Day Two:
After a great night's sleep, we awoke at 5:30 am and despite our efforts, could not fall back asleep. We spent time talking to the owners and getting our game plan ready for the day. We learned that they subsistence fished and on their last trip, they netted 45 fish in 5 hours of fishing and had 170 pounds of salmon. Residents of Alaska are allowed to use dipnets to fill their freezers once a year. The head of the household is allowed 25 fish, then 10 additional fish for everyone else in the famliy. At 8:30, we were treated to one of the best breakfasts we hav ever had; fruit, yogurt, crabmeat quiche, reindeer kielbasa and some fruity mixed juice.
With full stomachs, we stopped at Fred Meyers and got our fishing licenses. Our next stop was the Elmendorf Fish Hatchery in downtown Anchorage. We stopped here to learn more about Alaskan salmon. We were lucky for 2 reasons. One, there were lots of spawning king salmon at the falls. Two, we were able to view hatchery workers take salmon eggs and milt. 
This is done to create future generations of salmon and keep the fishery healthy in Ship Creek. All in all, it was an educational experience, but a gruesome process. Before leaving, we were able to help feed the baby rainbow trout that would later be stocked.
This is done to create future generations of salmon and keep the fishery healthy in Ship Creek. All in all, it was an educational experience, but a gruesome process. Before leaving, we were able to help feed the baby rainbow trout that would later be stocked. We arrived at Ship Creek (a river that flows through Anchorage) and watched people fish and saw thousands of salmon just above the "no fishing" zone. 
We continued on towards downtown Anchorage. While there, we saw "Wild Salmon on Parade" statues, visited gift shops and native artisans galleries. 
We continued on to Earthquake Park to look for wildlife. The park is on the fault line from an earthquake in 1964 that measured 9.2 on the Richter Scale. It was the largest earthquake in US history, destroyed downtown Anchorage, and shook the ground for 4 minutes.
We continued on towards downtown Anchorage. While there, we saw "Wild Salmon on Parade" statues, visited gift shops and native artisans galleries. 
We continued on to Earthquake Park to look for wildlife. The park is on the fault line from an earthquake in 1964 that measured 9.2 on the Richter Scale. It was the largest earthquake in US history, destroyed downtown Anchorage, and shook the ground for 4 minutes. We drove south towards Soldotna on the Seward Highway (aka Route 1). 
This scenic byway is probably the most beautiful road on Earth. I can't put into words the beauty of this drive. The road winds through valleys surrounded by the Kenai Mountains and Chugach National Forest. These mountains tower over the road and seem to rise thousands of feet instantly. The three hour dirve took us over 5 because of all of the stops we made. As we drove, here are some of the places we stopped; Turnagain Arm (Captain Cook explored this area and had to turn around some many times that he named it "Turnagain Arm"), Beluga Point (jagged rocks in the water looking out onto an area frequented by beluga whales), rocky ledges that extend upward thousands of feet and are home to Dahl Sheep, mountains capped with ice that melts and forms small streams and waterfalls, lakes and streams with bright turquoise water, Portage Glacier, Bird Creek (a great fishing access point where we saw fishermen falling in the mud and 4 bald eagles circling overhead), Kenai River (WOW! The mecca for king salmon fisherman and home of the world record 97 pound king).
This scenic byway is probably the most beautiful road on Earth. I can't put into words the beauty of this drive. The road winds through valleys surrounded by the Kenai Mountains and Chugach National Forest. These mountains tower over the road and seem to rise thousands of feet instantly. The three hour dirve took us over 5 because of all of the stops we made. As we drove, here are some of the places we stopped; Turnagain Arm (Captain Cook explored this area and had to turn around some many times that he named it "Turnagain Arm"), Beluga Point (jagged rocks in the water looking out onto an area frequented by beluga whales), rocky ledges that extend upward thousands of feet and are home to Dahl Sheep, mountains capped with ice that melts and forms small streams and waterfalls, lakes and streams with bright turquoise water, Portage Glacier, Bird Creek (a great fishing access point where we saw fishermen falling in the mud and 4 bald eagles circling overhead), Kenai River (WOW! The mecca for king salmon fisherman and home of the world record 97 pound king).
We finally arrived in Soldotna and were starving since we had not eaten since breakfast. We first stopped at the Chamber of Commerce on the shore of the Kenai River where we saw a replica of the 97 pound king salmon. 
Dinner...finally! The Cub's Den for burgers. Scott ordered the Grizzly Burger since it sounded big and we were really hungry. We were not expecting to see a burger with a 9 inch diameter that needed it's own special roll. He ate it for 3 days. 
Dinner...finally! The Cub's Den for burgers. Scott ordered the Grizzly Burger since it sounded big and we were really hungry. We were not expecting to see a burger with a 9 inch diameter that needed it's own special roll. He ate it for 3 days. 
We soon arrived at Fish Alaska/Log Cabin Lodge and checked into our very cute log cabin on the Kenai River. We unpacked quickly and headed down to the dock. Down there we met the people who were staying at the other cabin. Believe it or not, they were also from the Rochester area. We watched them land a few sockeye salmon then relaxed by the campfire for a while. We then went to bed and were asleep as soon as we hit the pillow. What a long and eventful first full day in Alaska!
Travel Tips: Take time to drive along route 1 and look out for camera signs for great photo opportunities, If low tide go to Bird Creek, Stop at all the tackle shops along the way, Go to Fred Meyers for all your shopping needs, Eat at the Cub's Den or Buckets Sports Bar in Soldotna.
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