Ninilchik

On June 30th we were set to continue our trip down to Homer. We had 8 days before our next mail package is due in Soldotna. After breakfast we headed down to Kalifornsky Beach Road to Kasilof. The marsh estuary is also along this road. This connected us onto the Sterling Hwy on the South side of Kasilof. There was a light mist for a while and the mountains were shrouded by clouds. We wanted to check out any local sights of interest. It didn't matter how far we got today. Our first stop was at the Kasilof Public Beach. What a neat spot! Campers and vehicles stretched out for about a mile or so. At this point the Kasilof River flows into the Cook Inlet. People are fishing, clamming and camping. Large dumpsters and several clean port-0-potties are available. A great place to camp at no cost. (a local sold firewood $5/bundle) We drove on keeping this and other spots in mind for the return trip North from Homer. When we started to feel hungry for lunch we were coming up to the Clam Gulch State campground. We pulled in and found a very pleasant area for camping or just a short rest to enjoy the view. Sites are primarily parallel parking lanes with a number inscribed on the wooden (rail tie) at each end. Very Clean composting toilets are at all the state sites in this area. (we even met up with a husband and wife cleaning crew who lived several years in Bristol, VT and East Central Florida! Same as us! All along the Cook Inlet there were spectacular views of the mountains on the western bank. We stopped for the night in Ninilchik View State Recreation Area campground. ($10/night) That one also has a dumping station ($5) and "damp" firewood ($5). Our pamphlet says 117 sites but we only found 17. Must be a typo. The setting is one of the most beautiful we have seen yet! Potable Water is available with hose fittings at fee station.

Before we drove to the campground (north) we turned onto Orthodox Ave, to visit Holy Transfiguration of our Lord Russian Orthodox Church site. It features the Russian Onion Dome Spires. There was a very interesting cemetary full of wild flowers set behind white picket fencing upon the approach side. The church sits on a bluff overlooking the old fishing village of Ninilchik. We took the path from the church down to Hillside St. which dropped down into the town, It was very steep and narrow with shrubby growth at its edges. The Ninilchik River winds through town and into Cook Inlet. (The bridge is closed and being repaired at present so we walked all around for a tour to avoid driving the truck down.)

They don't bother mowing any lawn. And to think, I used to have such a hard time on my front lawn when we lived on Hillside Ave! As we walked down I spotted an immature Golden Eagle perched on top of a playhouse (treeless) overlooking the harbor. There were at least 2 Golden and 2 Bald eagles along this beach. They were fun to watch.

When the river reaches the inlet there is a tidal canal where the fishing fleet comes in to dock and offload their catch. They can only get in at high tide. That night from our campground on the bluff at the south side of town the vessels started to arrive as we observed the setting sun. We counted over 40 boats anchored offshore waiting for the tide to come in. That late afternoon we had a campfire and managed to burn $10 worth of wood even though it was quite "wet". I was going to grill hamburgers on it but it took to long to get going. We both stayed up for the sunset. I got some spectacular photos. The mountains which had been in clouds most of the day cleared and the volcanoes came into view. Sunset here was at 11:30 pm. The spectacular show goes on for over an hour. It was a "mind-blowing" finish to a perfect day.