North to Alaska

Back in the Spring of 2017, I decided that my bride needed a vacation, and that same week, we just happened to receive an invitation to attend the 50th wedding anniversary of dear friends we have known since 1977. It would be held on July 1st, in their town of Homer, Alaska. I told her we were going. Without any children. The title of this post is borrowed from the John Wayne movie of the same name. 

Homer is a small city on Kachemak Bay, on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. We flew into Anchorage, rented a car and drove 4  hours south through beautiful, tree covered mountains to reach Homer. On our first morning, we hit the beach where we relaxed, soaked in the views, watched bald eagles flying overhead, and collected rocks along the shore. As you can see, the beach was not crowded, which is a big plus for me. Don't need the sun either since all I do is burn. Much preferred the 55 degree temps.

Homer has attracted quite a few artists, has three book stores, several museums, and a decent variety of restaurants. I am not including any pics of our many meals, but, there are some real eatery gems. That first night, I got in touch with my inner zen by artistically stacking the rocks. And yes, at 11:30 P.M., there was sun light shining in under our curtain.

This is the view from our friends living room window. It is July, and in addition to these snow covered mountains, there were a few glaciers to be seen. Homer has a small population, who get to enjoy this magnificent sight everyday - some of those days with sunshine. As we came up the dirt road (to the left of this picture), a female moose walked out of the trees. 

I was driving when I saw the real moose, so this colorful guy will have to do.

Homer is the "Halibut fishing capital of the world". And we saw some much bigger ones than these. No, I did not go fishing or catch any, but, yes, we certainly ate plenty.

Not a beach for swim suits or frolicking in the cold water.

I saw another female moose with her calf, but alas, I was again driving. This time up to the ridge over looking the town of Homer, and the "Spit", the long, skinny piece of land jutting out into the Bay. 

The anniversary party was held Saturday evening at a nice hotel on the end of the Spit. We  thoroughly enjoyed our first trip to Alaska. Will it be our last? Lets see - good friends, book stores, many untried restaurants, and we did take a bear viewing tour. I'm thinking probably not our last trip north...