When the dock goes in, the fun begins.
Not only did I float the Kenai River in my cataraft this past week, I also attended the two day Mermaid Festival/Opening of the Harbor in Seward.

Late last fall, a guy I know went on a salvage run and found 8 anchors (the Holy Grail of Kenai River salvaging). Because of that, I lowered my expectations of what I might find.
The first thing I found was an IPhone. No chance whatsoever of anyone else using this again.
The next find was a needle nose plier. Wet and cold hands are the likely reasons they ended up in the river. I also came across a scissor, a boat cushion, a fish whacker, and quite a few fishing lures too.
Perhaps this was the best find of the day. That is a perfectly good Shimano rod and Abu Garcia reel entwined in a snag. So if I loan you gear this summer, this could easily be it.
A close second to the rod and reel combo was this Folbe rod holder. I’ve lost a few myself and can understand how easily they can disappear. I think Folbe purposely created an inferior latching mechanism just so people would lose one once in awhile. Smart on their part, frustrating for fishermen.
I debated whether or not to include this photo. This is an example of how cruel Mother Nature can be. Hard to say what exactly sealed the fate for this moose, but my guess is she broke through the ice and was unable to get out.
In the upper right of this photo you’ll see an arctic tern. They’re one of my favorite birds in Alaska. An interesting fact about arctic terns is no other bird migrates as long a distance. Their whole live is spent chasing summer between the Arctic and Antarctic .
After about 4-5 hours, my float was over. It was really good to be out on the river again. I found a few treasures, I was surrounded by beautiful scenery, and I was able to get in a good work out. What’s not to like about that?
It’s become a tradition for Jane and I. Pack up the camper and head to Seward for the annual Mermaid Festival/Opening of the Harbor events. It’s a great weekend of activities filled with local vendors, food trucks, a fun run, live music, and adult beverages. The bonus is hanging out with and spending time with our friend’s Ron and MJ.
Plenty of roll playing going on here during the pub crawl.
We look forward to attending this event next year.

A final comment. It was announced this past week Coach Zemke has retired from coaching the Brainerd boys high school swim team. If BHS had a Mt. Rushmore of coaches, John would definitely be on it. Congrats!