Homer, Alaska

Sunday, August 5, and 15 miles down the road to Homer. We made reservations at Oceanview RV Park and they gave us a site on the bluff overlooking Kachemak Bay. Each day was sunny and Alaska warm (mid 60’s) with a spectacular view across the bay with volcanoes, snow covered peaks and glaciers.

Homer is located at the end of the road on the Kenai pennisula and is a renowned halibut fishing town. They catch the really big ones here (300 + pounds). This town of 5,300 residents is unique in that it has the fishing charters and commercial fishing, but is also known for its artists and art works. There are also some very good restaurants here. The weather is fairly moderate (for Alaska), because of their location near the water. The temperature rarely gets below zero in the winter.

Our friends Benn and Judy arrived from southern California to visit their daughter Laurie, who is currently living in Homer. It was great to see them and spent time shopping, eating and sight seeing. One day we took an hour’s water taxi ride across Kachemak Bay to visit the small former Russian fishing village of Seldovia. We walked around town and saw small, quaint, and uniquely decorated houses. Since this took about an hour, and we had 6 hours left before the boat returned, we decided to take a hike. The Otterbahn Trail took us through a forested area that had lots of ripe berries (blueberries, salmonberries, watermelon berries), a marshy wetland, and we ended up on an isolated beach cove. Laurie, Nancy (Laurie’s friend), Judy, Pris, John, and Benn kept up constant conversations-the bears didn’t stand a chance.

Benn, Judy, Laurie and Tito (Laure’s friend) went out halibut fishing the next day and brought back the limit of 2 halibuts per person. This resulted in 100+ pounds of halibut filets that we enjoyed at a cookout at Nancy’s. Well, we ate some of it; the rest was shipped home to southern California.

There are many interesting places to visit in Homer. The Pratt Museum is an excellent museum with displays about wildlife, local and Alaska Native artifacts, a botanical garden and a mesmerizing “bear cam” that has live feed of the grizzlies catching salmon on the MacNeil River Falls.

The Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center is also a worthwhile stop. It has many interesting displays about the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge which encompasses the Aleutian Islands. There are numerous hiking trails nearby with excellent birding opportunities.

Homer has its tourist spot, “the spit”. It’s a 4 ½ mile strip of land that extends into Kachemak Bay that houses a boat harbor, tourist shops, and allows camping along the beach. It’s a very busy place with lots of tourists. It’s much quieter in town.

Pris attended the local farmers market and loaded up with fresh local vegetables, some bakery bread, jams and jellies, and Benn and Judy were headed back to Anchorage for a flight home. It was a fun week seeing Benn, Judy and Laurie and meeting many of Laurie’s friends. Thanks guys for the delicious dinner.