Homer - Small Town, Big Dreams

Sunday June 25 - Wednesday June 28th

Small boat harbor at Homer

Stunning view from our Casita over the Katchemak Bay

We left Wasilla and drove through Anchorage toward the Kenai Peninsula. Surprisingly, we had to actually drive into downtown Anchorage. We were lucky, because this was early Sunday, with minimal traffic. Going around the Turnagain Arm past Beluga Point and Indian Valley, we were impressed that Anchorage is situated so close to beautiful state parks and mountains. After work, in just a few minutes, residents can be enjoying the wilderness. This must be a very livable city.

Turnagain Arm south of Anchorage looking
over to the Kenai Peninsula - beautiful!

Beluga Point - where the Beluga whales can be sighted in July

Kenai Peninsula view

Seward Hwy heading west

Our introduction to the Kenai Peninsula were tons of high mountains with hanging glaciers, lakes - and a  lush environment that clearly is the beneficiary of plenty of rain and rich soil. As we passed along the Kenai River and Cooper Landing we noticed huge numbers of  parked trucks and fisher people crowding (shoulder-to-shoulder) on the banks of the rushing, turquoise Kenai River. The Salmon are clearly running now! We'll be returning to spend more time in this area when we camp at Williwaw near Portage Glacier next week.

The Kenai River flush with salmon

It took us about 4 hours to arrive at Homer (at the end of Sterling Hwy down the Kenai Peninsula). Our campsite at Baycrest RV park was at the top of the hill with a panoramic view of Katchemak Bay and the mountains across the bay - dramatic at any time of day. Our little Casita backed right up to this view and we particularly enjoyed the view in the evening as we settle in. Lucky us!

800 foot drop to the beach and a million dollar view!

It's sunny and clear - let's just sit here all day!

We stayed three days in Homer and we had mixed impressions:

• Blessed with incredible natural beauty and a milder climate (than most of Alaska), it has attracted homesteaders since the early 1900's and it continues to attract people who seek a more rugged, free lifestyle where nature still has a significant impact on one's lifestyle. The cultural history here is rich and interesting.

Homestead-style cabin - now slowly sinking into the ground

• As is typical all over Alaska, opportunities to view nature in the wild here abound more than they exist almost anywhere else in the world today. The main things to do are to take a guided fishing or bear watching trip ($200 to $1000 & up each, priceless and a once-in-a-lifetime experience)  Homer is also the stepping stone to Kodiak, Katmai, the Aleutian Islands, Kenai National Park, and Lake Clark National Parks for major back country adventures in the wild. Plan well ahead, have deep pockets, and find a great guide.

Local airpor

• It rains quite a bit here, and threatens to rain more than that. Heavy cloud-cover and wind here are the norm. We saw sun for part of one day out of four and we were very lucky.
• The lack of zoning in Homer provides for great individual freedom, but often results in neighborhoods where rusty junk vehicle and other yard art abounds. It provides artistic interest and luckily the snow and vegetation tend to soften the effect. "Son, remember that every one of these things has a purpose and a use...parts or otherwise." It's obviously a big part of the culture here.

We saw lots of yard art all over town!

Along the spit

In old town

From the simple...

To the sublime!

• The employees in restaurants and stores are very friendly and nice. They love living here and they provide great service for the tourists who visit. They know their salary depends on that.
• The fishing guide and boat industry is alive and well here. There is no commercial fishing and few places sell fresh fish at a reasonable price to the consumer, but individual fishing opportunities abound. The RV campgrounds on the spit are packed with fisher people trying their luck. Going out on a boat trip for halibut can be fairly expensive for the boat, cleaning, packaging and shipping the trophy, but it's the adventure that counts.

Oh my, this is our little Amelia - how did she slip in here?

Ava is a terrific big sister!

The Homer spit popular fishing hole...

Small boat harbor

• The Pratt Museum in town (cultural and natural history) and the Islands and Ocean Nature Center are well curated and worth the visit. We spent several hours visiting each.

Old Homestead Cabin - Pratt Museum

Museum restroom with natural lighting

Museum Garden

Islands and Oceans Visitor Center - wonderful displays

Everything's starting to bloom!

Native plant gardens

Strolling the Beluga Slough boardwalk 
to view the bald eagles and cranes

Mated bald eagle pair - one flew over with a mouse in her talons earlier

Everything is in bloom now!

Tomorrow, we will be heading to Williwaw campground near Portage Glacier located near Whittier.  Expecting colder weather and more rain, but that is the norm here!

Hatcher's Choice

Thursday June 22 - Saturday June 24 - Talkeetna to Wasilla and Hatcher's Pass

Wildflowers dancing in the sun!

Butterfly enjoying the dandelions

From Denali, we drove to Talkeetna (where we stayed one night), then on to Wasilla (where we cleaned up and did our shopping), and took a day exploring both the Independence Mine and Hatcher Pass. (We call it Hatcher's Pass since Val's dog was named for this beautiful place.) On Saturday, the sun broke out of the clouds and the day was glorious - one of the prettiest we've seen our whole trip. The clouds often disguise the beauty of the tall glacier-covered mountain peaks and it was a surprise to suddenly see the mountain tops that enveloped us!

Talkeetna would never be our first choice - heavy on trinkets and adventure trips. But the shopkeepers were very friendly and many local entrepreneurs were quite creative in their efforts to attract the summer tourist dollar.  We especially enjoyed an excellent fresh halibut dinner that night at an authentic roadhouse restaurant. It's apparent that it's tough to make a living up here!

A frightened porcupine hiding in the bushes near town

Talkeetna - lots of mixed arts & crafts and tourist buses

The next day, our campground in Wasilla was perfect and it provided access to what we needed - grocery shopping, haircuts, and laundry facilities.

Running with the big dogs at the Big Bear RV park
in Wasilla. Our tiny size always provides humor 
for those short on entertainment.

On Saturday the sun began to break through the clouds and we headed up to tour the Independence Mine historic gold mining site and Hatcher Pass. Val had recommended these and we are so happy she did! We had a great day there and here are some pictures of what we saw:

Independence Mine Manager's house - now a museum.

1940's furnishings were somewhat familiar to us -
are we now becoming antiques?

The old Burroughs 'Black Monster' which Ernie actually
used during his first years at the Fed Reserve in 1971

The dormitories and cookhouses for the miners

Gravity is winning the battle here...

This was also a ski area. Note the price for an adult ski ticket. Guess
why the season pass is more expensive comparatively - perhaps
rope tows vs T-bars? Do you even know what those are anymore?

The dormitories remain, but the mine
buildings have given up the fight.

Remains of the day...

Windows to the past

Note the ladder - It assumes you can
 jump the remaining 10 - 12 ft.

After our picnic, we headed to Hatcher Pass, but since the access road remained closed (for maintenance), we hiked part of the Goldmine Trail at its base, which followed the little Susitina River up the canyon to the glacier. The wildflowers and butterflies were out celebrating the sun! A spectacular day...one of the best here in Alaska!

Ta dahhh!

Hiding in the bushes

We took off our sweatshirts - cheers!

Stretching our legs

Blue sky smiling on me...

The river runs through it

The path beckons

Ready to explode

Everything's popping!

The day was perfect! On Sunday, we will be heading to Homer on the Kenai Peninsula.