Day 71: Thursday, July 25, 2o13

Blondie and I started the day with our usual early morning walk by the marsh behind the campground.

The marsh behind the campground

View of the marsh and the bluff at the mouth of Deep Creek

Wildflowers everywhere

Later I went for a long walk on the beach away from the campground and boat launch area. It was a beautiful day and many boats had gone out fishing. I passed by many people digging for clams, walking along the beach, or four wheeling by the water. The tide was low so there was plenty of beach.

My hope was to find flocks of eagles feasting on the fish carcasses that end up on the beach at low tide. The only birds dining on the carcasses were hundreds of gulls at waters edge. I managed to find a couple of eagles sitting tucked away high up on the bluff overlooking the water.

Lots of trailers lined up on the beach

There were trickles of water coming down the bluff by the beach

There were several downed trees at the base of the cliff

Razor clam shell. Digging for these razor clams is a popular activity along the beach.

People strolling along the beach at low tide with the sea gulls in the foreground

Shell and rocks on the beach

Eagle on the bluff overlooking the water

This eagle was hard to spot behind the grass

Later in the day Henry and I took a drive to see the Russian Orthodox church which sits on a bluff overlooking Ninilchik Village. Ninilchik was first explored and settled by Russians and there are families who have lived here for many generations. I met two women at the church who manage the gift shop and maintain all the graves. They grew up in Ninilchik together and lived with relatives in Anchorage to attend high school because at the time there was no high school in Ninilchik. They graduated together in 1950.

There was an eagle soaring over the bluff as I looked down into the village.

The Russian Orthodox Church in Ninilchik

Gorgeous field of wildflowers across the street from the church

Russian Orthodox Church

Eagle soaring over bluff at Russian Orthadox Church in Ninilchik

Looking down at Ninilchik Village from the Russian Orthodox Church

We enjoyed relaxing with Ted and Ruth Ann and feasting on clam chowder that Ruth Ann made from the razor clams that Ted had dug that morning. Henry cooked hamburgers on the grill to finish up a great dinner. As we sat by a campfire after dinner we could see about 2 adult eagles and 4 or 5 young eagles soaring over the bluff by the mouth of Deep Creek.

I went to bed early and was sleeping soundly when Henry woke me up about 11:00 pm and said to come outside to look at something. I couldn’t imagine what it was but put on a jacket over my pajamas before going outside to see the most spectacular sunset I’ve ever seen. It was so out of this world I felt like I was on Mars!.

Amazing sunset after 11:00 pm

Mount Redoubt sunset in Ninilchik, Alaska