Anchor Point and Homer

We were less than thrilled to awaken to sightings of mosquitoes in the RV, a rampage of clapping and banging followed in an attempt at mass mosquito murder (I’m an alliteration junkie!).  We discovered a few extra bites, ugh, can’t stand those little humming critters, grrrr!

Apparently the RV was also feeling less than par – the fresh water tank was practically empty after being filled to capacity, the battery was almost dead, and the water pump was struggling.  Just over one week in our company and it was clearly feeling overworked!  Thankfully this State Park’s quiet hours were 11pm-6am, so generators were permitted in the morning, and we were able to function albeit without much water.

Everyone headed back to the beach for pictures and water fun while I enjoyed some peace and quiet in the camper, relatively mosquito-free, to finish my book.

After a relaxing morning, we headed out, back down the Kenai Spur Highway, stopping for pictures of a moose as it rain out of the trees and a calm Stormy Lake.

Stopping for groceries and lunch, we were able to refuel ourselves and the RVs!  As we set off southwards down the Sterling Highway, we enjoyed more gorgeous views and plenty of bald eagle sightings.  Bald eagles are found with more frequency along the coastline as they hunt for fish as opposed to the high numbers of golden eagles found further inland.  

We had a brief stop in Ninilchik to admire the Orthodox Church and talk to the priest.  There are still a number of places with Russian influences remaining in Alaska.

The town below the church was nothing if not eclectic - boats in gardens, houses and caravans on the edge of the winding river; we loved coming up on these surprising little towns.  Crossing the bridge toward the State Park, some students appeared to be dredging or maybe fishing - just curious!  Rounding the corner, an RV had been sort of turned into a house with a full pointy roof......it was clearly a day for 'different.'

We had read that Anchor Point was worth a stop for fantastic views out over the water, so we pulled into the Anchor River State Recreation Area.  As we approached, we could see quite a commotion of large birds on the beach.  Upon stopping, and on closer inspection, we realized the vast majority were huge bald eagles battling each other for a bite of the kill prize.  This was too much enticement for the photographer in our midst, Dave spent quite some time down on the sand, the distant mountainous volcanoes momentarily forgotten!

From Anchor Point, we drove along the Scenic Byway to our final destination for the next few days: Homer Spit, a long, narrow finger of land jutting 4.5 miles into Kachemak Bay. Its tagline from Tom Bodett’s tales is, “At the end of the Road……the Adventure Begins.”

Immediately we stopped, the kids jumped out and ran on the beach, playing in the water and building mini forts.  It was COLD but they remained undeterred.

We took a short drive down the Spit later in the evening to visit the legendary Salty Dawg Saloon, made famous by the number of dollar bills pinned to its walls.  At last estimation, they reckon there’s about $40,000 around the inside – totally crazy! 

Homer is famous for fish, so random statues line the boardwalks.

Yet another shot of fascinating furniture!  At some point, we have plans for Dave and Jake to create in The Man Cave at home, surely we can make it work for school credit.