KENAI PENNINSULA – 8/19-21/14

Homer is a quaint little town with some areas dedicated to tourists.  We spent the day sightseeing and admiring the Grewingk Glacier that is located across Kachemak Bay.  Some of the locals say it reminds them of a Mexican Sombrero the way the ice wraps around one of the “hills”.

 We spent time with dogs on the beach.  Shiloh loves to go for walks, however, the rocky black sand on these beaches are rough on her paws.  We watched some fishermen working a seine net pulling in Salmon, Flounder, and other types of fish. 

The Bear Creek Winery was on our “to-do” list.  Wine tasting/sampling is one of my favorite things to do.  They had some interesting mixtures using locally grown fruits and vegetables mixed with other juices.  My favorite was a wine that was made from 100% rhubarb.  It was a dry, white, wine that resembled a Chardonnay.

Random pictures of Homer. 

Our walks on the beach at night just below where we were camping in Homer provided some beautiful scenery. 

On our way up the Kenai Peninsula, we took a side trip to see a Greek Orthodox Church – Transfiguration of Our Lord Church - in one of the small villages along the way.  It sits up on a hill that overlooks the village and ocean below.

When we arrived in Seward, Alaska, we visited the Kenai Fjords National Park where we toured Exit Glacier which is part of the Harding Ice fields.  This glacier flows into Resurrection Bay.  The glacier used to be called Resurrection Glacier until an explorer hiked across Harding Ice Fields and “Exited” on this Glacier.  It has been called Exit Glacier ever since.  We were able to hike up to the foot of the glacier.  Along the way they had markers noting where the glacier had been so we could actually see how much the ice field is shrinking. 

There were several “hanging” glaciers scattered over other mountain peaks that were no longer connected to the ice fields.  Experts expect Exit Glacier to become a hanging glacier in the very near future.

The Iditarod Sled Dog race originally began each year in downtown Seward.  In years past the dogs travel 938 miles to Nome every March.  The locals help their dog teams by making booties for the dogs to help protect their feet from the cold snow and ice.  Now the race starts in Anchorage.

Seward is a pretty little town, especially in the older part of the town.  We walked around downtown, visited an old fashioned hardware store, quilt shop, and had lunch overlooking the marina.  One of the locals was walking around town with his pet reindeer.

We had to cut our trip in Seward, AK short due to Shiloh getting an infected foot (probably from walking on the beach in Homer).  She was able to see a veterinarian in Anchorage, AK and get some antibiotics to clear up the infection.

The drive back to Anchorage provided some spectacular scenery that we weren’t able to see on our trip to Seward due to clouds and overcast skies.

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.