Homer

The Homer Spit is a divers place which includes the harbor (full of every type of boat from a yacht to a variety of fishing boats to small pleasure boats), beaches exposed at low tide, several blocks of shops & restaurants, a couple of hotels, several large RV parks, & industrial/commercial facilities. 

in the harbor

An info board about otters had some fascinating facts. 



A visit to the harbor master's office was interesting. This map shows where different types of boats may dock; a huge version of this map on the wall has the name of every boat currently moored in the harbor. Signs in the office noted that owners must provide proof of insurance in order to dock here. 

Wynn Nature Center & views from above Homer

Pratt Museum





Alaskan Maritime National Wildlife Refuge VC



around Homer

Funky artwork abounds here. 




A sort of town square on the waterfront includes this salmon sculpture, which accepts donations to help locals. 



I had lunch at this oyster bar where the cooks worked right in front of you with a beautiful view of the Kachemak Bay & mountains behind them. 

from my campsite

Wildlife sightings (not counting those in the conservation preserve or the aquarium)

--> --> today: sea otters - 2      

--> --> trip total so far: 

    black bears - 4          deer - 2                grizzlies - 1            moose - 6

    stone sheep - 8        elk - 1                   caribou - 15            bison - 42    

    Dall sheep - 11        porcupines -1         mountain goats - 1

    trumpeter swans - 14+        many bald eagles    black oyster catcher - 1 (rare)

    sea otters - 11             harbor seals - many     

    many sea stars & jelly fish        Dall's porpoise - ~12

    North Pacific Humpback whales - 2 pods of ~ 12 each

    Stellar's sea lions - 100+ including 60 pups (counted by scientists)

    puffins, horned & tufted - many      

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

boat tour to wildlife & glaciers

Image
I can now die a happy woman! The boat trip was fantastic in every way. (Major Marine 8.5 hour tour on Orca Song from Seward to the Northwestern Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park) We saw SO MUCH wildlife, including several rare sightings & behaviors.  Here is the first of 3 sea otters we saw.  This is the sea cave & rocks where we got very close to see sea stars & jelly fish - many, many of each.  A dozen Dall's porpoises swam & played near our boat for a while. They swam so fast that they were hard to photograph, but we saw each one many times. This group of Stellar's sea lions is typical of what one sees in Alaska, that is no babies, just a group of adults hauled up on shore.   Though humpback whales are often seen in this area, they are mostly seen alone or perhaps a mom & baby. Not only did we see a whole pod, we saw them engage in what is called bubble net feeding. Many pods around the world do not engage in this type of feeding. There are...
Read more

Alaska!

Image
Top-of-the-World Highway This road runs from Dawson City in the Yukon into Alaska. The 110-mile drive today was a dirt road with the exception of a 9-mile long paved stretch in the middle - seems odd to have a short paved stretch in the middle of a long dirt highway.  arrived in Alaska! I've wanted to come to Alaska since I was 14. My day trip to Skagway last week was to a small corner of Alaska, but that corner isn't connected to this main part of the state, so this feels like my official arrival.                                         Chicken, Alaska Apparently, the original residents here wanted to name the town after a chicken-like bird called a ptarmigan. However, they couldn't agree on how to spell that, so they compromised on "Chicken". It became a small town when the Pedro Dredge (now a National Historic Site) was set up here to dig for gold. Besides a few crazy tourists who...
Read more

Gros Morne: Trout River area

Image
Exploring this little town, I first walked up a headland to the lighthouse; the old lighthouse was charming, but, like many, it's been replaced by a functional red & white modern little tower.                                    Then, I walked up the headland on the other end of town. A late lunch of pickled herring with onions & sour cream along with a bowl of Newfoundland pea soup (split pea soup pureed with lots of carrots & potatoes) topped off my visit. Adirondack chairs are quite popular here, & many folks have their own version.                                  After returning from my hike yesterday, I was wiped out. The walk was only 4K & not too steep, so I couldn't figure it out. Then, in the evening, I developed a throat tickle that I just couldn't shake - kept me awake for hours. It h...
Read more