Today's the day!

[Assateague Island Princes]

About to bust with excitement, I just had to share - The adventure begins for us today! Woo-hoo! At 5:50PM this afternoon, our flight leaves PHL headed to Seattle, where we'll overnight and then fly on to Anchorage on Sat. morning. There we pick up our rental car and begin the journey down the Kenai Peninsula to my 'heart home' Homer, AK. Rented a beautiful house ("The Nest") in Homer, right on the bluff overlooking Cook Inlet for 10 glorious nights.

 

DH and I spent a week in a rental house in Homer in 2013 and fell head over heels in love with that quaint little town, about which we'd heard the motto "A quirky little drinking town with a fishing problem." How can you not love that? :)

 

This year, a dear friend is joining us - excited and anxious to see what all the fuss is about with respect to Alaska, since we appear to be obsessed with this beautiful place since our first trip there in 2006. Can't wait to have her experience this spectacular state with all the majestic mountain and glacier views, the wildlife, and the whole Alaska vibe.

 

For all of you traveling to Alaska this year, I wish you as much joy and happiness as I'm feeling right this second as YOUR turn to begin the journey begins.

 

Leave the light on Alaska, we'll be there tomorrow and can't wait to see you again!

Edited May 20, 2016 by Assateague Island Princes
spelling

[NancyIL]

I can understand your excitement, Lynda! Have a wonderful time! :)

 

I haven't been to Alaska since our Aug. 2011 Amsterdam cruise, but will be on b2b Radiance of the Seas cruises in May 2017. :D

[Bo1953]

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

[Italy52]

Have a wonderful time! When you return, hope you will share some of your memories with us.

[Coral]

Have a great trip! Sounds heavenly!

[mapleleaves]

Have an awesome trip !

[kayred]

Enjoy. We are 4 weeks away from where you are now. So excited for you and us. Enjoy and have fun!!!

[Assateague Island Princes]

Thanx all, for the good wishes. Just dropped my sweet Piper off at the kennel - sad to leave my dog for all that time, but she loves 'camp' and the opportunity to play with other dogs all day, so she'll be fine. Waiting 4 more minutes to print out our boarding passes for our flight from Seattle to Anchorage thru Alaska Air, then we're out the door to head to the airport.

 

....and we're off!

[disneyochem]

Have a magical trip!

 

We leave in six days for our adventure!

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Bon Voyage AIP! Will you be able to see Holland America's Maasdam when she's in Homer?

[wolfie11]

Have fun! I love Homer. I'm sitting in the Minneapolis airport waiting for my ride to Fairbanks....

[4olivers]

7 weeks away for us!!!!!! I can only imagine our excitement level the night before!!!! Have a wonderful time!

 

 

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[gottagoacruzn]

Hi, have a great trip!! Will be up in Alaska on a cruise, oh in 28 days!!:) Getting ansy an can't wait!!!

[LEtue]

Have a great time and I can't wait to read about it and see the pictures :D

[Assateague Island Princes]

Greetings from beautiful Homer Alaska! Wanted to thank you all for the good wishes and for sharing in my excitement. Nancy - so glad you're scheduled to head back to Alaska in 2017 - I don't know how you could have stayed away this long! LOL! Middle-Aged Mom to answer the question about if we'll be here in Homer when the Maasdam makes her first visit for 2016, unfortunately that is the day we start driving back to Anchorage. We are hoping that we catch her sailing up Cook inlet to Anchorage the evening before so we can wave and get some good photos of her making her way north.

 

On to the update:

After uneventful flights from Phila. to Seattle on Fri. evening, then another flight from Seattle to Anchorage on Sat. morning, we began our 5 hour drive down the Kenai Peninsula at exactly 1:16PM in the pouring rain (boo-hiss!). Fortunately, the rain slowed down and all but stopped by the time we reached Soldotna, with the sun eventually making an appearance.

 

We arrived at our gorgeous home-away-from home for the next 10 nights at exactly 6:15PM on Sat. night. With views from every room in the house (even the bathrooms!), it is almost surreal sitting out on the deck with Cook Inlet at our feet, and the snow capped mountains and volcanoes across the water. Literally takes your breath away. This morning, four eagles were riding the updrafts above the bluff, soaring on the thermals, seemingly so close we could touch them. Sandhill cranes flying down toward Homer - so graceful. And visits from the homeowners sweet, sweet retired sled dogs- Kohoe (not a spelling error) the three legged Alaskan husky and Zoey, the black lab mix - I couldn't ask for anything more.

 

Last night we had a spectacular sunset at around 11PM,and dusk not coming until well past midnight. While we were over on the Spit today, one of the shop owners told us there were two humpback whales last night providing quite a show with their breaching and tail slapping right behind the Seafarer's Memorial. Wish we could have seen it. I keep scanning the Inlet for blows, but so far nothing. Keeping my fingers crossed we get to see some whale action within the next 10 days.

 

Today dawned bright and sunny, albeit very windy up here on the bluff. Temperature was 51 degrees when we went into Homer to poke around, walk the Spit and pick up some fresh seafood for dinner this evening. With almost no wind on the Spit, it was quite warm and pleasant and we enjoyed the views. Saw a moose crossing Beluga Slough - our first for this trip back to Homer.

 

For those of you who are Deadliest Catch fans, the Time Bandit is pulled out and on dry land right on the Spit, right across from the Seafood Coop. Not sure what that is about, I know the boat was drydocked with all kinds of upgrades and improvements just a couple of years ago. Anyone know? The Time Bandit store is no longer at it's in-town Homer location, not sure if they no longer have a physical store. It had moved from the Spit to town a few years ago. We also saw the Cape Caution in the deep water harbor, and saw the Ramblin' Rose's bow peaking out from behind another large boat.

 

Tonight's feast was some fresh Kachemak Bay oysters for DH, followed by scrumptious king crab with melted butter. Heaven. We're hoping to have some fresh halibut for dinner tomorrow night - as DH is scheduled to go halibut fishing tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed.

 

So far, we're having an amazing time; this trip is turning out to be even more than we dreamed it would. And my friend Brenda is now an Alaska convert - just as I knew she would be once she experienced it for herself. Now off to gaze across the water hoping for some whale sightings.

 

Over and out from "The Nest".

[Amishcountry]

You are living my husband's dream!! We will be doing our second cruise May 2017 , but are hoping to spend a week in Homer some day. Your descriptions sound incredible thanks for sharing!!

 

 

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[Old As Dirt Mom]

Thank you so much, AIP! I love your reports, because you write so well:) That would be very cool if you could catch Maasdam as she sails up Cook Inlet to Anchorage! Good luck:) Are you and your husband planning on eventually retiring in Homer?

[Assateague Island Princes]

From your lips to God's ear, mam! We would absolutely love to retire here someday. But we can't do it til my Mom and 105 year old grandmother are gone - and believe me, I'm perfectly happy waiting for THAT to occur.

 

Today's report:

DH went to his halibut fishing trip this morning, but it was cancelled due to sea conditions - 3 ft. rollers with high winds. Rats! So much for halibut for tonight's dinner.... The trip has been rescheduled for tomorrow morning - fingers crossed we'll be feasting on some fresh fish tomorrow night.

 

So with this change of plans, we were on the road at 10:30AM to head north to Anchor Point beach, Clam Gulch beach, and Deep Creek beach for some beachcombing and glorious views. We were not disappointed! Anchor Point beach was loaded with eagles - flying overhead, resting on the beach, eating fresh clams that has washed up. It was awesome seeing them all so up close and personal. I got some great shots - one with a close-up of an eagle's face - he looks like a grumpy, angry old man.

 

Next up was Clam Gulch, where we stopped to eat a picnic lunch at the campground at the top of the bluff overlooking the beach. That is where the fun began. There we were, my friend and I enjoying our lunch at picnic tables under a small pavilion, while DH was over at the edge of the bluff enjoying the view. Suddenly we both heard a snort - quite nearby. Not sure I had heard anything, I looked at Brenda, who was white as a ghost agreeing that she had heard the same thing. We tried to get DH's attention, but he couldn't hear us. Lookin into a nearby patch of brush, there was a young bull moose making his way right towards us. Gulp. We slowly backed away to the other side of the picnic table as Mr. Moose sauntered into the clearing. Finally, DH realized what was going on and joined us - ever careful to keep the picnic table between us and the behemoth. Thank goodness, he lost interest and sauntered off into the woods. Quite a fright having that huge, and dangerous creature less than 20 feet from us. Phew....big sigh of relief when he decided to move on.

 

After changing our underwear (just kidding folks), we next stopped at Deep Creek Beach, where we watched tractors launching boats and retrieving boats from Cook Inlet due to the dangerous and unpredictable tides. Really quite an interesting process. Wouldn't want to be the guy who has to wade into the surf to retrieve the tow line and connect it to the boat trailer. We took photos of the lighthouse on top of the bluff there, and did some beach combing.

 

We had really nice weather today - bright sunny skies with temps. reaching 59 degrees. The next few days are supposed to be sunny, but you know how that is here in Alaska - blink and the weather has changed. Makes no matter, we're prepared for all types of weather and can see the beauty in this magical place - despite the rain and wind or whatever else Mother Nature throws our way.

 

As I write this, there is an eagle soaring overhead, DH is heating up the grill to cook our cheeseburgers for tonight's late supper, and we have no plans other than to watch the waves, and hope that the fog that just recently rolled in clears by 11PM so we can have another grand sunset.

 

Over and out from day three of our Excellent Homer Adventure. More to come....

[BecciBoo]

I am so enjoying your review of your land trip! Too bad its buried back here in the Alaska board...wish more peeps could read it!

 

Hope someone thought to take pics of the behemoth! I am now subscribed!

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Yeah, AIP, did you get any photos of the moose as you ran around the table:D?

 

ps Edited to add that while it's very exciting to read about your encounter, I'm really glad I wasn't actually there!

Edited May 25, 2016 by middle-aged mom

[Assateague Island Princes]

Hello from beautiful Cook Inlet. Today was an outstanding one from start to finish. The morning dawned clear and cold, but brilliant sunshine ruled the day. The temp.got up to almost 60 degrees today, and it was warm and lovely with little wind. As I type this, it appears we will have another glorious sunset in about 2 hours and change (it is currently 9:15PM here in AK).

 

Drove DH to the Spit at 7AM to get on his halibut fishing charter. It was a go this time - yay! He and 12 other guests would be spending 6 hours on the Whistler with Inlet Charters for a day of fishing fun. After I dropped him off, I drove down to the Lands End resort at the end of the Spit for a look see. Lots of eagles hunting their morning catch, and a couple of sea otters cracking clams on their bellies. Unfortunately, I didn't stay long enough admiring that view. DH said just as they pulled out of the harbor, there were two humpback whales showing their tails. Dang it - missed it again!

 

Drove back to the house, and Brenda was awake having her first cup of coffee. We had breakfast, then headed out to town to do a bit of wandering and shopping in Old Town before heading over to the Spit for lunch. I found a beautiful handmade starfish pin for my soon-to-be 105 year old grandmother. I know she will appreciate it and wear it often. She's still quite the fashion plate, always dressing for meals at her assisted living facility, and of course, when she goes to Bingo three times a week. God bless her!

 

Before our trip here, I discovered quite by accident that a family friend of ours was living in Homer, married to a local doctor and working in his office. She and her husband also recently partnered with another fellow to renovate and reopen Alice's Champagne Palace, a rather famous bar/restaurant in Homer that had closed several years ago. While we were in one of the shops on Pioneer Avenue, I mentioned my connection to this girl (well, woman now, we knew each other as kids and our families spent a lot of time together when we were growing up) and wondered if she knew how I might get in contact with her. As luck would have it, her husband's medical office was right down the street from this shop. What are the chances? So we stopped in and I asked the receptionist if Beth happened to be in. Surprise, surprise, she was sitting three feet away and when I explained who I was there were hugs all around. We both marveled at the coincidence of it all, and spent some time chatting about old times. She gave me her number and asked me to get in touch when we had some free time to meet at the restaurant for drinks and a meal. It surely is a small world, isn't it?

 

After a successful shopping trip at many of the artisan shops in Homer, we had lunch at Capt. Pattie's on the Spit. I have one word for the clam chowder there - DELICIOUS! Just as we were finishing up, I got a text from DH - mission accomplished, we would indeed be having fresh halibut for dinner, and enough to ship some hope as well! Woo-hoo! He caught one 25 inch and one 32 inch halibut. He had a wonderful time and would highly recommend this charter group.

 

We returned home and had a delicious meal of fettucine alfredo with crabmeat and of course, fresh halibut on the grill. Heaven! Great way to end a wonderful day. Not sure what is on our agenda for tomorrow -depends what we feel like in the morning. We're hoping to take a boat over to either Halibut Cove or Seldovia to do some beachcombing, but they don't start running until Memorial Day. I want to see about getting a tour of the Kilcher Homestead Museum as well, and we have plans to go to the Homer Farmer's Market on Saturday. So much to do, so little time....

 

To answer previous questions, yup, sure did get photos of the moose, and IF I can ever figure out how, I'll try to post some photos of our trip here.

 

Adios from the Land of the Midnight Sun.

[BecciBoo]

Here is the method I use and it produces the perfect size photo for these boards and you don't need to use a housing site such as Smug Mug or other site. So all your photos are totally private.

 

Go here: http://tinypic.com/index.php and after you have downloaded your photos to your laptop or PC into a photo folder there, just follow the instructions on the site. Choose a File or photo from your photo album, choose "Image" or even a "Video", choose a size, I use the "Message board" size, click "Upload Now"...you will have a security window pop up, follow the instructions and click Upload Now again, it will provide you with several URLs. I always choose the second one "IMG Code for Forums & Message Boards". Highlight it, Right click to copy and paste it right here on your post. Sounds complicated but it a breeze and only takes seconds....

 

EXAMPLe:

Edited May 25, 2016 by BecciBoo

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Here are some very nice webcam views from Homer, Alaska:

 

http://www.homerwebcams.com/

 

And the Homer Spit:

 

http://www.hallobay.com/Web_Cam.htm

 

Holland America's Maasdam spends every other Tuesday in Homer, from 10am to 6pm, as part of the 14-day round trip Seattle itinerary. AIP is getting a MUCH better flavor of Homer with her 10-day land stay, and her freshly caught halibut!:)

[Assateague Island Princes]

Another pretty day here in Alaska. We've been so fortunate with the weather - except for the rain on the drive down from Anchorage, we've had nothing but sunshine and fairly warm temps. Today it got up to 60, and the next couple of days it is supposed to climb up into the mid-60's. Yup, we'll take it.

So here is the latest update:

 

Up bright and early (5:30AM) my trusty internal alarm apparently knows no time zone boundaries. We enjoyed the morning on the deck, with the neighborhood dogs making their daily visit for belly rubs and whatever food goodie I can scrounge up for them.

 

After repeated phone calls to schedule a tour of the Kilcher Homestead, I finally emailed them and was able to arrange an 11AM tour. For those of you who don't watch Discovery Channel's "Alaska the Last Frontier" about the homesteading Kilcher family, you may not be so interested in the photos and the tour we took today. But for those that do, you're in for a treat!

 

The Kilcher family patriarch, Yul Kilcher, came to Alaska from Switzerland to start a homesteading community. He married Ruth, who had been an opera singer in Switzerland, after she came over to take part in homesteading. They had 8 children while living in a tiny two room cabin they built by hand. The homestead is comprised of over 600 acres, and is now in a trust established for the eight children/grandchildren/great grandchildren where many still live and carry on with the homestead lifestyle - hunting, fishing and growing their own food, raising cattle, gardening, and bartering for many of their goods. FYI - fun fact for those of you that don't know, the singer "Jewel" is a Kilcher and grew up on the homestead here in Homer.

 

The homestead is located about 10 miles out East End Road, just past Fritz Creek General Store, and very close to the house we had rented back in 2013 - who knew? The woman who gave the tour today is Conni, one of 24 grandchildren of Yul and Ruth. Conni's mother lives on the homestead and happened to be tilling a large garden plot while we were there - at age 72, she seemed pretty spry! And she looked a lot like Otto and Atz, her brothers. We started out touring the original two room cabin where the Kilcher family was raised, it was filled with artifacts and treasures from a bygone era. The one bedroom held three bunks right on top of each other, and that is where all the kids slept. Ruth and Yul slept in the living room. Yul was very involved w/Alaska politics, was a senator at one time and helped write the Alaska constitution. There are photos of him and Ruth meeting President Kennedy and several governors of Alaska. Hearing about their lifestyle and how they contended with the elements with no running water, no electricity, and by cooking on a stove using coal they gathered from Kilcher beach was really interesting. Each and every one of the Kilcher children are musically inclined - I guess Jewel came by her talent honestly.

 

Conni shared stories about her cousins and aunts/uncles who participate in the tv show. She said that Atz Lee is doing well and is almost 100% recovered from the serious fall he took off a cliff while hiking. In fact, she says that he is playing in three different bands that perform throughout the Homer area, often times at Alice's Champagne Palace, so who knows, maybe we'll get to see him!? When asked how Eve and Eivan's new baby, Sparrow, was doing, she said that she is an adorable baby who has amazing balance skills, so much so that she stands straight up in Eivan's outstretched palm with no assistance. Everyone in their family is convinced she will be a gymnast....or maybe a circus performer knowing the Kilcher's quirky nature. LOL! Shane and Kelly's cabin is coming along nicely, and they are hoping it will be finished by summer's end. Conni told us how the TV show got started was that Atz Lee and Eivan were drinking at the Salty Dog one night when the Discovery film crew stopped by after filming the Time Bandit for "The Deadliest Catch". They struck up a conversation and learned of the Kilcher homesteading family, expressed interest, and the rest is history.

 

Conni told us that many in the Kilcher family want nothing to do with the television show and have no interest in participating. She also commented that being a reality tv show, so much is edited by the film crew and her family members are often portrayed not exactly as how they really are. Atz Lee's wife, Jane, has apparently been taking a lot of heat from some haters who wonder why she doesn't allow her children to be on the show. Several of Otto and Atz's sisters - Catkin Mossy, and Sunshine (they have some weird names, don't they?) have been on the show once or twice, but mainly concentrate on their music and writing books, as well as being the main caretakers of the original homestead. They are a varied and talented bunch - each eccentric in their own right.

 

The 1 1/2 hour tour flew by and we were disappointed to hear that Otto and Atz, who usually come to greet folks at the end of the tour, were away in Canada filming something for the Discovery Channel. Rats! We were invited to hike down to Kilcher Beach if we wanted to, but were warned that it was a long, long walk down steep and rough switchbacks - well over a mile each way. Going down wouldn't be too bad, she said, but coming back was a killer! Those scenes on the tv show showing the switchbacks down to the beach are no exaggeration - parts of the trail are almost vertical. We decided to give it a go because I wanted to see Kilcher Beach, and was hoping we'd run into some other family members. It was a beautiful walk down - past the Kilcher Family Orchard, past their huge green house, through the upper and lower meadows, along the top of the bluff and next to the canyon. We were told that near the bottom, there was a spring that crossed the path and a metal cup was placed on a rock nearby for everyone to take a drink of the crystal clear sweet mountain water. We got about 1/2 way down, and Brenda decided to turn around - she was dreading the walk back uphill. Gary and I foolishly continued - had to see that beach! We were exhausted by the time we finally got down there and I was already anticipating the punishing trek back up. It was all worth it - it was low tide and the beach was covered with shells, rocks, driftwood and coal. I immediately set off to explore, take photos and beachcomb. We spent about 45 minutes there and then it was time to start our climb back to the homestead. Talk about brutal! It was a punishing climb and believe me, we took many, many breaks just to catch our breath.

 

Well wouldn't you know it, Brenda told us that she had met Atz Lee! He came up on his 4-wheeler to talk to his cousin, Conni, who introduced Brenda to him. The sad part is that it was all wasted since Brenda doesn't even watch the show and has no idea who these people are - LOL! Can't believe Brenda didn't get a picture of him for me! She said it never even crossed her mind since she doesn't know who he is anyway. Just our luck.

 

Afterwards we stopped at the Homer Brewery to get DH's growler filled with beer. Tonights menu included London Broil on the grill - eaten while overlooking the water and enjoying the sunshine. All in all, another fantastic day here in Alaska, the Last Frontier.

[BecciBoo]

We watch them all, "The Catch", Last Frontier, Last Alaskans, etc. We love the Kilchers....interested in hearing all about it and pics....try Tinypic girl!