Homer

Alaska Hwy. 1, a Scenic Byway, brought us to Anchorage and it is now taking us to Homer – and let me tell you, that it lives up to its name.

Unnamed Glacier

Almost the entire drive is by the coastline of the Cook Inlet and the Kachemak Bay.  Both which empty into the Gulf of Alaska.  The mountains to the West, initially, are the Chigmit Mountains and the East view was provided by the Chugach Mountains and the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.  By the time we reached Homer (at the southwest portion of the Kenai Peninsula), the mountains to the west are now part of the Aleutian Mountain Range.

Approximately 6 miles outside of Homer, a scenic view point and beautiful gardens provide an outstanding view of Kachemak Bay, mountains, glaciers, the ocean and Homer Spit.  

Himalayan Blue Poppies

 

Notice the "Spit" jutting out on this picture

The “spit” is a long narrow bar of gravel.  It juts out for 4.5 miles from the Homer Shore.  Our campground is on the Homer Spit. An interesting point to note, is that after the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964 (see yesterday’s post), the Spit sank 4-6 feet.  Many buildings had to be relocated to higher ground.

This week, kicked off the Salmon fishing season.  Fisherman can be seen on every water source during the trip.  On the Homer Spit, adjacent to our campground, we found a fishing lagoon that traps the fish during low tide.  As can be seen, many are taking advantage of this natural occurrence.

View from the back window of our RV during low tide:

Many Bald Eagles were seen en-route here and upon arrival.  They continue to be elusive and avoid our cameras.  But we are persistent.