City of Secluded Charm

Seldovia is another one of those Alaskan towns that has no road connection to the rest of the state, You can fly to this town, which was founded by Russians in search of sea otter pelts and timber to repair their ships … or you can take a boat there. We opted for the latter.

Instead of doing a wildlife cruise that has a stop in Seldovia, we chose to go there on the Kachemak Bay Ferry which has twice-daily roundtrip sailings. Not only did this give us more time in Seldovia, but it was less expensive since I had a TourSaver 2-for-1 coupon.

The ride across Kachemak Bay was a smooth one. When we arrived in Seldovia, we headed to the Boardwalk Hotel for lunch on the deck overlooking the boat harbor. Good food … but exceptionally slow service. Not that we minded spending time on the deck, but it did cut into our time for exploring Seldovia. In the end, we had to make a choice between hiking the Otterbahn Trail or strolling around town. We chose the latter.

Our meandering stroll, took us up to the Russian Orthodox Church of St Nicholas; gave us a chance to smell the roses, so to speak, in the pocket gardens planted all around Seldovia; study the chainsaw sculptures in hidden nooks and crannies; check out the historic boardwalk; and study the exhibits at the tiny but informative museum. We would have wrapped up with a couple of cones from the ice cream shop … but they were all out.

All in all, a good day exploring off the beaten path (sort of) in Alaska.Read more