However, it still is worth a dirty truck to see Alaska! Our first stop in Homer was a scenic overlook which allowed us to view the Homer Spit, a sliver of land protruding into Kachemak Bay. It is believed to have been the creation of glacial action or possibly tides and current activity creating a 4.5 mile long sand bar. From this vantage point Homer Spit looked barely above sea level.
While I took a few photos Peggy went back to the pickup to get our binoculars. And are we ever glad she did! As she scanned the scenery and water before us she asked me to look at the water over there. She gave me the binoculars and her finger indicated the approximate area so I aimed, focused, and zoomed the binoculars, and I could not believe my eyes! Are they? Could it be? It was a pod of Orcas! Killer whales!!! At first I couldn't tell for sure but the telltale large, pointed dorsal fin gave them away. Later in the day as we related our find, it was confirmed by the resident expert on all things Homer and Homer Spit, a bartender!
As a fog bank began to roll across the bay we left the overlook and drove through Homer which was somewhat reminiscent of most small towns. We continued driving following the signs to the Homer Spit. Once on the Spit the neck of land wasn't much wider than the two lane Sterling Highway we were on. After about 1 mile it grew and become broad enough to have shops and boardwalks on either side of the road and room a marina for small boats and large, ocean-going fishing boats. The "Time Bandit" fishing boat from Deadliest Catch TV show fame is housed here, but unfortunately it was out of port.
We found parking and walked to a bakery that reputedly has great cinnamon rolls. We were lucky as they had two left. Peggy and I both agreed that the best cinnamon rolls we have had were found north of Fort St. Johns, BC, at The Shepard’s Inn.
We drove the remainder of the way to the tip of the Spit called Land's End, marking the end of the Sterling Highway and the Spit. We walked the beach here and found a memorial to a lady who spent much of her life caring for and preserving bald eagles.
We went back to where the road on the Spit was lined with shops and cafes. This provided for an opportunity for some pictures of the storefronts and the boat harbor. We also came upon a shrine which memorializes sailors from Homer and the area who have been lost at sea.
We had walked both sides of the road and came upon The Salty Dawg, built in 1897, and now a bar. It is constructed of old logs and is about 7' high. When you enter you need to duck to get through the short door. Once inside you see the walls and ceiling plastered with $1 bills, each containing the name of a person or a business, or maybe containing a witty saying, along with a variety of photographs. This is how the bar handles people wanting to leave something behind. The bartender said it is the only establishment that could be held up with a Bic lighter. I can't imagine how many dollars are tacked up here.
The bar has 7 stools and there are maybe 4 tables in this small, quaint space. I told Peggy that it was 5:00 somewhere, which is true as it was noon in Homer. So we sat at the bar and visited with the bartender (remember he confirmed that we saw orcas!). People would come and go, many just to take a photo, and a few to quaff a drink. Since the sign on the Spit said Land's End and we were in this old but famous place, I had to have a T-shirt. While we were there another lady came in and bought $270 worth of shirts and sweatshirts.
From there we walked back to a restaurant that supposedly had "excellent" grilled halibut. The menu was posted in the window and to my dismay it listed grilled halibut only on the dinner menu, not for lunch. But, we had overheard the bartender at the Salty Dawg recommend the "la Baleine Cafe". We walked back to this small, hole-in-the-wall kind of place. It sported two tables inside and two picnic tables outside. But they had on their menu salmon bowls containing a generous portion of grilled salmon, a variety of pan cooked mixed veggies and fruits, and brown rice. Peggy will confirm that the bartender really knew what he was talking about with this place's food. And, the bowl was only $10 each! The grill halibut dinner at the other restaurant was $27 for one.
While we ate 2 men slightly older than us asked if they could join us as we ate at the picnic table. One was from Wisconsin, the other now from Texas. We joked back and forth about Nebraska being in the Big 10. When one of them rather boasted about the Green Bay Packers, I had to stand my ground and admit that I rooted for the MN Vikings. It gave us something to banter back and forth.
From Spit we drove back into the town of Homer. I was on a bit of a quest to purchase a connector that would allow the sewer hose to connect to another sewer hose. And, Ace was the place as that hardware store had exactly what was needed. To complete this part of the story, the site we were camped in had the sewer connection a long ways in back in our site. My hose alone would not reach. Bob, the campground host, loaned me a hose to complete the distance to the drain. I just needed the connector.
From the hardware store we went to the Alaska Island and Oceans Visitors Center. There we were introduced to a variety of information about sea life around Alaska. There were very good exhibits and videos shown.
We had time and energy for one more stop which occurred on the way back to our campground. By driving a few miles on the old, original Sterling Highway, we went to Anchor Point State Park found on the Cook Inlet between Homer and Ninilchik. What we found to be the most fascinating thing was that the paved ended at the beach and is the westernmost highway found in North America! I doubt that I'll ever make it to the other 3 direction's outermost highways, so this was impressive to us.
After dinner Peggy and I walked the campground with camera in hand as the views of the 3 volcanoes were better than yesterday's so we took a few pictures. We also walked a trail which took us up a bit higher on the bluff overlooking the Cook Inlet.
Tomorrow we are off at 4:00 a.m. to make it to our 4:30 halibut fishing charter. I can't wait!
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