Homer, Alaska

From Seward we drive to Homer, Alaska passing the beautiful blue Kenai Lake.

Kenai Lake

Welcome to Homer

We stop at the rest area on top of a hill before descending into town. It's a glorious visa of mountains, ocean and bay.

Mountains and ocean surrounding Homer

We decide to camp on the Homer Spit which separates Kachemak Bay from the ocean. Several caravans have chosen the same RV Park. One is a group from Italy who rented their RVs in Florida and then driven them through the US and Canada all the way to Alaska. That's got to cost a pretty penny. The managers of the park say this particular caravan comes every year.

Campsite on Homer Spit

Italian Caravan of RVs

View of Kachemak Bay from the IQ

The park has a resident eagle which likes to hang out on one of the lamp posts. We laugh at how hard we've worked to take photos of eagles, only to find one in our backyard in Homer.

Eagle on lampost

Eagle eyed looking for fish

Looks like he caught one

After setting up, we explore our surroundings, by taking a hike up the spit.

Peter hiking up beach

Outflow to fishing pond

Land's End @ Homer Spit

The spit has a very nice small boat harbor. In fact, some of the boats are far from small.
Since Homer proclaims to the the "Halibut Fishing Capitol of America" (... or a "drinking town with a fishing problem"), fishing is a big tourist draw and many charter boats line the spit announcing their services.  

The catch is cleaned and ready for photos from a fishing charter

Peter poises by statue of a prize halibut

Now that's a nice size King Crab

Tourist oriented business also abound on the spit. The main watering hole is the Salty Dawg, which occupies the oldest building on the spit and practically the only one that survived the 1964 tsumani resulting from a massive 9.2 earthquake in the region. One evening we belly up to the bar for beers and meet some of the locals.  One is a native woman from Ninilchik who has her son's best friend with her. Matt is from Montana and has just been hired on a fishing boat. He's struggling to learn the fishing terms his captain yells at him.  Fishing is much different than cattle ranching.

The Salty Dawg is the oldest establishment on the spit

Homer Sapiens sells T-shirts

Detail on store overhang

The Seafarers' Memorial attests to the many local people who have lost their lives at sea. The ocean is a cruel mistress, providing a living but also taking her toll in human lives. Alaska certainly provides a more exotic array of ways to die than the usual car accident. In fact, the local papers routinely report on missing persons who disappear without a trace. One was a runner in a holiday event who disappeared in a fog and was never found despite many search attempts. A hiker was recently mauled and partly eaten by a grizzly bear in Denali not far from one of the stops the our tour bus made.
We sign onto the Homer Trolley to get around town and also learn more about it. One stop is the Pratt Museum and is well worth the price of admission.

Entrance to Pratt Museum

Artificial leg used by a pioneer

Chilling stories of survival from Homer residents

One of the oldest homestead cabins in Homer is on the Pratt grounds. Inside a women, who lived in the cabin for many years, tells engaging stories of what life was like in the early years of the town. In the 1940's, she and her husband bought 50 pounds of King Crab from the fisherman on the spit. They boiled them up, cracked open the meat, then shipped some to friends in the lower 48 (the continuous 48 states). They loved the crab so much, their friends wanted to order more for cash. However, the women and her husband didn't want to get into the canning business, but others did. Shortly afterwards canneries opened in Homer.

Homestead cabin

Former resident tells stories about living in Homer

Homer Trolley - a fun way to get around

We wind up our day with a wonderful meal and a great sunset.

Fat Olives

Sunset in the Spit

We really enjoyed our stay in Homer. It's a truly beautiful town and the people are great. Unfortunately, their summers are very much like our winters on Monterey Bay, so we won't be making any plans to relocate.

Homer on a sunny day