Homer Time

Well, I went to the Kenai Peninsula two weeks ago, if you recall, but I only shared about day 1. Here's some pics and tidbits from days 2, and part of 3 (the rest of day 3 and day 4 will come shortly in a subsequent edition). A common theme of my time in the Kenai was cloudy, cool (if not cold), windy, and sometimes, wet. But the rain and clouds didn't ruin my parade.

The first town I came to after my overnight in Mr. Supersube was a old Russian town called, Ninichik.

My guide book led me to a wonderful and amazingly inexpensive cafe on the water (which seems to be paradoxical in the expensive expanse of AK). I had some locally caught clam chowder. I understand the chowder is especially hard to catch. I liked it so much that I also visited on my return trip through.

I also visited the Russian Orthodox church in town. On the last little stretch to Homer, which is the Western tip of the Kenai, I had some fun and explored. The town right before Homer is Anchor Pt. Not too spectacular, except...

In Anchor Pt, I also saw the, amazing-to- me, way that the charter boats here get in and out of the water. The following sequence documents that very process.

I arrived in Homer, which is known for its Halibut fishing. So, of course, I ate some Halibut. Yum yum, fresh fish from the ocean. Sorry, no photos of any fish. I don't fish, yet anyway.

Also in Homer I stopped by one of the birding "hot spots."

The were bald eagles flying about. I didn't have enough zoom on my camera to get a good shot, so I got creative. Binoculars + camera = this shot below.

A nice, older gentlemen beckoned me over to look into his large monocular lens mounted on a tripod. I obliged and was able to see the 2 little, grey youngsters in the nest. That was another first and quite cool to see. Below is another ealge shot, just taken the old fashioned way, that is, without the binoculars.

That night I decided to pitch the old tent. My chosen location was "The Spit," which is a stretch of gravel extends a few miles into the bay, along which people camp, fish, eat at restaurtants, go kayaking, take a charter boat, or stay at the hotel at the end. I focused on the camping aspect and made my first and only campfire of the trip up and enjoyed the view.

Being on the beach brought some real treats, like fearing that the gusting winds were going to launch my tent my tent off the beach and into the nearby water. My kind neighbors next door to me, drew my attention to this guy and a wee little crab.

Above, the view from my tent. For those with the time and money, you can take a charter boat or a kayak across the bay and hike around or kayak along the coast. I didn't have either. And I was hoping for better weather elsewhere. So with Halibut in my stomach, some nature viewing, and having spent my first ever night on the beach, I concluded my Homer time and headed back North and East to the other side.