Cernek.org Blog

Saturday, July 9, we arrive in Homer. Overcast skies greet us as we settle in to an RV park in town. The first impression of Homer is “we like it!” This town has a really good feel to it.

One of the main attractions of Homer is the Homer Spit, a spit of land that sticks out into Kachemak Bay, separating the Bay from the south end of Cook Inlet.

View Larger Map of Homer, AK

The Seafarer’s Memorial has a prominent position on the beach.

Someone has placed fresh flowers and ribbons in the Mariner’s hands.

The sea tells a story. It tells of the life it brings, And the lives it claims. Its deep dark waters are home to some, A final resting place for others.

The sea tells a story. It tells of the cycle of life Running through its waters. Fish, spawning, dying, sinking to the ocear floor, Returning to the circle that engulfs all life.

The sea tells a story. It tells of properity, Yet how that prosperity can be unforgiving. Nearly everyone will experience its vastness. But some will remain there forever.

Ryan Bundy 1996

The clouds are low in the sky as we look across the Cook Inlet from the memorial. There is peace and serenity here.

The ferry is in port. We can see the Alaska flag against the dark background of the stack. This is one of the ports on the Alaska Marine Highway. The Alaska Marine Highway is a main thoroughfare for traffic in this state. The ferry is the only way to travel from places like Homer, Anchorage, Seward to the panhandle of Alaska where Juneau is without going through Canada and driving over horrible roads.

This view of another world is one of the glaciers we are looking at on the far side of Kachemak Bay. This looks like a world that the Enterprise may have visited, don’t you think?

The shoreline statistic is a surprise, but I guess it shouldn’t be. In Homer we are south of 60 degrees north. Point Barrow is a lot farther north at 71+ degrees! Of course, you can’t get there from here unless you fly or go by boat. There are a lot of places — most places — in Alaska you can’t get to from anywhere without a plane or dog sled.

We were talking with one of the young ladies in one of the shops who is from Homer. Going to college in Canada, she works at home in the summer. She told us that on average only one in three days has sunshine in Homer. The sun peaked out a little earlier in the day. Her opinion is that probably is going to be it for a few days. So while the weather may be milder here on Kachemak Bay, it is cloudy a lot and rains a lot. The vegetation certainly looks like a rainforest.

This young lady’s parents arrived in Alaska separately from Minnesota and Indiana, met, married, and settled down to family life. She was very happy that they did because she thought it would have been very boring to have been from either Minnesota or Indiana. Compared to Alaska, I have to agree with her. What a great place to grow up!

We are picking up these interesting factoids at the Pratt Museum, a pretty impressive place for a town this size. This sounds like the Alaska version of walking to school uphill in six feet of snow and then walking home uphill in eight feet of snow. Stomach intestine raincoat???

The display on the Exxon Valdez oil spill is extensive. It is the most documentation we have seen on the event to date. I remember when Joseph Hazelwood  was in the news. It was not a good day for him, but then it would seem that because of his behavior perhaps a day like this was waiting for him out there somewhere. Fortunately he never captained another vessel of any kind.

We were able to listen to the actual recording of this transmission by Hazelwood to the Traffic Center. It was very apparent by his hesitations and rewording that he did not want to be telling anyone what was happening. This was not a conversation he wanted to be having at all. He knew it was bad.

These issues have been addressed and corrected since the grounding of the Exxon Valdez. Considering recent history with oil spills, I am sure that the oil companies do not want to be in the news again with another catastrophe. The people of Alaska definitely feel very strongly about having Prince William Sound attacked again by oil.

The famous or rather infamous ship.

This puts it into real perspective that has meaning. This is most interesting after being in the Gulf of Mexico last summer while the oil was pouring from the broken well. There are certainly many differences between the two spills but a a lot of similarities as well.

Prince William is still in the process of trying to recover from this disaster. Some species may never fully recover while others seem to be coming back with time.

Hopefully we are learning that we need to have a well thought out plan when things go horribly wrong.

Today we are in abundant sunshine. The lady at the visitor’s center told us to take a circular drive up onto the bluff that overlooks Kachemak Bay. This viewing spot gives us a great overview of the entire Homer Spit. It is easy to see why the bay is an estuarial body of water. It is allowing salt water to enter the bay where the freshwater streams from all the snowmelt are pouring into the bay. This mix of salt water and fresh water creates its own habitat for various forms of sea life.

Looking across the bay we can see the mountains of Kachemak Bay State Park.

Using the telephoto lens to zoom in on the ice field across the bay presents a beautiful picture of a scene that may not be there in another twenty to thirty years if the predictions hold out to be true.

We have listened to a lot of air traffic come and go from the Homer Airport. It is a busy field with both small planes and commercial jets flying in and out. Small commuter jets, but jets nonetheless.

A closeup of the Homer Spit harbor.

Driving west on the road on top of the bluff, we get a great view of one of the peaks on the other side of Cook Inlet. These mountains never get tiresome.

Back down from the scenic drive, we go by the marina for a couple of pictures.

The view from the Marina looking across the bay is spectacular today. It doesn’t get any better than this. Putting up with all that rain might just be worth it for a regular glimpse of this.

Here is another look at the ice field I am so in love with.

Sea gulls are sea gulls are sea gulls! These are no different from our California sea gulls. They squawk and poop just like their southern cousins!

Captain Patti’s is the restaurant of choice when we decide to go out for a really nice seafood dinner. The visitor center lady said it was her husband’s favorite. She is batting a thousand right now in the recommendation department in our book.

We have to wait thirty minutes to be seated — a first since we left the Lower 48. It is so-o-o worth it. The sampler platter features a piece of fresh halibut, fresh wild-caught salmon, Alaskan scallops, and Alaskan prawns — all grilled to perfection. I would be hard pressed to say which item is best. It is all outstanding!

The shops are quaint and have some interesting merchandise. While we waited to be seated for dinner, I found the perfect new hoodie to replace the one that was becoming a bit ragtag.

On the way back to the RV we pass the eagles nest that is right off the highway in town. We have been driving past it every day, but there hasn’t been much activity. Today the two eaglets are doing wing exercises. Unfortunately, by the time we get the camera on them, they are resting from all the exertion. The proud parent is sitting on the edge of the nest to give them room to do their thing. They will be flying soon by the looks of things.

Behind the limb is the one eaglet that sticks his head up from time to time. The other is tucked down inside. This is a very substantial nest!

Picture taking in this facility wasn’t optimal; so I gave up and just enjoyed the exhibits. I highly recommend it as a great place to see Alaska’s exploitation and conservation history condensed into an easy to understand format.

This timeline told the amazing story of how man tried to destroy this great resource.

The ships inadvertently brought rats to many of the Aleutian Islands. This heretofore unknown predator was devastating to many species of birds. The fox was introduced to the Aleutian Islands to create a controlled habitat to farm foxes for their fur. They further destroyed native species on the island who had never known a predator. Disease was brought to the native peoples of these islands, wiping out whole populations. Overhunting of otters, seals, walruses, and whales nearly wiped out these animals.

Fortunately the story on the timeline has a better ending than a beginning. Because of wildlife management and conservation measures that have been put into place, many of these issues are being remedied.

The rats and foxes are being eradicated or relocated. Hunting is being controlled to allow the native populations to do sustainable sustenance harvesting of their customary foods. Fur trappers are no longer taking animals by the hundreds. Modern medicines are being made available to the native populations to help them with medical care. It looks like maybe there is hope, but there is a lot of work yet to do.

One thing we learned today above all else is that the health and well being of the ecosystems of Alaska and particularly the Aleutian Islands is vital to the health and well being of the rest of us whether we have ever been to Alaska or not. The changes that happen here will be felt by the entire planet. They are just felt here first.

We have learned a lot about our planet and about Alaska while in this small community. It is a beautiful spot of the face of this earth. We stand with our first impression. We like the feel of this town. It is a good place to be. Life in Homer is very good!