The ride down to Homer is gorgeous. I'm continually astonished by the beauty, diversity and vastness of this state. We stopped at Portage glacier; too early for the visitor center, but there was an absence of people in general, making it a quiet, idyllic spot on Portage Lake. Next we stopped at Cooper Landing, where the shockingly blue, turquoise water of the Kenai River, literally caused us to brake and pull off the highway ( that happens a lot on Alaska roads, much to the chagrin of the locals). We snapped a few photos and continued south, following the river most of the way. The river is dotted with fishing camps, each little town boasts rafting, fish packing/shipping, and general outdoor fun.
Alaska 1 Highway twists and turns through soaring mountains, rushing rivers, expanses of tundra, and jaw dropping scenery around every turn. The traffic is thick in some spots, but nothing like I've encountered in Florida. We pass throu Sterling, Clam Gultch, and Soldotna ( The U.S. Bought Alaska from Russia, the influence is obvious in certain parts of the state). By now, we need a cup of coffee to wake up a little and break up the drive. We spy a little hut overlooking the inlet (the highway cut close to the water, Cook Inlet, up near Clam Gultch with heart stopping views of the mountains across the water); painted a festive yellow, bright red chairs on the deck, and festooned with flowers in coffee pots, the Buzz Cup in Ninilchik was the ticket! We chatted with owners - two gay guys from Las Vegas - then walked over to the little state park next door to sip our buzz cups ( double espresso in drip,coffee) and take in the view. Then, and eagle swoops down into the tree next to us with a fish...OMG...I start snapping pix and a second eagle swoops by, knocking he fish out of the first eagles grip. Am I buzzed or what?! We resume our drive towards Homer and I keep thinking, how do two gay guys from Las Vegas decide to relocate to Ninilchik Alaska to serve coffee to tourists? I try to imagine the conversation. We stopped by on our way back from Homer as well; they treated us like old friends!
Anchor Point, the town just before you reach Homer, is a popular fishing destination for Homerites ( the tourists take over in the summer, so the locals fish elsewhere). The skyline drive overlook begs you to stop just prior to Homer town limits, the panaramic view of Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet are staggering. I didn't know where to look first. Snap d several photos then headed into town to find our hotel. I have to confess, I fell in love with Homer; if the school district could promise me I wouldn't freeze to death that first winter, I would move. Our hotel looked like an Arctic prison camp - seriously. But it was situated on the bay, every room a breathtaking view of those beautiful mountains. The interior of the rooms were nice, comfy, not Arctic prison at all. We would be just fine for the night.
I had a long list of places to see in Homer, photo opps, wildlife, art, and food. We walked the historical district in five minutes, spending a good deal of time at the artists co-op. The wind was icy coming off the bay, but you could tell which ones were the locals...they were in tank tops and flip flops! Homer is a fishing port, locals make their living fishing the icy waters. The Time Bandit, from the reality show Deadliest Catch docks in Homer harbor. The Homer Spit, a narrow jut of land that reaches into the bay from the mainland, is a ramshackle assemblage of fishing charters, gift shops, restaurants, and fish cleaning stalls. Camping along the stretch of stony beach is permitted. Boats everywhere in the harbor, and an RV camping area surrounds two sides of the harbor.
We enjoyed the festive atmosphere of the spit, ate our full of halibut at Captain Patties, and watched the experts filet fish. We walked to the beach in front of the hotel where I picked up more rocks, and then enjoyed the view from our balcony. We would spend the morning shooting photos at the harbor before the tourists descended, then make our way back north and southeast to Seward
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