Alaska 2008

Another cool gray dawn, We were told that this summer in this part of Alaska has been cooler and more cloudy than usual... just our luck. We had decided that since the trip to Homer was only about a 4 1/2 hour trip, we would get a later start then we normally do on a travel day. The route takes us down the Seward Highway around Turnagain Arm and into the Kenai Peninsula. Once in the Kenai Peninsula the road climbs and winds its way through the Kenai Mountains. About 90 miles from Anchorage we pick up the Sterling Highway which follows the Kenai River west to Soldotna. At Soldotna the road heads south and ends at the Homer Spit.

The weather closed in on us as we drove along Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm. When we passed the area where our friends, the Coburns, live, we were hard pressed to see the houses at the top of the hill where they live. We could only catch occasional glimpses of the Kenai Mountains on the other side of Turnagain Arm. Once in the Kenai Peninsula, the clouds lifted a bit, but still obscured the higher peaks.

Our campsite in Homer is on the Homer Spit, a tongue of land sticking out into Kachemak Bay. The site is on one side of the spit and our view is of snow capped mountains. The mountain tops were obscured by clouds and it was hazy so we didn't take any pictures of our surroundings today. Hopefully we can get a clearer day and get some good shots. The Spit is a tourist and fishing mecca. There are many charter boats available to take you fishing in-shore or open seas for halibut, some of which grow to monstrous sizes. For the person who is not into fishing, the spit has the typical shops you might find in any beachfront community.