We arrive on the Homer Spit around 9:00 a.m.. After parking we went to the tour's charter office and paid for our tickets to the boat Discovery, a wildlife tour across the Kachemak Bay to Seldovia, a distance of about 25 miles. Seldovia is accessible only by boat or by air as no road goes to Seldovia.
We boarded the Discovery around 10:00 with a 10:30 departure. Even with the winds creating large swells, the boat was still scheduled to make the trip. The ship left the Homer Spit harbor on time. As we left the calm waters of the harbor and rounded the sea wall the boat began to pitch and bob. Here we go again I was thinking.
The captain reassured us that the boat had enough size to handle the seas and off we went. Because a major part of the cruise involved wildlife sightseeing the route was not direct to Seldovia. The first wildlife encounter was at Gull Island, which was aptly named as the rocky island was full of gulls.
There were several smaller rocky outcroppings which had a variety of shorebirds using the islets as rookeries. We were surprised to see a couple of Tufted Puffins which are quite colorful. Shortly the captain announced that there was an intruder within the rookery- a bald eagle!
The eagle swooped and swerved attempting to find prey. But, the Gauchous-winged gulls were fearless. They countered the eagles every move with dive-bombing tactics of their own. The gulls were relentless in harassing the eagle, and they had numbers on their side. Eventually the eagle tired of the constant tormenting and off it flew.
We rode past other islands that were more scenic rather than containing wildlife. Many had eroded stone arches for decorations. Another island had a pair of orange beaked Oyster Catchers lounging on the gravel of the shoreline. Yet another island, called Elephant Island, seemed to morph from having a rock elephant head with the trunk in the water to a head with the trunk curving up and out of the water.
We also observed large number of sea otters. They were found mainly in the lee of islands or their coves for some protection from the swells and waves. It is hard to see the numbers of these cute creatures and know that they were nearly hunted into extinction for their furs.
Since we knew it was going to be windy and perhaps a rough ride, Peggy and I decided to sit in the enclosed room of the first deck. The upper deck was all open. The stern of the first deck was open on the sides but had a roof over it.
As soon as we got to Gull Island I realized the shortcoming of being inside and sitting on bench seats, you could not easily move from side to side attempting to get the best photographs. So, I moved to the stern of the boat. I decided it was a good move since the boat was going into the wind, the second deck was exposed to wind constantly while the stern was relatively protected from the wind and the spray. And, I was able to move from side to side of the boat depending on the photo opportunity. Peggy opted to remain most of the time inside the first deck seating.
It took about 2 1/2 hours to go the distance to Seldovia. Seldovia is an old Russian community that was established because it provided an open port year round for this area of Alaska. In fact, it used to be larger than Homer. However, shifting economies and earthquakes took their toll, and Seldovia is now a quiet, quaint community depending on fishing and tourism for its survival.
We had about 3 hours of time in Seldovia. As soon as we docked there seemed to be a mad scramble by most of the boat occupants to get to the restaurants. Peggy and I took our time and decided to visit the old Russian Orthodox Church and the historic boardwalk area of Seldovia. It was a good plan since we were but a few who did not rush to eat immediately.
The historic church, built in in 1891, was on a high hill in Seldovia. It had an interesting tower containing 8 visible bells.
One area of Seldovia is still visible- the boardwalk area. Buildings erected along the cove were on stilts so that the high tides would not flood them. Boardwalks were constructed connecting the buildings with one another. However, the 1964 massive Alaska earthquake ruined many of these buildings. The few that survived have been restored for the most part and give you a flavor of what Seldovia looked like.
Another feature of Seldovia is that they have many wood carvings around the town. I've uploaded several photos of some of them.
Departure from Seldovia took place at 4:00. The Discovery took the most direct route back to the harbor at the Homer Spit, and we arrived back at the dock at 5:30. Since we had a late lunch we decided to head on back to the camper after a fun, entertaining day!
No comments:
Post a Comment