Peace And Quiet Beyond The End Of The Road

SELDOVIA, Alaska - Venturing to the Kenai Peninsula in summertime can be a carnival ride of sorts. Landing some rest and relaxation often comes long after negotiating camper-clogged highways and cruise-ship throngs.

But for those truly seeking peace and quiet, there's a reward just beyond the end of the road. That's because no one really passes through Seldovia. Off the road system and about 16 miles south of Homer, the tiny fishing village and artists' haven is reached only by plane or boat.

So it takes a little effort to get there. But the trip by either sea or air can hardly be described as work.

A boat crossing is the perfect way to get an up-close look at the creatures that call Kachemak Bay home. Sea otter romp in open waters where whales often visit. Sea birds congregate on Gull Island, including hundreds of kittiwakes, murres, cormorants, oystercatchers and the bay's famous eagles.

Seldovia sits back along its namesake bay with a boat harbor abuzz with pleasure-craft traffic and hard-working commercial fishing crews.

With a year-round population of about 400, Seldovia takes its name from the Russian "seldovy," meaning "herring bay." A bustling 19th- and early 20th-century fishing port and trading post, Seldovia's growth was curtailed once Homer became reachable by road.

Seldovia's old boardwalk harks back to the days when canneries were king in Seldovia. One of the town's most prominent features is St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, which sits on a high knoll overlooking Main Street. Built in 1891, the church is open to visitors.

The Alaska Tribal Cache, run by the Seldovia Native Association, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors are welcome to explore its small museum with a collection of native and Russian artifacts.

Whether you're visiting for a day or a week, just about anything in Seldovia can be enjoyed at a stroll's pace. A good first stop is Synergy Art Works across from the ramp to the boat harbor. The shop is a catchall visitors' center and cooperative, selling works by local artists and craftspeople. Pick up maps, brochures and suggestions here.

Roaming Main Street

Main Street offers an eclectic collection of businesses that serve the local community and thrive on visitor and fishing traffic. The Harbor Laundromat, for example, is just that and much more. It boasts showers, a pool room, an ice cream parlor and sandwich counter. Owner Peggy Bosacci calls it diversification. "When you're this small, you've got to cover your bases," she said.

A good place to start a day in Seldovia is the patio at The Buzz coffeehouse at the end of Main Street. Aromas of coffee, croissants and patchouli mingle in the doorway. Owners Penni Morateur and Toby Seville whip up lattes served alongside quiches, muffins, scones and pastries.

Afternoons can be lost across the street at Lost Horizon Books, brimming with rare and out-of-print titles. Owners Dan and Ava Wilson moved the shop from Anchorage a couple years ago. Long used to spending summers in Seldovia, they now run their business four months a year and scour the country for inventory during the rest. Their specialty is Alaskana in all forms, from leather-bound volumes to turn-of-the-century maps. Practical items include field guides, some gift items and paperbacks "for the person who needs something to read on their trip," Ava Wilson explained.

The deck overlooking the boat harbor at the Seldovia Boardwalk Hotel is a fine spot to break open a paperback. Formerly Annie McKenzie's place, the hotel's new owners are Bill Butler and his wife, Gina Belt. They're keeping many McKenzie traditions like the house rule to kick your shoes off at the front door. "It's the Alaska way," Butler said.

A new addition to Main Street is the Herring Bay Mercantile. Built in the past year, it's home to Ray and Susan Springer's gift shop. It began as a way to sell Springer's line of greeting cards. The shop also has unusual gifts like ceramic fish-shaped drawer pulls, Christmas ornaments with Alaska themes, and birch syrup.

"I have a rule - no gold nuggets, no gold pans, no carved ivory," Susan Springer explained. "People don't come to Seldovia for the shopping and by the time they get to Seldovia, they've seen it all."

While a short stop in Seldovia might be confined to Main Street, any visit longer than an afternoon should be spent soaking in the outdoors from the water, the beaches or the woods. The beaches are prime clamming spots at low tide; nearby secluded coves beg to be explored by kayak, and the hillsides serve up crops of wild berries for harvest in late summer.

Local boat charters take visitors fishing and bird-watching; beachcombing and hiking are free.

The gentle slopes around Seldovia offer some easy afternoon hikes. Look for maps around town of the Seldovia Otterbahn, built by local students and adults and bluntly dubbed "the we-worked-hard-so-you-better-like-it trail." The trailhead lies behind the S.B. English School and leads to Outside Beach, about a mile away.

The path crosses alder patches and forest meadows, with log bridges over soggy spots. Listen for squirrels playing in the trees, but make sure to be noisy enough to alert any local black bears of your presence.

The forest also teems with wildflowers. Wild geraniums fill sunny clearings. The reds and yellows of columbine and blue-violet lupine stand out against the forest greens.

The final stretch across a slough is passable only at low tide. The Otterbahn trail ends at Outside Beach, a great spot to picnic or tent camp. ----------------------------------------------------------------- IF YOU GO

The Seldovia Chamber of Commerce has a brochure with a map of the town and a list of its members offering a variety of visitor services. Write for a copy to the Seldovia Chamber of Commerce, Drawer F, Seldovia, AK 99663.

Several Homer-based travel agencies offer bookings for travel, accommodations, tours and fishing trips throughout Kachemak Bay, including Central Charters Booking Agency, (907) 235-7847; Homer Referral Agency, (907) 235-8996; and Lighthouse Village, (907) 235-7007.