Today's the day!

[BecciBoo]

That was fantastic! At one time when I was much younger, the notion of moving to Alaska and homesteading was appealing and at that time (the late 70's and I in my 30's) you could still homestead free acreage up there. I watched a show, can't remember what it was, that showed a couple who did it. I was a log cabin type of gal. There was a book too that some woman wrote who spent a year in her cabin alone in the back country, broke her arm had to set it herself...etc. Can't remember that title either. But I was really into it.

 

Now I'm too old to do it but Alaska is now a much friendlier place, in fact, we know someone who moved there a couple years ago. My hubby's brother's wife, her parents moved to Sitka in their early 70's, of course in a modern home in town but they love it. Sorry for high jacking your thread but it has really brought me back.

 

Keep it coming and thank you!

[BecciBoo]

Found the book: O Rugged Land of Gold by Martha Martin and there was a TV movie with Jill Eikenberry called Rugged Gold...great story you must try to find it.

Edited May 26, 2016 by BecciBoo

[chocolatelabs]

How exciting! We too are from PA and have fallen in love with Alaska. We are heading up this month for our third cruise. We've only done cruises and land tours and have not made it to Homer yet. I am really enjoying reading your wonderful descriptions. Thanks for sharing!

Edited May 26, 2016 by chocolatelabs

[NancyIL]

Lynda, I'm really enjoying reading about your adventures in Homer! I hope to go back there on a land trip...one of these years!

[Assateague Island Princes]

Glad you're all enjoying the posts. It is copied from the blog I've been sending to family and friends while on our trip. A good way to have lasting memories about all the details of our trip for us when we're old and gray, remembering these magical times in Homer. Chocolate Labs - where in PA are you from, if you don't mind sharing. We are from Bethlehem. Nancy - you would SO love a land trip here - so much to see and do. And it is just so picturesque.

 

This morning is another beautiful day here in Homer - predicted temps. of 65 degrees, and getting up to 70 tomorrow. The sun is so nice and warm. Was up at 3:15am today and it was as bright as it is at 6am at home in PA at this time of year. Lots of boats in the Inlet with their lights on doing night fishing. DH went out to the Spit early this morning in the hopes of seeing whales as he did when he was heading out on his halibut fishing trip. Was going to go with him, but my calves are screaming from another hike on a steep switchback trail yesterday. Reminds me that I'm not as young as I used to be :O.

 

Will post yesterday's blog sometime today. We had a very laid back relaxing one, other than the morning hike, so it isn't quite as adventure-packed as some of the previous posts. Have a great day everyone!

[Assateague Island Princes]

This is the blog post from Thursday, May 26th:

What a gorgeous day we have had. It was up to almost 70 by 10:30AM, the sun was beating down, and we were beach combing along Cook Inlet. Doesn't get any better than that. Drove about a couple of miles from the house to the trailhead at Diamond Ridge Road, walked about a mile down switchback, though not nearly as steep as yesterday, thru Sitka spruce trees, wild skunk cabbage and fiddlehead ferns. Green, green everywhere we looked. The trail was bordered on one side by a very deep canyon, and when the trail got narrow, boy it was scarey. No guiderails here! We were cautious about bears as the warning sign at the parking area let us know. But fortunately, that was a non-issue. As we came down the last incline and the beach opened up before us, it was just magical. The sun was glinting off the outgoing tide, there were tide pools glistening everywhere you looked, and a stream that flowed from the bluff we came down spilled out onto the beach, spreading out over several feet and flowing down into the inlet.

 

Wide open beach with huge rocks exposed because the tide was out. Some of the rocks were covered in mussels - Gary was tempted to pick some off and take them home to cook! Someone had thoughtfully left three folding chairs leaning up against some driftwood, which is where we set up camp for the morning. Took lots of photos - the scenery was spectacular in every direction. Lots of fishing boats out trying their luck. Beautiful magpies - shiny black and white with long, long tail feathers were flitting from driftwood to driftwood, I guess they were searching for breakfast. After beachcombing and finding all kinds of treasures, we just sat in our chairs and enjoyed the warm breeze and the sunshine.

 

The climb back up the switchback was tiring, all of us complained about aching legs and backs by the time, we are SO out of shape! Drove down the road a bit to a small restaurant for a late lunch - they had wonderful pulled pork and brisket sandwiches, the meal was enjoyed by all. Tonight's dinner was grilled chicken, macaroni salad, deviled eggs and baked beans - delicious! We were still so full from lunch that we didn't eat til 8PM - yup, eating with the rich folks! :) It was a lazy afternoon spent on the deck with margaritas in hand, shorts and tees on, catching the rays. Heaven...

 

We made reservations to go on a boat excursion to a nearby landlocked native town called Seldovia for Sunday. We leave at 10:30AM from the Homer Spit, and don't get back til 5:30PM. The boat will take us to the bird rookery in the bay, thru Eldred Pass and along Yukon Island before docking in Seldovia for three hours. We know of a little beach there that is loaded with sea glass, so we're going to pack a lunch and spent our time in Seldovia treasure hunting for pretty sea glass. There have a boardwalk area along the harbor with cafes and shops and museums and we'll wander thru there after we've had our fill of beach combing. Looking forward to it.

 

A bit of news I read about today is that a pod of 25 orcas (killer whales) was spotted in Kachemak Bay this past Monday. The story said that they were a subspecies of orcas that are known for attacking sharks, and there has been no recorded evidence of this type of whale ever being in the Bay. Quite an exciting thing for the oceanographers and wildlife experts in the area. We are hoping they've stuck around and that we might get a glimpse of them on Sunday as we sail to Seldovia. The big story on the news here last night was a guy carjacking a front end loader (front end loader-jacking?) and driving it into the front of a liquor store in downtown Anchorage, making off with some booze and leading cops on a slow speed chase thru the city. Never a dull moment here in AK.

 

No plans yet for Friday - we mostly take it one day at a time - and do whatever we feel like when the spirit moves us. Another beautiful day is on tap for tomorrow according to the forecast. Gosh, we sure did get lucky with weather this trip (knock wood). More posts to follow.

[Alberta Quilter]

AIP, I just found this thread accidentally but I'm so glad I did!! It sounds like you're having an incredible time, as I knew you would. I'm envious of the fresh halibut that you've had!

 

I look forward to your next posts.

[Amishcountry]

Love reading your updates. You have a wonderful writing style !! Makes me feel like I am there! [emoji3]

 

 

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[Assateague Island Princes]

Happy Memorial Day weekend to you all! Seems like everyone has headed to Homer for the holiday weekend - the Spit is hopping with people camping on the beach, shopping on the Spit, fishing from the shore, taking floatplanes out to Hallo Bay to see the bears digging for clams on the beach, or taking a charter to fish for salmon and halibut. There is a festive air about the place and it is beginning to feel like the start of summer here on the Kenai Peninsula.

 

Woke at 3:15AM this morning and it was nice and bright outside. Sat on the deck staring at the mountain and volcanos outlined against the brightening sky, and the birds repeating their calls over and over, as eagles flew overhead. It was so peaceful and beautiful with Cook Inlet as the back drop. Went back to bed and woke at 7, just in time to see Gary heading over to the Spit to look for whales. After he got back (no luck seeing any whales this time), he did see some sandhill cranes not far from the house so he took some photos and a video of them. They are huge prehistoric looking birds who migrate back to Alaska every year and they herald the start of spring.

 

We decided to take a scenic drive along the top of the mountain ridge overlooking the town of Homer and Kachemak Bay, fittingly along the road called Skyline Drive. The view was outstanding, we took a bunch of photos from up there with Homer and the Spit literally at our feet. It was a beautiful drive and we had high hopes of seeing some moose or maybe even a bear, but no luck. We drove down into town and went into a couple of shops that we had missed when Brenda and I had been in town shopping earlier in the week. Then we headed out to the very end of the Spit, where the Alaskan ferry and visiting cruise ships dock. That is where the Amsterdam docked the three times I went on their 14 day itinerary. Outstanding cruise, by the way - I'd encourage anyone who is thinking of a 14 day cruise to AK with no repeated ports, to consider this HAL cruise (this year it is on the Maasdam).

 

People were fishing from the beach - we saw them pulling up 'chicken' halibut (about the size of flounder) and ugly but tasty Lingcod (Google it - these fish look prehistoric!). The beach was littered with brilliantly colored starfish - mostly purple or red - so pretty. We stopped at a new seafood market that recently opened at the end of the Spit for some 'sea pearl' tacos (sea pearls are cod cheeks, the tastiest part of the cod, so tender and delicious!). OH. MY. GOD.! These tacos were to die for - just delicious! We purchased some Weathervane sea scallops (they are huge - about the size of a fist) and spotted shrimp to have for dinner tonight. While there, Gary talked to them about shipping his halibut home so we'll be doing that before we head up to Anchorage next week. Hoping to time it just right so it arrives the day after we get home.

 

Heard from my old family friend Beth, who lives in Homer, this morning - she had forgotten that this was Memorial Day weekend, and they were leaving to go camping so we wouldn't be able to get together with her before we leave. That's okay, no worries, I was grateful to be able to reconnect with her, and since she is coming back to PA in August to visit her Mom and other sister, she suggested our families try to get together for a nice, long visit. It will be great for Mom to see her mother again, and for the rest of us to catch up.

 

The owner of the house, Chris, stopped over to visit this evening. We like to pick the brains of our hosts for things to see and do, little known things that only the locals might know. We learned that a cow moose had twin calves yesterday - in the yard of a house just behind ours here on the bluff. Chris happened to be visiting those folks and the moose was so protective of her babies that she wouldn't let Chris out of the house to go home! Yikes! Chris told us that cow moose normally have their calves near populated areas and stay there for the first 2 weeks or so before heading to the back country. That is to keep the calves safe from bears or other predators before they feel confident enough to head back into the woods. Chris told us that the three legged dog, Kohoe, isn't hers, she belongs to a neighbor and they are just caring for her while the neighbor is away. I asked the circumstances of how Kohoe lost her leg, and it turns out she had been hit by a snowplow, abandoned by her owners. Her new owner, who is a vet tech, adopted her and nursed her back to health and now she is living comfortably and happily in a good home. She is such a sweet dog, she's really taken a shine to me - comes and looks in the door as if to say "Hey, when are you coming out to rub my belly or feed me treats?" :)

 

The Time Bandit from the Discovery Channel TV show "Deadliest Catch" must be back in the water again because it is no longer in that parking area on the Spit. I guess they got all their yearly maintenance done. Have to look for it in the water tomorrow to see if she is still in port.

 

After talking to Chris who said that the wildlife is more active in the evening, we've decided to head out on a wildlife drive around 10PM tonight. Wish us luck!

 

Adios from the Land of the Midnight Sun.

 

PS - Hey Clipper - glad you found me over here, and are following along on this trip. It has truly been one of the best, we're just really loving it. Gary was even told Chris that if she ever wants to sell this house, to let us know. Woo-hoo!

 

And welcome to Amish Country - a fellow Pennsylvanian (is that a word?). Glad you are enjoying the blog. Tune in tomorrow for more! :)

[msweeble1]

I am really enjoying your review! I love watching the Last Frontier. I didn't know they had a tour. Going to have to add this to my bucket list. Thanks for sharing!

Debbie

[Amishcountry]

I have been reading your updates to my husband, now he wants to fly into Anchorage A day sooner than planned, rent a car, and drive to Homer for one night !! Is it worth trying?

 

 

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[dhmom99]

thanks for the update. We cannot wait for our upcoming Alaska trip

[msweeble1]

Waiting to see how the rest of your trip went!!!

[Amishcountry]

Please finish your blog. Miss you ! [emoji20]

 

 

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[BecciBoo]

Waiting to see how the rest of your trip went!!!

 

Yes, we are all salivating, but please put YOUR review of your upcoming July cruise on the main Celebrity page Sweeble!

 

Princes....where are you!:(

Edited June 18, 2016 by BecciBoo

[diesel1973]

I will be leaving for my annual fishing trip to Alaska next week for 6 weeks. Have been doing this for 15+ years and still get very excited about it. I stay with my nephew who lives in Eagle River(suburb of Anchorage) and we do nothing but fish for the 6 weeks. We travel all over the state chasing the fish but Homer is still my favorite area. With a lot of luck and a little skill I should be bringing home my 100#+ of fish. Am very fortunate to be able to do this and have quite a line of friends who would like to join me. Reading these posts get me more excited!!!!

[Assateague Island Princes]

Sorry everyone, I apologize for the lateness of continuing my blog. I just haven't been on CC for a while since returning to reality here at home. And life just got in the way.... No excuses, lets just get right to it, ok? I will continue the blog where I left off. Here goes:

 

So we were lazy bums today. Did a whole lot of nothing, but oh boy, was it nice! This is what vacation is all about, right?

 

Last night we did a wildlife drive leaving the house a little after 10 PM. We didn't see anything but eagles - and we were so hoping to see some moose or a bear. Sigh....guess it just wasn't meant to be. It was a beautiful drive, despite our lack of success. We didn't get back to the house til almost 11:30 and the sun was just setting in glorious rays of orange, pink, gold and purple. It was just spectacular!

 

As I said, we didn't do much today. Slept in a bit - til almost 7, wow! Then we sat around on the deck, having a leisurely breakfast, feeding the dogs some leftovers, and taking photos of eagles, airplanes and each other. At 11, we went to the Homer Farmer's Market, the first of the season. It is so much fun - filled with stands selling fresh veggies, starter plants, handcrafted items, homemade jams and jellies, fresh seafood, cakes, breads, pies, etc. Fun poking around with all the locals, trying all the free samples - oh my gosh, the salmonberry jam and the marion berry jalapeno jelly is the best! Delicious! We poked around there for about an hour, then came back to the house to just chill. A lot of floatplane and helicopter tours were going out to fly over the glaciers and to the bears, so there was quite a bit of air traffic today. Must be the Memorial Day Weekend Warriors out doing their thing. Lots of boats in the Inlet out in front of the house doing their fishing as well.

 

It was another beautiful day - sunny, with blue skies and temps. in the mid-60's. I hear you folks back in PA are getting hammered with heat and humidity right now. Ugh. Not sorry we're missing that! The fog rolled in around 9:30AM this morning - like a gray velvet cloud it rolled down the Inlet toward Homer, yet up here on the bluff the sun was still shining. Kind of eerie. Didn't last long - a slight breeze came up and blew it out of here within an hour.

 

After each of us had taken an afternoon nap, we talked about what to do for dinner tonight. Brenda and I had a craving for spaghetti, so we went to the store for everything we needed to make it. I let the sauce simmer all afternoon, getting thick and rich, and we finally ate around 7:30PM. Gary made the garlic bread on the grill. Yummy meal! And then we had ice cream sandwiches for dessert. So decadent!

 

Tomorrow will be a busy, long day for us. We have to be over at the Spit at 9 to pick up the sandwiches we're ordering from the bakery for our boat ride, and then have to meet at the dock at 10AM to board the boat. We're going to Seldovia, a small town inaccessible by road - you can only get there by floatplane or by boat. Quaint little waterfront area with art galleries, shops, cafes, etc. and the best beachcombing beach for sea glass. It is a 7 hour excursion for a mere $59.00 per person, can't beat that! We won't be getting back to the dock til 5:30PM (later if we come across whales - woo-hoo!). We decided we're just going to pick up a pizza on our way home for dinner because we'll be pooped from our day on the water.

 

Hope you're all enjoying your long holiday weekend, staying cool and resting up for all the festivities you've got planned. Good night and sweet dreams from the prettiest place on earth.

 

Stay tuned.....more to come.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Homer (and Alaska) "Fun Facts:"

 

Homer was named after Homer Pennock, a con man whose numerous 'get rich quick' schemes were aimed at separating the wealthy from their money, while he sought gold throughout the Cook Inlet area when he arrived here in 1896.

 

The Homer "Spit" is the second longest in the world. The Spit is a natural geological phenomenon formed by terminal glacial moraine. It juts 5 miles out into Kachemak Bay.

 

The three most visible glaciers in the Homer area are alpine glaciers that form in the mountain valleys creating their own moraine lakes. They include Grewingk, Portlock and Dixon Glaciers. The last two - Portlock and Dixon were the glaciers that were right across Kachemak Bay when we stayed out on East End Road in 2013.

 

On the Friday before Memorial Day, two women were seriously injured as they were riding bikes along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail in Anchorage after being attacked by two moose. Details are sketchy at this time, but it is believed that it was a cow moose protecting her yearling calf when she felt the bicyclists were too close. More people are injured or killed by moose in AK than they are by bear. Comforting thought, hmmm?

 

Homer is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire which means it is surrounded by four major volcanoes, all of which are quite visible from the deck of our rental house. They include Mt. Augustine (last erupted in January of 2006 for 20 days), Mt. Redoubt (which last erupted in 2009, causing enough ash fall in Anchorage - some 5 hours away - that closed the airport there from 5PM-7AM the next morning); Mt. Iliamna ( no recent eruptions other than earthquake swarms with a magnitude of three); and Mt. Douglas(with no recent eruptions, although a fresh lava flow with no ice buildup indicates that this giant is just sleeping).

 

The average halibut weighs between 25 and 30 lbs., but some can weigh upwards of 400 lbs! Yikes

 

More than 98% of the country's brown bear population lives in Alaska, with a large number of them living on the west side of Cook Inlet. They are omnivores, and their territory ranges over hundreds of square miles following their food source as they fatten up for winter.

 

Denali, the highest peak in North America, is a majestic 20,320 ft. tall and can be visible from Anchorage, some five hours away by car, on a clear day. Denali National Park and Preserve encompasses over six million acres.

 

Alaska is the most seismically active state in the US. In 2014, Alaska experienced over 5,000 earthquakes. On Good Friday of 1964, a 9.2 magnitude earthquake dropped the coastal edges along Turnagain Arm by 8 to 10 feet.

 

In 1985, the worlds larges King Salmon was caught on a line in the Kenai River weighing in at an astounding 97 lbs. 4 oz. Some big fish!

 

The 37 ft. tides along the Turnagain Arm traveling south from Anchorage are exceeded only by Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy.

 

Homer's year round population is just 5,500. The average high temperatures in January is 28 and the low is 16. Sunrise in January is 10AM, with sunset at 4:15PM. Average high temperatures in July is 60, with the average low 46. Sunrise in July is 4:50AM w/average sunset at 11:45pm, though it never really gets dark, more like twilight all night long. Annual precipitation is 24.4 inches.

 

BREAKING NEWS: Whales breaching in front of the house at 6:30AM! Woo-hoo!

[Assateague Island Princes]

Diesel - You are living the dream, my friend! Heading to AK every year for non-stop fishing, my husband would be in heaven! And I'd be right behind! Hope you have tight lines and lots of catching to go along with that fishing you'll be doing!

 

AmishCountry - To answer your question about arriving one day early to drive to Homer for an overnight, I think that would really be pushing it. If you could spare two (or even better, three nights) in Homer, then it would totally be worth it! While it is a beautiful drive down, it is about 5 hours from Anchorage (with stops along the way), I think you'd be totally exhausted and not have much time to enjoy this beautiful place before having to turn around and head back. Please reconsider - I would hate for you to feel rushed and not to have the full "Home Experience". Distances are so great in Alaska, and the journey is half the fun, don't short change yourself.

 

Well, that's it for tonight folks, bed is calling. Will return tomorrow with the "Sailing to Seldovia" post.

[diesel1973]

Thanks for the well wishes for my trip this year. My nephew sent me a picture of a 30-40# king he caught at Ships Creek. He said it's the best King fishing in 5 years! Now I'm going crazy thinking I might miss the run.Hope the rest of your stay is great. Will probably be down in beautiful Homer in a couple of weeks. Also my nephew said a moose dropped 2 calves in his backyard for the third time. Should make for an interesting summer!

[BecciBoo]

I have searched references for this, but are you the gal that talked about a special lip gloss you like that you get in Alaska?

[Assateague Island Princes]

Nope, not me BecciBoo, sorry.

[Mustangsally58]

WOW I've just come across this post and can't wait to read more.

 

I'm from Mandurah in the south west of Western Australian and we had our first Alaskan experience in 2014 when we cruised north from Vancouver to Whittier then an inland 3 day tour up to Denali. After that fantastic experience we picked up an RV in Anchorage and spent 14 days touring Alaska and into the Yukon and south through BC.

 

I completely fell in love with Alaska and just can't get enough of it. I love watching anything on Foxtel (cable) and reading anything I can about it.

 

I love Alaska: the last frontier and am thrilled to read about your visit and so wish I'd known about it before we did our trip. I didn't realise the homestead was so close to Homer. On the show it looks like it's in the middle of nowhere.

 

I'm loving reading about your daily adventures.

 

Our Alaskan trip was meant to be a once in our lifetime / cross it off the bucket list adventure, but after our holiday we decided we just have to do it again. Unfortunately, as you can imagine it's on the other side of the earth and so far away for us. At least 30 hours flight time and that's if we go as direct as possible .... But I'll just have to settle for my Alaskan shows and your blogs.

[Amishcountry]

I was so excited to see you posting again! Thanks for your advise. Guess we won't see Homer next year, but our plan is to plan a week in Homer in a few years! [emoji3]. You need to write a book!!

 

 

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[Assateague Island Princes]

Hi everyone - back in the saddle again to continue this review. Again, apologies for the delay. Come on along as we sail to Seldovia.

 

Good morning all and happy Memorial Day to you! It is 8:24AM here in Homer, AK. Woke to a rather cloudy, dreary day. It must've rained overnight because the grill is wet. Up at 4:45AM, probably because I'm anticipating our last full day here in Homer and I want to make the most of our time here. It was quiet and peaceful as I drank my coffee on the deck, watching the sun trying to break thru the thick clouds, and then seeing a rainbow stretched across Cook Inlet - seemingly beginning right in front of the house, and ending down in front of the neighboring house. Took a couple of photos, but it was starting to fade by then, so not sure how well they will turn out. Today's forecast is for chance of showers and clouds this morning, breaking for mostly clear skies around noon with sunshine and temps. in the high 50's. We'll take that.

 

Busy, busy day yesterday - lots to tell you all about. So grab a cup of coffee (or two...or three) or your favorite adult beverage, and settle in for a long read. It was a bright sunny day, eventually warmed up to the mid-60's. We ordered sandwiches for our trip from a little bakery out on the Spit and made arrangements to pick them up at 9:15, and then take our time checking in for the boat trip by 10AM, just a ways up the Spit from the bakery. Sometimes the best laid plans don't quite pan out. We left the house at 9AM and when we got to the only traffic light in town, I rolled down the window to take a photo of the two eagle's nests nearby. Right after I took the photo, the camera started beeping at me. Looking thru the viewfinder, I read the message "No memory card". Uh-oh. When Gary had downloaded the photos from the two days before, he never took the memory card out of the laptop and put it back in the camera. To make matters worse, as we were looking to turn around to head back to the house, we passed a moose in the slough by Beluga Lake. Dang it, another photo opportunity missed. So back we drove to the house. By this time, it was 9:23AM. Got the memory card, and popped it back into the camera and we were on our way. Until Gary noticed we were almost out of gas. Grrrrr.....c'mon Gar, are you not paying attention? LOL! Fortunately, we had enough gas to get us to the Spit and then into town after our boat ride - crisis averted. We picked up our sandwiches about 15 minutes late, but we were at the boat dock in plenty of time for our 10AM loading.

 

We were on the Rainbow Connection, a 64 ft. boat with inside and outside seating, a bar/snack bar, bathroom, etc. Painted all the colors of the rainbow (hence the name), our boat was hard to miss. Manned by an all female crew (get it? "manned"??? C'mon, that is funny), we had a great sail out and back. These ladies know their stuff. One of the deck hands had her dog on board -a beautiful Lab/Husky mix, named Kiska - a Russian name meaning.....something, but I can't remember what! People are allowed to bring their dogs on board and I saw three or four. All well-mannered and used to being on boats. These Alaskans love their dogs and take them with everywhere they go. My kind of people! While sailing out of the harbor, we passed the Time Bandit, which is indeed back in the water, and also the Cape Caution - both crab boats from the Deadliest Catch tv show on Discovery, for those that don't know. The harbor was quite busy, and the Spit was full of happy vacationers on a sunny, warm holiday weekend. We snagged three prime outdoor seats on the stern of the boat. With the structure of the boat itself blocking the wind while sailing, we were in warm sunshine with great aft views. Not long after heading to our first view point of Gull Island, we spotted several sea otters - many floating on their backs with newborn pups on their bellies, a few who were cracking open clams with a rock - right there on their belly while floating on their backs. The younger otters (identified by a fully brown face) were a bit skittish near the boat and immediately dived underwater. But the seasoned veterans - with white faces and whiskers, looking very much like grumpy old men - were so used to boats going by, they hardly blinked. On the way back, we came across a raft of otters (which is what they call a bunch of otters together) all wrapped up in kelp beds so they could snooze without fear of floating away. These critters are SO stinking cute! They can grow to be quite large - up to 5 ft. to 6 ft. in length, so they are not all small, cute and cuddly. They eat only shell fish. We also saw some harbor seals (their curious brown heads popping up to take a look at the boat as we passed by), and one or two harbor porpoise - the smallest of the dolphin family in these waters.

 

We sailed around Gull Island, which is a huge rock/cliff formation in the middle of Kachemak Bay, and the home to many different types of seabirds - including puffins, oyster catchers, and every type of gull imaginable, where they build their nests and raise their young. The sound from the island is deafening as the birds wheel about squawking at each other. The stench from the island in the summer time is almost unbearable, as you can imagine. There is no piece of real estate on that island that is not taken up by a bird. Literally stacked like a high-rise apartment building, in NYC, it is wall to wall feathers! There were several juvenile bald eagles perched on the top of the island and on nearby buoy markers - looking for an easy feast. They have been known to swoop in and decimate several birds all at once. Anytime there are eagles around, you will see the cliff side empty of birds, and the air is filled with the sound of panicked birds trying to escape the searing glare of the eagles eye. All quite interesting to watch and hear and experience.

 

From there, we sailed by Yukon Island, which has a few cabins on it, sandy white beaches, and other structures build by the original founder of the island and used back then as a fox farm (for their pelts). Today, the descendants of the original owners live and vacation of the island, which is about a 15 minute boat ride away from the Spit. Some live there full time and work in Homer. There are even a few cabins to rent, right on the beach of Yukon Island, something for us to consider for future trips to Homer. We continued sailing by other islands, some inhabited on a part-time basis, some not; past other rock formations jutting out of the Bay high into the air, and along beaches, coves, and waterfalls, all surrounded by the towering Kenai Mountain range with snow covered peaks and green, lush slopes. Just beautiful!

 

When we arrived in Seldovia, we were greeted by locals who had set up a small craft tent for their homemade items for sale. There are several cafes and restaurants near the dock in Seldovia, and one or two shops, a small museum, and not much else. You come for the beauty and the recreational activities that are offered. We found a picnic table in a small park along the main street and ate our lunch, then took off on foot to Outside Beach, a 1 1/4 mile hike thru the Otterbahn Trail (get it?). Our mission for today was to find sea glass. When we arrived at the beach, three local girls were laying on blankets in sand mixed with fine gravel, digging for sea glass. We quickly dropped our backpacks, and began our search for sea glass. Found lots of amber colored pieces (the most common), three yellow pieces (more rare), several milky white pieces, a handful of emerald green pieces, and four pieces of colbalt blue (the most rare), and two pieces of pale blue (also rare). No red this time. The pieces are tiny - most not much larger than a pea, but some pieces are large enough to make a pendant or a pair of earrings, which is what I'm thinking about doing. Have to visit the craft store when I get home to see about some jewelry fixtures and fasteners. Most of the smaller pieces will end up layered in a glass jar as decoration on a sunny windowsill or in the bathroom at home. The three of us really enjoyed ourselves - shouting out to each other when we'd make a particularly good find. I tell you, I could do that for hours - it becomes a challenge and is so much fun. We had three hours of free time in Seldovia, and had to be back at the pier by 4, so we took our time, taking photos of the wonderful wood carvings scattered throughout the village - in lawns of private homes, in front of the native meeting house, cafes, bars, and even the liquor store. We had drunk all the water we'd brought along, so stopped in their tiny grocery store for more water. For fun, I checked out the cost of produce. A small basket of strawberries that we might pay $2.99 for at Giant grocery store, was priced at $10.99!!! Yikes!

 

Once back on board, someone had beaten us to our original seats (rats!), so we headed inside to a row of seats with big windows all around. The boat was full this time, taking on more passengers from Seldovia - some locals who were headed to the mainland, and some folks who had gone out to Seldovia on the ferry the day before and overnighted there. It wasn't long before the captain came on the microphone to announce a whale sighting. We found two humpbacks, one that re-surfaced several times so we were treated to lots of humps, tails and blows (the steam that signifies them surfacing and breathing a fine mist into the air). We watched them for 10 minutes and were back on our way when another single humpback was spotted. These mammoth creatures aren't often seen in Homer, although the First Mate told us that last year they had well over 30 whales in the Homer area that stayed all season, so they are hoping the recent sightings mean more are migrating here from Hawaii than in past years. It was thrilling to watch the whales, and though we hoped for some bubblenet feeding or even a breach or two, that never happened. Still, we were fortunate to see three whales and for those that had never seen them in the wild, like Brenda, it was a real treat. I was able to get a few shots of their backs and maybe a tail, but that was it. The motion of the boat rocking on the rollers made it difficult to photograph, so after one or two unsuccessful shots, I just put the camera down and reveled in the moment. The camera in my mind will never forget what I was unable to catch in a photo. Win-win.

 

In no time, we were back at the harbor and our day trip was over around 5:30PM. Starving by then, we'd already decided on getting a pizza to take back to the house, and of course, we needed to stop of gas. Gary dropped Brenda and I off at a pizza shop called Starvin' Marvin's at the base of the Spit while he headed into town for gas. When we went inside to order, we were told there would be anywhere from a 40 minute to an hour wait to get our pizza, so we passed. Drove into town and found a Mexican restaurant that served pizza, so we went inside, ordered our pizza which would take a more reasonable 20 minutes, and all had margaritas while we waited. Mango ones for Brenda and I - delicious!

 

Last night we did a whole lot of nothin'. Looked at some of the photos from the day, watched some tv, sat on the deck staring out at the Inlet, and eventually went to bed by 9:30. Party animals, right?

 

So today we'll head over to the Spit to see about getting Gary's halibut shipped home, maybe wander around a bit - taking photos, going into shops we missed the first time around, beachcomb, grab an ice cream cone - whatever strikes our fancy. We were going to go back to the Mexican place for dinner tonight, but then we realized we have so much food here that we need to finish up - scallops, halibut, pizza, spaghetti, etc., that we decided to bag that idea. Today I need to think about packing (ugh!). Tomorrow we'll check out of this rental house and begin our drive back toward Anchorage. We decided to stop off in Seward (about 2 1/2 hour drive from Homer) because we've never been there before, and because Brenda wants to see a glacier up close. The Exit Glacier is located in Seward - you can walk up to it, and have a nice visitor's center. That should be fun. From there, it is another 2 hours or so drive to Anchorage. We will spend the night at a hotel there, and then fly to Seattle on Wed. morning. We'll overnight in Seattle Wed., and then get a flight home to PA on Thurs. morning, arriving in Philly around 5PM on Thurs. night. So while our amazing journey is winding down, it ain't over yet! And we intend to enjoy every single moment we have left in the Great Land!

 

More to come - stay tuned.