Greg got to work from home today so Mom and I got out and took a short trip up the highway. Our first stop was a visit to Eklutna Lake in the beautiful Chugach State Park.
Many trails traverse the area around this lake.
There were several people getting ready to kayak here. Hope they don't take a dip because the water in the lake comes from nearby Eklutna Glacier. Might be a bit cold.
We journeyed on to Eklutna Historical Village nearby.
The village has both Russian Orthodox and Native Alaska influences. The Athabascan people have lived in this area for centuries.
This is the inside of the white church located in the village.
Our guide gave us a quite informative tour of the two churches located here. Only the white church is still used for services. We were then allowed to go on a self-guided walk around the cemetery.
The grounds are filled with spirit houses which are quite beautiful. The colors are significant to certain families from the area. Many spirit houses are quite elaborate and detailed.
I had always wondered about the onion tops found on many Russian Orthodox churches. The priest explained the shape was modeled after a candle's flame pointing toward heaven.
A few miles up the road we saw several people out fishing in a local river. The parking lot had several cars in it and most everyone was catching quite a few fish. We rode on home making it there just in time for dinner.
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