Alaska 2022 - A Bit of Homer and The End

 

This morning I got a chance to appreciate the remoteness of last night's accommodations.  After building a fire in the stove to get things toasty-warm in the yurt again I walked out to the water in the weak but appreciated morning sunlight.  Here at Kayak Beach we are seven miles as the raven flies away from the Homer spit and harbor.  There are no freeways around.  The area isn't within a busy flight path zone.  It's a little too early in the morning for any boat noise.  It is so very very quiet.  I haven't experienced silence in nature like this probably ever.  I tried to sit and still my mind and do a little meditating but the silence was a bit unnerving.

We had a bit of a wait before our chartered boat was going to pick us up at the beach so Alesha and I made good on our promises to each other that we were going to take a dip in the little cove.  Hans stood on the beach bemused as we shrieked and splashed in the *very* cold but absolutely crystal clear waters.  Nothing makes you feel as invigorated as immersing yourself in 53-degree ocean!  We hurried as quickly as possible back to the yurt to warm back up, change, and finish packing.

 

You can take the girl out of Alaska, but you'll never take the Xtratufs off her feet

The view while we wait for a ride

Back in Homer I requested a stop at the iconic Salty Dawg Saloon for a drink and lookie-loo.  The cramped interior with low ceilings and heavy wooden tables smoothed by wear was a fun diversion before we did a little bit of shopping and had lunch at the fabulous Johhny's Corner poke stand.  We all had incredible bowls of fresh fish and wonderful seasoning.

That is indeed a real human skull behind the bar

Go here for lunch.  Do it!

Things took a little bit of a turn when we were back on the road.  I hadn't been feeling great and another one of our party was a bit under the weather.  I purchased some test kits on our way out of Homer since we were heading back to my sister's house in Anchorage to stay for the final 3 days of this trip and that's when I found out that I (and others) needed to quarantine.  I'm leaving out details for personal privacy but you can probably figure out what I'm referring to here...

That was a bit of a blow after the high of our outdoor adventuring yesterday :(

There was another Russian Orthodox church on my list for the return drive so we went for a short walk around the one in Ninilchik.  The skies turned very dramatic.

Once we were back in Anchorage we had to find a last-minute hotel to stay at for the next several days while we isolated.  The least expensive option in a not icky part of town had a view of the Moose's Tooth Pizzeria and had apartment-style suites.  The two positive ones stayed in one suite and the one who tested negative stayed in their own separate suite.  Sadly this is pretty much how the trip ended.  Our third party brought us takeout and medication while we laid about and tried to recover.

My view and disposition while feeling shitty and feverish.  Sunglasses snagged from the yurt.

I didn't choose yurt life.  Yurt life chose me.

Meanwhile, our connection to the outside world got to enjoy a couple more days of lovely scenery 

I lost my sense of smell pretty quickly and I was grateful that at least the last meal I'd been able to taste was that poke bowl.  When it was time to go home we said a socially-distanced goodbye to my sister and brother-in-law on our way to the airport.  My nephew was going to be getting married in October so at least we were all going to be seeing each other in about a month.  What a bummer way to end a trip though...

 Hans and I made it home safe and sound with bags very heavily laden with gifts and souvenirs.  I hadn't been back to Alaska in a very long time and this trip left me missing it more than ever.  Until next time!

Alaska 2022 - Kachemak Bay State Park

This morning we took a chartered boat across Kachemak Bay to Kayak Beach, which was about a seven mile journey from the harbor.  The captain and his wife excitedly told us that there was a mama bear with three cubs on the beach the day before and that morning.  We kept our fingers crossed for some exciting nature viewing.

The seas were quite calm as we made the crossing and I was blown away by how crystal clear the water was as we approached the shores of Kachemak Bay State Park.  This was where we were going to stay in a yurt overnight after a day of hiking.  Our goal was the summit of Grace Ridge (3,188 ft) but by the time we headed up the trail it was getting to be late in the day.

Hans was the only one of us who got to see the bears while we were dropping things at the yurt and getting ready to hike.  He said that the cubs were really cute and rolling around on the beach.  He managed to get a couple of photos of the mom before all of the bears disappeared into the woods.

The hike was brutal but a really fun time.  We spent a good hour picking massive amounts of delicious blueberries which is part of why we didn't make it all of the way up to the summit.  We had to set a turn-around time of 5 pm so that we would be back to the yurt by dark.  This was the longest and most elevation-gain hike we had done in a good decade but the views were absolutely worth it.  Considering how glum the weather has been this whole trip we were grateful for an afternoon with broad views from the mountain.  The mosquitoes, though.  They were absolutely brutal.  Right as we had decided to start the descent back down the rains came and we got absolutely soaked and covered in mud.  

Once we were back in the yurt with the wood stove going we got pretty slap happy from being warm and dry and full of instant mashed potatoes.  What an adventure.

Do you see how many dang mosquitoes were flying around?

They were ruthless. 

 

Warm tootsies

Alaska 2022 - Down the Kenai Peninsula

This morning we loaded up the car and began the four hour drive down to Homer.  It had been a very long time since I'd been on that part of the Seward Highway.  Even on a cloudy day the massive mountains on either side of the road were as impressive as I remember.  We made a mid-drive stop at Kassik's Brewery and had some pretty excellent beer.  They had a smoked porter that made me really wish that Hans and I still live in a climate that gets true winters.

The site of old town Kenai has one of Alaska's many Russian Orthodox Churches.  Alaska's past associated with Russian missionaries goes back to the mid 1700's.  The church in Kenai was built in 1896 and recently underwent restoration.  The cupolas were leaking and so those were fixed up and a new roof was installed.

 

 

This cute cafe was across the street from the church

When we rolled into Homer we got a little tour from Alesha since she used to live here.  The main town is a collection of small homes and businesses outside of the main commercial draw which is The Spit.  Fans of Deadliest Catch are probably familiar with that part of Homer.

We had a pretty darn good seafood dinner at Alice's Champagne Palace before heading to one of the public campgrounds in town.  I was feeling pretty tired after the tents were set up so I stayed behind with my book so that I could rest while Hans and Alesha went down to The Spit for a walk.  

 

 Just a couple of sandhill cranes chillin' by someone's boat

 

 

Views from the camp ground

This is a really good book about the many crimes of Joshua Wade. 
The author is very respectful of the victims and their stories.

Tomorrow we will be climbing the mountain in the center up to Grace Ridge

Below are Hans' photos from around The Spit

 

Alaska 2022 - Oh, What a Night

We spent a chill day around town and with some long-time friends.  In the morning everybody went to the Spenard Farmers Market - a great use of the large parking lot by Chilkoot's.  You could tell that the vendors were a little sparse today since the Alaska State Fair was opening this weekend.  It looked like the doors to 'Koot's were open so we went inside and saw that the bar was having a little celebratory anniversary brunch for The Bird House.  There were few patrons inside but we were welcomed and offered a chance to help ourselves to breakfast and hang out.  A table in the corner had a stack of art prints depicting the original location.  It was fun to get the lay of the land without crowds.

Next it was a drive across town to the Anchorage Market in the Dimond Mall parking lot.  I bought a few gifts there and then we went across Dimond Boulevard to Benji's Cafe, upon a friend's recommendation.  Their pastries looked out of this world but I passed on those and instead enjoyed my very first boba tea (ooooh boy I get the hype now).

We all went to Kincaid Park to visit Lance's bench and grab some lunch at Yeti Dog.  In the evening we had a wonderful visit with friends.  Despite leaving kind of late (for us) at night I was still wanting to check out 'Koot's during normal hours and so Hans, Alesha, and I headed downtown for a drink and some people watching.

 

We meet again

Hanging out in The Bird House

As we were getting ready to leave we grabbed some of those sweet art prints - most of them were still left from that morning!

Our prizes for the evening