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Click on the icons below to access photo albums. You will get a feel for our charming property and get a closer look the Big Red Barn & Creekside Cottage. Also, check out Dave & Catherine’s extensive international travel- get a head start on your next vacation planning via their tips, or live vicariously through their grand adventures!
Alaska 2018
The 49th state has rightly earned its nickname as the Last Frontier, packed with staggering mountains amidst glaciers clung to their sides, big game wildlife, towering icebergs, lively cities, a unique culture, historic mining communities and a thousand things in between. The purpose of being in Alaska on July 4 was to see something different than our hometown. This 4th of July Celebration and Race in Seward, Alaska, is considered to be the best in the state and certainly the most well known. It was a unique Independence Day trip and we really enjoyed the entire thing.
If you want to save money on your next adventure, then head to Alaska. The state has no sales tax and no income tax. They have huge reserves of oil and other natural resources which supplies them with all the money they need, so they don’t need to hammer their citizens with taxes. It’s the only jurisdiction in North America that has no tax, so when you see a price on a tag, that’s the actual price you’ll pay. Imagine!
This indicates the really strange and interesting, and unknown to us, rivalry between Texas and Alaska. Go big or go home!
The Kenai Peninsula is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of South-central Alaska. The name Kenai is derived from the "Kenaitze Native Indian Tribe", (the people that historically inhabited the area). They called the Kenai Peninsula Yaghanen ("the good land").
After landing at Ted Steven's International Airport in Anchorage, we drove out the Kenai Peninsula to Seward for the first two nights. We then drove southwest, along the only road to Homer.
Catherine drinking beer, waiting for the fireworks in Seward, AL. Seward, incidentally, is named after Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State that purchased Alaska from the Russians.
Dave waiting for the Seward fireworks display (Alaska was known for years as Seward's Folly or Seward's Ice Box by many Americans). The midnight sun is one of Alaska’s famous phenomena. FYI, for several weeks in the Alaskan summer, the sun never sets. The further north in Alaska you go, the longer the sun stays up.
We stayed up to see the fireworks at midnight, the darkest time of the night. On July 4th the sun comes up at 4:43 am and goes down at 11:20 pm!
The 4th of July Mount Marathon Race is over 100 years old and is only 3.1 miles long from the bottom to the top and back to the bottom again. However, the men and women run from sea level to 2,974 feet, average speed uphill is 2 mph and 12 down (screaming)! Here is the Marathon Trail Map, in Winter.
Fortunately, the race is held on the Fourth of July (in the summer) as is shown in this picture of Mount Marathon.
According to folklore … The tradition of the Mount Marathon Race began when two sourdoughs argued about the possibility of climbing and descending the mountain in less than an hour. “Impossible” one said.
To settle the argument, and the resulting wager, a race was held, with the loser to furnish drinks for the crowd. Enterprising merchants put up a suit of clothes and other attractions for the winner and proposed the race take place on a holiday – why not the 4th of July?
The optimistic sourdough lost his bet. The winning racer took one hour and two minutes.
Note trail at 9 o'clock traveling diagonally to the right and towards the peak. The runners told us when they get to the ice fields at the top, it is really treacherous. It is not only icy, but it is really steep. They are pretty much on hands and feet at that point.
The race begins here at 4th and Adams streets. The men’s and women’s course is a grueling 1.5 mile climb up, and back down Alaska’s majestic and treacherous Mount Marathon. Runners from around the world join Seward residents and runners from all corners of Alaska, in the pursuit of a common goal: to win, place, or simply complete this iconic foot race.
A good runner will finish the race in 33-40 minutes. These two chaps look like they did not have a problem with the mountain course.
Numerous women athletes also compete on this challenging venue.
These women have the typical bodies of long distance runners... that is, they have almost no body fat with an average of 21.9 bmi.
She appears that she will drink the entire tray of water.
The Tattoo Parlor is very aptly named; It's Not All Anchors and Roses!
Our next stop on this vacation was Homer. Homer is a small city on Kachemak Bay, on the Kenai Peninsula. Homer famously marks the terminus of the paved highway system of North America and is a popular destination for travelers who have driven to Alaska from the lower 48 states. Seward is the southern terminus of the Alaska Railroad. There are airports with regularly scheduled flights in Kenai and Homer as well as smaller general aviation airports in Soldotna and Seward. The Seward Highway connects Seward to Anchorage, and the Sterling Highway is the backbone of Kenai Peninsula connecting the larger towns to Anchorage.
Laced between the mountain peaks on the far side of Kachemak Bay, rivers of ice flow from the Harding Ice Field. Named after President Warren Harding, the ice field is one of the remaining four in the United States with over 30 glaciers covering over 300 sq. miles. Most of Alaska’s glaciers are tidewater glaciers, meaning they calve into saltwater. Homer’s glaciers are alpine glaciers, unique in that they form in mountain valleys creating their own moraine lake. The three most visible glaciers are the ones closest to Halibut Cove: Grewingk, Portlock and Dixon Glacier. They are best viewed from East End Road and Skyline Drive. Two glaciers, Wosnesenski and Doroshin, are partially visible from Homer, behind Poot Peak and beyond China Poot Bay.
The big Glacier on the right is Grewingk Glacier. On the left, you can see Dixon Glacier with Portlock Glacier in the middle.
These rivers of ice flow from the Harding Ice Field. These glaciers are considered Alpine Glaciers and unique that they form in mountain valleys. Most of Alaska's glaciers are Tide Water Glaciers, meaning their terminus is into salt water.
A focal point is the Homer Spit, a long strip of land with shops, art galleries, seafood restaurants and beaches. Fishing boats dock at its harbor. Galleries also cluster on Pioneer Avenue, near the Pratt Museum, which shows local art and artifacts, including a pioneer cabin. The Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center has wildlife exhibits.
Queen Anne's Lace in the foreground
This is the Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor's Center undoubtedly paid for with Federal money.
Very attractive exterior concrete work...
This amused Dave to no end as he grew up on Rhubarb during summers in MN.
This is Dr. Debbie Tobin, Ph.D. at the Bar.
The is Josh Tobin, Debbie's husband. He manages a bar and restaurant called Alice's Champagne Palace.
Alaska has a longer shoreline than ALL other stated combined- about 33,904 miles!
The first inhabitants of North America came through Alaska more than 10,000 years ago. Several more waves of nomads followed. The next batch arrived in the eighteenth century in the form of Russian settlers. These hardy men and women established several small communities around Alaska, and when the US bought the land from Russia, many of them stayed. You can visit these “Old Believer” communities around Homer, Yukatat, Three Saints Bay, and more. Some towns still have very Russian names, such as Nikolaev, Alaska!
Closeup
Ninilchik Alaska, home of the famous Russian Nina and her Samovar Cafe. Nikolaevsk Village is located on the Kenai Peninsula near the town of Homer or 9 miles on the
North Fork road east from Anchor Point.
The Russian Village Nikolaevsk was founded in 1968.
Nina moved to Alaska from Russia where she worked as an electrical engineer and travel guide. She opened her cafe in 20012, a year after the paved roads reached town. Her cafe's guestbook is filled with visitors from all over the world. This woman really knows how to market herself, and how to create something that feels like an authentic Russian experience. Note: Dave and Catherine tried to get away the whole time we were there and she would not let them. Period.
Here is Nina's Russian Gift Shop and Cafe serving traditional Russian dishes as borscht,
pelmeni, piroshki and other foods.
The Gift Shop has Nesting Dolls, Lacquered Boxes, Ghzel Porcelain, Russian Icons and
Books, Old Fashioned Russian Hand-embroidered Clothes, Belts, 100% silk and wool Scarves and Children's Books.
Catherine and Dave enjoying a very expensive dessert!
You'll either love or hate this glimpse into Russian Orthodox life. The proprietor, Nina, is far from subtle, telling you exactly what to order and how much to pay. Go with the flow, as it's really the only way to experience any slice of a Russian Orthodox village. The borscht is worth it.
The mandatory portrait in traditional Russian garb.... We had absolutely no interest in dressing in these clothes and actually wrapped them around us and said we should use them for our Christmas card!
We took a ferry from the end of the Homer Spit southwest to the Russian village of Seldovia which you can see in the bottom left of this map.
We saw this school of Orcas on the ferry boat ride to Seldovoia. In Alaska, the Orcas occur most commonly over the waters of the continental shelf from Southeast Alaska through the Aleutian Islands and northward into the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.
The young women who piloted the ferry as their "day job" were biology students at the University of Alaska, Homer. They were so excited to get back to the lab to insert the pictures of these animals. They told us they had never, ever seen so many Orcas together at one time! It really was exciting.
Here we are... Seldovia! Located on the Kenai Peninsula on the south shore of Kachemak Bay, Seldovia provides gorgeous views of majestic mountains, long stretches of sandy shores, with plentiful and towering spruce forests reaching from the tree line to the water's edge. The Kachemak Bay route between Homer and Seldovia has been designated an Alaska Scenic Byway and is one of the richest marine bodies in the world. Nestled between two bays and the mountains, there are postcard views at every turn. This remote location has allowed the community to maintain many of its age-old Russian traditions. With no crowds, Seldovia offers many quiet places to enjoy the peacefulness of remote Alaska.
The town of Seldovia has been through many economic phases throughout its history. It began as a meeting place for native Alaskan tribes around the area, then Russians came during the fur rush in the late eighteenth century and established a hunting post. They later brought their religion and other cultural influences. The name Seldovia actually derives from the Russian word Seldevoy, which means “herring bay.” Herring fishing ended up becoming a major part of Seldovia’s economy with herring salteries in the 1920s.
We walked all over the boardwalks of this beautiful little town. It was drizzling and not sunny, but very beautiful nonetheless.
Can you imagine living in one of those homes over there? The only way in and out is by water!
We found these real boots potted with Pansies, and thought how very resourceful that they used real, old boots. Here in CA, we would probably have used ceramic copies. How stupid are we?!
We hope that these pictures captured how incredibly charming this town of Seldovia is. It reminded us of Maine.
The waters of Alaska feature five types of salmon: King Salmon, Sockeye, Coho, Pink & Keta. King Salmon, also known as Chinook, are the largest of the salmon family and is a prized sport fish.
Despite this humorous sign, fishing in Alaska is quite dangerous. Alaskan fisherman literally risk life and limb to haul in the millions of tons of seafood that ends up on dinner plates. In general, the commercial fishing industry is not for the weak at heart. Each year, it places thousands of workers on the world's shorelines at the mercy of the ocean, and job lists consistently rank commercial fishing among the dirtiest and deadliest. In Alaska, the stakes are higher since the getting is so good - almost 95 percent of the U.S. salmon supply comes from the state's fisheries The fishing industry pulls a big load in the Alaskan economy. Fishing deaths also make up about a third of all occupational fatalities in Alaska each year.
Alaska is one of the last unspoiled lands in the world. It is one of the largest states, bigger than Texas and 22 smaller states combined!
Brigitte's Bavarian B & B offers lovely, secluded cottages that are nestled on a hillside among birch trees with a grand view over Kachemak Bay, the Homer Spit, Kenai Mountains, Harding Ice-field, glaciers. It's located three miles from downtown Homer, Alaska.
Our hosts were Brigitte, born in Germany, and her husband Willie, originally from Switzerland. They’ve lived in Alaska for quite a while and built this home from scratch. Both love to create furniture, gardens, food and smiles. Brigitte’s garden was featured in Sunset Magazine and the B&B won a beautification award.
Willie catches, cleans, and smokes the salmon in the smoker he built.
The cottages have sunny porches and are surrounded by delightful gardens, walkways and trails. Two of the cottages are separate from the main house, one is attached to the main house; each has it’s own entrance, bathroom, queen-sized bed and twin bed. The rooms are decorated with furniture designed and crafted by the owners, stocked with a wide selection of Alaskan literature and an fine collection of Alaskan fossils and other natural-found objects.
This is the tiny Russian village of Ninilchik. Before the arrival of Europeans in Alaska, Ninilchik was a Dena'ina Athabaskan lodging area used for hunting and fishing. The name Ninilchik probably derives from Niqnilchint, a Deni'ana Athabaskan word meaning "lodge is built place". The first Europeans who permanently settled in the village were Russian colonists who moved there from Kodiak Island in 1847, two decades before the Alaska Purchase in 1867 by the United States. They were Russian Grigorii Kvasnikov (anglicized to Kvasnikoff), his Russian-Alutiiq wife Mavra Rastorguev (daughter of Agrafena Petrovna of Afognak), and their children. They were soon joined by the Oskolkoff family, also headed by a Russian man and Alutiiq woman. These were the core families, and their descendants, who often married Alutiiq, made up most of the village.
Their dialect of Russian as spoken in the mid-1800's (plus a few words borrowed from Alaska Native languages) became the primary language spoken in Ninilchik, and it survived in that form long past the 1867 Alaska Purchase. A few speakers of the Ninilchik Russian dialect were still alive as late as 2013.
Church of the Transfiguration in Ninilchik. The name Ninilchik probably derives from Niqnilchint, a Deni'ana Athabaskan word meaning "lodge is built place". The first Europeans who permanently settled in the village were Russian colonists who moved there from Kodiak Island in 1847, two decades before the Alaska Purchase in 1867 by the United States.
This is the cemetery at the Church at Ninilchik. We stopped at this cute little town on our way from Homer back to Anchorage. It's a tiny Russian village, clinging to the coast. The Alaska Native people of Ninilchik have ancestors of Aleut and Alutiiq descent, as well as some Dena'ina. Many also include Russian ancestors, from a couple of men who settled there with their Alutiiq wives and children in 1847, and later migrants. Russian was widely spoken in the village for years. Due to the community's isolation, this Russian dialect continued much in its mid-19th century form. With some surviving speakers, it has been studied in the 21st century.
Alaska’s biggest city only has 300,000 people. Despite the small population, it has all the amenities of a larger city down south. Hotels, restaurants, bars, and music venues are found all over the city. For the outdoorsy, there are bike trails and waterfront walkways. If you want something more cultural, enjoy one of a dozen museums, galleries, and cultural centers. As the biggest port in the state, Anchorage receives millions of tons of shipping and is also the hub of Alaska’s commercial fishing industry. The US Navy and the US Air Force also have a large presence here, so boat watching from the waterfront is always surprising.
One of our favorite Anchorage restaurants is Simon's and Seafort's. This is fresh Alaskan halibut. It is located right next to the Copper Whale, our favorite B & B, both located downtown. Easy access to all the shops!!
Alaskan king crab's flavor reputation precedes it. The leg meat is known for its rich, sweet flavor and delicately tender texture reminiscent of lobster meat. But it takes work to reach that sought-after meat—the thick shells with large spikes often necessitate a cracking tool.
We took this picture from the window of our room at the Copper Whale. This was taken about 11:30pm, as the sun was setting.
Another view at Sunset. This is looking towards Cook Inlet. The inlet was first explored and settled by Dena'ina people. In the 18th century, Russian fur hunters were among the first European visitors.
We visited the Anchorage Museum.
The Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center tells the real story of the North … the many-faceted story that weaves together social, political, cultural, scientific, historic and artistic threads. The Anchorage Museum is the largest museum in Alaska and one of the top 10 most visited attractions in the state. The museum’s mission is to connect people, expand perspectives and encourage global dialogue about the North and its distinct environment.
The Anchorage Museum is a large art, history, ethnography, ecology and science museum located in a modern building in the heart of Anchorage, Alaska. It is dedicated to studying and exploring the land, peoples, art and history of Alaska.
The permanent art collection represents the vast range of art from Alaska and the circumpolar North. Seven galleries on the museum's ground floor are devoted to this collection. Exhibits include landscape paintings, drawings from early European expeditions to Alaska, works by contemporary artists, and an entire gallery of paintings by Sydney Laurence, perhaps Alaska's best known artist.
This is a picture of the Indian River sign we saw in at the museum. The Indian River is an 8-mile long watershed that flows through the community of Sitka on Baranof Island in the Southeast Alaska. The Indian River was named in 1826 by Russians colonizing the Sitka area as Reka Koloshenka. This was translated in 1883 to the English title used today. The Indian River is a large salmon-spawning stream which terminates in the heart of Sitka National Historical. The river extends about five miles into Baranof Island before splitting into two branches. The Indian River played a vital role in the Battle of Sitka with the impenetrable Tlingit fort sitting adjacent to the mouth of the river.
The museum opened in 1968 in a 10,000-square-foot building with an exhibition of 60 borrowed Alaska paintings, a collection of 2500 historic and ethnographic objects, and a staff of two. It was designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects. The museum has grown steadily and expanded three times since then, most recently in 2010, to its current size of 170,000 square feet with a collection of 25,000 objects and 500,000 historic photographs, and a staff of more than 50. First accredited in 1973, the museum has maintained its accreditation since. In 1992, the museum became the home for the Alaska office of the Smithsonian's NMNH Arctic Studies Center, which supports the museum's mission through research, education, and exhibitions.
The Discovery is a 65-foot classic working yacht which sails you into one of the world’s richest marine environments. Named after one of Captain Cook’s ships, the Discovery’s atmosphere is one of charm and style. Because of its small size, the Discovery sails into quiet coves and navigate ice-bound channels that larger boats must avoid, letting passengers get an up close and personal view of glaciers and marine wildlife.
When the last ice age ended, the glaciers retreated to the top of the world as they melted away. What’s left of them can be found in Alaska and Canada’s far north. Alaska is full of glaciers. The Matanuska Glacier is only a two-hour drive from Anchorage. You can take a boat to Prince William Sound and view half a dozen ancient, towering glaciers.
Denali is the tallest mountain in North America. It towers nearly seven kilometers into the sky. Denali is also the third most isolated tall mountain in the world! You don’t need to go out of your way to see mountains in Alaska, however. There are thousands of them. Alaska is made up of mountains. The Alaska range, the Aleutian range, and the Rockies all jumble together on the roof of the continent.
In 2015, President Obama announced that Mount McKinley was being renamed "Denali," using his executive power to restore an Alaska Native name with deep cultural significance to the tallest mountain in North America. The central Alaska mountain has officially been called Mount McKinley for almost a century
Larger than the state of New Jersey, Denali National Park and Preserve is a vast wilderness that is mostly untouched by human hands, save for the one park road and a few scattered services. It is known for legendary wildlife and big adventures, from backcountry camping to mountaineering.
Alaska is one of the most uninhabited regions in the world. Nature continues as it always has, mostly unmolested by human development. Every spring and summer, the flowers bloom and drape the land in beautiful brilliance. The bears forage while their cubs play. The salmon spawn upriver every year. The puffins do…whatever it is puffins do....
The largest bears in the world live in Alaska, on the islands of the Kodiak archipelago. The average Kodiak weighs one ton, although a few monsters of over 1,500 lbs. have been recorded! As more and more people move into their natural habitats, the bears are becoming extinct.
From Bar-tailed Godwits to Whiskered Auklets, birds from around the globe rely on Alaska's vast stretches of intact habitat. Alaska is home to more than 470 species of birds. Most are migratory birds for which the Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible under international treaties and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. While some of the birds stay in Alaska year-round, most migrate to Canada, Central America, South America, Asia, or the lower 48 United States. In fact, birds from Alaska pass through virtually every other state (even Hawaii) on the way to and from their nesting and wintering grounds.
The theory that the Americas were populated by humans crossing from Siberia to Alaska across a land bridge was first proposed as far back as 1590, and has been generally accepted since the 1930's. But genetic evidence shows there is no direct ancestral link between the people of ancient East Asia and modern Native Americans. A comparison of DNA from 600 modern Native Americans with ancient DNA recovered from a late Stone Age human skeleton from Mal'ta near Lake Baikal in southern Siberia shows that Native Americans diverged genetically from their Asian ancestors around 25,000 years ago, just as the last ice age was reaching its peak. Based on archaeological evidence, humans did not survive the last ice age’s peak in northeastern Siberia, and yet there is no evidence they had reached Alaska or the rest of the New World either. While there is evidence to suggest northeast Siberia was inhabited during a warm period about 30,000 years ago before the last ice age peaked, after this the archaeological record goes silent, and only returns 15,000 years ago, after the last ice age ended.
Jeff King was born and raised in California, and moved to Alaska in 1975 in search of adventure. He quickly became interested in dog sledding and Alaskan huskies, devoting all his spare time and money to building his own team, while developing a construction business. He began racing in 1980. His competitive nature and athleticism had found a new outlet, and Jeff set his sights ever higher, entering his first Iditarod just one year later. In 1992 he decided to devote his full time and energy to training and racing, setting aside his construction business. He won his first Iditarod the following season. Jeff enjoys living just outside of Alaska’s Denali National Park and sharing his life with his 40 sled dogs, one of which spends a lot of time on the couch. In the summer months, Husky Homestead welcomes visitors from around the world to watch his sled dogs in action, hear stories of adventure, learn about Alaskan Huskies, the tradition of dog mushing and the life and spirit of Alaska, the last frontier.
Jeff King is often recognized as the “Winningest Musher in the World.” He holds four championship titles for the 1,049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1993, 1996, 1998, and 2006. Jeff took first place in the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest in 1989 in addition to earning twenty-four other first-place titles in races across Alaska and other parts of North America. Jeff was inducted into the Iditarod Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2006, at age 50, he became the oldest musher to win the Iditarod. Jeff King has twice received the prestigious Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award for exemplary care of his dog team. He has logged more than 150,000 miles on a dogsled over the past thirty-five years.
Iditarod is the world’s longest sled dog race. It covers 128 miles in the middle of winter, from Anchorage to Nome. It’s the most competitive sled dog event in the world! You can join hundreds of other fans for the annual pilgrimage to Alaska and take part in this amazing spectacle. The racers embark on an epic journey which takes nearly two weeks to complete. You can follow along, but you don’t need to rough it like the competitors. There are hotels and comfortable lodges all along the route.
The Inuit inhabitants of Alaska long-believed that the Northern Lights were the spirits of fish, deer, bears, and their departed loved ones, watching over the land. One of the best places in the world to see them is from a cozy cabin in the mountains around Fairbanks. You can rent a lodge or join the University of Fairbanks for their Northern Lights expedition. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because viewing them from the southern hemisphere or a crowded city is impossible.
John and Pam Anderson, our lifelong friends from Torrence, CA.
The Gulf of Alaska, an arm of the Pacific Ocean, extends along the southeastern coastline of Alaska from the Alaska Peninsula to the Alexander Archipelago. Because of strong surface currents and the much colder arctic air that continually sweeps across its waters, the Gulf of Alaska is the recognized genesis of the heavy rain and snow storms that inundate southern and south-central Alaska.
Located at the mouth of the Copper River, Cordova is a town that can only be reached by air or by sea as no roads connect to any other town. The landscape is truly magnificent, boasting mountains, thriving wetlands, forests, and many different rivers and lakes. This makes it an excellent place to enjoy a range of outdoor activities. These include skiing, hiking, wildlife watching and photography, sport fishing and even flight seeing.
There is no better fishing in the world than Alaska. British Columbia might run a close second, but even then, you won’t find the massive abundance of rivers and lakes and coastline teeming with fish like you will in Alaska. If you want a true fishing story to regale your friends with, come to Alaska. You don’t even need a boat and downriggers (unless you’re looking for massive halibut or a good fight with a strong salmon). You can dip your line and sinker into a river from the shore and pull up trout, bass, and a million other fish. You can fish from the wild or an urban setting.
Alaska has more coastline than the rest of the United States combined (more than 34,000 miles). Alaska has more inland water than any other state (20,171 square miles). Alaska is the only state to have coastlines on three different seas: the Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Bering Sea.
The stunning landscape of the Chucagh Forest stretches across south-central Alaska, from the salty waters and snowy peaks of Prince William Sound to the fabulous salmon and trout streams of the Kenai Peninsula, covering an area the size of New Hampshire. It is one of the few places left in the world where glaciers still grind valleys into the hard rock of the earth. Its geographic diversity is unique among national forests. The three distinct landscapes of the Copper River Delta, the Eastern Kenai Peninsula, and Prince William Sound are destinations for adventurers and nature enthusiasts.
The Kenai Peninsula is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of South-central Alaska. The name Kenai is derived from the name of the "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the Native Athabascan Alaskan tribe, that historically inhabited the area. They called the Kenai Peninsula Yaghanen ("the good land"). It is The Kenai Peninsula (Russian: Кенай полуостров) is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (/ˈkiːnaɪ/, KEE-ny) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan tribe, the Kahtnuht’ana Dena’ina ("People along the Kahtnu (Kenai River)"), that historically inhabited the area.[1] They called the Kenai Peninsula Yaghanen ("the good land").
The diverse Cordova History Museum exhibits examples and stories of early explorers to the area, the Native culture, Copper River North Western Railway and Kennicott Mine era. Then later the growth of the commercial fishing industry.
Visitors enjoy learning about the Eyak people, the history of European exploration, Alaska’s first oil boom at Katalla and more recent history such as the Good Friday Earthquake, and Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. The whole visit will take about an hour if you look at each exhibit and story.
Alaska offers scenery like no other place on earth.
Mount Eyak is a ski area located in Cordova. Mount Eyak is serviced by a single chairlift (as well as the rope tow). The chairlift was purchased from Sun Valley, Idaho, and transported by train to Seattle, then by ferry to Cordova. The Sheridan Ski Club painted the towers and repaired the chairs before the army used its helicopters to put the towers in place in 1974. The single chair lift was originally constructed in 1939 and serviced Bald Mountain. It is the oldest working chairlift in North America and one of only two single chairs still in operation.
Kids don't float!
Charles Christensen, Catherine's cousin, retired attorney, living in Anchorage.
Alaska is the least populated state in the USA. It is also one of the least populated regions on earth, sharing that honor with places such as the Gobi Desert, Siberia, and parts of central Asia. It’s one of the only places you can travel where you can truly be left alone with yourself. The entire population of the state is just above 700,000. Almost all of these people live in one of the cities. Of course, tourists flock to Alaska every summer, but the state is big enough for everyone. When you get here, make sure you are safe. Bears and wolves and sudden changes in weather are common, so if you want to be alone, do it from a vehicle or a cottage.
As the largest state in the U.S., Alaska offers some of the most breathtaking scenery on the planet. With vast open ice fields, snow capped mountains, miles of green forest and fresh spring lakes, it’s unspoiled wilderness is not just for outdoor enthusiasts, but is appealing to anyone who appreciates being surrounded by natural beauty. We love the state of Alaska almost better than any other place we have traveled. They speak English, they use the same outlets, they use dollars, it is in the US, and it's not very far away... what more could you want!