Alaska is the last American frontier. And Homer is but a small part of that frontier. However, Homer
has been well tamed by our brave cadre.
So don't worry about oversized Bears,
Giant Moose, Killer Whales or Giant Octopus or other scary stuff either from the Alaskan wilderness or the very deep
sea. Realize, we, too, are carnivorous. Homer has terrific restaurants where you might
taste a bit of those scary things right on your plate (yes, we have our own Game Meat Bistros and even upscale
Sushi dining; many nice places, scaled up and down. And with all shades and kinds of beer, choice of class A wines or sake - or maybe even a Martini,
a straight up or two. Soon, all cares vanish.
Visit our world famous Homer Spit - a funky contrast to the well ordered town directly to the north. Let's take a ride out there: Turn a sharp right on Sterling Highway
just after the sharp left to the airport. Riding along the narrow SPIT, on your
left, you see some strange, old & abandoned sea-craft. Antique or
just decay? "Hey, someone's living in that mess"
Then we find the Homer fishing hole where Silver Salmon return year after year to their
birthplace to be caught on flies, live bait, herring or maybe a piece of an old sock.
On to our deep water port, home to hundreds
of both small and large fishing craft, commercial and pleasure, yachts, even a three master or two. and the occasional
barge or large transport.
Just ahead, there is the ferry dock, ready to take you and your car to Seldovia, or even overnight to Kodiak
Island, home to the famous bear bearing the name. No matter, where you are on the Spit, you are overwhelmed by the Glaciers and high peaks just ahead. But at the tip of
the Spit, there is "Lands End". (We'd like to explain the romantic
name by assuming the original settlers believed the world was flat - and they believed this was the end of it - but really,
it is only the end of the auto road from Anchorage) But whatever the insignificant history, the views from there are
truly astonishing.
Most of the commerce on the Spit
is built on charming cowboy boardwalks. And there is plenty of commerce here. Bunch of gift shops. However, for
the continuing onslaught of avid fisherman, there are Charter Boats galore. All kinds of bait and gear shops, Plenty
of fresh Halibut Fish and Chips places. ("joints" is undignified) Fish, - particularly large fish - rule.
You can see those enormous Halibut beasts, or a 50 lb. King Salmon,
hanging from the fishing rafters. Junk food, ice cream and lots of kids, abound. Always funky hats are in style, so
get yourself one.
The strangest thing in the summer
is the line of tents along the beaches. These are mostly the summer housing for the young, brave day-workers who find
adventure in testing their metal against the summer winds and rain.
The occasional
tourist - or the rare boatless native- can avail himself of water taxis to the"other side"- the mysterious
land beyond the bay, subject to a completely different weather system than Homer, and
under high snow -capped peaks - where under every wet rock there's strange life abrewing. "Clams, crabs,
mussels & look here, a giant octopus" There are even some great upscale restaurants and lodges on the far shore,
but only available by water route.
Eating fresh steamers or King Crab at the
surprisingly upscale, Paddie's, is always rewarding, for both the fresh & delicious food and the up-close scenery.
The line-up of Glaciers and Mountains over Kachemak
Bay, are often interlaced with ever-changing low hanging cloud formations, in mystifying and magnificent
colors and textures
This is one busy,
exciting and magical place - one even Homer,
the ancient and legendary Grecian, himself, could have written about. Not being vain, he probably would have named it
"Odd,-I See" rather than naming it after himself.
