Fish, Rivers, and More Fish

Crossing the Soldotna Bridge over the Kenai River
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Soldotna -it's all about the Salmon. You see, over 20 years ago, a guy named Les Anderson put Soldotna on "the map" for hauling in the world's biggest king salmon (97-point-something-pounds) and since then, people have been crowding the mountain roads with their motorhomes from all over the world to try to out-do him, or at least get something close.

To deal with all the traffic, the tiny village of Soldotna widened its highways, accepted nearly all of the same-as-every-other-U.S.-town franchises (you know the ones) and kept a few of the local businesses to "catch" the falling dough from the elusive summer tourist. The result is what you see, today.

...A conservative community with at least 6 churches for every bar

Mmm! Salmon!
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To the untrained eye, Soldotna may look like just a boring "suburban sprawl" stretched between two highways (the Spur and Seward highways), filled with a brief, uninspiring parade of car lots, gas stations, fast-food restaurants and necessary businesses. But what the guidebooks won't tell you is that Soldotna offers the tourist a charming selection of riverside parks, quaint fine-dining restaurants (more than just drive-thru fare!), a cute selection of locally-owned shops (like Sweeney's and River City Books), and lots more. And like the rest of Alaska, Mother Nature could come strolling through in the shape of a browsing moose or a stealthy coyote at any minute. It's still in the middle of the wilderness, you know.

Fish On! (Silver Salmon Season)
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The people of Soldotna, (especially the seasoned ones who tough it through the winters) are friendly, helpful and honest. They particularly like to compete with each other to help tourists in need. Soldotna is a very religious and conservative community with at least 6 churches for every bar, but they still love their Alaskan Amber Pale Ale on the weekends.

In winter, you're nobody if you don't have a snow mobile or go to Vegas for the holidays. In summer, your standard fare is a midnight salmon BBQ. Soldotna is a way of life, maybe closer to a philosophy. It's where I spent the first 30 years of my life. I hope you like it.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of my homeland.