Driving south from Soldotna to Homer was one that we had done before…well almost. A few days prior driving to our Halibut fishing trip we had driven almost all the way to Homer as there is only one road going south on the Kenai Peninsula. Today however, we would make it to the end of the road going south on the Kenai.
Goodbye Soldotna
After a heartfelt goodbye to Dick & Stevie we hit the road. The first stop for the day was our final stop at the fish processor. As we hadn’t yet settled our fish-processing bill or told them how we would like the fish cut it was a necessary 1st stop. We decided to just cut all our fish into normal sized fillets and take a few for us on the road as well. After paying and making a 2nd stop at a local scallop fisherman for fresh Alaskan scallops we hit the road south.
The furthest you can drive west in North America
Our main stop for today was in Anchor Point. We had been here two days prior as Anchor Point was the launching point for our Halibut fishing trip. We hadn’t been able to see much of the area though that day so we thought we would stop and really see it this time. Anchor Point is special as it is the furthest spot west that you can drive to on paved road on the North American continent. Just a little over two years prior we had been on the furthest eastern spot in Cape Spear, Newfoundland, Canada. If you were to drive straight from Cape Spear to Anchor Point it would take 107 hours and 5940 miles of driving. High five to us!
After arriving back to Anchor Point we took a few pictures then drove down the road and parked next to the beach, officially the furthest driving point. Besides being famous for the most westerly point and a launching point for fishing boats, Anchor Point is also the home to a lot of bald eagles. The day we were there was no exception. We walked along the beach and at some points there were as many bald eagles as there were sea gulls. Living in NY and FL we don’t see many of these birds (if any at all) so seeing so many of them was just mind-boggling.
We walked along taking pictures of the birds, the ocean and each other. It was a really cool moment. One of our goals on this trip was to drive to this place and we were here. Walking among the bald eagles was a big plus. After a late lunch in the van we continued our drive to our campground just north of Homer. We were staying at the Homer KOA and as it turned out the views were spectacular. The campground hugged a cliff far above the city and ocean. The fireweed flowers were in full bloom, which made everything really colorful. After checking in and setting up camp we walked around taking pictures of the flowers and of the ocean with the huge mountains of the Alaska Range behind them. It was amazing and one of the better views from a campground that we have had up to this point.
The Homer Spit
The next morning after a leisurely breakfast it was time to see the town of Homer. Homer is known as the “The End of the Road” as this is the southern most point in the Alaska Highway system. Homer is also known as one of the best places in the world to go halibut fishing. Lastly it is known for a part of the town called the Homer Spit. The spit is a narrow piece of land jutting out 4.5 miles into the ocean. The spit in the summer is the heart of the town. It features over 1500 commercial and private fishing boats, a ferry terminal as well as hotels, restaurants and shops. We drove to the end of the spit and parked. The views from the tip of the spit were just spectacular. On one side you had the Cook Inlet and the other side the Kachemak Bay. Beyond the spit on almost every side were mountains from the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula and Lake Clark National Park. I know I’ve used the word stunning a lot in the last few Alaska posts but there just isn’t another word to describe this scenery. It’s just stunning!
From the tip of the spit we walked back towards the retail area stopping at Coal Town Coffee & Tea for a coffee and Spit Licks Creamery for an ice cream cone (Most places in Alaska served Umpqua ice cream from Oregon. Its really good and we recommend trying it if it’s sold in your local area). After our coffee and ice cream we walked over to Homer Spit’s most famous business, the Salty Dawg Saloon. The Salty Dawg is one of the oldest businesses in town getting its start in 1957. The main building however dates back to 1897. The Saloon on the inside is covered in money. All the walls, ceiling and every nook and cranny that can be used have a stapled dollar bill with a message on it written by a patron. I had been here in 2007 and had left a business card at the time on the wall but after 30 minutes of looking without any luck we settled in at the bar for a beer. Before leaving we did leave one of our Cruisin’ with the Careys cards. If you want to find it, it’s located in the pool room all the way on the right behind a circular life preserver tube.
Homer & Bear Creek Winery
From the Salty Dawg we drove off the spit driving through town and going to Bear Creek Winery. This was a nice stop from our usual brewery destination. The winery sat about halfway up the hill overlooking Homer. In addition to the actual winery it had a small inn and garden. It was beautiful and very peaceful. The wine was good too! From the winery we drove back to the campground where we ate dinner and relaxed the rest of the night.
On the road to Seward
The next day we woke up ready to go. Today we were going to head to our final stop on the Kenai Peninsula, the town of Seward. As there is only one main road on the Kenai for most of the day we would be backtracking north. This was alright by us though as we needed groceries and the largest grocery store was in Soldotna which we had to pass through anyway. After making it to Soldotna and going to Safeway for needed supplies we decided to check out the local BBQ house, Firehouse BBQ. We were glad we did, as it was delicious and a good change of pace from our usual lunch sandwich.
From Soldotna we continued on towards Seward stopping at a few points along the way. The smoky fog that had clouded our view for much of the drive up to this point dissipated, leaving a backdrop of bright blue skies against the tall green mountains and aqua blue colors of the glacier fed rivers and lakes that we passed. We stopped a few times to take pictures and video as the scenery was just too beautiful to just drive by.
We finally reached our turnoff to go to Seward switching from the Sterling Highway to the Seward Highway. It was here the mountains became really tall. Seward, much like Skagway that we had been to a few weeks earlier is set at the end of a long inlet on a small piece of flat land almost totally surrounded by huge mountains. The road to Seward curves around the base of these mountains that seemingly shoot straight up from the road edges.
After about an hour of this we rolled into the outskirts of town and into our campground. The campground as it turned out was a brand new KOA Campground and this was its inaugural season. It wasn’t much to look at as it was just a flat oval shaped gravel pit cut into the forest but it did have a few things going for it. There was a huge mountain directly in front of us. It was so tall that for our entire stay there we never actually saw the top due to fog in the area. Next-door was a sled dog kennel and training center so at 7am each day we heard barking from what seemed like 1000 dogs. Lastly on the property there was one single tree that was left standing. When we arrived we wondered why but after walking up to it we realized that there was a bald eagle’s nest in the tree complete with bald eagle chicks. While we made dinner on the first night we watched as the mother bald eagle went to and from bringing dinner to her chicks. It was really cool to see.
Exit Glacier
The next morning we woke up excited to see what Seward had to offer. The first stop for the day was just down the road, Exit Glacier. After walking on Matanuska Glacier a week or so prior, we didn’t think seeing any other glacier experience could be better, but as we probably were not going to see many more glaciers on this trip, we didn’t want to pass this opportunity up. It was only a 10-minute drive to the lookout point to see the glacier and within a few minutes we were there. Exit Glacier as it turned out was about a mile away from the lookout point inside Kenai Fjords National Park. It was set high up in the mountains and looked pretty cool, although we had to use our binoculars to see it well. As we suspected Matanuska was much better but seeing any glacier is a cool experience.
Seward
From Exit Glacier we headed into the town of Seward. As far as Alaskan towns go, most are built for functionality and the buildings are designed to be extremely strong. This is due to the 1964 Good Friday earthquake. This earthquake destroyed almost every single town in southeastern Alaska so when towns were rebuilt, they were built with earthquakes in mind. Seward was different though. Somehow the earthquake had spared Seward. Seward was small and charming, it almost had the look of a quaint New England village. We wandered around town stopping in a few of the shops getting our normal touristy post cards and a few other things to remember the town by.
Wildife boat tour of Kenai Fjords National Park
After a quick lunch back in Bubbles it was time for our boat tour. Seward sits directly next to Kenai Fjords National Park. This park covers over 670 thousand acres with almost all of it only accessible by boat or airplane. Exit Glacier that we had seen that morning was at the end of the parks one and only (and very short) road. We had signed up for a tour through the Major Marine Company. They offer a variety of tours ranging from the short tour, which we went on (the 3.5 hour Kenai Fjords Wildlife Tour) to a full day 8.5-hour glacier cruise. As Julie & I had seen enough glaciers at this point and as we didn’t want spend that long on a boat we opted for the shorter cruise.
The cruise turned out to be awesome! The waters in the Seward harbor were the same aqua green and blues of the glacier fed rivers around the town. As the boat left the harbor we spotted a grey Humpback whale swimming along. We followed it for a bit before going on. The captain guided the boat in and out of inlets and past rocky islands. We saw a ton of wildlife while on the boat. In addition to the whale we spotted seals, puffins, sea lions, bald eagles and a ton of other sea birds. On the boat itself we met and talked to Sarah & Jacob who were visiting Alaska from Denmark. It was really neat to hear their perspective on Alaska and about their travels in general.
Meeting a new traveler
After we got off the boat we headed back into Seward and decided to have a beer at the Seward Brewing Company. After settling in at the bar we started talking to the guy next to us. His name was Chris and he was from Vancouver. He was a traveler as well like us only he was planning on going much further than we were. He had driven his late 90’s modified Jeep Cherokee all the way from Vancouver to the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territories then had decided to check out Alaska. His final goal was to reach the Patagonia region at the southern tip of South America. We talked travel, his projected route and about his Jeep while we finished our beers. It was really cool to meet someone like Chris. You have to be brave to travel sometimes. Every day you’re in someplace new where nothing is familiar. It’s scary, exhilarating and awesome all at the same time.
Once we were done with our beers we said goodbye to Chris and headed back to Bubbles and the campground. That night we made our Kodiak Island scallops that we had bought in Soldotna a few days before and watched the bald eagle fly in and out of the nest on the one tree on the campground. It was a great way to end our last night on the Kenai Peninsula.
We had an amazing time during our days on the Kenai. We re-visited old friends and made new friends. We caught some of the most beautiful halibut and salmon that we had ever seen. We saw beautiful mountain vistas and lush river valleys. We saw the destructive power that a forest fire can have on the land. We loved every minute of our experience!
Next up….Alaska’s most famous national park…3 nights in Denali National Park!
