Aurora Borealis!! Coming back from the washroom last night we unexpectedly saw this:
The official forecast from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska:
“Auroral activity will be moderate. Weather permitting, moderate displays will be visible overheard from Barrow to as far south as Talkeetna and visible low on the horizon as far south as Bethel, Soldatna and southeast Alaska”.
We are hundreds of miles south of the line between the forecasted viewing area but nevertheless . . .
We had time before the ferry to visit the Seafarer’s memorial. This memorial serves as a final resting place for those lost at sea and is dedicated to them, past, present, and future.
The harbor in Soldovia. There were a lot of small to medium-sized boats (trawlers, skiffs, whatever) moored here. We saw lots of sea otters in the kelp beds stretching from Homer to Seldovia. Cute buggers!
The weather is taking its toll on the watercraft tied along the docks. We also saw some of the better condition boats in dry storage when walking through town on the way to the Russian Orthodox church.
St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox church, on a small knoll overlooking the town and general area.
We visited the board walks of Soldovia. The tide was low and you can see how much the tide will change, twice daily. What appears to be a river is just the receding tide. High tide will come most of the way up the pilings of the homes and businesses.
This is the entrance to one of the two city parks we visited. Both can hold about three people before becoming crowded. Seriously. . .
The salmon are so big here you can saddle them up . . . .unfortunately, this year’s run is about finished. This photo was taken in Soldovia’s Central Park.
Some neat homes and views in Soldovia:
There were a lot of jellyfish in the waters near the docks. We also saw a lot of large starfish and jellyfish stranded up the beaches due to the very large (and quick) tidal changes. Damn if we didn’t see a large school of salmon swimming merrily along next to the dock. Only when you don’t have the rod & reel . . .
These are a couple of pictures of the scenery leaving town. The only roadway extends about 10 miles before ending at the edge of wilderness. There were lots of four wheelers being used for basic transportation in town along with a few older cars and trucks. I talked with one man building a deck addition and he had his timber delivered on a flatbed via the Alaska Marine Highway (AMH) ferry system. A total of 19,000 lbs! I assume the delivery charges were substantial.
The AMH ship Tustumena was docked at Homer when we left in the morning. It arrived at Seldovia shortly after us and departed just as we were boarding. We had to follow her out to open waters where she made a sweeping right turn to allow us to pass. Once we were clear, she made a left turn and headed towards Kodiak Island.
We passed by this converted landing craft used to deliver supplies to the remote villages and homesteads. They are able to get near enough to the shore to drop the front down to the beach and off load whatever is on board.
The Homer Spit from sea. Caught this view on the way back from Seldovia late in the afternoon.
Cathy and Jason on the lower deck as we approached Homer Spit.
Returning to the harbor in Homer. The black “Ramblin Rose” on the right had been beached since we arrived. They had been working on it during low tides and must have finished as here it is . . floating and tied to the main dock. The white boat on the left is a Coast Guard cutter. We had sea otters all around us as we docked.
The Aurora forecast for tonight is better, it is a “4” (out of “10”) and should be viewable in Homer. Don’t know when though, it usually shows around 1 to 3 AM.
Travelling with the Schinglers 