All the Way West

And that would be Homer, Alaska. This is as far west as we are going to get. Not quite to Russia, although we understand that it can be seen from.........

Homer is the halibut fishing capital of the world. We checked out full and half day fishing trips, but it was decided that the weather wasn't great and we could buy an awful lot of fresh frozen halibut for the price of going out on a boat, having the fish cleaned and packed, and having it shipped home. Sorry!

That is a picture taken from up on a scenic drive. It is the Homer Spit. That's where all the fishing action takes place. It has a bit of boardwalk with shops, lots of fishing charter places, and several restaurants.

Down the road from our RV park was the Alaskan Oceans and Islands Center. It was very interesting and covered several aspects of the ocean research that goes on in the area. After spending time in the center, we went on an Estuary Hike with a guide from the center. We learned a lot about the river and ocean connection, and about how important these estuaries are to our lives. Like shrimp and baby salmon.

We walked out into the estuary on a floating boardwalk. The guided pointed out the grey sandy-dusty residue that clogged the cracks in the boards. Volcanic dust from Mount Redoubt! That explained the dusty look that all the roads and buildings have. It's not in the air at all, and except by the road, the grass and trees and all aren't dusty.

Just out of town, at the top of the hill, there is an overlook that had some gardens. This is blue forget-me-nots, which is the state flower. It is surprising how many flowers there are on the side of the road. You don't think of lots of flowers blooming in Alaska, but with almost 20 hours of daylight at this point, it gives them a whole lot of growing time, which has to happen because it will be cold and dark in a few months!

The small theater in Homer shows three shows a day. One at 4, one at 6, and one after that. they were showing Angels and Demons, so we thought we would go. Turned out to be dinner and a show! For $8, you could buy a piece of pizza, or a hot dog, a beverage, and a bag of popcorn or candy to eat in the theater. Oh, and you had a choice of beef hot dog or reindeer hot dog. No need to ask which one we had. No Comet or Cupid on a bun for us!

We will be heading north next. Back up to Kenai and Soldotna before we head toward Anchorage.

Jim and Sue