We checked out Alyeska resort in the morning, to drive to Kasilof river for fishing. Oh Alyeska, we did not give you the time you deserved. If we ever come back, we will plan no activity on our itinerary to enjoy your beauty and your offerings.
Along the highway to Kasilof river of the Kenai Peninsula, we drove by a pair of moose, and one other that had the look of the king moose with a large number of horns and beautiful fur. So magnificent!
Our fishing guide was a strong man. He came and picked us up in a black truck and a trailer carrying the fishing boat. It was a cool day, with intermittent showers. We were in our T-shirts when we hiked up the glaciers of Harding Icefield, so we felt that a few layers of clothing should be more than enough for the fishing outings. The guide pretty much asked us to put on everything we had. As such, I had my sport pants then ski pants on top before adding the fishing pants that the guide provided . The fishing pants came with a boot, a bit like a wetsuit, and on top of that, we put on the water-resistant hiking boots. Then two layers of Uniqlo down jackets before adding the rain gear. I thought that would have been enough even to watch Aurora! It was until we were on the fishing boat, drifting through the fast-moving Kasilof river with the rain on our face, to fully appreciate the protection of layers and layers of clothing.
My husband and I had zero experience in sockeye salmon fishing, nor much knowledge of the fishing tools. Our fishing guide picked a spot to park the boat. We got out and walked at the knee-deep flowing river on a cloudy day. The guide gave us some fishing tools and a quick lesson. For the first hour and a half, we casted hundreds, if not thousands of times. Our fishing rod caught some rocks but no salmon. Our fishing guide got 100% hit instead – two salmon with two casts! The flow of the river, the legs standing in the river, the cloudy sky, the seagull, the other fishermen, and the repeated motions all resonated. It was serene, hopeful, peaceful, and of course tiring. We slowly got the handle of the fishing motion. Simply put, the weight at the end of the fishing rod keeps the rod down, the river flow moves the fishing rod, the hook along the rod can get to the salmon as they swim upstream, and our fast flip on the rod helps to strengthen the hold of the hook in the salmon. Once that idea sunk in, we did our casting more intentionally and had more success in the second half. My husband and I each caught one and let one escape. My catch got me sitting in the river, I was soaked but well protected with the heavy layers of clothing. My pixel 3a cell phone was not as protected, and it took a few weeks to finally recover. Our fishing guide filleted our catches, put them in bags. The salmon heads and bones belong to the river and made meals for the seagulls.
On our way back, we saw a bunch of beautiful bald eagles to bring another crescendo to a perfect day.
We drove straight to Homer, to get the salmon fillets to the specialty shop to bag, freeze and UPS the fish home. It probably cost a lot more to ship them, than to buy the same amount from Costco. The joy of getting 24 bags of our own Alaskan Sockeye catch arriving at our home, a couple of days later, was priceless. The fish was so fresh that it tasted so different. Not only did the family enjoy them, we gave them as souvenirs to our neighbors and our friends to share the experience.
After a hearty halibut and salmon meal at the fresh catch cafe, we checked in at the Lands’ end hotel. Its facilities were nothing compared to Alyeska resort in Girdwood. Being at the land’s end, it has among the best views in any accommodations I have stayed in – its unparallelled view of coastline, and the long stretches of snow-capped mountain ranges were simply eye-catching.
We were almost at the end of our Alaskan itinerary. Coming up Homer and Lands’ End.
oliviatamccue 
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