Kenai/Soldotna Alaska

ahschneid
2 days ago
7 min read

We arrived at Diamond M Ranch and RV Resort in Soldotna/Kenai on 8 July 2025. Our stay there was for one week. Our new friends Debbie and Jerry were staying at the same campground and we met up with them at the community campfire the night we arrived. The campfire started at 8pm and was started and maintained by the owners Blair and his wife Ronna. There were a couple of other guests there, but a little after 9pm it was dying down. Steve and I decided to go for a ride to see if we could see a moose. Conversation around the campfire told us where there was a good chance to see one. Debbie and Jerry stopped by as we were leaving to see if we wanted to ride with them, so the four of us went in their jeep. We drove out the 16 miles to the end of the road and then turned right onto a gravel road. We went a couple of miles on the gravel road and then Jerry spotted a huge cow moose, a small antlered bull moose and then another cow moose and her babies on the side of the gravel road. We were so excited to finally see a moose so close up! We took lots of pictures! We also caught the sunset that night! It was setting around 11pm. It’s setting earlier and earlier.

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

We were surprised the female has the dewlap/bell under the chin...

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Where we stopped to see the sunset... Custom rig we saw a couple of times around the peninsula...

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Where we stopped to see the sunset...

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025 (10:45pm)

Where we stopped to see the sunset...

Kenai Alaska - 8 July 2025

Where we stopped to see the sunset... Debbie & Jerry with us

Steve and I donned our waders on Wednesday (9th) and tried fishing in the Kenai River for Salmon. We were "flossing" for a couple of hours. Well Anita quit after about one hour and Steve kept trying for another hour. The water was not clear and it was a job to stay upright, so it wasn't really fun for Anita. Even Steve didn't enjoy it much. We also needed to grocery shop and do laundry that day. On our way to Walmart, we stopped at a boardwalk lookout. There were a couple of guys looking across the road and when we looked where they were looking, we saw a young bull moose! Two days in Soldotna/Kenai and six moose sightings! We had seen one or two in the distance or when driving too fast to get a picture, so seeing moose so clearly was awesome! We didn’t get a picture of the bull moose. He was moving away from us.

Steve and I went for a hike at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in the morning and then went out for a late lunch/early dinner with Debbie and Jerry on Thursday (10^th). They had eaten at a Mexican restaurant they liked, so we went there. It was good food and a good time with our friends. For knowing each other so little time, we’re comfortable talking about anything and everything. It was fun! After our tummies were happy, we went for a drive out to Skilak Lake and drove around the

18-mile loop. We also saw the Engineer Lake where the ranger guided hike had started that morning. Steve and I had learned about the hike too late to make it to the 10am start. On our way home, we stopped at Hidden Lake in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. By that time it was getting “late” so we made it home around 8pm.

Kenai Alaska - 9 July 2025

Kenai Alaska - 9 July 2025

Kenai River - Kenai Alaska - 9 July 2025

It was combat fishing trying not to snag other people's line...

Kenai River - Kenai Alaska - 9 July 2025

Anita playing the part of an angler...

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge - Kenai Alaska - 10 July 2025

2-mile hike

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge - Kenai Alaska - 10 July 2025

2-mile hike

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge - Kenai Alaska - 10 July 2025

2-mile hike

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge - Kenai Alaska - 10 July 2025

2-mile hike

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge - Kenai Alaska - 10 July 2025

2-mile hike

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge - Kenai Alaska - 10 July 2025

2-mile hike

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge - Kenai Alaska - 10 July 2025

2-mile hike

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge - Kenai Alaska - 10 July 2025

2-mile hike

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge - Kenai Alaska - 10 July 2025

2-mile hike

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge - Kenai Alaska - 10 July 2025

Anita didn't know this picture was taken...

Skilak Lake inside Kenai Wildlife Refuge - 10 July 2025

Life jackets are available at most boat launch areas we've seen in Alaska...

Hidden Lake inside Kenai Wildlife Refuge - 10 July 2025

Hidden Lake inside Kenai Wildlife Refuge - 10 July 2025

Hidden Lake inside Kenai Wildlife Refuge - 10 July 2025

On Friday (11^th) Steve smoked the other half of the salmon he’d caught in Seward. We do not have a smoker, so he was improvising with a small weber grill. It didn’t go as well as we’d hoped. The temperature gauge was off and It heated up much quicker than we expected. The salmon was a bit over-smoked, but a few pieces were good enough to eat. Steve shared some with our neighbor, Buddy. Buddy and Dani were our neighbors most of the time we stayed in Soldotna. They are a nice couple from Texas. Their kids flew in to visit them and see Alaska the week they were our neighbors. Buddy is 90 years old and looks like he’s in his 70’s. He has a son who’s 65!

Saturday (12^th) Steve tried fishing for salmon again. It was very crowded with the Alaskan resident dip net season open and not really enjoyable. Anita opted out due to the steep rocky path to the water. The book I am reading is getting good, so I was perfectly happy reading my book. After we had our lunch, we went to see a Russian church Steve had read about. The Internet describes as Holy Assumption Orthodox Church, also known as Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, is a Russian Orthodox parish church in Kenai, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States established in 1844.

We attended mass at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church in Soldotna on Saturday at 4pm. The church was almost full with many visitors like us attending.

Kasilof River - 12 July 2025

Kasilof River - 12 July 2025

Kasilof River - 12 July 2025

AK Fish and Game Fish Wheel

Kasilof River - 12 July 2025

Kenai River - 12 July 2025 Dipnet season

Kenai Alaska - 12 July 2025