Day 03: Exploring the Kenai Peninsula

Trip Log for 28 May 2012

• Miles Driven: 219
• Sunrise: 05:03 AKT / Sunset: 11:07 AKT

After yesterday's rainy weather, it was so nice to wake up to bright, clear skies for our sea kayaking trip. On the way to the harbor, we also grabbed two geocaches. The first one was a lot of fun, hidden among the rocks that make up the sea break along the spit road. The second one was being guarded by an onery raven that was constantly squaking at us as we searched, followed us around from tree to tree and then started buzzing us. I have no idea what he was so upset about. In that cache, Wes picked up a travel bug left by some Dutch tourists with the request that it remain only in Alaska so we will be checking it into each cache we find along the way before dropping it off.

We met up with our water taxi just before 9am and he ferried us and another couple across what I think is the start of Kachemak Bay over another part of the peninsula that has some homestead stettlements but is mostly a state park. We met up with our kayaking guide, Paul, and learned how to operate a sea kayak. It has a bit different shape and it uses a rudder which is controlled with foot peddles to do most of the steering. We also wore splash skirts, which was a new experience but appreciated since the water was about 35 degrees F. We kayaked around Peterson Bay for about three hours and 4.45 miles for a good workout. We saw lots of wildlife including a sea otter that we watched just hanging out for several minutes.

In the early afternoon, we started heading back north with the intent to camp tonight but I checked the weather forecast and it showed a 70 percent chance of rain for the area and a low of 34. We decided to at least check out the campground while we grabbed a geocache in the area and make a decision then. It was a nice area, but there was still snow on the ground and while we both feel like we wussed out a little, we want to enjoy ourselves; cold and damp isn't fun (maybe just one or the other). So, here we are in unexpected quarters tonight in an efficiency condo next to the Alyeska ski resort in Girdwood, Alaska. It's about the same distance from Whittier as the campground so we should still be able to make the ferry to Valdez tomorrow on the same schedule.