Homer Spit, Alaska

Homer Pennock was a confidence man who created numerous schemes to separate the wealthy from their money.  In 1986, he set up base camp on the Homer Spit, named in his honor by the hopeful gold miners in his crew, and sought gold throughout Cook Inlet.  Pennock established bogus mining companies then traveled to the East Coast to sell stock in them.  

It is believed that the Spits origin is the remains of an ancient glacial moraine constantly being reshaped by ocean currents.  Two archaeological finds revealing fire-cracked rocks and shells indicate that people gathered clams and mussels here and cooked them over open fires thousands of years ago.  The Pacific Eskimo was known to have lived here along with the Athabaskan Indians who moved into Cook Inlet about 1,000 years ago.  In the late 1700's, Russian explorers and traders added their culture and named some of the geographic features.

The village of Homer was located on the tip of the Spit from 1896 to 1902.  In 1910, the town of Homer developed near the base of the Spit and grew to encompass the foothills as more settlers moved into the country.  Towns on the south side of Kachemak Bay had already established fisheries but the dynamics of the area changed when Homer was linked by road to the rest of the world in 1950.  The focus then shifted to the north side of the bay involving some businesses to be deconstructed in Seldovia and Halibut Bay and barged across to be rebuilt.  

The Homer Spit is a very busy place. There are many tourists who come to visit and stay in RV parks on the Spit to check out the town.  But the majority of people have come here to fish because Homer is the 'Halibut Capital of the World'.  

There are cars and RVs everywhere, some just sitting by the water or alongside the road.  We were surprised (we shouldn't have been) that so many vehicles were from Alaska.  On the weekends the town is packed with people fishing for halibut and salmon and many of them are resident Alaskans. 

This free parking lot was always full.  I guess seven days is not considered long term parking.

There is also an Alaskan cruise ship that comes up from Seattle to stop at several ports.  In the background is the Lands End Hotel and Restaurant where many of the people stay.

Katchemak Bay is a 40-mile long arm of Cook Inlet located on the southwest side of the Kenai Peninsula. Upwelling oceanic currents move past the lower Cook Inlet into the mouth of the bay. Circulating currents called gyres draw this warmer water with its load of plankton, organic and inorganic particles further into the bay. The Homer Spit directs the nutrient laden broth into gyres farther up the bay where it is stirred together with fresh stream water and silty glacial meltwater from the mountains.

Adding fresh water dilutes the salt and other minerals in the seawater and increase its clarity.  Clearer water allows sunlight to penetrate and warm the depths, promoting plankton and algae growth.  Glacial silt provides silica for growing shells and skeletons.  Organic material suspended in the bay's water column mixes with these other ingredients forming what they call a rich broth.  This broth is responsible for the unusual abundance of organisms that make Katchemak Bay one of the world's most productive marine ecosystems. 

The Spit in Katchemak Bay from a highway view in the mountains.

The forces of nature that built the Homer Spit might have washed it away years ago if human intervention had not happened.  Winter storms out of the northwest try to separate the 4.5 mile strip of sand and gravel from the mainland but rock walls and perseverance keep it intact.

The people who live on the Spit have extraordinary homes built to stay.

This resident must have been an artist.  He owned a large part of land along the Spit and had all kinds of  'displays'  throughout his property.

Late July through mid-August is considered summer in Homer, Alaska.  We certainly came at the right time. There are many plants in bloom so the area is very pretty.  

Homer is called the City of Peonies.  There are over 25 farms that raise peonies and sell them to all 50 states and overseas.  The growing conditions are perfect for the plant and they are shipped fresh overnight to all parts of the world.  Peonies are the number one flower for brides and special events with Alaska having the exclusive market during July, August, and September.  

Surprisingly, I only saw this one in bloom although there were buds ready to open. 

The Homer Spit is a wild and crazy place and a lot of fun.  We enjoyed walking down the Spit checking out the shops and artist galleries, restaurants and bars.  There is always plenty to do.  Fishermen with their catches can get right off the boat and take the fish to a processor who will clean and fillet the fish and then flash freeze the fish for travel.

We also went into the iconic Salty Dawg Saloon because we had heard so much about it.

Okay, here's the deal.  You walk into the bar and buy an expensive beer.  You have to pay in cash and you don't get a glass unless you are having a cocktail or a shot.  You take a dollar bill and sign it and tack it to the wall, or ceiling, or post or wherever there is a space.    

At the end of the season when they shut down they harvest the majority of the bills.  Some bills way up on the ceiling they leave there because they are too hard to get to.  Since the bills have been  defaced they are no longer considered legal tender.  The bar has a deal with the government to get back full face value on the dollars.  The bar owner then donates the money to charity.  Last season they donated $10,000.

We added to the cause.

After a beer at the Salty Dawg, and a tour through their gift shop behind the saloon called Salty Girls, we decided to have lunch at one of the restaurants.

Notice anything strange about the King Crab in the picture?

Some of the artwork inside the restaurant carved from wood.

The day was perfect!  Sunny, warm, with a gorgeous view of the bay and a glass of wine.

We had pan fried halibut in a mango chutney sauce with broccolini and rice pilaf.  Delicious!

There is a sidewalk that runs the whole length of the Spit and it is a great place to walk the dogs.  When the tide is out the beaches are also a fun place to stroll.

Desi jumping in the weeds looking for a critter.  He surprised us by actually finding two small mice in different spots and bringing them out to dump them on the walkway.  Considering he is almost totally blind that was quite a coup for him.

We decided to take an excursion across the bay to Katchemak Bay State Park.  The only way to get there is by boat.  We rented a water taxi and the cost was $80 per person round-trip.  We were dropped off on the beach and took a trail to Grewingk Glacier which is on the other side of Grewingk Glacier Lake.  We had to be back at another beach 4.5 hours later to catch the boat taxi back to Homer Spit. The trail to the glacier is 3.5 miles but the trail is moderate.  

Part of the time we were walking in heavy woods and other times in fields.  The trail was rocky in spots but not too bad.  The incline was only 50 feet and graduated very slowly.  We had been warned to wear layered clothing and carry mosquito spray.  We were also carrying bear spray because a momma bear and two cubs had been spotted recently.      

This is the boat we went across the bay in.  Luxurious to a fault with no life jackets.  I sat on a plastic step stool used to help people in and out of the boat.  The Captain sat on the side of the boat on the edge.  We were carrying two backpacks, hiking sticks, had on hiking boots, and the pups were with us so they were on leashes.  Three other people joined us on the trip over the water.   It was another beautiful day and the waters were very calm.

On the beach! 

We caught this little guy sassing us from a tree.

The day became warmer so we took off our jackets and started shedding layers.

This flowering plant had already gone to seed.  It might have been dandelions.

Our first glimpse of the glacier from the trail.  

About a quarter mile from the lake the air got much cooler and a wonderful breeze came up.  We could definitely feel the change.  And then as we rounded a corner we were there.  Although the water of the lake has a milky color to it from the volcanic ash, it is actually very pure and clean.

The pups went in right away to cool off and drink some water.  But they didn't stay in long.

This young Goldie jumped into the water again and again to fetch a stick.

I thought this piece of ice looked like a proud bird.

It was the most beautiful place.  We stayed there for an hour and just enjoyed the peace and quiet.  There were several other people there and two of them actually jumped into the lake to swim.   The pups were tired by this time so they had their snack and laid down to rest. 

I picked up a piece of ice from the lake and it was so clear and pure.

After our relaxing hour we started the hike back to the beach.  They told us we had to walk over a 350 foot elevation called the Saddle to get to another part of the beach where the boats would be.  The afternoon tide changes where they can land.

The hike back to the beach was rugged.  The trail was rocky with steep drops and hard to navigate.  Once we made it up the 350 incline we had to then start down the decline on the other side.  There were places where we struggled to not fall but the worst part was a series of steep steps straight down.  The pups were off leash which was good because we could barely maintain the trail by ourselves.  The first series of 20 steps down Desi got through okay.  The second group he got scared and tried to climb back up.  The Captain had to gently convince him he had to go down.  When the steps ended there was a large section of good-sized boulders we had to cross over. I told the Captain they do this so the tourists won't want to come back again.  We made it down and even Desi found his way across the boulders.  One would think this would be the worst for him but not to be.

Heading down the Saddle Trail to the beach.

This St Bernard was on the beach and came over to greet us as we found rocks to sit on waiting for the water taxi.

The water taxis picked us up about 30 minutes late and we were glad to get back on the boat.  Another couple was riding back with us.  The boat driver said the waves had come up in the bay and the trip back would be choppier.  He wasn't kidding.

We saw a few homes alongside the beach but most of the Kachemak Bay State Park is undeveloped.

As we left the shoreline we saw twenty sea otters lounging around in the water.

The ride home was an adventure.  The other couple on the boat with us went inside the cabin to sit.  We had our backpacks, and hiking sticks, and dogs, so we stayed outside.  I sat on the step chair again but against the wall of the cabin.  The Captain sat on a cooler on the other side of me with his back to the cabin.  Poor Desi got under the Captain's legs and just held on and Lucy stayed between the two of us.  Wow!  Up and down, up and down.  And every down was a smash onto the water with sea spray coming over the side of the boat.  It was quite a half hour trip but we survived and all of us got off the boat in one piece.

Our last day in Homer Spit was a true rain day.  It started early morning and continued most of the day.  I'm glad we stayed here a week because we were able to enjoy the nice weather.  So many visitors come in for two days and leave and they don't get to truly enjoy the area. 

We braved the rain and went out to dinner at Captain Pattie's which was rated as the best seafood restaurant on the Spit.  We had halibut again and it was good but I preferrred the other restaurant we had gone to before.  I guess I'm just not into dill seasoning.

  

We had a great time on Homer Spit. I would call it one of my favorite stops.  But it's time to move on.  Our next adventure on our summer trek is Soldotka, Alaska.  Peace!