We went up to one of the little wooden shacks and got a
coffee, sitting in the warm sunshine on the boardwalk – This really is such a
peaceful place. While having our coffee
(and a yummy cinnamon roll !), we decided to check on the day cruise across
Kachemak Bay on the Danny J. Today was
sunny – Tomorrow might not be, so we booked it, to depart at about 12
noon. Back to the campsite for a quick
shower and to lock the car up and we then wandered up past some of the
interesting permanent RV’ used by the locals, past the Time Bandit (from TV
show The Deadliest Catch), to board the Danny J for the ride out to Halibut
Cove. Unfortunately a big black cloud decided to dump on us right at that
moment, and as there is minimal under cover seating, we all donned the
waterproof ponchos that were supplied and sat and enjoyed it !! Luckily it
didn’t last for long and we were soon back in the sunshine and heading across
the bay to Gull Island. This rock is
covered in nesting gulls, which rise in swarms every time an eagle comes over
looking for some “fast food” of one of the chicks ! Some guillemots were in the
water, but the puffins one occasionally sees were nowhere to be seen, either in
the water or up in their nest on the rock – They nest in burrows in the soil on
the very top of the rock, and we could see the holes, but no puffins. Nuffin, in fact.
We then continued on to Halibut Cove, and small community
of artists who live out here, some all year round, and have amazing houses on
stilts in order to stay about the 25 ft plus tides here. There is also a great
restaurant called the Saltry, and we huddled around the log fire (half the
restaurant is out doors – Undercover, but out doors) so it is quite cold, while
we waited for our food. We had some clam
chowder, and then the fish tacos, and they were very good ! Also found this great local stout called
Roughneck Stout, “a tribute to the oil rig workers of our great state” – Why
doesn’t Australia do a beer like this – The name, not the stout ???
After lunch we went for a wander round the walkways
around the island, and then on going back to the harbour to catch the ferry
back to Homer, found a sea otter lying on his back in the water, having a
zizzzz. All that was moving slowly was
his tail, just waggling enough to keep him moving. So cute.
When I whistled at him, he opened his eyes and turned and looked at me
as if to say “Hey, QUIET. Can’t you see I am busy sleeping out here !” We just watched him for half an hour or more.
With the increasing warmth (relatively) of the Alaskan
spring, there are many more wild flowers around this time – and we saw some
wild sweet peas and lupins are everywhere, as well as wild roses. With 22 hours of sunshine, everything grows
very quickly here, with world record vegetables often being grown.
Additionally, nearly every Alaskan has window boxes, or old wheel barrows, or
old toilets (yup !), or other types of flower pots outside their front doors,
with bright flowers growing in them, or early vegetables – It makes the whole
place so vibrant and colourful.
After we got back into Homer, we walked up and check out
the halibut hanging at the “Welcome to Homer” sign, and then went for a beer in
the well known Sawlty Dog saloon – Which is a bit full of city types boasting
of their catch of the day……One beer was enough ! Interesting little bar though !
By then it was time to do laundry, try and catch up on
the blog a little (I am trying, honestly !!), have a bite to eat and turn
in. We plan for tomorrow to be a
relaxation day – Doing nothing. We have
been travelling almost non stop now for a month, so we need a nothing day
! And what better place to do it than on
the beach in Homer ? The wind had been blowing pretty hard all day, but by the
time we went to bed it had dropped, and was another lovely evening beside the
beach, 4 miles out in the ocean !!
With a lazy day planned, and a lovely sunny morning with
little wind (I didn’t say it was hot !!), we woke up and decided that a good
breakfast was in order. Except for a
couple of occasions when we have been on the road, we have made do with cereal
and yoghurt and a cup of tea for breakfast, but we decided to see if we could
find something more substantial. Not 5
minutes up the road we found a very unassuming little place called La Baleine
Cafe – as in whale “teeth”, and the sign said breakfasts and lunches, so in we
went. It was pretty full (always a good
sign), and there were fresh flowers on the tables, moisturising cream in the
toilet (a big plus in Janet’s eyes !), and a short, but very appetizing menu –
Oh, and free coffee ! Suffice it to say
my omelette was excellent, Janet’s breakfast bun was delicious, and the staff
friendly and efficient. What more can
you ask for ? We had a great breakfast,
and promised to return tomorrow before we left Homer !!
We went for a walk down to the end of the Spit, (Land’s
End !), where there is a hotel and on the beach were lots of people fishing –
It’s a popular past time round here !
Walking back to the campsite round the beach, we were surprised to find
lumps of coal on the beach. Apparently there are a lot of cliffs round here
with exposed coal seams, and the locals have been picking up and using the coal
for hundreds of years, but it is always surprising to find lumps of very usable
coal all over the beach – You could live here and have a great fire 24 hours a
day if you wanted !
By the time we got back to the car, the sun was quite
warm as long as you got out of the wind, so Janet spent much of the afternoon
sitting out in the sun reading while I tried to catch up on the blog ! In the
evening two RV’s pulled up behind us with two couples, and once they had seen
Troopie and all the stickers, we quickly found out that they were in the camp
site here 2 years ago, and remembered me in the Lotus !! So of course that
generated a drink and natter around the camp fire ! Just an amazing
coincidence. Chuck and Jeff are
brothers, and they have done a lot of hunting in Alaska, and have many tales to
tell. Chuck has spent time up here with
a local Eskimo and has ended up writing a book bout the stories – I have yet to
read the book which he gave me, but it looks fascinating. Talking to Chuck and Jeff, and their wives
Linda and Karen, was a real pleasure and so interesting – And that is in
addition to the amazing coincidence of meeting them in the same place two years
later !! We made a provisional plan to
meet again in 2 years time !!
The evening was absolutely perfect, and we had a good
steak for dinner, sitting out at the table on the beach, looking out at the
mountains on the other side of Kachemak Bay.
Couldn’t be a better end to a good relaxing day in a beautiful setting.
It will be sad to leave Homer.
Hope you are both doing well! Enjoyed meeting you at the spit in Homer. I'm excited to read about your trip!
ReplyDeleteGod Bless ya,
Linda from Va.