The end of the road

Homer is commonly called the end of the road, the farthest west highway on the North American continent. Technically, the road ends on Homer Spit, a 6 mile glacier moraine extending into Kachemak Bay. It was much wider before it sank in the 1964 Good Friday earthquake. Now is it a narrow ribbon of highway and businesses: fishing expeditions, shops, art galleries, restaurants, outfitters of all kinds. I find it to be quite blustery. The spit ends with the Homer ferry; you can take the ferry to Kodiak and points west, or back south towards the lower 48.

Homer's scenery is stunning. The town hugs the coastline of Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay. Across the bay are strings of volcanoes, some still active, covered in snow and mist. The last eruption was in 2005. Redoubt steams and hisses every day. The bluffs which provide a breathtaking view of the bay and Homer are covered in wildflowers and houses that hug the hillside. The beaches are glacial gravel, filled with stones and sealife. You can go clamming for razor clams on the Cook Inlet with a fishing license and a giant bulb planter. You can do just about anything here except get a suntan. The high in July is 60, and there are more cloudy days than sunny.

Artists love Homer. There is a juried art show at the Pratt Museum, and an outdoor exhibit in their gardens. We could take the narrated walk tonight, but we've already formed our opinions today. You be the judge via the photos we took.

The Pratt Museum has a camera on Gull Island, teaming with 6,000 birds, and a webcam that will be operational as soon as the bears come to MacNeil River Preserve. The salmon, like summer, are running late this year. I have provided the museum link as the Bear Cam in the Links section on the right. Keep checking till it is live.

The Islands and Oceans Center is an outstanding architectural wonder set on the hillside above Cook Inlet, and they have free guided encounters along the beaches. It is a consortium of several conservation agencies including Alaska Fish and Wildlife and the Alaska Wildlife Refuge.

I accidentally found a yoga class this morning. Felt SO good. The locals were talking about what a blustery day yesterday was. I was glad to hear that. If those were normal winds, I would think they were crazy to live here. They refer going over the the south shore of the bay, which requires a water taxi or your own boat, as crossing over. "Are you thinking of crossing over today?" On the other side is Kachemak State Park with numerous glaciers coming down from the Harding Ice Field, trails for hiking, inlets for kayaking, and quaint art shopping, dinner, or just visiting native villages.

The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies sponsors walks at their research center across the bay and guided kayak trips in the coves. We are going to try that tomorrow, rain or shine. Probably rain. They say we don't want sunshine, or we will get winds. We are officially "crossing over."

Daisy is loving her new long line walks. She dives into the shrubbery along the trail to the beach, with nothing but her butt sticking out of the grass. She runs to the water's edge, smells the kelp, leaps over the driftwood logs. She is definitely getting more exercise. So am I. I have been walking a lot lately. But tomorrow will be the real test of a walk the locals rate "moderate". I am also supposed to wear rubber boots for the muck and the mud. Oh boy.

In case Daisy forgets to update her log, there were two more moose sightings on the way down to Homer. Rumor has it the Pratt Museum moose and bear are frequently sighted on the trails too.

Fishermen, this is your paradise. Halibut everywhere. Toss your hook and you come up with your limit. The Homer sweepstakes winner so far is 271 lbs. Normally, the winning fish will be over 300 lbs. That's a lot of fillets!

On the way down the Sterling Hiway, I wanted to hike to a falls on the Russian River where salmon run and bears fish. The line for parking places was about a dozen deep, all fishermen. No one could go in until someone left. Knowing fishermen, that was going to take all day. On the way back, I will get there earlier in the day. On the Kenai river, the fishermen were standing shoulder to shoulder. Reds are running.

Elsewhere, Exxon got its punitive damages reduced by the Supreme Court to about 4 days of net income. Given what I have seen of the Alaskans' side, the decision is unfortunate. Many many people had their way of life changed forever, and the fisheries are still not recovered. Naturally, the local papers agree with my sentiments.