ANCHORAGE TO HOMER – 8/18/14

The drive from Anchorage to Homer, Alaska today was a very pretty drive.  We took the Seward Highway from Anchorage.  The road along Cook Inlet called “Turnagain Arm” was a very pretty drive.  Cliffs on one side of the road and water leading out into the Pacific on the other.  The Cook Inlet is where Beluga Whales have their babies in the spring.  As we reached the turn in “Turnagain Arm”, mountains with small snow valleys and glaciers began to come into view.

At one of the roadside stops we saw a sign that typifies Alaskan humor.

The Kenai River carved its way through the mountains and led to a deep canyon.  The Kenai River provides whitewater rafting to people who want to challenge Class IV & V rapids in a river with ice-cold water.  The river water in this area was a clear aqua blue in color.  Unfortunately the pictures doesn’t do it justice.

As we drove further into the Kenai Peninsula, we saw some snow capped mountains in the distance and argued for over 30 minutes whether it was Mt. McKinley.  A roadside sign described them as the “Ring of Fire” which is a series of 4 mountains that are 10K to 12K in height.  The last volcanic eruption occurred in almost a decade ago and spewed ash as far as Anchorage. 

The approach to Homer, Alaska is from the top of a hill that looks down on the Homer Spit which is a small strip of land where the harbor is located. 

After having lunch of Fish and Chips (fresh Halibut) at Captain Patties, we strolled around the harbor.

One of the crab boats, “SAGA”, that is featured in “The Deadliest Catch” is docked in Homer.  

We took a walk on the beach with the dogs.  The drift wood is large trees that are bleached white resting on the beach.  Needless to say, no one was swimming on this sunny day.  The temperature outside was a balmy 62 degrees with a 15 mph wind blowing. 

There’s a fisherman’s memorial on the beach with names of the fisherman who never came home.  “This bell tolls for all the souls set free upon the sea”.

The area between “Homer Spit” and Homer is where a small harbor of sea planes is located.  

We are camping in this area for 2 nights and plan to explore more tomorrow.  Our campsite is located in walking distance of a beach area.  This is a view from our campground of the inlet and Pacific Ocean.