Homer, Alaska
July 21, 2023
The last post ended with “Summer came on a Thursday this year,” and it was only later that we fully understood what that meant. Kenai peninsula locals told us this was the wettest and coldest summer since Alaska became a state (1959). Not sure if they were exaggerating, but we did not see Robin’s egg-blue skies and clear weather as often as normal.
We drove south on the Sterling Highway to Homer, stopping in Ninilchik to see the historic Transfiguration of Our Lord Russian Orthodox church.
Larry detoured to Deep Creek to watch fishing boats load from the Cook Inlet right onto trailers on the beach! This is an art form, and Eric the boat captain said he usually gets a standing ovation.
We’ve been to Homer before, and though she is mostly retired, Mossy Kilcher at Seaside Farm graciously hosted us as return visitors. We leveled the camper on a wet grassy slope and walked down to the little cabins overlooking Kachemak Bay that we had rented before with our daughters.
On that visit, Mossy took us on a tour of the Kilcher farm before it became famous on the TV Show “Alaska The Last Frontier.” It never gets old to watch the show and occasionally exclaim to each other “We were there!”
The next morning we were scheduled to take a flight to see the bears catching salmon at Brooks Falls. Our departure was delayed by dense fog at the float plane base. As we all waited, we watched the webcam at Brooks Falls, where there were only a few bears due to a later-than-normal salmon run this year. The weather did not cooperate with us that day, and despite heroic efforts, our tour operator could not reschedule us for another day or to a different location. So we spent the morning at Homer Spit where we walked the beach at a very low tide, finding starfish, picking up lost fishing lures, and skipping rocks into the water with some kids.
We realized that our comings and goings with the truck in the soft wet grass would not leave a good look for an impending wedding, so we thanked Mossy and her son and moved to the Elks Lodge in town.
There were magnificent views of Kachemak Bay, Cook Inlet, and Kenai Fjords with friendly fellow Elks full of information about their hometown.
Then, it rained and rained and – rained.
One day we took the camper back down the Homer Spit and spent the day at the End of the Road Park. We watched boats of all sizes come and go, anglers having varied success, and seagulls aggravating a bald eagle family in their nest. Seafood chowder for lunch at the Lands End Resort lived up to its stellar reputation!
Walking around the marina and Homer Spit tourist shops made for a fun afternoon.
And then… just before midnight, we were awakened by blaring sirens and loudspeaker messages to evacuate for a tsunami! The sirens and messages repeated several times and we also received warnings on our cell phones. Our location (right under the sirens 😂) was only a little above sea level so a tsunami could wash us away! The warning extended to the whole Kenai peninsula so we debated where it would be safe. The tsunami arrival time was less than an hour away, and we could see no one was leaving on the main road! Were we all going to get interesting obituaries for our collective foolishness or did they know something we didn’t? The sirens stopped, and we spent a tense fifteen minutes researching options. Our phones then updated the tsunami warning for just the Aleutian Islands, meaning we were safe. It was a while before we got back to sleep! At least one Alaska newspaper even commented on the confusion.
One rainy day we ate delicious Halibut fish and chips for lunch at a local diner called the Boatyard Cafe. Afterward, we went to the Pratt Museum, where Larry practiced getting into the lifesaving survival suit in case his fishing boat capsized (welcome to Homer, where disasters await!). The time limit was 30 seconds and he made it!!
Outside their restored homestead cabin were these delicate flowers called bleeding hearts, and I think they are the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen!
When we were kids, rain meant mud puddles to play in—so we channeled our inner child and went to play in the mud on an Argo Adventure! Argo is a brand of amphibious ATVs with 8 wheels that run on tracks. Larry had wanted to drive one of these for years after seeing one in a wilderness video, and Destination Alaska Charters in Homer offered a tour.
See the bear tracks – someone else was out in the mud!
Although this was the only day it didn’t rain all day, there was still plenty of water and mud to play in!
We went about 32 miles past Caribou Lake in slough, marsh, hillsides, and streams, with a stop midway for a delicious lunch.
An Argo has got to be the ultimate Alaska land play toy!
This visit to Homer may be over, but we’d like to spend several weeks here next trip as there is so much to do. It’s time to head on to Seward for more adventures. Pumpernickel enjoying the view at our boondocking campsite at Trail Lake viewpoint on Upper Trail Lakes near Moose Pass.
As a young reader I loved the poetry and illustrations in Maurice Sendak’s books for children like scary Where the Wild Things Are or silly Chicken Soup With Rice where every month of the year had a reason to enjoy soup. Since the month of July in his book didn’t mentioned rain, mud or an Argo, I made up my own version 😂 (apologies to Mr. Sendak)
If July storms
Rain soup all day
Get your Argo
Go out to play
Muddy puddles
Need romped away
Romping once
Romping twice
Romping chicken soup
With rice