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| Sheep Mountain Lodge |
We decided once again to change plans and skip our trip to Seward. We would stop in Anchorage at Costco to look for replacement chairs and if they didn't have any, then go to Cabela's on the south end of the city. Cabela's offers FREE overnight parking, too.
In the little burg of Chickaloon, a cow moose ran right in front of us. George had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting her. Off she went across the road to the woods on the other side.
We did not find chairs at Costco but we did pay for our stay at Cabela's. Found three new chairs, two new rain jackets, and a few other little items. Next to Cabela's was a Target store where we could procure a few other sundry items. It was another night of eating out at Xalo's (pronounced more like "hollows"). Had delicious burritos for supper.
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| Our "campsite" @ Cabela's in Anchorage |
Our next day's journey would finally land us in Homer out on the Kenai. This was our first day of driving in really rainy conditions. We arrived at our beachfront campsite at Heritage RV Park out on Homer's famed spit. The site was not cheap, but the view was worth it. The only odd thing is the beachfront sites are set up for motorhomes to pull in to so all of the hookups were on the opposite side of the site. With our fifth wheel, we had to back in and run our water hose and electric cord under the trailer. Our friends, King and Bernie, came down later that evening so we could coordinate our next few days together.
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| Turnagain Arm (south of Anchorage leading to the Kenai Peninsula) |
The next morning, King and Bernie picked us up and we started off with our sightseeing of Homer. We drove out to Land's End which is the end of the spit. We learned more about Jean, the Eagle Lady, who became famous for caring for the eagles. She has since passed away and it is now illegal to feed the birds. From there we visited the Mariners Memorial and then made a stop at the Salty Dawg Saloon. We signed a dollar bill and pinned it to the wall along with thousands of others.
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| Gray Sunrise |
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| Us @ Land's End - Homer Spit |
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| Memorial |
The sea tells a story.
It tells of the life it brings,
And the lives it claims.
Its deep dark waters are home to some,
A final resting place for others.
The sea tells a story.
It tells of the cycle of life
Running through its waters.
Fish, spawning, dying, sinking to the ocean floor,
Returning to the circle that engulfs all life.
The sea tells a story.
It tells of prosperity,
Yet how that prosperity can be unforgiving.
Nearly everyone will experience its vastness.
But some will remain there forever.
~Ryan Bundy, 1996
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| Our Dollar Bill @ Salty Dawg's |
Lunch was at Captain Patty's where we all enjoyed a delicious meal. At lunch, we asked Bernie if she knew of a place in town to get haircuts. Unbeknownst to us, she was a beautician before she retired and she offered to cut my mom's and my hair. King was having the prop on his boat re-pitched and he needed to take the boat out for a quick spin including a trip to Gull Island which is a bird sanctuary. Unfortunately, Mom was not able to navigate the ramp out of to the docks because of the steep pitch so she went back to the camper while the rest of us took a ride. That is how we wrapped up our day.
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| Gull Island |
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| Sea Otters |
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| Sea Otter |
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| Sunset Across the Spit and Bay |
Friday saw us doing more sightseeing of Homer. We started with breakfast at Duncan's Cafe and then walked across the street to Nomar's which manufactures fleece clothing along with boat upholstery and tops. We were able to get a personalized tour from the store owner. From there we went to my new favorite hardware store. Why is it my new favorite? Because it also has a quilt shop section! Next on the list was a tour of Bay Weld Boats where King and Bernie's boat was built. It was fascinating seeing the aluminum boats being built in various stages of completion. One of the Alaska State Troopers boats, the 42' Churchill, was in to be re-powered from three to four new 300 hp outboard engines. Four!
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| Panoramic View of the Homer Spit |
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| Bernie, King, Susan, Sally & George |
All of the tours made us thirsty so we went to the Bear Creek Winery just a short distance from Bay Weld. All of their wines were blended with other fruits like blueberries, peaches, apples or black raspberries. Very interesting flavors! Then we went to Grace Ridge Brewing and got six tasters of beers. Nothing was a favorite of ours. We ended up at Homer Brewing that we liked much better.
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| Chinese Pagoda Primrose @ the Winery |
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| Sunbathing Turtle @ the Winery |
Saturday was halibut fishing day! The conditions were not as great as Friday but we went any way. All I know is that we were in Kachemak (CATCH-a-mack) Bay. Waaaay out there! Shortly after we anchored in four-five foot seas, Bernie had the first (and what turned out to be the largest) halibut on the hook. It was approximately 20 pounds. Small, they said, compared to years ago when fish that size were released. Today they were keepers. There is a limit of two fish per person and in less than two hours it was reached. After fishing was done, we headed for the port of Seldovia. What a cute little place it turned out to be. Reachable via boat or airplane, it has about 280 residents. The tide was out so the slough was empty when we walked along their boardwalk. Several cute houses on piers front the slough. We watched several eagles and seagulls before heading to the boat for our ride back to Homer. We took the scenic route behind the islands so King could clean our fish in calmer conditions. Along the way we saw several kayakers and sea otters. Mom had dinner of chicken and noodles waiting for us when we got back to shore. We finished our tiring day off with a bowl of ice cream.
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| Fish on! |
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| Some of our catch with King |
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| Sign in Seldovia |
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| Seldovia Cottages |
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| More Cottages Along the Empty Slough (tide's out) |
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| Eagles at Seldovia |
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| Heading back - such beautiful scenery |
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| Hello from a Sea Otter! |
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| Our friends, Bernie & King |
We said our goodbyes to King and Bernie on Sunday morning and pulled out of Homer, heading for Portage and Whittier. It was a great few days there. My favorite place so far.
Its a bit disappointing that there were no pictures of the beer and breweries. I mean...come on man!
ReplyDeleteGlad you found chairs!
We loved Homer; we stayed in the same park, we ate at Patty's. Bill caught halibut ; (I did like your mom and it was kind of nice having the whole RV to myself -- all 10 feet of it). The next day we took a tour boat to Seldovia and I wanted to move there. I took a million pictures just in that little village alone.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you had a great time there. I bet you were happy to get some more chairs.
ReplyDelete