poles and his current project, a chair carved from a giant beryl.  By far, bear and eagle carvings are my favorite.  They seem such a natural subject for this art.  He carves ice at various festivals too.  I think we found another reason to visit in the winter sometime.

Homesteading 1947.  It is amazing to realize how recently this vast land has been settled.  Soldatna was born of a post WWII homesteading opportunity for returning veterans.  The local museum includes three original cabins built to satisfy the “habitable dwelling” requirement to seal the deal for land ownership.  They are filled with items of the times.  Since most up here didn’t get power until the mid 60s household items look like those of the mid 1800s in the lower 48.  The curators, one a daughter of an original homesteader, are great story tellers.  It is a must stop if you make it through here.

Even then Soldotna was all about salmon fishing.  Man has fished this region hard for ages.  The very banks that invite the salmon to return have been trampled and salmon runs are greatly reduced.  Restoration efforts are now in full swing.  The prime fishing access points along the great Kenai and Anchor rivers are lined with fishwalks to allow angler access but protect banks and foliage.  Long sections off the banks are entirely closed and fenced off.  Signs everywhere encourage riverbed walking by anglers to limit bank damage.  (They sell a lot of chest waders up here) They count Kenai River salmon with sonar at the mouth and have an elaborate calculation to change season close dates based on the count that makes it up river.

This year King season closed early because of low counts.  There is some whining and we have seen a good bit of rule breaking but they certainly are trying to repair the damage done and build numbers back toward historical.  Even with the restrictions and smaller runs, we have seen a lot of fish caught.   We may still try again to catch one  before we get out of here.

No fine white sand here at Anchor Point.  The upper shore is smooth rock of golf ball to softball sized with a few basketballs thrown in.  The active tidal beach is terraced sandy and rock strewn so it captures lots of sea weed and little sea critters.  Add to that the tasty morsels that the charter captains throw out into the surf once they clean their catch and you have some pretty happy gulls and shorebirds.  The bald eagles come in for their share too.

Obviously it is not the best for sun bathing or castle building!