The hotel in Kenai was booked solid for the weekend, so we had to leave this morning. Ugh. Not ideal for us, but this is Alaska on a weekend in the summer — the time when most people travel to the area.

I spent around four hours checking online for hotel availability within 100 miles of Kenai in all directions. There either weren’t any vacancies, or they were charging astronomical prices for the vacancies that were available. I even checked some VRBO’s.

I finally found a fishing inn online in Soldotna that was only 20 minutes away. It’s an older building, and they don’t take credit card info online when you make a reservation. I am not used to that at all. Booking it made me nervous. But it was the only game in town, and we are not well enough yet to travel 300 miles in a day. We need a little more time to recuperate.

So I clicked the “book online” button and chose to believe it was going to be fine. And … it is.

The inn is family owned and operated and comfortable. The rooms have cute, very Alaska-themed carpeting with a fish, bear and moose pattern. I hear the restaurant is fantastic, and the WiFi works!

The lobby is nice. I am sure a zillion fish stories have been recounted here. The area is known for being a fishing destination. We are close to the river here.

So this is where we will be for now. We will head out on Sunday and head to Glenallen, which is a little over 300 miles from here. On the way, we will get to take a peek from the highway at the Matanuska Glacier, which will be nice.

COVID put a stop to a planned cruise in Valdez where we would see some glaciers and more than likely some puffins, whales and other incredible wildlife. Sometimes, that’s just the way it goes

Know that we are feeling much better than we were and are improving every single day. No need to worry. We’ve got this. But we appreciate the love and concern.

Dinner of champions. Probiotic Greek yogurt with blueberries and a smidge of granola. And a blanket from home by my feet for when the temp drops tonight. Ahhhh. Simple comforts.