Ninilchik

Our next stop was only a short distance from Kasilof in the village of Ninilchik.  Like Kasilof, Ninilchik is a village that was settled by Russians.  It is not surprising since the US purchased Alaska from Russia so it stands to reason that there would be Russian influence.  Many of the family names are Russian and the most dominating structure in the tiny village is a Russian Orthodox Church.  The road leading to Ninilchik follows along Cook Inlet and the views are amazing.  Across the inlet, you can see four volcanoes.  About 50 miles away lies Mt. Iliamna and Mt. Redoubt both at 10,000 plus feet tall.  Both are active volcanoes although only Mt. Redoubt has erupted recently in 1989.  Both send out steam and Redoubt sends out ash from time to time.  It was a clear day and we could also see Mt. Augustine and Mt. Spurr about 80 miles away.  Mt. Spurr is over 11,000 feet tall while Mt. Augustine is only 4,025 feet tall.  These volcanoes are in what is known as the Ring of Fire that encircles the Pacific (including Hawaii).  Every day we have viewed them I was amazed all over again as they look ethereal to me.  They look like a painted backdrop one might see in a film, just unreal somehow.  I have tried over and over to capture them but just never quite got it right.

Ninilchik’s main focus (not surprising) is fishing charters.  Jim tried to get a place on a charter but since he waited so late to book, there was nothing available.  Still, we enjoyed seeing the boats return to the park each day and offload the catch of the day.  Everyone caught their limit of Halibut each day.  Most of the fish were in the 20 pound range.  Lynn Hodel told me they refer to them as “chickens” but actually these small ones have the best tasting flesh.  We only saw one large Halibut caught while we were there and it weighed about 110 pounds.

We had several wildlife encounters that were fun.  Take a look.

This is Mt. Redoubt.  No matter how many times I look across at the scene, I could not get over the blue color.  The mountain seems to rise directly from the water and blends into the sky behind it as well.  A picture just did not do it justice.

This is Mt. Iliamna.  Although it is not currently active, it is not dormant and could erupt again at some point in the future.

Ninilchik is a tiny village.  It sits at the edge of the beach of Cook Inlet.  They have a very busy dock area especially now with so many folks flocking to the water to catch Halibut.  The village was so quaint.  Many of the locals were selling hand crafts of all kinds.  Everyone was very friendly.

the Russian Orthodox Church stands on the bluff above the village.  It seemed fitting that it would stand watch over them, protecting them from the elements.

There were old boats of all kinds seemingly abandoned.  This one is a memorial to one of the local fishermen.

As we walked the beach, Jim spotted this Bald Eagle flying above us.  He was so beautiful and magnificent!  He soared on the wind currents looking for a meal I would bet.

After a few minutes, he was joined by what we think is a Golden Eagle or perhaps a juvenile Bald Eagle.  Whatever he was, he was quite a sight.  Oddly enough, they did not like each other and began to fly in a fighting posture.  At one point, the Bald Eagle turned upside-down and used his talons to drive the other bird away.

They were something to see flying high above us.

 Almost as if they were in formation, no?

Later, we saw this female Moose in a stand of trees and brush.  The light was less than ideal but she was not alarmed by our presence and I got plenty of shots to choose from.

The catch of the day was displayed by size.  The charter only takes out six fisherman but this day there were only five.  Now, we usually see Halibut pictured from the underside that is white.  But, when the fish is swimming along the bottom, it is the brown side that you see and incidentally that is where his eyes etc. are located.

After the fish are offloaded, the guides filet them and they are bagged for the person who caught them.  The camp has facilities to freeze and vacuum pack them as well.  I would have loved to have one of them in my freezer!